# Cornwall England exchange



## dsmrp (Aug 24, 2016)

I have a unit on hold, located outside Bodmin, that I'm thinking of releasing.
This is for mid April 2018.
This is a very subjective question, but how many days do you think would be sufficient to spend touring major sights in Cornwall?  
Will be our first time in England, so considering London for a week and outside London for another week.

And also Bodmin looks to be about 1+ hours drive from Falmouth or Penzance.
We're fine with driving, but I'm thinking it might be better and cost less to spend a 1-2 nights here and there, rather than driving back and forth to Bodmin.  Your thoughts??

Thanks!


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## Pompey Family (Aug 24, 2016)

dsmrp said:


> I have a unit on hold, located outside Bodmin, that I'm thinking of releasing.
> This is for mid April 2018.
> This is a very subjective question, but how many days do you think would be sufficient to spend touring major sights in Cornwall?
> Will be our first time in England, so considering London for a week and outside London for another week.
> ...



There's plenty to do in Cornwall for a week. You will need a car and be prepared to drive on single track roads flanked by high hedges and limited visibility. Be prepared to reverse some distance at times if you meet oncoming traffic. April can be very nice or very dismal if an Atlantic storm comes in.

There are hundreds of holiday homes for rent in Cornwall however many insist on a minimum night stay, there are too many sites to recommend so it's worth just doing a search. Cornwall can be difficult to drive to and from depending on when you travel. I live a 4 hour drive from central Cornwall but last Easter it took twice as long. The weather then was outstanding, shorts and t-shirt weather and glorious sunshine.

As for a week outside London, is that Cornwall or somewhere else?


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## dsmrp (Aug 25, 2016)

Pompey Family said:


> There's plenty to do in Cornwall for a week. You will need a car and be prepared to drive on single track roads flanked by high hedges and limited visibility. Be prepared to reverse some distance at times if you meet oncoming traffic. April can be very nice or very dismal if an Atlantic storm comes in.
> 
> There are hundreds of holiday homes for rent in Cornwall however many insist on a minimum night stay, there are too many sites to recommend so it's worth just doing a search. Cornwall can be difficult to drive to and from depending on when you travel. I live a 4 hour drive from central Cornwall but last Easter it took twice as long. The weather then was outstanding, shorts and t-shirt weather and glorious sunshine.
> 
> As for a week outside London, is that Cornwall or somewhere else?



Thanks for your response.  I decided to release the Cornwall week, and continue to look elsewhere.  I think I'd rather chance Atlantic storms (rain & wind) farther inland near the Cotswolds or Peak district areas rather than Cornwall ;-)


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## isisdave (Aug 30, 2016)

What are you interested in? Castles and cathedrals? Stately homes? Big city experience?

Take a look at English Heritage and National Trust ... NT has a membership you can buy in the US, and it's somewhat cheaper.

How many are you?

Consider not driving and taking the trains. See http://www.railcard.co.uk/ for railcard info, you might want the Two Together or Friends and Family, depending on number. If you buy advance tickets (even the day before) you can make trains affordable in Britain.

If Cornwall still interests you, Bodmin is pretty central for both Devon and Cornwall. For Cornwall only, I'd look farther west, although I don't have any idea what timeshares are out there.

Weather anywhere in Britain can be wet any time of the year. Most of the time, though, showers are brief or light, kind of Seattle-like. People and their dogs just go out in it.

For other cities: I think our fave in England was York; in Britain as a whole it was Edinburgh.


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## Pompey Family (Aug 30, 2016)

I would disagree about travelling by train. Yes, the rail network in the UK is extensive and and reasonably well run however you would need to consider what you want to do on your vacation, where you want to go and where you'll be based.

If you're in a timeshare or a hotel/b&b in a relatively rural location the nearest train station may be some distance away which would require travel in taxis or by bus likewise some of the destinations you might be going to. The costs (including train journeys) will soon mount up.

If you're going to be based in a major city and intend on visiting one or two other cities then travelling by train would be fine and a car would not be necessary.

The only time I travel by train here is if I'm going to London and that's because I hate London drivers (and the M25).


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## DeniseM (Aug 30, 2016)

Pompey Family - Americans may not be very comfortable driving on the other side of the road, and with the sometimes very narrow UK roads, so that is a big factor in this decision.


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## Pompey Family (Aug 30, 2016)

DeniseM said:


> Pompey Family - Americans may not be very comfortable driving on the other side of the road, and with the sometimes very narrow UK roads, so that is a big factor in this decision.



That's quite a sweeping statement!

The UK is crisscrossed with motorways, A roads and B roads all of which are no smaller than American roads. Of course there are narrow country lanes but they can often be avoided. It all depends on where you're travelling.


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## DeniseM (Aug 30, 2016)

As you said:  





> There's plenty to do in Cornwall for a week. You will need a car and be _prepared to drive on single track roads flanked by high hedges and limited visibility._



Let me clarify:  I have visited the UK twice and I was uncomfortable with driving on the "wrong" side of the road, and the narrow roads out in the country.

Loved the UK, but not the driving.  Just as you didn't enjoy driving in the US lately.  

This is not a criticism, I am just not well-equipped to drive in the UK, and I suspect that some other people may not be as well.


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## dsmrp (Aug 31, 2016)

isisdave said:


> What are you interested in? Castles and cathedrals? Stately homes? Big city experience?
> 
> Take a look at English Heritage and National Trust ... NT has a membership you can buy in the US, and it's somewhat cheaper.
> 
> ...



We like to see a smattering of all: cathedrals, stately homes and a few castles.  But not too much of one type over another.  DH wants to visit some pubs, but hopefully not in every town   It'll probably be just 2 or us, maybe 4 ???  

We want to see both London city, cause it's London! and also the countryside.  We went to Greece on our first international trip, and enjoyed driving around the small towns in Crete.  Hope to explore similarly away from the big UK cities.  I think we'll plan to take a train from London, and then rent a car in a city closest to wherever we end up for timeshare or rental lodging.

We're okay with showers/rain; from the 'Northwet' after all  And have been forewarned by others of narrow roads lined with rock walls. We have GPS, but know GPS can be wrong too! As long as people drive relatively sanely, we should be okay. Crete highway drivers were crazy... passing at high speed on blind curves   country driving was much easier and safer.

Thanks for the English Heritage and National Trust suggestion.


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## Pompey Family (Aug 31, 2016)

DeniseM said:


> As you said:
> 
> Let me clarify:  I have visited the UK twice and I was uncomfortable with driving on the "wrong" side of the road, and the narrow roads out in the country.
> 
> ...



I understand what you're saying and accept that some people are uncomfortable with driving on the other side of the road however the OP stated in the first post that they were fine with driving.

My post was to counter the suggestion of travelling by train in respect of reaching accommodation and destinations and if you are someone who is apprehensive of driving then understanding that the train is not going to be a suitable alternative in some circumstances.


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## Pompey Family (Aug 31, 2016)

dsmrp said:


> We like to see a smattering of all: cathedrals, stately homes and a few castles.  But not too much of one type over another.  DH wants to visit some pubs, but hopefully not in every town   It'll probably be just 2 or us, maybe 4 ???
> 
> We want to see both London city, cause it's London! and also the countryside.  We went to Greece on our first international trip, and enjoyed driving around the small towns in Crete.  Hope to explore similarly away from the big UK cities.  I think we'll plan to take a train from London, and then rent a car in a city closest to wherever we end up for timeshare or rental lodging.
> 
> ...



If you want to be travelling between country pubs, stately homes, castles and the like then public transport is going to be a major headache.

I second the recommendations for English Heritage and National Trust. We're members of both and we tend to use our EH more. National Trust is mainly aimed at stately homes, gardens and nature reserves whilst English Heritage focuses more on castles and historical landmarks. If you only intend on getting one then I'd suggest researching which one offers access to what so that you can decide which fits your plans better.

As for pubs I'd recommend the following website:

http://www.thegoodpubguide.co.uk/


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