Tehidy - what has happened since Storm Goretti?

Now that the weather is brightening up, I took the opportunity to revisit Tehidy. What could be better than a dog walk in the spring sunshine? After weeks of wet weather, I was a little trepidatious that the paths would be muddy or even still impassable with trees strewn like matchsticks.

Tehidy is a popular amenity for families, dog walkers and cyclists. It spans over 250 acres from the north cliffs at Bassett Cove to the parish of Illogan in the east, and Coombe in the west. At its heart is the former stately home of the Basset family. In 1916, the estate was bought by the local authority. The house became an isolation hospital for patients suffering from tuberculosis. In 1919, fire broke out and destroyed much of the building. However, it was rebuilt and continued to serve as a hospital until the 1980s when it was sold to a developer. Today the building is a number of apartments. The remaining estate became a country park, including walking routes, a cafe and golf course. 

Last time we were there, it was a few days after Storm Goretti and it was devastating to see the destruction the storm had left in its wake. The number of trees that were blown over, together with the boughs and twigs ripped from others, made it difficult to walk through the woodland.

We were also sad to see that the twisted beech had lost several limbs when the tree behind had fallen very close to it.

After the storm, the woodland was in a very sorry state and we were concerned that the local council would not be able to afford to clear the pathways. 

Today I visited and was delighted to see that there has been loads of activity. Most of the paths have been cleared and access restored. The large tree trunks have been moved away from the paths and remain close by. Their enormity is clearly visible. The tree rings are well defined on cross sections of some of the old beech trees - I was not up for counting them! 

The area around the twisted beech has been cleared and I was overjoyed to see the pale, creamy buds at the tips of the boughs, just ready to burst into life. 

While much has been lost, it is truly heartening to see the woodland recovering. The sword-like leaves of the bluebells - one of Tehidy’s fames - are pushing their way through the debris and will soon be in full bloom. It briefly crossed my mind that this could be a different story next year now that the shade from the beech trees has gone, but I left with a smile on my face, feeling elated and in awe of mother nature.