Trafalgar Tours Scenic England – Plymouth to Bideford
Trafalgar Tours Scenic England – Plymouth to Bideford
Trafalgar Tours Scenic England – Plymouth to Bideford
Daily Itinerary:
Day 4 – Plymouth to Bideford
By now the routine had been established – mornings started with a 6:00 a.m. wake-up call, luggage outside the door by 6:45 a.m. and another great breakfast buffet in the hotel restaurant at 7:00 a.m. By 8:00 a.m. all passengers were seated in their assigned seats (Lyndon rotated seats each day) on the motor coach and we were headed off for another day of fabulous scenery and interesting sites.
Highlights:
Dartmoor – Today we started off in the direction of Dartmoor. This excursion wasn’t on the original itinerary, but as we had a bit more time in our morning schedule than was expected (due to doing the harbour cruise in Plymouth the afternoon before) we travelled through the moors, viewing the famous Dartmoor ponies, black-face sheep, through Princetown (the largest town in Dartmoor with a population of 600) and past the Princeton Prison (where prisoners of war were marched from Plymouth to build the prison from local granite).
Trafalgar Tours Scenic England – Plymouth to Bideford
Tavistock – The quaint and pretty market town of Tavistock in West Devon was perfect for a quick break. There was just enough time to grab a cup of tea and a scone or to wander the town and buy a souvenir or two.
Note for next visit: Bedford Hotel apparently serves the best cream tea in the area.
From Tavistock we enjoyed a lovely drive through the countryside of Devon to Tintagel in Cornwall. Being in the coach certainly had its benefits – Terry skillfully manoeuvred us along the narrow and windy country lanes and we rode high above the hedgerows (that Lyndon explained were up to 800 years old).
Note: Take motion sickness medication on this morning if you get car sick.
Tintagel – Our first stop in Tintagel was at the Camelot Hotel where we could enjoy splendid views of the craggy coastline.
Next we had a lunch stop in the village of Tintagel, with just enough time to take a quick walk around the shops and grab one of the famous Cornish pasties from Pengenna Pasties. Of course, we had to follow this up with another cream tea (you can get them for take-out, too, at the Pengenna Pasties shop).
Trafalgar Tours Scenic England – Plymouth to Bideford
Boscastle – The first stop of the afternoon was in this very pretty Cornish village close to the Atlantic Ocean. With a stream flowing through, slate walls, stone houses and lots of cafes and souvenir shops to keep tourists busy, this was indeed a popular stop among all passengers. The surrounding hills were covered with bracken, already changing color to the hue of iron rust – a reddish-brownish-orange.
Clovelly – There aren’t many villages we know of around the world that charge an admission fee to visitors, but Clovelly is one of them. Trafalgar took care of our admission fee and we made the 20-minute stroll down and the 30-minute slog back up, along a steep cobble stone pathway that led through the village and to the harbour. For those passengers among us that weren’t able to walk that far, Lyndon took care of paying for their Land Rover ride down and back up. At the bottom of the hill was a lovely pub where visitors and locals alike could quench their thirst with a pint or two.
Trafalgar Tours Scenic England – Plymouth to Bideford
At 4:30 p.m. we arrived at Durrant House Hotel in Bideford – our home-away-from-home for the night. This three-star hotel had been the home of Sir Richard Goodwin Keats between 1810 -1834. By 6:00 p.m. we were joining our fellow passengers for the included three-course dinner in the Olive Room at the hotel.
Come along with WAVEJourney and discover what Trafalgar’s Scenic England Tour had to offer:
Overview | Daily Itinerary | Hotels & Dining | Optional Excursions | Tour Director & Gratuities | Bottom Line & Value | Photos |
Day 1 & 2: London | Day 3: London to Plymouth | Day 4: Plymouth to Bideford | Day 5: Glastonbury, Bath & Stratford | Day 6: Chester to Liverpool | Day 7: Lake District & York | Day 8: Cambridge to London | Day 9: London City Tour |
Contact Trafalgar Tours
USA: 1-866-544-4434
UK: +44 (0) 20 7828 8143
Website: Click here.
Note: Viv & Jill were guests of Trafalgar on the Scenic England Tour in September 2009
