givemeaclue - we are planning on taking a week off and going down to cornwall from london. maybe doing a bit of a scenic route there as my husband has never been to cornwall or devon and i have only been on a 5 day work-related field trip. did love it though.
noramum - good point you raise. our ds definitely wouldn't go to sleep with us in the same room and still awake and we run the risk of driving each other stir crazy by the end of the week!
mummymeister - thanks for the link the self catering cottages in looe. we will definitely not be going in school holidays while we can still get away with it. and yes, we wouldn't put our little one in the childcare either. the thing that appeals for me about the family friendly hotels though is that you don't feel awfully self conscious if your little one goes squealing round the pool or tearing down the walkways disturbing what is supposed to be a relaxing holiday for other couples. everything there would have little people in tow and would understand... :)
maybe i could pick your minds for suggestions on a route down and must see places?
Was thinking of driving down to Lulworth to see Durdle's Door so that we can get a taste of the jurassic coast. (not sure if a London - Lulworth drive in one day is doable with a little one).
then i am not sure if there is anything really unmissable, but maybe heading off to pop in to Dawlish and Torquay and Totness for a visit maybe spending a night somewhere in that vicinity...
Then driving across to St Austell to see the Eden Project.
And last stop would be Newquay to see the Atlantic Coast, the beaches and the surf.
Would these cover some of the must see places in Cornwall and Devon or have I missed out an obvious stop somewhere?
Clearly, I am not originally from the UK, but have been swallowed up by the Big Smoke and sadly haven't had the chance to explore the West Country to date...
Really excited about it though, so comments really welcome :)