Hello,
In RS Guide to Great Britain he suggests a 131 mile driving loop from Bath to Avebury, Stonehenge, Glastonbury, Wells, back to Bath. Has anyone done this and what did you think? Is it a busy road? Is it possible to see much at any of the stops and still get back to Bath at a reasonable hour?
Would it be more cost effective to hire a private driver vs renting a car?
I have not done this driving tour but I have been to all those sights. To me that is WAY too much for one day. I’d do either Stonehenge and Avebury OR Glastonbury and Wells.
There is a small tour company in Bath called MadMax tours. They do a Stonehenge and Avebury tour and used to also do Glastonbury and Wells pre-Covid. i haven't looked at their we site to see what their offerings are right now as tourism gets cranked back up.
I'd agree it is much to much to do in a day, especially if you are wanting to stop and enjoy the sights. You are probably talking about 3+ hours driving time. Add on stops , parking, lunch etc and that isn't going to allow much time to do the sights.
English Heritage suggest you allow 2.5 hours for Stonehenge. Avebury could be another hour plus, depending on what you want to see. The same goes for Glastonbury - what are your intentions here? Are you wanting to visit the abbey and climb Glastonbury tor, explore the shops and enjoy the ambience? Wells deserves 2-3 hours minuimum if you want to visit the Cathedral and Biushop's Palace as well as explore the town (well worth it).
See this poster's other thread which has many responses and good advice but seems to cover much of the same topic:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england/first-trip-to-great-britain-finally
I wouldn't try to do all that in one day. It would be basically all driving, without time to enjoy the destinations.
For comparison: In one day we drove from Newbury to Stonehenge, enjoyed the visitor centre and the stones (with audio guide), had lunch in the cafeteria, then drove up to Avebury. Loved that drive, passing through part of the Savernake Forest. We walked the entire Avebury circle as the weather was mild and dry. Unfortunately by then it was too late in the day to visit the museum. We had a nice (and affordable) dinner in the pub, then drove back to Newbury.
