Your favourite scenic roads and places in Southern England and Cornwall

[Marvin16x]

Hey all,

the first leg of our 2015 UK trip will take us along the south coast all the way to Land's End and then up through Wales and so on ...
Once again I'm hoping to get some advice from you guys as to which roads to take and other nice things and places that can be seen on our way westbound.
As always, a beautiful countryside and a nice driving experience are most important to us since we are not really into visiting museums and going to the fanciest B&Bs (don't have the money for that anyway) ...

Looking forward to your replies, thanks a lot!

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Good to see you're coming back for seconds!

I'll add a few more suggestions when I have more time but a few of my favourite places:

Torquay in South Devon is a typically "English" seaside resort town, and a nice one too. Follow the coast through the English Riviera towns to Brixham, and get the car ferry across to Dartmouth.

Dartmouth is another tourist town, and former naval town. It's very picturesque. Make sure you go to "Alfs" (also known as Alfrescos) for breakfast - it's worth queuing for. Take the coast road through Blackpool Sands (beautiful cove beach with tropical feel, yes I did say tropical!) and follow the coast to Slapton and the Salcombe.

Salcombe is tiny and known for it's sailing. Go to the bakery, grab a pasty (traditional pie which you eat from your hand) and sit by the water to eat it. My mouth is watering!

More to follow!

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Take the ferry to the Isle of Wight, a beautiful island off the south coast. Many people describe it as having the feel of Britain 50 years ago. Ferry's cross from Southampton and Portsmouth, both huge ports, but I would suggest Lymington as it's a lovely little town and the ferry is much smaller. The ferry operator is Wight Link.

There are lots of lovely places there but my favourite is Ventnor, a lovely little Victorian seaside resort on the southern tip of the Island. Whilst you're there, eat at the Spyglass Inn, and take the road past the botanical gardens and follow the coast heading West for some breathtaking views.

If your visit coincides with "Cowes Week" sailing regatta then it will be much much busier, and more expensive, but it's an exciting place to be.

 

[MD5]

Take the ferry to the Isle of Wight, a beautiful island off the south coast. Many people describe it as having the feel of Britain 50 years ago. Ferry's cross from Southampton and Portsmouth, both huge ports, but I would suggest Lymington as it's a lovely little town and the ferry is much smaller. The ferry operator is Wight Link.

There are lots of lovely places there but my favourite is Ventnor, a lovely little Victorian seaside resort on the southern tip of the Island. Whilst you're there, eat at the Spyglass Inn, and take the road past the botanical gardens and follow the coast heading West for some breathtaking views.

If your visit coincides with "Cowes Week" sailing regatta then it will be much much busier, and more expensive, but it's an exciting place to be.

Some great tips there, Bobby! The road from Ventnor is beautiful.

Marvin, I live in Bournemouth, so give me a shout if you're passing.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

There's a nice stretch of road known as the Atlantic Highway, along the Cornish coast to North Devon.

A39 road - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Starting from the South, pick up the A39 around Wadebridge or Camelford and head North. At the Southern end, places worth stopping at are:

Padstow made famous by chef Rick Stein. Many will criticise how popular it's become, but don't let that stop you visiting his fish & chip shop on the quay. There are lots of fish & chip shops in Padstow but I would only go to Rick Stein's.

Tintangel, famous for King Arthur, and so there are a few related things to do worth a walk around. Closeby there's Trebarwith Strand, a very small beach but one of my favourites, and well worth a visit. There's also a Boscastle, again a nice place to walk around.

Heading North again, enjoy the beautiful scenery towards Bude. A small seaside town with large beaches and a saltwater swimming pool. There are a few cafe's on the beach, and each of them have served good beach food.

Next up is Clovelly, where you have to park at the top of the hill and walk down through the village to sea front. Absolutely nothing there but incredibly popular to just amble along stopping off to look at quaint views and maybe a drink or two along the way.

Head North again, and more beautiful scenery towards Bideford. A sleepy market town, with several nice places to eat, the Italian Kitchen is particularly good. Closeby is Westward Ho! a tiny seaside resort which really does have an exclamation mark in it's name!! whilst there, try Tea on the Green for a lovely and quirky afternoon tea.

Last on this leg is Barnstaple which is the biggest town in North Devon but still very small. A lovely place. Try the Custom House for an incredible burger, they really are very good!

 

[carnut]

If you have the time visit Instow on your way to Barnstaple. Then stay on the A39 to the north coast which is far more scenic than the A361. This takes you thru Exmoor and into Somerset

Be aware that almost everyone local drives in the middle of the road in Devon particularly they cut the bends

Nice drive in the right weather though....enjoy!

 

[Blue Moon]

Take the ferry to the Isle of Wight, a beautiful island off the south coast. Many people describe it as having the feel of Britain 50 years ago. Ferry's cross from Southampton and Portsmouth, both huge ports, but I would suggest Lymington as it's a lovely little town and the ferry is much smaller. The ferry operator is Wight Link.

Things have moved on a bit on our little Island. Wightlink are now less than popular (at least **** Turpin wore a mask ) so if you decide to visit, I would strongly suggest using Red Funnel from Southampton. It will likely be cheaper, and a much more pleasant trip across.

Either way, don't come next weekend, as there are already 50,000 plus due to invade already

 

[Blue Moon]

Some great tips there, Bobby! The road from Ventnor is beautiful.

Did you know the Cascades, the road down to Ventnor seafront, was used as the background image in the original Pirelli P7 marketing posters. I believe it showed a snake going round the twists and turns

 

[Meldrew2]

Did you know the Cascades, the road down to Ventnor seafront, was used as the background image in the original Pirelli P7 marketing posters. I believe it showed a snake going round the twists and turns

Fantastic road. What was not so fantastic was going up the steep tight road at the other end in Les Constable's knack erred Transit minibus (in 1990) with a dodgy clutch and wonky back door lock!

It's the one place where I use my ML's low ratio...

 

[guydewdney]

A39 goes through lynmouth (worth a stop) then porlock, the steepest hill on an A road in england, 25%. Use low gear on the downhill bit ffs. Pub at the bottom is great, plus porlock weir (1 mile off a39) is uber tiny but v pretty. Dont bother with minehead or blue anchor, possibly watchet if the weathers nice and the tide is in https://www.tidetimes.org.uk/watchet-tide-times. From there onwards theres almost nothing until bristol way. My neighbour is a b&b and german owned Lynch Country House but the owners are hardly ever there.

 

[Marvin16x]

Heya,

thanks so much for all the great tips!

I was just looking at some pics of stunning Blackpool sands when my mother entered -- she couldn't believe it was England!!
Crazy how most people think they need to travel thousands of miles around the globe and spend loads of money to see nice places when in fact they're right on your doorstep (well, kind of ).

This time I'm creating an electronic map via Google My Maps where I can mark places and enter routes (like the A39) which is pretty useful.
Still too many white spots on the map, though. So if you know of more nice places and roads please share them with me

What do you say about the South Downs National Park? I thought about going there after leaving Brighton (coming from Dover via the "coastal route") and then down to Southampton to take the ferry to Isle of Wight ...

Cheers
Marvin

 

[Blue Moon]

What do you say about the South Downs National Park? I thought about going there after leaving Brighton (coming from Dover via the "coastal route") and then down to Southampton to take the ferry to Isle of Wight ...

Cheers
Marvin

If you get over here, pm me if you'd like to meet up. Many years ago I spent a few days at Zuffenhausen and Weissach, that was fun

 

[Charles Morgan]

Quick question - when do you plan this lovely trip? Experience of living in Cornwall during the tourist season is that roads are best avoided at that time.

 

[Marvin16x]

@ Blue Moon:
Oh yeah, we would definitely like to meet up with locals in general. Even if it's just 5 minutes of small talking

@ Charles Morgan:
My mate is working until mid August, so Monday 17/08/15 will be the big day. Hopefully about 3 weeks from then on, but at least 2.

Do you reckon we should save the entire Southern England part for the last week of the trip (first week of September) or will there not be much of a difference in terms of tourists and busy roads ...?
Is there a typical peak time or something?

Thanks

 

[Charles Morgan]

Cornwall will be a lot less busy in early September - the roads are not great so a reduction of traffic will make a big difference.

 

[Marvin16x]

Thank you CM, that's good to know!!

So the first leg will take us northbound along the east coast all the way up to Scotland. After a week or so back along the west coast and Wales to finally put our feet up at those lovely beaches in Devon and Cornwall. Sounds like a plan!

 

[gaz_l]

Hello Marvin,

I guess you're making landfall at Dover/Folkestone then heading West? I'd avoid the A27 and rather take the A272 a bit further north, which goes through some nice little towns (Petworth, Midhust). The last section from Petersfield to Winchester is nice and takes you up high on the downs at the end - there are some spectacular views.

From Winchester head south to Southampton, you can either get the ferry to the IOW there if you're planning on going or drive across the New Forest to Lymington. The National Motor Musuem is at Beaulieu and possibly worth a stop, not that I've been for years.

From Lymington, aim for Christchurch to pick up the A35 for all points west. From Exeter, you can either head towards Torquay and the coast as has already been mentioned (which is a nice part of the world) or head over Dartmoor via Mortenhampstead to Tavistock, and then down the A386 to Plymouth which is the gateway to Cornwall. The drive over Dartmoor is lovely, although there is a blanket 40mph speed limit. There's a lot of wildlife about (ponies, sheep, cattle) and they think nothing of lying down in the road so it's for a reason!

Hope this helps!

Cheers,

Gaz

 

[guydewdney]

Dont go into Plymouth, its ugly as sin.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Whilst on the South Coast, don't forget to call into Goodwood. If you're still in the UK, the Goodwood Revival will be on 11-13 September. It's worth calling anytime though.

https://grrc.goodwood.com/section/goodwood-revival/#ZF8b3fKusgCqVBDs.97