Cornwall to Yorkshire and back again - a 5-day trip report.
 

Cornwall to Yorkshire in a day? you must be mad.

Cornwall to Yorkshire via Coventry? you’re crackers.

Cornwall from Yorkshire via Aberystwyth? completely bonkers.

Yes, I confess to all three. We had an excuse - DH and DS wanted to watch their beloved Redruth Rugby Club play its last match of the season against Wharfdale [whose ground is in Grassington, North Yorks], and we had to get DS back to uni in Wales just afterwards, so one of us had the bright idea of combining that with a few days in the Yorkshire Dales. We based ourselves in Grassington itself, staying 4 nights in a B&B [of which more later], and then spent a night in Aberystwyth before dropping DS off in Lampeter, and driving home. Then after everything was booked, grandma was able to visit for Easter, which involved the detour via Coventry to take her home before we could head for Yorkshire.

Actually, the run up to Coventry was fine. The drive from Coventry to the outskirts of Yorkshire was bearable. The bit that was really awful was when the satnav [nicknamed “Sally” after the song] took us through the middle of Bradford in rush-hour; by then it was my turn to drive, DH kept grumbling at the way I was riding the clutch/changing or not changing gear [I drive an automatic but my car wasn’t big enough to get in all the stuff that DS needed to take bak to uni, and our things for the 5 days we’d be away, AND grandma’s things too] and in the middle of this, DH announces that if he’d looked at the map earlier, we could probably have avoided the middle of Bradford. GRRRRRR. “Never mind, darling, we’ll probably never have a chance to come this way again” I said sweetly. [believe that and you’ll believe anything].

Eventually, about 9 hours after leaving home, we arrived at our B&B, Bridge End Farm, just on the edge of Grassington. [www.bridge-end-farm.co.uk]. I cannot say enough good things about this place. To start with, the position is lovely - right on the river with gardens leading down to the water’s edge. There is plenty of parking, and tables and seats placed in the gardens for guests to use. The en-suite rooms, even DS’s single, are pretty spacious, and we were lucky enough to get the ground-floor Kingfisher room which gave us not only a large bedroom [and queen-sized bed] but also a nice sitting room and kitchenette. Breakfasts are lavish, with as much cereal, muesli, and fruit-juice as you could want, grapefruit, tea, coffee, toast, and as large a cooked breakfast as you want, with eggs, bacon, local sausage, tomatoes, fried bread and mushroom, plus baked beans were on offer when we were there. It’s eaten round a communal table which makes for good conversation plus an exchange of information on nice places to go, pubs, walks etc. not just from the friendly hosts, but also from fellow guests. I know that this sounds like something they would write themselves, but honestly we were bowled over by the place, [DH says it's the best B&B he's ever stayed in] and we won’t hesitate to stay there again.

Having arrived quite late, we quickly unpacked and made our way up into Grassington, an uphill walk of about 10-15 minutes, to see what we could find. Our hosts had particularly recommended the Devonshire Arms, but they seemed pretty busy [actually, they got busier every night we were there, so we should have taken our chance when we could] and the Forresters Arms, so we opted for there and were not disappointed. Both DS and DH had meat dishes, [DH slow-cooked minty lamb shoulder and DS 3 very large lamb chops both of which were pronounced excellent], and I had a bean and veg casserole, which was pretty good, but there was much too much of it! None of us had room for puds, and pretty soon we were rolling down the hill to the farm, for a good night’s sleep.

Waiting for the next installment, toes a'tapping - we lived in and around Bradford for years and still have family there but even we avoid the City Centre - too much construction going on :(

We regularly drove to Cornwall from Yorkshire in a day - but we'd set off at 2am and arrive about 10ish having stopped for breakfast at Gordano. As kids we slept most of the way until Bristol so the journey wasn't too bad and we were fresh as daisys but my Dad (the driver) flagged around 3pm.

Grassington? Love it! my In-Laws had a mobile home on the outskirts (a hop, skip and a jump from Shipley) so we took every opportunity to go for the weekend, most of my memories of my girls growing up involved that area.

More please!

glad to have brought back so many good memories, alya - here you are!

Day 2 - get those boots on.

After breakfast [which I won’t describe again - you can read what I wrote above if you want another excuse to drool] we strapped on our walking boots, and set off up the main street of Grassington to try to find the start of the walk we’d decided to do, which we reckoned should take us about 3 hours. Well, despite the assistance of two guide books and a map, we spent the first 1/2 hour trying to find where it began. Does that happend to you? It frequently happens to us. But we got there in the end, and set off across a field on a well-marked path, which led to several more fields, and less well-marked paths, until we reached the woods and lost the path completely. But we pressed on, and eventually picked it up again on the edge of the Dales Way, which goes past Grassington. There are some very interesting limestone structures in the area, one being a sort of mini-table-mountain, and to the side of this, we almost trampled all over a patch of early purple orchids. All around us were the lovely hills of the dales, bathed in sunshine, and at our feet these beautiful flowers - perfect. And hardly another soul in sight.

The path then took us across the northern edge of the woods where we found several other varieties of spring wild flower such as wood anenome, red campion, viola, and of course early bluebells, and finally down the side of the river Wharf, sadly not too full of water due to the lack of rain, finally bringing us back into Grassington some 5-6 miles later right beside our B&B which was very welcome! By now it was time for a cup of tea, [the walk had taken longer than we’d thought!] and then we went for a drive round, first of all doing a bit of shopping in Skipton [which frank ly did not live up to DH’s billing of it from a previous visit] and ending up only a mile or so away from Grassington at the Fountaine at Linton - one of the loveliest country pubs I have ever seen. Stood next to it are some palatial almshouses, designed in the paladian style, and between them, a village green, with a brook running through it, crossed by a tiny pack bridge. As it was a bit early to eat [though they have an early bird deal where you pay the time you order - so it’s £6 pp for two courses if you order at 6pm] we booked a table for 7pm, and just had a drink - the beers of the area are very good and I think I drank more beer in 4 days that I had in the previous 4 months.

The meal, which we ate in the restaurant, though you can eat the same menu in the bar, was as good as we’d hoped - for starters I had a black and white pudding stack, with apple fritter, DH had homemade terrine, and DS had chinese duck pancakes. For mains, both DH and I had 1/4 honey roast duck and DS had roast poin of pork all seved with a choice of potatoes and fresh vegetables - we didn’t see a frozen vegetable all the time we were in Yorkshire! Only DS could manage a pud, so we had coffee whilst he scoffed a chocolate brownie. Then we didn’t so much walk as waddle back to the B&B and our beds, trying not to disturb the resident geese as we crept into our room.

Lovely details--I love to "hear" the author's voice speak through. Write on (tell me more of yet another place I'd love to plan a visit to!)

Grassington can get very busy in the summer months especially at weekends, but you only need to walk for a few mins out of the village to get peace and quiet. From what you say you walked up the main street, turned left at the top (Chapel Lane) and then headed across the old medieval village to Grass Woods. You can't see any medieval village remains, just lumps and bumps in the grass, and some field formations. I think the 'orchids' would have been crocuses, very popular here in North Yorkshire.
I know Linton and the Fountaine Inn well, although we tend to use the village to park and start walks, so I've never eaten there.
I always maintain the food in Yorkshire (and Lancashire) is terrific, with so many country pubs and inns serving local produce of truly fantastic (and award winning) quality.
Did you visit Linton Falls - best seen after a period of rainfall.

thanks, texas. I'm doing my best to take you with me, if only in spirit.

Morgana - shame that you haven't eat at the Fountaine - we thought it pretty good - better than what you can get at most Cornish pubs, for example. we did see the Linton Falls, but they like all the other falls and "strids" we came across were nothing like in full spate due to the lack of rain.

you have the route correct, but no, the orchids were indeed orchids - confirmed as such [though being a gardener I know a crocus - and an orchid - when I see one] because a) I've seen them before, b) they were shown as such in the orchid information centre at Malham Tarn and c) they looked just like these ones!!

http://www.edgeofpant.co.uk/shropshire_orchids.html

"Morgana on May 3, 11 at 9:05pm
I always maintain the food in Yorkshire (and Lancashire) is terrific, with so many country pubs and inns serving local produce of truly fantastic (and award winning) quality."

Morgana - if you're in the neighbourhood I can totally recommend the Dog and Gun in Oxenhope, they have a really good Chicken Liver pate and the Lamb Henry is always amazing - watching the sheep in the next field as you eat it?? Not so good :)

http://www.dogandgunoxenhope.co.uk/menus1.php

Back to business - Where is Ann? Slacker :D

Enjoying this ann, and looking forward to more!

I've never been to Yorkshire - the fact I once attended a Northern Jockeys' Dinner Dance at Scotch Corner doesn't really count because I don't remember any of it due to far too much champagne! - and I really must make the effort to venture further north, you all make it sound so enticing!

Back to business - Where is Ann? Slacker>>

LOL - been hard at work.

Julia - you should try to make an opportunity to go - it's not THAT far from Cirencester!

here's a bit more:


Day 3 - Royal Wedding Day - a confession.

After another fabulous breakfast [which in my case was getting smaller every day, else I’d have gone home the size of a house] we set off for the village of Kettlewell, about 10 miles away, intending to walk to another village and back before lunch, mainly following the river. But it started to rain, we weren’t sure about how far the next villlage was, and DS was walking about wanting to do a higher walk, so after about 30 minutes, we abandoned the walk, and headed back to the village where we regrouped, with DS and DH heading off to walk back to Grassington, and me nobly "volunteering" to drive the car back.

once DS & DH had departed, I fancied a drink, [well, i had my duties to my fellow fodorites to consider, didn't I?] and on going into the nearest hostelry and ordering my haIf pint of bitter, I found that they were all glued to the telly, watching - guess what - the Royal Wedding. well, being a confirmed republican, i had made a big thing of avoiding it, but as it was on, and it was still a bit wet, it couldn't hurt to sit down and watch for a little while....so yes, I confess, I watched it too. The SHAME! what was most amusing was the demographic of the other spectators - mostly young and roughly 50% male. I was really surprised that the blokes were as glued to the telly as the girls, though they weren't dabbing their eyes quite as much.

After they had set off for the palace, I decided that I'd had quite enough of frocks, uniforms and carriages, and thought that I would take my opportunity to do some further research into local hostelries. So i wound my way back to the Grassington area, and ended up at a pub the owners of our B&B had recommended, the Craven Arms at Appletreewick [allegedly pronounced Ap'trik by the locals, though our B&B owners said that they had never actually heard any of the locals call it that].

The pub is a lovely old building, set on a ridge overlooking a valley, with loads of tables outside and by the door a "weather-forecasting stone". The plaque next to it read roughly thus:

"stone wet - it's raining
stone dry - it's stopped.
can't see the stone? - it's foggy
snow on top - it's snowing.
stone swinging - it's windy
stone on floor - tornado.
stone under water - flood, but the pub's still open"

inside there were any number of cosy low-ceiling rooms, [apart from the stunning high ceilinged thatched barn at the rear] crammed with a miscellany of tables and chairs of all ages and sizes, and bedecked with the memorabilia of eons. I particularly noticed a portrait of the local "Dick Whittington" - a local lad who went to London to find fame and fortune, became Lord Mayor, and came back to endow schools, hospitals, etc. etc.

the sun was now shining strongly, so I got myself a half pint of beer [noticing a theme here? - all in the cause of my research, of course] and sat outside drinking in the beer- and the view. the pub was clearly popular with walkers and cyclists, as well as lazy drivers like me, and it was hard to drag myself away. but looking at the leaflets I'd brought with me, I realised that there was a garden just down the road that i quite liked the look of, so finally I set off to find the garden of the Bishop of Bradford at Parcevall Hall. [www.parcevallhallgardens.co.uk]. I'd never heard of them before, but i don't really know why, as they were very beautiful and well-kept. After parking at the bottom of a long drive, I walked up through masses of daffodils and late pheasant-eye narcissi [accompanied by several pheasants! and a few guinea fowl] to an orchard area where the apple trees were in full blossom. It doesn't matter how many times I see blossoming fruit trees, they always lift my heart. Particularly striking were the ones inside a walled garden whose flower-decked limbs could been seen trailing over the wall - lovely.

at the top of the garden is a wooded area which was full of camellias and rhododendrons, and to the right a really big rockery, one of the best I've seen, as great efforts had been made to make it look look part of the landscape rather than the rather sad heap of stones that many rockeries resemble. then finally I wandered down through the walled gardens and back down to the reception area, where i treated myself to a cup of tea and a plant that caught my eye - a bright red lupin, which I hope will prove to be rabbit proof!

By this time I reckoned that DS and DH ought to be getting towards home, so I decided to drive myself slowly back, and amazingly, we managed to arrive at almost exactly the same time, though they had spent some time in the sweet shop up in Grassington on their way back.

I obviously did a good job in describing the pub I'd been to, as DH suggested we should go there to eat that evening, and we had a great meal of roast beef [DH] pork [me] - both accompanied by fresh veg AND enormous yorkshire puds, and a steak and ale pie for DS, followed by typical pub desserts like sticky toffee pudding, chocolate brownies, etc.

As we wandered back to Grassington, we could see fireworks being let off over the village and they put on a fine display. we on the other hand, went back for an early night.

As an avoid London-lover, I actually liked Yorkshire a bit better. Sshh. The countryside is lovely and I find the people a bit more friendly up North. York has to be the one o the prettiest walled towns.

Ah yes, - can see you are a gardener and wouldn't get your crocuses and orchids mixed up!
Parcevall Hall is pretty well known up here because although North Yorkshire is lovely it isn't really famous for its more formal gardens.
Near to Parcevall Hall is an amazing natural 'wonder' called Trollers Gill which I've walked through half a dozen times and each time it's totally creeped me out but that's possibly my over active imagination. Do google it!
Although I live in the Dales I am reading your report whilst on a longish holiday in Florida - and it's making me more than a little homesick!

emily - yes, we found the natives friendly too.

morgana - my plan had been to go to Harlow Carr but the fates thwarted me. i just goggled Trollers Gill - looks fun, but a 9 mile one way hike might be beyond me in an afternoon! I'm pleased that I'm the cause of home thoughts from abroad!

more soon - I hope, though i am busy packing for my trip to italy on Sunday.

Oh, ann -- you're my kinda gal! Thanks for this trip report! My next trip is back to Yorkshire and I've emailed this to myself to use for planning. I must see Parcevall Hall Gardens now.

And Morgana... thanks so much for the info. for Troller's Gill (and all your information forever and always). The walk looks both creepy and glorious -- which is perfection. (I think I rather like being scared as I walk -- speaks to my rather dull everday life, I suppose.)

chgoGal - when is your trip going to be? How many times have you been to Yorkshire?

I have to say that we are hooked, and I'd be happy to go back next week, were it not for the fact that I'm off elsewhere.

Just been the one time a couple years back and my 10-day trip wasn't nearly long enough. I hope and plan to return in September -- but am trying to work out where I want to do my walks (and hoping weather will be all right) -- the Lake District, the Peak District, the Yorkshire Dales or the Moors. It's almost impossible to choose.
But have a great time in Italy! Travel safe!

Oh, I'm so enjoying this. Hope you finish before gallivanting off to Italy . . .

oh janisj, i haven't heard the word "gallivanting" for ever such a long time. yes, I'm sure that's what DH thinks i'm doing, but he's too kind to say so.

Chgogal. I have to say that I'm sold on the Dales - so many wonderful walks, reasonable transport [at least where we were] lovely pubs to recover in, little towns and villages to provide interest when the legs get too tired. Of course the Lake District is great for that too. as for the moors, we spent a long weekend there once and really we did not enjoy ourselves half as much as we did this time - the walking was far less interesting, towns and villages far more widely spaced, far less to do apart from walk, and the scenery was not, to our mind, half as good. I don't know the Peaks at all; perhaps someone else has a view.

Day 4 - the boys done good.

By now I had almost forgotten why we had come to the Dales in the first place - have you? come on, pay attention, we've got a rugby match to play - and win! but first, what to do with the morning? My plan had been to go to Harlow Carr [RHS northern garden] but my silver-tongued husband had other ideas - wouldn't it be nicer to go for a walk? didn't Malham Tarn sound lovely? H'e really like to go - and if he and DS went there, there was no way I could get to Harrogate and back, AND pick them back up. so there it was, no Harlow Carr for me this time.

Ideally we'd have parked in Malham and walked up to the Cove, but DH didn't want to be late of the match [more like, he didn't want to miss out on too much of the free beer that as a committee member of the visiting team, he'd get at the club-house!] so we made for the tarn and parked nearby. First stop was a bird-hide by the lake shore - at first we really couldn't see anything, but gradually we became aware of a grebe displaying nearby, and then its mate, and then their nest, a jumbled heap on reeds floating in the water near the lake shore. we couldn't see any eggs, but they were still building the nest, so hopefully there was still time.

we tore ourselves away, and set off round the lake. you can't walk all the way round the shore. but for a while we could, and enjoyed another wonderful show of orchids - much taller and paler than the ones we saw before but we put this down to their being in a much kinder environment, which enabled them to grow more lushly. i suppose that it took us about 2 hours to do a complete circuit - except that you can't, and have to walk across the surrounding open ground to pick up the road and thence return to the carpark.

One of the advantages of having a communal breakfast table was the chance to share local information and this paid off greatly as we headed off down the other side of the hill following the back route down from the Tarn, a stunning road over and down a pass through the hills, which winds its way down to the bottom of the valley and the village of Arncliff; a very pretty village with a green and a very nice looking pub.

as we had a bi more time than we'd thought, we decided to stop and do a bit more research on the beer, which turned out to be a real treat. Kept in metal barrels by the bar, the landlord first of all decanted it into a jug, and when it had settled, into your glass. His till was simple to the nth degree - a wooden box. when I said that the cost of a half pint was cheap [£1-45] he said that when he ran out of 5ps, he'd be putting it up to £1-50. He was a rugby fan, and kindly served DS and DH, despite the fact that they were wearing Redruth shirts, and we had some "friendly" banter about the match. we also admired his pub - unchanged [and probably undusted] for as long as Elizabeth [I or II?] had been on the throne.

but eventually we had to drag ourselves away so we drove back to the B&B and ambled up to the Wharfdale rugby ground which is in a stunning position surrounded by rolling hills. DH was able to saunter in with his free ticket; Ds and i were left to pay for ourselves [he got a student discount] - still I suppose that it's for a good cause. we had about 30 mins to kill before the match started, but we were able to spend that chatting to the other Redruth supporters who'd come up on the supporters' coach. then they were off - and despite a few early setbacks, by half-time we were ahead, and we finished the match 33-22. Hooray! My first away match was a huge success. Some beer had found its way onto the pitch [only after the end of the match] and we all stood around congratulating the team and drinking in the atmosphere for quite a long time. the result did not guarantee that the team would stay up, but they had done their best.

next - we go back for a well-earned lie down and an exciting episode of Dr. Who!

Enjoyed this thoroughly Ann. We will be visiting Yorkshire for the third time in early June, sandwiched between The Peak District, after we arrive in Manchester, ending with a weeks stay in The Lake District. Plan to include Parcevall Hall Gardens, and made note of the pub Fountaine at Linton.
I do remember that Skipton had good shopping, but that was 3 years ago, on a market day.
This report comes at a good point in my research.
Looking forward to the rest.

annhig: Loving your report.Really appreciate your taking the time to give us your "in country" perspective. 6 weeks until our trip to Devon and Cornwall and I've been reading your posts with interest about that area also.
How my family and I loved our 6 day trip to Yorkshire last June and your report is making me want to plan another trip. We were going to stop in Grassington as we drove through the Dales back from Sunday dinner; but my daughter was asleep in the back street and we could only keep on driving. It was a Sunday and late in the afternoon; but I was surprised at how desolate the villages seemed. It seemed that at every turn there was a pub though and I could only gaze wistfully at the people sitting outside. Will make a note of all the pubs you mention and the B and B. Have a wonderful time in Italy! That hopefully is our destination next year.
How lucky we are to be able to travel to such beautiful places.

Hi Ann,
Thanks for the information on Parcevall Hall, I haven't come across it during my research. Does look delightful and so does the Tea shop menu.

We leave in two weeks for London then head to Ampleforth around the beginning of June, getting excited after reading your post, thanks for sharing.

There ought to be a warning about travel through the area from Halifax to Leeds during rush hour. There is no easy way around it except perhaps going all the way across to the A1. Though driving through Bradford is about the worst way.

I find the Devonshire Arms very expensive and not that exciting. Other options you might have liked are the Sportsman's Arms in Wath in Nidderdale and the Far Syde in Ilkley.

hi, y'all.

phew - isn't packing exhausting? added to which I decided to buy a camera [and they don't just come in "point and click" anymore do they?] a hard-drive for my laptop which I am taking with me on holiday for the first time, and to download kindle! that at least has meant that i can leave the piles of books I normally take with me at home. which leaves more room for presents when I come home.

celticmoon - I'm perhaps being a bit sniffy about Skipton, but DH had "bigged it up" so much that it was never going to be able to live up to its billing. we did find a very reasonable walking gear shop, much cheaper than at home, and we liked the canal, and the "best pork pie in the country" butcher's, but that was about it.

idesofmarch - 6 weeks till you hit Devon and cornwall? Brill. the weather so far this year has been very good, so I'll keep my fingers crossed that it continues for you. where are you staying? let me know if I can help at all with your planning!

Maudie - I'm very pleased to have been able to share Parcevall Hall with you- as it was a new one on me, i thought it might be for others.

Bilbo - thanks for the tips - i hope there's another time for us to follow them!

Now - back to the packing!

Ann, please don't avoid Bradford, just stick to the ring road - but never at rush hour.

There are good reasons to visit.

http://www.bradfordmuseums.org/venue...hall/index.php

Bolling Hall is one of my all time favorites, its a museum you would never just stumble across.

Check out the same link for the art gallery Cartwright Hall in Lister Park - you might recognise the facade, it was used in the Monty Python song "Every s...m is sacred".

The Industrial Museum is also worth a looksee

All are free. It's a city with some hidden gems.

Bradford also has the magnificent National Media Museum right in the centre - again free.
www.nationalmediamuseum.org.uk

Satnav "Sally" - as in "Sally, Sally! Don't ever wander...."?

Is it just me or did Ann leave us hanging?

I do hope she comes back later and finishes the TR

Morgana-if you're in and around Bradford, the Bottomley's Arms in Shelf has wonderful food but it's packed in the evening and parking is murder - park on the road behind the pub.

Boy oh boy am I feeling homesick for some good pub grub :(
Are you home from Florida?

Fun trip report, I love Yorkshire and now want to go back soon. Thanks!

Ann will be back soon, she went to Italy for a language course, and a few days in Florence.

Hi Julia - thanks for the update on my whereabouts for Alya.

alya, I didn't mean to leave you hanging but i ran out of time to finish the TR. More when i get back.

In fact I'm still in Italy, but unlike my hotel in Orbetello, which I left with much sadness this morning, my hotel in Florence has got wifi, so with it raining outside, I've been doing some catching up - first of all my e-mails [400+, mostly rubbish] and now fodors. oh yes, and I've spoken to the family, who i think just about remember who i am.

Patrick - my family assure me that there is a song "Satnav Sally" - and google seems to agree!

if i manage to stay awake - more later.

Really enjoying this report, Ann, and can't wait for your next Italy trip report!

jmct - your wish is my command!

just going to post the first installment now.

If you'll forgive my self-publicity, here's the link:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...in-tuscany.cfm

annhig: dying to read the the Italy report..with the help of a new found friend on TA who has a home in Devon,we are basing ourselves for 4 days in Totnes and 4 days near Truro. We are so spoiled for choice and as I've never been there before I haven't planned any schedules. I'd like to go to St. Ives, I'm a DuMaurier fan so would love to go to Frenchman's Creek. Is the "Lost Gardens of Heligan" worth it? Want to go up to Port Isaac as I've also hooked my daughter on Doc Martin.

Also planning on going to Greenway. I loved Christie as a kid and the setting for the house looks so lovely.

As I said I am looking at your other posts. So little is written about Devon and Cornwall that I'd love to hear any suggestions

I've been so caught up with work and getting a new job that I have not done the near exhaustive research that I usually do and am a little nervous. Our trip is Salisbury--Totnes--Truro--Bath--London.

This is my sixth trip to the UK and the least, 3 days, that I have spent in London. We have tickets to "War Horse" and plan on going to Hampton Court Palace, I think. I;ve been there a few times; but DH and DD have not and I can't wait to introduce them to it. I'd would love to go to to Leighton House; but with such limited time I'm not sure. I hear the the V&A has a new exhibit showcasing the Romantic era and some Pre-Raphaelites so perhaps I'll go there.
Sorry I'm rambling; but it is always good to "talk" to people who know what I'm rambling about. Have fun!

ides - so nice to hear from a fodorite who wants to get past Exeter! we "cornovagiaiense" [a word i invented to describe in italian the inhabitants of cornwall!] we be very pleased to welcome you.

where/when exactly will you be staying? not that it makes a lot of difference as Truro is pretty central so it's easy to get to virtually everywhere in cornwall from there. will you have a car [from your desire to see Port Isaac I guess that you will].

as you are a fan of DdM, you should really go to Fowey. It's where she lived and wrote and the house that she lived in is right by the car ferry, though it's in private hands so you can't go in. Ditto the rather grander house of Menabilly just outside Fowey which is supposed to have inspired Rebecca's "Mandalay", though they do hold the occasional concert there. As for Frenchman's creek, I'm not sure that it was based on a specific one, more the idea of it. you can walk all the way round what is called the "Hall Walk" in Fowey - you cross over the river by the car ferry, follow the footpaths as close to the water as you can get, and end up in Polruan [or not!] and get the passenger ferry back. no time pressure as it runs to 11pm, if you get lost.

if you don't want to go that far, you can also walk around some creeks and beaches on the Helford river, which is a little closer at hand for someone staying in Truro. also you can do a lovely trip by getting the train/bus from Truro to Falmouth, [my favourite two in Cornwall] then getting a boat back up the river, stopping off at Trelissick [a great National trust garden] then the boat again right back into Truro.

IMHO Heiigan is definitely worth it, it is several gardens in one and beautifully kept. the kitchen garden in full summer is a sight to behold, but they have other treasures too - for example when i went with my mother over easter, there was a handkerchief tree in full bloom, which was fantastic. and as well there is a jungle area which is vast and full of exotic plants. Let me know when you are going and if I can, I might just come with you!

Depending on the time of year [I'm assuming summer] you may want to think about visiting St Ives one evening rather than during the day, as it gets VERY crowded, or again, going on the train though that gets crowded too. Ditto Port Isaac, [though no train, only buses if you are public transport, in which case you need to set out now as they are not very frequent] due to doc Martin.

hope that helps a bit. if you'd like to hook up with another fodorite during your journey, or go into more detail about your plans, my work e-mail is [email protected]

good luck and welcome to cornwall.

Hi Annhig, thanks for your reply. We are staying on a farm near Zelah. I did pick it for the central location even though I was tempted to stay in some cottages that were more sea based; but my husband, the driver, gets a little nervous about parking.
We've thought about taking the train to St. Ives; but then we wouldn't have the car to go anywhere else, so perhaps we will look at that plan again. I have certainly read about the crowds and will be traveling in the middle of June and hope it won't be as bad as July and August. A suggestion for a pub lunch in St. Ives? I read an article about the Sloop Inn. We aren't foodies; but like good food and good beer; but going to the well-known restaurants isn't a big deal. Lovely views are nice too.
I'm not so big on sea bathing; but love watching the sea and the scenery there looks amazing. Can't wait.
Great suggestion about how to get to Falmouth..Really want to do that and I've read about a Family bus/train pass that might be worth it. Should we visit Charlestown?
So I'm assuming there's parking at Port Isaac? Or will that be an issue?
Thanks for your advice.

hi, ides,

sorry not to have replied to your most recent message - I missed it somehow.

for all i know you're already here!

ref st. Ives, there are lots of good restaurants there, especially the trend cafes by the beaches; i would not personally eat at the Sloop. if you take your car, park in the station car park if you can and walk down into town. once you've had enough, follow the coast road down towards Lands end, stopping off at the Gurnard's Head pub en route - great food and a lovely if wild spot.

in the opposite direction, of course you can park in Port Isaac, but not easily! in June you should be ok.

given the time you've got, Charlestown would not be at the top of my list.

hope you get this in time to read it before you leave,

best wishes,

Ann

ok - back to the trip report.

Dr. Who was, well, Dr. Who ish, but that's what DS likes about it.

DH was a bit "tired and emotional" after the match [and after what came after the match!] and didn't fancy anything to eat, so DS and I went up to the town togged some supper, to find it absolutely heaving. we ended up having a meal at the pub we'd been to on the first night, known locally as the Forries, [the Forester's Arms, get it?] which was fine, though the service was a bit slow. by the time we got to the pud, DH had come up to join us, so we were able to walk back down to the B&B for the last time together, which was nice.

Amazingly DS had actually done his packing before breakfast [well, almost] and after the usual great spread, we said a sad farewell to Grassington, and set off for Wales. According to the satnav we had about a 5 hour drive ahead of us, but we were keen to stop and have a look at things on the way, though we were slightly hampered by the fact that we didn't know what there was going to be to look at.

in the end we didn't really stop until we were well into Wales, and I can't even remember where is was, though it was extremely popular - the pub was heaving with locals having sunday lunch. as we thought we'd be eating a proper meal in Aberystwyth we didn't - which turned out to be a mistake, as you will later discover, dear reader, if you keep reading.

Anyway we kept going over hill and dale, and eventually we found ourselves driving down into Aberystwyth, which turned out to be exactly what i had imagined - a great crescent of georgian hotels and other buildings, some in rather better condition than others, facing out onto the bay and the beach. we soon booked into the Marine hotel where i had reserved a double facing the sea of us [lovely but very hot due to the unseasonal hot weather] and a single for DS which in typical fashion he couldn't find for ages, as it turned out to be weirdly between floors somehow.

anyway it was time to go out and explore the town, which turned out to be rather less entrancing than its position had promised, and which led to DH telling me he'd told me so and why were we staying there anyway. Not a good start. but it seemed a shame not to take advantage of the fact that we were staying in a hotel right on the beach and the sun was shining, so with some trepidation, we went for a swim - but not for long. whilst the air was warm, the sea was not. Brrr.

after warming up in the huge jaccuzi bath in our room, we all had a nap, which meant that we were too late for dinner in the hotel [they stopped serving at 8pm, which i felt was somewhat early for a saturday night, and might usefully have been mentioned by reception when we booked in] so we went out to try to find somewhere in the town. and ended up with pizza in the bar on the pier. Yes, Aberystwyth still has a pier. actually the pizzas weren't bad, and afterwards DS claims that he had a great time at the karaoke! we went for a wander and ended up having excellent coffee in the snooker hall at the end of the pier watching the world championship from Sheffield on the box, before retiring to our 4 poster bed for the night.

next morning, after a less than stellar breakfast [though it was probably unfair to compare it with the wonderful feasts served up in Grassington] we pootled down the road to Lampeter, delivered DS to his hall of residence, helped him make order out of the chaos reigning in his room, and headed for home. Even though it was a bank holiday, there was no need to worry about the traffic - they were all headed home in the opposite direction.

VERDICT

Yorkshire was surprisingly easy to get to in a day from Cornwall, and would have been even easier if we'd not hit Bradford just at the time all Bradfordians were going home for their tea and fix of Corrie. We should have used the satnav - that's what it's for.

Grassington makes a great base and I'd be very happy to stay there again, and in the same B&B. My only grouse would be that it's a bit out of the town but it only takes 10 minutes or so to walk up there [15 if you're feeling very tired after a long walk]. sadly Redruth were demoted to the next league down despite their fantastic efforts over this weekend, so we won't be going up to support them at Wharfdale for a while, but if we can fit in another weekend up there, we will.

the drive from Grassington to Wales. I wish I'd done more research on the route and what to see on the way. i meant to but it just didn't happen. i will another time [if there is one, I'd like to explore this region more].

Aberystwyth. been there, won't go again. Aberaeron, just down the coast, is lovely and that's where we will stay next time we have to transport DS to or from uni; he comes home this week and difficult though it is to believe, one year has gone by already. only two to go.