The Wardens’ Blog – Sculpture Heaven

When we first arrived at Woodlands we attended a World Host training day in Aberystwyth, (training in customer service and local area tourism), and we heard a few people mention “Sculpture Heaven” as a place to go. Finally the other day we made it down to Rhydlewis just off the coastal road near Llangranog and a few miles away from Cardigan to seek out this hidden gem. We were rewarded with a fantastic discovery of what feels like a secret garden full of fairies, sculptures, myths, spiritual tales and inspiration.

We were greeted by the sculptor himself and taken on a tour of his workshop before beginning our exploration of the garden of wonder. We found hidden doors, and messages, poems and musical instruments, zen gardens, a barefoot maze and meditation spots. Plants a plenty, a vegetable and herb garden, impressive statues and sculptures are all woven around the land with lots of unexpected finds along the way. Once we’d seen all we could see, we ended up at the tranquil Starfish tearoom to be given soothing herbal tea (fresh from the garden) and homemade cakes (ingredients from the garden too) and a photo book detailing the history of the garden and its creation.

Entry is free, although a donation is suggested in the tearoom for the tea and cakes (with all profits going to a worthy charity – this year its the Halo Trust).

We would highly recommend visiting this place if you are down the coast (its worth making the trip just for Sculpture Heaven alone really), especially as it seems not too many people know about it. It’s a place you could go time and time again, to see how it changes and enjoy the peace and relaxation as well as the yummy cakes!

Whilst you’re there, pop up the road to the Curlew Weavers Woollen Mills which is open to visitors and really quite interesting. Free tours are available, although these must be booked in advance, you can pop in to the shop and chat to the owner to learn more about the process and their speciality work weaving rare breeds wool.