South West England Grand Tour • 9 Days

We’ll collect you from the arranged location and start our grand tour of the magnificent South West. Our journey will begin at the magnificent Blenheim Palace, home to the Dukes of Marlborough and the first UNESCO World Heritage site we’ll visit. Next up, we’ll head to the Cotswolds and its quintessential English landscape.

We’ll visit the picture postcard towns of Burford and Stow-on-the-Wold. The Market Square here is large and impressive and testifies to the town’s former importance. It is surrounded by independent shops, antique centres, cosy cafes for a spot of lunch and inns all built in the honey coloured local stone. You might fancy a drink in the oldest inn in England, The Porch House, dating from around 947 AD! We’ll then head off to the beautiful city of Bath and drop you back at your hotel for the night, arriving around 6.00pm.

Today we will explore the delightful city of Bath. The city is a must see for everyone visiting the UK with its beautiful Georgian architecture and the iconic Royal Crescent building. You’ll also find unique shopping and the famous Roman Baths here. We can take a walking tour to learn a little about the history of this stunning city.

We’ll then continue to Wells, the smallest city in England. Nestled on the southern side of the Mendip Hills, the history of Wells goes right back to Roman times. We’ll head to the wonderful Wells Cathedral  and see Vicars Close, reputedly the oldest residential Street in Europe, before continuing our journey through the glorious countryside to Stourhead Gardens. The world-famous landscape garden has a magnificent lake reflecting classical temples, mystical grottoes as well as rare and exotic trees. We’ll also visit the nearby King Alfred’s Tower just two miles north-west of the garden. Next up, we’ll head west to our overnight accommodation near Yeovil.

The county of Devon will be our destination today. Our first stop will be the magnificent Powderham Castle, home to the Earl and Countess of Devon. We’ll have a guided tour of the Castle before heading west to Dartmoor. Dartmoor is one of the great wilderness areas of England, yet it is littered with stunning villages and breathtaking scenery. We’ll have a lunch stop en route at one of the fantastic country pubs in the National Park. One option is the pretty village of Lustleigh and its 15th Century pub, the idyllic thatched Cleave Inn.

Now we’ll continue to explore more of Dartmoor before journeying to Princetown, the location of the infamous Dartmoor Prison. After we leave the moor we’ll head to the maritime city of Plymouth. You’ll get a personal guided tour around the historic Barbican area. Plus we’ll stand on Plymouth Hoe to look out on one of the world’s finest natural harbours while your guide tells you all about the exciting history of the location. After what promises to be a lovely day of exploring, we’ll head to your chosen hotel in Plymouth.

Today we’ll leave Plymouth and head west. We’ll make a brief stop at the Royal William Yard before arriving at the village of Polperro. This is a picture postcard coastal fishing village with tiny fisherman’s cottages and a quaint harbour. Strolling the narrow streets is a joy, and you can really imagine life here in days gone by as the village seems mainly untouched by modern development.

We’ll then set off for the 30 minute drive to Lanhydrock House. En route we can stop for lunch, perhaps at one of the oldest country pubs in Cornwall which is nearby. Lanhydrock is a magnificent Victorian country house estate, which we will take some time to explore while learning all about its history. We’ll finish the day with a stop at Charlestown, a historic port now used extensively as a film location in many movies and TV shows.

Our first destination on day five will be the iconic St Michael’s Mount. We’ll learn all about its historical significance whilst taking in some of the best sea views in the UK. Our journey now takes us through to Penzance as we follow the coastal road. We’ll make some stops at some of the many pretty little coves and the stunning Minack Theatre. This impressive theatre is carved into the cliff above Porthcurno and from here you’ll have one of the best views in Cornwall.

Next stop will be Botallack, home to the iconic engine houses from Cornwall’s unique mining heritage. This will be the third UNESCO world heritage site on our tour! This is also one of the main locations for the hit TV series Poldark. Later we’ll arrive at St Ives an old fishing port and long time haven for artists. It is home to the Tate Modern Gallery. You’ll get the chance to enjoy St Ives’ winding streets, full of shops, galleries and restaurants.

This morning we will take a scenic drive back to Cornwall and head for picturesque Padstow. Another pretty harbour, Padstow has been made famous by celebrity Chef, Rick Stein who has a number of restaurants in the town, including his own fish and chip shop. We’ll wander the harbour side and winding streets before a short trip to the tiny harbour village of Port Isaac.

The village of Port Isaac has been made famous worldwide as the setting for the hit TV series Doc Martin. We’ll visit many of the filming locations in the village before continuing on our journey to Tintagel, the site of the 800 year old King Arthur’s Castle with its breathtaking cliff top setting. The town is shrouded in myths and legends and famed for its Arthurian connections. After we have finished exploring we’ll return to Plymouth for our overnight stop.

Day six will see us concentrating on the South Devon coast and its surrounding countryside. Our first destination will be Bigbury-on-Sea. If the tide is in our favour, we can walk across the tidal causeway to Burgh Island.  Here we can see the extraordinary art deco hotel where Agatha Christie wrote the novel And Then There Were None. If the tides are in this will mean taking the Sea Tractor back to the mainland… a unique experience!

We’ll leave Bigbury and head further along the coast where we’ll see the magnificent lighthouse at Start Point. Then it is onto the picturesque village of Slapton for a pub lunch. Afterwards, we’ll call in at the lovely town of Dartmouth, famed for its beautiful riverside setting and the location of the Britannia Royal Naval College.

You’ll have the opportunity to take a 60 minute boat trip on the River Dart, viewing many local attractions including the Naval College,  Agatha Christie’s home at Greenway house and Sir Walter Raleigh’s Boathouse. The cruise will finish at around 4.30, by which time it will be time to head to your hotel.

On our penultimate day we’ll set off east from Plymouth and cross over into Dorset. We’ll head to the Jurassic Coast which is our 4th UNESCO World Heritage site. Here 180 million years of geological history may be found on this one 100 mile stretch of coast! Next up, we’ll make a short stop at Charmouth, where you may be lucky enough to find some fossils on the beach! This location also serves as the setting for TV series Broadchurch.

Continuing our journey East, we head through Dorchester to Lulworth Cove. This stunning, horseshoe shaped bay is a must see and the coastal walks and views are equally as breathtaking, as is adjacent Durdle Door.

On our final day of the Grand South West Tour we’ll head to Shaftesbury! Set amidst beautiful countryside, the town is full of historic buildings and has great literary connections with Thomas Hardy. There are many lovely shops and restaurants here and the town features one of the most recognised streets in the UK, Gold Hill. We’ll then visit Salisbury with its world famous cathedral which boasts the tallest spire in Britain. It also has a preserved copy of the Magna Carta! We’ll tour the Cathedral before setting off to our last destination.

Last stop..Stonehenge! The 5th UNESCO World heritage site of the trip, Stonehenge is the best known prehistoric monument in Europe. We’ll visit the stones and marvel at the engineering skills of our ancestors, and learn how they lived over 3500 years ago. Then we will drive back to the arranged drop off point to say our goodbyes.

Chester

We will set off nice and early ready for the drive to the beautiful town of Chester. It is home to Britain’s largest Roman Amphitheatre and a thousand-year-old cathedral. Visitors also flock here to see its Roman-era city walls. Your knowledgeable guide will tell you all about the town’s exciting history while you wander through the streets to gaze at the beautiful Georgian and Tudor architecture. There are also tonnes of little coffee shops and bistros to refuel after all your exploring.

Liverpool

We can take a trip to the famous city of Liverpool. Options for the day include visiting the sites which were made world-famous by the Beatles, such as the Cavern Club and Penny Lane. The city also has a rich maritime history which you can learn about while strolling through the city’s seafront and visiting the numerous museums that reside here. Art lovers can pop into the Tate Art Gallery and there are tonnes of local eateries to stop for a bit of lunch.

York

Visit the historic walled city of York! Discover history at every turn as we navigate our way around the winding cobbled streets of this medieval city. One of the highlights of the day will surely be a visit to the immense York Minster cathedral, one of the world’s best examples of Gothic architecture. There is also the wonderful circuit of walls that enclose the city, dating back to the 13th century not to mention the plethora of traditional pubs and cosy cafes.

Stratford-Upon-Avon

Why not take a trip to the birthplace of Britain’s greatest playwright? Stratford-Upon-Avon is synonymous with the great William Shakespeare and this picturesque medieval town in the heart of the West Midlands offers a wonderful day out. Located on the River Avon, visitors can enjoy a stop at the town’s world famous theatres. There is also the chance to wander along its beautiful canal while learning all about the town’s rich cultural and historical significance.