Just after Halloween, during the kids' half-term break, we headed west for a long weekend in the West Country. We visited 3 castles - one had a ghost-hunt, one was where King Arthur may have lived, and one was built by Henry VIII. We spent our nights in 3 different Bed-and-Breakfasts in different parts of Devon and Cornwall - the counties at the southwest of England.

We left on Friday morning, with our first stop at Portland Castle, on the south coast in Dorset County, for a ghost-hunt and some ghost stories around a fire! Then after another few hours drive through gorgeous English countryside, we arrived at Lewtrenchard Manor, where we spent a luxurious night in very elegant surroundings. The next morning after breakfast and a leisurely walk around the grounds of the manor, we headed for Dartmoor National Park (the setting for one of Dave's favorite books, (The Hound of the Baskervilles and had a great time climbing on some enormous rocks (Hound Tor).

Then we headed to our next B&B in Tintagel on the west coast in time for dinner at a local pub. The next morning we were off to explore King Arthur's Castle. It was just a short walk along the cliff path and what a magnificent view!

Our next stop was Land's End to see the spectacular sunset. Then to our next B&B, the Godolphin Arms near Penzeance. The kids were so excited about this hotel in particular - it had a separate kids bedroom with bunkbeds and a kids play-area by the restaurant. We didn't realize what a great view we had till the next morning when it was light. We looked right out at St. Michael's Mount - a structure similar to the French version (Mont Saint-Michel). We walked around the town of Marazion in the morning until the tide went out so we could walk out to the Mount along the path - which was completely underwater until about 11 A.M. There wasn't much to see once we got there but I guess it was fun just getting there! The kids were getting pretty worn out by now and it was time to start heading east for the 4 hour drive home. One last castle to stop at along the way - Pendennis Castle along the south coast - built by Henry VIII. It had some cool secret underground tunnels and of course an awesome view of the coast.

All in all - a "must-see" weekend with some beautiful fall weather and scenery!



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