Minibreak: Cornwall

Hiking and Wave Watching:
It is a humbling experience to see the mighty waves of the Atlantic crash upon the cliffs on some of the more desolate patches of coastline in Cornwall and north Devon. Our favorite spots were Boscastle Harbor, Kynance Cove (near Lizard), Lizard's Point, and Polperro harbor.

Exploring small inhabited places:
Fowey, Polperro, and Looe (along the southern coast) are quaint fishing villages that are definitely worth a walk around.

Tourist traps worth your time:
Tintagel boasts the birthplace of King Arthur. Although the signs at the castle's ruins disclaim any substantiated evidence of Arthur's existance, the caves below the castle are fun to explore.

Lizard's Point is the most southern point of England where the Atlantic and the English Channel meet with great gusto. Worth the hike out there even if the weather is poor.

Quick Tips:

Weather: Bring plenty of warm layers and waterproofs even in summer. There can be especially strong winds along the coast.

Housing: Bed and Breakfasts (around £10-20/person sharing) provide the best option. Not only are they cheaper and cozier than hotels here, but the owners are usually very friendly and eager to share stories with you. It's a good idea to book ahead of time (even for hostels), since they fill up quickly (especially the ones on the coast).

For city slickers: Bringing along enough cash (note: few B and B's take credit card) is important since the area is quite rural. Americans should remember to ask for "cash points," since American terms such as "ATM" are not always understood so far from London. Also when trying to eat in a pub, it is customary to place your order at the bar (instead of waiting for someone to serve you).

Best Way To Get Around:

Rent a car. Although ambitious backpackers can make it to Cornwall by train or bus, it's a giant time sink to depend on buses once there and harder to access less touristed areas. Renting a car from London or a surrounding touristed town (such as Oxford) will be around £35/day (for those over 21-yrs-old) and petrol around £15/day. Try to drive in daylight as much as possible since roads can be quite narrow, curvy, and very dark.

Although the rooms are typically English B and B (i.e. few and small) in this little B and B, the location and the friendly hosts make this well worth a stop on the way to Tintagel or elsewhere in Cornwall.

The drive down the hill into Boscastle requires good breaks while the view is fantastic. The owner of the B and B is part of the light house organization and can tell you a lot about the area. The owners will also point you to a very cool nearby pub for dinner or a pint. The B and B also offers a very full English breakfast, but you have to get up early for it.

The highlight of this B and B is its location on the harbor. Don't picture big docks or boats, instead think of a gorge in the mountains where hearty fishermen a high tide could enter the mouth of the mighty Atlantic. It's about a five minute hike up a marked path along the harbor edge to a perch on the cliffs that you can sit and watch the waves crash in below you. We climbed out there at night (suggest choosing moonlit night and caution here) and just sat in silence while we watched the waves crash about 100 feet below us. We also went back up in the morning after breakfast where we discovered that the cliff top is covered with lichen and little flowers. There's also an impressive view of the coast. Also in daylight you realize there are a couple of shops where you can buy local crafts and candy.

This is a great place to see cornish pasties made and to buy them too. There is no seating. The shop is directly opposite the entrance to Castle Road, where you catch the Range Rover (or begin your walk) to Tintagel Castle. This is a great budget lunch option while searching for any evidence of King Arthur or his Camelot. Both veggie and meat options available.

Other popular places which we didn't see but you might:

1. Land's End: western most point of England; very touristy; admission charged; rumored to have awesome wave-crashing

2. Eden Project: we actually did drive out here but it was closed already. This three-domed biosphere is very interesting for science buffs.

3. Goonhilly Earth Station: largest satellite earth station in the world. Another great site for science buffs.

Good tourist info and links about all of these can be found at: http://www.cornwalltouristboard.co.uk/

Although the sign at the entrance of the castle ruins explains that they don't actually know if "Arthur" was a real person, let alone if he "ever set foot in Tintagel," this still makes for an interesting stop because it's fun to imagine King Arthur living here and the ruins have a unique perch on the sea and cool caves (and waterfall) beneath which you can explore.

The site is maintained by English Heritage. You can park in the village and then either walk down the road to the castle ruins or catch a ride (50p or £1). I recommend walking down and taking the range rover back up. The little indoor exhibit is rather interesting and free, as are the caves below. It's a few pounds to climb up to the castle ruins, which we didn't bother to do.

Lizard's Point is the southernmost point in England, but don't let that fool you into forgetting your waterproof and windproof jacket. Once in Lizard just follow the signs to the point. The waves of the Atlantic Ocean and the English Channel crash up quite loudly against the cliffs, and there is a little cafe restaurant at the point where you can seek shelter and warm food in the event of bad weather.

If you've already trekked out to Land's End, then this might be something of a disappointment. However, if you didn't make the drive or fight the mobs of tourists there, Lizard's point is a pleasant alternative. It's also free!

Fowey is a very quaint little fishing village on the southern Cornish coast that definitely merits a visit. We took a driving tour which turned out to be quite harrowing because the streets were barely wide enough for our little two door Ford micra to fit through, let alone an oncoming car if we'd met one.

You'll definitely enjoy exploring (on food) this village, but if you want to stay overnight, you must book ahead since it fills up quickly. One of the highlights was taking the little ferry across the river to continue our journey onto Polperro. It was £1.50 for the whole carload. The cheapest entertainment we had! Just follow the cleverly-hidden signs to the ferry. It runs every 20 minutes or so during the day.

Polperro is definitely the quainter of the these two popular fishing villages. We parked in one of the public lots when entering the town and then walked down to the harbor. This is a great place to go for sunset, as all the stucco houses clinging to the hill in the harbor look best then. There's sort of a sea wall where one can sit in the moonlight and watch the waves roll in. My friends sat there drinking some local wine they bought in a little specialty shop on the walk to the harbor, while I hiked up the hill on east side of the harbor to a little lighthouse that you can see from where my friends were sitting. From there you really get a sense of desolation. If hiking there at night be sure to choose the levelest path because the hill can be quite muddy/slippery.

The nearby fishing village of Looe is slightly larger, has more boats, and is the only place in the nearby area that serves food after 10pm. The road going down into the village is quite steep, windy, and narrow and deserves caution. Immediately upon getting down into the village there is a combo pizza/kebab hole-in-the-wall for late-night munching.

Dramatically steep grass covered cliffs look down on the crashing waves. It was extremely windy when we were here in late May; in fact we were warned of getting too near the edge since we might be blown off! This is a great place to have a walk or lie on the grass and appreciate the scenery.