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How many days to drive the coasts of England's SouthWest peninsula?

How many days to drive the coasts of England's SouthWest peninsula?

Old Jul 17th, 2011, 01:37 PM
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How many days to drive the coasts of England's SouthWest peninsula?

I am trying to plan a trip that will include (after Bath & the Cotswalds) driving South through Salisbury to the coast, then heading West following the coast to Lands End, then following the NorthEast coast back to Bristol & Bath. The plan is to hug the coastline for the dramatic scenery rather than venture too far inland. Given that the roads of such a plan will be minor and narrow, rather than major motorways, I am having trouble estimating just how long such a drive would or should take. I understand perhaps my question is difficult to answer without knowing exactly where along the way to stop and for how long. But if any of you have driven this area of England, hopefully, your input and experiences can give me insight for deciding how many days to allot for this portion of our trip.

Also, do you think we would be ok to take luck of the road B&B's along the way, for a trip that would take place in early to mid October? I'm thinking to reserve ahead may frustrate the plan of wandering & lingering wherever we like.
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Old Jul 17th, 2011, 02:13 PM
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May I answer your second question first? - you should have no problem getting accommodation as you go along, especially if there are only 2 of you. getting a double or a twin should be easy.

to give you an idea of what is available, go to www.visitcornwall.co.uk

as for the rest of the question, it's a great idea. lots of people do some of it, [especially on foot, using the coast path] but I don't remember anyone trying to do the lot in a car.

I'm not sure where you would start - I might be inclined to head for Exeter and then pick up the coast from there, but you could start even further east - at Seaton or Sidmouth, for example, but you still have to get round the estuary of the river Ex.

From there, if you were willing to drive all day, you might do it with only one stop, but you'd be pretty exhausted. For example, I can get from my home in Redruth - [googlemap it to see where it is in relation to your proposed trip] to Barnstaple and back in a day, and do a day's work in between the drives, which is 2 1/2 hours each way, so you ought to be able to get from Land's end to well past there in a day.

but you would be missing so much. really to do the coast and all the places along it justice, 7 days would be a minimum. my suggested stretches would be:

Exeter - Salcombe - Fowey - Penzance - Padstow - Appledore - Lynmouth - Bristol

the 6 places i have mentioned all, IMHO, have something unique, as well as being beautiful in their own right. and there is plenty of accommodation in each one as well, with nice pubs, shops and restaurants.

the disadvantage of not booking accommodation ahead, is that rather than stopping and going for a walk or visiting a garden or other attraction, you keep pressing on to the next place, and the next. if you have already booked, you don't have to worry if something you are interested in takes longer than you'd thought.

please don't hesitate to come back to me with whatever questions you may have.
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Old Jul 17th, 2011, 02:16 PM
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Is "we" two people? If so, in October you will be fine booking as your tour along. Any day you don't want to spend time looking for a room (and you usually don't really have to look since most B&Bs have signs on the nearest road). Most town have a Tourist Information Office that can find you a room w/ a small booking fee. Now -- if 'we' means a family of 6 or two couples where you'd want two rooms in the same B&B -- you'd probably want to book at least a day ahead. But then again -- the TIO can call ahead and book for you.

As for how long for the drive- there is no set time required- but if it was me doing a circle drive Bath > Salisbury > Hampshire > Dorset > S. Devon > Cornwall > N. Devon > Somerset > Bath I'd want a minimum of a week. The scenery is great and the roads are slow. You could do it faster- or you could take 2 weeks. But one week would be leisurely, yet not snails pace.
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Old Jul 17th, 2011, 02:18 PM
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was posting the same time as annhig . . .

Great minds
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Old Jul 17th, 2011, 02:29 PM
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jj - I'm interested that we both said a week.

were we separated at birth?
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Old Jul 17th, 2011, 02:45 PM
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It isn't just the 'one week' bit -- but also asking if "we" = two people

spooky!!
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Old Jul 17th, 2011, 02:47 PM
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drat! Didn't mean to click 'submit'.

should have said >>spooky!! . . . especially since we are sitting 8 time zones apart.
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Old Jul 17th, 2011, 02:53 PM
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8 time zones?

where are you then, jj?

west coast US meets west coast UK?

spooky indeed.
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Old Jul 17th, 2011, 03:03 PM
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>>west coast US meets west coast UK?
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Old Jul 17th, 2011, 06:49 PM
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Hey, you two! annhig & janisj, thanks so much for your running commentary! My response: indeed, "we" = "two" as in husband and me. So I'm leaning to winging it rather than reservations ahead. If the route were different, perhaps a central location for several days with day trips out and back would work. But given my plan for coastal circuit, not backtracking to lodging, and the time of the year, we should have some ideas ahead, but not reserve ahead.

As for the time involved...I was planning to start farther east, coming down south from Cotswolds to pick up Avery and Stonehenge, like just south of Salisbury, to maybe include Isle of Wight, Corfe Castle, and THEN head West, to Lands End and continuing around coast from there. So, given that you guys are starting me farther west, at Exeter, while I was thinking seeing more of that Dorset coast, I should add some time, perhaps 2 weeks would be better.

Another question: I'm reading that GPS systems can be more of a hindrance than a help, and that good maps would be better. I'm from USA and could get a Europe version of my Garman GPS. What do you think, given the slow roads vs major motorways?

thanks for your offer for more questions later...
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Old Jul 17th, 2011, 08:20 PM
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Well -- to be totally accurate, I had you farther east too Salisbury, Hants, Dorset and then into Devon/Cornwall.

But yes, adding time for the New Forest (a "must" IMO), IOW -- the south coast, around Devon/Cornwall and back towards Bath -- 2weeks would be wonderful.
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Old Jul 17th, 2011, 09:52 PM
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Well, I can only give general advice since I haven't been to the area in question. But, having a GPS ("Sat Nav") was a huge help for DW and me when we moved to the UK. You spend a lot of mental energy driving, especially at first, and it helps to not have to worry about where to go as much.

Now, I'm not sophisticated enough to program mine to a specific scenic route and I might have to ignore it at times, but it's still helpful.

Buy a road atlas too. They are inexpensive and also helpful.
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Old Jul 18th, 2011, 02:03 AM
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well, in two weeks you can pack in a lot.

you might even think about making some stays more than 1 night long so as to give you the chance to explore that area more fully. I'm thinking particularly about somewhere like Falmouth, where you have the opportunity to take boat trips across to the Roseland [the easiest way to get to somewhere like St. Mawes] and down the Helford river. you could also drive to several beautiful gardens in the area as well as doing some walking along the coast path.

Penzance is another place where a couple [or even 3 nights] would richly repay the extra time you would be taking out of the trip.
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Old Jul 18th, 2011, 04:01 AM
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This sounds like a wonderful trip - with 2 weeks you should get to see a lot.

For the Dorset/East Devon part of your trip you will be taking in the Jurassic coast. Some places not to miss would be Durdle Door, Lulworth Cove & Kimmeridge Bay. These could be done on the same day as Corfe Castle. I would consider a trip to Tyneham village if its open when you are in this area - opening times are given at wwwdorsetforyou.com

For a spectacular view of Corfe castle you could go to the Scott Arms at Kingston (about 3 miles from Corfe)

Following the A353 into Weymouth you will see the chalk white horse and rider - this represents King George 3rd.

Along the B3157 between Abbotsbury & Burton Bradstock you will get some wonderful views of Chesil beach. There are a few places along that road where you can stop although its worth stopping in Abbotsbury and walking to St Catherine's chapel for some great views.

Further along the A35 near Chideock you have Golden cap - the highest cliff on the South coast.
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Old Jul 18th, 2011, 06:48 AM
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Oh - I forgot about the GPS vs. map question.

I wouldn't call a GPS (SatNav) a hindrance -- but I personally wouldn't head out on any road trip in the UK w/o a road atlas. You don't need to buy one before your trip -- they are available everywhere and often on promotional prices. At every news agent, book store, petrol/service area -- for just a few £.

The best is probably to have both - but on the vast majority of my trips I've managed w/ just a good road atlas.

And definitely listen to annhig about stopping for 2 and 3 night stops. Multiple one night stands can get really REALLY tiring, and you do waste a lot of time checking in/checking out/packing/unpacking. Coming back 'home' after a long day of sightseeing is nicer than having to find the next bed.
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Old Jul 18th, 2011, 07:04 AM
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"What do you think, given the slow roads vs major motorways?"

That's not really the issue for the route you're planning. Some parts of touristy Britain (like the SW coast) are generally excellently signed: others (like the Cotswolds) have huge patches where it's possible on very minor roads to get lost if you want to.

GPS can be very useful for navigating in built-up areas, where visitors can easily feel pressured if trying to navigate the old fashioned way. I'm completely with janisj in the SW coast area, though: GPS kills your natural sense of orientation, and you get a far better idea of what you're doing by navigating from a map.

The BIG exceptions to this principle are finding your B&B, getting round a town like Exeter, and finding named pubs or restaurants in towns. If upgrading your maps is just a few dollars, I'd spend them, and bring the SatNav over with you. But I'd limit its use to specific places you need to find, rather than helping you dawdle through the countryside.
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Old Jul 18th, 2011, 09:02 AM
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"What do you think, given the slow roads vs major motorways?"

That's not really the issue for the route you're planning. Some parts of touristy Britain (like the SW coast) are generally excellently signed: others (like the Cotswolds) have huge patches where it's possible on very minor roads to get lost if you want to.>>

and when you don't want to. our [german] guests wanted to go to the supermarket today. i had a go at directions, but in the end it was just easier to jump in the car and ask them to follow me! don't worry, it wasn't entirely altruistic - I was going to the nearby library anyway.

there are of course loads of lovely little byways to get lost along in Cornwall, but having a decent map and/or GPS would be almost essential for getting back onto the beaten track again.
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Old Jul 18th, 2011, 01:25 PM
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Thanks to all of you who have replied! Great advice so far. Will definitely keep reading and try select a few places to stay for 2 or 3 nights rather than changing every night.

I already have a Michelin GB atlas I am using as I read to circle places of interest. And have noted those recommended by megdorset and others. Since I have access to European GPS software for no add'l cost, I will take it also along with the atlas maps. Good suggestion to take both along.

I can't think of anything else to ask right now. Next task will be to finalize number of days & shop for airline tickets (didn't want to lock in dates until I got some input from fodorites)
Again, thanks to everyone. It's been immensely helpful to hear these initial plans are reasonable, to move forward with some decision-making.
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Old Jul 19th, 2011, 12:39 PM
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Assume you meant the world famous stones at Avebury? The nearest large town Marlborough has a wonderful slightly old fashioned tea shop called 'Polly's in the high St.
Would also suggest you include Lyme Regis on your itinerary. If you saw the film 'The French Lieutenant's Woman' you'll recognise the town and the Harbour wall. To the east of Lyme is Golden Cap- the highest cliff on the south coast of England, to the west is the Undercliff, a rich source of fossils and the site of the excavation of a fossilised ichthyosaur.
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