South western England itinerary, preliminary questions...
 

Hello fellow travellers.

I am starting to research a trip to this part of England that we have never visited before and have some early questions that will help to shape the finer detail.

We (DH and I at this stage) will be attending a wedding in Ireland on July 11 and will have approximately 4 weeks prior to this (to cover anywhere we want really) but we were thinking SW England.

I would like some advice about peak holiday times and perhaps which areas to hit earlier and where might be a better choice later in the trip? Looking at some of the cottages I have seen in Cornwall for example, prices seem to head up in July - would this be true of all areas?

If so, is there a sensible 'order' to visit?

We would normally book self contained accommodation for a week (or part week if available) so any suggestions on how long to allocate which regions would be helpful.
Love coastal scenery, photography, walking (not hard core) quaint villages (doesn't everyone?), history and also having some downtime to relax.

We will have a car and our other decision is where to leave the car and fly to Dublin or should we make our way to the ferry at Fishguard for example? We have visited Ireland before but missed the SE so could explore Wicklow on our way up to Dublin?

Thanks for any advice.

ttt

The West Country is outsie my area, so I'll leave most asepcts of your questions to others who are more knowledgable. I will say that this area of the UK has long been a popular destination for family holidays during the school summer break, so that's why prices will be firm.

As far as getting from the West Country to Dublin is concerned, FlyBe have direct flights from Exeter to Dublin
www.flybe.com. Ryanair and Aer Lingus (Aer Arann) fly direct from Bristol to Dublin.

North Cornwall would be easy if you fly from Bristol. St Ives, Padstow, Rock, Bude. Also, it's become quite fashionable (Port Isaac for instance) so book early, if you want a cottage and expect higher than expected prices, as Gordon_R pointed out.


There's glorious walking along the Cornish Coastal Path, and interesting places to see, like Tintagel (the stuff of Arthurian legends). North Cornwall (Bude especially) is also surfing country.

Padstow suggests itself as a base.

http://padstow.com/

Before July 11 UK schools for the most part will still be in session. So, you may have more choice on cottage rentals although prices will still be high season from July 1, possibly June as well.

There are many companies listing thousands of rental cottages. We have had the best luck with www.hoseasons.co.uk and www.nationaltrust.co.uk We've loved the south coast of Cornwall and the north coast of Devon--spectacular views and some nice beaches around Lynmouth, really all along that coast. With four weeks you can easily move around two or three times. We've done some walking along the south coast path, not very strenuous.

I don't know the west coast of Cornwall that well although have seen gorgeous scenery while driving parts of it, Tintagel was fun. Wonderful seafood almost everywhere. St Agnes near Newquay has a beautiful beach.

Thank you for the replies. Any thoughts on how to allocate our four weeks with regard to specific regions please?