Great Walking Holidays - Walking Vacations in the English Countryside

8 day Tour

Timing:
Spring/Summer

Distance: Walks cover
4 - 8 miles a day
Grading: Easy and Easy/Moderate

Hidden along the rugged Cornish coastline lie small, peaceful fishing villages, protected from stormy seas by their safe harbor walls. We'll visit these as we walk along coastal paths, passing golden sandy beaches, ancient smuggler's coves with turquoise waters and glorious panoramas from the tops of majestic cliffs. Experience this treasured corner of England's countryside.

ITINERARY
Days 1 - 4

Leaving London in the morning, you'll head southwest to Cornwall by road, suggest you stop en route for lunch in the lovely old city of Bath whose name comes from the famous Roman baths and spas that were built there centuries ago.

You'll have time to walk around the beautiful, old Saxon abbey and some of the many splendid Georgian terraces that are such an elegant feature of the city.

We'll arrive later on in the ancient seaport of Fowey in southeast Cornwall, where you will be welcomed into your accommodation.

Over the next few days you'll walk along coastal paths with breathtaking views of the English Channel with waves breaking at the base of the cliffs.

You will pass through landscapes that were home to and inspiration for writers such as Daphne du Maurier, author of 'Rebecca', 'Jamaica Inn' and 'Frenchman's Creek', to name only a few. You'll walk through Cornish fishing villages that are unspoilt by time. Nestled snuggly against the cliffs and protected by their small harbor walls, they are full of character and folklore.

Another day will take you to the legendary birthplace and home of King Arthur at Tintagel Castle on the north coast, perched right on the cliff edge above a myriad of caves that legend tells us were connected to the great wizard Merlin.

You'll enjoy a walk along this beautiful section of the famous South West Coast Path (that follows the coastline right around Cornwall). With an array of wild flowers growing on rugged cliffs that overlook turquoise seas washing in and out of coves and inlets, it is a truly romantic setting!

On a day off from walking, you can spend the day at the Eden Project, known as 'the eighth wonder of the world'. This incredible collection of huge biomes house plants from all over the world in various climatic environments. Set in a crater 35 acres in size it is visually stunning.

Days 5 - 8

The morning of day five, we suggest you head further south to the wonderful headland known as The Lizard, where you can settle for the next few days. From your comfortable Inn, you can walk along another section of Cornwall's Coast Path to the southern-most point in England at Lizard Point, where craggy rocks jutting out of the sea have claimed many shipwrecks over the years.

Another day you'll walk past old smuggler's coves with their blue-green waters. One of these, called Prussia Cove derives its name from a notorious smuggler called John Carter who frequently used it as a hideout and whose interest in Frederick the Great, the King of Prussia led to the naming of the cove.

You'll also have time to visit St Michael's Mount, a tiny island with what used to be an old abbey perched on it. It can be reached by a low tide footpath or by boat when the tide is in.

Another walk shall take you along a dramatically beautiful section of coastline, further west still, where you will pass the amazing Minack Theatre. Carved right out of the headland, this open air theatre has a stunning, romantic backdrop of cliffs with waves crashing against them.

Your final day will see you returning to London with a stop along the way in the lovely city of Salisbury, famous for it's beautiful Cathedral, where you can pause for lunch before heading off again.

If time permits you can also have a brief stop at Stonehenge, the famous ancient stone circle, before your arrival back in London.