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Holidays

Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

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Original poster

Long trip to cornwall at half term - any advice

12 replies

moominsmummy · 05/05/2007 13:39

We will be travelling to Newquay from Warrington and have to be at the campsite on the saturday of the next bank hol weekend

we have a 11 yr old and 2 yrs old. Am not looking forward to the traffic jams etc

We are thinking of setting off at 3am to try to get some miles done before the traffic builds up (and hopefully the kids sleep)

Any advice on whether we should leave earlier/later - where to stop en route?

Am really dreading long traffic jams and fractious children (and DH!)

OP posts:

SoupDragon · 05/05/2007 13:42

Oh god. Can't you send DH down with the car and luggage and then fly down?

Original poster

moominsmummy · 05/05/2007 13:43

unfortunately not - DH has Multiple Sclerosis so may not be well enough to do any driving anyway
am thinking tranquilizers for DH and the kids......

OP posts:

ArcticRoll · 05/05/2007 13:45

Agree that you should leave really early in attempt to beat the queues.
We often stop off at a lovely beach and cafe at Burton Bradstock in Dorset.Think it's called The Hive.
We go to Cornwall most years, traffic is horrendous but it's such a fantastic place for family holiday.

SoupDragon · 05/05/2007 15:58

Damn! And I thought it was such a good plan. Portable DVD player??

We always used to leave for Cornwall at 4am kind of times. It was all part of the holiday experience

joash · 05/05/2007 16:13

Not sure why people say the traffic to here is always horrendous. We spent 10 years travelling from Yorkshire to Cornwall for holidays before we finally moved here in 2005. Some years we did the journey three and four times. In al those trips - we only ever experienced bad traffic ONCE. That was because the motorway had been closed due to an accident and we were sat still for four hours whilst they cleared the road.

Smutti · 05/05/2007 16:28

Don't know if you can afford it, but we go 3-4 times a year and find the best way is to leave Yorks at 5-6pm the night before - kids go to sleep after couple of hours, then we stop over in Plymouth or Okehampton. Sometimes we have been able to get a Travel Lodge for £15 or £25.

When we used to set off early to do it in one day, we always stopped in Plymouth for lunch (I know it isn't the obvious place but it's not a detour really - if you cross the Tamar on the ferry (free going that way). It's lovely up on the Hoe; makes you feel as tho the hol's begun.

On the way back, we spend most of the saturday in Falmouth, then leave at around 4pm and get home 11pm ish. Traffic cleared, by then.
HTH

makkapakka · 05/05/2007 16:31

Joash, traffic is nightmare atm because bypass still being built at Indian Queens.

Moominsmummy - yeah, leaving at 3am sounds like a good plan. Buy a car DVD player maybe?

Gobbledigook · 05/05/2007 16:34

We are doing Manchester to Cornwall early June - we are planning to leave at 3-4am.

We did the journey in August last year and it was horrendous.

We also have in-car DVD which is invaluable we've found. Our children are 6, 4 and 2.

Rainbow · 05/05/2007 16:34

I'm watching this one too. Going to Torquay from Thurrock (stones throw from Dartford tunnel) same weekend.

joash · 05/05/2007 17:54

makkapakka as I have recently done the trip at least a dozen times so far this year (due to family reasons) - I am fully aware of the work that is being done on the A30. However, the nearest we've come to any so-called traffic (hardly a nightmare) was having to slow down to 40mph to get through the works. And it is due to be completed anytime now.

Original poster

moominsmummy · 05/05/2007 20:06

soupdragon - you inspired me! - I checked cost of sending DH and kids by plane and me driving but at £300+ for the return journey it was just too much
Then thought that if I took one more day off work (the Friday) as I don't work Thursdays I can set off on Thursday with DS (aged 2) and stay with cousin in Bath thursday night, then stay with friend in Exeter friday night - pick DH and stepson up from Exeter airport 9.30am saturday and then only 2.5 hrs to campsite
am even adding new delivery address to Tesco account so all food for the week can be delivered to me at friend's house in exeter
one way flight for DH and DSS is only £78 - well worth it for not hearing the whinging for 6 hours!
figured that by the return journey hopefully all the kids will be totally knackered and will sleep - if not and traffic bad will take up Smutti's suggestion to hang around in the SW til all traffic eased off

OP posts:

lucykate · 05/05/2007 20:15

we have done the journey from parbold to crackington, near boscastle, many times before we moved. we've always found saturday morning is actually surprisingly quiet on the roads, and we've done the trip at both easter and august bank holiday weekend. last time, we set off at about 9.30am, took 4.5 hours, was busy at the start of the m5, other than that no problems anywhere else.

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