What about Cornwall?

Nobody asks about it, so nobody can answer. If somebody asks about Bath, you're a butt-head if you urge them to go to Penzance.

If you want to see a seascape, go watch an evening play at the Minack.

If you wanted to bee-line it, it's probably six hours from London to Lands End. That's a lot closer than Edinburgh.

Same thing with Wales. A very few folks ask about Conwy (fourty-five minutes from the English border), but nobody seems to know Harlech exists.

Go figure.

Elaine, Cornwall is so worth a visit, it has spectacular seascapes....the fishing villages are so beautiful. You should visit the north and south coasts and in between. I think that some posters here stay to Rick's recommendations, but there are so many beautiful areas in the UK that he never mentions that it worth a visit. Cornwall, Dorset, Devon and Somerset all worth a visit.

Cornwall is IMHO the most beautiful part of England. We have been there three times. You could easily spend two weeks in the west country. On the drive west to Cornwall, stop at Wells, Glastonbury, Tintagel. Returning east, linger in Counties Devon and Dorset, seeing Restormel Castle, Corfe Castle, Maidenhead Castle (earthwork one). Finish with Salisbury, Stonehenge, Winchester which are, of course,closer to London.

Cornwall inself has little fishing villages, art galleries, megalithic stones, Lost Gardens of Heligan, cliff-top hotels.

It's very popular with Europeans, perhaps not so much with "beginner" American tourists. Do go there! If you want the names of two moderately priced clifftop hotels, send me a PM.

We were talking about Cornwall last night. I love the mini-series "Doc Martin" which is filmed in North Cornwall in Port Isaac.

I had hoped on my recent short visit to England to take in Cornwall but we really didn't have the time.

It is a dream of ours, and I am glad to see some interest. I don't care where Rick visits and what he says sometimes about certain areas.

For any myriad of reasons, it is an area that did not make the RS cut, not because it is not worthwhile, just in the mix, it was not included.

Since this is a RS centered board, sites in the RS books get more questions and discussion, though if you ask, as you can see, any number of people can offer advice.

It certainly is a British tourist destination, and frankly, probably better done by car, once you get down there, than train.

We spent a few days there, one root of my family is from the area, and we were able to visit a farmstead and graveyards doing some research. To add to others suggestions, we enjoyed the Eden Project, a biodome type facility, many others mention Tintagel, legended to be the home of King Arthur, and I will agree that the coastal towns are wonderful.

For years and years I've intended to get to Cornwall and Devon. I didn't get as far as Cornwall this year (2 miles away,though) but we did just get back from a week in Devon. Wonderful B&B just outside Torquay, went to Agatha Christie's summer home furnished just as she left it, and went to a real working 4 wheel watermill operated forge on Dartmoor.

The scenery is incredible. Good seafood, too.

I really love the West Country. I've been all over Europe and I will definitely return to Devon. Cornwall, too.

Hi Elaine - Before our trip in Oct I wondered why there
never seem to be posts about Cornwall. I completely
agree with Ed - the Minack Theatre is incredible. We
were there on a rainy day, the waves were crashing the
shores and it was spectacular! We stayed in St Ives
and Mevagissey which were both charming. We missed
Port Issac because we didn't know about Doc Martin until
we met a couple in Mevagissey who couldn't believe we
didn't have it on tv in the states. You can get the series on netflix ~ i think when you watch it you will
want to go to Cornwall! As someone else mentioned I
too believe a car is essential.

Elaine,

The lack of information about Cornwall may be due to the fact that it's a bit "off the beaten track" so isn't visited as often. It likely presents more of a "transportation issue" to get there also, with fewer rail and bus connections, so only those that are comfortable with rental cars tend to visit.

I'm also a big fan of Doc Martin (in fact, it's on the tube right now!) so I plan on visiting there on my next trip to England (which may be next year). I'm also a fan of the show Heartbeat which was filmed in North Yorkshire, and I've already visited the site where that was made.

If you happen to get there, be sure to post a note as I'm sure that would be of interest here on the HelpLine.

Cheers!

Keep in mind that if you want to go to England and experience English life, that Cornwall is Celtic, not English. So it is more of a fusion of Irish and English culture.

And it's funny there becuase people talk a bit like pirates. lol. Seriously!

We have been watching Doc Martin for several years now. Great show with great scenery! Would love to visit Cornwall some day.

The Cornish language was closely related to the Breton and Welsh versions of the Celtic languages. This can still be seen today in the similarity of place names in Cornwall and Brittany.

Lovely dramatic coastlines. We like visiting in spring, it arrives early there, as well as autumn. A great place to escape and blow the cobwebs away.

Pirates? Is it similar to Cockney English?

When I saw What about Cornwall, I immediately thought of What about Sheffield (or what about the big ASDA there).

A friend of mine lived in Sheffield for a year and said it was 'rather nice' :) Never been there myself. Cornwall, however, is beautiful. I went there on my first backpacking trip years ago - unforgettable. Dramatic landscapes, romantic St Michael's Mount with its castle just off the coast of Penzance, St Ives, etc. Another place I never see mentioned by RS posters is Norwich. I liked Norwich.