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Advice please: 10 days in South-West England with a toddler

Advice please: 10 days in South-West England with a toddler

Old May 30th, 2016, 04:34 AM
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Advice please: 10 days in South-West England with a toddler

We'd like to take a 10 day vacation in South-West-England and perhaps the Cotswolds end of July.


We'll be travelling by car with our 2,5 year old daughter and would like to base ourselves in 2-3 places.


What we are looking for: a good mix of nature (easy hikes), culture (cute villages & historic towns, maybe a castle or a museum), some coastal relaxation (although not all-day-beach) and of course some fun things to do for our daughter, preferably with some nice weather (I know that's never a guarantee in England, but some places might still have a better chance than others). For daytrips we'd go max 1 hr drive from our base, between bases can be 3-4hr drive.

We are not big fans of big crowds. Accomodationwise a nice and budgetfriendly B&B is preferred.

Which area(s) can you recommend to us? Thanks a lot !
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Old May 30th, 2016, 04:39 AM
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I only have time for a very quick comment right now . . . you may have difficulty finding B&Bs - many don't allow young children/toddlers. Hotels/larger guesthouses will be easier.
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Old May 30th, 2016, 04:54 AM
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Thanks for the tip, I'll make sure to look for places that are accomodating towards toddlers. We have always stayed in B&B's in France & UK in the past 2 years and never had an issue, but then again I might specifically have looked for places that had e.g. a high chair available That being said, she's a lovely child and a good traveller, so I wouldn't expect her to really be a nuisance.
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Old May 30th, 2016, 05:08 AM
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I'd looking quickly for B&Bs now, the UK schools break mid to late July and Devon/Cornwall are popular destinations. The write-ups will indicate whether or not young children are welcome.

I've stayed mostly in hotels on my trips to Cornwall and Devon. I remember one lovely B&B in Dorset, close to Lyme Regis, but it fronts on a busy road. However, it is set back and the views from the back from the dining room are beautiful. I believe it is close to the south coastal path. I'll try to find the name.

Annig, who posts here, is one of our experts on that beautiful area. Hope she sees your post.
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Old May 30th, 2016, 05:48 AM
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My husband is quite keen on going to Cornwall, but I'm afraid it might be a bit too long a drive. How does it compare to Devon in respect of natural beauty?
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Old May 30th, 2016, 06:11 AM
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Here's some more detail. I love the Jurassic coast which straddles Dorset and east Devon. The views are incredible, some of the coastal walks are flat enough for a young child to enjoy for "awhile" or bring a child back carrier if she's not too large for one. Coastal walks aren't suitable for a stroller, am sure you have figured that out!

Here's the place we loved near Bridport:

http://www.highwayfarm.co.uk/farmhou...liday-cottage/

They have B&B rooms and a guest cottage. Delicious breakfasts. They did do evening meals at one time but haven't stayed there in 7 years.

On the north Devon coast, the small towns of Lynton and Lynmouth are charming, and again, gorgeous coast drives high above the coasts. We liked The Rising Sun in Lynmouth, a small hotel with great pub food and an excellent restaurant.

www.risingsunlynmouth.co.uk

There are so many other places I could recommend. You could do a circular route around the coasts, north Devon, down the Cornwall coast, south Devon coast and Dorset. That could be done in 10 days with 3 stops but possibly more driving than you would want and many roads will be very crowded. Try not to do big drives on the weekends, particularly Saturdays.

You need a good, detailed map of Southwest England. If you want to do Devon and Cornwall in any depth, you will not have time for the Cotswolds. Dorset is often treated as a drive-through but I really think the southwest of Dorset is gorgeous.
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Old May 30th, 2016, 06:33 AM
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Are you flying in and out of Heathrow?

I just saw your reply and as you can see, trying to do it all may be way too much. You could head along the coastal road of north Devon but rather than go all the way to Cornwall and along the west coast, drive down the Tamar River valley (great drive) and at the south end you could either turn left to Devon or do the south Cornwall coast--Fowey and Polperro meet you village requirements.

While very touristy, Polperro is still a working fishing village on a pretty little harbour. I would avoid Looe unless it has been considerably cleaned up in recent years.

Good option in almost all the towns and villages is look for the "park and ride" because parking actually in the villages is impossible. The park and rides then have small buses which drop you off in the center, very inexpensive. BTW, be sure to check where you're staying for off street parking for the same reason. Some of our south Devon favorites are Dartmouth (fun river cruise) and Buckfast Abbey.

Other options are drives over Dartmoor or Exmoor.
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Old May 30th, 2016, 06:49 AM
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Thanks for your replies, that gives some good ideas. We'll be driving from Belgium. Driving time from our home (incl Eurotunnel) to either Bath or Bournemouth without stops or traffic is 5h30. To go to Land's end it's 8h30.
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Old May 30th, 2016, 07:09 AM
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Great stop in Bournemouth (actually Poole Sandbanks) is the Haven Hotel.

I wouldn't try for further, Folkstone to Poole with no significant traffic is about 3 hours.

https://www.fjbhotels.co.uk/haven-hotel/
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Old May 30th, 2016, 07:16 AM
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Your hotel options look lovely but are above our budget alas. We are hoping to find places closer to 50-70 GBP/night. A good bed, a decent shower and a nice breakfast are all we need !
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Old May 30th, 2016, 04:47 PM
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In the countryside you should find places in your price range. Can't emphasize enough getting an itinerary together and at a minimum making some initial bookings.

My daughter lives in Bournemouth, there are places in all price ranges, some can be pretty grotty, many are fine. She may have some ideas. A little further on is Wimborne which is a pretty town with an ancient minster.

http://www.wimborneminster.org.uk
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Old May 30th, 2016, 05:10 PM
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£50 is pretty low IME. Especially for a family room. £70 is more doable but it will still be a hunt.
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Old May 30th, 2016, 10:46 PM
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Janisj, I like hunting And I'm aiming for a king size bed and a cot rather than a family room, since it's quite likely my daughter will end up between us anyway ! With Airbnb I have seen decent looking places in that price range but I will go ahead and make some bookings asap.
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Old Jun 13th, 2016, 02:37 AM
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So, we booked our accomodations. It was still possible to find decent accomodations under 70 GBP, just not with a king size bed.
By including two cheap AirBnB nights we managed to come to 71 GBP average for 9+ rated accomodations.

Please comment our preliminary travel plan:
- Sun July 17: drive Belgium - Wareham (Poole), stay at Bradle Farmhouse, is it possible to do a "quick" tour of the Isle of Weight? Perhaps the New Forest, Southampton, Winchester...? We've done Stonehenge before, read somewhere that it was not advised to visit Salisbury Cathedral on a Sunday?
- Mon July 18: Jurassic Coast
- Tue July 19: drive to Liskeard, stay at Nebula House, visit Lyme Regis and Exeter on the way
- Wed Jul 20: Looe, Polperro, Dartmoor
- Thu Jul 21: Penzance, Land's end, St Ives
- Fr Jul 22: drive to Ilfracombe (stay at airBnB), visit Padstow, Port Isaac, Tintagel on the way
=> Is it worth going to the Eden project? Which day could we combine this with?
- Sat Jul 23: Lynton, Lynmouth, Exmoor
- Sun Jul 24: drive to Tetbury (stay at Holford Arms), visit Glastonbury, Wells, Cheddar Cove on the way
- Mon Jul 25: Bristol & Bath, high tea at Jane Austen museum
- Tue Jul 26: Cotswolds
- Wed Jul 27: drive home to Belgium, something to visit between Bath & London?
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Old Jun 16th, 2016, 02:44 AM
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Nobody who wants to comment?
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Old Jun 16th, 2016, 05:44 AM
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OK, I'll comment, if you insist. I thought you were going to base in two or three places, not start on a marathon road trip. I'm tired just reading it and I'm not a toddler.

For instance: How do you propose to see anything worthwhile in Bristol and Bath if you visit them on the same day?

Have you looked the driving times up on viamichelin and allowed time for rest stops? Have you listed what you actually want to see in all these places as opposed to checking them off a list?

It would not have occurred to me to go to the Isle of Wight for a day, since we used to spend a week there, but it seems to be do-able. The info is here:
http://www.redfunnel.co.uk/travel-co...isle-of-wight/
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Old Jun 16th, 2016, 06:21 AM
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thursdaysd: >>OK, I'll comment, if you insist. I thought you were going to base in two or three places,think they are only staying at 4 places -- which is still too many IMO.

The Bath/Bristol day is difficult to say the least. That is nearly 3 hours in the car and you want to visit two cities. Just Bath would be but much more doable.

Your Liskeard to Ilfracombe day is also really aggressive. It will have you in the car for 4+ hours and you want to visit three places en route.

I haven't gone through the rest of your plan in detail -- these two just jumped out at me at first glance.
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Old Jun 16th, 2016, 06:43 AM
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hi stardust,

I'm a late arrival on your thread and sadly I have to agree with thursdaysd that you are biting off more than you can chew. Your original idea to have 2-3 bases was I thought a sound one, and I can think of several suggestions.

but to look at your proposed itinerary, even your first day is impossible [sorry T'daysd] as you are not going to be able to drive from Belgium AND do a day trip to the IoW, let alone add in the New Forest etc. Personally I would settle for either Winchester or Salisbury [I can't comment on visiting either of them on a Sunday] and the New Forest en route for Wareham.

After your next day on the Jurassic coast, I would drop Liskeard [one of the least attractive Cornish towns, IMHO] and pick somewhere to stay for a few days in South Cornwall, which is about 3 hours drive from Wareham. You could stop off in Exeter in the morning [sightseeing of the Cathedral and the Close will take an hour max] and then drive across Dartmoor in the afternoon. Looe, Polperro or Fowey [my favourite] would be good places if you want to be by the sea. This is the place from which to see the Eden Project & the Lost Gardens of Heligan.

Then make for the far west - St Ives or Penzance - and base yourselves there for a few days. Alternatively go north-west and look at the north Devon coast - Woollcombe, Saunton and Croyde, or [my favourite place] Appledore near Bideford. or Lynton/Lynmouth if you prefer. loads to see and do whichever you pick.

Finally EITHER stay in Bristol [a great a vibrant city with lots to do] or stay in Wells to tour the area. [no point in going to Tetbury just to come back again]

Then home via somewhere in Sussex or Kent - Arundel, Lewes, even Rye [assuming you're on a ferry or using the tunnel]

hope that helps!
Finally
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Old Jun 16th, 2016, 06:48 AM
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No apology necessary, ann. I wasn't thinking of the Isle of Wight in the context of the OP's itinerary for day one, but as a day trip on a dedicated day, which does seem possible if not desirable.
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Old Jun 17th, 2016, 05:41 AM
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Hi all,

Thanks for your feedback. I know 4 places is a lot, but I was mostly driven by availability of affordable accomodation with a big bed and there was little availability left. I don't really mind sleeping in less attractive places, after all it's just sleeping, as we have a car to take us some place nice (petrol and care are company paid ;-)) So I prefer a good bed, shower and breakfast over pretty views from the window.

When I put destinations on a certain day, I don't necessarily mean to visit all on that day, just to group things together that are in the same area, I guess that's where I am kind of relying on your feedback to know which one(s) is/are best and how much time it would take to visit those. Btw, these destinations are not taken from "ticking of a list", but just places some of my friends visited and liked, so I listed them up in Google Maps to get an idea of where they were.

We have done similar vacations with lots of driving in the past, and we're ok with that. Since my husband has serious back problems he can't walk for hours in a row and a drive in between actually gives his back some much needed rest.

It's been a while since I was a frequent user of this forum (I am visitng parenting and home construction forums more these days), but I have the idea people used to be nicer in their way of answering.
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