We would like to see Salisbury cathedral as well as some historic/"great" houses in Wiltshire/environs and the Jurassic Coast. A couple of years ago we stayed in Falmouth and enjoyed that. We will have a hire car. For a change not wanting to stay in London but rather the "countryside." We've been to the Cotswolds, Peak District, etc.

I am wondering if we will end up running all over the place trying to do too much. We can give it a week's time which is limiting but that's OK.

Budget: not an issue; time would be early to mid-September next year. I assume what we want to to do is "worth it." Going back to London for shows and museums...just don't want to do it again right now.

Suggestions helpful to help me sort this whole thing and thank you

If you go here and use the links at the top of the page, I have several posts on Lyme Regis and Weymouth: https://mytimetotravel.wordpress.com...ut-lyme-regis/

I preferred LR as a place to stay, but Weymouth is a good base. I was using public transport, you will have more flexibility with a car. If you just spend one day in Salisbury I would say you have enough time (Do you need to see Stonehenge? Avebury? Old Sarum?).

We liked Lyme Regis. I think I wrote a trip report. Here are the pictures:

https://flic.kr/s/aHsjHhTjn8

I think Lyme Regis is the more atmospheric place for it's own sake. I stayed once to check it out, then again while walking the SW Coast Path. I'd be happy to go again.

I'm not fond of Salisbury the town, stayed a couple of times nearby with friends & to see places around the area that interested me. So good for a night or 2 for whatever is of interest in the neighborhood but since you'll have a car I see no reason to stay in town.

Weymouth is also on the SW Coast Path but I stayed in nearby Dorchester which I liked very much. Hardy's Cottage, his childhood home & garden, is a lovely National Trust property to visit. And Max Gate, the home he built & lived in for the rest of his life, is also on the edge of Dorchester, though I didn't know about it & very sorry I missed it.

Thanks very much for these initial replies.

Thursdaysd, I've read your posts in the past but now will read them again; Michael I will look at your pictures; MmePerdu, thanks for the additional information.

Avebury I have visited in the past.

Hi Dukey, a Salisbury visit is a long day, with Old Sarum and the Cathedral both needing a visit. I still think the view of the Cathedral from the south across the water meadows at dawn is one of the finest in the UK.

Getting around Dorset is a bit slow (though a bit better than Cornwall) so it takes time and of course, Salisbury is out of Dorset. The logical route south is either Ringwood, Poole etc or Shaftesbury, Blandford etc. Ringwood is pretty enough (Brewery can be visited) but a bit buried in new housing, along the river is pretty but the bypass is also unattractive.

Poole has a lovely harbour, a quay (a mix of a working quay, outdoor chip shop and a few high-end hotels) is not a place I'd linger. However, the mouth of the harbour (The Haven) has a floating chain bridge that takes you over to the beauty of Studland and the entrance to Swanage. The land to the east of the ferry is some of the most expensive land on the planet and it has a couple of so-so hotels (once owned by my family), you might stay here (but you live on the beach so why replace one beach view for another?). From Swanage, you can visit Corfe Castle and then head off to Lulworth and Jurassic walk etc. Alternatively, you might pass from Poole to Wareham (going anti-clockwise around the harbour) which is a nice little harbour on a river with some old houses.

If you go towards Shaftesbury you pass through a lot rolling countryside full of tumuli (old burial sites) and ancient monuments. The back road to Blandford (east of the main road) is a ridge road with spectacular views, the old odd pub and some fine walks. If you go to the west, the main road serpents following the river the views are more riparian and often dark and dank. Blandford's new ring road offers you a visit to a Brewery and the centre an odd mix of posh little houses leading down to the river. The road down to Dorchester is worthwhile and, of course, you can turn off it to Weymouth and even Abbotsbury which has its own swannery (we all need one of those) and the chance to walk down Chesil beach.

Bilboburgler: what a great piece of info you have provided and thanks for it; much to consider

At the moment I am thinking of somehow basing ourselves in Lyme Regis but that is not a final decision yet.

At the moment I am almost certain we will be flying into Gatwick (from Italy) and I wish there were some reasonable way to fly to somewhere closer but it looks to be impossible. Since we really do think we will be better off with a car that means a drive from Gatwick to wherever we base ourselves. I've driven from London (Heathrow) into Norfolk as well as to the Cotswolds in the past without too much difficulty (I can drive a stick but will definitely rent an automatic) and right now, for some reason, I am just not looking forward to that and not sure why.

We rented a car for Cornwall and other places in the past; I have to get over this anxiety.

I figure we need to devote an entire day/day trip to Salisbury to try to do it some sort of "justice" and I will re-read your wonderful post several times over as I do further research. Again, thank you for your generosity.

Gatwick to Dorset along the semi-coastal road looks like a great idea, avoid it unless you want a lot of roundabout duty. Pop up to the M25 and round to M3 and drive on down it to probably the Ringwood exist to Salisbury. You could turn off earlier on the A36 and it might be ok, but if you have a traffic report system, check it and you might do better on the A338. Come back when the plans are coming together.

Where are you coming from in Italy, and going to after Dorset? Bristol might be a bit closer than Gatwick and would avoid the M25. Taking the train to Salisbury and renting a car there would save some stress. Fying to Heathrow would at least put you on the right side of London.

We will be finishing up in Verona (the final week of the opera festival) and I would prefer to fly from VRN itself rather than traveling to Milan to fly out of either Malpensa or Linate. If I did that latter then yes I could probably fly into Bristol which would make a lot more sense. Flying from Verona means using either British or EasyJet to Gatwick and I'd probably use EasyJet. If we were leaving on a different day of the week we might get a Flybe flight to Southampton but not going to wait days to do that. Yes, I agree, Heathrow would be a better starting position.

Right NOW I am looking at the possibility of staying in Bournemouth which may be more centrally located for the things we want to do most; giving up some of that Lyme Regis charm. I suppose we could take the train from Gatwick to Bournemouth and rent the car there which is what I would prefer so I don't have to drive back TO Gatwick.

I want to make some decisions fairly soon so I can lock down accommodation and think of other aspects.

Again, your comments and questions have been helpful.

I'll preface this suggestion by saying I always prefer countryside to cities, even more when I have a car. If you're looking for a base from which to see more than 1 place in a given area, it's often easier to not stay in a city & less confusing without the accompanying congestion. Pick up the car where it's most convenient to a train station (Salisbury is one that was not good that way tho it could have changed) and drive to an accommodation in a village or other scenic spot. That's my idea of perfect, though I realize not everyone's.

MmePerdu,

I understand your rec. After further consideration we are back to staying in Lyme Regis and awaiting a reply from the hotel regarding a booking. We will fly to Gatwick from Verona and pick up the car there unless I can figure out a place to take the train and pick up at a station. My current suspicion is I will rent and return to Gatwick., We will end this segment with a couple of nights in London after all and then fly home.

More to come and to ask about as this thing progresses.

That sounds good to me.

An update:

this morning I had an email from the hotel in Lyme Regis; room I want is available but I would have to call to reserve, IOW, cannot do so on-line. This prompted me to evaluate the choice and after looking at several YouTube videos which were made in and about Lyme Regis and included scenes of the "downtown" (as I call it), the beach, etc., and in light of Mme Perdu's comments about staying in the countryside, I decided to keep looking. Went back over the various places including Weymouth and Bournemouth again; looked at a couple of places in Dorchester which seem wonderful and then finally settled on a hotel in Evershot. Made a reservation for half board for our four nights and am happy.

I want to say again how appreciative I am of all the comments above which have been useful

I think you'll enjoy Evershot more than Lyme Regis. I do think Lyme Regis is worth a visit.

My daughter lives in Dorset, so I visit annually. If you'd like a day of no driving yourself, great scenery and very interesting information on flora, fauna, and history, we've had three great tours with Gary of Jurassic Safari (http://www.jurassicsafari.co.uk). We've done the Purbeck Hills, the Golden Cap, and a custom safari. My hard-to-please grumpy DH loved it, my kids loved them, and my 8-year old grandson loved his first one and was eager to go on his second one.

Scooterr,
Thank you for this recommendation. There are plenty of days when I'd rather just sit back and listen, watch, not have to worry about driving, etc. Yeah, I know all about the "being herded" and the rest of it and I've experienced those situations but nevertheless we enjoy doing what works for us regardless of what anybody else thinks.

I did some further research and leaned we could rent a car from Enterprise in Dorchester after taking the train there from Gatwick. Of course the trade-off is the money paid to get to and from Dorchester on the train adds to the cost but it might be somewhat less stressful to take the train. It would be much nicer to drop the car in Dorchester and take the train back to London for certain.

Now I'm trying to figure out how far ahead I will be able to buy train tickets on line and whether or not I should buy the (I guess they are) cheaper anytime returns. I made a mistake a couple of years ago buying tickets in advance and it was too soon to get a seat reservation and got slammed here by the Matron and her friends for "not understanding" what I was doing, etc., etc. Unfortunately no real help was offered, just criticism.

https://www.seat61.com/UK-train-travel.htm

Bilboburgler,

thank you very much