South England from Canterbury to Cornwall.

Canterbury, Dover Castle, South Down Way, Beachy Head, Jurassic Coast, Chagford in Dartmoor, and Tintagel are all locations we visited on the RS southern England tour. The tour begins in Canterbury and ends in Bath. It also took 13 days to cover it. While researching my trip, I discovered that Cornwall is more difficult without a car, so I chose a tour. You may want to check out that tour for help with the route. Good luck with your planning. Happy travels :)

I didn't include Salisbury as I have read that it is mainly launching point for Stonehenge which i can pass on.

Noooooooo! Salisbury is wonderful!!! It is nowhere near just a launching point! The cathedral is magnificent and so worth a visit. I absolutely loved Salisbury! Please do not discount it. It is tacked onto many Stonehenge tours, but not because it's only an add-on. It's because of its proximity to Stonehenge, and the fact that many people want to visit there.

With regards to Cornwall, you're right in that you are late to the game, and that might make it a bit difficult (but not impossible) to find lodging in the Cornwall and Devon area, depending on your dates. The first two weeks of April are part of the Easter school holidays, so there will be many people crowding to Cornwall. And lodging will be more expensive. After April 12, it should be a bit better. But you're also right in that it's difficult to get around in that area without a car, but again, not impossible. Many people have done it here.

Below are some posts that might help you with the Cornwall portion of your trip, and most of these posters did not have a car.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england/october-2023-devon-and-cornwall
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england/cornwall-without-a-car
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england/home-base-in-west-country
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england/i-would-like-to-travel-between-the-cotswolds-and-cornwall-witout-a-car-advice

OH gosh....vote #2 for Mardee's opinion of Salisbury! I've stayed there a number of times for 3-4 nights at a time. The cathedral is awesome as is the Close surrounding it. The Salisbury Museum which is on the Close is excellent if you are a museum-goer. In the years before Covid I saw a marvelous John Constable exhibition there. I've never stopped at Mompesson House just because I've run out of time.

Are you interested in walks?

Here's one of the Salisbury Cathedral Close:

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/wiltshire/mompesson-house/a-walk-around-cathedral-close-salisbury

Here's one that includes the Water Meadows that Constable painted with views of the cathedral.

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/england/wiltshire/salisbury-cathedral-and-water-meadows-circular

There may also still be a free walking tour of town given by the Salisbury Tourist Information office.

St Thomas Church in Salisbury was built for the workers who were building the cathedral. There is an excellent Doom painting from 1470 in there that has recently been restored.

https://archaeology-travel.com/england/doom-painting-st-thomas-church-salisbury/

As to your other plans, I've been to Chagford on Rick's Southern England tour. I think you are going to struggle to get there and get to local sights with public transit. Chagford itself is cute but really is used more as a base from which to visit Dartmoor.

I’m going to Cornwall for the 2nd week of the school Easter hols and was actually pleased to find that there was some quite reasonable accommodation available. I was also surprised to get an email today from the Watergate Bay hotel to let me know they had availability for the Easter holidays. This is an upmarket family oriented hotel and would expect to be full.

Cornwall is a long way from most places and I think if people are just looking for a short break they might prefer Devon or Dorset. Also, last summer was incredibly wet and just anecdotally a lot of families are prioritising a holiday abroad this year which may mean fewer uk short breaks.

Canterbury to Cornwall seems like a lot to tackle in 5-7 days; especially without a car. Canterbury and Beachy Head are outstanding, as is Salisbury. We had a car and spent 2 weeks visiting Southern England between Salisbury and Canterbury. Here is my trip report that may help give you some ideas. https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/trip-report-the-south-of-england

Chagford would be a poor place to base without a car, the only direct bus service is every 2 or 3 hours from Exeter.

And Dartmoor generally would be a poor base without a car to day trip to Tintagel from. It probably can be done from Okehampton (correction I could do it from Okehampton) but it would be a bit of a trail for a tourist.

Day 1 would be Canterbury and Dover; Day 2 Beachy Head; Day 3 and 4 Salisbury; then end of Day 4 train from Salisbury to Exeter. You then IMO need to decide whether you are going to Dartmoor or to Tintagel. IMO you don't have enough time for both.

And I'm struggling to fit in the Jurassic Coast for you.

My own opinion would be to leave the West Country behind (maybe do that after the tour). Then end of Day 4 down to the Jurassic Coast. You don't name where you are thinking of, in terms of towns, but you may be pleasantly surprised at the bus links.

Then days 5 and 6 on the Jurassic coast, end of Day 6 or Day 7 relocate to Bath on the hourly train from Weymouth.

Bayeux > Paris St Lazare, cross Paris to gare du Nord > Eurostar to London > upstairs at the same London St Pancras station to the Javelin high speed train to Canterbury.

Another vote here for Salisbury, if you're interested in cathedrals (you're going to Canterbury). They also have a copy of Magna Carta, and it's a nice town with another interesting church. Stonehenge is nearby but you don't have to go. That said, you've already got a lot on your plate for this pre-trip, and you don't want to start the RS tour already exhausted.

From Stacy's post (1st post in this thread):

Canterbury, Dover Castle, South Down Way, Beachy Head, Jurassic Coast, Chagford in Dartmoor, and Tintagel are all locations we visited on the RS southern England tour. The tour begins in Canterbury and ends in Bath. It also took 13 days to cover it. While researching my trip, I discovered that Cornwall is more difficult without a car, so I chose a tour.

Your best bet is to sign up for the RS Southern England tour. Too bad you're not already signed up for the tour right before your Best of England. The ease of transportation with the RS Southern England tour is reason #1 that I would sign up for it instead of doing it yourself.

Sandyarnp, you wrote,

I will have about 5-7 days in England before starting my RS tour, and am mainly interested in smaller towns or villages. Goal is to see Canterbury Cathedral, Dover Castle, the historic tunnels and walk some of the cliff walks such as SouthDown Way at Beachy Head. I want to see the Jurassic Coast and found a couple small town recommendations for nice places to stay along the coast but unclear if I could find transportation to smaller towns on the coastline.

If you continue to want to do this on your own, this is enough for 5 to 7 days. I would spend 2 to 3 nights in Canterbury, with a day trip to Dover Castle.
Then move to the South Downs Way near Beachy Head; stay overnight to do a walk.
I would head to Salisbury for 2 nights, seeing the Cathedral, then move on to Bath for a couple of days before your tour.
You really don't have enough time for Cornwall or Tintagel. Leave those for when you go on the RS Southern England tour someday; which I hope you will.

There's plenty to do in Bath before your tour starts.
Walk around, enjoy the architecture. Good museums and restaurants.
It is always a good idea to get to your starting location for a RS tour a day or two early.

P.S. I agree with Pam and Mardee, don't skip Salisbury...it's great. Especially Salisbury Cathedral. Plus walking around looking at medieval buildings. Plenty of good country walks around Salisbury....just what you said you wanted.

Oh! Rebecca's post reminded me....you can walk from Salisbury's City Center out to Old Sarum. It's a nice walk, get directions from the TI.

In Bath, walk to the nearby small town of Bradford-upon-Avon using the path along the water's edge.
Have afternoon tea there before a return walk back to Bath.

I’ve never been to Mont Saint Micheal in Normandy, but last year I did go to St. Micheal’s Mount in Penzance, Cornwall. They seem to be similar as far as a castle on an island that you walk out to during low tide. If you are short on time in France, maybe you could skip it and see the one in Cornwall if you decide to see Cornwall.

Further to my previous comment, here is a link to St. Micheal’s mt. in Penzance /Cornwall if anyone is interested:
https://stmichaelsmount.co.uk/

Please check out the Dover Castle site. It appears some tunnels are closed as they work on a new visitors' experience opening in the fall.
https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/dover-castle/

Hello again,
Thank you to everyone who took time to share your knowledge and suggestions for me. After reading all your input, I have added another 10 days to my trip so will have a total of 32 days. I have adjusted my itinerary to include a full week in France.

Fly into Paris
Because I will be carrying a backpack I have booked overnight accommodations where I can leave backpack while sightseeing.
Train to Vernon/Giverny spend night & see gardens in am
Train to Rouen stay overnight explore
Train to Honfluer overnight/explore
Train to Bayeux- 2 nights - guided tour of Omaha, Utah, American cemeteries and the tapestry on my own.
Shuttle to MSM arrive after 4 pm and spend night on island.
Train back to Paris stay overnight
Channel Train to London (hopefully not affected by Border patrol strike at airport)???
Train to Canterbury stay 2 nights - Walk around, Cathedral and out to Dover, cliffs and tunnels if open
Then Beachy Head - originally I made reservations at Alfriston RS cute village but looks like 1.5 bus to/from Beachy Head - want to get out and walk the bluffs, so would I be better staying in Eastborne or Brighton? I have refundable reservations in both places, so need to cancel one or both based on recommendations.
Bus to Salisbury stay x2 nights (Based on all your feedback)
Was going to go to Portsmouth but decided more interested in nice walks, smaller towns rather than seeing the ships in person.

Jurassic coast - Durdle door??? Would not climb stairs down so is it worth it? Have seen other similar erosion of the rock and not so interested in finding fossils so skip this?
Gave up idea of Tintagel. But Padstow and Magwan Porth interested me based on reports of nice towns, hikes/walks, harbor front. But 5 hr train ride. So seeking recommendations if Padstow area worth 5 hour train- hopefully could relax and enjoy some scenery. Would have two nights then train up to Bath for two days to rest a bit and explore before join RS Best of England tour.

Thank you for any insights and additional suggestions. Sandy

Alfriston would be an awkward place to stay in, if using public transport- awkward if not impossible.

Between Brighton and Eastbourne I would choose Eastbourne- apart from anything else it is far closer to Beachy Head Lighthouse.

But Lewes might be another very good suggestion- train from Lewes to Eastbourne as well as the branch line to Newhaven and Seaford- for walks from the other end towards Beachy Head and Eastbourne. Although probably far too late now Belle Tout Lighthouse would be a good place to stay.

I am a bit puzzled about taking a bus from Eastbourne to Salisbury- there is only one National Express bus a day to Salisbury- whereas there is a train either via Clapham Junction (or London) every 1/2 hour and at least hourly via the Coastway to Southampton, change for Salisbury. And local (city) buses along the coast would be a full day expedition.

I'm not sure how you intend to get to Padstow but it is 1 1/4 hours by bus from the obvious railhead of Bodmin Parkway- then change at Padstow for Mawgan Porth (either the Open Top summer bus or the year round normal bus). Padstow is much the same journey time from the other railhead of Newquay.

Tintagel is only about 1:45 by bus from Bodmin Parkway, so not a lot of difference.

Padstow or anywhere down the coast towards Newquay would be a good base for scenic coastal walks. And you could still do Tintagel as a day trip by bus from Padstow either via Wadebridge or by using the harbour ferry to Rock, then the bus from there.
Wadebridge would another good base for both Padstow and Tintagel.

But if you are travelling this April you really need to be booking hotels.

Bus to Salisbury

confuses me - is there something particular you want the bus for? Train will be faster, won't it?

Isn31c and Nigel,
Thank you for pointing out about about the bus to Salisbury. I reread my notes and noted I was planning the train but put bus in the text. Glad you brought that to my attention.

i dropped Alfriston and chose Eastbourne as a home base for two nights giving myself a couple days to walk different parts of Beachy Head and Seven Sisters trails and maybe a few hours around Brighton.

I know it is a 5+ hour train and then a 1.5 hr bus to Padstow so I am questioning myself if maybe I should leave that for another time. i do have a refundable hotel booked two nights in Padstow but do want to cancel as soon as possible so they can re-book if I decide not to go that distance. Decisions, decisions. Very much appreciate that you put thought and time into helping me think through this.