12 Weeks of Summer at Cornwall’s National Trust Gardens, Coasts and Castles

There’s a nuclear bunker tour in Veryan, a Pokémon trail at Lanhydrock and a gospel choir on the terrace at Trelissick. And that’s just scratching the surface of what the National Trust has lined up across Cornwall this summer.

From June through to early September, the Trust’s Cornish properties are filling up with garden tours, beach cleans, outdoor theatre, art exhibitions and family activities. Most are free once you’re in, though some need booking ahead. Here’s a rundown of what’s happening near you. Always check the property websites for exact opening days and times before you set off.

📷Summer of Play at Lanhydrock 2024

Cotehele

Cotehele leans into its royal past this summer with A Very Royal Summer of Play, running 11th July to 6th September, 10am to 4pm. The activities take their cue from the visits of Queen Charlotte (25th August 1789) and Queen Victoria (August 1846). It’s free with normal admission and no booking is needed.

Two art workshops are also on the calendar. Local artist Shari Arnott leads an Introduction to Alcohol Inks on 10th June, 10.30am to 1.30pm, exploring the jewel-like qualities of the medium. Then on 8th July, Cornwall-based artist Nicky Harwood runs a Cyanotype Printmaking session covering the early photographic process known for its rich blue tones. Both cost £45 per person and need booking.

There’s also a free exhibition, Teresa Pemberton: A Celebration of Cornish Colour, from 13th to 21st June, 11am to 4pm, showcasing her colour-filled take on Cornwall’s landscapes and seascapes.

📷A family enjoying 'Summer of Play' activities in the garden at Godolphin, Cornwall

Glendurgan

Glendurgan Garden opens with Garden Tours on 11th June, 11am to 1pm, an in-depth walk through its exotic valleys.

On 12th July, you can lend a hand at the One Bag Beach Clean at North Helford, 10.30am to noon. It’s free and no booking is required.

History fans can Meet Anna Maria Fox on 7th, 8th and 11th July (11am to 11.30am and 2pm to 2.30pm), stepping into the 19th century through the eyes of the Quaker philanthropist, diarist and artist from the Fox family of Falmouth.

The Plant Collectors Summer Trail then runs 23rd July to 2nd September, 10.30am to 5pm, taking you around the world through Glendurgan’s extraordinary plants.

Godolphin

Godolphin has a packed summer. The free Trust10 running trail takes place on 28th June, 26th July and 23rd August, 8.30am to 11am.

Outdoor theatre arrives with Miracle Theatre presents: Peer Gynt on 3rd and 4th July, 7pm to 9pm (booking required, price to be confirmed). Later in the season, Cambridge Touring Productions bring The Sword and the Stone on 26th August, 3.30pm to 5.30pm, following young Wart and his friend Morgan on their journey to a tournament in London. There’s also a Sword in the Stone Workshop beforehand, 2pm to 3pm, designed for children aged 5 to 10, at £6 per child (booking required).

The Festival of Archaeology runs 18th July to 2nd August, with a Celebration Day on Sunday 26th July held in partnership with the Godolphin Cross Community Association and Cornwall Heritage Trust, following the ‘Big Dig’ on Tregonning Hill.

And Summer of Play lands 23rd July to 2nd September, with badminton, races, giant building blocks and arts and crafts.

Lanhydrock

Lanhydrock is hosting the Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Trail from June to September, 10.30am to 5pm, where families search the gardens for each Mega Evolution Pokémon.

For Great Big Green Week, there’s a Ranger walk and talk on 8th June, 2pm to 3.30pm, around the parkland with the Lead Ranger. National Meadows Day follows on 4th July, 11am to 4pm, with bug hunting and microscopes by the Gatehouse.

Indoors, The Libraries of Lanhydrock (June to October, 11am to 5pm) reveals the Agar-Robartes family’s books and the medical texts consulted by John Robartes. Turning the Page (July to October, 2pm to 3.30pm) continues the Year of Reading with a closer look at rare historic volumes.

Summer of Play runs 23rd July to 6th September, turning the garden into a family play hub, and Meet the Machines returns 7th to 28th August, 11am to 3pm, for a close-up look at the tractors and mowers used across the estate.

📷Family exploring the Walled Garden at Trengwainton Garden, Cornwall

Trelissick

Trelissick kicks off with a Great Big Green Week renewable energy tour, 6th to 14th June, covering the ground source heating that has transformed the estate.

The Falmouth Community Gospel Choir performs on the terrace on 13th June, 1pm to 2pm. Miracle Theatre’s Peer Gynt comes to Trelissick on 1st and 2nd July, 6.30pm to 8.30pm, in Bill Scott’s adaptation. Quantum Theatre then presents The Tales of Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny on 18th July, 4.30pm to 6pm.

The Cornwall Arthritis Trust runs two strands here: free accessible guided walks on 24th June, 1pm to 3pm, and Pilates sessions on 30th June and 7th July, 1pm to 3pm, at £6 per person (booking required for both).

A new exhibition, Building Trelissick: from farmhouse to riverside estate, runs June to 18th October, 11am to 4.30pm. And Summer of Play, supported by Pokémon, runs 19th July to 2nd September.

Trengwainton

Trengwainton marks Father’s Day on 21st June, 10am to 5pm, with the café, shop and plant centre all open.

Trengwainton’s Summer of Play then runs 26th July to 2nd September, 10am to 5pm (closed Fridays and Saturdays). On Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays there’s a wildling village with weaving, wood whittling and storytelling, plus family favourites like tug-of-war and skittles every day.

📷Exploring the accessible path at Kynance Cove, Cornwall

Trerice

Trerice offers Cornish birds talks from June to October, 11am to noon, covering the Cornish chough and garden birds.

Miracle Theatre’s Peer Gynt stops here on 10th and 11th July at 6.30pm. There are Costume days on 20th and 27th July and several August dates, 11am to 3pm, where the whole family can dress up in Tudor and Elizabethan fashion. You can also try on Tudor armour and weaponry in the hayloft across the summer.

The Festival of Archaeology runs 21st to 26th July, 10.30am to 4.30pm, with talks, lectures and kids’ activities, while Summer of Play brings mini golf and outdoor games from 24th July to 2nd September.

Around the coast and beyond

There’s plenty happening out on the Cornish coast too. At Penrose, the Soil Circus textile exhibition by Maya Ronchetti runs June to September at The Stables Gallery, inspired by natural dyes from the Lizard. Pentire hosts the Trust10 trail run on 28th June, 26th July and 23rd August.

At Botallack, Vanessa Hockin’s seascape exhibition runs until 31st July, followed by a Cornwall College student show through August. Beach cleaners can help out at Hemmick beach near The Dodman on the first Saturday of each month, at Porthcurnick on the first Monday, or at Pendower near Carne, also first Monday.

For something different, the Veryan Bunker Tours run on 21st June, 19th July and 16th August, led by local experts Lawrence and Jean-Paul with the Royal Observer Corps team, telling the stories of a nuclear bunker and neighbouring starfish bunker (£5 per person, booking required). And at St Anthony Head, The Fort at the end of the road tours run on 8th July and 2nd August (£5 per person, booking required).

Every visit, the Trust points out, helps care for these places for future generations.