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FINDING cLASSIC

England

DESTINATIONS:

THE COTSWOLDS

THE WEST COUNTRY

THE LAKE DISTRICT

YORKSHIRE & THE DALES

LONDON

Is it classic England you're seeking? Places like the village of Broad Campden with cottages of honey limestone?
If so, watch for rural signposts that invite exploration to classic English villages with intriguing names like these posted along a back road in the Cotswolds.
You will find classic England among romantic landscapes of fields & sky that John Constable would have painted.
And find classic England among the whitewashed cottages of fishing villages lining walking paths that trace the coastline, like here on the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall.
And find classic England on a fine morning's stroll through your home village, with sunshine illuminating the high street shops.
As these signs suggest, drive the "B-roads" to find the best of classic English countryside, like the B4081 which leads from our pretty Cotswolds village to several others nearly as alluring.
When exploring, watch for classically English places to stop for lunch & tea. Most villages have at least one historic pub or inn.
And when your day's exploration ends, the view from your cottage window welcomes you home to classic England.

THE BEST OF RURAL ENGLAND AWAITS YOU —

Finding Classic England:

Independent Travel using Quality Cottages & Apartments

How to find the classic England of history & culture.
Traditional England quietly continues, co-existing seamlessly alongside modern England — hidden in
plain sight. Scratch the surface and you will find it awaiting you. You can walk or drive on roadways the Romans built. Ancient Saxon churches still invite Sunday visitors. Walk the ramparts and explore the fortifications of medieval castles. Great abbeys and cathedrals — some still active, others dissolved into ruins by King Henry VIII — will move you with their solemn Gothic splendor. Express wonder at the mysteries of prehistoric Stonehenge and the many sites tied to King Arthur’s Camelot. Viking England exists, not far from Arts & Crafts England, War of the Roses England, Oliver Cromwell’s England, Tudor England, and the “finest hour” England of World War II. Visit the Mrs. Shakespeare’s thatched cottage, Winston Churchill’s grand palace, Queen Katharine Parr’s castle from her fourth marriage, Sir Francis Drake’s converted abbey home, Jane Austen’s brick house — a former pub — and the Bronte sisters’ stone house and active parsonage.

To find traditional England of history and culture, travel independently from your own vacation cottage in a charming, safe, traditional village. Home At First offers such cottages in several regions of England. Choose the one that most catches your imagination. Settle in to your quaint English home. Walk through your town or village; discover its shops and restaurants; meet some of its local residents. Tour your English home region in your rental car by driving the country lanes and the secondary “B-roads”, seeking out prominent sites you have longed to see, but keeping a serendipitous eye out for surprises along the way. During your explorations, watch for traditional pubs and restaurants, and choose one for your lunch stop, and perhaps another for afternoon tea. At the end of you day of discovery, return to your comfortable English cottage. Read. Relax. Stroll. Walk to a pub/restaurant for dinner, or eat-in, taking advantage of your well-equipped cottage kitchen. You will see much, and accomplish your travel goals. Most importantly, you will find classic England, and feel part of it.

Home At First’s FINDING CLASSIC ENGLAND Travel Program in a Nutshell:

Full-Package Destination:

Includes trans-atlantic flights, cottage or apartment lodgings, & rental car.
Ground-only & Lodging-only options available.
Combinable with Home At First destinations
in Continental Europe, Britain, Ireland, Iceland, & Scandinavia.

Itinerary Character:

1-Week in
RURAL ENGLAND

Explore rural Classic England independently by rental car from your own vacation cottage or apartment. Find classic England in your own traditional village or town and by touring the regional countryside.

Lodging Types:

Weekly Cottage & Apartment Rentals

Choose Locations in several regions of Classic England: Cornwall & Devon, the Cotswolds, Shropshire & Cheshire, the Lake District, and North Yorkshire & the Yorkshire Dales. Lodgings are in/near traditional towns & villages near restaurants, shops, & services.

On-Site Costs: Food & Activities

$$—$$$$

Living high or modestly is very possible throughout rural Classic England. The best way to stick to a limited budget is to use your cottage’s well-equipped kitchen to prepare some of your meals.

Overall Trip Costs:

$$$

Excellent Value, thanks to Home At First’s
low Full-Package prices.

Combinable
with many Home At First Continental,
Scandinavian & UK destinations.

Language Spoken Everywhere:

English

Expect English from everyone. However, expect to hear different English accents in each region you visit.

Non-Stop Flight Length from
North America

6.5+ hrs from East Coast
9+ hrs from West Coast

North American flights arrive at London (LHR & LGW) and at Manchester (MAN).

Family Friendly?

♥♥♥♥

Kids love the activities, the castles, the animals, and the food, but may not like a steady diet of museums, galleries, and historical sites. Happily, it’s possible to do many different things every day.

Foodie Friendly?

♥♥♥♥

British food — like American food — includes a broad range of international influences: French, Italian, Asian, West Indian, Chinese, Japanese, American, as well as English favorites: tea, fish & chips, scones, cakes, and meat pies.

Very Walkable

Classic England’s network of walking paths is extensive, with walks of all lengths and challenge. Books, maps, and apps are available for planning your walks and taking with you on the trails.

Activities

• Strolling through villages and along canal towpaths.
• Exploring historic sites, especially castles & stately homes.
• Museums and galleries.
• Riding preserved steam railways.
• Visiting noted English gardens & arboretums.
• Shopping & Eating!
• Exploring England’s national parks.

The Best Times to Go to Classic England:

April, through October, and at Christmas. Classic England is at its busiest during the peak visitor months of July & August when the best-known villages and tourist attractions draw crowds especially on weekends. A cozy Christmas in an English village is unforgettable!

HOW IT WORKS—

Home At First’s Finding Classic England: Independent Travel with Quality Cottages & Apartments.

First — Request a Free Trip Proposal

• Contact Home At First. Tell us about your travel dream of Finding Classic England. We will tell you about getting there, where we stay (you’ll love the choice of English lodgings in several regions!), and how to travel independently by rental car.

— Tell us how many people will be with you, and their ages.
— Tell us when you would like to travel, and for how long.
— Tell us if you would like to combine a visit to one English region with a visit to another part of England, or to Scotland, Wales, Ireland, or further to Paris or to any other Home At First destination in Continental Europe (Italy, Switzerland), Scandinavia (Denmark, Norway, Sweden), or even to Iceland.
— Ask for a Free Trip Proposal with Cost Estimate.

A SAMPLER of ACTIVITIES & DESTINATIONS

THE FOLLOWING SCENES ARE REACHABLE FROM ONE OR MORE OF HOME AT FIRST’S ENGLISH REGIONS AND WILL HELP YOU FIND CLASSIC ENGLAND.

Fairy tale dreamscapes can still be found across England. We stumbled across this group of thatched cottages while touring in Devonshire.
York — Northern England's largest city — has a violent history. Clifford's Castle is what is left of the keep of 13th century York Castle. Visitors may walk the ramparts of the York city walls, explore its medieval old town, and see what Viking York was like at a major museum.
Wharfedale, Yorkshire Dales. The former gatehouse is an imposing residence on the large estate of medieval Bolton Priory, dissolved in 1539 by Henry VIII. Visitors can explore the estate, walk along the river on miles of splendid trails, and ride on a preserved shortline steam railway.
Lake District: 13th century St. Michael & All Angels Church continues its centuries-old mission as the parish church of Hawkshead, overlooking the charming village and overseeing the souls of its parishioners.
Most English villages have a traditional core gathering place. In Hawkshead village in the Lake District hill walkers (hikers) and tea takers assemble in the morning and again in the afternoon in the village square by the Beatrix Potter Gallery.
A lone hillwalker on his way up Latterbarrow, high point between Hawkshead & Lake Windermere in the Lake District, Cumbria. Latterbarrow, like many place names in northern England, probably is of Viking origin.
The city of Chester has the most complete medieval city walls found in England. Its old city core includes a pedestrians-only zone with shopping in the arcades of half-timbered buildings.
Coverack village — on the Lizard Peninsula of Cornwall — is nearly the southernmost point of mainland Britain. This view of the English Channel is from one of Home At First's cottages in Coverack.
The 14th century Fleece Inn is the local public house for Home At First guests in Bretforton in the far northern Cotswolds. Look for "witch circles" in the floor by the hearth protecting against chimney-descending hags.
Lower Slaughter, a frighteningly-named classic Cotswolds village on the River Eye, takes on a stark beauty in a winter's morning light.
Somewhere in the Cotswolds. Hiking paths like this one through a meadow lush with wildflowers and the stuff walkers' dreams are made of. I know — that's my backpack deep in the flowers.
Chipping Campden, in the northern Cotswolds, basks in English traditions, like the displaying of the town coat of arms on High Street.
The centuries-old Chipping Campden market hall is an important relic of medieval Cotswolds "wool towns". International trade of Cotswold wool brought remarkable prosperity to market centers like Chipping Campden.
Finding classic England is easier via slow, winding, narrow B-roads. A fine example is this little-trafficked stretch in Wiltshire between the Cotswolds and Stonehenge.
You will likely not be the first to find an unspoiled piece of classic England. Oxfordshire's 17th century Trout Inn on the rushing Thames has been visited by Bill & Chelsea Clinton, and played a role in several TV and motion picture dramas.
Finding classic England can be as easy as visiting Oxford University. Its familiar Gothic architecture and associations with great minds of arts, letters, philosophy, religion, mathematics and science remains unmatched, except, perhaps, by its ancient rival, Cambridge.
Wild Dartmoor ponies wander across the barren expanses of Dartmoor National Park in west Devonshire. A similar breed of ponies roams Exmoor in north Devonshire.
The 102-mile-long Cotswold Way follows the Cotswolds hills from the Roman town of Bath, Somerset, northeast to Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire. The scenic, well-marked trail can easily be walked (or ridden) in segments, and does not required extreme fitness, nor are there any risky open heights along the way.
Riding is popular throughout rural England, so much so that it is not uncommon to see horse traffic in towns, as here in Chipping Campden in the Cotswolds.
Older than the pyramids of Giza, Stonehenge is England's greatest — and most mysterious — prehistoric monument. Set on a flat, grassy field on the Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, Stonehenge is within day-trip range of Home At First lodgings in the Cotswolds and Devon.

Second — We Design Your Dream Trip for You

• We prepare a proposed itinerary & cost estimate with all the lodgings & transportation you need to Find Classic England independently using a quality vacation apartment. We send our individualized itinerary proposal to you via email and/or postal mail.
• You review our proposal; accept it, reject it, or revise it until we have it just right for you. It is, after all, your dream trip, to be done the way you wish.
• Once accepted, we request an initial payment by check along with your signed acceptance.
• We begin putting your plans in place, securing your LODGINGS, FLIGHT RESERVATIONS & TICKETS, RENTAL CAR RESERVATIONS & VOUCHERS required. Most Home At First Finding Classic England guests arrive by air at London’s Heathrow or Gatwick Airports or at Manchester Airport in central England. Others come from elsewhere in England, Wales, or Scotland by rental car.
• Payment in full is due 90 days prior to departure, or when you are ready to lock in your included airfares, whichever comes first.

Third — Departure Day Finally Arrives

• All travel documents for your trip — including a guidebook specifically themed for your regional Classic England destination — will be sent to you by 30 days prior to your trip departure date.
• You follow our directions for your transfer from your arrival point (airport or otherwise) to your regional Classic England lodging, where you will be met at a pre-set time by your lodging’s host, who will show you the cottage or apartment, explain its workings, see to your comfort, and let you get some rest.
• Have a nap. Get some groceries for your kitchen. Make supper or go out for a meal. The fun begins now as you begin to find Classic England independently from your comfortable English vacation home.

FINDING CLASSIC ENGLAND SCENES & SURPRISES

Why we love the English: they're like us, only different in interesting, curious ways. Touring rural England is a trip through the looking glass into an improbable, left-handed, land suspended in the aspic of another time. Plus fish & chips, tea, scones, clotted cream, Yorkshire pudding, bangers & mash, warmer beer, curries, and mushy peas. Long live the Queen!
The Thames is England's second-longest river (at 215 miles only 5 miles shorter than the Severn). The Thames rises in the Gloucestershire Cotswolds and generally follows a gentle, meandering route on its way to London. The above photo is of the placid Thames in Oxford, where it is known at The Isis.
Reminders abound that England is an island country and a seafaring nation. England's coastlines are washed by the English Channel, the North Sea, the Irish Sea, the Celtic Sea, and the Bristol Channel. No point in England is more than 70 miles from the coast, perhaps a little further when the tide is out, as pictured here.
The city of York's great Gothic cathedral, York Minster, is the largest in northern Europe, and most important church in northern Britain. Built over 250 years (1220-1470), York Minster traces its roots to Anglo-Saxon times (627AD) — or possibly Roman times (314AD).
What the Yorkshire Dales represent in our imaginations can be found, as this photo of a rural village in western Wensleydale illustrates. Go for the scenery, but stay for the cheese.
Sheep, it can be argued, first made Britain great during the Middle Ages. Today wool and meat production remain important to English agriculture. Many breeds of sheep graze rural England, including the Blackface, photographed here in the Yorkshire Dales.
Writers from William Wordsworth to Beatrix Potter have attempted to capture the romantic landscape of the Lake District in words. We attempt to capture Lake District romance with this image of young romance dockside on Coniston Water.
Architectural styles are time signatures of historic buildings. Watch for Saxon churches, Norman castles, Gothic cathedrals, Tudor manors, Jacobean halls, Georgian townhouses, Victorian mansions, and Edwardian homes as you explore rural England. This Jacobean bay window is a feature Home At First's Shropshire/Cheshire estate lodgings.
The privately owned fishing village of Clovelly in North Devonshire charges admission for parking, tours, and info. But despite the tourist trap entry fees, the town is an authentic relic of England's past, and an especially charming (and steep!) one.
The curtain walls of Arundel Castle, viewed from the round stone bailey atop the mounded motte. Arundel Castle, home to the Dukes of Norfolk, traces its history to 1067, the year after the Norman Conquest of England. Arundel is one of England's greatest castles, sometimes standing in for royal Windsor Castle in films.
No longer guarding the point where the Bristol Channel becomes the Atlantic along the North Devon coast, Hartland Point lighthouse has been sold off after being decommissioned. As modern technology makes lighthouses anachronisms, beautifully dramatic structures like this one have begun to disappear.
Pilgrims' progress began here, when, in 1620, the soon-to-be settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony boarded the Mayflower from these steps in Plymouth, England. They would commemorate their English departure point by naming their arrival point in the New World Plymouth Rock.
Canterbury Cathedral (consecrated 1070AD) traces its roots to St. Augustine of Canterbury, patriarch of the English Church. The grand Romanesque/Gothic cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury, head of the Church of England and is England's most powerful church. Archbishop Thomas Becket was murdered by knights of King Henry II in the cathedral, marking an early major rift between the Church and the Crown.
Sir Francis Drake, explorer, circumnavigator, privateer, vice admiral, English parliamentarian, and Mayor of Plymouth, England. Drake is a favorite son of western Devon, with 2 statues: one (near Home At First's Devonshire lodgings) in Tavistock, his birthplace, and a second on Plymouth Hoe, where he famously finished a game of bowls before attacking the Spanish Armada.
Salisbury Cathedral — a noted example of Early English Gothic architecture — has England's tallest spire and one of four copies of the Magna Carta. The church and the charter both date from the early 13th century, and both continue to play active roles in 21st century England.
English icon: a Mini with a Union Jack painted on its driver-side door. The Mini was produced over a 40-year span in many configurations. The main factory was in Birmingham in England's industrial heartland. Minis are to England what Ford's Model T and VW's Beetle have been in the USA: an every man's car with a devoted following.

REAL PEOPLE PROVIDING REAL HELP IN REAL TIME: Home At First helps all its travelers complete the steps necessary to officially enter, efficiently move about, and properly return home from their international destinations. If conditions change during your travels, our support staff remains on-call to answer your questions & provide any assistance needed.

Where to Find Classic England

Home At First Map of England

WHAT COMES WITH HOME AT FIRST’S ‘FINDING CLASSIC ENGLAND’ TRAVEL PROGRAM

HOME AT FIRST BUILDS INDIVIDUAL TRAVEL PACKAGES TO ENGLAND THAT INCLUDE:

• Quality Lodgings: Finding classic England begins with a choice of cottages and apartments in four rural regions of Classic England (West Central, Southwestern, Northwestern, & Northern) and/or apartments in safe, pleasant neighborhoods located in central London convenient to public transportation. All lodging locations are near a wide variety of shops, restaurants, cafés, and other services. All lodgings come with hosts on-site or on-call during your stay for questions, suggestions, problems, or emergencies.

• Round-trip Flights: Our airline experts plan your round-trip flights to London (LHR or LGW) or Manchester (MAN), whichever is appropriate for your regional Classic England destination from your home airport. Our England price chart includes round-trip fares based on flights from New York (JFK) or Newark (EWR) to all regional England destinations.

Flights from/to all other originating airports worldwide are available for applicable fare supplements or reductions. Be sure to request the airfare cost from your originating airport when getting your free trip proposal.

• Car Rental (for most rural destinations): The best way to tour the fascinating by-ways of rural England is to drive the B-roads (secondary roads) by rental car. Home At First’s “Finding Classic England” travel program comes with a 7-day car rental built-in to its Full Package and Ground-Only Package options — quality rental cars right for the size of your party. The base car rental assumes pick-up and drop-off at your arrival/departure airport (London or Manchester), but car rental pick-up and drop-off can be arranged at hundreds of locations across Britain according to individual need, usually for a supplemental price. Picking-up a rental car at one location and dropping at a different location usually incurs a supplemental fee.

• BritRail Pass: Visitors staying in certain regional towns in the Cotswolds or North Yorkshire that have passenger rail service can elect to travel by public transport rather than by rental car. British trains go many places, but do not go everywhere, nor do they go so frequently that they rival a rental car for finding classic England. However, for visitors not wanting to drive in England (remember: left-side driving in the British Isles) limited exploration of England is possible by train if carefully planned. Home At First can arrange for the appropriate BritRail Passes for guests not wanting rental cars.

• Guidebook Keyed for Your Classic England Destination: We provide our exclusive “England Activities Guide” or other destination-specific guidebook to help you make the most out of your visit. Includes suggestions for touring, walking, restaurants, pubs, shopping, museums, galleries, gardens, castles, cathedrals, mountains, sea coasts, royal England, day-trips to destinations outside in neighboring regions, and much more.

• Extend Your Vacation Options: Add a week (or more) at your current English lodging, or try a different location in England (can be as little as 3 nights at our London city apartments). Or add a week or more in Home At First locations in Wales, Scotland, &/or Ireland, or a little further afield in Europe: Paris, Italy, Switzerland, or in Scandinavia: Norway, Sweden, &/or Denmark. Or, add a convenient stopover visit to Iceland on your way to/from England. Home At First will handle all the arrangements: transportation between destinations, lodging at your extension destinations, and appropriate ground transportation at all your destinations. All Home At First destinations come with English-speaking hosting, and you receive a guidebook keyed for exploring each of your destinations.

ENGLAND PRICING

COMBINABLE WITH
ALL ENGLAND DESTINATIONS:

LONDON

USING CENTRAL LONDON APARTMENTS
CLOSE TO THE ICONIC TOWER BRIDGE
AVAILABLE FOR AS FEW AS 3 NIGHTS

TOWER BRIDGE: HOME AT FIRST’S LONDON NEIGHBORHOOD

Photo montage sequence © Home At First.

London is England’s cultural, political, and population center. Located on the River Thames in southeastern England, London is larger than New York, and home to approximately one-sixth of England’s residents. Despite its size, London is easy to get around using its extensive network of Underground (Tube) train lines. Many of London’s dozens of attractions are world famous, and most are found in central London 30 minutes or less from Home At First‘s apartment lodgings near the iconic Tower Bridge. Here’s a partial listing:

• Tower Bridge
• The Tower of London
• Buckingham Palace for the Changing of the Guard
• London Theatre: 30+ playhouses
• Big Ben and Parliament
• Harry Potter’s Shop, Platform 9¾ King’s Cross
• The Victoria & Albert Museum
• Westminster Abbey
• The Shard — Europe’s tallest skyscraper
• The London Eye giant Ferris wheel on the Thames
• The British Museum
• Oxford, Regent, Bond, & Carnaby Streets — shopping!
• Borough Market open-air food emporium
• The National Gallery & National Portrait Gallery
• St. Paul’s Cathedral
• The Museum of London
• Covent Garden
• Parks: Hyde, Regents, Green, St. James’s

LONDON: GETTING AROUND IS QUICK & EASY BY TUBE

Photo montage sequence © Home At First.

Home At First can arrange your visit to London. Although stays for as few as 3 nights are possible, we recommend adding a 1-week London package visit — London has so much to do you will want to spend at least 7 nights there. Regardless of length all Home At First London packages include:
• Apartment Lodging in modern apartment buildings in Central London near Tower Bridge. London Lodgings.
• The London TransPass valid on London’s Underground (Tube) trains, red buses, some regional rail lines, and even on certain Thames River passenger cruisers.
• Our exclusive “London Activities Guide” helps get the most out of your visit.
• Packages can include flights or railway tickets for getting to/from London as needed.
• Prices for custom-made visits to London are available by request. See our London Prices or contact us here.

READ ALL ABOUT HOME AT FIRST’S LONDON

The COTSWOLDS

GLOUCESTERSHIRE & WORCESTERSHIRE

Cotswolds: thatched cottage - Photo copyright Home At First.

THATCHED COTTAGE IN CHIPPING CAMPDEN,
GLOUCESTERSHIRE

WEST central CLASSIC ENGland

Lodgings:
RURAL COTTAGES & TOWNHOUSE APTS.
( See Cotswolds Lodgings.)

ENGLAND’S HEARTLAND & TOP TOURING CENTER

Our most popular rural Classic England program destination is The Cotswolds of west central England where our guests stay in cottages & apartments in classic towns and villages in rural northeastern Gloucestershire and southeastern Worcestershire. This region is an official Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, revered for its rolling hills, thatched cottages of honey-colored limestone, historic market towns made prosperous by the medieval wool trade, and historic associations with English royalty, horse racing and fox hunting, great cathedrals, imposing castles, grand gardens, and quirky local breweries.
The main ridge of Cotswolds hills separates the watersheds of England’s two longest rivers, the Severn and the Thames. The region’s B-road byways cross the hills and trace the rivers, finding classic England in villages tucked in the folds of the hills and along bends in the rivers. Visitors love finding and exploring tiny, oddly-named, chocolate box villages like Lower Slaughter, Stow-on-the-Wold, Bourton-on-the Water, Snowshill (“Snozzle”), Ball’s Green, and Tiltups End. The Cotswolds has cities, too: Gloucester and Worcester with their fine cathedrals, Warwick with its superb castle, and Cheltenham with its important (horse-) racetrack.
The Cotswolds includes much of the county of Gloucestershire plus portions of neighboring Oxfordshire, Somerset, Warwickshire, Wiltshire, and Worcestershire, a region extending as much as 25 miles wide west to east and about 90 miles northeast from Bath, Somerset, nearly reaching Shakespeare’s Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire.

ATTRACTIONS: Although the Cotswolds offers sufficient activities and attractions to occupy the most frenetic visitors, easy day-trips beyond the region include excursions to
• Stratford & Shakespeare country
• Bath with its Roman baths and impressive medieval abbey
• the castle-dense Welsh Marches along the Wales border
• Gothic & Tudor Oxford
• the prehistoric mysteries of Stonehenge and Amesbury
• the great early medieval cathedral at Salisbury
• the 12th century Norman & Romanesque Tewksbury Abbey
• the historic waterfronts at Gloucester & Bristol
• Brunel’s wondrous Clifton Suspension Bridge
• John Rennie’s head-scratching canal ladder of 29 locks at Caen Hill on the Kennet & Avon Canal.
And, should you somehow tire of the glories of the English countryside, you can day-trip to London by train in as little as 90 minutes for a very different day away.

ACTIVITIES are as varied as the scenery in the Cotswolds. Outdoorsy visitors love exploring sumptuous English gardens, hiking the extensive network of trails, horsing the bridle paths up the hills and through the fields, or cycling on marked bike routes.
Transportation fans train-spot on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway, scan the skies at the annual Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford, and marvel at the Formula speeds on 2 wheels and 4 at the Silverstone Circuit. Many of the world’s best athletes on 4 legs are on display every year at jumping and equestrian events at Cheltenham and Badminton.
Major historic houses open for public visit abound in the Cotswolds. A sampling includes:
• William Morris’s Kelmscott Manor
• Katharine Parr’s Sudeley Castle
• Anne Hathaway’s Cottage (Mrs. Wm. Shakespeare)
• Winston Churchill’s Blenheim Palace
• Chavenage House — used in British TV series, including Poldark
• Berkeley Castle, where King Edward II was murdered (1327).
Minor historic houses litter the Cotswolds. Find them in every town and village, along lanes and trails, atop the highest hills, and in the deepest, darkest vales. Many remain residences and not open to visitors. Others are antique shops, pubs, galleries, post offices, and restaurants eager to welcome you. Bring your curiosity and follow the B-roads. You will be certain to find classic England.

The WEST COUNTRY

Devon &
cORNWALL

THATCHED COTTAGES IN
DARTMOOR NATIONAL PARK,
DEVON, Sw engLAND

southwest CLASSIC ENGland

Lodgings:
RURAL COTTAGES & TOWNHOUSE APTS.
( See Devon Lodgings .)
( See Cornwall Lodgings .)

ENGLAND’S ECLECTIC SOUTHWEST CORNER

The West Country. To those who reside elsewhere in England, Britain’s southwestern peninsula between the Bristol Channel and the English Channel is a region almost as different as Wales, Scotland, or Ireland.
Two historic counties — Devon and Cornwall — occupy the West Country peninsula. And, although these two counties have much in common, their differences reinforce their traditional rivalry. Here’s a brief look at both counties:

DEVON: Devonshire cream teas, thatched villages, coastal bluffs and inland heath and moor right out of the novels of Thomas Hardy’s Wessex, sandy beach resorts, full-sized toy trains, wild ponies, May flowers and the Mayflower all draw you to Devon.
Devon’s two coasts are lined with beach resorts and fishing villages — especially the “English Riviera” in East Devon — while its interior follows rivers from the coasts to the sucking bogs and breathtaking tors of Dartmoor National Park, which offers near wilderness scenery & hiking at 2,000′ above sea level. In between the coast and the heights, Devon is largely agricultural, and dotted with villages and towns often of great age and history.
Home At First‘s cottages in Devon are located in/near the historic market town of Tavistock, at the southwestern entrance of Dartmoor National Park. One-half hour south is Plymouth, Devon’s large port city from which the Mayflower embarked for the New World 500 years ago. All lodgings are within day-trip driving reach of the English Channel (south) and the Bristol Channel (north) coastlines. Because they practically straddle the border with eastern Cornwall, our cottages provide an ideal location from which to explore all of the West Country.

VIEW OF THE ENGLISH CHANNEL FROM A COTTAGE IN COVERACK, CORNWALL, Sw engLAND

CORNWALL: once a corner of prickly Celtic resistance to Anglo-Saxon invaders, for many English visitors Cornwall is still a world apart, like Wales or Scotland. From the Tamar Valley to Lands End, Cornwall offers Cornish pasties, World Heritage mining, sea cliffs and crashing surf, King Arthur’s legendary castle and Merlin’s cave, seaside resorts, ancient Celtic traditions, and cozy fishing villages.
Cornwall mined its rugged landscape — mostly for tin — for 4 millennia. A World Heritage Site in eastern Cornwall commemorates the importance of mining. Dairy farming contributes the clotted cream and ice cream to Cornish cuisine.
Traditional seaside villages on both Cornish coasts attract visitors for their authentic charm and fresh seafood. Many of these towns — especially those with beaches — bring much tourism to Cornwall, earning it the title “The Cornish Riviera”.
Home At First’s principal lodging locations in Cornwall are in one of the quieter, more pristine coastal fishing villages, Coverack. Our cottages are all within walking distance of the village shops and its fine pub/restaurant, and some have sea views.

WEST COUNTRY ATTRACTIONS: Our cottages make fine bases for exploring Devon & Cornwall by car. Follow the B-roads to be sure to find classic England. Day-trip goals include:
• Penzance & Land’s End: westernmost mainland Britain.
• St. Michael’s Mount, an island at high tide topped with an impressive castle.
• Lizard Point: most southerly point of mainland Britain.
• Ports, fishing villages & beaches along the south coast include: Falmouth, Fowey, Polperro, & Looe.
• Ports, fishing villages, & beaches along the north coast include: St. Ives, Newquay, Port Isaac, Clovelly (a preserved village), and Lynton & Lynmouth.
• Tintagel Castle & Merlin’s Cave: the tantalizing ruins of King Arthur’s origins?

WEST COUNTRY ACTIVITIES:
• English gardens.
• Golf.
• Riding horses.
• Hiking portions of the 500-mile-long Southwest Coast Path which traces the Devon & Cornwall coast.
• Watersports: swimming, surfing, boating, and fishing.
• Riding heritage railways.
• Exploring quaint villages for antique shops, arts & crafts galleries, tea rooms, pubs, and restaurants.

The LAKE DISTRICT

cUMBRIA

hIKING IN LAKE DISTRICT N.P.
CUMBRIA, NW ENGLAND.

northwest CLASSIC ENGland

Lodgings:
RURAL COTTAGES &
ESTATE APARTMENTS
( See Lake District Lodgings.)

ENGLAND’S MOST DRAMATIC LANDSCAPE

The 18th century Romantic poets Wordsworth and Coleridge first brought this sparsely populated, remote part of northwest Classic England — The Lake District — into the public imagination. Their songs of praise of the region’s lovely landscape of lakes, hills and quaint villages still apply. It is this setting where Home At First‘s cottages and estate apartments are found.
Home At First’s Lake District lodgings are cottages and estate apartments just west of famed Windermere lake in or near charming Hawkshead village, where English poet laureate William Wordsworth attended school as a boy.
England’s beloved children’s writer Beatrix Potter (The Tale of Peter Rabbit) lived in nearby Near Sawrey village. Potter wrote lovingly of the Lake District. Concerned with its conservation, she bought up several large regional estates which she willed to the nation. Potter’s bequest became the foundation for the Lake District National Park, the largest and most visited national park in England and a World Heritage Site.

THE LOCATION: The Lake District is in the far northwest of England, bordered to the north by Scotland and to the west by the Irish Sea. To the south and east of the tidal sands of Morecambe Bay, you reach the M6 motorway which leads south through Lancashire to Manchester International Airport, a two-hour drive from Hawkshead.

THE SETTING: Home At First’s lodgings are perfectly located as bases for day trips throughout the Lake District. A rental car is indispensable in this rugged, rural region. Distances are not great here, but the roads are winding, hilly, and narrow. Many lakes (most called “waters”) in this region lie in long valleys (“dales”) tucked between parallel ridges radiating out from the several clusters of peaks (“pikes” and “fells”). The region’s highest mountain, Scafell Pike (978m; 3,209′) is England’s highest. Windermere is the region’s largest lake, and the largest natural lake in England.

HAWKSHEAD is a classically English village and an ideal base for touring the Lake District.
Car-free: No cars or trucks are permitted inside Hawkshead. A large car park, a row of modern shops, and the tourist information office serve as gatekeepers on the edge of the village. Inside the old village is a maze of narrow, cobbled alleyways lined with whitewashed cottages festooned with climbing roses and window boxes and potted gardens of English posies.
Eccentric: There’s nary a square wall, a straight, sharp edge, nor two leaded windows alike. Stone stair steps cascade from low arched doorways. There are shops selling spices in ceramic pots, rustic finery & cottage chintz, and crafts ranging from practical to preposterous. There is art and artisanship. Grocers, bakers, and butchers are ready to supply your picnic hamper. There are several fine, historic pubs & restaurants, each attractive enough to become your favorite-of-the-moment.

ACTIVITIES & ATTRACTIONS:

• Walking & Hiking in the Lake District offers tranquility, and sometimes exciting challenge, but never dull repetition. Marked, mapped trails are everywhere with a good selection close to your lodgings.

• Touring by car: Drive the hedge-lined lanes. Ride up and down the hills. Discover hidden gems of towns and villages like Coniston, Sawrey, Bowness, Windermere, Ambleside, and Grasmere. Poke around craft shops.
• Visit Beatrix Potter’s farmhouse, Hilltop, in Lower Sawrey.
• Take the car ferry across Windermere lake to Bowness, where The World of Beatrix Potter will delight the kids.
• Stop at the Windermere Outdoor Adventure Centre in Windermere town for sailing, windsurfing, swimming, kayaking, paddleboarding, & more.
• Coniston: busy village and walking center on Coniston Water. John Ruskin Museum & Coniston Brewery. Bike rentals, boat rides, and fishing.
• Grasmere: cute, touristy village on a small lake. Wordsworth’s Dove Cottage & museum is nearby.
• Honister: working slate mine with mine tours and adventure activities: via ferrata & zip line.
• Ride lake boats on Windermere, Coniston Water, Ullswater, and Derwent Water.
• Take a nostalgic steam train on the Lakeside & Haverthwaite heritage railway. Can be combined with a cruise on Windermere.

YORKSHIRE & The DALES

NORTH YORKSHIRE

Bolton abbey in the yorkshire dales,
NORTH YORKSHIRE, ENGLAND

northern CLASSIC ENGland

Lodgings:
RURAL COTTAGES & TOWNHOUSE APTS.
( See Yorkshire Lodgings.)

A SUBLIME REGION WITH A TUMULTUOUS HISTORY

Here is land for all creatures, great and small. This part of northern Classic England is a pleasant, rolling landscape dotted with small villages and larger market towns. And it is in such places that our cozy cottages are located, villages with characteristic Yorkshire names like Bishop Monkton and Burnt Yates, names suggesting the quaint charm and slow pace of the region.
Agriculture is the way of life here. In recent years Yorkshire’s two national parks and its variety of short and long-distance walking paths have brought the region new fame as a destination for those seeking beauty and tranquility in the unspoiled out-of-doors.

THE LOCATION: North Yorkshire is a large, mostly rural county in the north of England. Extending about 100 miles east-west from The Lake District to the North Sea, and averaging about 50 miles north-south, North Yorkshire is among the largest and least densely populated counties in England. About 40% of the county is within the boundaries of its two national parks: Yorkshire Dales N.P. covering the western third of the county and North York Moors N.P. covering much of the eastern third of the county. In between, North Yorkshire is bisected by its principal north-south highway, the A1(M) motorway and the East Coast Mainline (ECML) high-speed railway, both carrying traffic between London (the south of England) and far northern England and Scotland. Most visitors arriving by air will drive their rental cars northeast from Manchester International Airport, in about two-hours under normal traffic conditions.

THE SETTING: Our lodgings are perfectly located as bases for day trips throughout North Yorkshire. Home At First’s Yorkshire lodgings are in or near villages or small towns just east of Yorkshire Dales N.P. We also offer apartments in the small city of Harrogate and in the historic city of York. Although guests staying in Harrogate and York can travel to many places by train, to flexibly explore this rugged, rural region a rental car is indispensable. Throughout both national parks roads are winding, hilly, and narrow, following rivers and streams and crossing steep ridges from valley to valley.

ACTIVITIES & ATTRACTIONS: Yorkshire is known for much more than walking. Other activities include scenic touring, horseback riding, outings by steam train, and encounters with classic England history at numerous castles, abbeys, princely estates, and exploring the great medieval city of York.
North Yorkshire & the Yorkshire Dales are about the serendipity of wandering. Whether you wander by car, by train, by bike, or on foot, exploring Yorkshire leads to the déjà vu discovery of places old and strange that seem at once new and familiar. Escape from the 21st century? Easily done here:

• Touring by car: Drive the valleys of the Yorkshire Dales, tracing their namesake rivers: Wharfedale, Ribbledale, Nidderdale, Swaledale, and Wensleydale on the River Ure. Discover delightful towns and villages like Grassington, Hawes, Richmond, Settle, Pateley Bridge, and Leyburn. Find galleries & craft shops, food & sweet shops, funky museums, and village pubs.

• Castles, Abbeys, & Stately Homes:

◊ Beningbrough Hall: 18th c. stately home. Portrait gallery & gardens.

◊ Bolton Abbey & Hall on River Wharfe.

◊ Bolton Castle: 30min walk from Redmire on the Wensleydale Railway.

◊ Castle Howard: palatial baroque stately home & estate on the southern edge of North York Moors N.P.

◊ Fountains Abbey: 12th c. monastic ruin. World Heritage Site.

◊ Middleham Castle: 12th c. explorable ruin. Boyhood home of Richard III.

◊ Richmond Castle: large 11th c. Norman ruin.

◊ Ripon Cathedral: 12th c. Early English gothic.

◊ Skipton Castle: well-preserved 11th c.

• Cities:

◊ Scarborough: Yorkshire’s biggest coastal resort with a lively old town harbor, and strand lying below the ancient ruins of Scarborough Castle.

◊ York: Viking roots & museum; lively medieval Shambles core & city walls; major railway station and National Rail Museum; fabulous York Minster gothic cathedral.

• Scenic Railway Lines:

◊ Embsay & Bolton Steam Railway: 4mi. east-west heritage line along southern edge of Dales N.P.

◊ North Yorkshire Moors Railway: 18mi south-north heritage line thru North York Moors N.P. Often used in film & TV.

◊ Settle to Garsdale Stn.: 30min south-north Northern line thru remote Yorkshire Dales N.P. via the amazing Ribblehead Viaduct.

◊ Wensleydale Railway: 22mi. east-west heritage line from Leeming Bar to Redmire.

• Walking & Hiking: North Yorkshire offers a wide variety of marked short & long trails.

Finding Classic England: Quality Lodgings

Minimum lodging time is 7 nights for rural cottages. City apartments have a 3-night minimum.

England - Chipping Campden thatched cottage. Photo copyright Home At First.

Pictured above is a 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom Home At First thatched cottage in the town of Chipping Campden in the northern Cotswolds. Set in a quiet, residential neighborhood, the cottage is within 5-minutes walking time to the shops, restaurants, and pubs of the town’s High Street. The cottage interior is beautifully furnished and very well-equipped. The cottage exterior is equally impressive: attractive, spacious, and relaxing. Private, off-street parking adds to the cottage’s appeal as an excellent base for car-touring throughout the Cotswolds, into Shakespeare country, to Oxford, Bath, Stonehenge, and beyond.

Home At First’s cottages, townhouse apartments, and city apartments range in size — from studios to 4-bedrooms — sleeping anywhere from 1 person to 8 persons. Lodgings vary in location from urban to rural towns and villages to country estate settings. All of our Classic England lodgings meet high standards for cleanliness and are comfortable, interesting, safe, well-equipped, convenient bases for exploring their locale or region. Most lodgings come with hosts on-site or close-by, who meet you when you arrive and are available throughout your stay. Some city apartments have concierge desks staffed much of the day every day of the week. Most rural lodgings have usable outdoor space — balconies, patios, terraces, even gardens — ideal for snacking, light meals, or relaxing during fine weather.

Care & Cleanliness: The apartments have been thoroughly cleaned prior to your arrival, but are not maid-serviced during your stay. Nearly all rural lodgings and some city apartments are equipped with laundry machines. Accommodations are non-smoking and most do not permit pets. Basic starter kitchen and bathroom supplies are provided.

Well-Equipped: As with lodgings at any Home At First destination, our “Finding Classic England” cottages, townhouses, and apartments have, as a minimum, bedrooms, private bathrooms, living and dining areas/rooms, and well-equipped kitchens. Some multiple-bedroom accommodations come with multiple bathrooms, often en suite with the bedrooms. Some few studio apartments or smaller cottages have open-plan living-dining-sleeping space and/or kitchenettes without ovens. Bed and bath linens and a hair-dryer are provided. Flat-screen cable TVs and free internet WIFI are almost universal.

Sample Lodgings & Locations Ideal for Finding Classic England

Shown and described below is a sample lodging from each of the four Home At First Classic England regions. They are shown here as representative examples of different sizes and capacities of lodgings we provide our guests. While the full range of our available Classic England lodgings and locations to choose from is extensive, the standard of quality and service is the same regardless of apartment or location.
NOTE: to see a selection of London apartments, click here.

NOTE — FOR BEST VIEWING: each of the following apartment descriptions begins with a slide show. You can move from slide to slide (forward or reverse) by clicking on the direction arrows below each slide. To see any slide in large format on a PC, “right click” on the selected slide and click on the “Open image in new tab” (Chrome) or “View Image” (Firefox).

In & NEAR CHIPPING CAMPDEN
NORTHERN COTSWOLDS

CLASSIC ENGLAND’S HEARTLAND

Semi-detached cottages in Chipping Campden.
Chipping Campden: ground floor of 2-bedroom, 2-bath High Street cottage.
Chipping Campden: High Street Cottage kitchen and dining area.
Chipping Campden: The Mews Flat 3-bedroom, 2.5-bath townhouse exterior.
Chipping Campden: exterior of 3-bedroom 3-bath Merchant's Cottage.
Chipping Campden: Merchant's Cottage double bedroom with bath.
Bretforton: village church on the square.
Bretforton: 2-bedroom, 1-bath Lowe Cottage with furnished garden.
Bretforton: Lowe Cottage bathroom with shower.
Bretforton: Lowe Cottage's charming country kitchen.

cotswolds cottages

In the Northern Cotswolds —
Gloucestershire & Worcestershire.

THE LODGINGS & THEIR SETTING: Located in the attractive town of Chipping Campden and nearby in neighboring villages in northern Gloucestershire and southeastern Worcestershire, Home At First‘s Cotswolds Cottages are ideally located for exploring the heartland of England. There are several cottages to choose from, with new offerings being added each season. Regardless of their location, all our Cotswolds cottages are in classic English settings close to shops, pubs, and restaurants. The cottages themselves reflect the traditional style of the classic England countryside, often featuring exposed wooden beams in the walls and ceilings, stone hearth fireplaces, eat-in country kitchens, plush living room chairs and sofas, chintz curtains, and beds topped with thick duvets and extra pillows. Bathrooms will have a shower, and many have bathtubs as well. Appliances are up-to-date modern, TVs large & flat-screened, and WiFi universal. A few very photogenic cottages have thatched roofs. Many cottages have gardens with terraces or patios for sitting in fine weather. Most have private parking, but a few offer only on-street parking, which can be challenging on busy summer weekends.

CHIPPING CAMPDEN — the principal town in our Cotswolds regional setting (pop. 2,300) — is known for its thatched “cottages”, medieval church that hosts an important classical music festival every May, and the 400-year-old Cotswold “Olympicks”. Home At First offers several cottages in Chipping Campden, where there are several pubs, restaurants, shops, and services. Home At First has additional cottages and apartments in towns and villages within a few minutes of Chipping Campden, including:
• Blockley (pop. 1,000; Moreton-in-Marsh rail station reached in 12min by car)
• Bretforton (pop. 1,023; Honeybourne rail station reached in 6min by car)
• Broad Campden (pop. 150; 4min by car or 25min walking to Chipping Campden)
• Broadway (pop. 2,540)
• Moreton-in-Marsh (pop. 3,500; rail station in town)
All make excellent bases for touring throughout the Cotswolds and are within easy day-trip range of popular destinations in neighboring regions, including:

• Shakespeare Country (Stratford-upon-Avon: 30-45 minutes away)
• Oxford (45-60 minutes)
• Hay-on-Wye on the Welsh border (1hr, 45min)
• Warwick Castle (45min)
• Bath Spa (1hr, 45min)
• Stonehenge & Salisbury (2hrs, 10min).

While it is perfectly easy to use your Cotswolds village as a base for daily auto excursions, there is much to do in and near your come without driving far or at all:

• Horseback riding (this is horse country).
• Walking & hiking — the long-distance Cotswolds Way meanders south through Chipping Campden en route to Broadway, Snowshill, Stanton, and ultimately to Bath.
• Antique hunting in local shops.
• Visiting English estate gardens, e.g. Hidcote Manor and Snowshill Manor.
• Pub & boutique brewery crawling. The Cotswolds has at least 10 brew pubs or micro-breweries, & several award-winning brews.
• Riding the region’s restored heritage railway: Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway.

Regardless of whether you stay close to home or choose to day-trip far and wide, Chipping Campden and its neighboring villages are friendly, happy, and welcoming English villages to return to, to dine in, to stroll around, and in which to find Classic England.

BY DARTMOOR NAT’L. PARK
NEAR TAVISTOCK, DEVON

CLASSIC ENGLAND’S WEST COUNTRY

Devon's rural interior is a patchwork of fields, hedgerows, & tidy villages.
West Devon Farm Cottage 1 exterior showing entry & private parking.
Cottage 1's well-equipped country kitchen & dining room serves 6.
West Devon Farm Cottages: Cottage 2 exterior.
West Devon Farm Cottage 2: living room, eat-in kitchen, & stairs.
West Devon Farm Cottage 2: upstairs — twin bedroom under the eaves.
West Devon Farm Cottage 3 exterior.
West Devon Farm Cottage 3: kitchen and dining room.
Dartmoor's highlands are crowned with rocky "tors". Pictured is Haytor.
West Devon's market town of Tavistock offers several gourmet food shops.

WEST DEVON FARM COTTAGES

In Dartmoor National Park 5-minutes drive from Tavistock in western Devon.

THE LODGINGS & THEIR SETTING: Home At First‘s West Devon Farm Cottages are are located in the southwestern corner of Dartmoor National Park. The three West Devon Farm Cottages are clustered on a small working farm within the confines of Dartmoor National Park. Chickens, goats, sheep, and horses are your neighbors housed nearby, as are your welcoming hosts — the farm owners, who tend their animals and vegetable garden and are customarily on-site and available to tackle guests’ questions and problems, or to talk about life in this beautiful corner of Classic England. The 3 stone & wood cottages are independent of each other — no shared walls or access — but they do share the farm’s private entrance lane. The farm is reached by narrow, hedge-lined, rural roads that see little traffic. Here’s a brief description of the 3 cottages:

• Cottage #1: Sleeps up to 6 persons in an “upside-down” 2-story cottage with open-plan living room, dining area, and kitchen on the upper floor. Ground floor has 1 double bedroom, 1 twin bedroom, & 1 bunk bedroom, 1.5 bathrooms and laundry room. TV, WiFi, wood stove, private parking for 2 cars.

• Cottage #2: Sleeps up to 5 persons in a 2-story cottage. Ground floor: open-plan living room, dining area, and kitchen. Single bedroom with en suite bathroom (shower) and laundry on the ground floor. Upper floor has a loft lounge (sofa & writing table) between w bedrooms (1 double & 1 twin), & 1 bathroom (tub). TV, WiFi, wood stove, private parking for 2 cars.

• Cottage #3: Sleeps 2-4 persons in a 2-story cottage. Ground floor: open-plan living room (can be fitted with twin or bunk beds to sleep 1-2 persons), dining area, and kitchen. Bathroom (tub/shower) on the ground floor. Upper floor gallery has 1 double bed sleeping area and a living area. TV, WiFi, central heating, private garden sitting area, & private parking for 2 cars. Use of laundry machines in owners’ house.

THE SETTING: The closest shops and services to the cottages are in Tavistock, a 10-minute drive from the farm. Tavistock (pop. 11,000) is an historic market town with a large number of shops, restaurants, pubs, and other services. But guests needn’t drive into Tavistock to reach the nearest pub to the farm: the historic Peter Tavy Inn, a charming, country inn 7 minutes drive or 25 minutes cross-country walk from the farm in the village of Peter Tavy. The closest tor (rocky promontory) — Cox Tor (1,100′ high) in Dartmoor National Park — is an hour’s walk uphill from the cottages.

TOURING: The cottages are well-located for exploring England’s West Country by rental car. Surrounded by the mysterious wilds of Dartmoor, within easy driving of the English Channel (south) and the Bristol Channel (north) coastlines, our cottages are ideally located to explore the region’s top attractions inland and along two coasts. And, because they practically straddle the border of western Devonshire with eastern Cornwall, they provide a perfect location from which to explore all of Classic England’s West Country. Here’s a partial list of popular destinations within day-trip range:

• Dartmoor National Park begins out your door!
• Plymouth: historic maritime city (50 minutes)
• Salcombe: South Devon coastal resort (75min)
• Looe: South Cornwall coastal resort (60min)
• Clovelly: preserved north Devon fishing village (1hr, 20min)
• Tintagel Castle: King Arthur’s birthplace (?) on the north Cornwall coast (65min).
• Bodmin & Wenford Steam Railway: Scenic mid-Cornwall standard gauge 13mi round-trip (55min).

Regardless of whether you stay close to home or choose to day-trip far and wide, West Devon is a friendly, happy, and welcoming region to return to, to dine in, to stroll around, and to find Classic England.

in coverack on sea
lizard peninsula, cornwall

CLASSIC ENGLAND’S WEST COUNTRY

Coverack Cove viewed from peninsular Coverack by the harbour.
Coverack Thatched Cottages including White Thatch and Stone Thatch.
White Thatch Cottage has a spacious, country-style eat-in kitchen.
White Thatch Cottage: Double Bedroom.
White Thatch Cottage bathroom. Note the electric power shower.
Stone Thatched Cottage has a comfy, open-plan living & dining room.
Cooks love the well-equipped kitchen at the Stone Thatched Cottage.
Coverack: Coast Path Cottage (right) has sea views and a stairway to the beach.
Coast Path Cottage features a large, brass double bed in the master bedroom.
Sea View Cottage overlooks the English Channel from its living room & terrace.

COVERACK COASTAL COTTAGES

Cottages in a remote, classic Cornish seaside village near the southern tip of Britain.

THE LODGINGS & THEIR SETTING: Between west Devon and Lands End, westernmost Classic England — Cornwall — offers Cornish pasties, ice cream, & cream teas, World Heritage mining sites, sea cliffs & crashing surf, castles & historic sites, coastal resorts, and cozy, fishing villages. One such village, Coverack, occupies a semi-protected stretch of Cornwall’s south coast on the Lizard Peninsula, southernmost Britain.

Home At First‘s Coverack Coastal Cottages are remote. They are at least 5½hrs from London, 20+min drive from the nearest town (Helston, pop. 11,200), and 45min or so drive time from Falmouth (pop. 21,800), a pretty 18th century town with an important, historic, deep-water harbor, or Truro (pop. 18,800), county seat of Cornwall. But one doesn’t come to Coverack to find civilization, rather to escape it. Experiencing life by the sea in an authentic and nearly unspoiled Cornish village is the traveler’s reward — that and a choice of several lovely cottages, including these four:

• White Thatch Cottage: Sleeps up to 4 persons in a pretty, whitewashed, 2-story, thatched cottage with views of the Cove and the village. Ground floor: over-stuffed living room with wood stove and flat-screen TV; spacious, well-equipped country kitchen and dining area, Upper floor has 1 double bedroom, 1 twin bedroom, with the bathroom (tub/shower) in between. Washer/dryer. WiFi, Walled front garden. Limited on-street parking. Shops & excellent pub/restaurant 1-3min walk.

• Stone Thatched Cottage: Charming 2-story 18th century thatched cottage. Views of the Cove and the lower village. Sleeps up to 6. Ground floor: spacious, comfy living/dining room with Inglenook fireplace and flat-screen TV; superbly-equipped kitchen foodies find exciting. Upper floor has 1 king bedroom, 1 double bedroom, 2 single bedrooms, and a shower room & WC. Washer/dryer. WiFi, Limited on-street parking. Shops & excellent pub/restaurant 1-3min walk.

• Coast Path Cottage: Historic 2-story 18th century whitewashed cottage. Views of the open sea (English Channel). Sleeps up to 4. Ground floor: spacious, overstuffed living room with stone fireplace and flat-screen TV; well-equipped eat-in kitchen with Inglenook fireplace, washer/dryer, and cushy sofa. Upper floor has 1 king bedroom, 1 twin bedroom, 2 single bedrooms, with a full bathroom (shower/tub). Sheltered, furnished garden with access to the SW Coast Path and stairs descending to the beach & playground. Parking 50 yards away. Shops & excellent pub/restaurant 1-3min walk.

• Sea View Cottage: Sleeps up to 5 persons in a modern, “upside-down”, 2-story cottage. Upper floor: open-plan living room, dining area, and kitchen; cathedral ceiling & glass front wall with superb sea views. Glass doors open onto the large, furnished terrace with grand views overlooking the English Channel. Ground floor: master double bedroom with covered balcony (sea view!) and with en suite bathroom (bath tub & separate shower stall); 1 twin bedroom (sea view!); & 1 single bedroom; plus a full bathroom (with tub/shower). TV, WiFi, washing machine, furnished patio with BBQ, and private parking for 2 cars. Close to the SW Coast Path. Two beaches within 10min walk. Shops, pub, & restaurants: 5-10min walk.

TOURING: Rental cars are necessary for Coverack guests, even those with no ambitions to tour Cornwall. However, within day-trip range are many interesting destinations, including:

• Penzance: Britain’s westernmost town is 45min away. Add 20min to reach Land’s End point.
• St. Michael’s Mount: castle-topped island is reachable on foot when the tide is out (40min).
• St. Ives: Resort town on Cornwall’s north coast, home of Tate St. Ives modern art gallery. (50min)
• Lizard Point: Mainland Britain’s southernmost point. 25min by car. 4hrs hike via SW Coast Path.
• Newquay: 2 Atlantic surfing beaches (70min).
• Tintagel Castle: King Arthur’s birthplace (?) on the north Cornwall coast (1hr 50min).
• Bodmin & Wenford Steam Railway: Scenic mid-Cornwall standard gauge 13mi round-trip (85min).

ACTIVITIES: In addition to touring, Coverack guests enjoy:

• Watersports: swimming, boating, fishing in Coverack & along the Lizard Peninsula coast.
• Walking & hiking along the SW Coast Path.
• Shopping for arts & crafts in seaside villages.
• Links Golf at Mullion G.C. (25min drive).

Whether you stay close to home or day-trip far & wide, Coverack is a friendly, happy, welcoming town to return to, to dine in, to stroll around, and to find Classic England.

In & NEAR HAWKSHEAD IN THE LAKE DISTRICT Nat’l. Park, CUMBRIA

NORTHWEST ENGLAND

Esthwaite View Apartments - front facade & parking.
Esthwaite View 2-bedroom apartment: open plan living and dining room.
Esthwaite View 2-bedroom apartment: open-plan living room and kitchen.
Esthwaite View 2-bedroom apartment — bathroom 2 with tub-shower.
Hawkshead's 17th century Queen's Head pub/restaurant.
Hawkshead — Copper Cottage: double bedroom #1 with en suite bathroom.
Hawkshead — Copper Cottage: kitchen with dining area & washing machine.
Hawkshead — Copper Cottage: living room with TV & working fireplace.
Hawkshead — Top of the Square apartment: open-plan lower floor.
Hawkshead — Top of the Square apartment: upper floor bedroom & bath.

LAKE DISTRICT cottages & apartments

In & near Hawkshead village in England’s Lake District National Park — Cumbria.

THE LODGINGS & THEIR SETTING: Home At First‘s Lake District lodgings are well equipped with all the comforts of home. They may be in cottages in or very near the quintessentially classic England village of Hawkshead. Others are spacious apartments in a beautiful converted country estate house overlooking Esthwaite Water, a small lake 5min drive east of Hawkshead and 10min drive west of famed Lake Windermere. All Home At First lodgings in/near Hawkshead are perfectly located as bases for day trips throughout the Lake District. We offer a wide choice of cottages and apartments in this attractive setting. Here is a sampling of descriptions of three guest favorites illustrated in the above slide show:

• Esthwaite View 2-Bedroom Apartment: Sleeps up to 4 persons in a spacious 2nd floor apartment. Open-plan main room consisting of a well-equipped kitchen, comfortable living room, and dining area with fine views of the Esthwaite Water lake & high mountains to the west. Two bedrooms: master king bedroom with en suite bathroom with shower stall; 1 twin bedroom (twin beds can be configured as a king bed). A full bathroom (with tub/shower) in the hall. TV, WiFi, & private parking. Set on a wooded, landscaped 40-acre estate. Guests have use of common laundry facilities, children’s playground, woodland walkways, and shared rowboats moored on the estate’s lake frontage. Hawkshead’s numerous shops, pubs, & restaurants: 5min drive.

• Copper Cottage 2-Bedroom: Sleeps up to 4 persons in a modernized, classic, 2-story, 18th century, town cottage in central Hawkshead. Ground floor: a well-equipped eat-in country kitchen with dining table for 4 persons. Large living room with overstuffed matching sofa & 2 easy chairs, working fireplace, and flat-screen TV. Upstairs are two double bedrooms with TVs and with en suite bathrooms with showers. WiFi, & permit parking for 1 car in the town car lot. Central location means all of Hawkshead’s numerous shops, pubs, & restaurants are within 1-3min walk from the front door of the cottage. NOTE: this cottage permits guests with dogs.

• Top-of-the-Square Cottage 1-Bedroom: Sleeps 2 persons in a whitewashed, 2-story, town cottage overlooking the square in central Hawkshead. Lower floor: large open-plan room featuring a well-equipped eat-in country kitchen; dining area with table for 2 persons; workspace with room for 2; living room with overstuffed matching sofa & easy chair, working woodstove set in a stone fireplace, and flat-screen TV. Upstairs a king bedroom with TV and with adjoining bathroom with tub/shower. WiFi, & permit parking for 1 car in the town car lot. Central location means all of Hawkshead’s numerous shops, pubs, & restaurants are within 1-3min walk from the front door of the cottage. NOTE: cottage entry is up 16 concrete stairs from street level —has banister but no overhead cover.

ACTIVE TOURING: Rental cars are necessary for Lake District. Within driving day-trip range are many interesting destinations with things to do, including:

• Coniston on Coniston Water: active town with lake cruises, cycling, walking & hiking (10 minutes away)
• Beatrix Potter’s Near Sawrey (6 minutes)
• Busy Bowness on Windermere: lake cruising and The World of Beatrix Potter (35min, using the car ferry across Windermere)
• Windermere: regional center for watersports (40min)
• Ambleside village: shopping, especially for outdoor clothing & gear (15min)
• Wordsworth’s Grasmere: small, quaint village with museum (25min)
• Honister: adventure activities for the whole family at a working slate mine (1hr, 10min)
• Ullswater: more cruising among rugged scenery (1hr, 5min)
• Derwent Water: ditto (50min).
• Haverthwaite: southern terminus of the L&H heritage railway (30min).
• Whitehaven Circle Trip: scenic tour around the Lake District peaks to Whitehaven and along the coast of the Irish Sea (5hrs,).

Regardless of whether you stay close to home or choose to day-trip far and wide, Hawkshead is a friendly, happy, and welcoming English village to return to, to dine in, to stroll around, and find Classic England.

in north yorkshire near the yorkshire dales nat’l. park

NORTHERN ENGLAND

Richard Nimoy Cottage is in lovely country between Harrogate & Ripon.
The Richard Nimoy Cottage has a modern, well-equipped kitchen.
Richard Nimoy Farm Cottage: Double Bedroom #1.
Richard Nimoy Farm Cottage: en suite bathroom #1 with shower.
Central Harrogate's fashionable Montpellier Quarter.
The Harrogate Duchess Apartment: dining for 6 with a parkland view.
The Harrogate Duchess Apartment: Double Bedroom #1.
Central Harrogate: Duke's Apartment Dining Room.
York Minster is 45-75min by car from the villages or rail from Harrogate.
The National Railway Museum is next to York's train station & parking lots.

north yorkshire lodgingS

In villages & towns in/near the Yorkshire Dales N.P. and in small city of Harrogate.

THE LODGINGS & THEIR SETTING: Home At First‘s North Yorkshire Cottages are found in villages with characteristic Yorkshire names like Bishop Monkton and Nidderdale. The names suggest accurately the quaint charm and slow pace of the Yorkshire Dales. And for those looking to combine a town and country experience, Home At First also offers apartments in the small, prosperous city of Harrogate, between the Dales and York. The apartments are short distances to of shops, restaurants, and the rail station, making rail trips to York and other British cities attractive and convenient.
Here is a sampling of descriptions of three guest favorites illustrated in the above slide show:

• Richard Nimoy 2-Bedroom Farm Cottage: Sleeps up to 4 persons in a modernized, classic, 2-story, 19th century, farm cottage 2min drive (12min walk) outside the pretty village of Burton Leonard, set approximately midway between Harrogate (25min south) and Ripon (15min north). 14th century Ripley Castle is about 10min drive SW; the Yorkshire Dales National Park is about 15min to the west, and the city of York is less than an hour to the SE.
Ground floor includes a well-equipped country kitchen open-plan with dining area (table for 4 persons); living room with overstuffed matching sofa & easy chair, working wood stove fireplace, and flat-screen TV; powder room (WC).
Upper floor includes two king bedrooms with TVs and with en suite bathrooms with walk-in showers (1 with a separate bathtub); a quiet reading nook.
Extras: WiFi, washer/dryer, & private off-street parking by the cottage. Burton Leonard village has 2 pub/restaurants and a small village shop.

• The Duchess Apartment, Central Harrogate: Sleeps up to 4 persons in spacious, contemporary apartment atop a handsome Victorian suburban home 2min drive (10min walk) to the nearest shop & pub, or 5min drive to the myriad of shops, restaurants, services, & rail station of central Harrogate. Easily reached by car are the Yorkshire Dales National Park (20min NW), Castle Howard and North York Moors National Park (60-120min NE). The city of York is less than an hour to the east by car or train.
The Apartment includes a small, but well-equipped kitchen, a large open-plan dining area (table for 6) & living room with overstuffed matching sofa & easy chairs & flat-screen TV. A delightful balcony with garden views opens off the living/dining room. There are two bedrooms; a master king bedroom with en suite bathroom with walk-in shower; and a super-king (or twin beds). A full bathroom (tub & shower) is in the hall.
Extras: WiFi, washer/dryer, & off-street parking for two cars.

• The Duke’s Apartment, Central Harrogate: Sleeps up to 6 persons in a tastefully furnished, spacious, 2-story, townhouse 2min drive (10min walk) to shopping, services, and restaurants and 4min drive (15min walk) to the Harrogate railway station. Easily reached by car are the Yorkshire Dales National Park (20min NW), Castle Howard and North York Moors National Park (60-120min NE). The city of York is less than an hour to the east by car or train.
Ground floor includes a well-equipped kitchen open-plan with dining area (table for 6); living room with overstuffed matching sofa & easy chairs & flat-screen TV; master king (or twin) bedroom with en suite bathroom with walk-in shower.
Upper floor includes a king (or twin) bedroom, a double bedroom, and a full bathroom (tub/shower) in the hall.
Extras: WiFi, washer/dryer, & permit on-street parking by the house.

HOW TO CHOOSE? We believe that for most guests staying in a rural setting or in a small village offers the most authentic North Yorkshire experience. However, guests wanting to travel by train for day-trips that could include destinations as far away as London and Edinburgh (about 3½ hours to either city) as well as to York (55min) will find Harrogate a more practical base. Regardless, to explore North Yorkshire, guests will need a rental car to have the best experiences while finding Classic England.