Good Base for short Cornwall Visit
Jun 9th, 2017, 06:53 AM
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Good Base for short Cornwall Visit
We will have a woefully short four nights to spend in Cornwall on our trip at the end of September this year. We'd prefer to find a base along the coast for that time instead of moving. I know we won't have time to see all areas, and, yes, we do want to include a visit to Port Isaac ; ). We'll be driving from Salisbury, and realize that first day may be a long drive. (Maybe suggest a halfway lunch spot?) That will then leave us with basically three day trips from wherever we end up.
Can anyone suggest...
...a good base for branching out into three different areas?
...any recommendation for hotel at the base? (Most any type or budget OK)
...best three destinations each day?
...best scenic routes or loops?
...must sees along the way each day?
...pubs and restaurants you've enjoyed
I realize this is asking a lot, but you Fodorites always come through.
Thank you!
Can anyone suggest...
...a good base for branching out into three different areas?
...any recommendation for hotel at the base? (Most any type or budget OK)
...best three destinations each day?
...best scenic routes or loops?
...must sees along the way each day?
...pubs and restaurants you've enjoyed
I realize this is asking a lot, but you Fodorites always come through.
Thank you!
Jun 9th, 2017, 08:14 AM
#3
Hi arindasue - great news that you're coming to Cornwall.
Very sensible to decide to stay just in one place - but which place, that's the question?
My 3 suggestions are all pretty close together so it won't make much difference to the time it takes to get there, nor to get to other places like Port Isaac [are you another Doc Martin fan perchance?]
Easiest to get to [though it's furthest away, the road there is the straightest] is Penzance. IMO it makes a very good touring base, there are some nice B&Bs and excellent restaurants in the area, and there's plenty to look at in the evenings, particularly if you're prepared to drive over to Newlyn or Mousehole. If you like gardens, there are two very good ones nearby, though it must be said that they are not at their best in the late summer/autumn. That said, the public gardens in PZ are quite tropical and come into their own towards the end of the season. And of course there is the promenade, and the Jubilee salt water pool.
St Ives is probably the most famous, has the Tate Gallery [if you like that sort of thing] and the Barbara Hepworth museum, which is delightful. [BTW, if you are interested in art, the Penlee Gallery in PZ has a wonderful collection of works by the Newlyn school like Walter Langley and Stanhope Forbes, which I can't get enough of].
Back to St Ives. There are beautiful beaches with some terrific cafes/restaurants, lovely walking, and by the end of September, the numbers of visitors should have subsided significantly.
From both of these bases it's easy to do a loop of the far west of the peninsular - along to Lamorna, Porthcurno for the Telegraph museum and the Minack Theatre, [check what's on here: https://www.minack.com/2017season/ ] which is worth a day-time visit to see the cliff-side garden and enjoy the exhibition about how it was built by Rowana Cade and a few helpers using just the sand and rocks they found around them.
Travelling round the peninsula, you reach Sennen which has a wonderful stretch of sand, then Botallack [whre much of Poldark is set and filmed] and if you want to visit a real mine, Geevor is just north of here. A very good place to stop for a meal near here is the Gurnard's Head pub, and it's a short walk out to the cliff of the same name:
http://www.gurnardshead.co.uk
Then in a few minutes you are in St Ives - the way back to PZ across the middle of the peninsula takes less than 30 mins.
If you like boat trips and/or are more interested in gardens, Falmouth would be my choice. There are 3-4 beautiful gardens very close by, [ignoring the ones in the town] a choice of beaches and beach cafes/restaurants, the National Maritime Museum, a couple of castles, galleries, a museum, and easy access to the Helford and the Lizard. [though that's not hard to get to from PZ]
as for the trip down, I see that google suggests it's about 4 hours or just under. My favourite stopping off point is Belstone, on the north of Dartmoor. [signposted to the left off the A30 about 30 mins past Exeter] There is an excellent pub there - try the draught farmhouse cider - and a lovely stroll down to the river in the valley right in front of the pub. Excellent food too.
http://thetorsinn.co.uk
Hope this helps - when you've got some more questions, I'll try to answer them!
Very sensible to decide to stay just in one place - but which place, that's the question?
My 3 suggestions are all pretty close together so it won't make much difference to the time it takes to get there, nor to get to other places like Port Isaac [are you another Doc Martin fan perchance?]
Easiest to get to [though it's furthest away, the road there is the straightest] is Penzance. IMO it makes a very good touring base, there are some nice B&Bs and excellent restaurants in the area, and there's plenty to look at in the evenings, particularly if you're prepared to drive over to Newlyn or Mousehole. If you like gardens, there are two very good ones nearby, though it must be said that they are not at their best in the late summer/autumn. That said, the public gardens in PZ are quite tropical and come into their own towards the end of the season. And of course there is the promenade, and the Jubilee salt water pool.
St Ives is probably the most famous, has the Tate Gallery [if you like that sort of thing] and the Barbara Hepworth museum, which is delightful. [BTW, if you are interested in art, the Penlee Gallery in PZ has a wonderful collection of works by the Newlyn school like Walter Langley and Stanhope Forbes, which I can't get enough of].
Back to St Ives. There are beautiful beaches with some terrific cafes/restaurants, lovely walking, and by the end of September, the numbers of visitors should have subsided significantly.
From both of these bases it's easy to do a loop of the far west of the peninsular - along to Lamorna, Porthcurno for the Telegraph museum and the Minack Theatre, [check what's on here: https://www.minack.com/2017season/ ] which is worth a day-time visit to see the cliff-side garden and enjoy the exhibition about how it was built by Rowana Cade and a few helpers using just the sand and rocks they found around them.
Travelling round the peninsula, you reach Sennen which has a wonderful stretch of sand, then Botallack [whre much of Poldark is set and filmed] and if you want to visit a real mine, Geevor is just north of here. A very good place to stop for a meal near here is the Gurnard's Head pub, and it's a short walk out to the cliff of the same name:
http://www.gurnardshead.co.uk
Then in a few minutes you are in St Ives - the way back to PZ across the middle of the peninsula takes less than 30 mins.
If you like boat trips and/or are more interested in gardens, Falmouth would be my choice. There are 3-4 beautiful gardens very close by, [ignoring the ones in the town] a choice of beaches and beach cafes/restaurants, the National Maritime Museum, a couple of castles, galleries, a museum, and easy access to the Helford and the Lizard. [though that's not hard to get to from PZ]
as for the trip down, I see that google suggests it's about 4 hours or just under. My favourite stopping off point is Belstone, on the north of Dartmoor. [signposted to the left off the A30 about 30 mins past Exeter] There is an excellent pub there - try the draught farmhouse cider - and a lovely stroll down to the river in the valley right in front of the pub. Excellent food too.
http://thetorsinn.co.uk
Hope this helps - when you've got some more questions, I'll try to answer them!
Jun 9th, 2017, 02:26 PM
#5
We spent 4 nights in Cornwall and did the opposite of St cirq. We stayed in St Ives and visited Penzance, I did like Penzance a lot and could see staying there. It has more of a city feel,while St Ives feels like a beach town. We did enjoy St Ives.
Jun 10th, 2017, 03:11 AM
#6
I think you've summed that up very well, yes travel. I would also say that St Ives has a more beautiful position, but PZ is more of a town, and less touristy. [though it still has a lot for the tourist to see and do].
Jul 25th, 2018, 03:25 PM
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Reading with interest as planning to do 10 nights in Cornwall in early September and torn about where to stay. Have first 3 nights in Carbis Bay in a hotel but thinking of doing self catering for the rest of the time. Had been planning on staying in the St.Ives area and using as a base for touring the area but am very confused and wondering if I should branch out.
Jul 31st, 2018, 06:48 AM
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Hi arindasue -- My wife and I spent a week on the south coast of Cornwall this past May (see trip report here: Cornwall, Devon & Dorset: Coastal Walks, Quaint Villages & Historic Sites -- scroll down to find successfully posted report). We stayed in a National Trust cottage on Carne Beach on The Roseland Heritage Coast, with relatively easy access to Tintagel Castle, Port Isaac, Fowey, and the Lizard Peninsula (all great spots which we visited on day trips). Don't know your budget, but we noted a couple of highly rated 4-star hotels nearby right on the coast:
- The Nare Hotel (Carne Beach)
- The Lugger Hotel (Portloe)
Aug 3rd, 2018, 01:46 PM
#10
Rumseydog - I think that the OP's trip was last year!
your trip seems like fun - i think I missed it first time round.
CailinDeas - Can I suggest you start a new thread as lots of people who might like to comment probably won't see your query here.
But since we're here, 3 nights in a hotel in Carbis Bay would be fine - you could see not only St Ives, but the north Cornwall coast all the way down to Land's End and then round the corner to the south coast and along to Penzance, Marazion and St Michael's Mount - all of which would fill at least 2 whole days if not longer. It's also close enough to the Minack Theatre if you fancied some outdoor drama, or if you don't, it's still well worth visiting during the day to see the wonderful views and gardens and learn how it was constructed.
Where you go after that depends very much on what you want to see, but Falmouth is one of my favourite places, or if you want to be further east, Fowey is lovely. OTOH you could head further up the North Coast and stay in Padstow or Port Isaac.
You could easily fill 10 days staying in one or two of those places.
your trip seems like fun - i think I missed it first time round.
CailinDeas - Can I suggest you start a new thread as lots of people who might like to comment probably won't see your query here.
But since we're here, 3 nights in a hotel in Carbis Bay would be fine - you could see not only St Ives, but the north Cornwall coast all the way down to Land's End and then round the corner to the south coast and along to Penzance, Marazion and St Michael's Mount - all of which would fill at least 2 whole days if not longer. It's also close enough to the Minack Theatre if you fancied some outdoor drama, or if you don't, it's still well worth visiting during the day to see the wonderful views and gardens and learn how it was constructed.
Where you go after that depends very much on what you want to see, but Falmouth is one of my favourite places, or if you want to be further east, Fowey is lovely. OTOH you could head further up the North Coast and stay in Padstow or Port Isaac.
You could easily fill 10 days staying in one or two of those places.
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