dkd676

Hi - My husband and I will be arriving in Cornwall on the 24th of May for 5 nights. We are renting a car since we will be travelling all around the area with our base in Carbis Bay. Here are my questions to the locals:
1) Tide times - How can I find the tide times for Tintagel Castle/Bossiney Cove Beach and Kynance Cove this far out? Do I have to wait 7 days before the trip? When I visited the website for St. Michael's Mount, it was able to give me the tide time for our scheduled May 25th stop.
2) Google Maps drive times - Are these accurate? For example, will it take 1 1/2 hours to drive from Bossiney Cove to Carbis Bay? When we are on the narrow roads in between villages, do you think the Google Maps drive time is correct? (Carbis Bay to Porthleven - 26 min?)
3) What will the weather be like at the end of May? I know it may be unpredictable, but typically, what can I expect? What kind of coat should I pack? Shorts, pants?? (Yes, we are taking short jaunts on the SW Coastal Path)
4) Wed - Fri that we are there (May 24 - 26) should not be very crowded since school is still in session, correct? However, the weekend (May 26-29), will that be really crowded since Monday the 29th is a bank holiday?
5) Are there fees for the car parks in the villages? If so, how does one pay? (pay box, so bring cash??)
6) We are planning on taking the ferry from Falmouth to St. Mawes. Is this recommended? Good day trip?
I know that is a lot of questions, but I'm a planner and want to know what to expect and what to pack. Thank you all for reading and giving me any helpful advice!

MmePerdu

Regarding walks, have you walked in England before? If you have, as you imply weather is rarely predictable and with most of my walking done in May, it holds true. If I was so inclined, I still wouldn't consider shorts as you'll be taking off and putting on layers as you go with changing conditions and unless you want to contend with changing to long pants, sticking with long pants is my best recommendation. They won't be too warm that time of year.

I find a tee and a light-weight fleece a good combination and the fleece easily carried in a day pack when not needed. Lightweight rain gear to double as windbreaker and, of course, waterproof footwear is important.

Dukey1

You can get those pants which easily convert to shorts and back again with zippers.

MmePerdu

Esthetics aside, the value of shorts eludes me entirely, long pants almost always best in the countryside. I only say "almost" as there must be a reason for shorts I don't know about.
http://www.cornwallwildlifetrust.org...tinging-nettle

janisj

>>2) Google Maps drive times - Are these accurate?<<

Nope -- google is almost always overly optimistic. Carbis Bay to Porthleven is about 15 miles and typically takes about half an hour or a little longer. But that is a pretty straightforward journey. For your touring plans, add between 25% and 50% to the drive times.

dkd676

Thank you all for the replies. If anyone else has any information on my questions 1 & 6, I would greatly appreciate it!

Gyhtson

Re question one, I googled "Cornwall tide times". Took a couple of seconds. Does this help? https://www.cornwalls.co.uk/weather/tide_times.htm

Dukey1

I only say "almost" as there must be a reason for shorts I don't know about.

It's called not being wedded so some outmoded "dress code" perhaps formulated by people who are ashamed of their legs. Who knows and what's more who cares?

MmePerdu

Indeed, who cares, the point completely missed. The link was the answer, apparently overlooked in trolling for ways to be nasty.

bilboburgler

watch out for those stinging nettles

MmePerdu

Thank you, bilboburgler. Long live long pants!

dkd676

Thank you for the link to the tide times. I guess I will wait until we get 7 days out before I make my final plan based on tide times. I think we got the wardrobe thing worked out. I get it, no shorts!