A week in South West and Warwickshire too
Oct 27th, 2012, 11:08 PM
#1
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A week in South West and Warwickshire too
We are a family with two teenage daughters of 17 and 15. We are travelling through Cornwall, Devon, Dorset , Wales and then Cotswolds , Stonehenge , Oxford, Cambridge and Stratford upon Avon. This is in April 2013.
We are spending 4 days in S W and 3 in Warwickshire.
We are thinking of a hotel or serviced apartment as a base in each area. My thinking was to use Bristol for the S W and Warwick for the middle. I chose Bristol because it is a university town and felt it would have cafes, restaurants and some nightlife.
I chose Warwick because of its centrality and because of Warwick Castle . What do you think, am I on the right track?
We are spending 4 days in S W and 3 in Warwickshire.
We are thinking of a hotel or serviced apartment as a base in each area. My thinking was to use Bristol for the S W and Warwick for the middle. I chose Bristol because it is a university town and felt it would have cafes, restaurants and some nightlife.
I chose Warwick because of its centrality and because of Warwick Castle . What do you think, am I on the right track?
Oct 28th, 2012, 01:58 AM
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It depends, Bristol to Cornwall is pretty far (3+ hours to get to Padstow) and the tiny roads in Cornwall will definitely slow you down even more. It's fine for visiting say Bath and environs, but too far to do day trips into Cornwall.
We spent a week in Cornwall in 2010 and based ourselves in Padstow and found even that was far to some places in Cornwall we wanted to see. The small country roads with hedges on the sides will really slow you down.
Are you trying to cover all those places in 7 days? I really don't think that is feasible...you have about a three week trip listed out there! Unless you just plan to drive through every place and not see anything. If you want to actually stop in any of these places you will need a lot more time!
We spent a week in Cornwall in 2010 and based ourselves in Padstow and found even that was far to some places in Cornwall we wanted to see. The small country roads with hedges on the sides will really slow you down.
Are you trying to cover all those places in 7 days? I really don't think that is feasible...you have about a three week trip listed out there! Unless you just plan to drive through every place and not see anything. If you want to actually stop in any of these places you will need a lot more time!
Oct 28th, 2012, 02:09 AM
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Meant to add that Cambridge is definitely an outlier in you plans so I would start by dropping it.
Go to a map website and plug in the route you are planning (I use google maps) then add at least 30% as the roads will slow you down, you will get lost etc. then you will start to get an idea of what you can reasonably see in 7 days.
Go to a map website and plug in the route you are planning (I use google maps) then add at least 30% as the roads will slow you down, you will get lost etc. then you will start to get an idea of what you can reasonably see in 7 days.
Oct 28th, 2012, 02:28 AM
#4
Hi Lucre - I'm with Jamikins here. I live in cornwall and recently had to work for a while in Bristol and there was no way I was doing that as a commute! - it's a good 3 hour drive to where I live, at least 2 1/2 hours to the Cornish border.
if you want to see Cornwall, you need at least a week and even then you'll miss a lot; as jamikins points out, if your base in Padstow, that's a long way from quite a lot of the county, which is why I always advise people to think about splitting their time between 2 bases, or staying somewhere more central.
you also mention Devon, Dorset and Wales - that's simply impossible in the time you've got.
Bristol would actually make a great base - I loved my 3 weeks there working though I obviously didn't get to do much sightseeing, i was able to see what it offered - lots to do in the city, plus day trips to Bath, Wells, Bradford upon Avon, the Wye valley, Slimbridge, over the border into Wales...endless opportunities and far too much for 4 days, but you would never be short of something to do, whatever the weather.
if you decide on Bristol, I can heartily recommend the Avon Gorge hotel
http://www.theavongorge.com/
a lovely position on the Downs with views across the Gorge to the Clifton suspension Bridge, lots of good restaurants a short walk away in Clifton, walking distance to the Zoo and the downs, a very good bus service into the centre, and relatively easy access from the motorway which avoids going through the centre making day trips easy. oh and large comfy rooms and a decent restaurant and bar.
if you are set on Devon/cornwall but want a city experience, Exeter is an obvious choice - lots of lovely places within a very short distance, though the traffic in the city can be a pain most hours of the day. [but it has got great shops for your DDs, as has Bristol of course]. Truro, Cornwall's county town, is much smaller of course, but is a great base for exploring most of Cornwall, has great shops and restaurants, and is pretty easy to get in and out of and easy to get to - dual carriageway virtually all the way from the motorway [which stops at Exeter].
OTOH, if you decide on Cornwall or Devon, and want a more rural position, i can probably recommend somewhere suitable for that too.
regarding your stay in Warwickshire, Warwick is very nice, and probably the best place for your needs, with not just the Castle but also the Lord Leycester Hospital and other monuments in the town itself, but lovely countryside and easy access to Stratford. if you want to see a play at the theatre in Stratford, you should probably start looking soon:
http://www.rsc.org.uk/
if you want to see Cornwall, you need at least a week and even then you'll miss a lot; as jamikins points out, if your base in Padstow, that's a long way from quite a lot of the county, which is why I always advise people to think about splitting their time between 2 bases, or staying somewhere more central.
you also mention Devon, Dorset and Wales - that's simply impossible in the time you've got.
Bristol would actually make a great base - I loved my 3 weeks there working though I obviously didn't get to do much sightseeing, i was able to see what it offered - lots to do in the city, plus day trips to Bath, Wells, Bradford upon Avon, the Wye valley, Slimbridge, over the border into Wales...endless opportunities and far too much for 4 days, but you would never be short of something to do, whatever the weather.
if you decide on Bristol, I can heartily recommend the Avon Gorge hotel
http://www.theavongorge.com/
a lovely position on the Downs with views across the Gorge to the Clifton suspension Bridge, lots of good restaurants a short walk away in Clifton, walking distance to the Zoo and the downs, a very good bus service into the centre, and relatively easy access from the motorway which avoids going through the centre making day trips easy. oh and large comfy rooms and a decent restaurant and bar.
if you are set on Devon/cornwall but want a city experience, Exeter is an obvious choice - lots of lovely places within a very short distance, though the traffic in the city can be a pain most hours of the day. [but it has got great shops for your DDs, as has Bristol of course]. Truro, Cornwall's county town, is much smaller of course, but is a great base for exploring most of Cornwall, has great shops and restaurants, and is pretty easy to get in and out of and easy to get to - dual carriageway virtually all the way from the motorway [which stops at Exeter].
OTOH, if you decide on Cornwall or Devon, and want a more rural position, i can probably recommend somewhere suitable for that too.
regarding your stay in Warwickshire, Warwick is very nice, and probably the best place for your needs, with not just the Castle but also the Lord Leycester Hospital and other monuments in the town itself, but lovely countryside and easy access to Stratford. if you want to see a play at the theatre in Stratford, you should probably start looking soon:
http://www.rsc.org.uk/
Oct 28th, 2012, 03:28 AM
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I also think Exeter is a good base, that or Plymouth, From Plymoth you can get a ferry over to Cornwall. Warwick is also a nice base, but for me Henley in Arden is a nicer spot to stay (purely personal).
Oct 28th, 2012, 07:56 AM
#6
From Plymoth you can get a ferry over to Cornwall.>>
well you can - it's called the Torpoint Ferry and it goes from a rather obscure bit of Plymouth to an even obscurer bit of Cornwall and is really aimed at commuters.
http://www.tamarcrossings.org.uk/ind...rticleid=35680
a better route [unless you are heading for Looe and Polperro] is the A38 which will take you past Liskeard and joins up with the A30 just east of Bodmin.
well you can - it's called the Torpoint Ferry and it goes from a rather obscure bit of Plymouth to an even obscurer bit of Cornwall and is really aimed at commuters.
http://www.tamarcrossings.org.uk/ind...rticleid=35680
a better route [unless you are heading for Looe and Polperro] is the A38 which will take you past Liskeard and joins up with the A30 just east of Bodmin.
Oct 28th, 2012, 10:44 AM
#7
"<i>Cornwall, Devon, Dorset , Wales and then Cotswolds , Stonehenge , Oxford, Cambridge and Stratford upon Avon.</i>"
Please clarify . . . do you mean to attempt all that in ONE week from bases in Bristol and Warwick?
If so - impossible. Sorry, but it is.
As the others have said Bristol is not a good base for Cornwall/Devon/Dorset.
And while not nearly as bad, Warwick is not the best base for Wales/the Cotswolds/Oxford (though it is great for Stratford).
In one week you could see a bit of Devon/Cornwall plus a bit of the Cotswolds/Warwick/Oxford. But even that would rushed. Remember - the driving in places like Cornwall/Devon and the Cotswolds can be very slow.
Then you hope to squeeze in Stonehenge, Dorset, Wales, Cambridge - just not doable.
Please clarify . . . do you mean to attempt all that in ONE week from bases in Bristol and Warwick?
If so - impossible. Sorry, but it is.
As the others have said Bristol is not a good base for Cornwall/Devon/Dorset.
And while not nearly as bad, Warwick is not the best base for Wales/the Cotswolds/Oxford (though it is great for Stratford).
In one week you could see a bit of Devon/Cornwall plus a bit of the Cotswolds/Warwick/Oxford. But even that would rushed. Remember - the driving in places like Cornwall/Devon and the Cotswolds can be very slow.
Then you hope to squeeze in Stonehenge, Dorset, Wales, Cambridge - just not doable.
