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Affordable, superior bay view and excellent service are reason enough to take a train from London. Walking distance from train station and car hire.
Penzance Railway Station is just southwest of it.
A series of splendidly named valleys facing westwards between Land's End and St Ives. Renowned for birds in the autumn, especially rare ones. A number of first sightings for Britain have been found in them.
Great views at the seaward ends of the valleys where you can link onto the Cornish coast path. For softies, Cot Valley is the easiest access with a smallish car park at the end of the valley.
Views of the rocks called the Brisons off shore and Scilly on a clear day. Be prepared to back up a way when driving though!
Also worth a look: Nanquidno next to Land's End aerodrome just south of St Just off the B3306, Kenidjack just north of St just and Pendeen lighthouse.
Cot valley grid ref SW355309.
Nanquidno: SW 364292
Kenidjack: SW 365323
Pendeen lighthouse SW 379359
Perched on the ramparts of historic Pendennis Castle, this charming little cottage offers amazing sea views.
Staying within the grounds offers an amazing opportunity to explore after hours - we loved playing 'King and Queen of the Castle'! This is a really special retreat, lovely and cosy - it is great in lovely weather, but would also be perfect for a romantic winter break looking out over the roaring sea.
www.english-heritage.org.uk/holidaycottages. Booking number is 0870 333 1187
I found this place whilst on holiday in Cornwall in July. It's a bar/ restaurant/ live music venue in the most beautiful idyllic setting literally yards from the beach on the edge of a nature reserve.
Great views, great food, great music, great service. And it seems to be open round the clock too!
Sandsifter Bar and Restaurant
Godrevy Towans
Gwithian
Hayle TR27 5ED Tel: 01736 758457
A beautiful long beach which has places to eat and is a brilliant place to see a sunset.
Newquay
Just had a week down in Cornwall and enjoyed it as always (slowly uploading photos to flickr if interested).
I will recommend The Lugger Hotel, a lovely little hotel in the secluded fishing village of Portloe. I had the most fantastic crab sandwich and glass of white wine sitting in the sun on their terrace overlooking the slipway. Beautiful
www.luggerhotel.co.uk/
My pics: www.flickr.com/photos/juniorbonnerphotography/tags/cornwall/
Being a Londoner, I'm spoilt for choice and can visit a different gallery/exhibition every day if I wanted to.
Although the exhibition itself is brilliant in the Tate, the view from the top restaurant is AMAZING.
The sun was beating down and 3 friends and myself sat in front of the huge glass wall looking straight out on to the beach/sea.
Words cannot describe it, it felt we were somewhere in the Med, not England.
Well worth a trip!
Tate, St Ives
Laugharne is now almost entirely associated with Dylan Thomas, and understandably so, but it is a beautiful village in its own right, on a stunning estuary (the Taf), with a magnificent castle standing at the water's edge.
The buildings associated with the writer - Brown's Hotel, the boathouse, and others - are well preserved without having been put in mothballs, and the entire place is a pleasure to visit, not least because the dead hand of the heritage industry has been largely kept off.
There are lots of good places to eat and drink, many of them offering local dishes and brews. There is also a very good second-hand bookshop.
By road, turn off the A40 from Carmarthen just before St Clears, on to the A4066 to Laugharne. There is a free car park in the centre of the village, alongside the castle. Don't park in the High Street, it just bungs things up.
The Istanbul-Bodrum ferry is an ideal way to travel between Bodrum and Istanbul, offering excellent views of the Aegean coast and Greek islands on the way, and a dramatic entrance into the heart of Istanbul.
More like a cruise liner than a cross-channel ferry, it has a swimming pool, fitness centre and restaurants. The ship leaves Istanbul on Fridays and Mondays, and Bodrum on Sundays and Wednesdays (Istanbul-Bodrum is about 24 hours, Istanbul-Cesme is 17 hours). The midweek sailings stop in Çeşme on the way. Prices are about £50-70 per person sharing a two-berth or double outside cabin, meals not included.
Website www.denizline.com/eng/index.html
Telephone: +90 216 444 3369
Rough Tor is a beautiful granite-boulder strewn hill on the northern edge of Bodmin Moor.
On opening the gate on to the moor you cross a small stream and then start the gentle slope up the hill - past ancient stone hut circles and wild ponies - to the top where you can sometimes see the north and south coasts of Cornwall, as well as other craggy peaks, the odd coniferous forest and pools and reservoirs.
If you have more time, you can continue across to Brown Willy - the highest hill in Cornwall - passing another stream and through an abandoned hamlet.
Nearest town is Camelford:
tinyurl.com/ynk8j6
Excellent photos:
www.luphen.org.uk/public/2003/2003bodmin_moor.htm
20 minutes by boat from St Peter Port, Guernsey is Herm Island. No cars, so very quiet. Two absolutely stunning beaches within 20-30 mins walk of the harbour.
Costal path walk with views of Frances, Guernsey, Jersey, Sark and the Barclay twins' castle on Brechou. There are cafes at the beaches and a hotel and restaurant by the harbour.
In 2007 a day trip for 2 adults and 2 children was £27.00 (cheaper if you go on the 08.30 boat).
The Administration Office
Herm Island
Guernsey
GY1 3HR
www.herm-island.com/home.aspx
Telephone: +44 (0)1481 722377
Fax: +44 (0)1481 700334
email: directors@herm-island.com
Small informal cafe in the Old (German) Fort. Sit on the long museum verandah for a fine view over the city centre away from the crowds. Good selection of snacks and African meals. Interesting displays and history of independence.
Alte Feste, Robert Mugabe Ave. Windhoek. 5 mins walk from Independence Ave.
Info at www.namibia-travel.net/centralnamibia/windhoek.htm
Me and my girlfriend (we are a lesbian couple) traveled from Moscow to Ekaterinburg, and on to Volgograd. The trip was amazing. We were a bit worried about traveling without male company, but I must say Russia is one of the friendliest and untouristy places I've ever been.
It is a big advantage to know some Russian. Outside of Moscow we met nobody who spoke English. I found Moscow very stressful and expensive. It was the least pleasant city we visited. Our next stop was Kazan, the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan. I highly recommend Kazan. It's an old, beautiful and exotic city with a mix of Tatars and Russes living there. The atmosphere was far more relaxed than in Moscow.
Kazan offers great mosques, and is the Muslim centre of Russia. It's a great place to relax and stroll about. This city has some stunning sights, including the UNESCO listed Kreml.
Our next stop was Ekaterinburg. We were told that it was situated in the Ural mountains, but we never saw a glimpse of them. Nevertheless; Ekaterinburg is a very pleasant and chilled city. It has a very western feeling to it. It's easy to find western food, as there's plenty of Irish pubs there. I recommend going to the Altay building. There you can take a lift and see the city from the rooftop. It's quite stunning. There's plenty of theatres all around the city, and even though you don't understand Russian, don't miss the opportunity to catch local theatre-troops.
A great place (although hard to find) to stay is the guesthouse called Academy of Geology. It's peaceful and has beautiful rooms.
From Ekaterinburg we went south to Ufa. Ufa is the capital of the Republic of Bashkortostan. Ufa was quite hard to get around, but it is still worth a visit. You can visit one of Lenin's homes and spot some unique architecture. The atmosphere in Ufa is, like in Kazan, very different from the Russian cities. I highly recommend the Azimut hotel (Bus stop Gore Moskva). It's a business hotel with great standards and a friendly staff.
On to Volgograd. Volgograd is probably one of the most beautiful cities I've been to. Situated on the banks of the Volga river with an almost tropical climate, it almost feels like you're in Greece. This is a city of history. The name Stalingrad might ring a bell. The most stunning thing to see in Volgograd is the huge Mother Russia statue. It's the highest statue in the world (72 m). It's an unbelievable sight when you compare it to a church that stands beside it. It looks more like a doll's church.
I also recommend the Stalingrad Battle museum, and the Volga river cruises. There are plenty of offers. Volgograd was really easy to get around in. The city centre is quite small, and it's easy to navigate because of the river. The Volgograd Hotel is cheap and amazing.
We had a wonderful time in Russia. My girlfriend knows some Russian and that came in extremely handy. We got quite used to people looking at us, but we never felt threatened or harassed. The most common comment we got from other women was that we were brave to travel by ourselves.
One thing that is difficult however, is buying train tickets. You will need to write down the information for the train you are going on, how many tickets you need, and what kind of cupee you want. And prepare for long lines. It might take hours to get your tickets. We always went in a 4-people compartment. It was a great way to travel. We shared compartments with so many different people, and it was a great way to get to know Russians. It's important to bring some food or beverage to share.
Girls; go to Russia. It is a fascinating place....
North of New Polzeath is a headland ending at the Rumps Point. From here there are spectacular views up and down the coast. This stretch belongs to the National Trust and there is a car park off a small road going out to Pentire Farm.
This is a wondrous, fun place to stay, filled with paintings floor to ceiling, old and new, fabulous and not quite so, most by local artists.
Each room is different. Ours was huge with a view over the rooftops of the town to the sea.
There's also a lovely walled garden and an excellent restaurant. The town itself is fun to walk around and St Michael's Mount is nearby.
A helicopter will take you to the island of Tresco for a look at the famous Abbey Garden and a good day out.
There are wonderful artists in Penzance too. We bought a painting by American artist, Kathy Todd, who now lives in Penzance. After our time there we drove further along the coast to St. Ives, another magical spot.
Chapel House, Chapel Street, Penzance
Quite simply the most evocative industrial heritage site ever. Understand the privations and hardships endured by Cornishmen mining for tin through the centuries and decide whether this kind of work was better than the no-work that Cornishmen now suffer.
Many of the guides at Geevor were miners and engineers when the mine closed, they are always knowledgeable and keen to impart that knowledge. There is a museum, and a walk through the ore separating plant. There is also a trip down an 18th century mine adit.
Utterly fascinating and an immensely important project. Oh, also very good pasties in the cafe!
For the fit, you can walk to Pendeen lighthouse which has spectacular views and is very atmospheric, especially when there's a sea fret and all the long-dead-drowned-sailors come up out of the sea!
www.geevor.com
Geevor Tin Mine is located in the village of Pendeen, 7 miles west of Penzance. The mine is easily reached from Penzance, St Ives or Lands End by car or bus. There is a 10% discount for visitors who travel to Geevor by bus.
At the turn from the main road (B3315) for Treen, instead of going up the hill go down through a fecund valley to a stream at the bottom. You'll have to walk from here. The stream is perfect. Cross the bridge and pass a hair house with doves and flowers. Continue to the fisherman's cottages and boats at the working cove.
This place is timeless. There's no beach, no pub, no cafe. There's a bench to sit on if you can't bear the rocks. You can't hear any traffic or planes, just sea and one or two mackerel fishermen. This is a place to simply be.
On a fine day, it's just plain peaceful, on a stormy day it's cathartic. You could also walk to it from the car park at Treen, along the coast path, and then back up the valley, turn left up the hill into Treen and get waylaid in the Logan Rock over a few pints of Tinners.
Theatre carved out of the cliff overlooking the beautiful Porthcurno beach. Amazing setting to see a play or in our case, an opera. Take wine and a picnic. Not to be missed on a visit to Cornwall.
Porthcurno, Penzance, Cornwall.
You don't have to be a resident to visit the terrace bar at the Hotel Excelsior, which has a fantastic view of the Old Town and is blessed with afternoon sunshine.
The forest of Marselisskoven is right next to the city and can be reached from the centre of town within 10 minutes.
In the summer, stick a coin in one of the city bicycles and off you go (or catch a bus). There is a wonderful sandy beach all along the forest and in the forest itself there is a park with deer, a camping site, several great restaurants and a view over the sea to kill for.
Just before the forest you pass the royal family's summer residence, Marselisborg Slot. When the Queen is in Aarhus, you can watch the change of guards every day at noon. The castle is surrounded by a beautiful memorial park which is perfect for a picnic or a barbecue. When the Queen is not in residence, it is even possible to walk around the castle's own gardens.
Just south of the city centre. Walkable distance on a nice day.
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