Travel Recommendation for South England--

Posted by jaeson1992 (Los Angeles) on 07/31/18 10:01 PM

Greetings!

Going to travel to Cornwall in early April 2019... I'll have about 6 days there (a Thursday to a Wednesday flying into Newquay and meandering back towards Oxford).

I'd like to visit St.Ives, what other areas should I be sure to see? I like visiting historical sites, castles (though I think this area has less than other places I've visited) and of course, the beach! (even yes I know it will be cold and windy), and I also like food.

Suggestions?

Is Dartmoor better than Dorset? (I want to see their swannery)

If you know of a great farm stay around Dorset, or a place that has decent ratings and has twin beds around St.Ives (with a view)

Posted by Pam

Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA

07/31/18 10:50 PM

13955 posts

I was disappointed in St Ives - found it very crowded (it WAS the May half term, though) and just didn't connect with it. I wound up sitting in the garden at the city war memorial to get away from the number of people but this may not be an issue when you visit.

I thought Falmouth was more interesting (stayed there for 6 nights on a Road Scholar tour) and liked that you could take the ferry across to St Mawes. There are defensive Castles on both sides of the Fal here.

I loved seeing the small harbor towns like Boscastle, Mevagissey, Charlestown and Fowey. I also visited Portreath but it was in a driving rain so kind of hard to give an opinion, lol!!

There are lots of neolithic sights in the area if that is of interest to you.

I'm not a beach person, though!

Posted by jaimeelsabio

Mid-Atlantic area

07/31/18 10:59 PM

6565 posts

Tintagel (has a castle ruin tied to the King Arthur legend and Merlin the magician), Land’s End, Port Isaac (in you’re a Doc Martin fan), Truro, Penzance, and Plymouth. My wife and I enjoyed St. Ives although it was crowded. Do some research on some of the other small town to see if any has something unique that interests you.

Posted by epltd

08/01/18 01:34 AM

3122 posts

I highly recommend St. Michael's Mount. I found it just magical -- maybe because I'd read about it and seen the photos in National Geographic when I was a kid.

You might want to revise the name of this thread, if the site will let you. When you say "South England," that takes in a lot more territory than just Cornwall, or even Cornwall - Devon - Dorset. In just 6 days you won't have time to go all over southern England.

Posted by JC

Portsmouth

08/01/18 06:22 AM

5269 posts

Don't write off April weather wise, I've been to Cornwall in April and enjoyed superb weather. Granted, you probably won't want to venture into the sea but the beaches can be nice. Of course, nothing's guaranteed so you could still experience the complete opposite!

"Is Dartmoor better than Dorset"?

In what respect? Dorset is an entire county comprising of small villages, large towns, glorious countryside, a fascinating coastline whereas Dartmoor is just a moor. The two are incomparable.