We’re traveling this summer. After a short stay in Oxford we have reserved an (automatic) car and will drive. We’ve arranged our stays in Oxford, Stow-on-the-Wold, Lyme Regis, New Forest, Salisbury - where we will leave the car and take the train to London. Anyone taken a similar route? Tips on stops along the way? We’re excited to explore the Cotswolds more on foot than by car. Is it worth making a stop for Avebury or another stones site along the way? Curious to find some fossils, beaches and views along the coast. Thank you again as this forum is a wonderful wealth of knowledge. Happy travels!
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
13905 posts
I love the standing stones so that would be my plan but if they are not of interest to you, then skip.
IF they are of interest, (and sorry I don't know your route) besides Avebury you might consider Woodhenge and the site that is just across the lane from it called Durrington Walls where they are making some interesting discoveries.
Posted by
3122 posts
What is your planned driving route? You apparently plan to end up in Salisbury, but if I'm following the sequence of your destinations correctly, you're sort of making a curlicue from Oxford around to the northwest, west, south, and then north to Salisbury, is that right? If so, then Avebury would not be on your way to Salisbury from New Forest, but it could be not too far out of the way on the leg from the Cotswolds to Lyme Regis ("not too far out of the way" in relative terms).
The estimated time given by Google Maps and similar sources is very optimistic, in my experience, when it comes to the secondary highways and country roads. On the Motorways people tend to drive very fast and you can make pretty good time, but the series of stops you've outlined will put you mostly on secondaries. Then, too, you'll pass sights that interest you so you may want to stop and explore.
To get to Avebury, if you're coming down the M5 from the Cotswolds, you'd take the M4 to the A350 to the A4. The Avebury stone circle is about a mile in circumference and a nice walk if the weather is favorable. The Red Lion pub has a famous ghost, also good food at good prices. [[Leaving Avebury, you'd have to backtrack out to the M5 and continue on to Lyme Regis, a fair distance.]] EDITED: See directions from Skyegirl, more direct, not backtracking to M5.
In case you're thinking of combining Avebury with Stonehenge in the same trip, I've driven between the two and it is pretty slow going. I can't see how you'd fit in both (with enough time to appreciate them) if you started from the Cotswolds in the morning and needed to reach Lyme Regis that night.
Posted by
Isle of Skye, Scotland
1111 posts
I am originally from Wiltshire and can tell you that from Avebury to Lyme Regis is about 90 miles and would take about 2 hours 30 minutes. You would head south from Avebury, to Amesbury , where you would pick up the A303 road, which passes close to Stonehenge (you'll see it from the car). You stay on the A303 until just after Yeovil where you head south again. Going by the M5 motorway would be a big detour.
Posted by
OP
Southern California
15 posts
Thank you, Skyegirl. Yes, maps shows me a similar route using secondaries and taking roughly 2 hours 30 minutes. We plan to depart Stow-on-the-Wold around 9am and lunch in Avebury, then set back off onto secondaries to Lyme Regis. It’s about 4 hours driving in total for the day. I imagine we’ll find plenty of places to stop along the way.
Posted by
3122 posts
Thanks, Skyegirl, I have driven that route south from Avebury, to Amesbury , to the A303. I thought TravelMuse might prefer to stick to the Motorways, but this one is definitely far more direct. If I'm not mistaken, it goes though a portion of the Savernake Forest, which is really lovely.
I have edited my post accordingly.
Posted by
OP
Southern California
15 posts
Thank you each for your helpful tips. We're excited to explore the area. I should have mentioned that based upon previous posts we've chosen to take more secondary routes - more scenic and the speeds are probably more our pace. We'll pass on Woodhenge but will hope to catch the mentioned forest and make time for Avebury, as I find the stones fascinating. Kind Regards, TravelMuse22
Posted by
KS, USA
676 posts
We squeezed in a quick stop at Avebury after we visited Stonehenge, on our way to Stow on the Wold. I’m very happy that we did. It’s a really neat place for walking and enjoying the scenery around you. I definitely recommend it, especially since you’re interested in the stones.
Posted by
Massachusetts, USA
39 posts
Avebury is very much worth it. Also recommend driving about 5 minutes down to the road to see the West Kennet Long Barrow (you will park on the side of the road and walk about 10 minutes from the road to the barrow). The Red Lion is awesome, try to get the haunted well table if it's available.
In the New Forest, Burley is extremely cute. It's tiny and has a whimsical witchcraft theme (I'm in Salem, MA and am maybe more partial to witchcraft themed towns than most people). There were wild ponies all over the place when we were there last summer.
Lyme Regis- unless your accommodation has parking available, park in one of the park & rides before getting into the town center. We parked in the Charmouth Road one, the view of the cliffs and ocean from the car park is breathtaking, and the town center streets are terrifyingly narrow. The drive from Avebury is going to be long enough that you will likely find you won't want to make any other stops along the way. We stayed in Salisbury, and the drive from Salisbury to Lyme Regis was just at my limit of an easy day's driving.
Going from Lyme Regis to the New Forest- we loved Corfe Castle and the Dorset area around it. It's a bit of a tangent off the main route you'd be on, but might be worth thinking about as a detour to stop for lunch and an exploration.