Snowdrop Walks at Pencarrow
There is something about the first snowdrops that makes me ridiculously happy. They are such a welcome sight in February, popping up while winter is still very much with us but bringing that first little promise of spring.
One of my favourite places to see them is Pencarrow House and Gardens, tucked away between Bodmin and Wadebridge.
Pencarrow traditionally celebrates snowdrop season with special garden openings during February. The dates and arrangements can vary from year to year, and winter weather sometimes has other ideas, so it is definitely worth checking Pencarrow's website before setting off.
Snowdrops at Pencarrow
Snowdrop season makes a lovely excuse to wander through Pencarrow's sprawling grounds and woodland. The gardens cover around 50 acres and move between formal landscaping and ancient woodland, so there is plenty to explore beyond the flowers themselves.
February can be a funny old month in Cornwall. One minute there is frost underfoot, the next everything is wet and muddy, but I think that is part of the charm. Seeing those tiny white flowers pushing through feels like the garden is quietly waking up again.
More than a snowdrop walk
If you don't know Pencarrow, you are missing out! The largely Georgian house is still lived in by the Molesworth-St Aubyn family, whose connection with the estate stretches back to the 1500s.
The gardens are charming in their own right. There is an Iron Age hill fort, a sunken Italian Garden, a grotto, ancient woodland and all sorts of little corners to discover. There are shorter and longer walking routes too, making it very easy to spend longer here than you originally intended.
And then there are the peacocks. I just love seeing them wandering around the estate, usually looking as though the whole place has been laid out for their benefit.
Come back for the house
The snowdrops may get you through the gates in February, but I would encourage you to come back when the house is open for its main season too.
The guided tour takes you through rooms that feel very much like part of a family home rather than a museum. There are layers of history everywhere, and that slightly eccentric, lived-in feeling is one of the things I like most about Pencarrow.
There is also the Peacock Cafe, and I am never going to complain about finishing a walk with tea and cake. Light lunches, homemade cakes and cream teas all feature when the cafe is open.
A winter walk worth making
Pencarrow is dog-friendly too, so it is a particularly nice choice when you just want to get outside for a proper winter wander.
For me though, it is the snowdrops that make February special. They aren't showy, but after weeks of bare branches and short days there is something wonderfully cheering about seeing them appear beneath the trees.
Spring isn't quite here, but it suddenly feels a lot closer.
Snowdrop openings, garden access and facilities can vary according to the weather and time of year, so check the Pencarrow website before making a special journey.
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