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Highclere

Laverstoke Mill

Mevagissey

Penwith

Newbury

Winchester

For us the gateway to Cornwall and where

we felt our holiday started was Truro.

Here at last we found an English town

we both could envisage actually living in.

"What’s more English than walking across the bay to visit what was once a privately owned Englishman’s home”.

Welcome

to Cornwall

The English Cream Tea

Visit Highclere Castle,

the real ‘Downton Abbey’

Experience the Bombay Sapphire

Distillery, Laverstoke Mill, Hampshire

En-route to Cornwall, why not stop at Highclere Castle, the quintessential privately owned stately home and setting for the TV series, Downton Abbey. The set of all 6 seasons of the Golden Globe winning TV series, as the home of the fictional Crawley, family tracing the years 1912 to 1926.

Ok so you must think about the driving element and have a nominated driver but if you’re interested in gin, then the Bombay Sapphire visitor experience is one for your itinerary. Gin has been a quintessential English drink since the 1600’s its popularity heighted in the British tropical colonies where it was drunk to disguise the taste of quinine, the anti-malarial compound. Gin and tonic was born and included some quinine, fast becoming a cocktail favourite.

The present castle was mainly developed during the 1800’s by the Earl of Carnavon, whose current descendants still live here. The house and gardens are open to the public from July to September, with pre-booking essential. Or try one of their bookable special events throughout the year.

 

see www.highclerecastle.co.uk

Arguably after fish and chips, the Cream Tea is the most quintessentially English dining experience. Drinking tea with baked scones, jam and cream can be dated back to the 11th century but it became popularised in the 1930’s and remains so today. The Cornish method means you apply the jam before the cream, and is often the traditionalist’s preference but the ‘jam or clotted cream first’ argument rages on in tea rooms across the country. You’ll find cream teas served throughout Cornwall.

Delicious!

The gin revival today has been driven by brands like Bombay Sapphire, with a new emphasis on botanicals and infusions beyond just juniper, its mainstay flavouring ingredient. At Laverstoke Mill, you can take a guided tour of the working still, experiment with botanicals in the ‘visitor laboratory’ and enjoy a sample in the Mill Bar or even take cocktail mixing lessons. There’s a cool shop and display of vintage glassware but you’ll need to book ahead, at

 

www.bombaysapphire.co.uk

Mevagissey. Cornwall is full of quaint little harbour villages, untouched by time. Our favourite was Mevagissey and dinner at the excellent Fountain Inn, a proper little pub, with great seafood (arrive early!). The English love a good garden. So take two days and visit the extraordinary Lost Gardens of Heligan, perfect for a stroll in the extensive woodlands and exotic gardens. Nearby, the Eden Project is a different experience, with its giant biospheres, taking you from the Tropics to the Mediterranean.

Next drive to The Lizard peninsular for stunning bays and scenery and then to Marazion and St Michael’s Mount. One of Cornwall’s most iconic sights is the Abbey on this tidal island. Catch a small ferry or better still, walk the cobbled path across the bay.

 

Newbury

Winchester