rickmav

It's amazing what can be done in 3 days! Your report brought back a lot of memories of some of our favourite - and not so favourite - spots in Cornwall.

Tintagel always get trashed by guidebooks, saying it's tacky, etc. But we usually plan a stop here. If you go out along the cliffs it can be quite spectacular. Did you visit Merlin's Cave?

I agree with your initial assessment of St. Ives. I know many people like it but we've been twice and haven't found the charm. It may have been a lively fishing village at one time, but to me it smells like fish and chips, seagull poop and garbage in the alleyways.

It's a pity about Land's End, isn't it? We visited before and after the amusement park debacle and can't believe the English would have allowed such a travesty. Someone told us that the land actually belonged to a private individual and they could do with it what they pleased since there had been no zoning restrictions in place.

Agree with your assessment of St. Michael's Mount. Once when we visited we had to go by fisherman's boat and that was a scary ride. Quite a climb to get to the top, but so worth it.

Too bad you didn't have time when you were in Falmouth to take the pedestrian ferry to St. Mawes. Lovely, lovely spot.

Did you take in the Jamaica Inn when you were on the Bodmin Moor? A bit tourist-tacky around the edges but you can't beat the ambience.

Glad you enjoyed yourself. Would you return?

rkkwan

Wow, thanks for all the comments. I am doing this mostly for myself - to keep as my own travel journal. But I'm glad that many of you are actually reading it.

---

rickmav - I think the negative comments on Tintagel is basically for the village. But in my opinion, it's no worse than many other Cornwall and Devon villages. Or maybe because I wasn't a follower of King Arthur and his legend. The vista from from the castle is quite breathtaking. Or maybe some may find the admissions a bit high to look at a ruin. In that case, do what I do, which is hike around it.

As for Land's End, I think I didn't hate it as much as others (like the B&B owner). Maybe because I can really block out the tackiness, and concentrate on the good stuff. And £3 for parking isn't really that bad, especially if you have several in a car.

I did see St. Mawes from near the Pendennis Castle, but no time to visit. I didn't visit the Jamaica Inn either.

As for whether I will return, well, there are so many places in the world to see. So, it may be a while before I return. But if I do, I'd avoid the major seaside towns during high season. I think places like St. Ives or Torquay will be a lot more attractive to me if it's less crowded, even if the weather may not be as nice. And if I were to go again in the summer, then I'd pick some less-famous towns - Padstow, Fowey, St. Mawes, Clovelly (in Devon), etc...

---

tuckerdc - The main attractions at Falmouth are the Pendennis Castle and the Maritime Museum. The town itself is quite nice, and there are also beaches on the southside of town. And there's the ferry across the bay to St. Mawes. All can be covered by foot, and it's not a bad place to spend a day.

Having said that, I do recommend renting a car to go to St. Michael's Mount at the least, and Land's End. There are infrequent buses, but a car will be better. Distance isn't a problem (Falmouth to Land's End is just over 30 miles) but roads are narrow and the flow may be slow. Also, you need to book the car ASAP as there aren't that many agents in Falmouth (e.g. no Europcar), and rates in summer may be high.

rkkwan

And for those interested, I'm writing a more detailed report about my flights on this trip, 5 flights total. It's a lengthy account of all the flights and connections on Continental Airline's new service to Bristol.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34630263

yk

Fascinating report.

I'm amused by the comment about why you would want to go to Land's End. It's like going to Key West and not going to the southern-most tip (well, though it is free to take a picture there - at least that's the way it was back in 1991?)

The prices are really good in that part of UK. £2 for a cream tea?

It would have been nicer if you had gone on a non-holiday weekend.

MissPrism

One reason why much of the coast of Cornwall is so beautiful is that it is owned by the National Trust. They tried to buy Lands End but unfortunately they were outbid.

rkkwan

yk - Cream tea is usually around £3.50, which comes with two scones and pot of tea. The place I had it is a little refreshment "hut" at Hartland, and it's just one scone and just a cup. I guess that's why it's so cheap. Still, they give me a big cup or strawberry jam (almost like half a bottle) and another big cup of clotted cream (enough to clog an artery or two).

MissPrism - From what I'm reading, most of the land along the Cornwall and Devon coast is private land. However, the South West Coast Path National Trail runs all around Somerset, Devon, Cornwall and Dorset. And hikers are generally welcomed on other privately-owned lands.

Again, just want to make this clear - it costs nothing to visit Land's End. There's a parking fee, but you can park at neighboring towns like Sennen and hike there.

rkkwan

A bump on this thread. Also, my short review of the Bristol Marriott City Center has been posted on tripadvisor.com now:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...l_England.html

hopingtotravel

We too traveled Cornwall on a bank weekend -- the August/September Labor Day one -- 1998. Your report makes me nostalgic for Tintagel (as a King Arthur fan). We stayed at the Garrick Hotel on the hill above St. Ives and took a taxi back up the hill when we visited the harbor. There were lots of very quiet, well-behaved campers on the beach below.
I second the recommendations to people to see St. Mawes (stop/or stay at Hotel Tresanton) and Jamaica Inn. For duMaurier fans there is a roped off room with her desk and some pictures. Near Fowey we drove off to see if we could find the house she described for Manderley in 'Rebecca'. After a long walk down a country lane we realized the trees were just too leafy to see beyond.
Thanks for the tip about landing somewhere other than Heathrow!

SandyBrit

rkkwan:

I enjoyed your trip report so much. It is packed with information and you have no doubt helped many many people looking for information.

I agree that the one thing not to miss is St. Michael's Mount and would add you can spend quite a bit of time here.

Land's End - You can drive up quite close without actually parking. IMO it is a complete waste of time.

Unless you are visiting in the off season I would make all B&B reservations ahead of time. I was worried when you did not have your B&B worked out and it was 8:30 pm. Glad it worked out o.k. and you ended up with a decent place.

Were you bothered at all by jet lag? You made no mention in your report.

Once again, thank you so much for an excellent and informative trip report.

Sandy

MissPrism

Have a look at the National Trust in Cornwall Website
http://www.cornishlight.co.uk/national-trust.htm

A quote from the site:

" It is not a matter of mere chance that so much remains wild and unspoilt. For more than 100 years the National Trust has gradually been protecting more and more of the Cornish coast, standing as a bulwark against the pressures of development for short-term gain. Today more than 40% of the county's coastline is protected by the Trust"

rkkwan

MissPrism - I don't know too much about land ownership in the UK, but from what I'm reading, and also from the way I understand the quote you gave, it suggests the the National Trust is only "overseeing" and "protecting" the coast; and also letting hikers use it. But they don't own the land. In fact, from the guidebooks I read, most lands inside the Exmoor and Dartmoor National Parks are privately owned.

Sandy - Since my eastbound flight was pretty empty, I was able to spread out on 3 seats and napped for about 2.5 hours. That helped tremendously compared to previous trips across the pond for me, and I really didn't feel much jet lag. But if the 757 was full, then I'd be really really grumpy and tired all day.

Only thing was that I told Sally of the B&B that I would be downstairs for breakfast about 7:30; but I didn't wake up until 8:15. But she understood that I just arrived the day before and wasn't unhappy about that.

rkkwan

I should also add that I'm used to long-distance driving, and I never had problem staying awake doing so. But if one's not used to it, then it could be ill-advised to drive for like 10 hours (including stops for sightseeing and food) after getting off a trans-Atlantic flight, driving on the other side of the road.

I did make my one and only small mistake with the direction that first night, when looking for a place to stay. No big deal, and didn't happen again afterwards. Still I was clearly somewhat fatiqued by around 7pm the first night.

MissPrism

I suggest that you have a look at the website http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main...ust/facts.html

which actually explains the work of the National Trust, its ownership and protection of buildings, land and coastline.
It's all there so as the editors say, "This correspondence is closed".

rkkwan

MissPrism - Thanks for the info. Learn something new everyday!