Cranbrook Flower Forest

Cranbrook was a working plantation that a Jamaican businessman bought in the 1980s and spent years turning into gardens, planting heliconia, ginger, orchids and palms along the banks of the Little River, which runs clear and cold through the property. The centre of it is the River Head walk, a trail upstream through increasingly dense forest to the spring where the river emerges from the ground, with a swimming pool at the source. Lawns, a bamboo grove and a small farm fill the rest. It is quiet, well kept and rarely crowded, which distinguishes it from most of the north coast's attractions.

What you actually see

• The River Head walk - upstream through forest to the spring source.
• The gardens - heliconia, ginger and orchids along the riverbanks.
• The swimming spot - cold clear water at the head of the river.
• The bamboo grove - tall stands along the river path.

When to go

December to April is drier and the river clearest. Mornings are quiet. The gardens flower year-round with heliconia and ginger at their best in the warmer months. It is rarely busy at any time.

Honest expectations

It is a garden and a river walk rather than a dramatic attraction, and visitors expecting waterfalls or activity will find neither. The upstream trail is muddy and involves river crossings. Facilities are simple. The access road is rough in its last stretch.

Nearby

Runaway Bay is twenty minutes; Green Grotto Caves are nearby.