James is a true professional! I recommend him to anyone interested in seeing Cornwall. I toured Cornwall with my grandparents and my aunt and he made the trip truly unforgettable. My grandma and her sister were in Cornwall to research our family history and James went above and beyond in terms of preparing a personalized trip for us. He researched our genealogy with us ahead of time and visited locations pertinent to our history before we arrived to do further research. He even spoke with some of the locals to arrange for us visiting the homes where our family lived. He provided us with a packet of information he compiled about the history of Cornwall upon arrival and it was exceptional. I thought he must do this sort of thing all the time and asked about his experience doing genealogical research, and he said this was the first time he had done this. I was blown away! He really seemed like he was a seasoned expert in the subject; he is just so dedicated to creating a personalized trip for us that he was able to do so.
James is a treasure trove of information about the mining history of Cornwall and Devon. If you are interested in a trip where you will not only see breathtaking countryside but also learn a lot about the region, its history, and its culture, this is the trip for you.
One aspect of this trip I really enjoyed was how easy James made everything. He had a whole itinerary prepared for our three day trip, so we didn’t need to do any planning. He picked us up promptly every morning from our hotel and dropped us back off every evening around 5 or 6 after a day packed full of visiting gorgeous scenery and other sightseeing. He was a very engaging guide and really made the whole trip unforgettable. He is friendly and professional. The car is very comfortable and he is an excellent driver, especially on the tiny country roads that are so hard to navigate! A tour with James is worth every penny! We were able to see so much more of Cornwall than I imagined we would because he knew all the best places to go and got us there so efficiently. This is the kind of tour for groups interested in getting to know their guide and really having a personalized journey.
Fantastic tour customized to our interests. James has a deep knowledge of Devon and Cornwall that he can use to customize the perfect trip for you (gardens, pubs and historical sites in our case). Travel in comfort and style, and relax as James shows you the the best of Cornwall. Then end your day at the door of hotel.
Unless you are supremely confident in your ability to drive blind single track roads using a manual right hand drive, this is the way to see the Cornish countryside.
A group of 4 women recently spent 5 days touring with James. We had so much fun, saw such beautiful country, stopped in beautiful old villages, shopped, ate wonderful food in old inns we never would have known about on our own. Every morning before we started out James would pull out the map and show us where we were going for the day- ask if there was anything else we wanted to see. He was always punctual, very kind, very knowledgeable about history and just plain fun. Traveling with James is like traveling with an old friend. Very comfortable. Plus we felt safe with his driving and the car is very comfortable. It was a GREAT trip!!!
James is the perfect guide. We enjoyed his company as much as the beautiful places he showed us. We would never of seen these out of the way spots on our own. We spent two great days touring with James . I highly recommend spending the day touring with this knowledgeable and nice gentleman.
We modified the standard 5-day trip. James actually encouraged us to personalize it.
He met us at Heathrow and stayed with us for the entire five days. Lovely and
comfortable Land Rover. Stops included West Bay, Port Isaac, St. Ives and new to all of us, including James, a few hours at Oxford on the way back to Heathrow. James was
very thoughtful even tying my wife’s shoe laces when she was having trouble – we
are in our 70s. He is especially patient with older, slower moving folks like us!
We had a wonderful day with James’s tour. The weather was not as good as expected but we had way more fun than expected! James was such a kind and thoughtful guide and a great company. He did extensive preparation way before we arrived, showed us options and provided helpful advice, and most importantly, adjusted on the day according to the ever changing weather. Guided by James we got to see Cornwall’s rough stormy side with the spectacular mining heritage, as well as the breathtaking, gentle side with the gorgeous sunset (at 4pm…) at Land’s End. We have a lot more to thank James for: local drinks, excellent lunch place, interesting and informative stories about Cornwall, the lovely ending song, and the list continues. We’ve taken day tours in a few continents so I would say James’s one is really world-class! All the best James, and look forward to seeing you again in our summer trip to the southwest.
We chose the Moorland Magic tour because we all love being outdoors amongst nature and it also offered the chance to visit a working farm which in turn helps to support our British farmers.
The one thing you can never predict is the weather but as long as you are well prepared with the correct clothing, this should not deter you from venturing out on one of these tours. Unfortunately for us, the weather and visibility was poor which did mean that you didn’t get to see the true beauty of the amazing views that Dartmoor can offer but James was still able to lift the mood with his stories and historical facts along the way.
We stopped off at various locations which were of great interest and he made sure that he tailored the tour to our own individual interests which made it enjoyable for each of us.
The icing on the cake was the visit to the farm where we had a very warm welcome by both the owners and their gorgeous working dogs who then gave us a small tour. This was limited by the weather but any disappointment was soon banished by the cosy haven offered within the farmhouse and the amazing authentic, homemade cream tea that was provided.
The tour enabled us to relax in the comfort of the spacious 4×4 and cover a lot of ground whilst allowing us to take in the surrounding countryside without the hassle of having to work out routes and drive ourselves
James duly picked the four of us up prompt at 9.am from our hotel and we set off for the North Cornwall highlights tour. We were transported in a lovely spacious and really clean vehicle which was well driven. We were blessed with a glorious sunny day but, that aside, our whole experience of the day was absolutely fantastic. James is very knowledgeable about the areas we visited including Boscastle, Tintagel, Port Isaac and Padstow. James is also extremely flexible about the places visited and would have gladly changed any if we needed. He also suggested lovely places for lunch, cream teas/cakes, etc. We were not rushed around at any of the places visited. We had a first class day and we would not hesitate in recommending Select South West Tours to anyone – a complete 5 Star service. Don’t forget to take a camera!
Five wonderful days with James Coulton touring merry old, and new, South West England created for my wife Suzanne and I enough precious memories to fill our memory boxes to overflowing. We visited historic, and prehistoric, sites — well and not so well-known. We strolled through marvelous gardens, castles, and homes. We tested familiar and unfamiliar fare at tables small and large and found them all tasty, especially James’ favorite pastys and creamed teas, about which he is expert. We entered tiny coves, walked among horses and sheep on the Dartmoor and viewed vast ocean landscapes framed by rugged cliffs. But that was ‘our’ excursion, and James will gently lead you to where you wish to roam, and if you nudge him a bit, he’ll sing a tune or two as well.
Perfect time in Cornwall, seeing splendid scenery and learning about the regional history with an excellent guide, James Coulton. James was able to personalize our experience and show us all the things we knew to see and suggesting more. Knowledgeable and personable, James made this an unforgetable experience. Highly recommended and a bargin to have such personalized service.