kleeblatt

My friend and I are arriving mid July at Heathrow from Zürich, will pick up our car and then head towards Devon/Cornwall area for 4 days. We are arriving at 9.30 pm and will begin our drive to Devon.

Question 1: Any suggestions as to where we should spend the first night? It's a Sunday night.

Question 2: Any suggestions on a nice round trip drive? We don't want to spend most of our time driving though.

Question 3: Any suggestions on a nice and reasonably-priced B&B where we can stay?

Thanks for your help!

kleeblatt

Anybody?

Gardyloo

As it will be 10:30 for you, I'd spend the first night at the airport and pick up the car in the morning. Most 4-star hotels near LHR are going for around USD60/EUR45/GBP35 a night on Priceline. If you're hiring through Avis by any chance, their car park/delivery office is more or less behind the Sheraton Skyline and Marriott hotels on Bath Rd.

janisj

You will not have your car until about 23:00 or maybe even later if it is from one of the more remote car depots, so you really can't drive far. I'd just get a hotel near the airport (priceline if you want a bargain) and then set out really early in the morning.

janisj

I was posting the same time as Gardyloo - as you can see, great minds agree . . . . .

kleeblatt

Absolutely agree with great minds... thanks!

kleeblatt

ttt

rkkwan

Here's my long-winded trip report of my 3-day Bristol-Devon-Cornwall tour last year. Keep in mind that roads are pretty slow once you get off the Motorway or major "A" roads. You have one extra day, but still you need to decide whether you want to see things mostly from the car - like I did, and I enjoyed it - or just pick a few places to concentrate on.

Still, Tintagel and Michael's Mount are probably "must-sees".

fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2&tid=34628474

kdcwood

And here are some photos from our family's week on Cornwall (Mousehole near Penzance) in July 2004-- just beautiful!

http://www.slowphotos.com/photo/show...y.php?cat=3223

I agree with the others that you need to spend your first night near the airport-- too late to make much headway west.

Also will warn you that the driving is a little slow and you may not be able to cover as much territory as you'd hope to see. It may look close on the maps, but the driving takes time on small roads. We loved our week in Mousehole, but it is very far West and will take you much of a day to even get there.

A few years prior we stayed a couple of days in Clovelly on the north coast of Devon and enjoyed that area very much-- the villages of Lynton and Lynmouth are especially interesting. Maybe you could spend a few days on the north and then drive south, perhaps to Lyme Regis.

Kathy

kleeblatt

Thanks for the ideas. I'm considering the idea of keeping more to Devon as suggested above.

julia_t

Well, coming from Switzerland, you won't be jet-lagged - England is an hour behind you.

However, by the time you have got out of Heathrow and found your rental car it will be later, and beginning to get well dark. So it would probably be wise to find somewhere reasonably close for that first night. How about Windsor, or slightly further afield but within an hours drive, Newbury or Hungerford (nice hotel there, the Bear). Both towns just off the M4 about 45-50 mins from Heathrow. Then the next day you can head off down to Devon/Cornwall. On a Monday the traffic shouldn't be too bad around Bristol where the M4/M5 meet.

BTW, schuler, I will be in Boscastle (just up the coast from Tintagel) 15-22 July, so if it fits your plans and you would like to meet up...

Also, if you don't have anywhere to stay, look at a map and try to find a town/village that seems on your path, then go to google and type in 'tourist information' followed by the name of the place, ie 'tourist information salcombe' and up come lots of links, including accommodation in that place. Otherwise, you can wing it and just go to the TI office in whatever place you end up in at the end of the day and see what is available for that area. At least most of the English schools don't break up until 19 July so mid-July is a really nice time to visit, not too crowded!

Lori

Are you used to driving on the left in the dark ? If not, stay at the airport and leave in the a.m.

kleeblatt

Hi Julie T:

Thanks for the great advice. A meeting would be nice. I need to talk to my friend first. She's from England originally and will be doing the driving. I'll get back to you. We're quite fun together, especially when she's "taking the mickey out of me" because of my American English.

Lori: Thanks for the warning. I wouldn't be doing this trip if my friend weren't driving.

julia_t

Keep in touch, schuler, it would be nice to meet for a coffee, glass of wine, whatever.

Boscastle is a lovely fishing village well worth visiting, with a natural harbour, and it is virtually empty of tourists after 6pm. There are B&B's in the village too. Take a look at

http://www.cornishlight.co.uk/boscastle.htm

http://www.cornishlight.co.uk/boscas...fast/index.htm

http://www.visitboscastleandtintagel...e/homepage.txt

julia_t

And if you do decide to visit the north Cornwall coast, hidden between Tintagel and Boscastle, well off the road, is what my family call the Magic Waterfall, at St Nectan's Glen. One of Cornwall's Sacred Sites, it is a magical and tranquil special place, yet visited by only a few who know it is there, and can be bothered to find it.

http://www.stnectan.currantbun.com/stnectan.htm

hopingtotravel

I agree with staying near the airport the first night. Look at it this way: your plane could conceivably arrive a bit late, it could take you 15-30 minutes to get your luggage, then xxx minutes to pick up your rental car. I'd take a taxi to the closest hotel and pick up my car the next morning, saving 12 hours on car rental fees.
Just a suggestion for one of the nights in Devon. Look up Tor Cottage. I'm not sure of their e-mail, maybe [email protected] My recent computer crash lost me all my e-mails. It was a wonderful little out of the way place we stayed (near the border between Devon and Cornwall) in 2000. However, I just read that it made a "best" list this year. It's a b&b with exterior cottages wonderfully decorated. Ours had a fireplace, slip-covered wing chairs, slate tiles, and even CDs with Elvis music.

kleeblatt

Thanks for all the info.

My friend and I are leaving tomorrow for Heathrow and hopefully will arrive around 8.00 pm (I previously gave the wrong time). Then we will grab our car and head for Travel Inn near Bath, where we have reserved a room. We'll then tour Bath, northern Devon and then southern Cornwall.

I've printed out the info and will post our adventures when we get back. I'll think of Fodor's as I sip a cream tea, munch on Fish and Chips and swoon over a Pimm's.

amaclise

Sooooooo jealous! Bath and Cornwall are two of my most favorite places in England. Have a great trip!!!

Take a helicopter or ferry to the Scilly Isles from Penzance if you can, you won't regret it!

annhig

Somehow I only found this thread after the original poster will have left. Here goes anyway, for anyone contemplating the same type of trip.
In North Devon, I would highly recommend the Bideford area, especially Appledore, which was where the Golden Hind and many other wooden ships were built. [no more regretably] but it is a village full of character and charm.
On the Devon/cornwall border, I love Morwnstow, where 100 or so years ago, the rev. Hawker was vicar. Amongst other things, he composed the cornish anthem Trelawney. Ther is a super tea-room there and a farm keeping sheep for milk and cheese.
mousehole [pronounced Mousel] is lovely but terribly crowded. Better to stay /park in Newlyn or even Penzance and walk/bus along the coast.
Porthcurno - little coastal village with a beach and the world-renowned Minack open -air theatre, largely built stone by stone by Rowena Cade. WE spent today on the beach there, then had tea in the theatre cafe - a perfect day. It also houses a museum of telecommunications, which makes a fascinating hour or so's entertainment.
Would anyone like me to go on? - I can, on and on and...

kleeblatt

Wish you would but then I'll be back by the time I've read it.

Leaving in two hours. Will hop on the train in Arth-Goldau to Kloten and then off we fly!

Have a great week!