Recommend September 2016 - 23
VISITBRITAIN/MARTIN BRENT
Family Fun
in England
onsitereview
James Shillinglaw
Stonehenge in Wiltshire County.
England remains one of the world's greatest
destinations for families. Indeed, there are
so many family-friendly attractions in the
country that you need to separate it all into
regions to fully appreciate what it has to offer.
So, that's what we did on a recent trip to
Britain as we traveled through the official
region of South West England, which
includes the counties of Bristol, Cornwall,
Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset
and Wiltshire, with a particular focus on
Cornwall. "Not many families venture too
far off the beaten path but those that do,
get a treat in visiting Cornwall," says Jason
Holland, owner of Travel Simplicity, a travel
agency specializing in travel to Britain.
We started off our family-friendly journey
in Devon with a Red Coat walking tour of
Exeter, a town originally founded 2,000
years ago by the Romans that features
Exeter Cathedral-an icon of English
gothic architecture. Tours include the Royal
Clarence Hotel, which has hosted British
luminaries since the mid-1700s, from Lord
Nelson to the Beatles; the major shopping
areas of modern Exeter; and a narrow
alleyway that echoes Harry Potter's Diagon
Alley, which is perhaps no accident since J.K.
Rowling attended the University of Exeter.
During our time at Exeter, we stayed just
steps from the Cathedral at the 156-room
Mercure Exeter Southgate Hotel, housed in
an elegant brick building. Rates from $136.
The next day we took a 1.5-hour
motorcoach trip to Tintagel, the ruined
castle located on the rugged northwest coast
of Cornwall that's linked with the legend
of King Arthur. While there may not have
been a real King Arthur, this castle, perched
on a rocky peninsula, has served as a focal
point for those writers and artists who have
promoted the legend. It's a great place to
hike, though its slopes can be steep.
We then traveled another hour by
motorcoach to the picturesque fishing village
of Padstow, also on the northwest coast
of Cornwall. It's full of colorful buildings,
intimate restaurants, and shops.
Moving farther down the coast of
Cornwall, we reach Newquay, one of the
quintessential English, seaside resort towns,
considered the nation's surfing capital. Yes,
there is surfing in England and the size of
the giant breakers we saw seemed to provide
enough challenges for top-notch devotees
of the sport (with a wet suit, of course), plus
seven miles of sandy beach.
We stayed at the 96-room Headland Hotel
& Spa, a Victorian resort located on the
bluffs high above the beach. Located just a
10-minute walk from the center of Newquay,
it features a 9-hole golf course and other
outdoor activities, as well as multiple dining
facilities in the Great House. There are also
a number of separate cottages with multiple
bedrooms and kitchens that are highly
suitable for families. Rates from $235.
From Newquay, it's just an hour's drive
to the farthest southwest point in England,
Land's End. With spectacular views of
the vast expanse of the Atlantic, rugged
cliffs, and rough seas, this famous Cornwall
landmark offers a series of kid-friendly
attractions that tell the story of the sea and
the air-sea rescues in the area.
Just 1.5 hours from Land's End, our tour
took us to Falmouth on Cornwall's southeast
coast, where Pendennis Castle, dating back
Europe
to Henry VIII, sits high above the bays
surrounding the town. Here, lively and
enthusiastic tour guides deliver a passionate
narrative to visitors about the castle and
its history.
We stayed the night at the seaside St.
Michael's Hotel & Spa, a 37-room, nauticalthemed property in Falmouth that comes
complete with spa, pool, large garden, full
restaurant and bar. Rates from $143.
Another hour's drive north from Falmouth
is one of Cornwall's most fascinating and
kid-friendly attractions, the Eden Project.
Located in an old mining crater, this
eco-themed project features two massive
bio-domes that house different biospheres-
everything from Mediterranean to a desert
climate. Plus, there is a giant zipline high
above the domes.
We moved from Eden to yet another
famous coastal town, Plymouth, where the
Pilgrims departed for the New World on
the Mayflower. For the kids, there's a small
Mayflower Museum.
That night we finally had our chance to
stay in a castle, the 66-room Bovey Castle,
which features massive gardens and its
own 18-hole golf course. There are highly
decorative public rooms complete with
fireplaces and a cozy bar, as well as a more
modern casual restaurant. Rates from $210.
On the final day of our tour, we visited
two more iconic English sites. One was
Stourhead, a Palladian mansion dating back
to the 1740s, featuring a landscaped garden,
as well as a lake lined with classical temples,
grottoes, and rare trees. We then drove north
to Stonehenge. The complex, located in
Wiltshire County, includes the famed ring
of standing (and fallen) stones set within
earthworks, including several hundred burial
mounds. There's also a large museum where
visitors can learn about the different theories
explaining the origin and construction of
Stonehenge. It's a great way to end a family
tour of South West England-back to the
beginnings of English history.
"South West England," says Paul Gauger,
executive v.p., Americas for VisitBritain,
"is the perfect coastal vacation for the
whole family." ■
Contact Information
Bovey Castle: boveycastle.com
Headland Hotel & Spa: headlandhotel.co.uk
Mercure Exeter Southgate Hotel: mercure.com
St. Michael's Hotel & Spa: stmichaelshotel.co.uk
VisitBritain: visitbritain.com
september 2016 23
http://www.boveycastle.com
http://headlandhotel.co.uk
http://www.mercure.com
http://stmichaelshotel.co.uk
http://www.visitbritain.com
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