Touring Cornwall by Car
 

We will be visiting Cornwall for three days at the beginning of August. We've got our bed and breakfasts booked, but are looking for some suggestions on things we should see. In particular, does anyone know the exact area of Cornwall which is most like the setting of the novel "Rebecca"? Also, how is the traffic at that time of year, especially for Americans driving on the wrong side of the road for the first time? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

July and August are the peak holiday months in the UK so be prepared for the traffic to be busy. You do not give the exact dates when you will be in Cornwall but please note that around August 11th it will be especially busy as this is the date of the eclipse of the sun. As Cornwall is the only place in the UK where the eclipse will be 'total', there will be more visitors than usual.

Margot, In 1997, I visited the precise part of Cornwall that you are looking for re "Rebecca", but not being a big Daphne Du M. fan, I am not sure I paid enough attention to the references to be truly helpful, but here goes: <BR> <BR>The place you want to be is Fowey in south east cornwall. If you take the coastal foot path west from Fowey, around Gribben Head, you will pass and see the cove that inspired the location where Rebecca was drowned, and inland from there is the house that inspired the story. (It didn't burn down in real life.) The house is not visible from the path or visitable. It is at or near a place called Menabilly. <BR> <BR>There is A Daphne du Maurier society/museum in Fowey that offers occasional guided walking tours and other Ms. Du Maurier related activities. <BR>They could probably help you with more precise knowledge, as could the Fowey TIC. <BR> <BR>Two other du Maurier things I remember: <BR> <BR>1)Above Fowey, just to the left of the village car park, is a large grey mansion, Fowey Hall. Supposedly the screaching of the rooks in the (plane?)trees in front of the property are what inspired her to write the short story, "The Birds." <BR> <BR>2)There is a tiny isolated cottage clinging to the side of the cliff between Polruan and Polperro, i.e. east of Fowey. This is apparently where Ms du Maurier escaped to when she needed isolation to write. It can be seen if you take the boat from Fowey to Polperro or if you walk the coastal path. Since the cliff faces south east, it is more obvious when going from Polperro to Fowey. <BR> <BR>I have not driven in that part of England, but what I noticed is that once you get off the main roads, there aren't two sides of the road to worry about. <BR> <BR>Its a beautiful part of England; enjoy yourself.

Ron and Jan: Thank you both for the great information. We will be in Cornwall from July 31 - August 3, so we won't need to worry about the eclipse traffic, although I wish we would have known about the eclipse and had booked our trip around it. <BR> <BR>Ron: Bless you! That is the exact information I was looking for. I haven't read anything by Ms. Du Maurier other than Rebecca (which I've read about 10 times), but I plan on catching up soon. Thank you again.

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