We are planning our first trip to Wales for the month of September and would like to take in the sites of Devon and Cornwall. Will the gardens of note still be worth viewing? Is this enough time to 'see it all'? Is it better to stay in a central spot for the South of England or change towns every couple of nights? Thanks.

For Wales, I think it depends on where you go. For North Wales, I think a change is necessary to prevent backtracking.

For South Wales, around Cardiff, you might be able to pick one spot and use it as a base. We took a 4 day, 3 night, tour of Wales with Backroads Touring. We stayed in a very good B and B named Brick House near Chepstow.

Each day our driver, who lived in Chepstow, picked us up and we drove all over the southern part of Wales from there.

In Northern Wales, the roads were a little slower, and after two nights we moved to Brecon for the last night.

Do you mean the whole month of Sept? Then you will be able to see LOT (no length of time lets you see <u>everything</u

I would most certainly NOT move every 2 or 3 days. You can rent cottages for a week at a time and use them as bases to tour a large area.

For instance a cottage in North Wales could be your base for Snowden, MANY castles, gorgeous coastal sceneray, Angelsey and so on.

Another cottage somewhere near the Cornwall/Devon border would be a base for N/S Devon, Cornwall, Dartmoor and lots more.

You could also have some 2 or 3 night B&amp;B stays in other areas between the cottage stays. For instance a week in North wales, 3 or 4 days in S Wales in a B&amp;B, a day or 2 in Bath, a few days in Dorset/Somerset, then a week in a Cornish cottage.

Thank you both for your prompt replies. We are coming from Canada and have rented a car for the whole month. My husband thinks the idea a weeks stay in a cottage twice during the month is great...less time packing up and relocating. I am very keen on the garden aspect, and am still anxious to know if anyone knows if the gardens will still be seasonally blooming, at least. The growing season is so much longer than ours, and of such a diverse variety in comparison. We love the historic castles, abbeys and estates and are interested in knowing which of the 'passes' is the best...British Heritage, English Heritage or National Trust? Thanks again for your time and info.

Yes - the gardens - especially in the SW, will still be lovely.

As for the various passes - I would definitely recommend the Great British Heritage Pass. it covers all National trust Properties, all English Heritage sites Welsh Historic Properties, plus amny privately owned stately homes and gardens.

Both the EH and NT passes are fine and cost less - but they only cover their own properties so the GBHP is the best deal by far. More than 40 sites in Devon/Cornwall and more than 60 in Wales and along the English border.

Look at Padstow and the area near the Bedruthan Steps - very very nice, but get the smallest possible car you can find, those country &quot;roads&quot; barely deserve the name &quot;lane&quot;...

WK

It depends on what you mean by 'gardens of note': In Cornwall, the gardens at Heligen and Trebah will probably be past their blooming best, but still worth visiting. These two are close enough to visit from the one place, and for us that place was Truro.
The gardens at Stourhead near Shaftsbury are more parklike, and seem to present well at any time of year.
I'm not familiar with any specific gardens in Wales.