If you’re looking for an expert, experienced, knowledgeable and friendly guide in southwestern England, James is the one to select. My friends and I spent 3 days traveling with James through Devon and Cornwall and had a great time every minute of the tour. Not only did he take us to the destinations we requested, he included several other fascinating places in keeping with our interests and showed us beautiful locations off the tourist trails. We felt as though we were seeing the real England and not just the tourist traps. James maintains a wealth of knowledge of the entire southwestern region of England and is happy to share lots of interesting tidbits along the way. He is truly professional but also has the personality to make you feel as though you’re an old friend. You’ll have a grand time riding in his clean and shiny, luxury Rover as he entertains you with fun/interesting facts and stories of the areas visited. Touring with Select Southwest Tours was an immensely enjoyable experience that we will always remember.
James picked up myself and two friends in Chipping Campden and transferred us to Padstow in Cornwall and then we spent the next two days being guided around Cornwall by James. This was definitely the highlight of our ten day trip to Great Britain. James is very warm and congenial and he provides an experience that would be impossible to achieve on one’s own. His Land Rover was very spacious and comfortable and in it he was able to drive us around to areas that we would not have been able to go to on our own. When I watched videos online of driving on the tiny lanes throughout the countryside I knew we needed a driver. But James is much more than a driver. He shared history, stories, local music and his lifetime of knowledge about the area all while we were having a great time laughing and looking at all of the beautiful scenery Cornwall has to offer. James introduced us to very interesting locals and meeting these people was so very special. We had an interest in the British television shows Poldark and Doc Martin and James did an excellent job of showing us locations and sharing information about the filming of these shows that only a local would know. The sights he showed us on the coastline were truly breathtaking! He took us to wonderful historic places to have Cornish specialties such as pasties, cream tea, cakes, and seafood. Whatever we were interested in, James went out of his way to make sure we got to see or experience it. I definitely plan on going back to Cornwall in the future and contacting James once again for his services. There is so much to see I may make several trips back!
Visit Devon and Cornwall! I can now check this off my bucket list all made possible by a wonderful group of friends and an expert guide, James. My friends and I early on gave James quite a lengthy list of places we wanted to see and experience during our 3 day stay. The task was daunting, but James was able to accomplish it and then some. He knew that we were fans of the TV series Doc Martin and Poldark, so he made it possible for us to visit many of the sites where filming took place. Since James is from the area, he took us to many places that were known only to the locals. There wasn’t one place we visited that I didn’t thoroughly enjoy especially the places where we were able to sample the yummy pasties and scones served with clotted cream and jam. James was knowledgeable, friendly, and always professional. I would highly recommend touring with Select Southwest Tours. It was an experience that I will never forget and dream of one day visiting again.
We were a group of 4 women, mother and 3 daughters, age range 50-72. James picked us up from our hotel in London in a very clean and comfortable Range Rover. Over the next 5 days, James treated us like royalty and also like family. We were interested in seeing Bleinhem Palace, the Cotswolds, Bath, Cornwall, Devon, Plymouth as well as sites where the TV series Doc Martin and Poldark were filmed. James planned a wonderful itinerary for us that included these towns as well as many other fantastic stops (ask James about the tour itinerary he put together for the Burke party as we wouldn’t have changed a thing). With his knowledge of the area, we were able to avoid crowds and visit places known only to the locals. The scenery in SW England is spectacular and the history of the area James shared with us was fascinating. After spending our first night in Bath, Plymouth was our home base for 3 nights and perfect for exploring Devon and Cornwall (ask James for restaurant recommendations to make sure you dine where the locals eat). During our 5 days with James, he helped us learn to pronounce names of many of the sites we visited (this led to a lot of laughter throughout the week). By the end of the trip, we considered James not only our tour guide but also our friend. We highly recommend touring with James Coulton for your visit to SW England; you won’t be disappointed!
James is an expert on both history of Devon and Cornwall, as well as navigating the back roads and curves of the countryside! James was very attentive to the desires of our group of five ladies, who wanted to tour the area of Port Isaac (Doc Martin filming) and surrounding area — we will long remember his patient, friendly and professionalism, however, we feel we made a new friend! We were able to visit Plymouth, birth of the voyage of the Mayflower, which was an added plus — would recommend James immediately to all interested in tours of Devon and Cornwall — looking forward to a return visit!
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.
James did a wonderful job planning our itinerary to meet our interests. My group of four women really appreciated his driving skills, as well as his friendliness. We were able to see so many more things because of his expertise of the area. We loved all the places he suggested we stop for lunch or tea, or a pint! It was great fun and I highly recommend you leave the driving to James and travel with Southwest tours!
When we were first planning a trip to the Cornwall area, our travel agent suggested that we contact James Coulton of Select South West Tours. We did so, and for the next few months we were in contact with him, discussing our interests and concerns, and learning from him what might be possible after we arrived in September.
We agreed to hire James for three days, and he made each of those days truly memorable. On the first day James picked us up in the morning, and took us on a tour that he had planned, which took us to the area where some of our ancestors had lived. He had personally researched the genealogical information we had provided, and he was able to take us to some of the actual homes where they had lived so long ago, as well as showing us the areas where they had worked, and the mines and harbors that had been an important part of their lives.
He was familiar with the history of Cornwall, and we learned so much about how the people in that part of England had lived, and how the mining industry had been such an essential part of their lives.
He was an excellent tour leader, who talked to us each day about where we could go and what we could see, and let us decide what sounded best to us. We left with an understanding and appreciation of Cornwall, what it is today, and what it was in the past.
I certainly recommend Select South West Tours and James Coulton for anyone who wishes to learn about and enjoy the Cornwall – Devon part of England
James Coulton is superbly knowledgeable about the area’s history, culture, geography, politics, and anything else you might care to know. I had a spare day in England between engagements and wanted to make the most of it. I found James quite accidentally and hired him for a private tour. What a stroke of good luck that was! The Cornish countryside and coast are just as picturesque as anything you could ever hope for, James is great company and I enjoyed myself tremendously. I have already recommended him to multiple others and will continue to do so.
We spent 5 days with James from Select South West Tours. One of the best tours we’ve ever done!! James collected us at our hotel in London and we explored West Cornwall using Carbis Bay (just outside St Ives) as our base. We ended our stay with James driving us to Illfracombe in Devon where we were guests at a wedding.
James recommended the hotel (The Boskerris) as well, which far exceeded our expectations!!
James couldn’t have done more to make our few days with him any better. A comfortable Land Rover was our mode of transport and nothing was too much trouble. James totally “got us” and knew exactly what we wanted to see and how long each day should be. Informative, professional, friendly with a great sense of humour are just a few of the qualities that come to mind when reflecting on our time with James. I would HIGHLY recommend Select South West Tours to anyone wanting to see this part of the UK.
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