Driving down to Cornwall from Cheshire

[K1t]

Hi

This will be our very 1st holiday as a family in the UK and we will be driving down to Cornwall 1st week in April. As it will take more than 5.5 hours can you recommend a place to stop for a few days please?

I have booked The Valley in Carnon Downs Mon to Friday therefore we have the full weekend to mosey on down. Or we can just drive straight to Cornwall and have the weekend in Padstow first. What are your thoughts?

Many thanks
Kit

5.5 hrs driving isn't that bad. Wouldn't you want to just crack on and get there and enjoy being in Cornwall?

Otherwise you could stop in Bath or somewhere, it depends what you want to do.

Bath is a bit out of the way. I would justvget there. There are some okay service stations on the way down the m5

We've always broken the journey (from Lancashire) in Gloucester but that's because its where Granny lives and is right on the M5.

How about Bristol - there's quite a few things to do there I'd have thought.

I know, Bath isn't really en route, I was trying to think of somewhere vaguely nice that was sort of on the way down!

I'd just get there and chill

Thank you

Well in that case as we are off work & school from Friday lunchtime I best extend The Valley booking or maybe have the weekend in Boscastle as it looks good

5.5 hours isn;t that long really. Personally, I'd do it in one go, schedule in a couple of rest stops so the dcs can have a run around and stretch their legs - Bristol is en route and there is a soft play place called 'Jump' off the M5 J17 (Cribbs Causeway/The Mall exit) or if the weather is good then Ashton Court is not far from J18 (afaik, can't remember for sure) and has lots of space for a picnic/ running around.

Or there's Clevedon or Portishead just south of Bristol, off the M5 which are nice little seaside towns, much nicer than Weston Super Mare and less busy.

Unless there is somewhere you really want to see - Bath is lovely but not necessarily somewhere to go with dcs, imo - then I'd head straight down to Cornwall and make the most of the week there.

We frequently drive from Cheshire to NW Scotland which is a 7 hour drive and our dcs cope really well with the journey. They're 7, 5 and 4yo now but we've been doing it since they were tiny so it is manageable with little ones. Just make sure you have plenty to occupy them, including some 'new' things that you can pull out when it all gets a bit much!

Boscastle is lovely but as a day trip, there's not an awful lot there. Good beaches, etc close by though.

You will need to leave early - we tend to be away by 6.30 if leaving from Cheshire as we need to be through Bristol before 9am. We tend to stop at bro's in somerset on route now, but still get away early from his to avoid the heavy traffic which arrives down the around 10am - particularly on a Friday.is very do able in one go if y get away promptly.

Try trevone bay near padstow, really lovely! Nice cafe there for lunch etc.

Bristol has the brilliant @Bristol museum type thing with loads of interactive things for the kids to do. there is also the SS Great Britain - Brunels ship (he of the bridge building) my kids loved it and there are static displays there too. we could spend the whole day here if we went to both of these.

We travel from Cheshire to Cornwall a couple of times a year. We stayed at Jamacia Inn one year, travelled on the Fri so then arrived in St Ives early on Sat and didn't feel we had lost a day of our hols travelling. I know it doesn't break up the journey but we read Jamacia Inn with the children before we went and they had a wonderful experience knowing the story that surrounds it, especially as it was out of season and the mist was creeping across the moors when we arrived.....

This year (next week) we are going to leave at about 4am and travel whilst the children sleep. Hoping to arrive bright and early if not a bit bleary eyed!!

Cornwall is wonderful - happy holidays!!