15 Oct England Road Trip – Cornwall, Dorset, Devon and the Cotswolds
As I sit in bed in an apartment in Birmingham, I find myself thinking about two things.
First, the wonderful week I spent exploring some beautiful places in England.
Second, the week ahead that I will spend working in London.
Outside it is raining, and as I stretch and yawn I cannot stop thinking how lucky I was during my trip. During my entire week of sightseeing I only had about ten minutes of light rain on a single day.
For England, that feels almost unbelievable.
Renting a Car in the UK
As usual, I rented a car from Hertz, which is also the reason for the title of this article.
Before continuing I should mention that this is not a sponsored post. All expenses related to the car — rental, insurance, gas and parking — were fully paid by me.
I simply enjoy renting from Hertz because the process is easy, the prices are decent and their customer support has always been quick when I needed help.
From Birmingham Airport I picked up a small Renault Clio and began what turned out to be a fantastic road trip across England.
My England Road Trip Route
This was exactly the kind of trip I always wanted to take.
Checking the weather each morning.
Booking places.
Canceling others.
Improvising along the way.
In the end I got exactly what I wanted.
No compromises.
No unnecessary extras.
Here is how my route looked:
Day 1
Drive to Bedruthan Steps → St Ives
Sleep in St Ives
Day 2
Marazion → St Michael’s Mount → Mullion Harbor → Kynance Cove → Lizard Point → Cadgwith → Godrevy Point
Sleep in St Ives
Day 3
Mousehole → Merry Maidens → Penberth → Porthcurno → Land’s End → Botallack → Sennen Cove → Lanyon Quoit
Sleep in St Ives
Day 4
Drive to Mevagissey → Polperro → West Bay → Hive Beach → Weymouth → Pulpit Rock
Sleep in Weymouth
Day 5
Old Harry Rocks → Durdle Door → Lulworth Cove → Stair Hole → Bat’s Head
Sleep in Weymouth
Day 6
Drive to Clovelly → Ilfracombe
Sleep in Ilfracombe
Day 7
Drive to Bourton-on-the-Water → Lower Slaughter → Snowshill → Broadway
Sleep in Broadway
Day 8
Drive to Stow-on-the-Wold → Clent Hills → Birmingham
How Many Kilometers Did I Drive?
Before finishing the trip I was curious about the exact distance covered.
After returning the car I checked the numbers.
1,792 kilometers driven.
The little beast
Not bad for a week exploring England.
Accommodation on the Trip
During this series I will also review the places where I stayed.
Accommodation during the trip included: St Ives, Weymouth, Ilfracombe, Broadway.
Originally my route also included Rye and Willersley, but one was too far and the other had bad weather approaching so I decided to skip them.
Food on the Road
For the first time during a trip like this I did almost no research about restaurants.
Usually I spend time looking for good places to eat before visiting a city.
But road trips are different.
You cannot predict: the weather, traffic, unexpected stops or how tired you will feel at the end of a long day.
When you drive 300–400 km in a single day, the last thing you want is to cross town looking for a specific restaurant.
Most days I simply had: breakfast, a sandwich for lunch and/or dinner near my accommodation.
One day I even remember checking my phone and seeing 12–13,000 steps by early afternoon, so I simply grabbed a sandwich from Subway because it was nearby.
Sometimes convenience wins.
A Photography Workshop in Cornwall
One of the highlights of this trip was something new for me.
I booked a local photography workshop in Cornwall.
You already know that I enjoy photography and exploring new places, and this experience turned out to be fantastic.
I will write a full article about it soon and show you the places we visited during that day.
For anyone passionate about photography, it is definitely something worth trying.
Driving in the UK
Before finishing this introduction I want to address a common concern many travelers have:
driving on the left side of the road in the UK.
This was my second time driving in England and honestly after the first few miles and the first roundabouts everything started to feel natural.
Drivers were patient and polite, even if I hesitated sometimes while getting used to the roads.
In my opinion renting a car is almost essential for exploring these areas.
Many natural attractions are far apart and public transport connections are not always convenient.
Without a car you would probably need two or three times more time to visit the same places.
Final Thoughts
This article is only the beginning of my England road trip series.
In the next posts I will describe each day of the journey, the places I visited, the accommodation I stayed in and some of the restaurants I tried along the way.
The first day article will be shorter since most of the time was spent driving.
But the rest of the articles will include many more photos and details from the trip.
Until then, thank you for taking the time to read this introduction.
More stories from England are coming soon.
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