Holiday in Cornwall

[LangTall]

I planned a holiday with my girlfriend and kids in Looe, 4 miles west of Plymouth. At Le Mans, some people geva me some tips about do's an don'ts, but of course I can't remember them all. I recall sofar:

Eden project.
Tintagel.
Dartmoor national park
Lands end, go there, but have a drink in a place a few miles away, somebody named it, but that is a blurr.

Anyone any more tips? I'm leaving 14th of July in the evening, a week before the schoolholidays in England brake loose.

[Fran]

DON'T eat a Cornish pasty.   

Don't believe them when they tell you they are far superior to the ones you get from a petrol station or anywhere outside Cornwall - they are ALL cack!   

[rcutler]

DON'T eat a Cornish pasty.   

Don't believe them when they tell you they are far superior to the ones you get from a petrol station or anywhere outside Cornwall - they are ALL cack!   

Scones with Cream and Strawberry Jam! 

[Stu]

Scones with Cream and Strawberry Jam! 

Clotted cream Rick. 

[TonyT]

Depends what you like:-

Picturesque Harbours (Ok to walk around)

• Padstow (North Coast)
  Mevagissy (South Coast)
  St Ives (North Coast – long way from Looe but near to Lands End)
  Boscastle (North Coast – nr Tintagel))
  Fowey – (South Coast not far from Looe)
  Polperro - (South Coast not far from Looe)

Beaches

• Whitsand Bay (South Coast – Near Looe towards Portwrinkle / Torpoint)
  Watergate Bay ( North Coast nr Padstow)
  Newquay - Fistral Beach (North coast, can be busy)
  Newquay – Lusty Glaze (North coast – smaller than Fistral)
  Perranporth (North coast)

Other To Do’s

• If you are going surfing, I would always get a wet suit if it is not sunny. Won’t last long otherwise. You can hire them and the beach (or near to it)
  Have a cream tea (Jam and clotted cream)
  Try a pasty for yourself. I think they are OK and certainly better than the ones I get in Surrey

Towns

• Newquay - (North Coast) Normally very busy, shops, pubs, etc. Not a brilliant place at night with kids though
  St Austell – Typical Market town
  Falmouth – Typical Market town

If you get the weather you’ll have a great time.

Cheers,

Tony

[Doris]

Cider farms!   

[termietermite]

You forgot Port Isaac (although it's been "Doc Martin"ed a bit) and Port Gaverne (try the Port Gaverne hotel's crab soup).  Kids might like Dobwalls country park with a better-than average ride on mini-train ride if that's their bag.  North of St Austell.
My advice would be to avoid St Ives in the summer as you can hardly move there at this time of year - save it for an early spring visit.

[nopanic - neil]

Lands End, is a long trip from Looe, was not impressed last time I went. May have changed.

A good place 60 km from Looe is Burgh Island. Near Bigbury on Sea. Use to go there as a kid, before it was a trendy hotel. But liked the beach, the sea tractor and the small pub - The Pilchard Inn. A nice beach day out. Not been there for a few years may have changed thou.

Any body else been there?

For extra points What was the 60's film that ended at Burgh Island?

[redstu]

Don't bother with Lands end, totally spoilt by the lands end company who have made it into a sad commercial venture.

There are some very nice national trust houses in the area which are well worth a visit. I think they are indicated by acorns (or some other symbol) on the likes of AA maps.

[Rhino]

I have to disagree with you Fran about the pasties, i always thought they were crap until i ate a proper one.
TonyT has covered most good places i would add the tin mine near lands end  http://www.geevor.com/ . Chatted to the gardener at the campsite i stayed at who used to work there. Working on one of the shafts which went out to sea he could hear boats passing overhead
At Tintagel (King Arthurs alleged birthplace) visit http://www.kingarthursgreathalls.com/ it,s on the right as you come into the town and doesn't look much as the front is a bookshop, but the tour round the hall is really impressive. And if you want a good pastie, the shop on the right just past the turning to go down to Tintagel castle sell some of the best.

[Fran]

Ok - I am prepared to be out voted on the pasty thing.... I just dont like savoury pastry foods or prepared meat products... ...so I am never going to be a pasty fan.

Anyway - you gotta try the local food everywhere you visit - how about a nice Cornish crab salad 

[smokie]

Looe itself has a working harbour and fish market. You can go mackerel fishing in the bay for 2 hours, that's pleasant on a nice day. You'll see people fishing for crabs with a line over the over the harbour wall. Close to Looe there is a monkey sanctuary - another enjoyable memory from years ago - http://www.chycor.co.uk/monkey-sanctuary/index.htm

Don't bother going to Trago Mills which is an over-hyped shopping trip

Eden project suffers from traffic problems. Going anywhere from Looe, but especially west, takes twice as long as it should. Definitely skip Lands End (from Looe) - would take way too long for not much interest.

There is a coastal walk all the way around Cornwall. The walk from East Looe to Polperro is reasonably easy and quite spectacular, and Polperro is a very quaint place (yet another harbour...).  See http://www.jbutler.org.uk/e2e/sccp/w13/index.shtml

Looe itself is cute but is mainly tacky tourist souvenir shops but there are a couple of nice pubs (avoid those on the front) and the pasty shop about half way down the high street has a wide range of fillings.

If you'd been there a few weeks later (17 August) you could have seen the Red Arrows over Fowey harbour - saw them once and it was stunning. But you are too early for that.  (2004 pics here http://www.raf.mod.uk/reds/archive04aug.html)

Can't think of much else now but will post again if I do...

[Andy Zarse]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the wonderful Lost Gardens of Heligan at Mevagissy. It's great for browny points from the GF. The Eden Project is best in the winter when there's far less traffic, but if you persevere it's probably just about worth it.

http://www.heligan.com/flash_index.html

I'm disappointed so many folk have mentioned Tintagel in a positive light. It must be the worst place in the whole county. I've not been for years but I remember it as a disgusting tourist trap. It's all King Authur themed, the high street is lined with plastic knights and maidens, and it's tacky beyond belief. You can stop at the King Arthur's Car Park, fuel up your car at the Lancelot Service Station and Minimart and go to Guinevere's Post Office. The Castle is owned by the National Trust and is utterly ruinned, they've let it get into a terrible state of disrepair. Incidentally, historically the castle has absolutely NOTHING to do with King Arthur but you'd never know that if you didn't ask. TINTAGEL IS A HATEFUL DUMP!

[monkey]

Try these they are great

The Minack theatre, outdoor theatre with fantastic cliff top views, if the weather is good and you get to a show, even better. Just down the road from there, Porthcurno Telegraph centre, this is where the very first transatlantic telephone conversation took place, fascinating. There are still cables from this remote beach that are connected to every continent on the planet. Finally for a bit of wildlife, the National Seal Sanctuary in Gweek near Helston, worth spending most of the day there. Have a great time.

[LangTall]

Thanks alot for all your tips! Showed them also to my girlfriend, who is wondering whether there is some kind of a amusement park in the region. Might be usefull with a nine and a ten year old boy,