bilboburgler

I grew up in Poole and also suggest you look west of Poole. Obvious towns to be near are Blandford, Swanage or Dorchester but you can be in the middle of nowhere very easily just by staying outside of these towns. Poole itself lacks some of the beauty of the area. Given that you have just arrived I'd also look at Lulworth Cove and the B&B/Hotels/Cottages down there. Very beautiful but a bit cut off. Great walking and eating in the cove.

ozgirl

Hi again.
I have found a great cottage near Exeter that also has access to riding so can tick two boxes there!
If I go from this area to Falmouth for next stop am I missing anything crucial along the way? Google maps says this is about 2 hours so presumably we can see a lot en route anyway?
Annhig, if I fit in 3 nights in Falmouth is it then reasonable to head for somewhere like Mullion for a 'slower week' do you think?
This is one of the cottages I like but one week minimum
http://www.classic.co.uk/cottage.asp...a=co&pagenum=1

annhig

hi ozgirl,

As usual you should add 50% to the times given on googlemaps so the 2 hours they say for Exeter to Falmouth could be more like 3 depending on the traffic, weather, and how fast you like to drive - we always reckon on 2 hours from Exeter to our house, [a bit closer to Exeter than Falmouth] and our car knows where we're going.

the major places that you might want to see en route are

Launceston - the original county town of Cornwall, though it probably won't take much of your time, and could be easily bypassed which is just what the main road does

Belstone - just off the A30 to the south - a gorgeous spot with an excellent pub called the Tors which would make a great lunch stop-off

Tavistock - lovely little market town with a terrific Farmer's market on a Friday

Truro - the current county town which is definitely good for 1/2 a day, though could be done by boat or train from

3 nights in Falmouth would be a minimum for me [but then, it's really my favourite town in Cornwall and i could happily live there I think, so I'm biased] but it would be long enough to give you a taste and if you wanted to come back to spend more time there, it's not that far from Mullion.

the cottage you've found in Mullion looks fine, and within walking distance of Mullion, where there are a couple of pubs, the odd restaurant, etc. Classic cottages are at the top of the market [they charge their owners 25% commission and are very picky] so it ought to be good!

i may have mentioned this up thread, but at that time of year I'd be surprised if you can't get a deal for a shorter let, say sun to Friday or whatever, if you try www. visitcornwall.co.uk. all the cottages they listed have to be inspected and graded but they don't pay any commission to anyone so can be cheaper and more flexible.

The Lizard is a beautiful place and if it's peace and quiet you want, you should have no difficulty finding it!

ozgirl

Thanks annhig, will include all of those stops into our itinerary We have to visit Launceston because we have a Launceston in our island state, Tasmania and that's where my husband hails from!
Have looked at visitcornwall.co.uk and many of those as well stipulate one week in June. I think we may just book a week and stay less in some situations, it is still fairly cost effective.

annhig

ozgirl - Launceton it's got to be then.

it's about an hour's drive from Exeter, and the best place to park is the rather weird multi-storey on the left as you are driving into the town.

it might be worth contacting the places that you like the look of on the visit cornwall website and seeing if they would do a short/er let, even if they don't mention it on the website. but we've booked for a week before now, and only stayed 5 nights; as it say, it can still be cost effective.