Tuesday 7 March 2017

A Tour of Cornwall

Well, Devon, Cornwall and Avon to be really precise... Recently we were asked by a client to put together a tour for the area for them and some friends. Naturally, we were only too happy to piece together our favourite parts of the area and the client - so please with our work - has naturally booked the tour already... In case you're wondering, it goes as follows

Day One 

Arrive to London airport (time to be confirmed)

Depart airport for Stonehenge (driving time 2 hours)

A World Heritage Site, Stonehenge has stood for around 4500 years, probably a place of worship and/or sacrifice, with no one truly knowing the answer as to why it was built and why in this spot.

Spend 1.5 hours then depart for:

Thomas Hardy Cottage (driving time 1hr 15)

Few authors have such strong associations with the natural and cultural heritage of their local area as Thomas Hardy. This cottage, where Hardy was borne in 1840, was built of cob and thatch by his grandfather and has been little altered since the family left.

Spend 1.5 hours then depart for;

West Bay, Bridport

The picturesque town of West Bay better known to viewers as ‘Broadchurch’ in the hit TV show

Overnight stay in Bridport/West Bay.

Day Two

After breakfast we depart Devon into Cornwall

Heading over Dartmoor National Park and stopping for coffee at the infamous Jamaica Inn. Built in 1750 as a coaching inn for long horse drawn journeys from London and Bristol into Cornwall, the pub inspired Daphne Du Maurier’s book of the same title after she and a friend became lost in fog while out riding, the horses leading them to the inn and safety. Said to be one of the most haunted buildings in England.

Onto Bodmin and Wenford Steam Railway

11.15am board a restored steam train for a 15 minute journey through the English countryside, disembark and meet your driver at Boscarne Junction. Highly recommend pre-ordering your first (but not last) Cornish pasty to sustain you through the journey. Like champagne, the Cornish pasty is recognised as unique to the area and pasties made anywhere else but in Cornwall cannot carry the Cornish title.

As time dictates and at your leisure we explore the beautiful fishing villages of Looe, Polperro, Fowey (a must) before booking into your hotel in and around the town of St Austell

Day Three

After breakfast we visit the Eden Project

In the afternoon we will down to the hidden but beautiful fishing village of Cadgewick where you can take a pub lunch or buy fresh seafood, caught that morning, from the little shop. Onto the Lizard Point which sees you stand at the most Southerly point in the UK.

A quick look at Portleven before check in to your hotel near Redruth for 3 nights

Day Four

Depart for the Minack theatre

The idea for the theatre was born when Rowena Cade, who lived in Minack House at the top of the cliff, decided to create a place for local drama enthusiasts to perform Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Over the winter of 1931 and into 1932 Rowena and her gardener, Billy Rawlings, moved endless granite boulders and earth, creating the stage and the lower terraces of the theatre, in the same place as you see them today. The first performance was in August 1932.

PLEASE NOTE: this has to be a morning visit as they have a Matinee Production.

Stop off at the lovely coastal village of Mousehole en route to:

St Michael’s Mount, Marazion. A stunning castle set on its own island which has been in the same family, Lord and Lady Aubyrn since the 17th century. A working island that employs 30 people and their families

You can walk over via the cobbled causeway at low tide and either walk back before high tide or, if more time is needed, then the boat back to the mainland.
Day Five

Starting at Lands End, famously the most South West Point of the UK, it is a must to have a photograph taken alongside the signpost that reads NEW YORK….SYDNEY….etc. We then head up the northern coastal path, passing through Sennen Cove, Levant Mine towards St Ives, home of surfers and the Tate Modern Gallery. Finishing at St Agnes before heading back to the hotel.

Day Six

Check out of the hotel and, after breakfast head to the north of Cornwall taking in Padstow, a lively fishing harbour that boasts three restaurants of the acclaimed chef Rick Stein, Fish and Chips are a must here. Along the coast to Tintagel Castle home of the fabled King Arthur, the first King of England before we spend the afternoon, after about an hour drive, at the unique village of Clovelly.

Drive to the Historic city of Bath and stay overnight.

Day Seven

Visit the historic city of Bath before departing for the airport check in

1hr 45 minute drive to Heathrow or 2hr 15 minute drive to Gatwick

For this tour, and more like it, visit www.chirtongrange.co.uk or email us contact@chirtongrange.co.uk
 

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