Where to go in Cornwall?
May 14th, 2006, 05:49 AM
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Where to go in Cornwall?
I will be visiting Cornwall in early September, staying 4 nights in Truro and having a rental car for 3 full days. Can anyone offer suggestions of interesting towns to visit in either Cornwall or south/western Devon and any scenic routes to take rather than the motorways.
May 14th, 2006, 06:07 AM
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May 14th, 2006, 06:08 AM
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I love the north Cornwall coast, from Tintagel up to Bude, and while it is a wild Atlantic coast, I believe the souht coast is very picturesque, but I never seem to get the time to venture down there! Maybe someone else can advise about the south coast, with Marazion, Mousehole, St Michael's Mount, Fowey, etc as very visitable places. Also Eden Project.
South-west Devon - well the South Hams region which is the sort-of-triangle that drops down between Plymouth and Torquay is delightful - rolling hills, thatched cottages, little lanes running between high hedges. Salcombe is a really pretty sailing village, I am fond of Thurlestone and Hope Cove. Bigbury-on-Sea is interesting because of Burgh Island - reached at high tide be sea tractor, walk across at low tide - where there is an interesting 1930's art deco hotel (where Agatha Christie based her thriller now titled And Then There Were None).
Cornwall is filled with wonderful old houses and gardens, Cotehele, Heligan, Trelissick, Trebah...
http://www.cornwall-calling.co.uk/gardens.htm
www.greatgardensofcornwall.co.uk
www.gardensofcornwall.com
www.gardensincornwall.co.uk
South-west Devon - well the South Hams region which is the sort-of-triangle that drops down between Plymouth and Torquay is delightful - rolling hills, thatched cottages, little lanes running between high hedges. Salcombe is a really pretty sailing village, I am fond of Thurlestone and Hope Cove. Bigbury-on-Sea is interesting because of Burgh Island - reached at high tide be sea tractor, walk across at low tide - where there is an interesting 1930's art deco hotel (where Agatha Christie based her thriller now titled And Then There Were None).
Cornwall is filled with wonderful old houses and gardens, Cotehele, Heligan, Trelissick, Trebah...
http://www.cornwall-calling.co.uk/gardens.htm
www.greatgardensofcornwall.co.uk
www.gardensofcornwall.com
www.gardensincornwall.co.uk
May 14th, 2006, 09:31 AM
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Speckles - Polperro and Looe in eastern Cornwall are well worth a visit.
In Devon besides Julia's suggestions I'd recommend the Dartmouth (- lovely riverside town) - and Totnes. You can take a delightful boat ride (- passing Agatha Chrýstie's house) between the two - and return by steam train & bus via Paignton.
Brixham and the Torquay/Torbay area are the 'Englýsh Riviera' - and worth visiting. East Devon is also very attractive - the Sidmouth/Exmouth area.
The most scenic part of Devon IMO is the north coast. If you have time don't miss the Lynmouth/Lynton area. The Valley of the Rocks has some of the best coastal views in England.
Clovelly too is very attractive.
You can't go wrong in this lovely area
Hope this helps ...
Steve
In Devon besides Julia's suggestions I'd recommend the Dartmouth (- lovely riverside town) - and Totnes. You can take a delightful boat ride (- passing Agatha Chrýstie's house) between the two - and return by steam train & bus via Paignton.
Brixham and the Torquay/Torbay area are the 'Englýsh Riviera' - and worth visiting. East Devon is also very attractive - the Sidmouth/Exmouth area.
The most scenic part of Devon IMO is the north coast. If you have time don't miss the Lynmouth/Lynton area. The Valley of the Rocks has some of the best coastal views in England.
Clovelly too is very attractive.
You can't go wrong in this lovely area
Hope this helps ...
Steve
May 15th, 2006, 12:35 AM
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Hi Speckles
You've been given some great information already especially Steve's "you can't go wrong in this area" Early September is one of the nicest times to visit - temperatures are often in the 70s.
With 3 days and a car I would try and prioritise geographic regions of Cornwall.
You could spend one day in the west visiting St Michaels Mount at Marazion, the popular and beautiful old fishing town and artist colony of St Ives and then take a scenic and rugged coastal drive towards Lands End on the north coast via Zennor and St Just
A second day in the middle could be an environmentally friendly day spent visiting the Eden Project and maybe going to the gardens at Lanhydrock near Bodmin or for a foodie haven trying Padstow home of seafood chef Rick Stein
A third day in the south could be tying up the Lost Gardens of Heligan with the fishing village of Mevagissey and then travelling to the sophisticated resort of Fowey and the charming tiny fishing village of Polperro.
Alternatively for your third day you could try the town of Falmouth with the maritime museum, shops and seafront promenade. Lunch at the famous Pandora Inn by the River Fal at Mylor Bridge and then drive to the seal sanctuary at Gweek or park the car outside Helford village and walk down through this exclusive and special village.
Devon although beautiful should be done on another trip as journey times in this part of the world with winding lanes and agricultural vehicles or caravans take much longer than you'd ever imagine.
Whilst you're in Cornwall and if it's your first visit you must try clotted cream, fudge, saffron buns, scrumpy, mead and St Austell's Tribute ale
Let me know if I can help anymore - as you can tell I'm a Cornwall enthusiast
You've been given some great information already especially Steve's "you can't go wrong in this area" Early September is one of the nicest times to visit - temperatures are often in the 70s.
With 3 days and a car I would try and prioritise geographic regions of Cornwall.
You could spend one day in the west visiting St Michaels Mount at Marazion, the popular and beautiful old fishing town and artist colony of St Ives and then take a scenic and rugged coastal drive towards Lands End on the north coast via Zennor and St Just
A second day in the middle could be an environmentally friendly day spent visiting the Eden Project and maybe going to the gardens at Lanhydrock near Bodmin or for a foodie haven trying Padstow home of seafood chef Rick Stein
A third day in the south could be tying up the Lost Gardens of Heligan with the fishing village of Mevagissey and then travelling to the sophisticated resort of Fowey and the charming tiny fishing village of Polperro.
Alternatively for your third day you could try the town of Falmouth with the maritime museum, shops and seafront promenade. Lunch at the famous Pandora Inn by the River Fal at Mylor Bridge and then drive to the seal sanctuary at Gweek or park the car outside Helford village and walk down through this exclusive and special village.
Devon although beautiful should be done on another trip as journey times in this part of the world with winding lanes and agricultural vehicles or caravans take much longer than you'd ever imagine.
Whilst you're in Cornwall and if it's your first visit you must try clotted cream, fudge, saffron buns, scrumpy, mead and St Austell's Tribute ale
Let me know if I can help anymore - as you can tell I'm a Cornwall enthusiast
May 15th, 2006, 12:51 AM
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From Truro, there is a very beautiful river trip to Falmouth (www.enterprise-boats.co.uk). The boats also call at Trelissick Gardens. There are also buses and trains to Falmouth, so it's easy to go one way by boat and return by a different route.
May 15th, 2006, 03:41 AM
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Hi all. Thanks for the replies and good advice. I am certainly thinking of visiting a different area each day and will look into the towns you've mentioned a bit more. I thought Devon might be too far, but was possibly considering it as my ancestors were from the south-eastern area of Dartmoor (I'm from Australia).
May 15th, 2006, 05:31 AM
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I also love the Cornwall area and have visited most of the places mentioned above. My only suggestion would be to avoid the Lands End park--just a ripoff. You can view the coastline there by just driving up the road abit and walking over to the shore/cliff. I remember that there was a ancient stone circle nearby.
I found the King Arthur castle remains at Tintagel really fascinating. How could the castle be built on that rocky outcrop?
Also, I would suggest that you buy a National Trust pass and visit as many of their properties as you can.
I found the King Arthur castle remains at Tintagel really fascinating. How could the castle be built on that rocky outcrop?
Also, I would suggest that you buy a National Trust pass and visit as many of their properties as you can.
May 15th, 2006, 08:10 AM
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You've received a lot of good advice, here. Londonengland's itinerary sounds very good, although I respectfully disagree about St. Ives. I think it may have been a quaint fishing village at one time, but I really don't like it anymore. Find it noisy, crowded and smelly.
Julia_t's recommendation about the north coast is spot on, too. Widemouth Bay has a fantastic beach and Port Isaac or Boscastle are both worth a trip for a pint or dinner.
We love the area around St. Mawes. You could spend your entire trip sipping cold white wine and watching all the activity in the harbour, but there are lots of things to see and do in the area. St. Just in Roseland is a very pretty church in a lovely location. Lots of fishing villages to visit, our favourites are Portscatho, Porthleven and Portloe.
Lanhydrock is definitely worth seeing -I think it has more rooms open for viewing than any other National Trust. You can also visit the Jamaica Inn on the moors, stopping for a short visit to St. Neots to see the stained glass windows in the church on the way back.
Hope you have a great time.
Julia_t's recommendation about the north coast is spot on, too. Widemouth Bay has a fantastic beach and Port Isaac or Boscastle are both worth a trip for a pint or dinner.
We love the area around St. Mawes. You could spend your entire trip sipping cold white wine and watching all the activity in the harbour, but there are lots of things to see and do in the area. St. Just in Roseland is a very pretty church in a lovely location. Lots of fishing villages to visit, our favourites are Portscatho, Porthleven and Portloe.
Lanhydrock is definitely worth seeing -I think it has more rooms open for viewing than any other National Trust. You can also visit the Jamaica Inn on the moors, stopping for a short visit to St. Neots to see the stained glass windows in the church on the way back.
Hope you have a great time.
May 15th, 2006, 08:20 AM
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We made a point of visiting gardens in Cornwall. With the mild climate the gardens are quite outstanding, palm trees and all. The best was Trebah, south of Falmouth.
We couldn't resist going to Landsend and it was a waste of time. We did go around the peninsula on the small road B3306; it's quite scenic. I particularly remember a stop at Cape Cornwall, great views but a very narrow access road lined with stone walls.
And if you like art, St. Ives has the Tate St. Ives and Barbara Hepworth museums.
Finally Tintagel was worth a visit.
We couldn't resist going to Landsend and it was a waste of time. We did go around the peninsula on the small road B3306; it's quite scenic. I particularly remember a stop at Cape Cornwall, great views but a very narrow access road lined with stone walls.
And if you like art, St. Ives has the Tate St. Ives and Barbara Hepworth museums.
Finally Tintagel was worth a visit.
