West Country this Summer?

doug748

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Probably (b) or (c) - some sailing clubs including mine have written off this year so boats have not been launched and with many boat owners in the at risk category ( ie the elder generation) they may stay at home.


I think so too.

Probably a good year to visit if you hate crowds.....as long as you don't rely on pubs and food outlets. The first weeks of the overnight ban going may well be the busiest.

.
 

coveman

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One of the problems as usual is lack of information. We have a holiday cottage which we normally rent out. Rumour has it that holiday makers may be able to travel to this type of accommodation on July 4th for their holiday but we have no guidance from Govt on what steps we are supposed to follow in regard to cleaning between lets. They may not be happy to set a firm date, which I understand as that depends on the "R" value, but guidance on cleaning could be made available so that there is time to prepare. I imagine that will be made public on July3rd!
 

James_Calvert

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One of the problems as usual is lack of information. We have a holiday cottage which we normally rent out. Rumour has it that holiday makers may be able to travel to this type of accommodation on July 4th for their holiday but we have no guidance from Govt on what steps we are supposed to follow in regard to cleaning between lets. They may not be happy to set a firm date, which I understand as that depends on the "R" value, but guidance on cleaning could be made available so that there is time to prepare. I imagine that will be made public on July3rd!
Have your letting agents any guidance?

I heard yesterday that bookings are being taken in this area from 4 July. One assumes the agents concerned have got some clue from somewhere...
 

longjohnsilver

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Also living in Devon and seeing and hearing daily the anti tourist vitriol from the West Country as a whole, and the miserable reaction from many of the local harbour masters, I’d be amazed if everywhere was suddenly open and welcoming in early July.
For my part, I’d far rather find a quiet anchorage or buoy rather than a busy marina. Much less hassle and far safer. I never have enjoyed crowds of people, but I will miss the company of friends, but perhaps, fingers crossed, that situation will also improve soon.
 

Bluetack42

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Having owned a second home in Falmouth For the past 10 years we are putting it up for sale, completely sickened by the true colours shown by the locals over the past 3 months towards second home owners. From now on our sailing will be the Solent and northern France. If you brave the trip west, either by road or sea be ready to dodge the pitchforks, somethings happened to the locals in lockdown, lost their inhibitions to say what they really feel about “foreigners“
 

chriss999

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Having owned a second home in Falmouth For the past 10 years we are putting it up for sale, completely sickened by the true colours shown by the locals over the past 3 months towards second home owners. From now on our sailing will be the Solent and northern France. If you brave the trip west, either by road or sea be ready to dodge the pitchforks, somethings happened to the locals in lockdown, lost their inhibitions to say what they really feel about “foreigners“

Perhaps they didn’t want their limited hospital resources overwhelmed by visitors? How unreasonable.
 

zoidberg

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On the A38, twixt Exeter and Plymouth, near Ashburton they have deployed an Imperial Scout Walker, I'm not sure if it is armed or if there is a garrison of Stormtroopers nearby.

It took a while for the penny to drop..... must be an age thing!

However I do know a 'Royal' or two, and I reckon they'd ALL love a play with one of them - especially if they can do a 'brew up' inside.
 

chriss999

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In RD&E this week there were only 2 COVID patients. That’s in a hospital with an approximate 800 bed capacity.

Yes. Throughout the last few months I’ve been hearing that from my RD&E sources. But we were all told to expect large numbers of patients in intensive care, people were told to stay at home to protect the NHS etc. These rules applied to the West Country as well as up country. We all (well mostly) followed the rules and didn’t want visitors to break them if we couldn’t. Sounds reasonable to me.
The experts may have been wrong, who knows? But the rules are there to be followed.
I hope that Bluetack will be happy in his new cruising ground.
 

Tintin

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Having owned a second home in Falmouth For the past 10 years we are putting it up for sale, completely sickened by the true colours shown by the locals over the past 3 months towards second home owners. From now on our sailing will be the Solent and northern France. If you brave the trip west, either by road or sea be ready to dodge the pitchforks, somethings happened to the locals in lockdown, lost their inhibitions to say what they really feel about “foreigners“

Bye.
 

PhillM

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We still have a club cruise in company pencilled for the first 2 weeks of August. I think about 6 boats with 14 or so people.

I wondered if we should stay local, go West (from the Solent, which is the plan) or go over to France (like we did last year). Feedback from France is by then they expect to be fully open and very welcoming. Come and party, was the tone ... I understand the reticence of the Cornish to outsiders. Hopefully, by the time the holiday season starts, visitors will be greeted with a friendly welcome. Otherwise, I do worry about the long term consequences for their local economy. This year will be a golden opportunity to welcome tourists and make them want to return.
 

atol

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finaly got the bill for moorings from the harbour office in truro which should have been sent out in march...so something is happening....
 

BabySharkDooDooDooDooDoo

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Yes. Throughout the last few months I’ve been hearing that from my RD&E sources. But we were all told to expect large numbers of patients in intensive care, people were told to stay at home to protect the NHS etc. These rules applied to the West Country as well as up country. We all (well mostly) followed the rules and didn’t want visitors to break them if we couldn’t. Sounds reasonable to me.
The experts may have been wrong, who knows? But the rules are there to be followed.
I hope that Bluetack will be happy in his new cruising ground.

All perfectly understandable, but only time will tell whether or not behaviours such as erecting home made 'road closed' signs to try and discourage people making lawful journeys will end up also discouraging them when people do eventually want them to come back.

That said we were in Cornwall just under two weeks ago and didn't encounter any issues although had we been a bit earlier we would have been able to travel back on the Torpoint ferry for free.
 

Goldie

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Having owned a second home in Falmouth For the past 10 years we are putting it up for sale, completely sickened by the true colours shown by the locals over the past 3 months towards second home owners. From now on our sailing will be the Solent and northern France. If you brave the trip west, either by road or sea be ready to dodge the pitchforks, somethings happened to the locals in lockdown, lost their inhibitions to say what they really feel about “foreigners“

I think you might just find that it was the government that prohibited visits to second homes and unnecessary travel (unless you’re an MP, Gov’t advisor etc). You can’t blame ‘the locals’ for that! What did rankle the locals is the number of people from ‘up country’ blatantly ignoring those rules.
 

coveman

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I think you might just find that it was the government that prohibited visits to second homes and unnecessary travel (unless you’re an MP, Gov’t advisor etc). You can’t blame ‘the locals’ for that! What did rankle the locals is the number of people from ‘up country’ blatantly ignoring those rules.
I quite agree - in the early stages of lock down many were fleeing the capital, which had the worst infection rate, to their second homes in the West Country. I understand why, but travel was prohibited at that stage and it was certainly not morally the correct thing to be doing as it risked spreading the infection even further, to an area that did not have the resources of London. RD&E may have 800 beds but certainly not 800 ICU beds.
 

jdc

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I simply don't recognise the idea that anti-tourist sentiment abounds here in Cornwall. Practically everyone I meet is really keen to get back to work and to restart businesses, and visiting on a sailing boat is quite different from camper vans at beaches and beauty spots anyway. And how would anyone distinguish local from visitor when on a yacht? Yesterday early evening, in the rain, the Carrick Roads had multiple yachts sailing around (us included). No animosity at all; in fact marginally friendlier than normal (if a wave acknowledged is a measure). Last Sunday it was like a normal August weekend, boats of every size and type from Kayaks and water skiers to large ocean-going yachts (and a rather fun looking foiling moth going fast). This afternoon I will be on the Fowey and fully expect nothing but friendliness and courtesy.

I'm not impressed if someone who presumably likes Falmouth is put off the place and people for good when he's not been there to experience anything for himself. Presumably he hasn't been there to experience any of the antipathy he claims for the last 3 months, so why does he believe it exists? (he was not allowed to be there by UK-wide government rules, don't blame us locals). I have the same issue with a cottage I have in Scotland - goodness knows when I'll be allowed to visit - but it doesn't make me dislike the place or say the people are suddenly unfriendly.

The 'anti' feeling I have heard expressed is a fairly natural aversion to those who blatantly disregard the rules we all have had to live under and which we have done our best to obey however galling or illogical they might have seemed. It's not about locals versus tourists, visitors or second-homers but about good manners and good citizenship.
 
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atol

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you should read Cornwall Live,who have been doing their best to stoke resentment in Cornwall over all contentious issues,especially visitors and second home owners etc,the comment section is equally revealing.
basically clickbait,and copy n' paste journalism online and on facebook.
it is no wonder there is resentment,but it generates income for them and the hacks that work there.
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