The Dacey’s blog
Stories from Cornwall
Travel tips, Cornish history and folklore, and stories from our guests, written by David and the people who have toured with us.
More stories
DCT Travelling Tee-Shirt
A new feature honouring all those Cornish folk who travelled to the four corners of the globe. Take a photo wearing your Dacey’s Cornish Tours T-shirt on your travels and we’ll add it to the wall.
Play it Forward
Every year we ask our guests to add their steps, to PLAY IT FORWARD and suggest things that fellow traveler could do or see to enhance their Dacey tour experience. There are some great suggestions and I thank all those who submitted thus playing it forward. Make sure you have completed a ETA before arriving…
I Am Cornwall by Diane Thome
I am Cornwall. I am the opposite of your 24/7, open-all-night world. Leave your expectations and preconceptions behind you. I am an immersive, sensory experience. I am Kernow, my name in my native tongue of Cornish. My towns are spelled one way and pronounced another. Ask. Do not assume you know the pronunciation. In fact, do…
Gardens Galore! – October 2024 Newsletter
Cornwall is perfect for gardens, and for people who love gardens – whether you like to plant and prune, or just stroll and admire others’ hard work. A branch of the Gulf Stream keeps Cornwall warmer than its latitude’s normal temperatures. The surroundings seas moderate the climate, while the fine mist drifting in from the…
Speaking Cornish by Carol Diggs
How to Speak like Cousin Jack* You know how people say, “It’s easier to travel to Britain, at least I speak the language.” It’s true – sort of. Many years ago, I had lived for a while in London and often stumbled into the gaps between American English and The Queen’s English. So, when I…
Spring In Cornwall
Over the course of the last few weeks, many prospective travelers have asked me what springtime is like in Cornwall. Here’s my answer. Spring comes earlier to Cornwall than the rest of England, due to the Gulf Stream. Cornwall comes alive with spring; it’s not just the gardens that are spectacular but also the fields and…
Spending Wisely In England
Use ATM’s more commonly known in England as CASHPOINTS, withdraw cash just as you would in your homeland. Always try to use ATM’s at a bank and preferably make the withdrawal during the bank business hours, because it would be easy to deal with if there is a problem. Carry a chip and pin card,…
ITN Article
See below an article written in ‘International Travel News’ magazine about Dacey’s Cornish Tours.
Minority Report – A History in the Making?
(an excerpt from an article by Mark Pugh, Editor, myCornwall magazine) “A great day for the people of Cornwall” were the words used to describe the recent Westminster based government announcement that the Cornish are to be recognised as a national minority. Supporters rejoiced whilst the cynics grumbled that it was nothing to be pleased…
Joke of the day
Greetings everyone and happy February. OK, after the seriousness of the January newsletter announcing Dacey’s Cornish tours Covid policy, I thought February we would lighten the load as they say and bring some laughter and cheer to everyone’s February day. From here on in I now dedicate the February newsletter to bring you one of…
Meeting the Locals
#1 Try and avoid any conversation with the locals in regard to the weather. It is a well-known fact that the English can talk incessantly about the weather, i.e., what it is going to be like, what has it been like, can you remember this particular day, can you remember that particular day. Some call…
Jeff Phillips – June Newsletter
A Great Visit to Cornwall My recent tour of Cornwall with Dacey Cornish Tours was absolutely outstanding, exceeding all expectations. My particular interest in visiting Cornwall goes back to my earliest memories as a child. My father’s parents emigrated from Cornwall to the United States in 1905. At first, it was supposed to be a…
Spring in Cornwall tops Spring in Paris
April in Paris has had its praises sung (often by me) but I would like to note that April in Cornwall is fresher and greener, its air perfumed by the sea and not by buses and motorcycles, the peace and quiet of its countryside a balm to the soul of the city dweller. I have…
London
This month I have been focused on picking my five favourite things to do in London, which has not been a easy task. There is so much to choose from that my mind has been flipping from one place to another, thinking that this place needs to be on my list only later to be…
Dixie Story
BUCKET LIST…Cornwall, England CORN..WALL: pronunciation prior to trip! (emphasis equal on both syllables) It is not cornWall (emphasis on second syllable) It is CORNwall (emphasis on first syllable and let the “wall” part be slight!) I have dreamed about this place for a LONG time! I am sure you have seen the beautiful pictures of…
Joan’s Story
We were having a big family get-together for Easter lunch at our house. The day before, I was doing some house cleaning and sprucing up. We had a tired-looking framed print in our kitchen that had been there for years and it was even missing the glass after getting knocked off the wall. So, I…
A writer takes her pen
For over 200 years’ artists and writers have flocked to Cornwall to connect with its kindred spirit and to be inspired by its ever-changing natural beauty. More recently LeAnn Morgan, an aspiring writer from Illinois, took a Dacey’s tour; like so many before her she connected with the beauty of this land and, once…
Lanhydrock – Another World
Now a salute to one of my favorite places, one not yet featured in Dacey newsletters. Lanhydrock, a National Trust administered estate and 17th century home, gives history buffs and Downton Abbey fans a chance to wander through the home and grounds of a real family who dwelt there from the 17th century until after…
A Mini History of Cornwall
A MINI HISTORY OF CORNWALL A PRELUDE TO A BOOK ABOUT PATRON SAINTS OF THE SEVEN CELTIC NATIONS from Mary J. Kunert Cornwall is a peninsula, the southern tip of the Island of Great Britain. A ceremonial county since 1997 and unitary authority since 1992 of England within the United Kingdom, she is west of…
St Michael’s Mount
St Michael’s Mount By Diane Harrison, Chesterfield, MO My June vacation in Cornwall with Dacey’s Cornish Tours ended several weeks ago, and I’m reflecting back on my journey with memories of the beautiful scenery, blooming flowers and friendly people that characterize this region of southwest England. Cornwall is the land of writer Daphne du Maurier…
10 ways you know you are in Cornwall
1) You don’t watch the weather forecast; you just look out the window. 2) You don’t need to identify a pasty as Cornish… (The Pasty Shop photos are at London’s Kings Cross Train Station) 3) A sign reads “Tour of Fowey is 11 o’clock — ish”. 4) Country roads feel like tunnels missing their roofs. 5) Flags are as black as ore with…
Magical Cornwall
Magical Cornwall – I’ll be back As a gift to each other’s 50th birthday my best friend Irene and I decided to spend some time in Cornwall. I quickly found Dacey’s Cornish Tours on the Internet. The tour and David’s (Dacey) comments looked exactly what we were looking for and within a few months a…
Cornwall: Land of history and magic
As an eighteen-year-old taking his first airplane ride, I knew my trip to England would be unlike anything I’d experienced before. Back home, where I am able to fully appreciate my trip, I know for certain that I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. I recently had the pleasure of exploring Cornwall, in the…
St Ives Hepworth House
Krystyna Wasserman, Curator of book Arts National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C. Far from the Madding Crowd: Barbara Hepworth in St Ives On the wall of my living room are two watercolors of St Ives given to me more than fifty years ago by my first serious boyfriend who was a…
Top Tips For Your Trip
1. If using credit cards to obtain cash from ATMs and pay for meals, etc. Let your bank know that you are planning a trip. Most banks will cancel the card if they see an unusual transaction. 2. Bring Euro adapters (do not worry if you forget as they are available all over London but…
The Cornish Pasty
So the final stage of our five step program to complete full enhancement of Dacey’s Cornish tours, has to be devouring a CORNISH PASTY, the staple diet of the Cornish for many a year. Pasties are available all over the world, we even have a store in Minneapolis that I have to say sells really…
Doc Martin
Number 4 of the 5 step program to achieve Dacey’s Cornish tours enlightenment is more of a prerequisite. For most people who take a Dacey’s tour, step 4 has already played a part in bringing us together but for some it needs to be supplemented before departure to that fine faraway Cornish land. Doc Martin,…
Minack Theatre
Number three on the five-step program to complete Cornish enlightenment is a visit to the Minack Theatre. In the winter and spring of 1932, the visionary Miss Rowena Cade—with the aid of her gardener, Billy Rawlings, and his mate, Charles Angove—cut out the granite steps by hand, filled the seating terraces with earth and small…
Paddling
Number two on the Dacey’s Cornish tours list of things to do is to paddle in the ocean—and no, it has nothing to do with kayaking. The definition of “paddle” as supplied by The Oxford English dictionary is as follows: “If you paddle, you walk or stand in shallow water, for example at the edge…
The 99 Ice Cream
The 99 ice-cream is synonymous with the English seaside and the first of the five things that MUST be completed and enjoyed whilst on Dacey’s Cornish tours. As the song goes “only the flakiest crumbliest chocolate tasted like chocolate as never tasted before” Anyone who grew up in the UK in the 80’s can remember…
What is David thinking competition!
To enter just tell us what is David thinking by completing the comment form at the bottom of the photo. Winner will be announced in the August newsletter. Good luck, and please keep it clean!!!
Photo Competition 2017 – Round 2
The entries for round two of the 2017 Dacey’s Cornish Tours photo competition. Voting has now closed.
Photo Competition 2017 – Round 1
Welcome to the 2017 Dacey’s Cornish Tours photo competition! Below are our entries for round one. Round one voting has now closed.
The World Cup (It’s Coming Home…….)
If world justice prevails on the 15th July, people from all over the globe will be able to watch and admire as England are crowned World Champions of football. Yes, the greatest sporting event will begin on the 14th June 2018. More than two years ago, 207 countries set their sights on joining the party…
Seven Things About Cornwall
There is a slightly different style to this month’s blog. Instead of laying my heart bare and reciting a story as regards to my attachment to Cornwall, my love for that enchanting land and what it means to me, after careful deliberation I have decided to list seven things you should know about Cornwall. The…
The A30
The A30 is the road to paradise, otherwise known as the link to the South West. It spans a total of 284 miles from London all the way to Lands End. Of all the roads I have traveled, Route 66, Highway 101, and the endless road of the Australian outback, I always come back to…
The Cornish Pasty
One of the most exciting things for me as Dacey’s Tours starts planning another escorted tour of Cornwall is that when I arrive not only do I get to re acquaint myself with that rugged coastline the Cornish people, stay in some really cool hotels, but one of the truly great things about a Dacey’s…
2015 Photo Competition Finalists
*Drumroll please * – below are the 6 finalists who will fight it out to be named Dacey’s Cornish Tours 2015 Photo of The Year and claim that million dollar prize! The guys at My Cornwall magazine with all their expertise have kindly offered to judge the final round. The winner will be announced in the January edition of the magazine and…
Book your Cornwall dream now
Small groups, handpicked hotels and round trip transport from London – with Dacey by your side.
Or call us on +1 (651) 484 4689