Cornwall suggestion
 

I am interested in visiting Cornwall on an April trip to the UK. Haven't been there for many years.

My vision is a small, pretty harbour with a old pub, a B&B within walking distance (so I can have a pint or two!) and ideally, in reach of part of the coastal path.

Interested in locations that come close to this vision.

We last stayed on the south coast of Cornwall in an inn within walking distance of Mevagissey. The inn itself was lovely, and Meva was fun, but not as charming as I had hoped. But the area was perfect for touring, and the coast path was at hand. I would suggest researching towns in that area.

I was also going to mention Mevagissey. We stayed nearby in the town of London Apprentice, which was quite close to Mevagissey. I am trying to think of the old Pub, in a village off to the right, on the way Mevagissey, which had a very ancient settle near the fireplace.

One other place I could chip in with is St Mawes. OK, so it's not very small but still a lovely place.
Actually, we are looking to take my Mother-in-Law to Mevagissey in October for her 60th Birthday, so I agree that is a splendid idea.
Another suggestion could be Port Isaac on the north coast near Tintagel. Very picturesque with a small harbour and pub.

I'd suggest the Fowey/Polperro/W Looe stretch of coastline. Polperro is the quaintest of villages and the Gribbin Head hike is beautiful and so is the coastal walk (#22) between Polruan and Polperro.

Perhaps you could try Mousehole-a tiny little fishing village with some lovely old houses. I have had the best tea in places overlooking the port,good seafood too.

Mousehole (a short bus ride from Penzance) is on South West Pennisula Coast Path.

Port Issac mentioned by previous post is quite nice too, with expansive beaches nearby, on the route of Coast Path also. National Trust has a cottage (The birdcage) for hire not from the port.

Acturally National Trust has many Holiday Cottage in lovely seaside all over Cornwall, it would be a nice alternative for B&B. Details from:nationaltrustcottages.co.uk. But, as there are very popular, it is not easy to book for busy season.

we were in Fowey in November and enjoyed it very much. It's a very quaint little village o the water that hosts a large regatta in August. There are a few noce hotels and B&Bs to choose from. I'll rack my brains to come up with the names.
If you were to take the train there I think PAR is the closest stop.

I'd put Looe at the top of my list. St. Aubyn's Guesthouse was a terrific b&b; a lovely Victorian house with ocean views. From there it's easy driving to Fowey, the moors, and much of Cornwall.

Cornwall is indeed lovely....however, we were there in APRIL a few years ago, and WINDY< WINDY< WINDY! This was at Lands End,the coast, which is probably always pretty breezy, but this was a bitter cold, not able to stand up, wind. We still had a great time. Inland, I'm sure would be a little better, and there is an abundance of quaint little villages.
We've been to the UK(Scotland, WAles, England, and even Ireland)) 5 or 6 times in April so obviously we think it is a great time to travel there...but I DO remember the wind in Cornwall.!

We really loved a small place called Porthleven. Has two pubs, one on either side of the harbour and both are good. The Ship is quite well known, very atmospheric, one seat sort of hangs over the sea. The other pub is called The Harbour Inn and they serve the most delicious rib-eye steak. There's also a small supermarket in town, a few shops and a very, friendly, laid-back atmosphere. The town was featured in a number of the BBC's Inspector Wycliffe series. It's not far from Helston which has lots more shops (including a ton of charity shops) and Looe Pool which is a sort of minor wonder of the world. Can also visit Penzance, St. Michael's Mount and Minack Theatre from here.

St. Mawes is also nice, although a bit bigger. The fun thing here is to watch the expensive boats come in. If you go make sure to try the local ale called Skinner's at the Ship & Castle pub. And dinner at the Victory Inn is very reasonable and tasty. Can also take a passenger ferry from St. Mawes to Falmouth which is a great way to see the coast from the water and without having to navigate Falmouth which can be a bit tricky to drive in (or at least we found it that way). Make sure to visit St Just in Roseland, very lush and interesting church and graveyard, but probably unlike any graveyard you've ever seen before. Trebah Gardens was also lovely. And you have to have Sunday lunch at the Roseland Inn at Philleigh. Best roast and Yorkshire pudding my husband has ever tasted. I had a real Cornish pasty served with a mixed salad. Wonderful.

Although we've never stayed there, liked the look of Portscatho. Had a pint at The Plume & Feathers and wandered down to watch the ocean bash against the pier.

Also like Port Isaac. Can see ruins from Tingagel from here and a bit further field one of my favourite National Trust's - Lanhydrock. I think it has more rooms available for viewing than any other. Also, if you head towards the moors you can visit the Jamaica Inn, which has its tacky bits, but is still great for a pint. The church at St. Neot has some remarkable medieval glass.

Have fun.

I was in Cornwall for the first time this past October and rented a cottage for a week in a small town just outside Looe. We spent time in both East and West Looe...a day in Polperro and just stumbled into Fowey for a day as well. All of these would fit the bill for what you are looking for! :-)

I was in Cornwall for the first time in October (Ginny is my daughter & we travel together) & was awed by everything. Would recommend renting a cottage & going out from there. Tavistock, Fowey, E& W Looe, Bodin Moors etc. Our cottage overlooked the Looe Valley & was breath taking. Walking the Bodmin Moors was a wonderful experience would highly recommend that. Lunch at a tea house in Minion is also recommended. The village consists of 18 buildings and 134 residents. I went to a cattle auction (can't remember the name of the town but it was close to Looe) & enjoyed that experience. Did some of the coast walk in Fowey & that was memorable. Have a great time.

Like a previous poster, we would recommend the St Aubyns Guesthouse at W. Looe where we stayed four years ago. You can find my comments on another post for Cornwall.

The website is:

http://www.bedandbreakfast-directory.../hotels506.htm

HI--We loved St Ives--here is a post I sent a while back....Author: socialworker
Date: 04/22/2004, 11:22 am
Message: Abour 4 hours by train is the village of St. Ives. We were there in May one year (1998) and had 80 degree weather and sunshine. We stayed in a B&B just out of town, up a steep hill, (walkable if you are in reasonable cardiovascular shape) with incredible views. The couple who ran it reminded me of the Fawlty Towers couple and the people staying there were all wonderfully stereotypically British. It is a beautiful little seaside town that has palm trees. The water there is a lush shade of blue, reminiscent of the Mediterranean. It is a little touristy, but for the British. Sort of like Cape Cod for New Engalnders. We never saw any Americans, but it was May, not summer. And if you remember the nursery rhyme "I met a man from St Ives...seven wives...cats...kits, etc.."" (too long to type it all in here)--there really are cats everywhere there, so I guess the nursery rhyme has some basis in fact. Anyway, we loved it--stayed there 2 nights and just wandered around the little village and sat by the sea. I don't know if I would call the place we stayed "fantastic". If this sounds interesting, let me know and I will try to dig up the name of the establishment. However, there are many B&Bs in the town. The best part of the one where we stayed was that some rooms had unbelievable ocean views but the place is very modestly priced--or at least it was in May of "98.

PS--the 4 hours referred to above is from London--and to the poster who corrected me about this not being the St Ives referred to in the nursery rhyme....a few days after posting my messaage last year, I quite by accident came across a post card we had purchased in St Ives that showed the rhyme and the cats!! So even if it is not the "correct" St Ives, they are still capitalizing on the perception!! LOL

Thanks for the ideas, everyone. Very much appreciated.

We have decided on Polperro. It appears to be a good fit on my spec and it isn't as far west as some other options, so we should be able to squeeze in an extra nite.

HI John--thanks for checking back in with your decision. It looks like a lovely place and much closer to London than those that are in the Lands End area. Hope you have a great time!!

Good choice John. Make sure you visit Fowey just down the road. It was the home of Daphne Du Maurier - the author who wrote a number of books that were dramatised by Hitchcock, and many of them were based in and around that area of Cornwall. Rebecca and The Birds are 2 of them (although for some reason, Hitchcock relocated The Birds to the US). Watch or even better read Rebecca before you go to put you in the mood (the film version starred Laurence Olivier and, I think Olivia de Havillard?). Another good book by her (but a TERRIBLE film that bears no relation to the book) is Jamaica Inn - about Cornish Smugglers and a remote Inn on Bodmin Moor, nearby.

Thanks for the reading and touring suggestions. The Birds and Jamaica Inn I am familiar with.

Hi
Cornwall is lovely, and April will be quieter than the peak summer holiday period. Padstow is very nice and has a superb fish restaurant owned by one of England's best known chefs (he has regular BBC TV programmes). Do look at www.rickstein.com for more details of his restaurants. Padstow is close to the South-West coastal path too.
Interested to hear more about the St Ives cats - I was the original poster who said that the nursery rhymne talked about the CAMBRIDGESHIRE St Ives and not the Cornish one. Cambridgeshire was famous for it's many huge hiring fairs in medieval times, and the rhymme refers to this, although others have suggested it refers (as many old English rhymes do) to illness and the plague. People are leaving the village in droves to escape the plague, and they meet the solitary local Priest who is the only one travelling TOWARDS the stricken place.
M