Holiday Blog Tour #1 - Destination Cornwall

Happy August!  Welcome to this month's challenge, 'Get out and about more with the kids'.

This week's post comes to you from sunny Cornwall.  We are staying in a beautiful village called Downderry near Looe on the South Coast of England.

I spent my childhood exploring the coves, crabbing and rock pooling along the Cornish coastline but for some reason I've never been back with my own children.

This is partly because my parents own a holiday caravan in Burnham-on-Sea which we are fortunate enough to be able to use, and partly because when I became 'single' again, with sole responsibility for three little lives, it scared me to death to think of myself driving across the country without another adult for support.

My confidence may have soared in certain areas of my life but it plummeted in others.  So a holiday to Cornwall may seem fairly mundane to some but for me and my family it's a huge landmark, one of which I am very proud.

Safety is a huge concern for any parent but as a single mum it can overwhelm everything you do and sometimes hinder your decisions.  I didn't want my kids to grow up never having experienced the wonderful places our country has to offer.

Last year we embarked on a holiday of a lifetime with my parents, a celebration trip for my big 4-0. We joined the P & O cruise liner, the Azura, in Southampton and hit the Mediterranean; Barcelona, Monte Carlo, Florence, Rome, Ajaccio and Gibraltar in two weeks - incredible.  Luckily my kids don't need a holiday of this calibre every year to entertain them!

Heading to the South Coast is always guaranteed to be a hit with families and we were no exception.  We do own a tent and we love the outdoor life but for this trip I wanted to bask in a little luxury and so we hired a cottage. 

I used Cottages 4 You who have a selection of 13,000 cottages to choose from in England, Ireland, Italy and France.  Booking is straight forward using their website and just before we left for our trip they emailed me with a 'what's on' guide, places of interest close to our chosen property - a nice touch.

Once we had checked in to our stunning sea view cottage we were free to explore the delights of Cornwall. 

So what's on offer to entertain the kids? 

My kids would have been happy on the beach every day and we certainly had the weather for it, but as a happy balance we intermingled our beach time with sight seeing.

Places of Interest:-

• Looe - In medieval times there were two towns on opposite sides of the River Looe, the East had the fishing harbour and the West was a quiet seaside town.  They are now joined by a bridge and together make a picturesque holiday destination.  Looe has a music festival 27th - 29th September 2013 which is worth a trip.

• Polperro - A perfect Cornish fishing village. 

• Plymouth - A treasure trove of family attractions including one of the world's most famous lighthouses built in 1759, museum and art gallery, national marine aquarium, theatre royal, ice rink, lido and so much more.

• Mount Edgcumbe - Set in Grade I Cornish Gardens, 865 acre Country Park on the Rame Peninsula, South East Cornwall.  This stunning park is well worth a visit.  We took a packed lunch and walking boots and spent the entire day exploring the grounds, beaches and walks around the estate.  The gardens are immaculate and the views across to Plymouth are incredible.

There are so many places to visit in Cornwall and I haven't even scratched the surface.  That's half the excitement of holidays - finding your own special place and making memories.

Our Holiday Blog Tour continues next week when we work our way up the West Coast toward Somerset.  I'm on the hunt for a day trip to keep the kids entertained so check back next week and see where we end up.

Do you have a favourite holiday destination?  Please share with us, or maybe you can point me in the direction of a perfect day trip.  Let me know what makes a holiday special for you.