Epic UK tour coming to an end help wanted

ShipsWoofy

ShipsWoofy

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My Kiwi mother in law has been staying with us for the last two weeks, I am ready to commit Harri kari but that is another point. Only one week left, yippeeeee/forums/images/icons/smile.gif

We are planning a few days away this week that must include Stone Henge and Salisbury Cathedral.

My plan is to leave very early from NW Uk and see these two sights on the way down. I then thought it would be nice to go and have a few days in Cornwall, possibly staying near Lizard and day tripping from there. I want to show some unspoilt fishing villages with thatched cottages and narrow streets etc.

But...

Should I be doing this, would it be worth carrying on South and spending a few days around the Solent area. Many of her ancestors will have left from the Solent to the New World of New Zealand. Where did Cook come from does anyone know? Bucklers hard and the like is fascinating to me, but I am not sure she will get much from that.

We have seen many stately homes and some of the countries finest castles (North Wales). So now looking for day to day living history.

Anyone care to give me some ideas,

Criteria (as always)

We are now on a budget.
I can not walk too far without resting, so national park rambles are out.

Thank you in advance

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.topcatsail.co.uk>Woof</A>
 
Cook came from N Yorks.. somewhat north of your intended tour.. but plenty of unspoilt villages there.. you could do York or Durham (the best ever imho) cathedral instead of Salibury... No Stonhenge but there is High Force....

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Heads of the Valleees, Forest of Dean, Usk Valley, Severn Bridge, Stourhead, Broadway, Cotswolds, Woburn, Stonehenge, Salisbury, New Forest? This route do her?

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.begleys.com/weather.htm>Useful links for Irish waters.</A>
 
salisbury cathedral is more interesting (copy of magna carta) and might take longer ....... if you do decide to carry on to solent (in car), Queen Victoria's summer residence Osborne House (east bank of river, Cowes Isle of Wight, ferry from Southampton or quicker and more scenic route from salisbury down thro' new forest to lymington, ferry to Yarmouth) .... do need to check that osborne is open at this time of year - sorry, i just don't know if it is ...

really lovely place in SW is Boscastle but that must still be a mess but there are many other places although I'm told weather in west going to be horrendous


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Be pleased to show you round the New Forest etc.. But we're English Bull Terrier people so leave those little Staffies at home ;-) ;-)
PM if of interest ..
Cheers BobE...

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Keep right on down to Cornwall my son. I used to go there regularly from London when I wanted a break, bloody brilliant place and the hospitailty is as good as anywhere else if not better. Do all the other things suggested to wear yourselves out then spend a couple of days in and around Brixham harbour and Falmouth harbour just chilling out and it will be the best ending to any busy site seeing tour you can imagine. Waking up in one of those quaint little B&B's on the hill alongside the harbour, no-matter what the weather was a sight I'll remember for the rest of my life and is as vivid as when I first did it 20 years ago. Just try to imagine doing it 2000 years ago. lows your mind.
Hope you enjoy as much as I did.

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://colvicownersclub.mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk>http://colvicownersclub.mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk</A>
 
could also take in Winchester Cathedral too, on the way to Southhampton. Of course if you are going to Stonhenge, you could also take in that other auld relic and visit jimi since he disnae live that far awa, but that wid maybe too much, even fur yer ma-in-law.

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Only had her for two weeks!!!

<My Kiwi mother in law has been staying with us for the last two weeks, I am ready to commit Harri kari but that is another point. Only one week left, yippeeeee>

I had my mother-in-law sleeping 1" away from us for the TWO MONTHS it took us to go through the French Canals.

Now that is a bummer!!!!!


<hr width=100% size=1>Mike
 
Re: Only had her for two weeks!!!

"now that is a bummer"

Does that mean you we sleeping head to toe mike......bugger that must have been bad.

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Re: Only had her for two weeks!!!

No I draw the line at that.
Er was the other side of the bulkhead in the other fwd cabin.
Head to toe - you kinky doing that with your mol????


<hr width=100% size=1>Mike
 
If you do go to Cornwall, here are 3 recommendations:

National Maritime Museum Cornwall, in Falmouth. Take the "park and float" if the tide is ok. The museum is an absolutely brilliant modern facility with all sorts of living history stuff.

St Just in Roseland. The churchyard slopes (steeply) down to the river and you can lose yourself pottering amongst gravestones of the same families over 500 years. Sounds odd but it's not.

Trebah. (Near Falmouth) Possibly my favourite formal garden. Again it's on a bit of a hill but at the bottom it opens out into what is now called Yankee Beach where part of the US force assembled for the D Day landings. It makes you think just how far it is from there to Normandy in the transports they were using.

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Thank you and some more....

Thank you for those recommendations everyone.

How long do you think it will take to appreciate Salisbury Cathedral, is a couple of hours pushing it? I actually only expect around 30 minutes at Stonehenge, you can’t get near any more can you? I would also like to see the tumuli while we are there.

I think it will be Cornwall, Brixham is one of my favourite places in the country but too far on this tour I fear. I really fancy visiting the national maritime museum. What is the park and float, where do I get it from, do I have to book?

How easy is it to find the Cheeswring stones on Bodmin?
Are the ponies out at this time of year?

The Last time I stayed in Falmouth it rained so hard it was difficult to get about as all the stairways between the houses were like waterfalls, I might avoid this if the weather is going to be poor.

Is the Eden centre worth the trip?

Which villages should I not miss, I am thinking

Brixham (too far, but maybe on the way onto Cornwall)
Polperro (passing)
Falmouth (day)
St Just in Roseland
Fowey (Passing)
Looe ??
Mevagissey (passing)
Cheesewring (on way home?)

This is around 80 miles if we don't get lost.

Anything in this area I am missing, for me as well as the MIL!

Is it a car ferry from Falmouth to St Mawes? Costs?
Should I leave the car at St Mawes and get the boat to Falmouth rather than driving around?

Should I make the trip down the Lizard?

This is a whistle-stop tour. Might even be looking for locations for Top Cat for next summer. Helford River looks interesting.

Edit>> Oh yes! I think I want to see thatched cottages, where is best for that? Cadwith looks interesting??


<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.topcatsail.co.uk>Woof</A><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by ShipsWoofy on 26/10/2004 01:44 (server time).</FONT></P>
 
Re: Thank you and some more....

The Eden centre is superb, but can get very busy with school trips etc, but then again that is what it excels in. We went when it first opened and again last year to see how it had improved. It really is worth a visit imho.

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Cook Museum on the outskirts of Middlesbrough at Marton where he was born. In that neck of the woods. The Cook memorial on the North York Moors. Whitby very much worth a visit.

Solent area.
Mary Rose in Portsmouth, Old Portsmouth. If she is into cricket the cradle of cricket is Hambledon about 8 miles inland from Portsmouth with a pub that does a very nice lunch - the bat and ball or the vyne in the village.

Beaulie & Bucklers hard worth a visit, we have taken visitors to Lymington.
A walk out to Hurst Castle clears the cobwebs away.

West Country
Dartmouth and Fowey seem to go down well with visitors
Padstow on the the North Cornwall coast along with Newquay.

Bristol docks and what remains of the really old part worth a wander. Bristol Merchant Venturers were responsible for opening trade up around the globe. The Brunel Clifton Suspension Bridge over the Avon Gorge at Clifton in Bristol.

I could go on but won't. Have spent my college years in the USA I have done 'the tour' with old friends a few times.

good luck

Iota

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Re: Thank you and some more....

Falmouth park and float: just follow signs, it's upriver of the town and if the tide won't serve it's a park and ride facility.

King Harry ferry gets you across the Fal some way upriver of Falmouth (links Roseland Peninsula to Feock on the Falmouth side). Cost is £6 return.

Cadgwith is a lovely village. Pilot gig racing is popular, where they row out seemingly to the horizon and back. If you admit to playing any musical instrument you may well get pressed into performing in the Cadgwith Cove Inn!



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Re: Thank you and some more....

Jules

Allow more time at Stonehenge, they give you little handset radios for a commentary you control yourself but at 30 minutes you would be running flat out. Personally I found it fascinating and I've been there several times with different overseas visitors. There are thatched cottages too nearby, on the route from Marlborough going south towards Salisbury. (Watch out for multiple speed cameras!)

Robin

<hr width=100% size=1><font size=1>Sermons from my pulpit are with tongue firmly in cheek and come with no warranty!</font size=1>
 
"National Maritime Museum Cornwall, in Falmouth. Take the "park and float" if the tide is ok. The museum is an absolutely brilliant modern facility with all sorts of living history stuff."

Thoroughly agree with this posting except that the "Park & Float" facility only operates May - September. There is a new car large park right by the museum now on the old TA Centre site. Should be easy to park at this time of year.


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Re: Thank you and some more....

Having a slight knowledge of the Stonehenge area, visit Woodhenge as well. Do them both in the morning and then have lunch in the Black Horse at Durnford in the lovely Avon Valley .. Landlord is eccentric but food and pub is good value and there is a non smoking area. Then go onto Salisbury Cathedral in afternoon, Old Sarum the site of the previous cathedral also worth a visit and the Haunch of Venison in the city centre is appropriately old worldy ... another area is Dorset where if the ranges are open a visit to Corfe Castle can be combined with a trip to <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.twinning.org.uk/tyneham_gallery.htm>Tyneham</A>

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A kiwi writes...

I've lived here most of my life and my first advice is to keep driving time to a minimum. Cathedrals only go so far with the average NZedder, thatched pubs and castles and stuff seen in films is better. If it were me I'd do the New Forest, stay in a village like Wareham, visit Corfe Castle and maybe Lyme Regis, loop through those lovely southern Dorset villages and Stonehenge. Maybe Salisbury and a really fine NT house and garden. Cornwall is too far and when seen from the road (compared with arriving by boat) is pretty deadly. The Eden Centre offered nothing that I didn't see when playing in the NZ bush as a kid, so give that a miss. You need time to sit and enjoy. Build that into your sechedule, it's more important than cathdrals and fishing villages.

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Be aware the roads can get busy down here, always allow a bit more time than you think, do watch out for speed cameras, if you go though the new forest it is a 40 mph speed limit, and watch out for the pony's, Beaulieu motor museum is good and they have a post house to see to, it is very post card pretty Beaulieu village.
Just another idea.
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Julie<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by powerskipper on 26/10/2004 11:32 (server time).</FONT></P>
 
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