Dukey1

The places we already know we'd like to see:

Salisbury cathedral
Wells cathedral
the Dorset countryside or similar
Lyme Regis perhaps or some other coastal location/locations

Interests include great views (big surprise), gardens, interesting museums, stately homes.

Not foodies.

Time of year? early or late Spring or would summer be better?

Am just starting to contemplate this but it is, in many ways, a sort of "bucket list" thing for one member of the household.

Will definitely want to do it by hire car.

Thanks for any thoughts, positive or negative, bring them on.

annhig

Lol, dukey, talk about right time, right place!

we had to drive back to Cornwall via the "back roads" yesterday, due to the heavy summer holiday weekend traffic, and we did almost exactly the route you want.

Assuming you are starting in central London, you would make your way out to the dreaded M25 [avoiding 7-10am and 4-7pm] and then head for the M3 going south [direction Southampton]

Take exit 8 - A303 - for Andover and Amesbury, and [after taking a detour to Stonehenge if you are so inclined] - pick up the A30 and follow it to Salisbury, [you might like to stay in the gorgeous little village of Wilton, just to the west] then Shaftsbury, and the lovely Sherborne with its Abbey.

from there, it's either north to Wells [a great base to stay for a few days to tour that area] or Lyme Regis to the south.

for things to do and see, you could start with the National Trust website for ideas.

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/

last year when we spent a long weekend in Wells we went to Stourhead, [gorgeous gardens and views] Lytes Carey [ancient house and gardens] Glastonbury [great Abbey, and walk up the Tor the rest is tat] Montacute [wonderful elizabethan house and garden] and Wells itself of course. [Cathedral, moated Bishops's Palace and lovely town].

you could carry on south-west from Lyme Regis, heading for Exeter and then to Penzance all the way on the A30. [detours possible across Dartmoor and Bodmin Moor if you've time]

Then on the way back, I would drive up the north coast of Cornwall towards Devon, and depending on the time you've got at your disposal, drive across Exmoor via Dunster [which if you are a fan of Poirot may seem familiar as it stood in for a cornish village in one episode] to Wells as above.

to do that lot justice, you'd really need a minimum of 2 weeks.

I would like to do it in May/June.

hope that helps!

Dukey1

Annhig,

It helps <B>a great deal</B> and I appreciate your suggestions. I am wondering now if it is "worth it" (yes, I know that's subjective) to go all the way to Penzance.

PalenQ

Driving thru Dart Moor - Buckfast Abbey to Princetown is fantastic for rather desolate but captivating scenery - or is this the Exmoor?

PalenQ

Glastonbury is fun for many reasons - New Age types and ancient burial mounds. Neat city near Wells.

Dukey1

I am assuming, perhaps incorrectly, that this Glastonbury is the same one which figures into the "thorn" story and Joseph of Arimathea.

BKP

We haven't been yet, but the Minack Theatre is on our list. It's an open air theatre in Penzance. It's carved into the cliff overlooking the water. I can't vouch for the quality of the productions but it looks beautiful!

I'd link the site but I can only access the mobile site. Just google if you're interested.

chartley

Dukey - this is the same Glastonbury as in the Joseph of Arimathea story. Personally, it is not a town I warm to, but there are some places worth seeing, including the Abbey and the Rural Life Museum.

Ann has made some good suggestions about routes to follow and places to see, but I would add Castledrogo, just off the A 30 west of Exeter. Now owned by the National Trust, it was built in the 1920s and designed by the famous British architect Edward Lutyens It is a good example of a mix of traditional appearance and modern (well, 1930s) facilities. You could also buy your first real Devon cream tea there.

Dukey1

Thanks for these additional suggestions and elaborations. I sometimes find it difficult to decide based on guidebook recs alone and so forth. I realize there is a lot of subjectivity from board recommendations but that's OK.

I am already looking at possible places to stay the night and that alone causes lots of head nodding. I am gathering that a lot of what might be available is/are B+B type places. I look at the pictures on sites such as TripAdvisor...some interiors look more appealing than others, etc.

Again, I appreciate the feedback and welcome anything further.

PalenQ

I really enjoyed Clovelly - a one of a kind tourist trap but a lovely one.
http://www.clovelly.co.uk/village

and right near it Tintagel, the remains of an old fort on a cliff jutting into the sea - where legend has King Arthur holding court.

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/d...ntagel-castle/

Dukey1

I have to say, Pal, that the Oberammergau Cottage and the Donkey Stables in Clovelly are "intriguing." I wonder if Flanner has ever been there and might comment?

PalenQ

I think the asses have been retired in Clovelly - they used to take folks up and down the steep main street for years until animal rightists complained or something - so they are still there for show.

PalenQ

If going to Penzance be sure to hit Saint Michael's Mount - built by the same order of monks as Mont-Saint-Michel in France and also on an island that at high tide is an island and at low tide is part of the mainland - except here in the U K this actually happens every day - the French one now being high and dry and a part of the mainland most of the time.

http://www.stmichaelsmount.co.uk/

raincitygirl

I can second the recommendation for St.Michael's Mount. We were there in early July and enjoyed it very much. The tide was high so went over in a speedboat but we could see the causeway under the water from the top of the castle.

If you want to eat a really good Cornish pasty, the girl selling the tickets at St.Michael's Mount suggested we wait until going back on the boat to Marazion and then walk up from the boat landing to the main street, turn right and look for a sign saying "Philps". The address is 1 Market Place, Marazion. They were delicious! Nice and fresh, light flaky pastry, quite large so be hungry. It is take out only so we found a bench and enjoyed. Mine was veggie and cheese.

semiramis

Don't forget Devon! The north coast around Linton/Lynmouth is lovely and the coastal drive is spectacular. The walks are lovely and not difficult.

Also - another vote for Lyme Regis - one of my favorite places!
And Wells! Lots of lovely places to stop on the way. The hardest part will be deciding what to miss.

raincitygirl

Also Dukey, if you are interested in stately homes I would recommend Avebury Manor. Avebury is about an hour's drive from Salisbury. It is near Marlborough which looked like an interesting city too.

If you watch the BBC you may have seen a program called "The Manor Reborn"? I somehow missed it but the friend I was with had seen it and was hell bent on getting to Avebury to see it.
We were staying in the New Forest and drove an hour and forty-five minutes to see it. It was well worth the drive, a beautiful house and a garden that had been brought back from a field of weeds. The house is not huge like some of the National Trust houses but is interesting because of the way it was restored. It was restored as an immersive experience and you were encouraged to climb up on the beds and look in the cupboards etc.

It was a collaboration between the BBC and the National Trust.

Avebury lies at the centre of one of the greatest surviving concentrations of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments. I couldn't believe the stone circles there, and you can walk all around them, there are no barriers. As you are driving toward Avebury you start seeing this long avenue of stones, it was really quite amazing.

chartley

Raincitygirl, be careful who you tell about your veg and cheese pasty. The Cornish are very proud of their pasties, and are specific about what they should contain. Meat is a must.

raincitygirl

Well chartley, okay, but it Was delicious! My friend had the steak one and she liked mine better...but maybe I shouldn't say that?

Dukey1

Thanks for all the additional comments.

The only pasty I have ever eaten was one bought from a vendor in one of the London rail stations. I'm not sure how those compare to the ones which are sold in the area from which they originated.

As to Avebury, I have been to see "the stones" but only briefly and never into any of the homes/houses so that idea appeals. I know about "The Manor Reborn" (as well as the first "born" one...Penelope Keith, what a hoot). And Devon, yes, I was thinking along those lines as well.

The whole thing could obviously get pretty overwhelming and deciding what to leave out does seem like the biggest problem at this point.

But somebody please talk about Penzance a moment. I am not sure why I said we wanted to perhaps go that far when all the stuff in between seems somehow more compelling.

Thanks.

semiramis

It's been awhile since we were there but we liked Penzance (it's the palm trees that did it for me) but it's not a destination with any "great" sights in town. Pretty drives nearby to Mousehole and Lamorna Cove and St. Michaels Mount (definitely worth a visit) in Marazion. There is a stone circle nearby that cows used to use as scratching posts.

Sometimes it's about the journey and not the ultimate destination and I think this may be the case with Penzance.