Upton Castle Gardens

Thirty-five acres of gardens and arboretum around a private medieval castle on the Cleddau — the county's quietest fine garden.

Upton hides at the end of a lane above a creek of the Carew river: a small thirteenth-century castle (still a private home, so admired from outside) wrapped in 35 acres of gardens, terraces and arboretum running down towards the water, with a genuinely ancient chapel in the grounds. Camellias and magnolias make spring the show season; champion trees carry the rest of the year.

It's the connoisseur's alternative to the bigger garden days — rarely busy, deeply peaceful, and sitting in the soft, wooded, tidal middle of the county that beach visitors never see. Check open days and entry on the garden's site before travelling, as hours are seasonal.

Ten minutes from Carew Castle and the tidal mill — the two together make a fine unhurried inland day, with Cresswell Quay's creekside pub between them.