Travelling to Cornwall - Pennedis Castle - Helford River - Lizard Village

After an early start, the journey to Cornwall takes about 5 hours with stopovers, and you will arrive at noon. After a perfect lunch, your tour in Cornwall will start with exploring Pendennis Castle, which has defended Cornwall from foreign invasion ever since the Tudor period, one of Henry VIII's finest coastal fortifications. You will experience the development of the castle and the sights and sounds of the fighting. The fascinating show about the role of the castle during WWI is outstanding; one that must not be missed (Depends on the times and days we visit). Pendennis Castle is an English Heritage site and therefore offers a great historical experience. Pendennis Castle is one of Henry VIII's finest coastal fortresses situated on a clifftop with spectacular sea views. Cornwall has been defended since the days of Tudor by the picturesque castle including the two World Wars. Today, you can experience the sights and sounds of war, encounter typical characters from the history of Pendennis, watch out for enemies and see a historical weapon being shot every day (Apr-Oct). The history of Pennedis Castle is amazing. In Tudor times, Henry VIII established gun forts on both shores of the Fal estuary, at Pendennis and St Mawes. The fort was manned by up to 100 people faced with the possibility of a Spanish invasion in 1578. Henry VIII's marriage annulment with Catherine of Aragon didn't help the relations of the two kingdoms though. Only 20 years later, the engineer Paul Ives enclosed Henry VIII's castle to protect the whole of the headland in a pentagonal tower. It has a high wall, a ditch and heavy arms bastions. Just before the Civil War and following disastrous participation of the British in the Thirty Years War, the Castle was reinforced by engineer Sir Bernard Johnson's construction of the current bastion wall and ditch. During the Civil War between 1642 and 1646, the castle served as a Royalist garrison for Charles I. About 1,000 men endured a three-month siege, surrendering only when food ran out. A little garrison with existing gateway and barracks is retained. During 68 years of the period, Pendennis was 'neglected' and 'in a rather ruinous condition.' During the Georgian era, Colonel Engineer Christian Lilly advised on reparations. Modern guns are mounted and the old rampart is restored. New buildings include a storehouse, a powder magazine and gunner's barracks. Your guide will take you through the rest of the timeline of the castle up to the year 1957 when visitors started to enjoy this magnificent masterpiece of Cornwall as we do for today.

Your next stop is Helford River that is a large estuary nestled between The Lizard Peninsula and the western border of Falmouth Bay. Its scenic beauty and marine ecology make it a well-known tourist destination. Here, you will be given a break for a cruise of your lifetime. A 90-minute cruise starts from The Budock Vean Hotel that takes visitors to Helford River villages and fishing villages, including Creek Frenchman, inspired by Daphne du Maurier. You will admire the untouched nature of the river bed.

Our final stop for today is Lizard village, the southernmost point of England. It will be a long day, packed with activities so after a very traditional dinner at the restaurant, you will check-in at the village-style hotel in the Lizard village for the night. Enjoy very British cultural experience in a lovely traditional English village for tonight.

Tonight, your accommodation will be provided in one of the traditional Cornish guest houses in Cornwall.

St Michael's Mount - Penzance, Newlyn, Mousehole Villages - Merry Maidens - The Minack Theatre - Land's End - St Ives

After a very traditional English breakfast, you will check-out from the hotel, and head to St. Michael's Mount, which is 20 miles from Lizard Village. Regardless of whether it is bright sunlight, or the waves springing over the wall of the harbour, on wet sand, the surroundings of the St. Michael’s Mount change with the tides. You will admire the nature of St. Michael’s Mount with its Castle, the Garden, Village & Harbour and the island life. St. Michael’s Mount is part of the National Trust which means one of the protected 350 historic sites across the country. This iconic rocky island is crowned by a medieval church and castle - with the oldest buildings dating from the 12th century. Please take your time to get your very best shots on the island. St. Michael's Mount is an amazing site from ancient pavilions to the castle walls, across time and tide. The island is a civil parish and is connected by a man-made granite channel between high and low tides to the town of Marazion. What a view. From the 8th until the early 11th centuries St Michael's Mount may have been the location of a monastery. Edward the Confessor gifted the site to the Benedictine order of Mont Saint-Michel.

After proceeding a few miles more, you will arrive at Penzance which is the Unitary Authority of Cornwall, southwest of England. It overlooks Mount's Bay and is where the Atlantic Ocean meets the English Channel. Unlike the rest of the country, the remarkably balanced climate permits a flourishing number of subtropical plants. Local and offshore Isles of Scilly, connected with Penzance through sea and aviation services, grow early vegetables and flowers. In the Land’s End Peninsula, Penzance is the centre of residential and economic life and is encircled by several smaller towns and villages. Each has its own identity and character and contributes to the region's economy. Ancient fishing villages, cliff top walks and sub-tropical vegetation blend the early Christian past and Celtic legend and make the Penzance district a fascinating region. The coastline of coves and caves, the area's history of smugglers and wreckers and its long tradition of music and song, inspired Gilbert and Sullivan to name one of the most famous of their productions - "The Pirates of Penzance".

Newlyn is a small fishing port which is very popular with artists. Due to its location on a covered Bay at the south western tip of England, the occasional pirate raids during the 17th century made it the location for the Pirates of Penzance operetta of Gilbert and Sullivan. As the regional tourist base and local service centre, Penzance's chief modern functions are here. You can wander the streets of the city and visit the fabulously decorated Egyptian House, a statue of Sir Humphry Davy, the art galleries, new age shops which add a slightly bohemian feeling to the town while other visitors enjoying harbour boat trips, sea safaris and fishing excursions from the town. Your next stop is the pretty fishing village, Mousehole.

Today Mousehole has retained a lot of its old world charm. Small shops, galleries and restaurants fill their narrow streets. Situated on the inside of this harbour, the local cottages built of the fine grain of granite Lamorna huddle. Two sturdy breakwaters protect the area against the force of the sea. Dylan Thomas described this pretty village as being the most beautiful village in England, but many Cornishmen argue that England can classify this part of the earth. You will explore this lovely old fishing village on foot. The next place of interest in Cornwall is Merry Maidens which is also known as The Merry Maidens of Boleigh Stone Circle.

This stone circle (2500-1500 BC) is known for its beauty as well as the related histories in this late Stone / early Bronze Age site. It is located on a gently sloping area between the towns of Lamorna and St Burian and a stone's throw from the Tregiffian barrow and several ancient sites. It is made up of a total of 19 stones with a gap in the eastern section common to nearly all British stone circles. Besides the normal spacing, it is obvious that these stones were carefully selected and placed as they are gradually reduced from the south-west to the north-east; they are expected to wax up and fall in size to reflect the moon cycle. The stones are placed to the highest standing and face the inner part of the circle with a diameter of about 78, measuring up to a maximum of 1.4 m. You will all explore those and our APTG Blue Badge guide will also tell you about the Neolithic builders around England. We will also reveal some links with Stonehenge here in this spot.

Your next stop is The Minack Theatre, Cornwall’s world-famous open theatre. The Minack is a unique theatre set on high cliffs overlooking the Atlantic. Every summer, along with music, comedy and storytelling, the theatre has a complete drama, music and opera programme. Today, the theatre welcomes over 110,000 people every year for the performances and 170,000 people just come to look around and experience their astonishing views. The site includes lots of steep steps. There is access for wheelchairs and disabled visitors to the top levels of the site, including the café, shop, toilets, exhibition and a balcony with great views over the theatre and the bay. Due to the terrain, there is no disabled access to the stage or the lower levels of the auditorium.

After Minack Theatre, your programme takes you to Land’s End, the legendary Cornish destination which has given people inspiration since ancient Greek times, when it was called the "Belerion," a sunny location, (Cornish Pedn-an-Laaz) in Cornwall County is England's westernmost peninsula. Composed of a granite mass, its tip lies about 870 miles from John O' Groats on the road to England, traditionally considered the northernmost point of Great Britain. The point is the most western point in England. The popular phrase "from Land's End to John O' Groats "means "from the end to the end of Britain." There are dangerous reefs off its rocky, but scenic coast, a group of which are marked by a Longships lighthouse a mile from the mainland. Time to have your cameras ready as England both ends and starts here!

Your journey in Cornwall continues and the next stop is Lanyon Quoit, which dates back to the Neolithic period( 3500 to 2500 BC), with other corn-like dolmens, in the mainly unpopulated and treeless Cornish landscape between Madron and Morva. Lanyon Quoit is certainly one of the most recognizable and important megalithic places in Cornwall once large enough in order to enable a horse and riders to pass underneath it. The capstone was originally sat on top of four upright stones with a weight of over 13 tonnes, which measured 9 feet by 17 feet until a storm demolished it in 1815. After a quick exploration in Lanyon Quoit, you will proceed to your final stop, St Ives.

Situated on the west end of St. The Atlantic Ocean Bay of Ives, the old town of winding cobbled roads and colourful stone cottages is clustered around the port. Until the late 19th century, fishing and mining were important. Since then the mild climate has attracted vacationers and tourism, especially Porthmeor Beach, which is popular with surfers. The town grew up as an artist's colony at the beginning of the 20th century and remains a centre for art. It includes the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden, an office of the national Tate Galleries. A pottery style established by Bernard Leach in 1920 was named St. Ives. Your journey from St Ives back to London will take approximately 6 hours with stopovers and we do hope you will enjoy your Cornwall getaway experience. Hope to meet you on other tours sometime.