View from the of the Rockery of Tower and Bay
Walk view
"...it is always a pleasure to visit Caerhays and see the old established trees and shrubs but it also exciting to see your new plantings. You are doing so much new planting so there is always something new to see for everyone. RHS Woody Plant Committee visit March 2010"
Raymond J Evison OBE VMH
Conducted tours of the gardens by the Head Gardener with a light lunch or supper, a cream tea or drinks and canapés, are possible during or outside the normal spring opening season although organizers should remember that Caerhays is a spring flowering garden and there may be relatively little in flower in the summer. Tours in the summer are best suited to the more knowledgeable or discerning gardeners.
The maximum number which can be catered for at any one time is 60. Prices range from £30 to £90 per head depending on the type of meal or drinks required, and the duration of the tours and the size of the group involved. A booking fee will be required to confirm a booking and the group or club secretary, rather than the estate office, would be responsible for organizing all the individual bookings. Sample menus can be provided on application to the estate office but these should only be taken as a general guide as individual requirements can be catered for.
Caerhays already runs a highly successful spring lecture programme in conjunction with the Royal Horticultural Society. These lectures are delivered by one of the owners and are normally accompanied by a conducted tour of the gardens after the lecture. Click here to visit lecture section.
The owners are also able to prepare lectures on specific horticultural topics related to Caerhays for clubs or societies providing such lectures are booked in conjunction with a conducted tour and a meal. Societies or clubs may however wish to book the Georgian Hall at Caerhays to deliver their own lectures with their own guest speaker and then follow this with a conducted tour of the garden and a meal.
The Georgian Hall can accommodate a maximum of 45 people for a lecture. The minimum number needed for a lecture would be 25 people and the price charged for a lecture, conducted tour and a meal will depend on the topic of lecture which is required, who is to deliver the lecture and the type of meal (ie light lunch, tea, supper etc). The cost of a tour, meal and lecture is likely to be in excess of £40 plus VAT per head. A booking fee will be required and the club or society would also be responsible for organising all the individual bookings for the event.
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Caerhays is only around 30-40 minutes by coach from Fowey Harbour and, similarly, perhaps 50-60 minutes by coach from Falmouth. Some cruise ships plan to anchor off Mevagissey and to land passengers for Caerhays and Heligan by tender.
The Estate is accustomed to the flexibility, tight tide timetables and exclusivity required for cruise ship visits. Visits are programmed on an individual basis with cruise ship operators and are designed to match up with the requirements of passengers on different types of tours. Those cruise tours which are designed for discerning gardeners will obviously require a very different programme from those who know nothing of gardening but simply want to see the castle and its seaside location.
For this reason there is no standard set of charges for cruise ship visits as each one is tailored to meet the particular requirements of that group.
Caerhays already runs a programme of tours of the home farm, gardens and associated estate businesses with local schools. Other schools make regular independent visits with their students to study local wildlife and fauna. These visits to the home farm are provided entirely free to the schools involved as part of the estates involvement with the Countryside Stewardship Scheme which is designed to promote educational access to Caerhays Farm.
The Estate is very happy to encourage other visits by schools, university groups or other educational institutions to the home farm under the Countryside Stewardship Scheme. To ensure the visit is free of please contact the Estate Office for a stewardship educational visit form which needs to be completed and returned please before the visit.
Other similar school or university groups who wish to visit the gardens or other parts of the estate for educational purposes may well be able to do so at a reduced cost. This will again depend on precisely what is required and how far estate staff will need to be involved. Again please contact Enquiries on 01872 500 025 or email us.
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Other events we regularly host here included wedding receptions (The Vean has a Civil Wedding Licence), photo shoots, endurance rides and car rallies. If you have a proposal about an event which you might wish to stage at Caerhays please get in touch with our Enquiries Department at the Estate Office. Apart from the physical and geographical constraints of the site, its fairly limited accessibility and the restricted parking close to the castle, most things are possible. The Estate would not however wish to host any event which involved a large amount of noise or excessive numbers of people.
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Seating 20-22 (for a meal) or 40-45 (lecture format) The Georgian Hall is the perfect venue for smaller Annual General Meetings or formal board meetings. Full office facilities are available. When used in conjunction with the luxury accommodation available at The Vean the venue can provide not only room to talk but also plenty of downtime relaxation activities for both members attending the meeting or their partners.
Please contact Enquiries at the estate office for further information or to discuss your detailed requirements. We will be pleased to quote for anything from Board Meeting with Coffee (starting at 120.00 + VAT) to a fully catered corporate event including accommodation. Every event is different and we will be pleased to tailor yours to your exact requirements. Click here to vist our Business section.
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e-mail : enquiries@caerhays.co.uk
Telephone : 01872 500025
