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You can find the first two parts of the Southern England travel report here:
England #1: Journey, Canterbury and London
England #2: Windsor and Oxford

One thing you should plan for the Cornwall region is time. A lot of time. This is mainly due to two reasons: the time it takes to get from A to B and many interesting sights.

We needed a whole day for the journey from Oxford. It probably would have been faster, but we made a short detour via Bath (where we didn’t stop in the end after all) and we also wanted to drive along the coast by the sea while it was still light. Our hotel was located in Newquay - a sweet up-and-coming place with a sandy beach. Surfers have discovered the place, but it’s also a great base for water sports and exploring Cornwall for non-surfers. We spent three nights in a somewhat older but quite charming hotel. Due to the location, our destinations were usually only an hour away from our hotel, so it wasn’t quite as exhausting when you came back in the evening and still wanted to eat something.

Already in the first two days we noticed that it gets light at 08:00 and dark again at 16:00. So we got up early and were at breakfast punctually at 08:00. The great thing? We also caught the sunrise.

For our first day we chose the southern part of Cornwall. First station: St. Ives. In Cornwall, the towns are usually located on cliffs. This meant for us that we always had to park above the town. After our explorations, we then had to go back up… St. Ives too, a beautiful fishing village. A sweet town center with a great promenade winds along the sea. Thanks to low tide, we could walk by the sea, enjoy the weather and later also stroll through the alleys and visit the small shops.

Across Cornwall

From Land’s End and Tintagel

We continued to Land’s End - the westernmost point in Cornwall. There’s a large parking lot and a hotel there, which is really beautifully located. At Land’s End you can experience Cornwall’s rugged coast very well. If you want to escape the hustle and bustle, a visit in the winter months is really recommended. There was hardly anything going on and you could walk along the small footpath in peace.

Cornwall was again confirmation for us why we like to travel on vacation with our car. You can experience nature much better. On the drive from St. Ives to Land’s End, nature motivated us several times to make short stops, the panorama just had to be enjoyed.

The last destination of the first day? Lizard’s Point. Instead of the westernmost, now the southernmost point of Cornwall and also with rugged coast. We made it just in time for sunset and could see the small piece of earth bathed in golden light - simply wonderful.

The next day we went north to Tintagel. It is said that King Arthur was conceived there by Merlin through a ruse. The ruins could only be partially visited. The bridge to the small island with the castle was closed for renovation work. However, there was the (worn) possibility to get to the beach. On this you could visit a waterfall and Merlin’s cave.

Afterwards we had a classic English tea-time with scones. Very tasty and also warming. But also rather heavy on the stomach. But whatever, the main thing is delicious. Then we continued to Fowey, another small fishing village. After a short city walk we rested a bit at sunset and then made our way back to the hotel. The day was ended by us in a local fish restaurant. A bit cool, but definitely delicious.

Our Conclusion

Is a vacation in Southern England worthwhile?

Kernic

Even though I find the Rosamunde Pilcher novels rather kitschy and hardly romantic, I can understand the regular choice of Cornwall as the setting for the stories. Cornwall is a very quiet spot on our planet, which is also very romantic. The cliffs and green hills just look fantastic. In addition, there are many small towns that just invite you to relax. I could imagine summer vacation in St. Ives. Sitting at the harbor or by the sea and just reading a book. At the end of the world you can forget the rest of the world.

Only the period in winter was not optimal. Since it was light for a maximum of eight hours a day, time was tight. The distances are not great, but since only country roads exist in Cornwall, you don’t get from A to B very quickly. The left-hand traffic with a German car didn’t help either.

Nevertheless: I can recommend a trip to Cornwall to everyone. Whether with your own car, or by bus and train. Given the number of buses we saw, there seems to be a dense network. There are beautiful places and landscapes to discover, but Cornwall also just invites you to pause, relax and reflect.

Girlfriend

Cornwall has a really very impressive landscape. When you drive along the country roads, you only see green and hedges. The picture is completed with the cliffs and the sheep. For me exactly the right thing to take a little break, feel the wind and enjoy.

The food isn’t necessarily mine, but if you want, you’ll definitely find alternatives. On the other hand, we think tea-time is really great - but that’s probably also because we’re not coffee drinkers.

I found the timing of the trip great - the Christmas decorations in the small towns and the good weather.

If you like landscape, Cornwall is exactly right.

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We explored the south of England in the next part:
England #4: Southern England and Return Journey