The Mexican Garden at Moorswater Lodge

A Mexican Garden in Cornwall feels like the sort of place someone dreamed up after a holiday to Oaxaca and thought, why not? Moorswater Lodge, just outside Looe, is exactly that - an unexpected splash of Central American colour in the Cornish landscape. You get succulents, cacti, and desert plants thriving in what should technically be temperate countryside, plus the sort of sculptural touches and architectural quirks that suggest someone really committed to the bit.

It's a decent stop if you're keen on plants or just fancy something different from the usual coastal walk. The garden doesn't demand hours - an hour tops, maybe ninety minutes if you're genuinely into specimen plants or want to sit with a cup of tea and process the oddness of it all. Kids might find it interesting for twenty minutes, then get fidgety. Looe itself is three miles away, so it slots nicely into a broader afternoon if you're already in the area.

Stay at Lydcott Glamping or Waterside at Tregoad if you're basing yourselves for a park holiday - both are close enough that Moorswater works as a morning adventure before heading to the beach. Worth checking opening hours and admission charges before you visit, mind you. The whole thing has that slightly mysterious feel of a private garden that occasionally opens to the public, so ringing ahead is sensible. It's the sort of place that rewards curiosity, even if Mexico-in-Cornwall isn't everyone's cup of tea.