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Trip Report - Cornwall and Scotland

sharonov

10+ Posts
We've wanted to go to Cornwall for years, but have been deterred by people saying, "you MUST have a car!" Almost half a century ago, we drove all over England and Wales, so I know exactly how wonderful it is to be able to go off the beaten track on a whim and not be held back by bus or train schedules. I remember giving in to many such whims which resulted in finding charming little towns, pubs where the locals chatted and treated us almost like locals, and once even finding castle ruins which weren't on any map!

Well, that was 48 years ago. I'm not about to risk causing an accident that could potentially injure unsuspecting Brits, so at my age (76) refused to take the risks involved with driving on the "wrong" side. And we did just fine (with just a little help from our British friends!)

We much prefer apartments/houses to hotels, so I booked almost all of our accommodations through Airbnb and VRBO.com. We were happy with all of them. We were able to have breakfast at home every day, shop with the locals, sit in comfy chairs and read at night, and best of all do laundry. In fact, that's part of our criteria in renting any apartment: it must have two separate comfy seating options in the living room, complete with lamps, and must have a washer! Drying racks are fine. We usually don't go out after dinner anymore and need that comfort level.

We flew to London on our favorite flight--9:00am from Chicago's O'Hare, which arrives in London at about 10:30 pm. Most flights from the U.S. to Europe live in late afternoon and arrive early morning, which is inconvenient on many levels, so I hope American doesn't eliminate this option! We have to get up by 4 am to get to the airport on time, so it works well. We're always tired enough to sleep by the time we arrive, collect our bags, go through immigration, and get to our hotel. At first I was worried that we wouldn't catch the last Heathrow Express to Paddington, but no problem. The regular train only added 15 minutes and was much cheaper. It also runs all night.

Since the train for Cornwall leaves from Paddington, of course I had booked a hotel in the area. I've found that the hotels around Paddington can be very dismal, unless you spend $300 or more at the Hilton. This time I directly contacted the hotel of my choice, the Astoria, after finding it on a booking site and reading the reviews. I identified myself as a senior and said I'd appreciate a large room on a low floor. I got the same price that was quoted on Travelocity, but a sparkling clean triple!

The next day we took the train to Falmouth, which had been recommended as a base by several SlowEurope posters. Our rental, "Captain's Reach," had a lovely view of the harbor and was quite large at 3 bedrooms, 2 baths. It cost less than a hotel! The only downside was that we had to descend many steps or else walk down somewhat steep roads to get to the main drag with shopping and restaurants. Luckily we had no problem, but people with any kind of mobility problem should probably look for lodgings nearer to Main Street. We did have a decent pub a couple of doors down, where we ate several times. We had invited London friends to join us for a couple of days, and they had a car, so we were able to go to Land's End, Mousehole, and St. Ives without breaking the bank! After they left, we took a boat ride to Truro, which was also very enjoyable. We also took a bus to Mount St. Michael and walked across the causeway while it was still above water (when the tide comes in you have to do a boat.) We wanted to walk up to the castle, but the steps were too high and too uneven for our aging knees, so we gave up on that. Our landlady warned us against Tintagel for the same reason. The only thing I regret was not visiting Port Isaac, the Doc Martin town. BTW, the main roads are very busy in Cornwall, and the roundabouts would have been my undoing! SO glad we didn't rent a car! I wouldn't have enjoyed a single minute behind the wheel, and my husband would have refused to drive at all!

I'm a fan of the Outlander books, so Scotland was next. Our landlord (who, by the way, was more helpful than most concierges!) took us to the Newquay airport, where we flew straight to Edinburgh in a little over an hour. Our apartment was near the castle. We've been to Edinburgh before, so only stayed 4 nights. We walked the royal mile, visited several museums, saw Greyfriars Bobby, and just walked the city. There are numerous day tour operators in Edinburgh, and we did take one to Lindisfarne to see the old abbey ruins.

Inverness was our next base. We traveled there on a Megabus, and were surprised at how cheap and comfortable it was! It took about the same time as a train, but cost much less. And our apartment in Inverness was right around the corner from the bus station! This was very convenient for carless folk like us, and we bussed all around the area. Somebody posted that Inverness is not very interesting, but we were very happy to be there and wished we had more than a week! We cruised Loch Ness, of course, and saw the ruins of Castle Uruqhuar. Culloden Battlefield, with its marvelous Visitors' Center, was only 40 minutes away; another day we went to Ft. George (Thanks, Eleanor!!). The Black Isle, which is neither Black nor an Isle, provided several pretty little towns, not to mention a Fairy Walk complete with waterfall! Inverness is really quite small, and has a lovely walk along the Ness riverbank, so that was always a pleasant interlude. And yes, I took an outlander tour! We had our best meal of the trip in Inverness, at Aspendos. This restaurant serves Mediterranean food and is on Queensgate. Wonderful!

We finished off in London, where we've been many times. We always end up staying near the area where I once lived (55 years ago), near the Grays Inn. I hope to return many more times, as long as health permits. This was a great trip!

Tip: I used this marvelous website to find the best ways to get from Point A to Point B:: Rome2rio.com
 
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This sounds like a great trip. I like Inverness and can't understand why so many people are so dismissive of it.... Fort George is fantastic too.
 
This sounds like a great trip. I like Inverness and can't understand why so many people are so dismissive of it.... Fort George is fantastic too.
Eleanor, I took a printout of your recommendations with me to Scotland and that's why we went to Ft. George and the Black Isle!
 
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Hi Sharon--

I'm glad to hear you enjoyed your time in Cornwall. It sounds like you were able to see quite a bit without a car. I visited Port Isaac on an earlier trip... it's a pretty "fishing village," but honestly... the main attraction is really the Doc Martin connection and to see the filming locations like his house, the school etc. Otherwise many other villages are just as pretty (or more so) and more authentic.

I think your info about your Falmouth rental is useful to other travelers to this area. In many villages and towns, hills rise up from the harbor and there can be some steep climbs. So that's something to consider when choosing an accommodation. You definitely get some exercise in Cornwall!

(It's been 14 years now, but we stayed a week on Loch Ness... on the quieter side... and went into Inverness a few times. I liked that area and would enjoy going back... glad to hear you enjoyed that part of your trip too.)

Kathy
 

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