Southernmost England Tips and/or suggestions?

Other guidebooks are available - I like Rough Guides.

You’re talking about a large area encompassing a number of different regions so it’s difficult to pinpoint what you’re after.

One thing to make clear is that there isn’t a nice coastal route covering the south coast. Roads can be extremely congested and not at all scenic, plus it can take many hours of driving to get all the way to Cornwall.

So I strongly suggest focusing on just a couple of areas.

Here is a summary moving east to west:

Kent & Sussex have gardens, castles, rolling countryside and some very pretty towns, plus the brassy bohemian seaside resort of Brighton.

Hampshire has gritty Portsmouth with its fascinating naval history and historic ships, plus beautiful Winchester with its cathedral and Jane Austen connections.

Then in the West of Hampshire there’s the ancient royal hunting ground of the New Forest - heathland with wild ponies & some very pretty villages with thatched houses.

Dorset & East Devon have the so-called Jurassic Coast with lovely Corfe Castle, Lulworth Cove etc.

Devon & Cornwall are very popular & busy with British holidaymakers, full of rocky coves, fishing villages and wild moorland.

In a week, you could probably do a couple of areas. Do not try to do it all or imagine some beautiful drive along the coast, as the roads don’t work like that.

You can find some great B&Bs by googling the town/village you want to stay in. Also, since you will have a car you really don’t need every single night booked in advance. When you are ready to stop for the night start watching for B&B signs, stop and ask if they have a room, usually they will offer to show you the room before you agree to stay. We have done this on every trip, haven’t spent more then 15minutes finding a room. There are so many B&Bs that depend solely on their sign, since advertising cost a lot. Also, by doing this you don’t have to be at a certain location at a certain time. Gives you a lot more freedom, can spend as much or as little time in places. I know a great B&B in Canterbury, if you are interested PM me.

Since you'll only be there for a week (correct?), you'll want to limit your destinations, otherwise you'll be spending long hours each day driving from point to point. Especially when you get out to Cornwall, the geography does not make for quick point-to-point travel. However, if you do decide to include Cornwall, I highly recommend a half day at St. Michael's Mount, near Penzance.

Check out Sawdays for amazing B&Bs, also agree loads of guide books on the different areas of the coast. Dont limit your self to one that covers the whole country, you wont get much detail at all.

That's a huge area for one week. I could easily spend a week touring Dorset alone. There's such a wide variety of places to visit that it would be impossible to write a post detailing just a fraction. We need to know your interests because a week isn't enough time to be ambling across the country stopping off at everything that looks interesting.

Do you want history? Do you want city or village? Do you want nature? Do you want Roman ruins or fossil hunting? Do you want traditional seaside resort or wild nature reserve? Do you want to stick to the coast or venture inland? Do you want walks? Do you want country pubs? Are you foodies? And who are we? A couple? A family with kids? A group of friends?

My thoughts... on the way to Devon stop in Dartmoor. Its an amazing place to get fresh air and perspective and if you want a nice country pub to stay in look at The Old Inn. However, if your budget stretches then look at Bovey Castle. Whatever happens, if you head down to Cornwall a stay in Devon is a must...

We did a four week drive tour of Wales and England, visiting some places in the South. We found that traffic in the SE of England is the worst. Plan for delays and stay away from the M25 Orbital (parking lot).

Winchester, Salisbury, Windsor Castle, Bath, Wells and Southern Wales were great. Also, loved the Cotswolds and North of England (less traffic there, just stay away from Manchester and Birmingham).

That's a big area you are trying to cover in just a week. My suggestion would be to split it to either SE England or SW England.

A week exploring Cornwall/Devon/Dartmoor will only scratch the surface as will a week around Canterbury/Dover/Portsmouth.

It really depends on what you are interested in. More history in the SE, more natural beauty in the SW.