Best of the West

The Best of the West is an itinerary born out of our 25 years experience with overseas travellers. We’ve listened to the places they’ve loved to visit and wish to explore in the Southwest of the UK and put them together with the highlights of Cornwall. You’ll have your own, highly recommended driver/guide, in a luxury, air-conditioned vehicle for 7 days, taking away the worry of getting transport to and from Cornwall. This is truly, a door-to-door service to one of the UK’s most beautiful and undescovered areas.

What’s included-

Pick up and drop off – Heathrow or surround area. (Please ask for a quote for other areas).

Car and guide for 8 hours a day, pick up and drop off at your accommodation, parking and tolls.

A detailed itinerary and help to choose accommodation and evening restaurants.

Guide accommodation when out of Cornwall.

What’s not included-

Accommodation, entrance fees or meals.

Price. £3650.00 for 1-4 passengers. (Please ask for a quote for groups of up to 7

Deposit- £700. (£100 per day).

Day 1

9.00am. Pick up at Heathrow or surrounding area. Meet and greet.

Your guide can meet you from your flight or collect you from your accommodation in the Heathrow area.

You’ll have time to get acquainted with your guide on the 90-minute drive to the Cotswold area.

We’ll spend the day exploring the highlights of the Cotswolds, visiting many of the Honey-stone, picturesque villages, such as Bourton on the Water (The Venice of the Cotswolds), Lower Slaughter (home of ‘The most romantic street in Britain’), and Bibury (described as ‘The most beautiful village in England’), Broadway and Castle Combe.

Towards the end of the afternoon, we’ll head for your first hotel in the famous city of Bath. You’ll have the evening to yourselves to enjoy this vibrant city with its multitude of greats restaurants and bars.

Day 2

You’ll have the morning to explore Baths historic city centre, we recommend pre-booking tickets to the Roman Baths around 10.00am to avoid disappointent. We’ll then collect you from your hotel around 12.00pm to continue the tour.

We start with a short drive to the medieval Cathedral City of Wells. You’ll have time here to have lunch, explore the Cathedral, beautiful city centre and take a walk up England’s oldest street.

Leaving Wells around 2.00pm, We’ll then complete the day with a drive to the North coast of Cornwall and your accommodation, arriving around 5.00pm.

Day 3

9.00am. pick up from your North Cornwall Hotel.

Today we explore the wild and dramatic North Cornwall Atlantic coast. First stop will be the 14th century Huers hut in Newquay to enjoy the view up the coast and learn a little about the life of a pilchard fisherman.

After a drive through the vibrant streets of Europe’s surfing capital, we whisk you away to the quiet Monastic village of St Mawgan to explore the 13th century church and Carmelite Convent. The perfect Cornish village! Then we head just up the road to the famous beauty spot, Bedruthan Steps, with its dramatic clifftop views. We’ll take a short stroll on the magnificent cliffs before heading to Padstow.

Made famous by Rick Stein and the Seafood Restaurant, this charming harbour town is normally bustling with visitors enjoying the fine mix of shops, cafes and restaurants all set around the water.

On our way to Port Isaac, we’ll drive through Port Quin, a picturesque Pilchard fishing cove used in the filming of Doc Martin and more recently Fisherman’s friends. We have the option here to walk up the coast path and get some more great views of the coastline.

Port Isaac, or ‘Port Wenn’ as it’s known in Doc Martin is only a mile up the road, and you’ll be dropped at the bottom by the harbour to explore the tiny streets and possibly bump into the grumpy doctor himself!

Following a drive along some spectacularly tiny roads we get to Tintagel, and possibly the most famous tale to come out of Cornwall. Reputed to be linked with King Arthur, we get a spectacular view of the island and ruins from the coast path, whilst we fill you in on the stories that make up this famous legend.

Our last stop of the day is Boscastle, with its steep sided valley and natural harbour entrance, we can take a stroll out to the Harbour entrance for some spectacular views and it’s an ideal spot to get a Cornish cream tea and reflect on the day.

Day 4

9.00am. Pick up from your North Cornwall hotel. Load luggage.

Today we will be heading West to the Penwith Peninsula and its rugged Granite Cliffs, white sand and turquoise water.

Our first stop is the famous St Michaels Mount. Owned by the St Aubyn family for nearly 400 years, this ancient Monastery is now part run by the National trust. Accessible by a tidal causeway or boat, we’ll spend most of the morning exploring the island and castle.

After a drive through Penzance and Newlyn our next stop is Mousehole, famed for its picturesque harbour and heart-warming tales of Heroic fishermen and the equally heroic Mousehole Cat! We’ll take a wander around the ancient streets, galleries and shops and grab a bite to eat along the way.

Next, we visit the Merry Maidens Neolithic stone Circle, then down to the stunningly beautiful Penberth cove, recently used for the village scenes in the Poldark series. A favourite for photographers and painters alike, this must be one of the prettiest coves in Britain.
Our next stop is the unique Minack theatre. Perched on top of the cliff, with arguably one of the best views in Cornwall, this stone theatre looks like it is from Roman times but is in fact the life’s work of the amazing Rowena Cade from the 1930’s and is still evolving today.

We’ll take a brief stop at Lands’ End to view England’s most Westerly point, before we start the drive along the rugged Atlantic coast to our next stop at Botallack mines. Your guide will walk you around the ruins and talk you through the lives of the Cornish miners while you enjoy the spectacular scenery.

We finish the day with a drive through the West Cornwall moors, past Zennor and through St Ives, dropping you at your hotel around 5.00pm.

You’ll have the evening to explore the beautiful harbour and backstreets of this ancient fishing town.

Day 5

9.00am pick up at your St Ives hotel.

We start today’s tour on the banks for the Restronguet creek, at the 13th Century inn called the Pandora. Named after the ship that gave chase to mutineers from the famous Bounty, this pub is steeped in history, and the pontoon offers beautiful views over the estuary and sailing boats.

From here we drive through Falmouth, famed for its Packet boats which connected Britain with the rest of the world as far back as the 17th century, and now a busy university town and sailing mecca. We take the Scenic route over the Shipyard to Pendennis point that boasts views over the world’s third largest natural harbour, guarded by two Henry V111 castles, and beyond to the Lizard peninsula.

Next, we follow the tiny coastal road around the Helford River, with a brief stop at Durgan village to view the area where 7500 American servicemen set sail for the beaches of Normandy back in July 1944, before we arrive on the Lizard Peninsula.

Our drive takes us over a rare grassland habitat and Nature reserve, past the giant Radio dishes of Goonhilly Earth station and on to the remote fishing village of Coverack. You’ll have some free time here for morning coffee and enjoy this beautiful village and harbour.

Our next stop is the stunning Thatched village of Cadgewith, with its colourful fleet of inshore fishing boats, it offers a glimpse of the hard, traditional lifestyle of a Cornish fisherman in this remote corner of the UK.

Just down the road is Lizard village where we can grab a famous ‘Annes Pasty’ and take it down to Lizard point, mainland Britains most southerly point. With dramatic ocean views, it is the home of the Lizard lighthouse, many shipwrecks, and a chance to spot Atlantic Grey seals and the infamous Cornish Chough.

Next, we visit Kynance Cove, where we’ll take a short Coastal walk to view the Island. Surrounded by white sand and turquoise water, this stunning seascape was recently a backdrop for scenes in the Poldark and Harry Potter TV series.

We finish with a scenic drive along the coast through Mullion and onto Poldu, where Marconi sent the first wireless message across the Atlantic. We’ll get a view of Church Cove, Gunwalloe, famed for its Shipwrecks, smuggling and appearance in the recent Poldark TV series. Any time left at the end of the day, we will spend at Porthleven, with its historic Harbour and interesting shops and galleries and Cornish Ice cream!

Day 6

9.00am pick up at your St Ives Hotel. Load luggage.

Today we are Heading East to start the day with a tour of the Lost Gardens of Heligan. Cornwall is blessed with a mild climate which is perfect for growing sub-tropical plants from all around the world. The Heligan story starts in the heyday of plant hunting and discovery, a garden designed and planted when Cornwall was the wealthiest county in England thanks to the Tin and copper Industry. Like many grand houses and gardens, it went into decline following the 1914-18 war, but this garden, once lost was revived in the early 1990s and is back to its former glory, boasting a fantastic collection of trees and plants as well as period fruit and vegetable gardens and rare breed animals.

Your guide will escort you around the gardens filling you in on the history, then after coffee at the Stewards house you get the option to explore the more challenging Jungle with its wooden walkways and rope bridge.

Our next stop will be the historic port of Charlestown. Once a busy China clay harbour, it is now a home to visiting tall ships and a backdrop for popular films and TV series such as Poldark. You’ll have some free time here to have lunch and take a wander along the harbour to enjoy the views over the beach and South coast.

After lunch we head inland to near Bodmin, and the stunning National trust property of Lanhydrock. This 17^th century Jacobean mansion is set amongst beautiful parklands and gardens, well known for its collection of Magnolia Trees. The house is vast, and following a devastating fire in 1888, now has some of the finest Victorian kitchen rooms in the country as well as the beautiful, original ceilings and features. Your guide will walk you to the house filling you in on its rich family history, before you explore the house under the guidance of the National trust.

We finish the day with a short drive to drop you at your next hotel in the ancient harbour town of Fowey.

You’ll have the evening to wander around this picturesque town with its tiny streets, eat at one of the fabulous restaurants and enjoy wonderful views over the Fowey estuary.

Day 7

9.00am Pick up at your Fowey Hotel. Load luggage.

We start the day with an hours drive out of Cornwall and into Devon to explore the Dartmoor National Park. One of Britains last true wildernesses, we’ll spend a few hours enjoying the dramatic scenery, ancient sites and picturesque villages.

After coffee we’ll drive East for several hours, picking up lunch along the way, to the World Heritage site of Stonehenge. Your guide will tell you about the history on route, then you’ll have free time to enjoy the visitors centre, and this mysterious and awe-inspiring ancient monument.

We will drop you and say our good-byes at your place of choice in the Heathrow area around 5.00pm.

Don’t forget we can build you a similar Bespoke tour, if the above is not exactly what you are looking for. Just get in touch and we’ll make it happen!