Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #55653 in Books
• Published on: 2005-04-11
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 296 pages

Synopsis
This second edition of the best selling guide to Cornwall is fully updated for 2005. No other guide provides as complete coverage of where to go, what to do, sites of interest, essays on history, architecture and art, as well as comprehensive listings of places to stay, eat and drink. It is the only guide you need.

Customer Reviews

Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly: The Complete Guide (Complete Guides)
Having just spent 2 weeks travelliing around Cornwall, I found this book to be indispensable.
Accurate and very honest
The 'Bible' of Cornwall

Bought a copy and found it usable - OK to buy
I imagine that writing a travel guide is a challenge; what to include, what to leave out and what to emphasize - quite a job. All things considered, David Clegg's "Cornwall & The Isles of Scilly: The complete Guide" is reasonably well done and worth considering buying. I used it during a recent trip to Cornwall and found it complete and accurate enough for my needs. I'll keep my copy and use it again.

The book starts with a general section containing information about the guide and the whole of Cornwall - from transportation to history with plenty in-between. The sections that follow divide Cornwall into seven areas. For each there are systematic descriptions of places, attractions, eating, lodging and shopping - fairly complete and enough to get you started and oriented. The reader is moved about an area enough to get a "feel" for its possibilities. Important walking paths are mentioned.

I used the book for information about Land's End and along the coast to the Penzance area and the area around St. Austell. I found no great inaccuracies. Depending on the maps in the book is not recommended - not enough detail. To supplement the guide, one of the popular Cornwall maps or one of the free tourism authority maps you can order via the Internet is recommended. Of course, there are Ordnance Survey maps that will give you about all the detail you might want

Ratings/descriptions for food or accommodation were accurate when I used them. I tried a hostel in Penzance - the description was brief yet accurate. Food at The Turks Head in Penzance was quality as described. I feel I can consider the descriptions in this guide to be reasonably accurate and dependable. In other words, as I mentioned earlier, I'll use this book again. There are many more fine places to stay or eat than any one book can possibly include - what is given is a representative sample. For example, in some areas there are astounding numbers of B&Bs.

There is one observation about this book may be helpful to know. There is a brief description of maybe every church in Cornwall in this guide. On a Sunday we went by one church mentioned in the guide at about 5 pm - it was locked and I found no information about open times. You may want to do some advance contact to find out about open hours if you must see a certain church (or find the bell-ringers' organization on the Internet - when they schedule a visit is when to go!).

Descriptions of certain developed areas sound critical; those I visited were indeed tasteless - but not quite as tasteless as described. Oh well, enough like such tourist attractions to make them economically viable. For myself, I was glad for guidance on what to avoid. Descriptions of attractions that draw upon what is there already were accurate and useful (for example - castles, homes, gardens and other important historical points).

In sum, I recommend this guide to Cornwall. While not perfect, I have found it to be usable and understandable.

Highly recommended
A comprehensive guide to Cornwall. I constantly referred to this book on a recent trip, even though I consider myself to be fairly familiar with Cornwall.