Exmoor Lockdown Diary 89 - Opening Up St Michael's Mount
My contacts in Marazion, Cornwall, have sent me an email to say that the St Aubyn Estate is once again welcoming visitors to St Michael’s Mount following a period of closure. I mention it here because it is such an iconic place and I have enjoyed many visits there down the years.
“Following Government and industry guidelines to keep visitors, our staff and those families that live on St Michael’s Mount safe, our offer is different to normal and focuses on our beautiful terraced gardens and outdoor spaces.
St Michael's Mount is only open to visitors who have purchased a ticket in advance of their visit. National Trust members are FREE but will need to book a ticket. We are also offering a limited number of FREE tickets each open day to NHS workers.”
Aerial view of the gardens
Staff have organised a one-way route for visitors on the island.
“We will only be open on certain days, and when the tide is low and visitors can walk between the mainland and the island on the ancient cobbled causeway. There will be no public boats. The ticket includes entry on to the island, a walk through the village and harbour, and a timed slot to explore the Garden Terraces.”
Further information and full details of this revised offer visit www.stmichaelsmount.co.uk
Years ago I wrote the following article about the St Michael’s Mount gardens…
Horticulture is normally deemed to be a quiet and soothing activity, but the gardeners at St Michael’s Mount might wish to differ - they’ve been dangling 150 feet up on the end of a rope this week doing a bit of vertical weeding…
Having a good head for heights is a pre-requisite for the four strong team of National Trust gardeners on the Cornish isle - as part of the work to conserve the 12th Century castle, the granite stone walls need weeding three times a year.
The only way the gardeners can carry out their work is to abseil down the 50 metre high castle walls.
The medieval church and castle - perched on the summit of the craggy island - are cared for in partnership by the Trust and the St Aubyn family who donated the buildings to the nation back in 1954.
The head gardener, who back then was called Lottie, told me: “Abseiling has become an important skill to complete essential strimming and planting of the many nooks and crannies within the cliff face where plants grow in spite of the salty winter storms and the baking summer temperatures.
“We weed these areas three times a year, not only to ensure the stonework remains intact and strong, but also to allow the succulents planted within the walls, such as aloes and aeoniums, to thrive and flourish.
“It is a thrilling and unique experience to tend these gardens which are designed to be viewed from above,” says Lottie, who must be immune to any sensations of vertigo.
She adds, calmly: “Abseiling allows me to appreciate the spectacular views of our gardens across the seasons and in all weathers.”
My brother Dominic looking over the edge from the top of St Michael’s Mount
After New Year the team will be once again be performing its high-wire act in order to plant a large shelf-like area above the East Terraces with succulents such as agaves and aeoniums, daisy-like osteospermum and agapanthus. They will also be pruning a large Puya – a genus of the pineapple family which has started to lean away from the rock face.
