Cornwall, Devon & Dorset: Coastal Walks, Quaint Villages & Historic Sites
 

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Sorry for having to delete my Trip Report. Until Fodors either deletes this Post or explains why their formatting and editing tools do not work for me, please access my Trip Report here: Cornwall, Devon & Dorset: Coastal Walks, Quaint Villages & Historic Sites.

Thanks Rumseydog. shame you couldn't post it here but I really enjoyed reading about your trip to my next of the woods.

Rumseydog: Not sure what your editing and formatting issues are/were, but there is a Technical Support Forum where you can post questions about whatever problems you are having. Tech staff monitor that board and will ask you questions to try to identify and solve the problem.

I suggest you post a tread there and include information such as your operating system, browser, etc.

Thanks annhig. Cornwall is definitely in a great neck of the woods! My apologies if you were in one of the cars stuck behind us near Tintagel or on the Roseland Peninsula!

Rumseydog:Thank you for your trip report. I am also looking at a trip in the areas you covered. Did you stay in the cottage the entire time, or did you stay elsewhere in Devon and Dorset? How long were your drives each day? Did you rent your car at Heathrow? I have heard suggestions to take the train out to Cornwall and then rent. Again, thank you for your report and links!

Thanks annhig. Cornwall is definitely in a great neck of the woods! My apologies if you were in one of the cars stuck behind us near Tintagel or on the Roseland Peninsula!>>

Probably not - I haven't been to Tintagel for years and rarely go to the Roseland though that is set to change soon as my mother is hopefully moving to a retirement village there soon. But there are a number of those sorts of roads that you love so much near me too, so I have had plenty of practice. The knack is for both vehicles to adjust their speed so that you meet at a passing place or at the widest part of the road. Unfortunately there are few drivers who are able to do this, IME and many seem to think that heading at break-neck speed for the narrowest part of the road is the best option. My DD was most embarrassed once when one idiot riled me so much that I just sat in the middle of the road and stared him down til he reversed and let me through. We must have been there for at least 5 mins. In retrospect it was amazing that there weren't long queues behind us but no-one else turned up in all that time. I think I waved at him as I drove past.

Thanks for the great report, Rumseydog; well done. We will be at Tintagel 2 weeks from today, stopping there on our travel from Exeter (thanks for the link to the walk-leaflet) to a BandB in Hayle for three nights. We won't be traveling in any of your footsteps for our days, but your cautions about driving and your enthusiasm for Cornwall in general are timely for us.

Hi eastenderusvi -- We stayed at cottage Gwendra Wartha for six nights, at The Edgemoor Hotel in Bovey Tracey (Devon) for one night, and the Lulworth Lodge in West Lulworth (Dorset) for one night before returning to London Heathrow, where we spent our final night. We considered taking the train to Exeter and renting a car, but decided against it for a couple of reasons: 1) we'd have to bus to Reading from LHR to catch a direct train to Exeter, which actually adds about an hour to the travel time to Cornwall; and 2) we wanted to explore the Jurassic Coast and visit the Jane Austen House, so driving from LHR was really our only option. Except for some congestion around LHR on the M25 and M3, the drive to St Austell via the A303, A30, and A391 was un-congested and took about 4h30m.

Thank you again for sharing info on your trip!

What a wonderful trip. I stayed for a few days in St. Ives a couple of years ago & have wanted to return to the area. I've bookmarked the cottages you stayed in - what a perfect settings.

I love seeing all the great places that you have found to stay in; I'd quite like a week or so in some of them myself!

Part 1: Cornwall
 

Here's my second try at posting my Trip Report, in two parts. To read the fully formatted version, including a handful of photos, follow this link for "Cornwall, Devon & Dorset: Coastal Walks, Quaint Villages & Historic Sites": ( http://www.dgilbert53.net/?page_id=1539 )

My wife and I recently returned from a lovely holiday in southwest England. Our trip spanned 10 days, from Thursday, May 10 to Saturday, May 19. We spent seven days in Cornwall, one day in Devon, and one day in Dorset before returning to London Heathrow Airport. Our goals for this trip were to 1) explore the southwest English coast along spectacular stretches of the Coast Path, 2) visit a handful of historic sites and quaint villages, and 3) look for inviting pubs along the way.

This trip report focuses on the places we visited rather than a day-by-day account of our travels. If you find this confusing, here’s a brief summary of our itinerary:

Day 1 (Thursday): London Heathrow, Chagford (Devon), Veryan (Cornwall).
Day 2-6 (Friday-Tuesday): Hikes, villages, and historic sites in Cornwall.
Day 7 (Wednesday): Lanhydrock (Cornwall), Bovey Tracey (Devon).
Day 8 (Thursday): Bovey Tracey, Haytor Rocks, Exeter, Lyme Regis, and West Lulworth (Dorset).
Day 9 (Friday): West Lulworth, Durdle Door, Jane Austen House Museum (Hampshire), London Heathrow.
Day 10 (Saturday): Flight home from London Heathrow.

A SPLENDID HOLIDAY COTTAGE

For background, my wife and I are in our mid-60s and have visited Great Britain twice before, exploring places with great walking paths: Hadrian’s Wall in 2007 and the Cotswolds in 2014. On our Cotswolds trip, we also discovered the marvelous holiday cottages of The National Trust, spending a week at Lock Cottage near Faringdon, Oxfordshire ( https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/hol...ge-oxfordshire ). Lock Cottage sits astride the Thames Path, is a short drive from loop hikes on the Cotswold Way at Broadway and Chipping Campden, and is quite close to Blenheim Palace and Oxford. It also sits between two fine country pubs: follow the Thames Path two miles upstream to the Trout Inn or two miles downstream to the Plough Inn.

For our 2018 trip to Cornwall, we chose cottage Gwendra Wartha near the small village of Veryan on the south Cornwall coast ( https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/hol...artha-cornwall ). The cottage sits above Carne Beach and Gerrans Bay just steps from the Coast Path. Picking a National Trust cottage in Cornwall can be daunting, as they come in all sizes, locations, and costs. We finally settled upon Gwendra Wartha because 1) it was located right on the coast, 2) was roughly equidistant between The Lizard Peninsula, Fowey, and Tintagel Castle – three places on our must-visit list in Cornwall – and 3) was just a one-mile walk from The New Inn pub.

Gwendra Wartha is part of an old dairy farm acquired by The National Trust. The cottage is comfortably furnished, has a modern kitchen and bathroom, and is immaculately maintained. There are four other cottages on the property -- Mowhay, Dairy Cottage, Granary, Hayloft – with Gwendra Wartha sitting above them (Wartha is Cornish for higher). The cottage even comes equipped with WiFi, though the welcome guide warns that intermittent connection problems can sometimes occur. Happily we didn’t experience any problems during our stay.

SPECTACULAR COASTAL WALKS

We took four extended walks along sections of the Coast Path during our stay in Cornwall, each described below. All four walks were loop hikes that combined sections of the Coast Path with public paths through tiny villages and across rural farms. The National Trust publishes excellent full-color descriptive pamphlets of these hikes (about £3 each), or you can download many of them for free by searching from The National Trust "Days Out" website: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/days-out

Carne Beach - Nare Head - Veryan (6 miles). We followed the Coast Path from Carne Beach around Nare Head, taking in spectacular views across Gerrans Bay toward Porthscatho and the Roseland Peninsula. Additional highlights include Carne Beacon (a Bronze Age barrow), several shy families of sheep, and a side trip to The New Inn in Veryan for lunch and a pint.

The Lizard Peninsula (7 miles). There is a free car park in Lizard where we started our hike, following the public footpath to Kynance Cove. The walk from Kynance Cove past Pentreath Beach to Lizard Point is one of the most spectacular stretches of the Coast Path in south Cornwall. We continued around Lizard Point and past Lizard Lighthouse to Hounsel Bay, where we left the Coast Path and headed back into Lizard for an excellent lunch at The Top House pub. Look for seals below the cliffs along Hounsel Bay. There is a National Trust shop on Lizard Point where you can buy several of the area’s full-color walking pamphlets.

Porth Farm - St Anthony Head (6 miles). We enjoyed this more moderate hike immensely – the coastline around the Roseland Peninsula is serene rather than spectacular. Highlights include Towan Beach, Porthbeor Beach, St Anthony Head and Lighthouse, views of both Pendennis Castle and St Mawes across the bays surrounding the Roseland Peninsula, and Porth Farm, a National Trust historic site. We also enjoyed a simple lunch of cream tea and pasties at The Thirstea Company’s food truck at Towan Beach.

Polruan - Pencarrow Head - Lantic Bay (4.5 miles). This hike begins with a ferry ride across the harbor from Fowey to Polruan, two lovely small towns tucked along the south Cornwall coast. Highlights of the walk include Lanteglos Church, a herd of curious cows, Pencarrow Head, and Lantic Bay. We didn’t have the energy to follow the steep trail down to Great Lantic Beach, but we spotted several people below enjoying the wide sandy beach. We finished the walk with two pints and two delicious Cornwall crab sandwiches at The Ship Inn in Fowey.

MEMORABLE HISTORIC SITES

Tintagel Castle and Lanhydrock House are the two most interesting historic sites we visited in Cornwall – Tintagel for its history and spectacular setting, and Lanhydrock for its magnificent gardens, stately grounds, and interior rooms.

The site of Tintagel Castle has been inhabited at least since the late Roman period, and a community flourished here in the 5th to 7th centuries. In the 12th century Tintagel gained literary fame when Geoffrey of Monmouth named it as the place where King Arthur was conceived. In the 1230s Richard, Earl of Cornwall, built a castle here, and the legend of King Arthur endures to this day. The castle ruins sit atop an immense rock outcrop above the foaming surf of the north Cornwall coast, accessible only by a very steep stairway cut into the cliff walls. Very few walls of the old castle remain, but the views up and down the rocky coast are extraordinary. When it comes to medieval British history, the site is perhaps the most evocative place I’ve stood on in the entire island kingdom. ( http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/v...ntagel-castle/ )

Lanhydrock is more stately than stunning. Don’t miss the upper gardens behind the house, and take your time exploring the interior of Lanhydrock. The several kitchen rooms are particularly interesting, recalling Victorian times in the appliances, cookware, and artifacts on display. The 116-foot Long Gallery, near the end of the tour, is perhaps the building’s most iconic room. Be sure to peruse the titles of the historic books here, including many Greek and Latin texts from the 16th and 17th centuries. There is even a 17th century edition of the “Doomsday Book,” a manuscript record of the “Great Survey” of much of England and parts of Wales originally completed in 1086 by order of King William the Conqueror. At the small shop inside the Gatehouse, we purchased a pamphlet on the “Swimming Pool Walk” for £.50, which guided us on a pleasant 1.6-mile walk through the lower grounds to the Victorian swimming pool. ( https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/lanhydrock )

QUAINT TOWNS AND COASTAL VILLAGES

We always enjoy spending time in small villages with lots of English charm. Our two favorite towns in Cornwall were Port Isaac (or “Portwenn” to Doc Martin fans) on the north Cornwall coast, and Fowey (pronounced “Foy” by the locals) on the south Cornwall coast. Both villages have large car parks located above their respective harbors, which require a rather steep descent and return climb. You’ll need to have change on hand for all the car park ticket machines, which generally charge from £3 - £5 for about four hours (a few places have an option to pay less for just one or two hours). All the National Trust car parks, city car parks (excepting Lizard), and English Heritage car parks we visited charge for parking.

In Port Isaac we enjoyed lunch and two pints at the Golden Lion Inn adjacent to the harbor quay, while in Fowey we lunched at The Ship Inn on Trafalgar Square. Our visit to Fowey coincided with the week-long Fowey Festival, or Daphne du Maurier Festival of Arts and Literature, named to honor Daphne du Maurier (1907-1989), a well-known English author and playwright. There were various literary events and speakers taking place across town, and the shops and narrow streets were bustling with visitors.

Part 2: Devon, Dorset, and Hampshire
 

DEVON

Haytor Rocks is a large granite tor on the eastern edge of Dartmoor National Park, about two miles from Bovey Tracey. It’s a relatively short walk from the Haytor Visitor Center up to the rocks, and on a clear day the views across Dartmoor are magnificent. Look for wild Dartmoor ponies in the area, and don’t miss the 19th century stone quarry about a quarter-mile northeast of Haytor Rocks. Rock was quarried here from 1820-1919, and Haytor granite was used in the reconstruction of London Bridge which opened in 1831. ( Haytor Dartmoor )

Chagford, in the heart of Devon, lies on the northeast edge of Dartmoor National Park. Weather-worn buildings with gray granite façades line the town square, including the old Market House (known locally as the “Pepper Pot”), the 16th century Three Crowns Hotel, and the church of St Michael the Archangel, whose tower dates to the 15th century. We enjoyed a fine lunch at the Ring ‘O Bells Free House and explored the adjacent church yard of St Michael.

We also explored Exeter, a relatively large city in Devon (pop. 130,000) that dates to Roman times. Here, in 55 A.D., the 2nd Augustan Legion established Isca Dumnoniorum, and around 200 A.D., the ditch and rampart defenses around the old fortress were replaced by a bank and wall. Today, nearly 70 percent of the old Roman wall remains, and we traced its path around the city center on the City Wall Trail. Outdoor interpretive panels are posted along the trail, and a free City Wall Trail brochure is available from the Exeter Tourist Information Centre website ( https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4C...lCd3pETXc/view - 4.2 MB PDF).

DORSET

Lyme Regis, nicknamed “The Pearl of Dorset”, sits on the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site at the Devon-Dorset border. We particularly enjoyed Marine Parade, a broad causeway that fronts Lyme Bay and the English Channel. The walkway is lined with restaurants, cottages, and ice cream shops, with benches along the way to linger and enjoy the views. We also visited Town Mill, a restored working watermill dating from 1340, which is tucked into one of the town’s narrow back streets.

On the Jurassic Coast, one mile west of the picturesque coastal village of West Lulworth, sits the Durdle Door. This natural limestone arch is perhaps the 95-mile-long coastline’s most iconic geologic feature. “Durdle” is apparently derived from the Old English “thirl”, meaning to pierce, bore or drill. We reached the formation after a mile-long hike along the Coast Path, enjoying sweeping views across the bay toward the Isle of Portland. Be prepared for large crowds on sunny days and weekends – Durdle Door is truly a must-see site on the south Dorset coast. (https://jurassiccoast.org/ )

HAMPSHIRE

In Hampshire, on our drive back to London Heathrow, we made the last stop of our trip at the Jane Austen House Museum in Chawton. Here, in an unpretentious 17th century brick house located a few miles east of Winchester, Jane Austen spent the last eight years of her life. We also enjoyed two ales and two orders of fish & chips at The Greyfriar just across the street from the museum. All in all, this was a fine place to relax and enjoy a bit of British literary history before returning to the congestion around London’s largest airport. ( https://www.jane-austens-house-museum.org.uk/ )

OBSERVATIONS

While we consider ourselves seasoned travelers, we occasionally still make stupid mistakes. Take ATM machines – I rarely get cash at an airport ATM, but whether I was just tired or nervous about our impending 4-hour drive to Cornwall with no cash in my pocket, I stopped at one of the ATMs in London Heathrow. After comparing the exchange rate with a Tesco Superstore ATM in St Austell after our trip, I discovered this: at LHR £1 = $1.52; at the Tesco Superstore, £1 = $1.38. Skip the ATMs at LHR!

Do not rely exclusively on your GPS! We read much about driving the narrow lanes of Devon and Cornwall, but we still were shocked by how little room there is on many of the roads! On several occasions, our GPS tried to send us on the shortest route, which invariably was a one lane road impassable by two cars in several spots. This occurred in Chagford, Devon, and at several places near the north and south coasts of Cornwall. Make sure you have a map in hand – we had a copy of the “Big Road Atlas Britain” and Landranger maps 200, 203, and 204 for Cornwall. They were indispensable in wayfinding a route that kept us mostly on the main roads. Still, be careful – even the A routes have a few one-lane sections (usually when passing through towns) and B routes have as many one-lane stretches as double-lane stretches. The Brits seem unfazed by these roads, but for us there was a lot of white-knuckle driving!

Seafood in Cornwall is fresh, inexpensive, and delicious – buy it whenever you can! St Austell Brewery owns many of the pubs in Cornwall. Their ales, particularly “Tribute” and “Trelawny”, are excellent. Cornwall is famous for their pasties, or meat pies. They are almost always fresh-baked, inexpensive, filling, and delicious – providing a hearty lunch for coastal walks.

Love your report -- now that you can finally post it.

The cottage looks lovely -- i've stayed in NT properties a few times and all have been very well maintained.

One thing >>I stopped at one of the ATMs in London Heathrow. After comparing the exchange rate with a Tesco Superstore ATM in St Austell after our trip, I discovered this: at LHR £1 = $1.52; at the Tesco Superstore, £1 = $1.38. Skip the ATMs at LHR!<<

That was because you accepted the withdrawal being calculated in $ (Dynamic Currency Conversion) If you had declined you would have received exactly the same exchange rate you did at Tesco (that was determined by you one bank as it would have been at LHR). No reason to avoid ATMs at the airport, just watch the screen info/questions a little closer.

Sounds like a great trip, tx for posting. Wish I thought I could still emulate your hikes.

too late to edit . . . that should have said >> . . . (that was determined by your own bank as it would have been at LHR) . . . <<

Thanks for the feedback janisj. I'm quite familiar with Dynamic Currency Conversion, and routinely decline it when presented with the option by merchants and vendors when abroad. If the ATM at LHR calculated my withdrawal in $$$, it was done without asking or without my consent. All the more reason, IMHO, to be wary.

>> If the ATM at LHR calculated my withdrawal in $$$, it was done without asking or without my consent. All the more reason, IMHO, to be wary.<<

Yes, absolutely be wary -- especially because one is likely tired/jet lagged. But yes, the ATMs at LHR DO offer to calculate in $, € or to just straight issue £ with no conversion. But the question is worded so $ is the default (last time I was through LHR was last December so I can't remember the exact wording). I did use the Travelex ATM (the only brand available) in T-3 arrivals and I had to specifically turn down a $ calculation. I assume if my card was issued by a € country, € would have been the default.

Thank you so much for your trip report! Hikrguy and I are leaving for 12 days' hiking in Cornwall on the South West Coast Path two weeks from tomorrow! I'm glad to see some info about visiting Tintagel and Port Isaac, two places that are on our itinerary, though not for the same day.

Where did you pick up the driving maps? This is something that we're definitely going to need. Can I get it in any supermarket? We are picking up our rental car in Penzance.

thanks!