Looking for feedback on our Southwest England trip

If by any chance the stop you planned in Taunton because it is close to the motorway is either the Holiday Inn Taunton M5 or Holiday Inn Express Taunton East it worth being sure which you are in - they are a few hundred yards apart on different roads.

I stayed at the Holiday Inn when on a site visit to a nearby school and thought it quite good. Regarding your mobility challenged son, the carpark is up a bit of a slope from the front door and the disabled spaces are at the top of that slope. I once had difficulty parking because all the disabled spaces were taken so I dropped my disabled wife at the door and parked in a normal space (in the rain of course). The staff there are helpful and there are rooms on the ground floor and some upstairs with a small lift. If you get hold of the staff with your requirements a couple of days ahead I am sure they will do what they can to meet your needs. Breakfast was good, the lobby is spacious and my colleague really liked the indoor pool - he swam when he arrived and again before breakfast.

The HIE looks fine, like a fairly standard HIE, but I haven't been inside.

The big solstice event is at Stonehenge (at dawn) and I am not sure if there’ll be any crowds at all at Avebury. You could probably email the visitors centre and ask them what happens there on 21 June.

One place to stop would be Stourhead. The gate dens, mock temples etc around the lake are beautiful (but you need a dry day and the sun really makes it great). The walk from the car park to the garden is, from memory, fairly flat as is the walk around the lake.

You could consider Wells as a stop between Avebury and Taunton. It's a lovely market town with a wonderful cathedral and bishop's palace. Very walkable high street and parking close by, so should work for you.

Between Taunton and Plymouth you might consider Tavistock, an interesting and historic market town close to Dartmoor, with lots of independent shops and cafes. We used to enjoy visiting when we lived in Somerset.

I really liked Plymouth a lot. It's a charming city with a bit of grit to it, but sits on the sea and has some interesting and diverse scenery. The Hoe is where everyone goes and you can head down to the water, or lay on the green and just spend the afternoon there.There is a landmark there showing a photo of the Beatles hanging out at the Hoe, and a very cool lighthouse that you can walk up in to see a great view. The Barbican is the more historic area with cobbled narrow streets, funky shops and some good restaurants and cafes, and really good fish and chips. Royal William Yard, which used to be a victualling depot for the Royal Navy, is a public area with cafes, restaurants and lots of open space and very interesting. I met Golden Girl there and afterwards, we walked around the coastline, visiting a swimming space where everyone goes to swim in cold weather, and watched the ferries in the harbor.

There are also countless wonderful day trips from Plymouth. I'm going to crib some paragraphs from my trip report, as it's a bit easier. :-)

Dartmoor National Park: This place was so beautiful. There were rolling hills, huge granite tors, and gorgeous green valleys as far as the eye could see. Driving in places could get a little tough, as there were a lot of single track roads. But one local told me to stay off them as much as possible. He said locals usually just stick to the main roads, even if it seems longer, and only go on single track roads if they have to. Good advice!

Buckland Abbey. I headed here on the way to Plymouth from Falmouth and thought it was worth a visit. The buildings and grounds were interesting, especially if you’re a fan of Sir Francis Drake.

Dartmoor Prison Museum: The prison was a little homespun, but I liked it. It was interesting reading about some of the escape attempts and seeing the conditions of the prison back in the 1800’s. There were also displays of art that many of the prisoners had made, like a replica of the Space Shuttle Endeavor, which was created by a prisoner at Dartmoor during the Covid lockdown using 3D origami.

St. Pancras Church in Widecombe-in-the-Moor: I first heard about this church after reading an article about Bill Bryson, who named it as one of his favorite churches. It is an old medieval church in the middle of a small village, and was a real gem, as was the village, especially as I arrived on Market Day. There were several nice shops, a cafe and pub. The views in the area were absolutely gorgeous, and as you arrive, you can see the church steeple for several miles. I can see why Bill Bryson loved this place.

Chagford: This was a bigger town in Dartmoor NP, but very charming. I had dinner at the Three Crowns Pub right in town, and the food was wonderful (their sticky toffee pudding was the best I've ever had!). It’s definitely worth a visit. Some people on the forum have lodged at the pub here, and enjoyed their stay.

Lustleigh: I stopped here because I heard it was a very beautiful village, which is true. But I deeply regretted it, because it was so hard to maneuver in here with a car and all the roads in and out were single track. I finally managed to get it sorted and get out again, but it was not worth it, unless you can get there on foot.

Coleton Fishacre: Golden Girl on the forum mentioned this to me in a post, and I was so glad I visited. This was the vacation home of the D’Oyly Carte family, of the D’Oyly Carte Opera company fame. The gardens were gorgeous clusters of color and design, and the house was fabulous. I loved the Art Deco designs and you can see so much of it in the furnishings, the lighting and the decor. It is SO well worth a visit! It was one of my favorite places I went to.

Nigel -- Thank your for all of those details. As it happens, we are not staying at either of those places; because my son cannot stay independently, we need either two connecting rooms or a room with two double beds, and those are hard to come by! In Taunton, I have found a 2-BR ground floor apartment with onsite parking for a reasonable price, so I'm quite happy for that find. But again, thank you for the response. I have been doing quite a bit of digging through old threads to set up this trip, and I have found numerous postings of yours that have been incredibly helpful, especially with respect to accessibility. Your time and helpfulness in responding is very much appreciated.

BillS719 -- Thank you! I appreciate the feedback on Avery, and I'll try and get in touch with them. Will also check out Stourhead. It's nice for us to have the car on this portion of the trip so that we can adjust our plans on the fly according to the weather.

Skyegirl -- Thank you for the recommendations! Wells looks lovely and the cathedral very interesting. I'll add it to the list of possibilities. And thank you also for the Tavistock rec! One of our days in Plymouth will be spent driving around the Dartmoor area, so we could stop in either on the way down to Plymouth or during our stay.

Mardee -- I read your trip report a few days ago when researching this trip! SO many awesome details! I'm looking forward to our stay in Plymouth. We have an apartment right on the line between the Hoe and the Barbican, and it all sounds really great from what I've read. Also, from your post, I have St Pancras Church on my list of places to stop by; it sounds lovely (and I am also a Bill Bryson fan). Thank you for taking the time to do your trip report, especially with details on the good, the bad, and the ugly :-) Very, very helpful!

Oh, great, Deb, and thanks! I really did love Devon; in fact, I enjoyed it more than Cornwall, although I suspect some of that had to do with weather issues.

One thing I thought of, though, when SkyeGirl mentioned Tavistock, was that you would be driving through on Sunday. I stopped in Tavistock when I was in Devon and wandered around for a bit, but I was also there on a Sunday and there were a lot of shops that were closed. This was in early April, though, so it could be different in June.

Mardee -- OK, thanks again!

Tavistock is a very nice town but you really need to be there on a day when the excellent indoor market is open - that is, any day but Sundays and Mondays (it’s open Mondays during the summer, apparently).

It can feel a little dead when it’s closed.

https://www.tavistock.gov.uk/council-services/pannier-market

So glad you enjoyed Plymouth, Mardee. I love it, as you know. DebVT, sounds like you’ll be in a great location. The thing to understand about Plymouth is that it was bombed to smithereens in WW2, although Barbican retains some Tudor buildings and the Hoe is great and still has a lot of Victorian houses that are now B&Bs and holiday flats.

The city centre was extensively rebuilt post-war in a very deliberate modernist fashion, not all of which has aged well. A Lithuanian friend visiting said he hadn’t expected the city centre to look so Soviet! Personally I love it, but I do try to warn visitors that aspects of Plymouth are not instantly attractive.

The waterfront is absolutely stunning, though. I don’t know if you like swimming, but there is a fabulous art deco lido right on the waterfront. It’s open May to September. It’s filtered but unheated sea water - super clean, very buoyant - and it’s the most amazing place to swim or sun yourself. It’s like being on the deck of a 1930s liner. https://www.visitplymouth.co.uk/things-to-do/tinside-lido-p1096383

Golden Girl -- FABULOUS! My son is a water rat and lives to swim. We will definitely do this -- it will be a highlight of his vacation!! Many thanks for this and your other advice!!

I notice that the Lido in Plymouth is unheated. At the end of June the sea water temp is about 15 degrees C. A bit fresh to my way of thinking, perhaps your son should bring a vest or something similar to keep warm.

I happily swim in it in a normal swimsuit from late May…

Mind you I happily swim in the sea March to November.

If you have any paperwork confirming your son’s disability then bring it with you. You can get free or discounted entry at most places and mostly you won’t even be asked for proof.

I would also ask if you can use your disabled parking pass if you have one. I don’t know for sure but I think places like the National Trust would be happy for you to do so. It will help a lot as sometimes the standard parking is quite a walk from the entrance.

Regarding Helen’s point - without an official UK blue disabled badge you run a risk of being fined if you use designated disabled parking spaces in public car parks, marked bays on some roads or on private property if the car parking rules are enforced by parking companies. I don’t believe these badges are available to visitors to the UK.

Some private places may allow you to park in disabled bays if you ask the staff but in very many cases enforcement of parking rules are outsourced to the parking companies.

A bit fresh to my way of thinking, perhaps your son should bring a vest or something similar to keep warm.

Or your son could get one of those dry robes Golden Girl showed me! Those are awesome! Of course, this was late March/early April so a lot colder then.

Golden Girl: I didn't really think of it as Soviet looking, but that could have been because I was staying in that gorgeous area with all the Georgian style houses.

DebVT, I have just noticed that your son has mobility issues and there are a lot of steps down to the lido. There is a lift, but for a lot of last summer it was out of action.

Thank you again for all the replies.

We've pulled my son out of the Atlantic in Maine, shivering and borderline hypothermic, begging for more swim time, lol. I appreciate the caution on the cold water, but I bet he'll be fine.

And thank you for the reminder on the disabled parking pass. We usually bring it with us when we travel, and so far, it's been recognized everywhere we've asked. But we do ask first before taking a designated spot, and if there's no one to ask, we don't.

With respect to admission tickets, my son's disability is obvious, and in every case and every country we've visited, he's been ticketed as a disabled person without our asking. But when I purchase advance tickets for an event or transport, I always opt to just buy him a regular admission fare. I don't want to assume that he will receive free/discounted entry since we aren't residents with paperwork, and I don't mind paying admission fees at all of these places that are usually running on slim margins anyway. I just mentally count it as a donation and don't sweat the small stuff.

Golden Girl, thank you for the heads up on the stairs to the lido. He can do stairs depending on their condition (railing, evenness, etc.); he just gets tired. So we'll cross our fingers that the lift will be working, and if not, I bet he'll be motivated enough to make the effort!

Where are you on the planning of staying in Salisbury on your first night, near the summer solstice?
Are you thinking of rearranging its place in your schedule?

We've pulled my son out of the Atlantic in Maine, shivering and borderline hypothermic, begging for more swim time, lol. I appreciate the caution on the cold water, but I bet he'll be fine.

If he would like a sea swim without loads of steps, the little beach that Mardee mentioned would work. It’s called Firestone Bay officially although locals often call it Devil’s Point, and it’s near Royal William Yard west of the main waterfront area.

Rebecca -- I haven't heard anything yet to dissuade me from Salisbury on that first night, so, until I do, it's a go. Hopefully all the commotion will be at Stonehenge, not in town (fingers crossed).

Golden Girl -- Thank you once again for another great suggestion! Maybe we'll do both!

You're right....the big crowd will be at Stonehenge....but the event may add to the crowds in Salisbury and at Salisbury Cathedral, as some may go because they're in town for the solstice. I think you'll be fine there as long as you can get a hotel room.
Hotel rooms will fill up fast in Salisbury so you may want to book soon (you may have already done this).

Cannot predict about Avebury...don't know.

I'm not so sure about Avebury having no crowds- this was what happened last year- https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/wiltshire/avebury/visiting-between-20-22-june

PS- This is one event happening at Avebury this summer solstice- https://www.rawliving.co.uk/products/avebury-magic-retreat-jun-22nd-23rd?variant=41803401429131

See also this blog- https://thirdeyetraveller.com/summer-solstice-avebury/

Rebecca -- You're right about lodgings being scarce in Salisbury; it's what clued me in on the solstice in the first place. I was surprised how few places were available, and then I paid attention to the dates and had an "ooooohhhhh" moment. I did find a place for us that will be fine for the one night, and I'll prebook our cathedral tickets when they become available.

isn31c -- Thank you for those links. It seems like there might be quite a few folks at Avebury to celebrate the solstice. I have taken BillS719's advice above and emailed the contact at the National Trust to enquire as to what the situation is typically like on June 21. Hopefully they'll be able to give me a good reality check on the possibility of our visit there. I've also posted on TripAdvisor to see if any of the local folks there might have some info.

Circling back to update....

I heard back from a very kind gentleman at the National Trust, who advised me that they expect large crowds at Avebury for the solstice and "challenges" with parking. He advised me that we'd be much better off to reschedule our visit. He further added that, because of my son's mobility issues, if we could visit on a day other than the solstice, they would coordinate special parking and motorized transportation on the grounds for our visit, but would be unable to do this on the solstice because of the crowds.

So, we're taking his advice and I've juggled our days around:
June 20 (Fri) -- arrive LHR, train to Plymouth, sleep in Plymouth
June 21-23 -- pick up rental car, visit Plymouth and surrounding areas, sleep in Plymouth
June 23 -- drive to Salisbury
June 23-25 -- sleep in Salisbury, visit Salisbury and Avebury
June 25 -- depart for London

It means I'll miss the jump races at Newton Abbott, which I really wanted to see, but everything else lines up so much better given the solstice hoopla.

Thanks for all of the suggestions on places to see -- I've made a list and we are very excited for our visit in June!

That’s a really helpful response from the National Trust - well done them.

Your rejigged plan seems sensible. Hope you have an amazing trip and enjoy all your planning and anticipation.

Deb, what rental company are you using in Plymouth?

Thank you, Golden Girl! And thank you for all your inside info on Plymouth!

Mardee — Right now, I have a reservation with Thrifty. I may change it to Enterprise since they have a bigger car class selection. It’s a bit of a tricky rental since we’re picking up in Plymouth and dropping in Salisbury; the smaller companies don’t seem to have offices in both places. I’d be happy to hear of alternatives if you know any.

Oh, I was just wondering. I rented with Europecar through Auto Europe when I was there and picked it up in Plymouth. But I also dropped it off there, so I don’t know if they have an office in Salisbury or not.

I would probably go with Enterprise if it was me. I don’t know Thrifty, but I do know that Enterprise has had some good recommendations on this forum. I have never used them as I’ve gone with Europecar through Auto Europe and mostly Arnold Clark in the UK. But I know Arnold Clark doesn’t have locations in Cornwall.

Enterprise have a depot in Salisbury. They are the company who has depots in small towns across the country.
I used to rent Transit vans, not cars, from them. But was always happy with them. And their price seems fair.