5alive

I had not heard of the Newlyn School before. An hour and half later, I especially like your painter George Sherwood Hunter, and also Laura Knight. I will definitely be going to Cornwall someday.

annhig

<<Finally I met up with my husband, who was hiding around a corner laughing. We wonder if this woman shows up every day.>>

Before they shut the court in Penzance I used to go there and thereafter to the Penlee Gallery quite frequently and I can say I've never seen this women - you may have had a unique experience! I'm so glad you made it to the Penlee Gallery where I have spent many a happy hour, including with one or two on Fodors, and were able to see Mousehole and Newlyn too. For those reading this who would like to eat in Mousehole, whether you want a full meal or a snack I can thoroughly recommend 2 Fore Street | Mousehole Cornwall and the pub is pretty good too. I also like The Old Coastguard | More Eat .

And BTW Port Isaac was already pretty expensive before Doc Martin because many of the cottages have been bought up as holiday lets and second homes. The worst place for that is St Ives - a parking space went for an eye-watering sum recently:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...-a7987991.html

I am really sorry that you were so disappointed with the Mount Haven. Given the scarcity of summers like this I think that businesses can be forgiven for not being completely prepared for a heat wave [which still continues BTW] but not having obtained fans is not impressive, ditto watery vinegary poached eggs. When I want to test out a kitchen I often order poached eggs and these sound very disappointing.

Looking forward to more...and better eggs and air con!

AlessandraZoe

5alive and annhig: Thanks for the encouragement to keep going. I'm back at my home computer, and at least it will be easier to keep going. And 5alive, I am so excited that you are enjoying these artists with me.

Cyber pixies?: I read some of my posts to my husband from my phone, and many of them have a strange, squarish substitution for the punctuation I used. I admit to a lot of errors--it was really hard to correct in Advanced Mode because the correction area sometimes would not scroll or would disappear as I typed an insertion--but I usually did not see any strange symbols instead of apostrophes, dashes, and quotations. I wonder how that happens.

AlessandraZoe

Post 16 (North Cornwall) cont'd

After lunch, we headed towards Tintagel. We did not hike it (thank God). Instead, James got us to an overlook, and explained its connections to the legend of King Arthur, plus all the modifications to the area over the centuries. My interest in Tintagel was not in its Arthurian Legend associations; instead, I wanted to see this for quite different reasons: this was the area where Thomas Hardy, poet and novelist, met his wife, Emma Lavinia Gifford. She was the sister-in-law of the rector of the nearby St. Juliot Church of Boscastle, and Thomas Hardy, then an architect charged with its renovation, would ride with her up and down these cliffs on fine days. Emma was an excellent rider, and he was fascinated by her bravery. It's too bad they ended up being so ill-suited. She became very, very odd. But after she died, he felt quite guilty about their estrangement, and would poem after poem about her, much to the dismay of his second wife.

I'm not sure that our guide knew that Thomas Hardy history as well as I did, but then again, not everyone is a Thomas Hardy fanatic like I am.

We proceeded to tour the nearby St Materiana's Church, probably founded sometime in the 6th century with its current structure started in the 11th or 12th. James drew our attention to the list of all the vicars, which had started with Gervase de Truueru from 1259 to 1276. He pointed to the last on the list: a female vicar. Great stuff.

Our next stop was Boscastle. I loved our car ride down into the harbor, past all the old artist residences. What a beautiful place, and I can see why the National Trust is involved here. James loves this place, and he was proud to show us the harbor wall built without mortar at the instigation of Sir Richard Grenville in 1584. It has needed little repair. James is also so proud of the public response to the flood of August 2004, where within hours, a storm washed away all the cars in the car park into the harbor. Clear thinking meant that everyone survived. "Stalled storm?", I asked.

My husband and I looked at each other during this telling, and we knew we could not explain. My husband and I grew up in different river valleys in the North East, but the story is always the same. Stalled storms--or sudden snow melts--mean that simple springs, little ponds, trickles of creeks become torrents that overwhelm any low-lying areas. And if those torrents too suddenly enter major waterways, they create more rivers of death. I can tell you that in my childhood, I expected that at least one interval every spring to be taken across to a waiting school bus at one crossing point by motor boat. I did not have to suffer danger because it was "normal". It was in slightly higher ground areas, though, where stalled storms or wind sheers meant sudden death. Simple crossroads near creeks sweep away cars and passengers to horrible deaths. No one ever seems to be prepared.

But one does rebuild. And so did Boscastle.

An aside re flooding: The family joke is that once I left home, I have always lived on the top of a hill because I fear flooding. There is some truth in that! I also never drive through water-covered roads until I see others do it.

I must admit my energy and attention had started flagging. The heat and all the previous days' activities had started to catch up to us. I would love to have hiked this area at another time, but there was no "uppy" in me anymore. We watched kids diving into the harbor around the blowhole for a bit, and then we left. James entertained us on our return to Plymouth with a Fisherman's Friends recording, and we so enjoyed it.

We entered Plymouth to massive traffic. It was Armed Services Day, and we would be in the thick of it.

Upcoming: Post 17--A Total Lazy Night and Day

AlessandraZoe

Post 17--A Total Lazy Night and Day
It was blazing hot in Plymouth when we arrived at our next hotel, the Crown Plaza. Due to the Armed Services Day celebrations on The Hoe, almost all access to the hotel was closed off. After trial and error, we entered through the car park.

On checking in, I was surprised that we had been upgraded to an Executive Floor room. Say what?? I finally put two and two together. A zillion people made reservations at this hotel when or after I did; only a few are were IHG members. Therefore, in order to fill all the non-IHG member rooms, we got kicked upstairs.

I sure was not complaining. We entered our hotel room and sighed. Just so you know, almost all the bad reviews of the Executive Kings have some reality to them. However, what we saw (and FELT) right after leaving The Mount Haven was only an answer to prayers. We saw this HUGE bed (about the size of two FULL beds pushed together) in a room drenched in pure AC. OMG, we just died and went to heaven. The bathroom was tiny; then again, our bathroom at the Mount Haven was too. We were JUST fine. And I can't believe I did not plan for this.

We went to the Executive Club room to inhale beers before it closed. Ok--all those reviews are right, too. Surfaces were kinda sticky; the snacks were pretty bad. But it was free beer with WiFi and a view. I certainly could deal.

We had just a few days left before we flew home. I had left these last few days vague because our daughter could possibly give birth to our first grandchild. Now that we got word that she would deliver by scheduled C one week after we went home, I felt obligated to schedule more touring. I quickly arranged a stay in Exeter, especially since I'd like to "train it" from there to Honiton, a place where some of my relatives had originated. Just as I went to press "Send," my husband leaned over and said, "YOU ARE DONE. Chill."

And thus I did. We went to the bottom floor, ordered hamburgers (which is strange, because I just don't eat hamburgers), and returned to the unplanned bliss that was our room that overlooked The Hoe. The concert on the Hoe with two great bands was beautifully loud enough to permeate our windows. Thus we enjoyed the lights, and the sound...and our own AC.

What's not to like?

Post 17 Cont'd--This portion will be my totally lazy next day

AlessandraZoe

Post 17 cont'd
My Lazy Day in Plymouth

I awoke to a stunning view of the lighthouse on The Hoe. And I had nowhere else to be. What's not to like?

My husband was so smart to keep me from making plans to move to Exeter, because my Achilles were now firing shots across the bow. They hurt so badly that I skipped the breakfast buffet; I just limped into the Club Room and drank cup after cup of expresso from their machine until my mind cleared. I was finishing my latest Poldark novel anyway.

My husband, Mr. Frisky, headed out to church and then toured the town. He was in search of ankle heat wraps (I use ones at home) and came home with something for the knee with pockets that would work. I also had my handy supply of Voltaren gel, which I always pick up while in UK or Europe (I have to get a doc prescription for that in the US) to lower the pain. Wrapped and coated, I settled back in bed as rain--our first in well over a week--poured and poured down outside. After all, I had another Poldark to read before nightfall!

So I have no idea what my husband really did for the day. He seemed to have wandered around to Prince William Yard first and then went wherever his legs decided to go. He was happy; I sure was happy. And to make the day even better, he dipped into the local TescoExpress just so see what beers they carried. He brought home quite the prize: "Go-To-IPA" by Stone Brewing, an American beer made in Germany. Who knew? It seems that Stone, one of our favorite San Diego brewers, made a brave inroad into Berlin, Germany. I paused in my Poldark reading to find this article: California beer maker has the last laugh in his German brewery Anyway, "Go-To" is our house beer, and we were delighted to enjoy it on this rainy day. Our fridge and our hearts were full.

After a bit, my husband went down to the station to get our seat reservations for the train to London. He picked me up when he got back to get an early dinner at Kuku Sushi Bar & Robata, an Asian Fusion restaurant nearby. Our food was delicious, and our server was simply delightful.

Next:
Post Eighteen: London Here We Come

annhig

Plymouth is sadly under-rated by tourists I feel [a bit like Bristol] so I'm glad your DH had a chance to explore it even if you didn't. And glad too you finally got a nice cool room. I used to have to go to Plymouth a lot to work and my go to hotel was the Duke of Cornwall - more character than the Crowne Plaza but no air con so probably not the best choice for you in the circumstances.

I've enjoyed your TR very much, so roll on London!

AlessandraZoe

Annhig: Thanks again for the encouragement.
As to PLYMOUTH....
Our guide for the two beginning and end Cornwall days, James Coulten, would enthusiastically agree with your Plymouth assessment; he is a very proud resident. He would have loved to have toured Plymouth with us, but he and we had no possible coordinating dates. Nevertheless, he made sure we received as much Plymouth history during our drives as he could possibly impart. I had no idea that the Puritan's ship, the Mayflower, which began in Plymouth UK and arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts Colony, was not supposed to do either. I also never knew that Plymouth, Massachusetts was NOT named for the Mayflower's point of origin. James showed us the document that proves that, showing that Captain John Smith (the Jamestown/Pocahontas guy) had explored the area in 1614. He is the one who named the region of New England, and a map published in 1616 shows "New Plimouth." The Puritan Pilgrims more or less were only responsible for retaining, not originating, the name.

James also loves the history of The Royal William Yard, and we got to hear about the early huge beer-making facility constructed for the time where keeping potable water on board was not possible. There is more and more history I wished I had had the energy to explore. I am still gobsmacked by finding, in walking over the Hoe, the representation of the painting "Scene in Plymouth Sound in August 1815" by the Swiss Painter John James Chalon. I had never known that Plymouth was part of the finale of the 100 Days of Napoleon's return. Or I must have forgotten it. I sure had read the entire Aubrey–Maturin series by Patrick O'Brien years ago and this Plymouth nugget of history probably was in one of those. Luckily, I got to revisit a lot of that Napoleonic history through the Poldark novels.

AlessandraZoe

Post Eighteen: London Here We Come
I am going to condense our trip to and our activities in London to a mere synopsis. Part of the design and part of the length of our trip was determined by the a) the dates my husband was free from work, b) the outcome of my daughter's end-of-pregnancy scenario and c) the dates I could get the miles award First Class flights on British Airways. We had wanted to make sure the last three days of our trip ensured were in "return range" of Heathrow should our first grandchild make an early entrance.

With that in mind, we took an early train from Plymouth to Paddington, where we stayed two nights in the Hotel Indigo Paddington. Our room there was a teeny-tiny King, where we had to have negotiations to pass each other by, but overall the room was quite well designed and quite excellent for our needs: Heathrow access, Tube access, and sleep.

Our activities in London included the following:

• Stocking up on Stone Go-To IPA at the local Tesco, whereupon I was surprised to pass St Mary's, the hospital where Duchess Kate pops out those lovely children. I can't believe I immediately recognized the iron gates, and then did a close look!
• Stopping in bars for various World Cup matches
• Eating Thai in a basement as the only non-Asian customers watching the Japan match
• Eating in a lovely pub for the British-Columbia match (what joy)
• Visiting the National Portrait Gallery, one of the few museums we had not visited over our many trips to and through London. I gave my husband a quick overview of the kings and queens of England in the process, a litany one tended to memorize with my Anglophile father

Our trip home was uneventful. We got to the airport early so we could take advantage of The Concord Room, where I indeed indulged in too much Rose Champagne. Our flight was lovely, and our Atlanta airport hotel, the Marriott Gateway, welcomed us as kindly as it always has.

Next: Some considerations for those planning a future trip to Cornwall

AlessandraZoe

Considerations for a Those Considering a Future, Similar Trip to Cornwall (This topic will be over several posts, I'm thinking)

Two nights ago, over dinner, I posed several questions to my husband. The first two were:

1. Would we reconsider the decision not to rent a car?
2. Was the rail pass, as opposed to point-to-point, worth it?

1. Would we reconsider the decision not to rent a car?
Well, this was a lay-up. No way would we rent a car, and we told my sister and her husband, who are looking to go there and prefer to drive, that we'd suggest they rent a car only to get from Heathrow to some point in Cornwall and drop the car off. They could pick one up for the way back. Why? As people who have fearlessly navigated on bicycles single lane roads in Ireland while dealing with cars, we can tell you that in Cornwall, there are way too many two-lane roads that would have given us the heebie jeebies on a cycle, let alone in a car. When bus drivers have a hard time navigating a road passage that the driver knows by heart in single file, then one probably does not want to be doing the same.

Ok. What if the rail doesn't want to go where you want to go and you don't want to read a bus schedule as we did? We found taxis were easy to get and did not cost all that much. Heck, parking a darn car was a constant problem for tourists from what we could see, and our taxi and bus fares for the entire trip were probably equal to parking fees one would have paid for the same time. I witnessed a man in Port Isaac having a parking meltdown.

And there is always one great benefit from doing buses and taxis: One is meeting locals, and those people are a key part of your travel experience. They can give you advice, an outlook, and opportunity to learn.

2. Was the rail pass worth it?
Hmm. My only thought is for how well it works for others. For us, it was worth it. We needed INSTANT flexibility, and the rail pass certainly did that. But in terms of money, if I could have mapped out the timing of all or even most of our departures/arrivals for the trip and had had time to pre-purchase legs, we may have paid between $400-$600 for the two of us too much. Over 16 rail travel days, that's not really that bad, but still it should give the future purchaser pause for thought. That's a strong penalty for serendipity.

I do think I need to give you my transportation history so that you can understand how frugal I have generally been. The only type of transportation passes we've ever bought in the past 25 years were a Paris Visite for an exact time length and purpose for which it suited (and that's a one-off, believe me), the old Paris Carte Orange, and Swiss Family Pass. All of those three were used well beyond their expected value. Otherwise, in Paris we now buy carnets; in our considerable rail travel in Spain, Italy, and France, we always buy point to point. I research per country off-peak fares; I research all the little time gaps where pre-purchase gets one a bargain.

Here are the two big upsides from having a First Class Rail Senior Pass as we did:
1) No need to make decisions ahead of time in terms of departure or day, even to or from Heathrow. If the train runs, you can ride it.
2) No ticket lines.
3) No need to like where you are. If you hate where you are, you can leave.
4) On long journeys, those First Class seats are quite comfy. And the plugs and WiFi are fabulous.

Here are the downsides from having a First Class Rail Senior Pass as we did:
1) Many of the trains have NO First Class cars. On a couple of our trips, even getting to sit down was a battle.
2) Often, the trains that do have First Class cars have seat reservations that are hard to sit even near each other. However, after this many years of marriage, that's not exactly a hardship

But I have researched to see if one can buy a Second Class Pass and upgrade for a fee for any journey. And I'm seeing that in Britain, that scenario does not work.

Next:
Considerations for a Those Considering a Future, Similar Trip to Cornwall: What Do I Wish I Would Have Researched Better

thursdaysd

One point - please don't drive from Heathrow right after getting off a flight! Driving jet lagged is as bad as driving drunk. Plus, you can take a RailBus to Reading and pick up a train to Cornwall from there.

https://www.heathrow.com/transport-a..._air-bus-links

AlessandraZoe

Good advice, thursdaysd. I think that's how my sister and husband, experienced travelers to Europe, would have done it (although, quite frankly, I think they are finally inclined to do rail these days), but others do not seem to think about jetlag.

AlessandraZoe

Considerations for a Those Considering a Future, Similar Trip to Cornwall: What Do I Wish I Would Have Researched Better

Pre-Reading?: Do I wish I would have read the Poldark series before going? How about the Wycliffe series? Well, those really were not important before going, especially since my memory bank is the size of a flea these days. I had so much fun reading those while and after I was there. The book I really thought to be valuable to read before going was "Vanishing Cornwall" by Du Maurier, so I'm telling all of you to read it. Written so long ago, outdated in places, absolutely false in others, the brush strokes of her Daphne's words still resonate. They formed a painting that Cornwall today fulfilled.

Guide Books : I DID order some hard copy guides, plus load some onto my Kindle. They really were not that helpful. The hard copies were in teeny tiny print, so that was a waste. And half the time, the Kindle versions on iPad or phone were hard to search.

Here are my regrets:
1) I wish I had researched the events online. It's possible we would not found the hotel rooms for the Sea Shanty Festival or for various Midsummer's Eve celebrations, but at least I would have carved some more space into the schedule.
2) Along those lines, I wish I had known about all the Men's Choir performances throughout Cornwall. I had no clue that was a Cornwall "thing". I would have made room for one or two.
3) I wish I had known about the South West Coast Path (and brought at the very least my old lightweight walking poles). There are so many places we now know we would have hiked had weather allowed. I remind myself that we had great weather.
4) I wish I had known about the Camel Bike Trail. Again, we could easily have done and enjoyed that outing--again, if weather were to allow.

I have NO regrets about not making researching for more restaurant reservations. Even the few ones I made the day before were often cancelled because we were enjoying our day elsewhere. It was better not to be locked in.

AlessandraZoe

Considerations for a Those Considering a Future, Similar Trip to Cornwall: Time of Year and Length of Trip
Did the time of year impact our trip? Did we stay too short of a time or too long?

Length of Visit: My husband was itching to get back home and to work around Day 14. That's always about his limit--and I always push his time boundaries, mainly because "big" travel days don't count as vacation in my view. Even though my ankles had given out by Day 14, I wish I could have planned about 16-21 days in Cornwall plus a few in Devon (Plymouth and Exeter). That would have given me more time to explore the Roseland peninsula in a relaxed fashion and some other things.

All and all, we would both agree that to do the area justice, you really do need more than a week. It's great to say, "Hey, I've visited St Ives so I've seen Cornwall," but no you haven't. Not at all. Even we did not do Cornwall justice.

Time of Year: We really did not get to choose the time of year. Circumstances chose it for us. Yes, we knew days would be longer and generally warmer on the dates we chose, but it was just luck that our touring calendar was considered "shoulder season." Taxi and bus drivers and riders would tell us over and over again how lucky we were to be in Cornwall before "The Invasion." As one taxi driver said, "At this time of year, we don't hate you tourists yet." And the fact that I had to wear eyeshades at night because the day was TOO long, the moon was TOO bright, and the sunrise came to early was such an unexpected delight.

Yes, it could have rained for our entire stay and we would have had a different viewpoint. But we still would recommend our late June-early July travel dates.

Considerations for a Those Considering a Future, Similar Trip to Cornwall: Places We Stayed--Hits or Misses?

AlessandraZoe

Considerations for a Those Considering a Future, Similar Trip to Cornwall: Places We Stayed--Hits or Misses?

Here's the list again and then I'll give you the run-down:

• The Imperial Hotel Plymouth
• Pencubbitt House Liskeard
• The Oceanic Aparthotel Falmouth
• Mount Haven Penzance
• Crowne Plaza Plymouth
• Hotel Indigo London Paddington

Plus our

• Marriott Gateway Atlanta

at the end

The Imperial Hotel Plymouth: We had one of the "attic" rooms on the top floor which involved going up teeny-tiny stairs at the end. This was one of the big bed rooms. There was no balcony (not that we expected one) and no view other than that of seagulls on various rooftops, the Crowne Plaza facade, and TV antennas. The room furnishings were rather worn, the bed creaked, and the corners of the place plus the spots on the rug looked as though it could take a scrub. But the bathroom was super clean, the water pressure was GREAT, and the size of the room was perfect to set out the luggage and to rearrange things for the next part of our trip.

The host was more than welcoming and was a marvel at giving quick important advice as to meals and directions. The breakfast at this place was one of our best.

However, I do wonder how people fared when the temperature zoomed to over 85 degrees June 30/July 1.

Pencubbitt House Liskeard: We had room 4, a spacious king bed room on the first landing which overlooked the front lawn. We got the full sun, but we always knew we could access a little fan in the closet if we needed to go there. It had a huge bathroom. They offered THE VERY BEST BREAKFAST of the trip. We loved our walk to the rail station every day. Julie's recommendations for dinners out were apt, too.
The downsides:
1) Way too much air freshener plug-ins dominated the ground floor area. We had no idea why they were used: the place was SPOTLESS and in good keeping. My nose goes nuts with any mold, so that wasn't the problem.
2) A joke that my husband and I shared was that RULES ruled the place. As a control freak myself, I totally get why: Julie intends to keep this place running perfectly. But you do feel as though Mother Superior is in the building.

Oceanic Aparthotel Falmouth: We went really upscale with this one--the Morvoren Suite--and when my husband saw the total, he nearly passed out. But what seemed like too much space the first night in the unit to him seemed just right by the second. Funny how that works.
I loved the bathroom, and I intend to return and move into it sometime later. Be aware that there is no AC, even though this seems like a place that would have AC. It does have heated flooring, so I'd come here in the winter in a heartbeat. No included breakfast--only a hamper. But give me a Nexpresso and I'm happy. Tim and Heather clean and maintain this place until it is spotless, and they are very warm hosts who also know to leave their guests alone. My only recommendation to them is to put a King Size bed into our unit--there was more than enough room for a bigger bed or even two beds.

Mount Haven Penzance: As you can tell by my write-up, I probably goofed by booking this one. I had actually managed to book The Gannet Inn in St Ives, but I kept checking reviews for the tiny room I managed to get, and I figured if the temperature rose, we'd fry. So I switched. Well, we sort of did fry at Mount Haven, too, although by midnight at the Mount Haven, we were always good and oxygen wasn't a problem. Plus that view, that view. I've complained about all the small things with the hotel design and food, but actually, the big problem was that we were dependent on bus, not rail, at Mount Haven. We ended up fine, and goodness knows, we became creative, but I probably should have kept watching for other places to release rooms closer to our stay in the area. Oh wait a minute--I probably cannot forgive the tilted incline of the small bed.

Crowne Plaza Plymouth: I think this was a Holiday Inn retrofit, and there are some leftovers of that feel. I can't say that all the corners of our Executive King room were tidy, but the AC, the refrigerator, access to beer, juices, water and coffee in the Excutive Club room and our amazing view over the Hoe more than compensated. Yes, the bathroom was tiny, and there were no hooks other than on the door on which to hang towels, but things dried amazingly well in the bathroom. In fact, I did a bit of a hand wash (I had my blow-up hangers and stretchy clothesline at the ready) in the place and was quite please how quickly they dried. The buffet breakfast, while it seems massive, is just ok. Again, Pencubit House and The Imperial will win the Trip Breakfast awards.

Hotel Indigo London Paddington: This room may have been smaller than our room at Mount Haven and it certainly had no view. It did have a great bed (the two small singles pushed into a large double), a well-designed if small bathroom, and some clever details. The location was just so perfect for our needs. The AC was fantastic, and the soundproofing was amazing.

Marriott Gateway Atlanta: We use this hotel often because it's a great pit stop for when we have early flights out the next day. The staff are a lot of fun and I've always been able to get the type of room I want--one FAR away from the elevator and vending. As everyone knows, Marriott can DO comfortable beds, big time.

5alive

Great report. Don't be too hard on yourself for not finding the music festivals. (Of course I say that but I felt the same about my last trip to Europe.) Also, I love that you wrote up the hotels at the end too!

annhig

Aha, I've just worked out that the Crowne Plaza in Plymouth is indeed the Holiday Inn of blessed memory. It definitely needed a refit to judge by the last time I stayed there but those views of the Hoe more than compensated, IMO. I do remember generally very large rooms but not very small bathrooms so perhaps I was lucky the times I stayed there. [probably ½ a dozen in the course of 20 years, but none in the last 5 years or so].

For those reading this who are planning a trip to Cornwall dare I suggest that PZ is probably a better place to stay than either Marazion or St Ives? I know that my opinion is probably not the most reliable considering I've never stayed in any of the three but PZ has the advantages of being on the direct train line, having buses as well, a number of good restaurants, [and easy access to Mousehole for 2 more] and what look like nice upmarket B&Bs near the Jubilee pool [I think Basingstoke stayed in one and liked it a lot]. Also the Penlee gallery and cafe and 2 really nice parks. And some interesting shops. And a nice walk to Newlyn. And fun pubs. And the Egyptian House. [do you get the impression I like PZ?]

Thank you again AlessandraZoe for posting this. I have really enjoyed seeing Cornwall through your eyes.

AlessandraZoe

Thanks, 5alive! What's great is that if my sister goes, she, raised in our music-inclined and rather "churchy" family, will get the benefit of this knowledge.

thursdaysd

Thanks for all the details!

AlessandraZoe

Considerations for a Those Considering a Future, Similar Trip to Cornwall: Is It Worth It to Hire a Guide to Fill Research Needs or Do Private Tours? Do I Regret Not Doing More Searching for Ancestors?

I need to make this clear: While I am SO happy I hired James Coulten, his service was a luxury that only our current income, with no dependents, allowed. Even ten years ago, we would not do this. James is deservedly in GREAT demand, and he has worked himself to the bone. In fact, he may raise his prices to give himself some more time off when his wife, in a non-travel related field, can take a break.

With all of this in mind, I would shop pricing and/or I would consider creating your own taxi tour. Actually, every time we caught a taxi, I started asking questions about possibilities, and most of the drivers seemed to say, "You can make anything work if we aren't buried in tourists." Food for thought.

And as to ancestry research...Had I had more time on the ground, our initial tour of the Altarnun area, Bolventor, etc could have been arranged with just a driver. I knew almost by heart every area we needed to see--I belong to more ancestry search engines than the average bear--and I know how to work those search engines well plus do some great map searches. I had sent most of that information on to James and to a competitor. But having James meant we hit the ground running, and what a great luxury that was. As to our one-day tour of North Cornwall--it would have been better only if we had been staying IN THE AREA. We weren't. James was the solution for sure, and we are grateful.

Do I Regret Not Doing More Searching for Ancestors or Visiting More Birthplaces?
I have no regrets not visiting the hometown of "The Rotter," my husband's 2nd Great-Grandfather. I knew where he had was born, returned and died, but we really did not care. If "The Rotter's" son, my husband's great-grandfather, reinvented himself and broke the mold of paternal neglect in the Old World by going to the New World, then we felt we were paying him the ultimate respect by not going further. We got to see the gentle world in which my husband's great-grandfather's mother was born and the bleakness of her life on Bodmin Moor. We got to bear witness to his courage to rise above that. That's enough.

I think I've covered everything. Please feel free to ask questions.