Cornwall and Devon in mid-April

[richarddd]

We are planning a trip to Cornwall and Devon in mid-April.  We'd fly into Heathrow, hire a car and drive westward.  Days will be mostly National Trust properties, gardens and the like (there are lot of NT properties and Good Gardens Guide recommendations in the area), with dawn and dusk devoted to photography.  Total time about 10 days.

Where would you recommend for photography?

[mshea]

I strongly recommend "Britain and Ireland's Best Wild Places: 500 Essential Journeys" by Christopher Somerville. We used it last year from Yorkshire through Wales, Devon, and Cornwall. It's a treasure-trove of information. Certainly explore the length and breadth of Dartmoor; Wistman's Wood—one of the oldest ancient forests in Britain, if not THE oldest—is particularly enchanting. Hopefully, you'll get to explore it on an overcast day. Lots of interesting Bronze Age settlements in Dartmoor too.

We've found Laterooms.com to be a good resource for booking accommodations, also Rick Steve's guidebook.

Have fun!

Merrill

[mlewis]

Well Dartmoor and Exmoor are good starting points.  The Cornish and Devon coastlines are interesting.  The old tin mines and the china clay pits are worth a look.

[Jeremy Roussak]

Just one tip: avoid driving into Devon or, particularly, Cornwall on a Friday afternoon or evening or on a Saturday. Unless you like traffic jams, that is.

Jeremy

[Rhossydd]

I don't think traffic jams are much to worry about, mid April is after Easter and there are no school holidays, so the roads in Devon and Cornwall are likely to be pretty empty by summer standards. The main route through this area is the A30 which is much improved in recent years, but most other roads are narrow and can be tediously slow if you get stuck behind commercial traffic. From Heathrow use the M4 west to pick up the southbound M5 is probably the easiest and fastest route into the West. Some people would recommend the M25 > M3 > A303 > A30, whilst it's slightly more scenic the only real merit of using it is passing Stonehenge.

National Trust gardens won't be in full bloom that early in the year, but that doesn't stop the houses being well worth a visit at such a quiet time. My favourites would be Cotehele, Lanhydrock, St Michael's mount and Castle Drogo.

If you can, do make the journey down to Penwith (that's the bit of Cornwall at the far end beyond Penzance). The North Cornwall coast and the moors above it are wild and dramatic and can be a photographic play ground. The Bottallack engine houses are a classic location, but any walk along the northern coastal path is worth the effort in that part of the world, with wonderful little coves and beaches like Porthcurno and Portheras. Mousehole and St Ives are also very pretty 'classic' spots too, although parking in St Ives can be a nightmare.
There are also some very moody standing stones, stone circles etc around there, but they can take a bit of effort to find.

If you like good food and want a great place to stay, try either The Coastguard Hotel in Mousehole or The Gurnards Head Hotel. Both do wonderful fine food, beer and wine and are in great locations where a few minutes walk can get you to some really photogenic spots.

Avoid Tintagel, it's a horrible tourist trap, similarly Newquay and Perranporth aren't much of a draw either. I'm not a great fan of the south coast really, I prefer the wilder Atlantic coast.

[Chairman Bill]

If you only visit one National Trust house & gardens in April, it should be Cotehele - http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/cotehele/. A Tudor house, with superb spring gardens, full of daffodils, narcissi, snakes-head fritillaries & anemones.

Dartmoor is a must. Check the ranges, to make sure live firing isn't taking place in the areas you plan to walk - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dartmoor-firing-programme

As mentioned, Wistman's Wood is worth the visit, though Black a' Tor Copse is equally interesting, and my prefererence out of the two. Shovel Down offers clapper bridges, stone circle, & stone rows. Tavy Cleave is worth visiting, and so is Drizzlecombe - a stupendous view down the valley, with an ancient ceremonial complex of standing stones & stone rows & large burial cairn. In fact, forget everywhere else, just stick to Dartmoor :-)

Cornwall's lovely, but my preference is for the West Penwith peninsula, from Penzance, all around the coast to St Ives, and everything between.

[richarddd]

We have a crossed index list of one and two star gardens from The Good Garden Guide, National Trust properties and another garden guide or two.

I'm surprised at the enthusiasm for Dartmoor.  I'll have to look at it some more.

Current plans include a couple of days at each of Penzance, Falmouth, New Quay and something a bit further east, bookended by Stourhead and the Vyne.

[Rhossydd]

I'm surprised at the enthusiasm for Dartmoor.

I think many people here prefer wild landscapes, rather than planned and manicured formal gardens.
The moors of Dartmoor, Exmoor and Penwith can be spectacularly beautiful, especially in the sort of dramatic weather they're subject to, whilst you can get an idea from the seat of a car you really need to get out and walk into the wilder areas to get the full experience.

[Chairman Bill]

Frankly, I'd give Falmouth & Newquay a miss, unless a working port (Falmouth) and an overly commercialised holiday resort (Newquay) are your thing. Newquay has some great beaches, but the town itself is hardly worth the effort. Bedruthan Steps, just up the coast from there, is worth the visit though.

[brianrybolt]

+1

[luxborealis]

I think many people here prefer wild landscapes, rather than planned and manicured formal gardens.
The moors of Dartmoor, Exmoor and Penwith can be spectacularly beautiful, especially in the sort of dramatic weather they're subject to, whilst you can get an idea from the seat of a car you really need to get out and walk into the wilder areas to get the full experience.

That's it exactly! Throw in the dramatic coasts of north Cornwall in late afternoon and you're golden.

[richarddd]

My favourites would be Cotehele, Lanhydrock, St Michael's mount and Castle Drogo.

Those are on our list, other than Castle Drogo which is being renovated.

I'd give Falmouth & Newquay a miss

We picked Falmouth because it is near Trebah and Glendurgan.

We picked Newquay as somewhere with nice hotels on the north coast and within a reasonable distance to Caerhays, Heligan, Trewithen.

Where would be better places to stay for these?

Dartmoor: I think many people here prefer wild landscapes

I'm a big fan of wild landscapes, but at first glance Dartmoor seemed more of an empty space than a wild landscape. Any favorite photos of it? Where would you stay for Dartmoor?

[luxborealis]

I'd suggest skipping the hotels and looking into B&Bs and self-catering places. We stayed in a lovely farm self-catering cottage in Moretonhampstead right in Dartmoor - Budleigh Farm. It made for easy access to some of the tors at first light.

A few places to consider are Brentor, Lydford Gorge, Birch Tor, (and numerous other tors) Bovey Tracey in Dartmoor and Tarr Steps in Exmoor. Keep an eye out for Exmoor's wild ponies.

[Rhossydd]

Where would be better places to stay for these?

Trip advisor can be your friend, but read carefully.
A lot depends on your budget. There are some excellent hotels with world class restaurants, eg http://www.enodoc-hotel.co.uk/hotel.html , but they can be pretty expensive.

seemed more of an empty space than a wild landscape.

Now there's a whole topic of discussion by itself.

[Chairman Bill]

Dartmoor has the highest concentration of neolithic monuments in Western Europe. Stone circles, stone rows (the longest stone rows in the world IIRC), burial sites, enclosures & villages with hut circles. There's a massive amount of ancient industrial archaeology, with tin, copper & lead mines dating back into pre-history. There are ancient trackways, a good number that were of some religious significance, either as part of a pilgrimage route, or as routes linking abbeys & monasteries - there are rather a lot of ancient marker posts, including stone crosses. There are large warrens, created to house rabbits, as a food source for the miners - mostly medieval or later, but giving Dartmoor lots of rabbits, and by consequence, the highest concentration of foxes in Britain.

Apart from the obvious rocky outcrops (Tors), Dartmoor has rivers, blanket bogs (crossing them can be an unnerving experience; as you walk, the ground moves under your feet. Jump up & down, and you can see the ground around you move. Be careful though, because under the layer of peat you're walking on, is water, very deep water, more than enough to swallow a Dartmoor pony, or you), mires, & streams, and ancient crossings for them, such as clapper bridges, or peat cuttings (routes through the peat, cut to enable safe & easier passage).

Wildlife includes otters, hares, badgers, stoats, weasels, foxes, deer, dormice, grouse (on the south moor), fogs, toads, lizards, adders, grass snakes, ravens, buzzards, peregrine falcons, dunlin, snipe, plovers, dippers, gooseanders, herons, kingfishers, and dozens of other bird species. The fir/pine plantations also have crossbills, goldcrests, and there is rumour of pine martens too. The rivers are home to eels, and a range of freshwater fish, as well as trout & salmon. For further info on wildlife habitats to be found here - clicky

In addition, a wide variety of moorland plants, some globally rare insects (e.g. blue ground beetle & bog hoverfly), including butterflies such as the marsh fritillary.

And if that lot doesn't generate any interest, you might need to see your medical practitioner, in case you're dead & didn't realise it :-)

[luxborealis]

Great post, Bill!

[Rhossydd]

And if that lot doesn't generate any interest, you might need to see your medical practitioner, in case you're dead & didn't realise it :-)

Whilst your post makes it clear you're an enthusiast for the moor, I'm not so convinced that it's appeal is so easily experienced by the casual tourist on a tight schedule.
Lots of rabbits really isn't that much of an attraction and most of the other rarer wildlife takes either a lot of luck or effort to see.
Many of the ancient remains and relics aren't easy to find, are well off the beaten tracks and aren't always easily understood and appreciated without a degree of specialist knowledge.

Worth diverting through. If you get lucky with the weather it can be spectacular, but if the weather is as dull as it can be in April, it's not really one of Britain's greatest tourist attractions unless you like rain and mist.

[ashaughnessy]

The obvious attraction is the coast and the obvious way to see it is the south-west coast path, which runs along the entire coast of devon and cornwall. The atlantic coast has some tremendous cliffs and rocky bays all the way along.
Anthony

[luxborealis]

Whilst your post makes it clear you're an enthusiast for the moor, I'm not so convinced that it's appeal is so easily experienced by the casual tourist on a tight schedule.
Lots of rabbits really isn't that much of an attraction and most of the other rarer wildlife takes either a lot of luck or effort to see.
Many of the ancient remains and relics aren't easy to find, are well off the beaten tracks and aren't always easily understood and appreciated without a degree of specialist knowledge.

Worth diverting through. If you get lucky with the weather it can be spectacular, but if the weather is as dull as it can be in April, it's not really one of Britain's greatest tourist attractions unless you like rain and mist.

Too true, and sadly so. The travel industry panders to this "casual" type of tourist. I was once astounded by a travel agent who wouldn't advise taking teens to the Greek Islands as, in her experience, they wouldn't find enough to do (read: no amusement parks, malls, etc.). Frankly, I was disgusted by what she said. But I guess all they have to offer are beaches and snorkelling and historical sites - how boring! But she is in the business and knows what sells.

To our delight, this keeps the really interesting places less crowded - and the moors of Devon are just that. A few coach tours come through to the honeypot sites, but there is so much more, in fact, anything more than a few minutes walk from the road and/or without coach parking. I'll take the moors anytime (as will my family!)

[Chairman Bill]

Well mid-April has pretty much come & gone, so I'd be interested in seeing the photos some time soon.

As Rhossydd says,some of the best places take a certain amount of knowledge to find, understand & appreciate. That said, it's worth taking the trouble to track some of them down. If anyone is thinking of visiting Dartmoor & isn't sure about venturing off the beaten track in pursuit of some of the more interesting sites, give me some notice & I'm happy to try to arrange to guide/advie etc.