Cornwall England

It's so funny you would say that...Rebecca is one of my favorite's by Daphne du Maurier. I am now about to read My cousin Rachel by her as well - in light of our upcoming trip I thought it would be fitting. It was because of her books and also another author ( Victoria Holt) that I've always wanted to visit Cornwall. Thank you so much for your recommendations. We're hoping for pleasant weather but visiting castles on a dark cloudy day sounds intriquing as well!

That area, along with Yorkshire /Northumberland are our favourite parts of England. Cornwall is mainly scenery and atmosphere-read some Daphne DuMaurier novels to get in the mood.......The tip of Cornwall is full of megalithic sites if you enjoy those-the two best are the Merry Maidens Stone Circle and Men-en-Tol. Zennor is a lovely village also in that area and Mousehole has a lively harbour, although the parking price is ridiculous!.........We really enjoyed the Lost Gardens of Heligan and Restormel Castle........If you like Arthurian legends, Dozmary Pool is good on an overcast day, as is Tintagel Castle......I think bright sunshine rather spoils the mood of the ruins and the moors, use your sunny days to enjoy the coastline....... We really enjoyed poking around on the coastlines near the two hotels we used, Housel Bay on the Lizard and Headlands Hotel, very close to Tintagel.

My fascination with Cornwall started at a much earlier age. Thanks to Enid Blyton and her 'Famous Five' novels.

Mousehole (wonderful little village) St Ives, Looe, Lands End (an absolutely awesome experience) Clovelly, Tintagel (the ruins; the village is extremely touristy), the Moors; Do a little walking in the countryside (much less developed than Cotswolds), Old tin mines; We like travelling all along the Devon and Cornawall coast to Lunton/Lynmouth- Selworthy in Somerset, Dunster; Minehead; Wells cathedral, Cleeve Abbey Ruins; Tarr steps; and possibly Doone valley. You can do a great circle route

If you like history, visit Plymouth to see Pilgrim's Point and the Mayflower Steps. Plymouth Hoe has fine views over the harbor and is where Sir Francis Drake reputedly finished his game of bowls after the Spanish Armada had been sighted, then sailed out to defeat it. Mevagissey is a lovely old village on the Cornish South coast where one can walk along the harbor out to the seawall. It might fit into a drive from St. Ives to Dartmoor. For the drive from London, I recommend the M3 - A303 route from London to Exeter. The drive time is identical to the longer route via the M4 - M5 route which pops up on the mapping programs and is much more scenic. It goes right by Stonehenge if you've not been there and near Salisbury which has one of the finest and grandest medieval cathedrals in Europe. Branscombe is a charming village on the Devon South coast located East of Exeter, but you probably don't need more village recommendations.

Didn't think much of Drake's Drum.

Tonya, I also hope to visit Cornwall on a future trip as I'm a big fan of the TV show Doc Martin (I watch the show whenever possible, even the re-runs). I believe it's partially filmed in the small village of Port Isaac. I also watch Heartbeat every week (for those that are familiar with that show), and have already visited Goathland (Aidensfield). Cheers!