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My partner and I are planning to spend a little over two weeks in the Cotswolds and the southwest of Cornwall next year. We will hire a car but we also want to do some walking on the rugged coastline and among the pretty towns, leaving the car behind and either doing round treks or jumping on a bus to get back. We'd like to find cottage/self-catered accommodation for a week by the coast in Cornwall and for a week somewhere in the Cotswolds. Do you have any suggestions of websites or companies to approach to find something along these lines? Chris Pearce
You've chosen two of England's picture-postcard hot spots, prized for their quiet hamlets, winding back country lanes and, in Cornwall's case, stunning coastline. Both areas are a walker's mecca, with the renowned South West Coast Path (www.swcp.org.uk) passing through Cornwall's Unesco-protected copper- and-tin mining heritage in the St Just, The Lizard and Marazion region. The long-distance Cotswold Way (164km) meanders from Chipping Campden to Bath in a gently rolling gait with no major climbs or particularly sweat-inducing sections.
The Penzance area would make a good base for southwest Cornwall, with good access to Truro, St Ives and St Erth by train, and bus connections to Falmouth, Marazion/St Michael's Mount, Mousehole, Land's End and St Just. Recommended websites for self-catering cottages include Cornwall Online (www.cornwall-online.co.uk), Chycor Cornwall (www.chycor.co.uk), Cottage Guide (www.cottageguide.co.uk/cornwall) and Southwest Holiday Cottages (www.southwestholidaycottages.com). The beachside accommodation run by Seahavens (www.seahavens.co.uk) and a privately owned weekly holiday-let flat in St Ives (thorntree.lonelyplanet.com).
The least touristy bases with good facilities in the Cotswolds include Burford, Chipping Norton, Witney, Chipping Campden and Stow-on-the-Wold. Have a look at the following websites for self-catering accommodation: Cottage Guide (www.cottageguide.co.uk/cotswolds), Cottages.co.uk (www.cottages.co.uk), Oxfordshire Cotswolds (www.oxfordshirecotswolds.org), Campden Cottages (www.campdencottages.co.uk) and Cotswold Holiday Cottages (www.cotswolds.info). Bus services in the Cotswolds are limited, with only Witney and Burford, Stow-on-the-Wold and the Slaughters directly connected. Regional bus information provided by Gloucestershire County Council (www.gloucestershire.gov.uk).
The Train from Spain
We are travelling between Barcelona and Belves in France over one or two weekdays in late June next year. We plan to take a train from Barcelona through the Pyrenees via Puigcerda to Toulouse, and from there make our way to Belves via Bordeaux by train. I have read that such a train journey is possible and very scenic but can find no details of train times, frequency or fares anywhere on the internet. We would be grateful for any suggestions or help. Ann & Don Webster
You will need to take two trains to get to Toulouse via Puigcerda. Due to different rail gauges in Spain and France, trains don't run the whole way from Barcelona to Toulouse. Six trains a day run from Barcelona to Puigcerda (around $14, three hours) via Ripoll and Ribes. Five of these six continue for another seven-minutes over the French border to Latour-de-Carol. Make sure you get one of these trains. This is a great train trip, right across the Pyrenees. From here you can connect with the SNCF (French national railway) train to Toulouse (around $40, three hours) or overnight to Paris (from $145). This is also where you can connect with the narrow-gauge Train Jaune (Yellow Train) down the Tet Valley to Perpignan.
There are dozens of trains each day between Toulouse and Bordeaux taking from two to three hours (around $50). From Bordeaux, you take the train via Agen to the wonderfully picturesque medieval village of Belves (around $50, three hours). But you don't need to travel to Bordeaux to get to Belves, unless of course Bordeaux is on your itinerary - and it should be. There is a train service from Toulouse, also via Agen, direct to Belves (around $45, two hours). There are at least a handful of trains each day to Belves from Toulouse and Bordeaux.
If you read a bit of French, then go to www.voyages-sncf.com to look for fares and timetables and book tickets. The website for Renfe, Spain's national railway, is www.renfe.es
The Romantic Road
We are travelling from the Romantic Road through to Venice in a campervan during winter (late December). We are a bit worried about the mountains. Would the E45/A22 route be the most straightforward one for us (out of Munich)? Sharyn Gee
Road travel is always safest on major or primary roads. So if you are worried about road conditions, then you are right to select the A22/E45 route. There is a network of freeways and tollways that can get you from Munich to Venice in five to six hours. Allow more time to enjoy the incredible Alps along the way.
From Munich take the A8 southeast, following the signs for Salzburg. Then turn on to the A12 in the direction of Innsbruck. Just before reaching Innsbruck you will take the A13 south through the Brenner Pass. This route becomes the A22 as it passes through Bolzano and Trento. You'll then take the A4 in the direction of Verona and Padua before reaching Venice.
Remember that you can't drive your campervan into Venice itself. Once you cross the Ponte della Liberta from Mestre, you will have to leave your vehicle at a car park on Piazzale Roma or on the island of Tronchetto. Be aware that parking is not cheap here. Expect to pay about $38 per day. If you opt to not cross the bridge and leave your car in Mestre instead, it will be much cheaper. Some hotels on the outskirts of Venice offer parking - a good option. There are buses from Mestre to Piazzale Roma. From there you can take the city's main form of public transport, the vaporetto, to get you to the centre of Venice and all its wonder.
