Winter Ramblings from Tregathenan

January 2026

So far this year, we are lurching from one storm to the next. First, Storm Goretti arrived with a red alert for Cornwall – thank you for all the messages of care and concern we received – it was the strongest winds we can ever remember, but thankfully there was very little property damage at Tregathenan and the animals all survived. The gardens took quite a beating though – suffice to say the borders are looking a little more ‘open plan’ right now!

The severity of the winds brought by Goretti have altered W Cornwall’s landscape dramatically. St Michael’s Mount lost 80% of its trees; Trebah Gardens lost more than 250 mature trees, and the story was the same everywhere. As dawn broke after Goretti struck, early spring birdsong was drowned by the whines of multiple chainsaws as locals joined council teams working together to clear roads and gardens.
Goretti was closely followed by Ingrid, who brought torrential, sustained rain, flood alerts and saturated grounds. The chickens were most put out – tip-toeing around the puddles in their enclosure; and the alpacas retreated into the field shelter. Only the ducks and Napoleon were happy – enjoying a delightful but temporary extension to their pond.

The combination of wind and heavy rain also damages our beautiful Cornish hedges. Luckily, we have the amazing Kevin Maegor who skillfully and speedily puts them back together again.

As we write, we now have Amber alerts for wind and rain forecast from Storm Chandra! Lets hope for a calmer February.

Thanks to Goretti, there is no shortage of logs in and around Tregathenan, so the log burner installed in the Long Barn earlier in the year by Simon Rootham of SR Woodburning has been well used this winter, and makes the cottage a lovely cosy place for a winter break.

The sun shone at last for this year’s Flora Day! We were joined by Liz’s brother and family, experiencing their first ever Flora Day, despite Bruv holidaying in the area since he was a boy! The Flora Day ‘novices’ were slightly bemused by the rowdy Hal an Tow, but well entertained by the wonderful Children’s Dance and Midday Dance, interspersed with traditional Flora Day fare of bacon butties, pasties and Cornish beer!

This year’s crop of rescue chickens all settled in quickly. These 3 girls came complete with a surprising number of feathers! Often when we provide a new home for hens that have spent their lives in captivity, they have very few feathers due to stress and pecking by other, bored chickens. We knew they would be productive chickens when one girl laid an egg in the back of the car before she had even arrived!

This summer we sadly said goodbye to our two oldest and dearest alpacas. Beautiful, handsome Legolas, such a gentle giant amongst alpacas, just laid down one summer morning and decided that was enough and went to sleep in my arms. He was our first alpaca and so, so special. As if unwilling to take on the role of the oldest alpaca, within a few weeks, Georgio, who came to Tregathenan on foster more than 10 years ago, also gave up. Both boys were 22, which is quite a ripe old age for alpacas.

Legolas and Georgio had been retired from trekking duties a few years ago, so the weekly alpaca walks go ahead as usual and are as popular as ever – so don’t forget to book your trek when you book your holiday here.

In September, we had a day out on a boat trip on Mount’s Bay with Mermaid Pleasure Cruises from Penzance. Sadly, despite several recent whale sightings, marine life was a bit shy that day and wildlife sightings were limited to seals and seabirds, even though Liz had remembered to bring her binoculars for once! But it was fun to see many familiar sights from a different perspective.

We dusted off our passports this autumn for a week’s holiday in the South Hams, Devon. Dittiscombe Estate & Cottages, near Slapton couldn’t have made us more welcome. The estate was a great place for Sam – very dog friendly. The farm and cottages were nestled well away from the nearest road in 20 acres of rewilded woodland. So a shout out to them if you are looking for a self-catering holiday over the border.

Liz fitted in 2 weeks’ walk leading in the spring and autumn, leading walking groups on the coast path from Padstow to the Lizard. She also led a local walk down the Cober valley as part of local community initiative Helston Spring Thing. As you can see, she was pretty lucky with the weather!

Christmas was a special one for us at Tregathenan. Ian’s son and family came over from Canada for their first Cornish Christmas. The kids helped with the animals and made Christmas wreaths; we had wonderful family beach and cliff walks, enjoyed the Christmas lights at Mousehole and Heligan and drank hot chocolate at Poldhu Cove. We laughed our way through Aladdin the Panto; we cooked traditional Christmas fare, and the Canadians baked pumpkin pie! We left snacks for Santa – milk and cookies if you’re Canadian (apparently!); mince pie and sherry if not! But all agreed there should be carrot for the reindeer. Then all too soon it was time for them to return home.

It is no secret the economic challenges experienced by the hospitality sector and tourism in general over recent years. This year we were saddened to see the demise and liquidation of Visit Cornwall – the supporter, promoter and voice of tourism in Cornwall. We have greatly valued their support over the years, but sadly the membership that its funding depended on dwindled as its members cut costs to try to stayafloat. It remains to be seen who, if anyone, will continue to blow the trumpet for Cornwall, but it doesn’t mean that Cornwall is no less a superb visitor destination, with so many great attractions, hospitality venues, events, festivals, etc . It just means that we all in Cornish tourism need to work harder to promote our region, ourselves and all our friends in the industry.

Many of these are independent, family run or charitable businesses, such as such as Paradise Park – the bird sanctuary at Hayle, and the Cornish Seal Sanctuary at Gweek https://sealsanctuary.sealifetrust.org/ , so please add these to your visit list when you are next in Cornwall. Also, a shout out to the Five Pilchards Inn at Porthallow on the Lizard, – bucking the trend for pub closures when it re-opened under new management just before Christmas.

We finish off with some encouraging signs of spring from Tregathenan….

Wishing everyone a happy, healthy and peaceful 2026.

Liz and Ian