Stay in luxury at the Old Tavistock Railway Station

We had the pleasure today of a "sneak preview" of new luxury holiday accommodation which has been created from the historic old railway station in Tavistock.

The station building itself has been beautifully preserved and restored, and now incorporates three spacious and unique luxury self-catering units.

Each of the three units has its own character - there's the Refreshment Hall, the Porter's Office, and perhaps best of all the Ticketing Hall - complete with original features including the ticket-office hatch!

The Old Tavistock Railway Station is in a quiet, elevated spot (no trains these days!) within easy walking distance of the charming and award-winning market town.

Click here for more information and on-line bookings

Aviation history in the South West

We have a new Special Feature on our website, plotting the history of Brymon Airways which operated flights to and from the South West from the early 1970's through until 2001. The feature includes links to a photo archive containing over 100 photos featuring Brymon Airways and its operations.

Click here to visit the Special Feature on Brymon Airways

Morwellham Quay

Morwellham Quay is an award-winning, evocative museum and visitor centre in the heart of the newly inscribed World Heritage Site and Tamar Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Just four miles west of Tavistock the historic port, mine workings and Estate, border the beautiful River Tamar. Amidst towering cliffs and gently rolling farmland, a lost world lives again.

So that's the official description. But we reckon this is one of the nicest tourist attractions in Devon - mainly because it is so low-key and uncommercial. You can pay if you want to experience things like the underground mine train. But it's completely free if all you want to do is wander around this remarkable heritage site. The mini hydro-electric power station, powered from the Tavistock canal, is worth a visit if nothing else. And there are miles of lovely walks around the site and along the River Tamar.

For more info visit http://www.morwellham-quay.co.uk/

Transat race starts from Plymouth

On Sunday 11th May, Plymouth saw the start of the Artemis Transat single-handed transatlantic yacht race, following a fabulous week of warm-up for the event in the specially created Transat Race Village within the historic environs of Plymouth's Sutton Harbour.

We were fortunate enough to be able to experience a close-up view of the race start from a boat in Plymouth Sound. An awesome sight as the fleet of Imoca 60 and Class 40 yachts headed out for their transatlantic adventure.

A few useful links:

For a gallery of photos featuring the run-up to the start of the race, and the race start itself, visit the Sutton Harbour Group photo gallery on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sutton_harbour_group

To follow the race live on-line visit the official Artemis Transat website: http://www.theartemistransat.com/

Mousehole hideaway

A visitor to http://www.simplydevonandcornwall.com/ contacted us recently to ask for a recommendation for somewhere nice but simple to stay in West Cornwall, convenient for Lands End. We had no hesitation in suggesting the Ship Inn at Mousehole. It's a lovely, unspoilt, traditional pub right on the quayside in the delightful harbourside village of Mousehole, just down the coast from Penzance. The rooms are simple but comfortable, and the Ship Inn has a nice, good-value restaurant (or there are more fancy restaurants in the village to choose from).

>>> Click here for more information on the Ship Inn, Mousehole

Transat comes to Plymouth

The Transat single-handed Transatlantic yacht race starts from Plymouth's Sutton Harbour on Sunday 11th May. In the week running up to the spectacular start of the race, the historic Barbican and Sutton Harbour area will be transformed into a race village open to the public, with entertainment, food, drink, and nautical interest. Visit the official Transat website for more information. And for information on hotels in Plymouth if you're planning to visit, click here to check out our hotel pages including helpful reviews to help you plan your stay.

A chilly Easter

Easter has, of course, fallen rather early this year, and those who headed down to Devon and Cornwall for a long Easter weekend were greeted with some rather chilly and showery weather (although, as my brother often reminds me, there is no such thing as bad weather - just the wrong clothes!).

On Easter Monday we decided to brave the showers and head for the North Cornwall coast.

First stop was the Bedruthan Steps Hotel (pictured here) for a delicious coffee and homemade biccies. The Bedruthan Steps is a long-established, family-run hotel at Mawgan Porth near Newquay, in a spectacular location overlooking the golden sands of Mawgan Porth beach. The hotel is famed as a child-friendly hotel for the well-to-do, and has been extensively and considerately refurbished in recent years to create a fabulous luxury family hotel - >>> click here for more information

After coffee we headed into Newquay. To be fair, Newquay is in need of a bit of regeneration - the town centre is a bit basic, and the bars and pubs are really geared towards the "youth" market. But the beaches (especially the surf-heaven of Fistral Beach) are spectacular - especially on a wild and windy day like today.

For a civilised end to the day, we headed to Padstow for a pot of tea, and papers, at the very welcoming and comfortable Metropole Hotel - >>> click here for more information

>>>> Visit our website at http://www.simplydevonandcornwall.com/