Need help with Cornwall

We spent a week in the West Country last June. We stayed three nights near Zennor and two nights in Mevagissey. I don't think spending all of your nights in Penzance is a good idea, because Cornwall is a very long peninsula and you are staying at the far west end of it! Penzance, St. Ives, and Falmouth are small cities full or one-way streets and traffic jams. Since you will have a car, it would be easier to stay in two small villages or at country inns with restaurants or pubs. At the west end of Cornwall are many neolithic remains, old tin mines, Mousehole, and lovely gardens. At the eastern end are lots of charming fishing villages. From Mevagissey or Fowey, you can easily access Polperro and Looe and it's only an hours' drive to Port Isaac, Tintagel (only worth-while if you are going to climb the hundreds of slippery steps to the castle), and Boscastle. You cross atmospheric Bodmin Moor to get there. I spent at least a hundred hours researching the West Country before our trip and read about a dozen books about the location. Send me a PM if you have more questions about the area.

Thank you for your response. We are leaving for England in less than two weeks and our hotel is already booked. My last trip was full of one/two night stays and just wanted to stay put and not have to move around so much this trip. I keep on forgetting that you can go north/south in Cornwall (get to Tintagel from Megavissey) instead of driving along. It might be a thought. Tintagel is one of those "can not miss" spots for me and I don't mind the climb. I am trying to organize it so I can see all the things that I want to see (which I admit is a lot) but still be able to have time to meander. I have a type A personality that has an unhealthy penchant for to-do lists....

For me, Padstow and St Ives are glaring omissions.

If you just put into your Satnav ‘Clovelly’ when you pick up your car in Taunton, the odds are that it will send you onto the M5 & off at Junction 27 to take the A361 to Barnstaple & then on to Clovelly - as this is the quickest route. From what you are saying, it sounds like you wish to take the A39 along the northern edge of Exmoor. That being so, I would put ‘Dunster’ into the Satnav at Taunton. This will guide you via the A358 towards Minehead. Now, Dunster is well worth a stop.

Next, I would head to Selworthy - which is a village just west of Minehead. Then, continue west on A39 to Lynmouth = well worth a stop. Next, head for Barnstaple (don’t visit) on the A39 - but it is really wiggly and you already would have encountered some massive hills. Then on to Clovelly.

To be honest, I think you are trying to do far too much on this first day. You have the initial train journey out from London and intend taking the longer, slower route to Penzance from Taunton. It is a pity you did not come on here prior to booking to ask for advice. So, interesting though the above places are, it may be more advisable to take the faster route from Taunton to Clovelly. (Bude or nearby would have been an appropriate overnight stop). Try and follow the routes on Google Earth.

If you took the fastest route from Taunton to Penzance, it would be 144 miles taking 2 hours 36 minutes driving non-stop. This route is much faster than using the A39.
http://www.theaa.com/route-planner/index.jsp#fromNode=0%7CTaunton%7C%7C-3.106849%7C51.015344%7CtoNode=0%7CPenzance%7C%7C-5.537592%7C50.11879

I spent 7 days in Cornwall in May-- here are just a couple suggestions....

I highly suggest being ready to change your schedule for Tintagel, depending on the weather. I would be up and ready to go on your day planned if the weather is nice. If it looks like the weather might be better another day, be open to going then. Reason being, the climbing is very steep and slick. I wouldn't want to do that climbing if there is water on those steps.
On that note- I do think that your Wednesday is too crammed. Leaving the afternoon to drive to Tintagel, see port isaac, and then dinner at 6....doesn't leave enough time to see Tintagel and Port Isaac without being extremely rushed. Tintagel is gorgeous, I think you might want more time to take it all in. To answer your question about if the drive back to Penzance is difficult- not really since you will be on main roads, for the most part anyway.

Spend some time in Mousehole since you will be so close by. There is a bus that goes there from Penzance, so you don't have to lose a parking spot. It was my favorite little town in Cornwall.
Spend a couple hours walking around. There are some cute shops there, one called The Ark was my personal favorite. Grab a window seat at The Ship Inn and have a pint. It has a slower pace, which I preferred. You may enjoy it since you say you're not too fond of crowds :)

I agree Padstow is a MUST. Grab a pastie and wander along the harbor.

I have spent a week in Cornwall, choosing a base near Polperro. I found the driving distances required more time than expected as the roads are quite slow, and very congested in summer. In hindsight I would make a loop journey with several stops rather than choosing the single base. Your base at Penzance is at one extreme of Cornwall, rather than more central, so you may encounter similar frustrations.
Clovelly is a big ask for you on Day 1.

For me there would be less driving frustration with your night stopovers as ...
Monday - Morning train to Plymouth. Afternoon exploring Plymouth. Overnight in Plymouth
Tuesday - Pick up hire car. Visit Polperro, Mevagissey, Falmouth. Overnight in Penzance
Wednesday - St Michaels Mount, The Lizard, Lands End. Overnight in Penzance
Thursday - St Ives, Newquay, Port Isaac. Overnight in Padstow
Friday - Padstow, Tintagel. Return hire car in Bodmin (??). Train to London/Brighton

Thank you all for your suggestions and advice. I don't know about anyone else, but I typically have a notebook by my side whenever I sign into the forum and jot down notes whenever there is a discussion about a place that I am planning on visiting. I find the information here invaluable.

Thank you also for the hint regarding Tintagel and the weather. I will keep this in mind when we are there and watch the weather closely. My intent is to keep things as unscheduled as possible so I can make changes as need be. Especially in regards to the weather.

I did see that Prince Charles and his wife will be visiting Penzance next Monday. One week before I arrive. Oh well. It would have been interesting to be there when a member of the Royal Family is visiting.