Trelissick Garden

Trelissick Gardens

Trelissick is an extremely popular National Trust garden in a lovely setting above the Fal estuary, providing year-round colour. The garden features woodland and riverside walks, with an Iron Age fort in the park. Trelissick Garden is built on several levels, with quiet nooks and corners showcasing a wide variety of tender and exotic plants. The colours are especially pleasing in the spring.

Trelissick House (occasionally open to the public) was the home of the Copeland family, and it was the Copelands who planted many of the tender varieties of plants that thrive in the gardens.

Among the most impressive are displays of azaleas, hydrangeas, camellias, and rhododendrons. Other highlights include ginko trees, Japanese cryptomeria, and several species of palms.

Trelissick House

The Copelands ran the Spode china works and often used flowers grown on the Trelissick estate as models for Spode designs.

Trelissick is set on its own peninsula jutting out into the Fal estuary. The garden extends to over 30 acres, but that is only part of the Trelissick estate, which offers 300 acres of woodland walks, countryside, and coastline to explore.

The walk through the estate to Roundwood Quay has been selected by the National Trust as one of the Top Ten Walks in Britain.

The gardens are also open on selected evenings when both the gardens and the house are illuminated.

Visiting

Access is easy from Truro, but a more popular way to reach Trelissick is via the historic King Harry Ferry across the River Fal to the east. The western terminus of the ferry is directly below the garden entrance. The road up from the ferry landing actually cuts the garden in two, so a picturesque wooden footbridge was built over the road to allow garden visitors to reach all parts of the gardens in safety.

Our family visited Trelissick by crossing on the King Harry Ferry. It's a bit expensive for a short crossing but, on the other hand, it certainly is easier than having to drive all the way around by way of Truro and then back down the Fal estuary if you are coming from the east.

The garden itself is a delight, with wonderful views south and west over the Telissick peninsula and Carrick Roads. Trelissick is at its colourful best in spring, but the location is so wonderful that any time of year is a good time to visit!