6 Day - Devon and Cornwall Tour of England, UK
Day One - Dartmoor National Park - Windecombe-in-the-moor - Dartmoor
Arrive into Exeter, where you will be met by your driver for an afternoon tour of the Dartmoor National Park, with its heather-covered moorland and deep wooded gorges, beautiful lake-like reservoirs and tumbling rocky rivers, thriving market towns and villages, patchwork farmland and craggy granite tors. It covers an area of 368 square miles - the largest and wildest area of open country in Southern England. Nearly half of this is open moorland, with a further 11% covered by forests and woodland. Stops will be made in quaint villages and will include Windecombe-in-the-moor, one of the most picturesque villages on the moor. After a long stay in Dartmoor in 1900, Conan Doyle wrote the novel, The Hound of the Baskervilles. It was much influenced by local folklore about an escaped convict, an inhospitable manor and huge hound. Check-in at your hotel in Dartmoor for the next two nights.
Day Two - Buckland Abbey - Cotehele - Dartmoor
After breakfast enjoy a morning visit to Buckland Abbey, tucked away in its own secluded valley above the River Tavy, it was originally a small but influential Cistercian monastery. The house, incorporating the remains of the 13th-century abbey church, has rich associations with Sir Francis Drake and his seafaring rival, Sir Richard Grenville, and contains much interesting memorabilia from their time. This will be followed by an afternoon visit to Cotehele, owned by the Edgcumbe family for nearly 600 years and is one of the least altered medieval houses in the country. It is built in local granite, slate and sandstone. Return to your hotel for overnight.
Day Three - Tour of Cornwall Villages - Cornwall
Depart Devon for the journey into Cornwall, where Daphne du Maurier lived for many years. She first came to Cornwall in the 1920's, and it became her home for the rest of her life. One of her most famous book isRebecca, the story of young woman's marriage to a wealthy and mysterious widower. The book is centered at the house of Manderley on the Cornish coast, which was based on the Menabilly estate near Fowey, where du Maurier lived for many years, and the nearby Polridmouth Cove. Today enjoy a tour of Cornish quaint villages to include;
- Looe - a fishing port with a bustling quayside
- Polperro - a picture book village with narrow, winding streets, cottage perched on steep slopes overlooking a tiny harbour with beautiful views, interesting shops and pubs and restaurants.
- Fowey - a port and resort with an outstanding natural harbour
- Mevagissey - a picturesque and unique 14th century fishing village
Finally continue to your hotel in Cornwall for overnight.
Day Four - Lanhydrock - Bodmin Moor - Lunch - St Ives
After a leisurely breakfast departing for a morning visit to Lanhydrock, one of the grandest and most welcoming houses in Cornwall, set in glorious gardens overlooking the valley of the River Fowey. There are 50 rooms on show and together they reflect the entire spectrum of life in a rich and splendid Victorian household. Continue through Bodmin Moor, an impressive landscape with granite tors, moors, marshes, valleys and woods for lunch at the Jamaica Inn, a coaching inn where du Maurier stayed in 1930. This gave her the inspiration to write Jamaica Inn, a story about smuggling and pirates – visitors today will find a du Maurier room, with various artefacts. Late afternoon continue to artist quarter of St Ives for the next 2 nights.
Day Five - St Michael's Mount - Mousehole - St Ives
After breakfast depart for a morning visit to St Michael's Mount, a magical island and is the jewel in Cornwall 's crown. On then for a visit to picturesque Mousehole, where Dylan Thomas spent his honeymoon and called it ‘the loveliest village in England'. Return to St Ives for some time for browsing in this colourful, quaint and attractive town with granite cottages, small cobbled streets, and narrow alleyways all surrounding a sheltered harbour.
Day Six - Castle Drogo
Today enjoy a morning visit to Castle Drogo, an extraordinary granite and oak castle, designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, which combines the comforts of the 20th century with the grandeur of a Baronial castle. Your driver will drop you off in Exeter where your tour ends.
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