Devon/Cornwall Road trip

I forgot to mention that we will be arriving in late June.

Thanks

Hi Trudi

Can I suggest you get a few days of driving in before you get to the extremely narrow lanes of Cornwall and parts of Devon? The hedges and walls on some lanes come right down to the edge of the lane and there is not room for two vehicles to pass so one (usually the more agile one) has to reverse to a passing place, or be switched on enough to see and register these places and see the top of the approaching truck or car along the top of the hedgerow and wait at a passing place.

Not all the roads are like that, but some of the most scenic are.

A few years ago I had just such an experience but with a steam traction engine near the home of Agatha Christie, Greenwood. Needless to say, it was me reversing.

Be prepared for horses and their riders on any country lane. Pass them very slow and wide.

Also, on weekends especially but can be anytime, cyclists or whole peletons.

Oxford (1 nt) - pick up car
Cotswolds (2 nts)
Bath (1 nt)
North Devon (Ilfracombe/Clovelly) (2 nts)
Padstow (1 nt)
Cornwall (Polperro/Mevagissey) (4 nts)
Plymouth (1 nt)
Exeter (1 nt)
Salisbury (1 nt) - drop off car

For June, book everything in advance to avoid disappointment (and to save money).

I agree with Nigel. We found driving in Dartmoor to be very intimidating and not at all enjoyable. The hedges are just as Nigel described. Backing up in a narrow spot when you as driver are sitting on the "wrong" side is disorienting. Get some experience first!

I have not been further "out" than Dartmoor so I can't comment on that part of England but if you love old churches, you will love driving around England! If you stick with the itinerary you described, try stopping in Wimborne Minster on the way back to Salisbury. The church is fantastic. We had an elderly gentleman take us around for an hour to see all the quirky things. This is not on the main tourist track -- but it is delightful! Also, don't miss the roof/tower tour at Salisbury. I'm blanking on the name of the tour but it is awesome to see the vaults from above.

I think you are trying to pack too much into 14 nights. It certainly would be a road trip as you will spend most of the time in the car looking at the road! Don't underestimate the driving times and narrow lanes in Devon and Cornwall plus there are bound to be some traffic problems along the way.

The previous post suggests too many one night stays that will probably be difficult to achieve in B&Bs as many will have a 2 night minimum stay in June. I would suggest that you get a train from London to Bristol or Exeter and pick up the hire car there and do the same in reverse to avoid a hefty one way drop fee. Then just focus on Devon and Cornwall and ditch plans for the Cotswolds (too busy in June to be pleasant) and Bath. There is more than enough in these counties alone to fill a 28 night trip and you only have half this!

Travelling in June means that the schools will not have broken up for the school holidays, but those people not tied to school holidays usually go away in June to make the most of the (hopefully) better weather. Monitor websites to check if B&Bs in your likely locations start to get booked up.

As this will be your first time driving in the UK, please read the relevant sections of the Highway Code:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code

This past September we spent 3 1/2 weeks in England which included many of the areas you mention. We have taken many trips through the UK and other left-side drive countries and have had some experiences "switching" to the "wrong" side. Nevertheless, we found Devon and Cornwall difficult. The roads are very narrow and visibility limited because of the high walls and hedges. Definitely pick up your car outside of London. As we were arriving and leaving on a cruise ship, we picked up our car in Southampton. If you want to see the Cotswolds in a limited time, we recommend taking a train to Moreton in Marsh and booking the "Secret Cottage" tour (http://www.cotswoldtourismtours.co.uk/). This is a great way to see a lot in a limited amount of time without having to drive.

We do recommend booking places to stay ahead of time. If you want to drive, we recommend the Old Rectory Hotel in Martinhoe, North Devon - lovely accommodations and delicious food, out in the countryside. We spent 3 nights there and toured the north Devon coast from Ilfracombe to Dunster, visiting Arlington House and Dunster Castle as well as Exmoor.
In Cornwall, we rented a cottage from HomeAway near Mousehole for four nights. It was an excellent location from which to see everything from the Lizard, to St. Michael's Mount and Penzance and a few National Trust properties inland (Trerice and Lanhydrock). In spite of being reasonably comfortable with driving in England, we were tired and on the last day hired a private driver to take us to Minack Theater, Lands End, the Levant Mine, and St. Ives - a wonderful day and well worth the money. He drove us to small villages we would not have driven to on our own.

We had a wonderful trip and loved the area. Basically, our advice is DON'T over plan. Try to pick a few places to use as a base and not move about too much. Realize that driving can be tiring and will take longer than you expect.

Thanks for all of the responses. Very helpful!

trudi

If you need an automatic you will need to specify and pay more for it. It's not the norm here.

I traveled to England last June and rented a car during two legs of my trip (North Wales and Lake District). I am also American and have driven all over the States for long stretches at a time. Driving in England is very unnerving. It isn't as much the driving on the left side of the road (just follow the car in front!) or the roundabouts (they are everywhere), it is that the roads are extremely narrow. And they don't have shoulders like we do where you can pull off to the side of the road, they have stone walls. Some of them are slate that jut out to the side that can give you a flat tire (happened to me when I was driving thru Newlands valley outside of Keswick), but most of them are tall with flowering hedges. But I was able to see and experience England/Wales much better by driving a car. But I did not enjoy it at all.

My advice is

• Get the smallest car possible
• Make sure that you have insurance as well as the roadside assistance plan (helped me tremendously when I had the flat tire)
• Get a GPS and make sure that the car rental return location is saved. I did not have this in North Wales and it took me an hour to find where to return it. You are out in the country, there are no places to stop and ask directions. They also don't have signs like we do letting you know where you are
• Make sure you have a good map to follow as well
• Get the highway code and study what the road signs mean (not that they have a lot of them anyways)
• Driving is also exhausting and slow. You will not be able to do the distances/times that we are used to here in the States.

I will be going to Cornwall/Devon this summer (renting a car again!) and am looking forward to reading about everyone else's suggestions regarding what to see/do.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSFtOzCLKjU

Yikes! Very exciting!

oh boy.
Starting to lose my mojo.

Don't get too scared. Driving is definitely the best way to see the country. Just have reasonable expectations on how far you can go each day and DO get an automatic and as small a car as you can and a GPS. We have our own GPS - a Garmin - and it is a model that takes European maps. We are able to update them before leaving. Before leaving, we go to Google Earth, identify all of the places we are staying and want to see and enter the GPS coordinates into the Garmin. As we are used to using this model, we don't have to get used to new instructions.

'A' roads, 'B' roads, and even 'C' roads, are far from country lanes with single twisty narrow lanes and high hedges. These major routes are where you will do most of your driving, so don't be scared.
My only advice is to avoid the temptation to 'shortcut'.

"C" roads?

You want to have a go on some of my "B" road runs in the Cotswolds, Forest of Arden and southwest.

Thanks everyone for your comments. Fortunately both my travel partner and I drive standard transmission. I think that it is a great suggestion to come with a GPS system already loaded. I don't use one here at all so will need the extra time to figure it out and get used to it. I think it is a good suggestion to skip Cotswolds and avoid one nighters....find several interesting areas as sort do a base and do day trips. I also know about a green placard for the car license plate that indicates newbie drivers. Might be good for us.
I think we will be loading the car with emergency supplies in case we get lost or stranded! Lol. Just kidding.

Trudi

(Train from London)
Bath (1 nt)
(Pick up hire car)
North Devon (Ilfracombe/Clovelly) (2 nts)
Padstow (2 nts)
Cornwall (Polperro/Mevagissey) (4 nts)
Plymouth (2 nts)
Exeter (2 nts)
(Drop off hire car)
Salisbury (1 nt)
(Train to London)

Trudi, even though you both drive stick shift, consider that you are going to have to shift with your left hand while navigating those narrow roads and roundabouts.

If you've ever seen "Doc Martin" on television, you'll want to visit Port Isaac in Cornwall. I'm also intrigued by St. Michael's Mount on the southern Cornwall coast.

Please don't be daunted by driving in the UK. It isn't really that hard once you've acclimatised yourself. Drivers here are usually tolerant, polite and patient (there are exceptions of course) and will allow the odd minor mistake without tooting you. I suggest getting onto a big road to start with, a dual carriage way or motorway is best. Then you can get used to the feel of the car and being in a different position without having to worry about difficult junctions or people pulling out of sidestreets or jumping off the pavement to cross the road. After a while it will all be second nature to you and you'll feel able to tackle narrow lanes (nb most of the roads on Dartmoor are open, without hedges or walls). Just remember to take it slowly and be able to stop in the distance you can see. Most other people will be going slowly too.

From Didcot, get the A34 south to the A303 and then turn west. This is mostly dual carriageway well into Devon. The A303 will take you to Exeter, then you have a choice about heading along the south cost and around the end of Cornwall, or going norht across Devon and doing it the other way round.

Dan,

I LOVE Doc Martin. I am embarrassed to admit to some binging.

Pete,
Thanks for the encouragement. It can't be that bad....given some adjustment time. People do it all the time and I am a good driver.

And I might spring for one of those green "beginner's" license placards that I have read about.

trudi

RS advice on driving in England in his guidebook is very helpful -- don't wait until half way through your trip to read it like we did! I agree that driving dual carriage ways and motorways are easier when you're starting. Having a car is a wonderful way to travel, esp if you want to see the countryside and stop in smaller places. You will figure it you as you go. We did find other drivers to be tolerant.

I agree with the comments to focus on Devon and Cornwall (I am unrelentingly biased, however!)
The roads are challenging, as others have mentioned, but I am sure you will just make it part of your adventure. Drivers here are almost always polite and in general more patient than in the US.
Finally, I echo what others and you yourself have said about trying to cover less ground and spend longer time poking around locally. For example, there are dozens of amazing National Trust properties in Devon and Cornwall that you can spend all day wandering around the houses, enjoying the gardens (in full bloom when you will be here) and eating their locally-sourced food and drink. Consider buying an annual pass if you will be visiting more than a couple as it will be worth it, plus you can then park for free at many more carparks along the coast and on Dartmoor for example. There are also reciprocal arrangements with certain English Heritage properties as well. Some of our favourites (we live in Plymouth) are Cothele, Lanhydrock, Greenway House (Agatha Christie's house), and Saltram House. We use National Trust properties as our "motorway services" on our way to/from London :).
There are some amazing walks on Dartmoor, so do check out the VIsit Dartmoor sites for suggestions (www.visitdartmoor.co.uk/), and YES do book in advance. People here plan their holidays very far ahead, so if ther is someplace you have your heart set on, do book it as soon as you can. The National trust has cottages as well, if that appeals! http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/
Have a great time!

Thank you Sabrina, I feel vindicated. I chose to visit Cothele, Lanhydrock (favourite) and Saltram House when in Cornwall in 2004. I missed Greenway House (Agatha Christie's house),

Thanks everyone for all of your suggestions,
It's a great help!

Trudi

Trudi, It's not just the having to switch gears with your left hand. We once had a transmission so tight it took both hands to do it. Now that was unnerving. Cornish roads can be narrow but worth every gray hair you'll have at the end of your journey. I second the advice to get the smallest car possible. Have a GPS and an Atlas with you. One to get you where you're going and the other to show you where you're going.

BTW you're going to have a wonderful time and 2 weeks is never enuf..

We have driven around Cornwall and lots of other areas in June, and have never booked our B&Bs ahead of time. There are hundreds of B&Bs that don't advertise (Internet, tour books, etc), when you decide it's getting close to time you would like to stop for the day start looking for B&B signs. When you see one stop and ask if they have a room for the night, they will usually let you look at the room before you agree to take it. We have never spent more 10 minutes looking for a B&B. With not having your B&B booked ahead you have to freedom to stay as long as you want in an area or as little, you won't have to be at a certain place at a certain time.