Driving Holidays in Southwest England

Having your own wheels means you can hop around the many different attractions in southwest England without relying on patchy public transport.

This is particularly true in Devon and Cornwall, the furthest reaches of southwest England. If you’re driving down from London, break the journey to Cornwall with a night around Sidmouth in Devon, and then continue the next day to the furthest point.

One of the best parts of the itinerary is from Lizard Point along the coast to Land’s End, the southernmost point in mainland Britain to the southwesternmost point, stopping off to marvel at the castle on St Michael’s Mount, an island near Penzance, on the way.

From here, head up to St Ives and then Newquay to enjoy the surfing beaches, dive inland to see the mysterious expanse of Bodmin Moor and then continue into Dartmoor National Park.

Drive north to the beaches at Woolacombe and Ilfracombe in north Devon before some more national park action in Exmoor, and then drive over to the Jurassic Coast in Dorset. Here you’ll find great seafood restaurants on sandy beaches known for the huge numbers of fossils found in the cliffs.

On your way back to London, make sure to stop at Stonehenge, the prehistoric stone circle near Salisbury, and then continue on to London.