Brief encounter in a cold and wet Trebah

Trebah Gardens, on the Helford River, just outside Falmouth, is one of Cornwall's great gardens, and is rated in the top 80 gardens in the world.

Trebah in late summer (source unknown)

Unfortunately it was not at its very best yesterday, however, as it was unseasonably cold and wet, but Barbara and I took the 15 minute drive to catch up with Roger and Janet Thomas, and Rod and Kathy Whyte, who we had met up with just over a year ago in Cape Town to reminisce about our Zambian Copperbelt experiences (posting of 19th April 2016). The four of them are on a cruise around the British Isles, and this morning visited St. Michael's Mount in Marazion (posting of 18 October 2010), before being coached to Falmouth for their Trebah experience.

Roger, Janet, Kathy, Rod, Barbara and me in a very wet Trebah

No matter what the weather, the walk through the Garden, with its rhododendrons, magnolias and camellias, onto Trebah beach is spectacular, and the beach at the bottom of the garden is an idyllic spot on the Helford River. In 1944, the beach was used as an embarkation point for a regiment of 7,500 of the 29th US Infantry Division for the assault landing on Omaha beach, part of the D -Day Landings.

An artist's impression of Trebah Beach, 1944

As I pointed out to Roger and Janet, the weather in Cornwall is as capricious as that of Cape Town, and for their benefit, this is what they might have seen on the beach if the weather had been a little better!