Lake District or Cornwall?

[Bwolf]

My wife and I are thinking visiting England again, possibly May 2013. She is interested in either the Lake District or Cornwall.

Does anyone want to make suggestions? Things to do, sites to see, timeshares to try to exchange into thru II?

Thanks.

BW

 

[Cotswolder]

No sure of the Lake District as I don't belong to II but in Cornwall you could try the CLOWANCE resort. Very good and central for the far west of Cornwall

 

[Laurie]

Both are spectacularly beautiful - why not spend a week in both? Each area could easily warrant 2 weeks by itself as far as the activities we personally enjoy. We spent a week in each and didn't cover everything we'd hoped to.

If you can't do that, of the 2, I'd probably start with the Lake District. Most of its area is National Park, if that tells you anything, and more organized for tourists, and probably more people depending on the season, though you can easily find areas there in which to hike or "hill-walk" where you probably wouldn't meet a soul. Cornwall has a wilder feel, is more spread out, and might require more self-direction for touring.

For starters, try google searches for images and activities, to help you decide. One for Lake District is www.lakedistrict.gov.uk - one for Cornwall could be www.visitcornwall.com

I'm not in II either, but the RCI resorts we exchanged into were Quaysiders Club in Ambleside, Lake District, and Tregenna Castle in St. Ives, Cornwall. Personally we were satisfied with both, both for location and the TS'es themselves.

 

[eal]

We love the Lake District - I would recommend Keswick Bridge or Whitbarrow Village as good places to stay.

 

[windmillhill]

We own at Langdale and would recommend this as being one of the best TS resorts in a spectacular location.

 

[Bwolf]

windmillhill: We'll keep Langdale in mind. It does seem to be a great resort.

eal: Thank you.

Laurie: We both work and two weeks in a row away is tough on my wife, but I understand what you are saying. It is interesting about self-direction for touring. We do that all the time. Lived in Europe several years, did our own thing, I've even driven in England in both my "American" car and an "English" rental. Luckily, for the most part, I stayed on the correct side of the road, as well. My wife still remembers the wild ride around Trafalger square.

Cotswolder: Clowance is certainly in a great location. Looks like a fine resort.

Everyone: We are only II now, but we could register with RCI as well. Just have never had a reason to do so.

It seems that both are great places to go, so it will be a tough choice.

 

[scotlass]

We've been to both places but, since we have friends to visit in Cornwall, we spend more time there. We love it because you are never far from the sea and lovely cliff walks all along the coast. Truro is a nice city with a large Cathedral. We also like Falmouth. While you can't go wrong with either, my preference would be Cornwall.

 

[alanmj]

She is interested in either the Lake District or Cornwall.

These two are as different as chalk and cheese, so are impossible to compare. If you must choose one, then go with the one that you will get the most out of.

Lake District is for those who love the outdoors. Lots of wonderful hikes of varying length and ability, lots of magnificent scenery, lots of magnificent weather (so be prepared!). Wonderful small pubs. Little else by the way of culture. You'll need hiking boots and wet weather gear to make the most of it.

Cornwall is much more "refined" and "manicured", and far more touristy, although in May it will be empty. Lots of cute little shops, and St Ives is a wonderful village, though it has become very Disneyfied over the years. Still though a beautiful part of England and well worth a visit.

The choice is yours...

 

[Bwolf]

These two are as different as chalk and cheese,

The choice is yours...

I love that. My wife and I are as different as chalk and cheese, too. (I'm the chalk, she loves cheese).

The touristy comment is interesting. We aren't "touristy" types. We'll take Sanibel over Orlando, for example.

scotlass: Any off-the-beaten track things you enjoy in Cornwall?

 

[Pompey Family]

I love that. My wife and I are as different as chalk and cheese, too. (I'm the chalk, she loves cheese).

The touristy comment is interesting. We aren't "touristy" types. We'll take Sanibel over Orlando, for example.

scotlass: Any off-the-beaten track things you enjoy in Cornwall?

I wouldn't read 'touristy' to mean anything like the Cornish equivalent of Orlando. I would say that parts of Cornwall are more geared up for tourists as opposed to the Lake District but this is more in the way of shops and restaurants catering to the trade or Newquay being tailored for the young, surfing community. If you want the equivalent to Orlando (and it's a very poor equivalent!) then you'd be looking at Blackpool or somewhere similar. The Lake District is simply unspoiled by commercialism or excessive property building thanks to its status as a national park. It is a rugged and wet but extremely beautiful part of England whereas Cornwall is more gentle and serene. Both would be excellent choices and can quite easily be absorbed into a two week holiday.

 

[scotlass]

scotlass: Any off-the-beaten track things you enjoy in Cornwall?

We love driving down to the Lizard and Lizard Point. There is a small restaurant there where you can sit and look at the cliffs both east and west. Stunning! Farther west, near Penzance, is St. Michael's Mount, http://www.stmichaelsmount.co.uk/, which is lovely. Further along the coast is the Minack Theatre, http://www.minack.com/, which has plays starting in May so, depending on when you are there, you could be lucky. We were there in July and it was difficult to concentrate on the play when the sunshine and gorgeous views were distracting. Land's End is worth a visit although quite 'touristy' but the views are nice. Close by is Sennen Cove which is a little more off the beaten track. St. Ives is worth the stop but be careful in the car parks.....get back before your 'pay and display' runs out....we had a parking ticket that cost us $132 for coming back 20 minutes late....in winter! The fee is 60 GBP plus VAT which made it 72 GBP. Simply outrageous!

We have stayed at Clowance twice and loved it. All of the places I have mentioned are within an easy drive from there. We flew into Newquay and hired a car there. Unfortunately, I think Flybe.com is the only airline that goes from London since Air Southwest left. BMIbaby.com also flies into NQY as well as Logan Air, depending on the origin of your flight. http://newquaycornwallairport.com/

Let me know if you need any more information.

 

[Bwolf]

"Pompey Family" thank you, that's good to know.

scotlass: My wife and I will review what you've provided, as well as Laurie, and discuss the comments of the other folks, as well.

It will be a tough choice. I'll resurrect this thread when necessary.

Thanks again, to everyone.

 

[windmillhill]

The Lake District has extremely beautiful scenery and we love our week there every February/March, but Cornwall is where my heart lies! The coastal scenery is second to none and the opportunities for walking in beautiful countryside are everywhere. Scotlass has given you an idea of the places you might like at the western tip of the county but to find out more you might like to visit the main tourism website www.visitcornwall.com.

Apart from the wonderful scenery and beaches, there are Cornish pasties and cream teas!

 

[Bwolf]

Apart from the wonderful scenery and beaches, there are Cornish pasties and cream teas!

If I tell my wife that first thing, she'll decide on Cornwall without weighing the other comments!

 

[Laurie]

scotlass has mentioned some places we enjoyed also - Minack Theater, St. Michael's Mount and Lizard's End, where we stumbled upon a fun folk night at that restaurant.

Some other activities we enjoyed in Cornwall were the Obby Os festival in Padstow, as we happened to be there on May Day:
http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/'Obby_'Oss_festival (edited to add, my link isn't working for some reason, but you can google for info)

We went on several countryside treks to ancient stone formations aka "quoits" ... http://www.cornwalls.co.uk/history/ancient/stones.htm
(there's a really good stone circle in Lake District as well)...

and a beach with dinosaur egg rocks, Porth Nanven:
http://www.cornwallinfocus.co.uk/walking/w32.php?print

We did use flybe air, and learned why the locals call it "fly-maybe"

BUT I was still thinking that with your love of Sanibel, Lake District seems a closer match, largely for the lack of commercial development. Even the old stone fences have to be maintained according to code, which is why the sheep are usually seen wandering on the roads...

BTW windmillhill, Langdale area was about my favorite timeshare locale in Lake District, but it almost never comes up for exchange in RCI - I envy you!

 

[cwtkm3]

All this talk of England makes me want to go on holiday in England! We're always abroad in the summer, Cornwall is too crowded for my liking but off season is superb.

The OP could try Northumberland for a fantastic experience. Places like Ainwick castle (where they filmed some of Harry Potter), Banburgh Castle, Lindisfarne etc. How about Durham with it's fabulous catherdral.

How about Yorkshire?

The country is truly beautiful; I need to see more of it!

 

[nerodog]

love both

near Cornwall, go to St Ives and Mousehole both are memorable to me... nice to drive around and head into Devon too.... We loved all the little tea rooms and art galleries.

Lakes - Stayed in the B&B's there and loved Grasmere area, took a tour around the less popular lakes which is worth it so check out .. mountain tours or something like that I would have to look it up... also Bowness on WIndermere was lovely...

 

[Quilter]

I'm just beginning my research for a trip to the Lake District. Found this thread and am hoping to bring it back up for more discussion and input. We are II members.

Langdale, Keswick Bridge and Whitbarrow Village have been mentioned. Would they be equal to each other? If not, what would be an order of choice?

Thank you for any help,
Suzzanne

 

[Laurie]

Not an II member and haven't been to the resorts specifically, but Langdale would be at the top of my list.

 

[Bwolf]

Just an FYI. We managed an exchange into Woodford Bridge Country Club this July. We are flying into Heathrow and renting a car. I've driven in England before, so I guess we will be ok. Not my first choice, but surface transportation on Sunday isn't that good and we need to get to Holsworthy, Devon, and the resort is "out of the way" as the staff say. We also need to get back to Heathrow for our flight out the following Sunday, so there you go.

We will start reviewing all the wonderful recommendations and perhaps ask a few questions as we do.

 

[Pompey Family]

Just an FYI. We managed an exchange into Woodford Bridge Country Club this July. We are flying into Heathrow and renting a car. I've driven in England before, so I guess we will be ok. Not my first choice, but surface transportation on Sunday isn't that good and we need to get to Holsworthy, Devon, and the resort is "out of the way" as the staff say. We also need to get back to Heathrow for our flight out the following Sunday, so there you go.

We will start reviewing all the wonderful recommendations and perhaps ask a few questions as we do.

The easiest although not the most direct route is to take the M4 towards Bristol and then the M5 towards Exeter. This will mean that the vast majority of your driving will be on the motorway. Once off the M5 however it's mainly narrow country lanes with the inevitable oncoming tractor

 

[Bwolf]

The easiest although not the most direct route is to take the M4 towards Bristol and then the M5 towards Exeter. This will mean that the vast majority of your driving will be on the motorway. Once off the M5 however it's mainly narrow country lanes with the inevitable oncoming tractor

We will update our Garmin with current English maps. We have the voice set to an English male we call "Niles" of "The Nanny" fame. Seems fitting. We will likely take the route you suggest. However, Niles tends to be quite insistent that we go the way he wants to go. He gets quite :annoyed: with us when we don't follow his directions.