CORNISH TOURS
Individual Tours of Cornwall
and HOME
Land's End, St Ives Penzance and St Michael's Mount
The Lizard, Helford and Falmouth
The Roseland, Bodmin Moor and Fowey
Tintagel, King Arthur's castle and the Wild North Coast
Looe and Polperro, The Tamar Valley, Plymouth Sound and Dartmoor
Cornish Garden Tours
Grand Cornish Houses
Easy Walking Tours
Painters, Writers, Culture Tours
Full Day Tours for Cruise ship passengers
Family History Tours
PRICES!
ATTRACTIONS and PLACES TO VISIT
Getting the Most from your Visit to Cornwall ... just a few helpful ideas!
Airport/City/Home Links
Map of the UK
Map of Cornwall
B&B in Truro
- central for all Cornwall
OTHER USEFUL CORNISH LINKS
About us
Terms
Link to The Official Cornwall Tourist Board Website
email: mike@cornwalltour.com
Voice/Tape
UK (0) 1872 262783
Averil & Mike Inglefield
VERY SPECIAL TOURS of CORNWALL
from FIELDINGS
35 Treyew Road
Truro
Cornwall
TR1 2BY UK
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The following is just text - a few facts, figures and ideas - written to
help you enjoy the best of Cornwall - whether you use our touring
services, or stay B&B with us, or we bring you down ------ or not
......... but FIRST take a look a just some of
the attractions.
Where it is and how to get there.
Cornwall is about 280/300 miles (440/480 klms) WEST from London and
Heathrow or Gatwick. Thats about 5 hours travelling by train or car. Much
longer by coach - they roam about, picking people up and dropping them
off. Add at least an hour if coming from central London - horrendous
traffic travelling at the speed of an ancient tortoise has to be allowed
for.
If you arrive at Heathrow and plan to take the train down to Cornwall, the
quickest and cheapest way is to take a bus to Reading and get on the train
there. However, if you've got one of the Train Passes which allows you as
much travel as you want (go anywhere, on certain days), then going into
London to get on the train at Paddington won't make any difference
financially - but going from Heathrow into London/Paddington IS travelling
EAST and away from Cornwall.
If hiring a car and driving down from Heathrow, we suggest you get onto
the M25 heading south east and anti-clockwise (the M25 orbits London so
you can go clockwise or anti-clockwise). Go off onto the M3 heading WEST.
Once on the M3 be aware that the M3 actually goes to Southampton, which
you DO NOT want to do! Therefore at a certain point (after 30 miles (48
klms) or so) you must branch off LEFT onto the A303. Whatever you do,
don't miss this branch off, because if you do it will add a long and
tedious time to your journey! Once on the A303 you just follow your nose
to Exeter. At
Exeter
you branch off onto the A30 heading for Okehampton. Then follow your nose
and you'll come straight to Cornwall. (We Cornish say "Oggie Oggie" as we
re-enter Cornwall - we know we're home then.).
Coming from Heathrow, if you DO want to come down the M4 then head
clockwise on the M25. Then get onto the M4 heading WEST. Keep going for
about 120 miles. At Bristol get onto the M5 heading SOUTH. Keep going for
about 80 miles. At Exeter, get onto the A30 heading for Okehampton, then
follow your nose into Cornwall. The M4/M5 route is longer, but much
faster.
'M' roads, (Motorways) are the UK's principle highways - wide, several
lanes and fast.
Where to stay, (and some tips on avoiding being eaten
by the Cornish natives.)
As you know, there are various websites which link you to
B&B and Hotels, BUT, at every large town there is a "Tourist Information
Centre" (TIC), which has a list of most of the accommodation in the area.
They've usually got a website or an online brochure, and between them they
cover all Cornwall (and all the UK as well). TICs are run by the Local
Government Authority.
Cornwall is about 80 miles long and 20 miles wide in the middle. About 80%
of Cornwall's boundaries are coastline - therefore there are lots of
pictureque fishing villages you can stay at. Lots of picturesque villages
inland too. And a few very nice towns, also. Also just one or two places
you'd not choose to have as your holiday base (Cornwall's long history of
mining has left its mark - much of it good, poignant and interesting, some
of it just plain 'scruffy').
If you don't have a car, think about how far you will have to travel to
the places you want to visit - and how you are going to get there. The bus
services and the train services are good but you MUST plan ahead to get
the best out of them. See our very basic list of
Cornwall's attractions - and search
Google.
Think about places to eat at night - some villages don't have a restaurant
- others have a just one good pub (inn) with good, nicely cooked food - in
other, bigger locations there are plenty of good eateries to choose from.
Usually the food in Cornwall is 'high standard' - these days.
If you are going to arrive at your accommodation after 6pm you should
telephone your accommodation hosts and let them know. UK law allows
Hotels, Guest Houses and B&Bs to re-let rooms if people haven't arrived by
6pm AND they haven't telephoned to advise of their pending late
arrival. If you do intend to arrive late and you let your hosts know you
will find they are very helpful and will even wait up for you (usually)
Most UK establishments provide a full English breakfast - we enjoy it
(especially when away on holiday) - so if you have any special dietary
requirements or preferences then let you hosts know when you check in the
night before - they should ask you (but they might forget)
Your B&B hosts will also be pleased to help as best they can on places to
visit, how to get there, etc, etc.
Driving in Cornwall (a unique experience!?)
You'll have got used to driving on the left hand side of the road by the
time you get to Cornwall, but if you intend to go "off the beaten track" -
which you must do to get the best from Cornwall - you won't
be prepared for the very narrow, twisting lanes and the high hedges.
The writer of this little piece has been driving around them for the best
part of 35 years, so he feels qualified to offer a few small survival
tips.
1. Always travel slowly enough to stop in the distance you can see clear
in front of you.
2. Be prepared for the occasional idiot travelling too fast coming towards
you.
3. Think about your position on the road. Close to the hedge is good
(watch out for projecting boulders). If a choice is necessary, its
preferable to be really close to the hedge coming out of a bend rather
than entering it.
4. And please don't forget to leave space for that idiot travelling too
fast coming towards you.
5. Keep in mind that there could be a walker or a cyclist just out of
sight, so be prepared to STOP or take avoiding action.
6. Talk yourself through unfamiliar road junctions, and roundabouts. (its
what the writer does in France, where WE have to drive on the 'wrong' side
of the road).
7. Be prepared to "backup" when its easier for YOU to do so than the other
driver, and when you back up, make sure you tuck yourself in real close to
the hedge.
Good luck - and enjoy!
And Finally.
1. Study the maps and websites to decide where
you want to visit.
2. Take that small turning down that small lane...there'll be something
good and worthwhile at the end of it.
3. Try a Cornish Cream tea.
4. Try a Cornish pasty...ask the locals which SHOP sells the best ones.
We hope you enjoy your visit...and come again.
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