This road trip is ideal for anyone wanting to discover Southern England for the first time. It leads from the coast in East Sussex to Cornwall, combining the most beautiful landscapes, historic cities, picturesque coastal towns, national parks, and select gardens into a diverse and captivating tour.
Based on our own travels, the route offers a comprehensive overview of the diversity of Southern England. You’ll find detailed descriptions, numerous photos, and plenty of additional information to help you plan your trip on our website for all the featured locations.
Overview
Southern England at a glance
Trip duration: You should plan at least 12 days for this trip, every single one of which is more than worth it! |
Destinations to be visited here: London, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, East Sussex, Exmoor, Dartmoor, Somerset, West Sussex, and Wiltshire |
Does the route include beautiful coastal areas? Yes, even three times: the Bristol Channel coast, the Atlantic coast, and the Cornish coast in the southwest |
Is it possible to move around on this tour, e.g., hike? Virtually everywhere: Exmoor and Dartmoor are hiking paradises, and Cornwall can be explored along its entire magnificent coastline via the South West Coast Path. |
Is this tour suitable for beginners traveling to England for the first time? This is even the ideal tour for beginners, as you can discover many highlights of southern England on a single itinerary. |
Do I need a car for this trip? Quite frankly: Yes! Without a car, it’s practically impossible to explore the country effectively. While there are railway lines, these are almost exclusively limited to a few main routes. You won’t reach the charming little towns and picturesque spots this way. Buses do run, but often infrequently and not always on the necessary schedule. For this road trip, we strongly recommend having a car. |
I come from a country where they drive on the right. Is it difficult to drive on the left? No – the British would say. But seriously, driving on the left does take a little getting used to if you’re visiting from abroad. The good news is that, after leaving the airport, you’ll usually join a motorway almost immediately. Since the carriageways are physically separated, there’s virtually no chance of ending up on the wrong side of the road. That gives you plenty of time to settle in and realise that driving on the left isn’t actually difficult—it’s just unfamiliar. The first roundabout can feel a little daunting, and so can your first turn at a junction in a town or village. But after just a few days, it all starts to feel completely natural. |
Description of Road Trip 1 “Southern England at a glance from London to Cornwall”
Southern England can be reached directly via London airports – mostly it will be Heathrow Airport, but there is also Gatwick Airport in the South. Low-cost airlines can be used to get to Luton or other airports further afield, but as you need a hire car for this trip anyway, it’s not so crucial.
We head south straight to the coast to East Sussex and to Eastbourne with its pier. Right next to it, the rocks are already rising up and Beachy Head is definitely worth a visit. Via Birling Gap you can get to the fantastic chalk cliffs of the Seven Sisters. With a short detour via the charming Alfriston, the once glamorous Brighton with its tiny “lanes” is reached.
We leave the south coast for the time being and drive across the country. Via Salisbury, you can go to the famous Stourhead Garden and to Wells where we find the famous Wells Cathedral with its double arch.
After this long journey we now enjoy the magnificent landscape of Exmoor, which reaches to the coast of the Bristol Channel. Here we visit charming places such as Dunster with its impressive castle, the picturesque Selworthy with its tea room, the unassuming but beautiful town of Porlock with its port Porlock Weir. We enjoy the sunset in Bossington on the beach and finally reach the double town of Lynton & Lynmouth with its historic Cliff Railway. Railway enthusiasts should visit the short Lynton & Barnstaple Railway and don’t forget to hike in the Valley of Rocks.
Leaving Exmoor, the journey leads to the steeply built fishing village of Clovelly and for garden lovers to the Rosemoor Gardens.
A longer journey takes us south, deep into Cornwall. In addition to some coastal towns, it is the beautifully landscaped gardens of Enys Garden, Trebah and especially the Lost Gardens of Heligan, which are worth more than one visit and for which you should definitely take enough time (even if you have never been a garden fan until now!).
Other tiny fishing villages such as Mullion Cove or Cadgwith should not be left out, as well as the glamorous St. Ives. Passing St. Michael’s Mount – England’s answer to the French Mont-Saint-Michel – we come to a delightful village called Mousehole (pronounced “Mousel”) on the coast, before we drive north again via Porthreath.
It will be a longer drive across the dramatic deep Lydford Gorge into legendary Dartmoor with its dark stories and even more impressive scenery. If you have the time, you should make the small hike to “Wistman’s Wood”. Passing Haytor, perhaps the most famous rock, we head to the nearest big city, Exeter. A visit to Exeter cathedral is highly recommended, as is the old harbour on the river. Via Shaftesbury with its famous “Gold Hill” we return to London and the airport.
For this road trip you should calculate at least 12 days.
Here are some of the places along the route:
London (Heathrow Airport)
London from above
Eastbourne, East Sussex
Eastbourne in East Sussex (England)
Beachy Head, East Sussex
Beachy Head in East Sussex (England)
Birling Gap, East Sussex
Birling Gap in East Sussex (England) – sitting on top of the chalk cliffs
Seven Sisters, East Sussex
Seven Sisters in East Sussex (England)
Alfriston, East Sussex
Pub in Alfriston (East Sussex, England)
Brighton (East Sussex)
The Royal Pavillon in Brighton (East Sussex, England)
Arundel (West Sussex)
Arundel in West Sussex, England
Salisbury, Wiltshire
Salisbury (Wiltshire, England)
Stourhead Garden, Wiltshire
Stourhead Garden (Wiltshire, England)
Wells Cathedral, Somerset
Wells Cathedral (Somerset, England)
Dunster, Somerset
Dunster, Somerset, England
Minehead (Somerset)
Nice Gueasthouse in Minehead (Somerset, England)
Selworthy, Somerset
Selworthy on Exmoor (Somerset, England)
Bossington Beach, Somerset
Bossington Beach in Sunset, Somerset, England
Porlock, Somerset
The Ship Inn Pub at Porlock (Exmoor in Somerset, England)
Lynton/Lynmouth, Devon
The Marina of Lynmouth (Devon, England)
Clovelly, Devon
Clovelly in Devon, England
Mevagissey (Cornwall)
Mevagissey in Cornwall, England
Roseland Peninsula, Cornwall
Roseland Peninsula, Cornwall, England
Enys Gardens, Cornwall
Enys Gardens, Cornwall, England
Trebah Garden, Cornwall
Trebah Garden, Cornwall, England
The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall
The Mud Maid in the Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall, England
Cadgwith, Cornwall
Cadgwith, Cornwall, England
Lizard Peninsula, Cornwall
Lizard Peninsula, Cornwall, England
Mullion Cove, Cornwall
Mullion Cove, Cornwall, England
Porthleven (Cornwall)
Porthleven Harbour in the early morning light (Cornwall, England)
St. Michaels Mount (Cornwall)
St. Michsel’s Mount in Cornwall, England
Mousehole, Cornwall
Mousehole, Cornwall, England
St. Ives (Cornwall)
St. Ives in Cornwall, England
Porthreath, Cornwall
Porthreath, Cornwall, England
Tavistock (Devon)
Tavistock in Devon, England
Lydford Gorge, Devon
Lydford Gorge, Lydford, Devon, England
Dartmoor, Devon
Dartmoor (Devon, England)
Exeter, Devon
Exeter (Devon), close to the cathedral
Shaftesbury, Dorset
Gold Hill in Shaftesbury, Dorset, England
We have personally visited all the places, sights and gardens featured in our itineraries and have written about them in detail on this website. We hope that, after exploring Southern England for yourself, you will be just as captivated by this beautiful part of England as we are!
