How we manage severe weather warnings for Cornwall
- 30th Dec 2024
Weather Update
Wednesday 1st January
With a yellow weather warning in place and gusts of over 70mph predicted, the Gardens, Heligan Shop, Heligan Kitchen and Night Garden will not open in the interest of safety.
For visitors who have booked tickets, please check your email inbox for further information.
How we manage weather warnings
Due to the nature of our gardens and the large, mature trees we have throughout the estate, we consider multiple factors when assessing risk.
We will look at the forecast, wind direction, travel advisories and leaf coverage on our trees. For example, heavy rain by itself may not require site closure, but if access via roads is dangerous due to flooding, then we may take the decision to close.
The decision to close is taken by our Duty Management team, including our Head of Operations and Managing Director. We will contact all pre-booked visitors (for gardens admission and events) via email, and update you on our social media channels and websites, the day before.
Garden closures - keeping everyone safe
The Lost Gardens of Heligan site is uniquely situated on the south coast of Cornwall, and we are open year round.
As part of our Health and Safety policy, the Duty Management team are responsible for deciding if it's safe to keep our gardens open and events running. We use six different forecast models and weather monitoring systems, as well as using data from our own site.
Cornwall weather warning updates
The Met Office issues warnings which cover various weather types, including rain, thunderstorms, wind, snow, lightning, ice, extreme heat, and fog.
Weather warnings are color-coded: Yellow, Amber, and Red, indicating increasing levels of likelihood and severity:
- Yellow: Low-level disruptions; stay aware.
- Amber: Higher risks; take action.
- Red: Severe weather; expect significant disruption and danger to life.
To stay informed, we suggest visitors can consult the Met Office homepage, warnings page, or location-specific alerts, sharing updates through social media or links.
Heligan Night Garden - cancellation policy
Heligan Night Garden is an outdoor, immersive experience, sent in our historic gardens. We advise that when booking, please look ahead at the local weather forecast as our tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable.
If you have purchased Heligan Night Garden Ticket Protection you may transfer the date of your Night Garden Tickets once. To do this you will need to call the reception team on 01726 845 100 up to 24hrs before the original start date of your booking.
Heligan Night Garden - book tickets
The award-winning Heligan Night Garden returns for a season of wonder and beauty. Journey through the magical garden trail exploring woodlands and gardens beautifully lit with installations and lanterns. Discover glittering tunnels of light, trees alight with jewels and enchanting larger-than-life wildlife lanterns celebrating the Heligan gardens and estate. The event runs from the 15th November - 4th January with limited availability across these dates.
