Need help deciding on a Cornwall base and Devon base

A couple thoughts:

Portreath Bakery- I went to a Pasty Making Class there as part of my RS tour. If they don't offer classes other than that (I don't know), at least stop here and get a Pasty. You will be glad that you did.

Dartmoor National Park- We stayed at The Three Crowns at Chagford. Great location, lots of character, good food.

Gardens: Visit Lanhydrock while in Cornwall. The house was impressive, but the gardens were the draw for me. I really enjoyed just walking and enjoying the gardens.

I'm not much help on the base question, but I know others will chime in for that. I loved this area and know you will have a wonderful time.

Mardee,

When Cornwall widens out, as you head east, it takes about an hour to drive north to south (by the time you are at say Mevagissey, driving north to Newquay) or about 90 minutes by the time you are up at Tintagel, if from there you wanted to go south to Looe/Polperro.

If you wanted to drive west/east from Penzance to Tintagel/Port Isaac/Boscastle area it's going to take you about 2 hours.
These are optimal timings, bearing in mind that the A30 is the closest the county has to a freeway, all other roads are single lane on each side of the road, type of highway. The kind of roads where if you get stuck behind a slow moving vehicle it could be a while until you can overtake, so the above timings are sort of average.

The Eden Centre and the Lost Gardens of Heligan, are going to fill a whole day. Likewise you could spend a whole day on the various gardens between Truro and Helford Passage (between Falmouth and Helston).

The north coast is generally more rugged in my opinion than the south coast. Other people may very validly vary in that opinion. In some ways and it's a horrible generalisation the south coast to me is more touristy and twee, the north coast is more industrial archaeology, more history, more rugged, more of the deep Cornish spirituality and Christian history.

You've got 5 days where I could give you a 2 week schedule and still be short of time- so hard choices have to be made.

I still think that buying yourself an extra day by going down on the Sleeper train would be a good investment.

Devon is an even bigger county.

What I think you need to do is have a south coast base somewhere in Cornwall for 2 nights, then transfer to somewhere on the north coast for the other 2 . Truro may be the County town, but I am less than convinced that it makes sense as a base.

From your north Cornish 2 night base you would then be transiting into North Devon- I think somewhere like Ilfracombe or one of the coastal villages round there (maybe Lynton or Lynmouth) or one of the inland villages on Exmoor would suit you for a couple of nights.

I'm not a fan of either of the cities- Plymouth or Exeter.
Exeter in particular I find quite a disappointing city.
For the Agatha Christie 2 night bit Totnes, Dartmouth, Brixham or Kingswear all feel like good bases. I only know Dartmouth by day and find it a horribly busy and congested place. My own preference round there would be the port town of Brixham. I don't mind Paignton, but everyone else on this forum is very sniffy about Paignton. In fact I am looking/wondering at a fall short break in Paignton at the moment, actually for Greenway and the Dart. Paignton is better if using transit, Brixham is better IMO if driving.
Given the underlying reasons (relating to mental health at a very hard time of the year for me) behind that idea I am battling with myself as to whether it represents best value for money.

It may not be a good idea to travel by train on Palm Sunday as very often the rail lines are shut down over a Bank Holidays for engineering work - or trains get diverted on longer routes.

You may like Trebah and Glendurgan Gardens near Falmouth.

Note that many towns on the coast are not good for acting as a central base. They also have narrow streets and limited parking. Suggest you look at them on Google Maps and then go to streetview. As an example - look at Fowey.

Plymouth was largely destroyed in the war and as a result has lots of ugly architecture from the re-build.

I am not a fan of Illfracombe on the north Devon coast. Lynmouth is nice but parking at accomodation could be an issue. The coast here is very rugged = Exmoor National Park.

Palm Sunday is NOT a bank holiday- it is an ordinary Sunday.

Easter is the following weekend, that is the Bank Holiday weekend.

Also the train lines do not "shut down". If they are closed for engineering alternative road transport will be provided over the affected sections. That is a well drilled operation. It is an inconvenience for sure, but on a main line isn't a deal breaker, and is often not that much slower as usually both express and all stations buses are provided.

It actually struck me that the pullman dining car (previous thread) only runs on a weekday, so that rules that notion out. Also the sleeper doesn't run on a Saturday night.

If you have a car you can’t go too far wrong location wise in Cornwall. I like St Agnes. Just make sure you have parking if you are staying in a town or village because it can be tricky otherwise. I think late March is a good time to visit. We’ve been lucky with the weather at that time of year in the past. Obviously no guarantees.

One potential problem you may have is that you are staying over the Easter weekend. That’s a 4 day weekend here and it’s also within school holidays so places will be charging a premium and could require a minimum number of nights.

I traveled in that area in 2017 (I think in August) but without a car. You'll be able to cover a lot more ground in a day.

I enjoyed The Eden Project and the Lost Gardens of Heligan, but I visited them on different days. TEP was rather expensive even pre-COVID. If you end up with a very garden-heavy itinerary, it's worth thinking about whether you'll be able to allow enough time there to get your money's worth.

I needed dinner reservations in the coastal towns, but your March timing may mean things are a lot looser; I just don't know.

One of the places I stayed was Mevagissey. I remember thinking traffic was bad there.

What about Truro?

I was forced to spend a night in Truro when all the reasonably priced coastal lodgings accessible by public transportation were full. I liked Truro; I found it an attractive, real-world sort of place. I try never to go somewhere and stay only in touristy coastal towns.

Carol, you're a person after my own heart. I love bakeries and would love to take a pasty making class! Thanks for that recommendation. I will also check out The Three Crowns at Chagford. That looks like a good central location. And I do have Lanhydrock on my list, but it's good to know that you enjoyed it - I so love gardens! Thank you!

Stuart, keep in mind I have 9-10 days altogether in both Cornwall and Devon, so it's not as bleak as it sounds. :) But I know I will still have to limit myself. In counting up all the days I have and the places I'm going to, I also have about 4-5 extra days overall that I could use in various places. And since some of the places I'm going to, I've been before, I would probably rather tack them on to the southwest since I have not been there. One of the reasons I'm not too keen on the sleeper train is that I will not sleep on it. I have a very hard time sleeping on trains and airplanes and I would hate to get there sans sleep and then try to sightsee.

I don't need to be based on the coast and from what you all are telling me, it sounds like it may be difficult with a car. As I said, I'm not a beach person so I would perfectly happy staying someplace in the middle. Someone on this forum (steven, maybe?) said he stayed in Helston and I was wondering about that.

James, I just looked at Fowey on Street View and it's not really floating my boat. So that's out. Yeah, I see the problem with the coastal towns and cars. I think I might feel more comfortable staying someplace off the coast and just visiting them, parking my car on the outskirts and walking down.

Helen, thanks for the suggestion - that does look nice. I was wondering that about Easter, although the minimum stay should not be a problem, as I planned on spending 4 nights in Devon, which should cover it. That's one reason I want to book this area early.

acraven, thanks for the info. I have thought about Mevagissey and it sounds like it would be better just to visit. I do have a question. When you said you were forced to spend a night in Truro, but found it an attractive, real-world sort of place, does that mean you would recommend staying there? If so, that sounds like a possibility.

After what everyone has said here, I'm thinking that at least for Cornwall, it might be best to go someplace central and not on the coast. One thought I had (which I think I mentioned to you, Stuart, on another post) is to stay 2 nights in Penzance without a car and use the bus to get around the Penwith Peninsula. Then on the 3rd day, pick up the rental car and head farther north to someplace more central.

What are everyone's thoughts on Bodwin? Or possibly Truro? Also, if I don't use Carol's suggestion in Devon, what are your thoughts on Bideford or Totnes or maybe Tiverton?

I really like the idea of Bodmin. A lot of history there including the Keep, the old Jail, the old Courthouse in the Town Hall, and the Parish Church.
Good car parking for you in the Town Centre.
Very central for both coasts.
A very nice base. Wadebridge is another possible contender, 20 minutes closer to Padstow.
I've only passed through Bideford to catch the boat to Lundy so can't comment on that, but wonder if it's too far north for the Agatha Christie bit on Torbay.
Totnes is much more central. Close by you also have Buckfast for the Abbey, also the Butterfly farm/ Otter sanctuary. Apart from Agatha.
Totnes does get a bit traffic clogged due to the layout of the Town but that's a minor thing.
It may be too early season but tidally there are also boats from there to Dartmouth.

Thanks, Stuart! Bodmin looks interesting - and that makes sense about Totnes since I will be spending time in Dartmoor NP but also Torquay and Greenaway and other places near there.

Oh, thank you all! I feel like I finally have a plan!

Ha. I was thinking Bodmin but not because I have ever been there. There is series of books I read that are set in that area: the series is Cornish Mysteries. The first book is called Manna from Hades by Carola Dunn. They are about an "older" woman who is a sort of lay detective. I really enjoyed them.

Thanks, katie! I just put the first book on hold at the library. The series looks like a fun read. :)

I'd be happy to return to Truro, but I haven't investigated how it would work as a base for side trips. And since I didn't have a car, I don't know how easy it would be to drive in and out.

Thanks, acraven. Well, I did an about-face and decided to base myself in Falmouth for the Cornwall portion. I think it will be easier with a car and it's fairly centrally located but also near the water.

In fact, I may just take the train to Falmouth rather than Penzance. Still not sure about that but that way I could just stay in one hotel for the whole five nights instead of having to move again. The hotel I booked (the Royal Duchy Hotel) has parking available and looks very nice. Plus I got a great price at £72/night, so I'm happy about that. It's cancellable so I can always change my mind but so far, I think it will work well.

I also just saw that there is a ferry that goes over to St. Mawes that looks like fun. I do like boats! :)

That does seem to be a stunning rate.

Mardee
I imagine you've already heard of Burgh Island in Devon? We spent a night here for a 1920s themed evening and it was fabulous. As an Agatha Christie fan you will love it.

Best wishes from Skye,
Jacqui

£72 a night in Falmouth at Easter. That's a stunningly good rate, especially if it includes breakfast.
That is a difficult patch of water and the St Mawes ferries are often cancelled due to weather.
I also like the cross harbour ferry to the village of Flushing.
There is also a ferry up river to Trelissick Gardens, and just below the gardens is the King Harry car chain ferry.
I'm not sure if the Place ferry will be running then across from St Mawes.

EDIT- Yes I see it on booking.com, and includes breakfast!! Who cares if it's an inland facing room for that money. And en suite. That's a find and a half.

I hope you’ll do another nice trip report when you return in April. We may have the opportunity to base ourselves for a couple of weeks in Wadebridge next year and I’m following all of the very helpful logistical, touring and book recommendations people are giving you.

Jacqui, yes indeed, I do plan on visiting Burgh Island. In fact, in anticipation of that, I just finished rereading "And Then There Were None." I can't wait to see all the places she put in her books!

Stuart, I know! I found it by accident on Google and booked it directly with the hotel. It does include breakfast and you have full access to the hotel amenities, including the indoor pool, the fitness room and so on. The hotel sits very near the beach, too. And I agree - for that price, I don't care if the room faces inland. :) Thanks for the information on the ferries! I will definitely be taking advantage of that!

Mona, I will definitely be writing a trip report so will let you know everything I find out. I know - isn't all this information great? I don't really appreciate this forum until I need it for trips and then I appreciate everyone so much!