A week in Cornwall in May

https://www.visitcornwall.com

Consider a trip to the Isles of Scilly - to Tresco Gardens.https://www.visitislesofscilly.com
https://www.visitislesofscilly.com/islands/island-highlights/tresco-abbey-garden

Also consider driving to Trebah & Glendurgan (next door) Gardens near Falmouth.
http://www.trebahgarden.co.uk
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/glendurgan-garden

Emma-
Yea- I figure I will get the Lonely planet one most likely. I usually only like to buy one book to haul around (ricks) and then use the internet for the rest of my research and planning, which is why I really don't buy other books.
We do have a place booked! Found a great little place right in Mousehole on the bay- and I did learn how to pronounce it rather quickly in my reading up of it. :)

James- The day trip to Scilly would be what we have to take-- but I see the boat trip in at least a couple hours and that leaves you with 4 hours on the island, which obviously a lot of people do, but do you think a day trip with that short amount of time is enough?

Thanks!

Oh! Another question if anyone has any advice on it-
Our rental car- given that Cornwall is 5+ hours away- is it really best to train there and then pick up rental car? or does anyone suggest driving (we would be coming from Greenwich, so we could pick up a car in that area). Also, we have a small child to consider and her belongings for a week.
Part of me feels like having a car from greenwich would allow us to go at our own pace, stop for the child when need be....? Any thoughts on that?

I'm not arguing against Lonely Planet, but if choosing one of Rick's books, then England is the one that covers Cornwall and Dartmoor, while Great Britain does not.

When my husband and travelled in late May we got off the plane in Heathrow, got to Paddington and took the train to Penzance. We picked up an Enterprise rental car the next morning. Easy but don't get a bohemoth vehicle.

Have you checked the driving/parking Mousehole? Its a bit narrow there.

We had a wonderful time driving around Cornwall. We took our time and poked around. Didn't do any of the tourist spot except for Godolphin House which is off the beaten path, and if you read Henry's "King of the Wind" as a child is enlightening.

The old tin mine, Botallack, on the coast was fascinating and with nice weather a pretty walk. In fact all the coast walks are nice.

The walk into the circular stone Men-an-tol was nice, too.

Have a good trip.

If you go on the Scillonian ship, the 4 hours on Scilly does allow you enough time to get to Tresco to see the garden. When the ship arrives in St.Mary's, local boatmen will be waiting at the quay to ferry people over to Tresco. They charge about £9 for the trip which takes about 20 minutes. You also have to add £15 to get into the gardens. Should you go, I would not book the ship until you know that the weather is going to be good. Book on 01736 334220. Also note that for even more money, you can fly over from Land's End Airport.https://www.islesofscilly-travel.co.uk

You could not have chosen a more awkward London starting point for your journey west than Greenwich. You will have to negotiate London before you can start heading west. Two routes link London with Exeter. The northern one takes the M4 towards Bristol and then you join the M5 to head for Exeter. This route is 30 miles longer than the southerly one but is all on 3 lane each way motorways.
The southerly route leaves London on the M3 before heading off on the A303. This route practically passes Stonehenge - so you could throw that in as well - but on such a long journey, you would really not have time - unless you have an overnight stop en-route.
From Stonehenge (Amesbury) to Exeter you have a mixture of dual and single carriageway road.

From Exeter to Penzance, the northerly A30 route is the quickest.
http://www.theaa.com/route-planner/index.jsp#fromNode=0%7CGreenwich%7C%7C-0.007659%7C51.482577%7CtoNode=0%7CMousehole%7C%7C-5.539062%7C50.084245

In view of the long distance, you might like to take the train. That being so, you should pre-book a specific train at:> www.gwr.com
You may like to go by train (from London Paddington) as far as Plymouth & then rent a car or go all the way to Penzance. You should
also be aware that a sleeper train also operates the route = 'The Night Riviera' - but it is expensive.
https://www.gwr.com/your-journey/journey-information/on-board/night-riviera-sleeper

Check for engineering work on your chosen dates of travel with the Great Western Railway. (Sometimes they leave from London Waterloo when this happens).

The Eden Project is incredibly popular and queues can be bad around 10am. I would go and have a look at nearby Fowey and perhaps Charlestown first to perhaps arrive at Eden around 1.pm. https://www.edenproject.com

I am hoping to go to the Eden Project while there, thank you for that info.

My friends I am staying with live in Greenwich, hence the reason we are leaving from there, so regardless, train or car, that will be our starting point.

I have spent several months in England and have been to Stonehenge, but no further west than that, so this will be new territory for me and my friends as well.

Thank you all for the info, much appreciated

You can fly from London (Gatwick) to Newquay (Cornwall) with www.flybe.com if you wish.http://www.skyscanner.net

The Eden Project is FABULOUS!!! Plan on several hours as you explore all the biomes. Very nice dining facilities, too (delicious soups!). You park and then take an EP bus to the actual site. We were there on a very rainy day and had a delightful time. Lots to see and will fascinate all ages and interests.

Another lovely little gem, Trerice Manor. My late Dad was a descendant of the family. Not a huge visitor draw, so no crowds. We liked the quiet!