I have family in Cornwall!!! It is the Florida of the UK! I haven't been back in a long long time, so not sure about must see places. I'll check with my Dad and report back.

Oh, Aunt Jen, you are going to love it! My sister and I spent a week in the 'west country' some time ago, and it was amazing. I wish we could have stayed much, much longer than the week we spent before heading to London.

We stayed in Devon in the village of Lynton - not far from the Valley of Rcoks. Lynton is uphill from Lynmouth Harbour, which you may reach by a very old water funicular. We did day trips every day - it was both exhausting, and marvelous. Just driving the hedged roads was something else. I remember Clovelly as a beautiful old fishing village, and Tintagel as King Arthur / Queen Genevieve castle ruins. We also visited the city of Bath, but that really needs more time.

I hadn't known in advance, but the 'west country' is pretty rugged, and you'll do a lot of UPHILL walking. It's a great workout. I would really love to go back. Enjoy!

Years ago, my sister and I spent 10 days doing a circle that started/ended in London and which included a few days in the Cotswolds, over to Tintagel, down to St. Ives for an afternoon at the beach (we'd originally been there when I was 4 and she was 2), down to Penzance, winding through Devon, over to Bournemouth to see friends and then back to London. The two areas we wished we'd allowed more time for were the Cotswolds and Devon.

What types of things do you/your mom like to do? That would help me make suggestions. I definitely would try and stay centrally located for day trips in both Devon and Cornwall. I prefer Devon to Cornwall because, to me, there's more to do and see in Devon. I've subsequently been back to Devon and would go again....if I wasn't going to the Borders in Scotland.

What's your traveling style?

Is Scotland on your 'to go to' list? I ask because Edinburgh is AWESOME!!

That's so much for the input!

Chispa, how cool that you have family living in Cornwall! Do you know whereabouts they are in the county? Would enjoy hearing what your Dad recommends.

Gwbr54, I have heard of Lynton/Lynmouth - in fact, I'm pretty sure in my search for self-catering cottages I perused that area. Clovelly and Tintagel sound fascinating. I've been to Bath and it's a lovely, stately city. I found it interesting in a very different sort of way than other places I've visited in England. I almost felt as though I needed to "sit up straight" in Bath - it somehow just felt a lot more formal than other places to me. But I loved it. (My Mom played the piano at the famous Pump Room in Bath on our visit. :-))

Lesterd, you have seen a lot! What did you think of Penzance? We're strongly considering - and actually will likely place a deposit on very soon - a lovely renovated fisherman's cottage about 3 or 4 miles from Penzance. Being so far south will really limit our ability to see a lot of different places, but one of the things Mom and I enjoy most is just being in a wonderful little village and soaking up the atmosphere around us. For instance, one of the experiences we loved most in the Cotswolds was walking back to our cottage from the one-and-only village pub by "torchlight." The village was fortunate to be home to a "gastro-pub", very upscale and frequented by the "horsey set", many of whom were in town for Cheltenham race week. It just felt special to have a full belly and walk out the door of the pub, into the chilly (often misty) night air, past the centuries-old homes and church, down the narrow, cobbled lanes until we reached the cottage with the little lamp glowing through the window. Ahhhhhh.

Anyway, we obviously won't be centrally located but I'm sure we can find countless ways to fill our days. It never ceases to amaze me how one can look at an Ordnance Survey map and villages are seemingly so close together, but because of the tiny lanes it seems to take ages to get from one point to another.

Afternoon tea, strolling down village streets and taking in the sights, sounds and smells of daily life, peering into windows, popping into shops and churches ... As I said, we just want to soak it up. It's such fun. :-)

I've been to Edinburgh, but only overnight. I was with a large wedding party and we did a rather cheesy "ghost tour", but I do recall it being a real hoot! Would love to go back to Scotland someday too. When are you going to the Borders?

jen, Penzance, for us, was a wonderful place place to visit and then move on from. For our style of traveling, however, it's too far out to be a "home base". We do car day trips and prefer locations that are more central. We enjoyed Falmouth. My sis and I found that, for the trip we took, making a circle and moving on was the best way to visit that area.

You are sooooo right about looking at the Ordnance Survey maps and the actual distances.

DH and I have applied for Olympics tickets next year. If we get them, we'll be heading to London for the events and then head up to Scotland, staying in the Borders. The place we always make a point of staying is at the link below. If you open the photo gallery, go to Stunning Views, picture 11 shows some tiny white homes/dots in the distance. My parents used to own one of those homes when they thought they'd be retiring (which they never did because they couldn't stand THIS much solitude). However, the house stayed in our family for about 25 yrs and our family goes back to the area as often as we can. It's about 55 minutes from Edinburgh.

Here is a link that might be useful: Borders

That is so lovely, lesterd! You're going to have an absolutely marvelous time!

Where did you stay in Devon? We're considering adding a couple more days to our trip and spending them somewhere in Devon. Really want a charming B&B in an equally charming village!

Gwbr54, I'm looking at accommodations in Lynton/Lynmouth. Do you recall where you stayed in Lynton?

Clovelly is charming, but I understand there's an entrance fee to the village which turns me off slightly. It isn't much - 6 pounds or so - but makes it seem more museum-like and touristy and not quite so authentic somehow. ::sigh::

Haven't been but would love to! Not sure when I am retiring but when I do I am planning a 2-week vacation to Somerset by myself to do a heritage tour of the villages my grandmother's family is from plus all the other cool stuff there is to do like fossil hunting!

Yes, I have been to Cornwall several times. The true Cornish accent is difficult to understand, even for a Brit like me! I loved Tintagel and Padstow and St Ives. St Ives was very arty. Landsend is just ...well..the end of England. Not much there. Most people just take a photo there and then leave.
Foods to try are Cornish pasties and anything made from Cornish clotted cream Yummm! Their ice cream and fudge made with clotted cream are scrummy! I have never felt the inclination to try Stargazy Pie!!!
Cornwall has a very strong connection to the sea with picturesque fishing villages and a rugged coastline littered with abandoned tin mines. The county really is not that big so as you will have a car you should be able to visit any of the places that interest you. Getting about can be a bit slow as many of the roads are narrow and twisting (backing up is often necessary).
You will know by now how unpredictable the weather can be, warmer and rainproof clothing are likely to be needed.
I think you will love it!

Sis3, I've heard about the Cornish accent! I can hardly wait to hear it in person. I've also heard that there's nothing at Land's End and not worth seeing (probably much like the Four Corners of the southwest - just a place where four states come together, whoopee! ;-)). I can hardly wait to sample the food. Anything made with clotted cream is alright by me! (But no, no Stargazy Pie ... I've read about it in "The Mousehole Cat" but like you, have no inclination to actually taste it!)

We will be staying in Paul, which is about a half mile up a leafy lane from Mousehole, in a beautifully refurbished cottage. We plan to arrive by train and not have a car - although if we change our minds, we know where to rent one in Penzance. (I found that driving really limits my ability to take in the scenery, since my eyes are always focused on the road and traffic!) We'll travel around the immediate area either on foot or by bus/taxi, and then take a train to spend a few days in Totnes, Devon before heading back to London.

Perhaps you already know that Mousehole is pronounced Mowzl?

No, there is nothing much at Land's End beyond a photo op in front of a sign! I know what you mean about the conflict between driving and sightseeing. Depending upon how long you intend to stay in Cornwall perhaps you could have a car for just one day to allow you to visit some of the best of the characterful little villages and harbors?

You will have to save some room for a Devon cream tea, purely for scientific comparison purposes of course!

Yes, we are aware of the pronunciation - although just between ourselves, Mom and I insist upon saying Mouse-hole. ;-D Then again, my younger brother and I amused ourselves for entirely too long in an English village pub one afternoon saying Mon-mouth and Fal-mouth phonetically and in a very um, "hillbilly" accent (hey, we're from Texas!). A few pints just did us in.
;-D

We're keeping an open mind about the car and may rent one for a few days at least.