May 19th 2015: Cornwall: Caerhays Castle

Monty the Motorhome is parked up for the night in the town car park of Mevagissey. We have had to pay £7 for the privilege, plus a day time charge of £3 as we arrived at 3.30pm (£2 per hour up to 5.00pm). No facilities, so the charges are a bit steep.

We left Treloan today and headed just up the coast to Caerhays Castle, a noted Rhododendron and Magnolia garden. The route took us down some fairly narrow lanes, so Monty's compactness really came into it's own.
Parking is at the beach - a large area covered in some sort of shale. Not so bad if it has been dry, but  quite muddy after the heavy showers we have been experiencing during the last 24 hours. The castle lies just inland - just 10 minutes walk - with the extensive gardens on the hillside behind. We decided just to visit the gardens, which were probably three to four weeks past their best, but even so there was plenty of colour. This is very much a plantsman's garden, with some of the original collections from Wilson and Forrest (China), as well as being the home of the Camellia x williamsii hybrids.

Then on to Mevagissey. The place has become a bit of a tourist trap, but for a reason. It is the archetypical Cornish fishing village - a small natural rocky harbour has been enhanced with breakwaters, and the narrow streets are bounded by housing on steep surrounding hillsides. So worth a visit, which justifies a parking fee.

Evening meal was fish and chips in a local pub, with a pint of Tribute. Couldn't ask for more.