CREAM
TEAS AND PASTIES
Dorset,
Devon & Cornwall
7 day/ 6 night Tour
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This
well-balanced tour features the best of the UK's southwestern region.
It's a cliché to write that there's something for everyone here
but sometimes the cliché is the most accurate word or phrase to
use. For lovers of countryside there are rolling downs, rugged seascapes,
atmospheric moorlands and the lush, green country that is so representative
of England. For those who enjoy history there are castles aplenty,
the King Arthur connections, the prehistoric and Roman sites, the
more recent war time remains and everywhere the mighty maritime
past.
Literature lovers will be thrilled
to see the lands of Thomas Hardy and Daphne Du Maurier. Gourmets
will die for the cream teas, real Cornish pasties and farmhouse
cooking.
This is a real Back-Roads Touring
Co. Ltd experience. You'll never forget the narrow country
lanes where the hedgerows grow higher than the cars, the villages
where it's difficult for bicycles to pass let alone motorized vehicles,
the thatched cottage hamlets and small fishing harbours accessible
only on foot.
This itinerary ideally combines with our 4-day Red Dragon (or our longer tour of Wales , the 8-day 'The
Land of Song') to make the 15 day 'Land
of the Celts' tour.
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"I recently returned
from my trip to Cornwall with you folks. I just wanted to tell
you that it was marvelous and I had a great time. It has always
been one of my dreams to go there and you made it possible.
Neil, our guide, did some specialty looking around for me to
find rides to Frenchman's Creek, and long distance sightings
of Menibilly (Manderlay prototype), and I loved our stop at
Jamaica Inn. The moors were very brooding when we got out and
walked them. It was perfect."
Sandra Chroman, USA
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DEPARTURE DATES & PRICES FOR YEAR 2008
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Tour
Code |
Depart London
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Return
London
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CTEA |
Sunday |
Saturday |
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CTEA2 |
07 Sep |
13 Sep |
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Prices: twin share £945 / single: £1065 |
Contact res@backroadstouring.co.uk,
fax 00 44 20 8566 5457
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TENTATIVE
ITINERARY |
NIGHTSTOP |
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DAY
ONE |
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| You are collected from one of our hotel collection points as per your choice. Then our
first day's touring takes us into England oldest counties, Wiltshire
and Hampshire. The purpose of our visit is to see King Arthur's
Round Table at the Great Hall in Winchester, before continuing
through the timeless landscape of Thomas Hardy's Dorset to Honition
in Devon. En route, we'll stop at Cadbury castle, an iron-age,
hilltop fortress and one of the possible sites of Camelot. A further
highlight of our day will be a local stately home such as Montacute
House or Stourhead. |
Honiton,
Devon |
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DAY
TWO |
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| Our
routing for the day will offer us great choice. There's the maritime
city of Exeter, the English Riviera, and Plymouth, where we'll
see the harbour from which the Mayflower set sail. Next, we follow
the Cornish coast through delightful fishing villages and harbours
stopping en route, perhaps, to visit the pirate museum at Looe
or the shipwreck centre at St Austell. Readers of Daphne Du Maurier
will also enjoy our time at Fowey and discovering the real Jamaica
Inn. |
Falmouth/St
Ives |
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DAY
THREE |
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| There's
so much to see in this region. There are the wonderful harbours
of St Ives and Penzance, the coastal walks along cliff tops and
beaches, the prehistoric village at Chysauster, the famous open-air
Minack theatre, some of the most beautiful gardens in Britain,
including the new Eden Project. There are old lead mining museums,
castles and Land's End itself. And then, of course, we've afternoon
cream teas to take and Cornish pasties to eat! Our flexible touring
concept will allow tour participants to decide on the day's priorities
in consultation with their guide. |
Falmouth/St
Ives |
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DAY
FOUR |
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Continuing our Cornish adventures.
Today we'll spend enjoying the atmosphere of St Ives. There's
plenty to entertain. This is an artists' haven and you'll delight
at the range of local galleries, but perhaps of even greater
interest will be the extension of the prestigious Tate Gallery.
There are also some fine walking opportunities. The sailors
or deep sea fishers amongst you might just find the opportunity
of taking to the water just to good too pass up! You're free
to dine independently in St Ives this evening and to return
to our accommodation by local taxi at your leisure. |
Falmouth/St
Ives |
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DAY
FIVE |
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| We
turn north, following the north Cornwall and Devon coasts. Our
itinerary today will include Padstow, King Arthur's Tintagel,
the impossibly pretty village of Clovelly (where donkeys are still
used to haul goods and people up and down the narrow cobbled street
to the sea) and the Devon countryside north of Dartmoor and Dartmoor
itself. |
Dartmoor
or Exmoor |
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DAY
SIX |
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| We
tour today through Somerset. This is a county famed for its cider
apples and so we must, of course, visit a cider farm and sample
the wares! There are also the mystic town of Glastonbury where
Arthur is said to have been buried, and the magnificent Wells
cathedral. If time permits, perhaps we can also visit the massive
gorge and caves at Cheddar. Even with all of the other memorable days on this tour, past participants have still named it one of their most memorable - perhaps because the treasures we discover are just so unexpected. |
Bath |
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DAY
SEVEN |
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Today, we'll first soak up the
splendour of Gerogian Bath. Your guide will deliver a panoramic
tour on our mini-coach, introducing you to the many fine aspects
of this famed city. You'll then have some free time to visit
the Roman Bath pump room, the cathedral, or simply to shop.
This afternoon we take the olde
coaching road back to London, stopping en route at the unspoilt mediaeval
Lacock (home of photogaphy and a well-known film location site), the prehistoric World Heritage site of Avebury, and perhaps the antique centre of 17th century
Hungerford depending on time and group choice. You'll be dropped back at one of our central London hotel pick up points as per your choice. |
London
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| NOTE:
Many of the historic properties we visit on our tours are either
owned by the National Trust (www.nationaltrust.org.uk)
or the English Heritage (www.english-heritage.org.uk).
Why not visit their sites to get further descriptions of
some of the super places included on the tour? |
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©
As we publish full tour descriptions, you may find others offering
our unique itineraries. But, just as you find when others
sing the songs of Paul McCartney, they're often not quite as
good as when sung by the original composer!
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