Robert Andrews Rough Guide to Devon and Cornwall

I've always queried the concept of the Rough Guide series of books. I know there was the TV show in the 80's I think it was, where people like Magenta de Vine pretended to be down with the kids and talk about Eastern Europe on a shoestring budget. My question about the books was then, should I draw any link between the two brand names spanning different media?

It appears that I should, because the Rough Guide isn't, as one inference might suggest, a loose approximation of information, or an author's best guess at something (i.e. Cornwall is roughly west of London and quite nice). Funny as that might be, it night not ship in significant quantity. So it is the second, more logical use of the word ' rough' that is meant: that the guide is for those who do not have the budget to stay in lavish accommodation, or even have someone sort out the itinerary for the trip. No, this guide is for those who take adventure by the scruff of the neck and say'let's party ' . Actually, that's the spirit of it, but it does rather allow for those who are somewhere in the middle of the ' prince' and ' pauper' category, namely most of us holidaymakers and tourists.

So, as the name suggests the Rough Guide stays firmly within its set parameters and talks merely, but quite comprehensively, about Devon and Cornwall. The chap at the helm of this lofty objective is Robert Andrews. I think it is fair to say he has an eye for detail, is passionate about his work, and has overseen and excellent guide.

So let's look at some specifics. Devon for me has always been a place that is geographically far too large for what is there. Putting the moors aside, and the obvious attraction of the coastline and hams (the place, not the meat, though I'm sure the meat is perfectly tasty), Devon is, for me, where the motorway runs out and you have to continue your romp into Cornwall at a more leisurely pace. Sorry Devon, and all its fans, but there you have it. So I'm afraid I can't tell you what I thought of the bit about Devon in the book, because I have little or no frame of reference. I have no reason to think, however, that Mr. Andrews and Co. have abdicated their responsibility in these sections; I'm sure they cover the topic with some aplomb.

Cornwall, however, I am able to give a more considered view. Having holidayed there frequently as a child, I since keep returning in an almost gravitational orbit towards the most enchanting of English destinations, with an unerring regularity. No two trips are the same, no two locations comparable. So the job of capturing the zest of the place is going to take some doing, if you ask me.

I fancy that in much of the book, the level of detail, the level of research, and the sheer up-to-date-ness of the information makes the Rough Guide an almost indispensable companion. I found myself referring to this guide more than any other reference material during my last visit; and perhaps this is the litmus test. Nowhere did I find anything to be amiss with the information. The maps aren't tremendous, but they are good enough ' " you'd get your road-atlas (or God forbid your Sat-Nav) out for the rest.

I was particularly pleased with the perhaps less-celebrated spots and how they were as keenly described as any other place. I enjoy a certain fondness for the Helford Estuary on the eastern part of the Lizard peninsula. As there's really not a lot there, you can forgive smaller publications for skipping it altogether. But this is a mistake and I'm pleased to report not one that this book made. The same is true for Bodmin Moor, which is more than just a place to drive through on your way west ' " the book's suggestion of the Blisland Inn as an alternative to the more renowned (but therefore unpleasantly touristy) Jamaica Inn is, by way of an example, an absolute gem.

The other stuff the book offers is the odd'special mention'for special subjects, the variety of which are quite something. Arthurian Legend, Castles of the region, Surfing, Pilchards and even the Beast of Bodmin Moor. All interesting, but perhaps a reference rather than a fact to clutter up the main sections? I think this is where we (by which I obviously don't mean me at all, I mean them, the book writer chaps) might be just trying to do a little too much. If I'm on holiday I am already there. So far, so good. I've got my room for the night, I've got my car (or my bus ticket), and I now need some inspiration ' " not least because I've got my family or fellow-travellers waiting expectantly for the next fun-packed day. So, do I want to trawl through a section of introduction and history? Yeah ok that's fine. But then the page(s) about the best time to check out the B&B's for vacancies? Or indeed the train times and bus routes to ensure I get to Redruth in time to grab the connection to St. Ives? Well I might need to know that, but I would need to know that before I set off, and indeed if I've got my wits about me, I need to know that planning my trip, not when I'm on it. Just tell me where to go, please!

Most people go on holiday either to fix themselves at a base camp, and then travel about a bit each day from there, or might squeeze a couple of stops in on a mini-tour. But the days where we would take the coach hither and thither, stopping nightly at places of interest whenever it takes our fancy seems like a rather out-of-date approach, at least in terms of the default mode of travel to ' support' in the book.

So if I have any real complaint about this guide, it is that it suggests that most of us are stumbling across our holiday rather aimlessly, without particularly great means to find our way around. There are of course budget travellers the world over and that's all completely fine ' " so put the ' getting around' bits in a ' travel' section, and the ' accommodation' bits in' you get the idea. For the rest of us, we need geography, explanation, and facts; facts about places to go to. Not facts about what bus to get.

The Rough Guide should focus on the job it does very well already, which is telling the reader just how fascinating, charming, interesting, beguiling or inspiring a certain location is. If its good enough, trust me, the reader will figure out the rest. This suggestion does not stop the existing edition being fabulous, which it genuinely is.