The south-west of England is much more than Cornwall. On this road trip, we explore Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire and Hampshire, combining beautiful coastal landscapes, historic towns, country houses and gardens with plenty of time to discover the two great moorland landscapes of Dartmoor and Exmoor.
Overview
Trip duration: Allow at least 14 days for this road trip. The distances are considerable, and trying to fit everything into a shorter trip would make for a very busy itinerary. |
Destinations to be visited here: Main regions and destinations: Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire, Hampshire, Dartmoor and Exmoor |
Does the route include beautiful coastal areas? Yes – twice: along the Bristol Channel and along the south coast. |
Is it possible to move around on this tour, e.g., hike? Absolutely! Dartmoor and Exmoor in particular offer wonderful hiking opportunities, but there are also plenty of opportunities to walk along the magnificent South West Coast Path. |
Is this tour suitable for beginners traveling to England for the first time? This is even the ideal tour for beginners, as you can discover many highlights of southern England on a single itinerary. |
Do I need a car for this trip? Quite frankly: Yes! Without a car, it’s practically impossible to explore the country effectively. While there are railway lines, these are almost exclusively limited to a few main routes. You won’t reach the charming little towns and picturesque spots this way. Buses do run, but often infrequently and not always on the necessary schedule. For this road trip, we strongly recommend having a car. |
I come from a country where they drive on the right. Is it difficult to drive on the left? No – the British would say. But seriously, driving on the left does take a little getting used to if you’re visiting from abroad. The good news is that, after leaving the airport, you’ll usually join a motorway almost immediately. Since the carriageways are physically separated, there’s virtually no chance of ending up on the wrong side of the road. That gives you plenty of time to settle in and realise that driving on the left isn’t actually difficult – it’s just unfamiliar. The first roundabout can feel a little daunting, and so can your first turn at a junction in a town or village. But after just a few days, it all starts to feel completely natural. |
Description of „Road Trip 2 – The West of Southern England“
From London, usually arriving via Heathrow Airport, the route heads to Winchester, the former capital of England.
Through the beautiful New Forest (A small tip: Don’t simply rush through the New Forest on the motorway. Take some time to explore the landscape on the smaller roads instead) we go to the Isle of Purbeck, which is a peninsula. Corfe Castle, although ruined, is very picturesque and impressive. A small highlight are Durdle Door, the famous natural arch rising from the sea (the „rock with the hole“ in the sea) and the almost circular bay Lulworth Cove. Along the coast we head to Abbotsbury on the Jurassic Coast – a lovely village where both the Subtropical Garden and the Swannery are well worth a visit. In May the baby swans have just hatched – don’t miss it! Further on Lyme Regis is worth a visit, as is Beer, which is nearby (Yes, the village really is called Beer!).
In Exeter, the cathedral is well worth a visit. To the south is the nice town of Dartmouth, where you can make a trip up the River Dart to Totnes. We then reach the famous Dartmoor, one of the highlights of the route. This spectacular national park is so varied that it deserves several days of exploration. On the edge of the moor are Tavistock and the Lydford Gorge – a great gorge.
A short detour takes us across the border to Cornwall, where Cotehele House and Garden is worth a visit. This is a manor house with a extensive garden and a small harbour by the river, an active mill and much more. Railway fans should not miss the Calstock Viaduct – best seen from Cotehele by the way.
With a short hop to the north we reach the second moor of our journey, Exmoor. It is a wonderfully varied landscape, with open moorland, deep wooded valleys and dramatic coastal scenery. There are plenty of opportunities for longer walks, including routes around Lynton/Lynmouth and through the Valley of Rocks or to the „chocolate box“, the picture-postcard village of Selworthy. A hike to Selworthy Beacon offers beautiful views of the Bristol Channel and inland, along with yellow-flowering gorse and grazing sheep in spring. It’s also worth a detour to Dunkery Beacon, which is a feast for the eyes especially in late summer with flowering Heather. In Dunster you should visit the castle and the area has a lot of other things to offer. Tip: The TIC (Tourist Information Centre) in Dunster has excellent maps and expert advice for worthwhile excursions in the national park!
Leaving Exmoor, we head west to Montacute House in Somerset, where a stop is highly recommended. It’s not far to Glastonbury, the legendary Avalon. The Abbey is only a ruin, but still very worth seeing. Even more worth seeing is the Cathedral of Wells – certainly one of the most beautiful cathedrals in England!
In the City of Bath, the old Roman baths are well preserved or restored, and not far from the city is the village of Lacock. Countless historical films and television productions have been filmed in this remarkably well-preserved village. The village can be very busy during the day, but after 6 pm it becomes much quieter and even more beautiful. The same applies to the picturesque Castle Combe, just a little to the north. If you feel like it, make a detour to the ship’s staircase at Caen Hill in Devizes, where canal boats climb the hill through a remarkable flight of 29 locks.
From here, it is less than 90 minutes back to London Heathrow Airport.
Allow at least 14 days for this road trip.
And here some of the places along the route:
London Heathrow Airport
London from above
Winchester, Hampshire
Winchester (Hampshire)
Furzey Gardens (Hampshire)
Furzey Garden (New Forest, Hampshire) in bloom
Swanage (Dorset)
Swanage at the Dorset coast
Corfe Castle (Dorset)
Corfe Castle on the left in the background behind the Swanage Railway
Compton Acres (Dorset)
Compton Acres in Dorset (England)
Durdle Door & Lulworth Cove, Dorset
Durdle Door & Lulworth Cove, Dorset, England
Abbotsbury with Swannery and subtropical garden, Dorset
Abbotsbury. Dorset, England
Lyme Regis, Dorset
Lyme Regis, Dorset, England
Beer, Devon
Beer, Devon, England
Exeter with its Cathedral, Devon
Exeter (Devon, England), close to the cathedral
Dartmouth, Devon
Dartmouth, Devon, England
Totnes, Devon
Totnes, Devon, England
Dartmoor, Devon
Dartmoor (Devon, England) – great expanse!
Widecombe-in-the-Moor (Devon)
View from the cemetery in Widecombe-in-the-Moor into Dartmoor 8devon, England)
Tavistock (Devon)
Tavistock in Devon (England)
Cotehele House & Garden, Cornwall
Cotehele in Cornwall, England
Lydford Gorge, Devon
Lydford Gorge, Lydford, Devon, England
Lynton & Barnstaple Railway in Exmoor, Devon
Lynton & Barnstaple Railway (Devon)
Lynton / Lynmouth, Devon
Seconds before reaching the Lynton & Lynmouth Cliff Railway lower station
Porlock Weir, Somerset
Porlock Weir. Somerset, England
Porlock, Somerset
The Ship Inn Pub at Porlock (Exmoor, England)
Selworthy, Somerset
Selworthy on Exmoor (Somerset, England)
Exmoor, Devon/Somerset
Exmoor (Devon / Somerset) – the roads are narrow here
Dunkery Beacon (Somerset)
View from Dunkery Beacon (Somerset, England) into Exmoor
Winsford (Somerset)
Pub in the small village Winsford in Exmoor (England)
Dunster, Somerset
Dunster, Somerset, England
Hestercombe Gardens (Somerset)
Hestercombe Garden (Somerset)
Montacute House, Somerset
Montacute House, Somerset, England
Glastonbury (Avalon), Somerset
Glastonbury (Avalon), Somerset, England – Model of the old Abbey
Wells Cathedral, Somerset
Wells Cathedral (Somerset, England)
Bath, Somerset
Roman baths in Bath (Somerset)
Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire
Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, England
Castle Combe, Wiltshire
Castle Combe, Wiltshire, England
Lacock, Wiltshire
Lacock, Wiltshire, England
Caen Hill Boat Stairway in Devizes, Wiltshire
Boat staircase at Caen Hill in Devizes (Wiltshire, England)
We have personally visited all the places, sights and gardens featured in our itineraries and have written about them in detail on this website. We hope that, after exploring Southern England for yourself, you will be just as captivated by this beautiful part of England as we are!
