touring cornwall and devon end of april
 

we will be arriving at heathrow at 10:15 from and are planning on renting a car .wondering where we should make our first stop since we will be jet lagged.. we have 9 days to tour cornwall and devon , then we go to southhampton .. should we base ourselves in one place and do day trips. i realize travel can be slow -will there be a lot of traffic at that time. open to any suggestions
thanks

Windsor. Don't try to drive any farther.

And it would be even better if you used public transport to get there and didn't collect your rental car until the next morning.

Another option - take the express coach to Bath and spend the night, then pick the car up the next day and drive south from there.

We stayed in Polperro last year around April and it was lovely. Just based ourselves there for a few days and stayed somewhere more south in cornwall for a couple of days. Check Sawdays for some nice b&b's. Sorry can't help much on your first night. It can be quite a drive from one part of Cornwall or Devon to another so may be better to stay in different places for a few days at a time.
Check out the Minack Theatre in Cornwall if you can......no matter what is playing, it is a great experience with wonderful views. A highlight of our trip last year.

Oh meant to add (and I agree w/ gtrekker) w/ 8 days (after your arrival day) -- I'd pick two bases. One in south or mid Devon and one in western Cornwall. That way you can cover pretty much any part of both counties via day trips.

thank you-is it the traffic from heathrow that makes it difficult. checking out national express bus to bath. should tickets be bought ahead of time or same day of travel. is it easy to go from terminal 4 where we are arriving to other terminal to catch bus.
which towns would you recommend to base ourselves
will check Polperro and Sawdays

"<i>is it the traffic from heathrow that makes it difficult</i>"

Not really -- LHR is positioned on the junctions of several motorways that take you in any direction.

It is the jetlag, other side of the road/other side of the car driving, and just getting acclimated that can be a killer. It is not recommended one drive right off an overnight flight. You <i>might</i> be fine, but it is more likely you'll be wiped out -- and you won't know which it is until a couple hours after you land.

National Express runs a bus from T-4 to the central bus station where you catch the coach to Bath.

Polperro is a lovely place to stay and makes great base for exploring that part of the county. The Eden Project is near by and it is only a short(ish) drive to Plymouth with its historic port - take a look at http://holidaycottagesindevonandcorn...d-capn-jaspers for some inspiration.

I second taking a bus to Bath - or train to somewhere south-ish. Have a night;s sleep before you hit the roads in a car if you're not used to right hand drive.

I don't know about buses, but pre-booked train fares are surprisingly cheap.

We are arriving at Heathrow on the 18th of April at about noon, picking up a rental car and spending our first night in Windsor. Heathrow to Windsor is a simple route and the drive is only a few minutes. Just go slowly. Then the next morning you have your vehicle and you're good to go.

In 1998 we took the bus to Bath after our morning arrival. DH slept the 2 hours or so on the bus and was recovered enough to walk around Bath when we arrived. Our car rental was right across the street. They let us rent the car, then leave it parked there while we looked around. The next day we drove to Stonehenge, Tintagel, and ended at St. Ives. (Although we were lucky, I don't recommend trying to do all that in one day)

In 2000 we stayed in a delightful little place called Tor Cottage nearly on the border of Cornwall. If they are still in business they are located well for day trips.

However, for staying with a water view, Hotel Tresanton (expensive) in St. Mawes, or maybe somewhere in Fowey would be nice.