The whole day could be spent wandering around the formal gardens, marvelling at the 600 or more species that make up the famous collection of the International Camellia Society, or pondering the problem of clipping the magnificent 17th-century hedge. However, there are other delights to be discovered on the Maker Peninsula.
The first half of the walk skirts the estate on the coastal path. Beyond the Blockhouse, where a battery of cannons defended the channel through the Sound, is a large natural bowl surrounded by trees and planted with ornamental shrubs. On the far side is the classical Milton's Temple, named for the inscription it bears from Paradise Lost.
Look out for a large conifer with a straight, reddish trunk. This is a coast redwood, which can live for well over 1,000 years and become one of the largest living organisms on earth. This one, despite its size, is still a youngster.
Beyond the amphitheatre, the path climbs and becomes wilder as it enters the high fenced deer park. Fallow deer here roam the woods, but are rarely seen in summer as they search out secretive places for their fawns. The romantic ruin just inside the park was built around 1747.
The woodland becomes richer and thicker between Ravenness and Reading Points. Inland of the path, camellias, eucalyptus, and even large palm trees and mimosa grow.
The protective arc of the quay wall to Fort Picklecombe, which was built in 1848, can be seen far below as you round Picklecombe Point. The fort, now converted into secluded private flats, was one of a series protecting Plymouth harbour and dockyards. The best view of it is from further along the route.
Gaps in the trees reveal the wooded slopes of Penlee Point, a mile and a half away across Cawsand Bay. The woods were planted for game hunting by the Edgcumbe family early in the 19th century.
Beyond the woodland, you cross the grassy Minadew Brakes, where wildflowers abound. Yellow spires of agrimony, thistles, and a pink vetch appear through the tangle of bramble and wild honeysuckle. Gatekeepers, common blues, and speckled woods are among the butterflies abundant here in July.
The mid-point of the walk is at the twin villages of Kingsand and Cawsand. The stream running between them once formed the boundary between Cornwall and Devon. Revisions in 1844 restored the whole peninsula to Cornwall.
Leaving Kingsand, the route climbs steadily past the disused Grenville Battery, reaching just over 350 feet (110 metres) close to Maker Church, whose 70-foot (21-metre) tower is clearly visible from land and sea for miles around. There is a view north of the urban sprawl up the banks of the River Tamar, past Devonport Dockyard to the Tamar Road Bridge and Brunel's railway bridge. On the horizon beyond are the masses of Bodmin Moor and Dartmoor.
A short detour takes you to St Julian's Well, dedicated to the patron saint of ferrymen. The ancient trough, fed by a natural spring, is right on the roadside, and the restored stone well-house just behind looks like a tiny chapel.
You descend through Pigshill Wood to a muddy creek known as Millbrook Lake, pass the derelict tower of an old windmill, and arrive at Empacombe Quay. It was here that John Rudyerd based his shore workshops for the building of the Eddystone Lighthouse in 1706–09. Rudyerd's achievements were eclipsed by John Smeaton's more famous tower half a century later.
At one time, the quay and adjoining Empacombe House were the property of the Edgcumbe estate, and the present Earl lives in one of the houses here. At low tide, you can see the extensive mudflats, which provide a feeding ground for a wide variety of birds.
A little way round the coast, close to the car park at Cremyll, is an obelisk which was moved from the site of the folly seen earlier. It was supposedly commissioned by a countess to commemorate her pet pig. A lavish memorial to so humble a creature was considered so inappropriate by her heirs that they re-sited it outside the grounds.
The Cremyll Ferry has been an important link to Plymouth for at least 600 years and is still in service. The site marks the shortest crossing, and in the past was the traditional southern gateway to Cornwall. Centuries ago, there was a much larger settlement here known as West Stonehouse, but it was razed by the marauding French in 1350. The boatyard here dates from the 18th century and still produces very fine vessels under its modern ownership. Francis Chichester's yacht Gipsy Moth IV was fitted out here prior to his solo round-the-world voyage.
