Best route Cambridge, Cornwall, Bath and Cotswolds

At the mom, Google maps gives a time of nearly 6 hours to drive from Cambridge to Truro (middle of Cornwall). You’ll thus use nearly a day of your 7 days getting to Cornwall. And you have to get back again.

I’d suggest dropping Cornwall (beautiful place that it is) and allocating the time to your other destinations- particularly London.

Look at beautiful Dorset as a substitute for Cornwall, which makes a bit more logistical sense with Bath and the Cotswolds.

I love Cornwall but if I was coming from Cambridge, it would take the shine off it a bit.

My main reason for wanting to see Cornwall is it’s one part of the country I haven’t had the chance to see. I lived at RAF Lakenheath for three years and luckily traveled a bit of Europe then. Many trips to London. Last trip we did York and parts of Scotland driving up and rail back to London.

My main reason for wanting to see Cornwall is it’s one part of the country I haven’t had the chance to see.

You could give it longer then! Personally I think the Cotswolds are overrated. I’d suggest that if you really want to visit Cornwall, make it your priority, with the understanding that it’ll take you a full day to get there from Cambridge.

If you rent a car, driving anywhere near London, even on the orbital will be frustrating. Consider taking the train from Cambridge to Oxford, then renting a car.

Cornwall can be very crowded as well, but you will need to get around. Consider staying in Truro.

Also, you only plan one night in Bath, you need a full day to see Bath. Consider staying at the Brooks Guesthouse, we loved it, you can walk to all the sites in the city.

You need more than one night to see the Cotswolds. We stayed in Chipping Campden and needed two full days to see the Cotswolds. We stayed at the Volunteer Inn. It has the best pub in town and a great restaurant. If you like Shakespeare, don't miss Stratford Upon Avon.

there is unfortunately not yet (and not anymore) a train from Cambridge to Oxford. The late lamented Varsity Line is no more, and East West Rail is some time (years and years) from completion.

If you want to do that, it is fastish train from Cambridge to London Kings Cross (or slower to St Pancras or Liverpool Street) then Tube to Paddington and train to Oxford, understanding that when you get to Oxford the Botley Road which you need after getting the car is a basket case and completely closed at the railway for a now unspecified time - probably at least another year.

If you are at Paddington anyway, they run fast frequent services to Dorset and Devon and Cornwall, including the overnight sleeper.

Doing the Cotswolds, the West Country, and Bath in a week is ambitious and courageous. In October there will be less to see in the Cotswolds. See it one year when you are there in the summer.

I agree that if you particularly want to see Cornwall, which I would recommend over the Cotswolds like probably all the British posters on here, then you should go there for the maximum amount of time you can. Maybe just stop in Bath on the way to or from. You can see the main sights quite quickly. Cornwall is great and won’t be too crowded in October.

I will speak with my husband. I have no problem not visiting The Cotswolds on this trip. I have visited before but my husband has not. Unfortunately while living at RAF Lakenheath his work schedule kept him from traveling very often.
Any suggestions for day trips by train from Cambridge? I have been to Ely, Bury St Edmunds, Elveden.
I like markets, gardens, antiques and nature walks.
Thank you

For your Cornish base, have a think about what you want from the trip. Truro is central and well connected, and it’s easy to get to lovely places on either coast from there, but you might prefer to stay on the coast itself.

Falmouth is a very attractive but very large town, with an amazing array of bars and restaurants and hotels at all price points, and combines beach and port, so makes a good point to stay.

I have a soft spot for Penzance further west, and the surrounding little villages like Mousehole and Sennen.

For a day trip by train from Cambridge, how about Audley End? Lovely house and gardens, plenty to see and do.

Spoke with my husband and we agreed to drive from Cambridge to Bath stay one night. We will skip The Cotswolds this time.
Now off to research where to stay in Cornwall.
Thank you

My wife and I used to holiday in Cornwall in October because summer rates became winter rates on 1st October. You don't say exactly when in October you are coming to the UK, but be aware that the last week in the month (w/c 28 Oct) is a school holiday and hotel rates etc go up noticeably during that week. Also, tourist attractions, such as the Eden Project, will be a lot busier.

The weather can be very variable at that time of year (well, any time of year really but particularly so then) and we've had gloriously sunny days to days when you couldn't really stand up in the wind! You need to be prepared for this.

if you haven't been there before, Cornish roads tend to be very narrow and bendy (even by British standards). So, if you plan to travel around, you need to allow extra time to allow for the slow roads. Also, what looks like a hedge at the side of the road, conceals a wall immediately underneath.

The north and south coasts are quite different. The north coast gets the full force of the Atlantic and tends to be stark and dramatic but with few trees along the coast. The south coast is more sheltered and tends to be 'softer'; there's even a tropical garden in Penzance.

Thanks for the information. We will be prepared for the weather and we overlap with the term break by one day. Now we have to find lodging.