Postcards a thing of the past? Not when you go somewhere as pretty as Flushing…

Flushing, a pristine Cornish village beside the Penryn River estuary, is a picture-perfect location you’ll want to write home about.

This is the ideal place for settling down in front of the view and penning some postcards as you watch boats sail past. The local events scene will give you plenty of inspiration too, not to mention vibrant Falmouth just across the water and nearby Trebah and Glendurgan gardens.

Flushing Carnival takes place on 28th July this year while Falmouth holds its inaugural arts festival from 7th to 16th September. SPLASH will play host to artists and writers including Michael Morpurgo, the award-winning author of War Horse and former Children's Laureate, and the renowned illustrator and author Michael Foreman.

Seafood lovers will want to make a trip in October for the Falmouth Oyster Festival from 11th to 14th October. This event marks the start of the oyster dredging season at one of the last remaining traditional oyster fisheries. It is followed shortly after by the Fal River Autumn Walking Festival from 19th October to 4th November – a great chance to explore and learn about this beautiful corner of Cornwall on a guided or self-guided walk.

Clottage (pictured above and right), a much loved holiday cottage by the water in Flushing, is a favourite with return visitors. Its peaceful location and estuary views, as well as the good pubs and friendly locals, add to its charm. Clottage is within easy reach of the sheltered sandy and rock pool beaches at Falmouth, which is also home to the National Maritime Museum.

Take a look at our other holiday cottages in Flushing and discover this hidden gem of a place to stay. 

More stunning springtime gardens...

Cotehele estate near Saltash makes the most of a scenic sheltered spot - albeit 1,289 acres big - on the west bank of the river Tamar. The 15th century house with its historical garden and woodland has inspired artists, keen gardeners and wildlife enthusiasts throughout the centuries. The formal gardens outside the main house overlook a valley garden with a medieval dovecote, pond, Victorian summerhouse and 18th century tower. The estate is dotted with interesting historical buildings including Cotehele Mill, Cotehele Quay, the Chapel in the Wood, the ruins of Danescombe's Sawmill and Papermill and the mines of Danescombe Valley. Being so close to the Devon border, you can praise the floral assets of both counties with a stay at this unique converted chapel.

A spring ramble through Burncoose Gardens and Nursery, part of the Caerhays Estate in Redruth, is a great opportunity to see this hilltop horticultural hotspot covered with snowdrops, primroses and wild violets, and later the daffodils and blankets of nodding bluebells. Like Lanhydrock, Burncoose works wonders with the cooler version of Cornwall's microclimate and has gold medals from Chelsea, Hampton Court and many other nationwide flower shows. Its sprawling woodland gardens and old flower garden are rich with the likes of camellias, azaleas and rhododendrons, as well as over 20 species of bamboo. When you've ticked those off your checklist, compile another one in the tranquil wooded gardens of this homely apartment in St Agnes.

The Japanese Garden and Bonsai Nursery takes the bamboo theme and elaborates, bringing authentic Eastern gardening styles and exotic varieties to the West Country.
Japanese maples, azaleas and rhododendrons and ornamental grasses make this a little slice (one-and-a-half acres) of Japan, just outside Newquay. Add to that the specialist Bonsai store and you can take a piece of Japanese horticulture home with you. This all-Cornish cottage at Mawgan Porth is the ideal place to ‘zen out’ afterwards.

Glendurgan Garden near Falmouth is listed by the National Trust as one of its top springtime gardens, and we agree. Described as a little bit of heaven on earth, this sub-tropical valley garden blooms with magnolias, wild flowers and woodland flora. You can wander through the garden down to the beautiful hamlet of Durgan on the Helford River. You can walk back to this comfy holiday home and enjoy the lovely, long rural views.

There are over 60 amazing gardens in Cornwall to visit, so you’re sure to find one or more within easy reach of your holiday cottage in Cornwall.

We've focused on Cornwall here but there are, of course, many beautiful gardens in Devon too which have glorious springtime displays, like Killerton, Coleton Fishacre and RHS Garden Rosemoor.

Which are your favourites?