My husband and I will be taking the train from London to Cornwall and will be in Cornwall (and possibly Devon) for 6 nights. I was wondering where we should start our trip and where we should end. We would like to have TWO home bases to explore the area and we will need to pick up a rental car once we arrive. We would love your suggestions. We used to live in the UK but never had the time to explore this area. Also, we are huge Poldark fans! :)
Many thanks!
Anne
I found a great multi-day tour of Cornwall with Viator. We have rented a car and driven in Britain twice. It is fun, but there are challenges.
For our 2015 trip we spent three nights near Zennor and two nights in Mavagissey. and found those two locations worked well. When you choose locations in Cornwall, think western end of Cornwall and eastern end of Cornwall. The peninsula is long east to west but only about forty miles across south to north. If you are driving, it is more convenient to stay in smaller villages or rural locations. Traffic is harder to navigate in the larger towns like St. Ives or Penzance.
Check out the TV show "Escape to the Country". I watched it on Netflix. They show the countryside, villages and towns through out the UK. I believe that they have explored the areas you are interested in. The episodes were filmed about 5 year ago but most things should be as they were then. I think there was one on a shoreline walk that included a small boat ferry. These show the real places; not just tourist locales, but do show some places of historic interest and show other things that indicate what the area is famous for such as cheese or whatever. Also look at the National Trust UK site which shows their listed properties and parkland that are available for tours or walks. They have a Touring Pass available for 7 or 14 days that may save you on admissions available online and can be picked up at sites listed. The pass can be used in England, Wales and N. Ireland. We enjoyed linear traveling best: meaning driving from A to B and then to C without having to go back to A every night. We stayed at a Timeshare Resort on Rutland Waters for a week and having to backtrack seem to waste some time to me. On the other hand we did have the peace of mind of having a place to stay already. P.S. Bring a swimsuit, because we had an indoor swimming pool we couldn't use.
We first went to Cornwall in summer 2016 and loved it so much we went back for longer in summer 2017. There are a lot of areas with Poldark-related themes; let me see if I can recall what we saw (I'm sure you can search online for more). If I have time I will haul out my Poldark fan's map of Cornwall. The Geevor tin mine had some Poldark displays (and is worth a visit anyway!); Rick Steves had visited the week before we were there. I see they mention Poldark on their home page. Poldark is big business in Cornwall, but even bigger business seems to be the German tourists who come because of a German series based on the novels of Rosamunde Pilcher.
We had Sunday roast at a public house (the North Inn) in Pendeen (near Geevor tin mine) whose proprietor has been an extra (I'm not sure if they mean the earlier series or the current one!). Ah, here is a quote from their website (linked in the pub name): "This is very much Poldark country and John, the landlord, will be appearing as an extra in the forthcoming series."
We love to hike, and saw places on the Lizard peninsula where scenes from Poldark had been filmed. (If you join one of the Cornwall groups on social media, people post pictures of Poldark actors and crew during filming!) The landscape is stunning, with rocky cliffs, hidden coves and beaches, old churches, and history with smugglers, prehistoric standing stones, the footsteps of Arthur Conan Doyle and Marconi (there's a small museum), etc., etc. Check out Tony Robinson's walk through Cornwall. We've stayed in Marazion (fantastic location – close to all this, and Minack Theatre, St Michael's Mount, etc.), Praa Sands, and Dartmoor (from which Doc Martin's Port Isaac was an easy drive). Cadgwith Cove was just one of many lovely places we hiked to. I miss Cornish ice cream and their cream teas ....
Enjoy! We love Cornwall, and feel we've only scratched the surface. I want to go back and see the church St Just in Roseland, the Lost Gardens of Heligan, and mostly just hike around the Lizard Peninsula and maybe do the (whole?) Southwest Coastal Path someday ...
Just another vote for St. Michael's Mount. I had only limited time in Cornwall and would have wanted much more, but SMM was my top priority and I wasn't disappointed.
I stayed for a week in Mousehole and I can't praise it enough. Absolutely loved it. I would suggest train to Penzance and get car there.
My personal highlights from my trip, besides Mousehole....Tintagel Castle, St. Michael's Mount, The Minack Theatre.
No matter what anyone tell you, SKIP Land's End. It is an absolute waste of time.
Hi,
The person recommending the North Inn should be listened to. We took many meals at the Inn and all were great. We didn't stay there, but rather stayed in St. Just. St.Just is the least touristed village along the north coast. I highly recommend it. I was there 45 years ago and revisited it in 2017. It had hardly changed. Still has more than one butcher, baker, grocer, etc. A real live town. Not gloriously beautiful but real. Only a few tourist like art shops. The only thing missing from 45 years ago was the weekly, or maybe it was a monthly, cattle market. Whether you choose the North Inn or St. Just, you are in a great location.
The North Inn's curry is a specialty that people search out. As some one there said, "He carved the rod to beat his own back." The curry keeps him too busy, in other words.
wayne iNWI
