Holidays

[wellinghall]

We're vaguely thinking of having a week away somewhere in England in September, and it may be convenient to go to the south west (including the Cotswolds, Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire, as well as Devon and Cornwall). But that's as far as we've got, and nothing I've seen so far has jumped up and down and said, "Here! Here!"

So - does anyone have any recommendations? These can be as vague as "Cornwall", or as specific as "Mrs Jones' B&B, 1 High Street, Bridgetown, Devon, and don't miss out on the puddings at the Red Lion."

Comments

[miss-next.livejournal.com]

Totnes is pleasant. You can get very good ice cream there.

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

Thanks for that. Good ice cream is always welcome :-)

[philmophlegm.livejournal.com]

Also, easily reachable by fast inter-city train.

Bit of a hippy colony at times though!

[emperor]

We're vaguely considering the South West for a September holiday too, so I shall stalk this post for useful tips :-)

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

By all means! ;-)

[philmophlegm.livejournal.com]

Again, what sort of holiday did you have in mind?

[emperor]

atreic seems quite keen on seeing Lands End (despite my telling her it's not worth it). Other than that, she'd like the opportunity to see the sea, do some boating, and walking, and Stuff, and I'd like good pubs to eat food and drink beer in, and interesting churches.

[philmophlegm.livejournal.com]

Lands End is very naff. If you're in that area, try Cape Cornwall for dramatic coast without the coach loads of chav tourists.

There are lots of places to go on a boat trip. If you want a slightly more exciting boat trip, I can really recommend Orca Seafaris in Falmouth. You have to book in advance. Basically, you go out to sea on a speedboat (a very fast 20-seater RIB to be precise) looking for marine wildlife. We've been a few times now. Throughout the summer you stand a good chance of seeing basking sharks.

Walking - well the obvious places would be the southwest coast path all round the coast and Bodmin Moor.

Cornwall (and Devon to be fair) is particularly good for gastropubs. If you happen to be going past Exeter on the way down or up and you want to stop for some food that isn't a motorway, then the Jack-in-the-Green Inn (near Exeter airport, so not far from the end of the M5) is very good for food - southwest chef of the year in fact.

I can't really advise you on beer, not being a drinker myself. There's plenty of real ale about, although I should warn you that since at least the 16th century, Cornwall has been known for the traditional crapness of its beer.

Cornwall probably has fewer grand churches than most counties, but there are certainly old parish churches here and there. It's mostly a methodist county.

[gioiaverdi.livejournal.com]

Topsham's good, the Bridge always used to sell a whole cavalcade of real ales, while the Ferry is very picturesque and does great lunches and the Swan hotel always had a good restaurant.

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

Thanks for that. Mmm, real ale :-)

[philmophlegm.livejournal.com]

I work with someone who lives in Topsham and we've had the occasional work do there. Very scenic if you're by the river.

There's real ale all over the place (couldn't really comment on quality as I don't touch the stuff) down here.

Devon and Cornwall are very good for eating out generally if you're into your food. Good range of gastro-pub type things as well as genuinely top class restaurants.

[bunn.livejournal.com]

Are you thinking of a relaxing holiday, or a walking holiday, or a visiting-things sort of holiday? Do you want to drive about or stay in one place, or take the train? Do you want a town, a village, or somewhere in the middle of nowhere?

I keep wanting to go back to the Scillies, but they are a bit more difficult to get to... The North Devon coast is much more beautiful than the South coast, and not so busy... St Ives has plenty of Art to look at if the weather isn't so good...

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

Hmm, you do ask awkward questions! ;-)

What we're not after is sitting on the beach all day (but then, if we were, we wouldn't be planning a holiday in England in September!) Relaxing, some gentle walking, things to go and see. Small town or large village - not completely averse to "middle of nowhere", but we will want something to do within easy reach if it's wet all week.

Relying entirely on train and bus would be nice, but maybe not completely feasible. We normally hire a car when we go on holiday, although once we spent a week about a mile and a half outside Ludlow, and hired a car just for one day.

I had vaguely thought of the Scillies, but it's a long way for what might be a fairly short week.

[bunn.livejournal.com]

If you did fancy a public-transport holiday, one option might be to take a train through the South Hams and stop here and there along the way for a day or so. If you get the stopper, it goes via Exeter, Dawlish, Teignmouth, Newton Abbot, Totnes. You can get a branch line to Exmouth, or perhaps Paignton and then on a steam train and ferry to Dartmouth, which is rather lovely. Paignton and Torquay are bungalowsville, but some of that south coast is brilliant. I always want to stop when I go by on the train...

North coast: you need a car, perhaps rather less to do if it rains up there and not much history as nothing ever happens. Lynton & Lynmouth, Clovelly, Tintagel all worth a day out. If you do go to the North coast I heartily recommend The Big Sheep.

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

I spent a couple of very enjoyable family holidays in my mid-teens in Lydford in Devon – just under Dartmoor, about 6 miles from Tavistock, with some good walks nearby and a ruined castle and impressive gorge (National Trust) in the village itself.

[philmophlegm.livejournal.com]

That whole area is quite nice. We're just over the Tamar from Tavistock.

[romancinger.livejournal.com]

I'm very fond of Devon and Cornwall, and September is probably one of the best times to go - both areas are too full of tourists in the school holidays. Most places on the coasts are nice, especially the smaller ones.

[philmophlegm.livejournal.com]

I'd avoid the north Cornwall coast in tourist season - full of either a) ghastly working class oiks or b) ghastly upper class oiks, depending upon whether you go to a) Newquay or b) Rock!

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

Does mid-September count as the tourist season in this respect?

[philmophlegm.livejournal.com]

You're probably safe. There are surfers all year round, but in September the narrow lanes won't be clogged up with VW camper vans.

[philmophlegm.livejournal.com]

Bunn and I may be able to offer more specific guidance. What sort of holiday did you have in mind?

(Oh and point of information - the south west is Cornwall, Devon and maybe, just maybe, the southernmost bits of Dorset and Somerset. It certainly ain't Wiltshire or the Cotswolds, or for that matter Bristol.)

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

Hmm, you do ask awkward questions! ;-)

What we're not after is sitting on the beach all day (but then, if we were, we wouldn't be planning a holiday in England in September!) Relaxing, some gentle walking, things to go and see. Small town or large village - not completely averse to "middle of nowhere", but we will want something to do within easy reach if it's wet all week.

Relying entirely on train and bus would be nice, but maybe not completely feasible. We normally hire a car when we go on holiday, although once we spent a week about a mile and a half outside Ludlow, and hired a car just for one day.

[king-pellinor.livejournal.com]

By "Southwest" I assume you mean anything to the left of and below Oxford (it being the centre of the country and all).

I can recommend a hotel in Wells somwehere whose names escapes me (but it's got no parking spaces, is very hard to get to, and backs on to the green).

More usefully, I'd very much recommend Morton's House Hotel in Corfe Castle. In fact I frequently do to LadyofAstolat, but we haven't gotten round to going there again yet.

[philmophlegm.livejournal.com]

Oxford the centre of the country? What map are you looking at - the BBC weather map?

[rustica.livejournal.com]

Oxford is the centre of the universe :-P

[philmophlegm.livejournal.com]

Since the edge of the universe is somewhat defined by our perception of it, isn't the centre of it wherever you happen to be standing? (Or does that depend on your access to deep sky astronomical equipment?)

[rustica.livejournal.com]

"Or does that depend on your access to deep sky astronomical equipment?"

I wish I did have access to deep sky astronomical equipment! That would be fun! :)

[purplecat]

IIRC Geoffrey of Monmouth says it is - hence why two dragons got buried under Carfax at one point in the History of Britain

[king-pellinor.livejournal.com]

Exactly :-)

And who are we to doubt Geoffrey?

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

Left and down from Oxford is just what I mean!

Wells is a possibility, and there's a B&B there (part of the Wolsey Lodges group) that looks good. Corfe Castle is another possibility. Thanks for the recommendations.

[rustica.livejournal.com]

Wales is really, really cute. Esp the middle and the North. If you decide to go there anytime, I can give lots of recommendations :). But you said "England".... go to Wales! To Wales! Wales!

[philmophlegm.livejournal.com]

Wrexham's nice...

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

So I've heard it said ;-)

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

I've tended not to enjoy my few trips over the border - but I might overcome this one day!

[bunn.livejournal.com]

Oh, you have so missed out. Wales is fabulous. The south coast, the Gower, Pembrokeshire - it's all castles and mountains and valleys and beaches. Even the mines are going back to being hillsides now. I am constantly baffled why Cornwall gets all the good PR, when South Wales is such an amazing place!

The food is perhaps not quite so good, but there are some lovely restaurants if you look for them.

[philmophlegm.livejournal.com]

We don't have valleys in North Wales, only hills and mountains.

[ladyofastolat.livejournal.com]

Since you mention the Cotswolds, I am duty bound to recommend Winchcombe, or I'll get disinherited. The person who runs the local museum is very, very nice - as is her daughter, or so I've heard. ;-) A castle, a ruined abbey, an ancient burial mound, and proximity to Tewkesbury, and lots of pretty north Cotswold towns and villages. Though, admittedly, it probably doesn't feel very "West Country."

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

Yes, but she associates with some very odd people ... ;-)

Thanks for the recommendation. We might end up spending a bit of time near Gloucester, as my sister lives there, and it would be nice to see her and the boys.