Cornwall Day Two - Bosahan

Close to the Helford River, Bosahan offers a breathtaking view to the estuary and sea.

Bosahan has its own microclimate, enabling a fusion of tender plants from both hemispheres to flourish in the moist shelter. Radiant rows of rhododendrons and azaleas are mixed with the likes of magnolias and southern hemisphere tree and shrub species.

You can walk all the way down to a beach at the Estuary, and look across to the beaches at Trebah and Glendurgan. The only problem is you have to walk all the way back up again, which we found quite hard as this was the first hill of the holiday. We got quite good at hills by mid-week and then started to flag again towards the end!

But the hill was worth it to catch scenes like this, where the sun pervades the tree canopy and invites you explore around the next corner. This is one of my favourite photos of the week.

The exotic palm groves and mature Maidenhair trees have made a lush canopy under which to explore the 'sub-tropical' environment. Bosahan is blessed with a meandering stream trickling through the centre, creating a wonderful garden for walkers to follow a trail along the fern-edged banks and palm-fringed pond.

So it was a thumbs up for Bosahan, although sadly we were the only visitors at the time. It's a catch 22 situation - the less well known gardens are more peaceful and make for a photographer's paradise, but I don't know how they afford to stay open. Perhaps the petrol panic that consumed Britain last week put people off travelling down to Cornwall, as most places were quieter than normal. It certainly didn't put off this hardy blogger!