Day 1 – New Forest National Park
New Forest National Park. We left home and headed through the New Forest National Park on our way to Beaulieu. The drive through New Forest was beautiful. Very green and ponies everywhere! The ponies would be in the field next to the road, on the shoulder, or sometimes in the road – so be careful as you are driving through. There are lots of parking lots along the road so you have plenty of opportunities to stop and see the ponies or walk through the national park.
Beaulieu. Beaulieu is a beautiful town. We drove through it briefly on our way to the attractions – National Motor Museum, Palace House, Beaulieu Abbey, World of Top Gear, and On Screen Cars.
The grounds are large and well looked after, but not too large which made it easy to walk between attractions. There is a restaurant on site, but we brought our own lunch and ate at one of the many picnic tables available. After lunch we walked to the Beaulieu Abbey. The abbey ruins include the foundations of the Abbey Church and the Cloister walls. The ruins are well displayed and give you an idea of the scale of the church footings. Inside the building next to the Cloister is a model of the church which gives you an idea of how large the abbey once was. There is a video that explains the history of the abbey and the Monks that used to live and work there.
After the Abbey we went to the Palace House. We were lucky that the house was open and was setup as a one-way tour through the main floor and first floor. The Palace House, which was once the gatehouse of the medieval Beaulieu Abbey, is very impressive. There’s lots of information on the Montagu family, which have owned the house since 1538, including an exhibition on the artwork of Belinda, Lady Montagu (grandmother of the current 4th baron).
The tour takes you through the Victorian kitchen, complete with an amazing stove and copper cookware. There is a small internal courtyard that leads to the impressive dining room. We were told that the dining room table has been repurposed from the servant’s quarters and there are several names and initials carved into the side of the table. We found a few along the edge closest to the fireplace.
From the Palace House we took the Millpond Walk to catch the monorail. If you do the walk, which I highly recommend, look out for elf doors at the base of the trees and some amazing carvings in the tree trunks over the water.
From the Millpond Walk we strolled through the two garden areas and made our way to the monorail station near the front entrance. Before catching the monorail we walked through the On Screen Cars display. While we were there we were able to view several British classic cars – from Only Fools and Horses, Mr Bean, James Bond, and Harry Potter.
After the On Screen Cars we rode the monorail which went around part of the estate and through the motor museum building. It’s a nice view of the gardens and gives you a feel for the size of the museum!
After the monorail ride, we went to The World of Top Gear building. There is a short video (about 7 minutes) showcasing clips of Top Gear episodes that feature some of the vehicles they have on display. After the video you walk through a building to see several vehicles from the different Top Gear seasons.
After the Top Gear display, we made our way to the National Motor Museum building. They have a one way system in place to help with social distancing, which is actually a good thing because the museum is so large it was nice to be directed around the displays and ensure that we got to see everything. The museum contains an impressive amount of cars, motorcycles, race cars, and other various forms of transport.
There’s an interesting story and history about the Spirit of Ecstasy (Rolls-Royce bonnet ornament) and the Montagu family (specifically the 2nd Baron).
We really enjoyed our day at Beaulieu and ended up spending quite a few hours there.
Burley. After Beaulieu we decided to detour to the village of Burley for an afternoon snack and cold drink. The village is small but cute and contains several witchcraft stores. Unfortunately, the stores were closed by the time we arrived in the village, but we did have a peak through the windows.
We made a few stops along the side of the road as we made our way through the New Forest to check out the ponies and green surrounds. Eventually we made it to our final stop for the day in Bournemouth.
Bournemouth. Bournemouth was a good stopping point for us before our next destination in Exeter. We grabbed a pizza to go from a local restaurant and ate at a bench along the pier. We walked down and around the Bournemouth Pier watching the surfers. From there we called it a night and headed to our hotel.
Day 2 – Dorset
Corfe Castle. The next day we made our way to Corfe Castle (National Trust property). The castle is a ruin, but still extremely impressive. You park at the bottom of the hill in the National Trust signed parking and walk up a path to the castle. The path is an easy, very pleasant walk with great views as you go.
When you get to the top of the path you are right by the entrance of the castle. There are several picnic tables at the entrance. You can grab some food at the restaurants outside the castle or bring your own food to enjoy while taking in the view of the castle up on the hill.
As you walk through the castle grounds there are three audio areas that tell the story of how the castle was taken by the parliamentarians. The audio clips are each a couple minutes long, but very well done. The castle grounds are open for exploring so you can wonder around the ruins and try to imagine how enormous and grand the castle would have been looking over the town below.
After exploring the castle, we took a quick walk through the town before making our way back to the car.
Durdle Door. From Corfe Castle we headed further along the coast to see the Durdle Door. After parking in the lot near the Durdle Door we followed the one way path to the cliff edge. The one way path to the cliff takes a bit of time as it goes away from the coast, around through the valley. The normal path (and the path used to return to the car) is much more direct. However, the walk is very pleasant and pretty, just know that it will take a bit longer than expected.
Once we finally reached the cliff edge we were rewarded with beautiful views to the beach area below. There were cliff edges in all directions. It was a bit cloudy the day we went and could just make out a few large ships anchored off the shore.
You do have the options to take the stairs down to the beach near the Durdle Door and/or you can take the other steps to the Man O’War Beach.
After walking down to the Durdle Door we made our way back up the steps, and up the direct path to the car park.
Day 3 & 4 – Somerset
Exeter University. Day three we spent exploring Exeter. Ben went to school at the University of Exeter so we spent our morning exploring his old stomping ground. The school is currently closed so there were no students around, which was kind of nice as we were just wondering around exploring the area on our own.
The campus is huge and took us quite some time to walk from one end to the other but there are lovely green areas and ponds to explore as we went.
The campus isn’t the prettiest or the oldest we have seen, but there were some very nice old houses and garden areas to explore.
Exeter. After leaving the campus we found a parking spot at a park and ride and took the bus into Exeter city centre. In Exeter there are several different walks around the city centre, usually given by Red Coat Tours, but they were not running due to the current situation. We did find a few of the maps online and did the tour ourselves. At each stopping point there is an information board, so it was a nice way to see the town centre and learn about the history.
Bygones Museum. The first stop on day 4 was the Bygones Museum in Torquay. We love quirky museums, so we had to give this one a go. The museum, which started as a hobby in the late 1800s, had a variety of Victorian era items displayed in individual rooms (on the top floor) and as store fronts on the lower level. The lower level was displayed as a Victorian street with various shops full of related items. They had a pharmacy, toy store, post office, and candy store to name a few.
They also had WWI and WWII artifacts, including a recreated war trench. There was a model railway and several old arcade games. It looks like you can normally play the games, but they were unavailable during our visit.
Torquay. After Bygones we took a short walk into the pedestrian area of the town. There were some very yummy looking cafes and sweet shops. We had a great lunch and then grabbed some cupcakes and chocolate from a couple of the other stores. Soooo good…
Greenway House. After lunch we headed to Greenway House on the River Dart. This is a National Trust estate that used to be owned by Agatha Christie as her summer and Christmas home. The house wasn’t opened, but the garden was and we could walk down to the boat house (although we couldn’t see or go inside). The estate is huge and takes about 20 minutes to walk down to the boat house. The walk contains great views over the river and the passing boats. We sat and took in the view for a bit in one of the garden areas. There weren’t too many people around so it was nice and peaceful.
After Greenway we took a drive further south to East Soar in Kingsbridge. It was a bit of a drive (just under an hour), and we weren’t sure if it would be worth it, but as we started walking the path we decided that it was definitely worth the drive.
Overbecks Walking Trail. We parked in the East Soar Car Park run by the National Trust and from there we followed the Overbecks trail. The first part of the path went along the airport (we got to see two planes take off) and then walked through a farm field. From there you eventually end up outside the gates of Overbeck, a National Trust garden. The garden was already closed so we carried along the path down the road around the garden walls.
At this point the trail goes along the cliffs with beautiful views over the water. A bit further along you start to walk through the Sharp Tor. The views are amazing, and the path is right along the cliff edge. There were several boats out and about on the water with people water skiing.
It was pretty spectacular and probably one of the best walks we’ve done in England (so far).
Day 5 – Devon to Cornwall
Dartmoor National Park. Day 5 we spent exploring the Dartmoor National Park as we made our way to Cornwall.
Hound Tor. We started by visiting Hound Tor Deserted Medieval Village. Hound Tor is impressive in its own right. There are several areas that are easy to climb and there were several rock climbers there as well.
Past the tor, a short walk down the hill you will see the remains of 13th century stone farmsteads. There is a map of the farmsteads available from the English Heritage site (https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/hound-tor-deserted-medieval-village/history/) that shows the layout of the area.
Grimspound. Not far from Hound Tor is Grimspound. This site contains the remains for 24 stone houses with a huge boundary wall from the Bronze Age. This site is similar to the medieval village at Hound Tor, however it is much larger and has a 150m diameter boundary wall all the way around.
Merrivale Prehistoric Settlement. After Grimspound we went to Merrivale Prehistoric Settlement. You can’t see this settlement from the road, but there is a parking lot nearby and a short walk straight up the hill from the car park will take you to the settlement. Here you will find rows of standing stones and a burial cairns. The stones are laid out in parallel rows with the burial cairns at the end of one of the rows.
Dupath Well. After Merrivale we headed out of the national park and made our way to the Dupath Well. The well is on a privately owned working farm. There are signs from the road and an area to park just inside the farm driveway. There are a couple of signs to the well, but you do have to walk through the farms drive area and down the road in front of the house. The well is just next to the house in a fenced yard.
The well is beautifully situated in the yard. You can walk into the fenced area, as well as into the well (a must). The area was nice and peaceful, so we took a moment to relax on the bench provided and enjoy the scenery.
Trethevy Quoit. After Dupath Well we headed to Trethevy Quoit. Trethevy Quoit is a Neolithic ‘dolmen’ burial chamber. It stands 2.7 metres high with five standing stones supporting a huge capstone. The stones are huge and impressive. There are large standing stones holding another huge stone on top of them. Take some time to really look over the structure as it gets more impressive the longer you stare and think about the structure. The other sites that we visited on this day were enjoyable and worth seeing, this was the one that made us look on in awe and appreciation.
King Doniert’s Stone. Next we went to King Doniert’s Stone. This is right along the road with a small parking area allowing you to stop and take a closer look. The side of the stones facing the street are carved with a knot design that are very well preserved and clear to see.
The Longstone. Just down the road from King Doniert’s Stone is the Hurlers Stone Ciricles. On the way to the Hurlers Stone Circles you will also see Long Tom or The Longstone along the road. This is a standing stone with a cross carved at the top. It stands alone in the field just off the road. It’s a quick stop if you want to take a closer look.
Hurlers Stone Circles. Further up the road, there’s a car park for the Hurlers Stone Circles and then just a short walk into the field. This was our final stop for the day, but was probably one of our favorites. The site contains three large cirlces made of standing stones. A large portion of the stones from all three circles are still standing. The area surrounding the stone circles was stunning and there was something amazing and peaceful about the area. We walked around and explored the area for a bit, before returning to the car to grab some dinner and make our way to our next accommodation.
Day 6, 7, 8 – Cornwall
Eden Project. Day 6 started with a visit to Eden Project. Ben and I weren’t quite sure what to expect before we went, but have always heard good things about Eden Project and found that it was always listed as a must do so we had to check it out.
To be honest, neither one of us was overly impressed and kept trying to figure out why everyone always raved about it. The biomes were impressive looking in size and structure, but we just kind of walked around following the one-way path without too much enthusiasm. I think we both felt like this was nothing overly different to things we have seen before. The idea to take an ugly clay pit and make it into something else is a great idea and project that should be appreciated, but it ends there. We’ve seen other domes like this before but with better exhibits and displays.
The reviews for Eden Project are extremely high and people do tend to enjoy visiting, but for some reason we didn’t really enjoy it.
Let’s just say we were ready to be done before we reached the exit.
Charlestown. After leaving Eden Project we made our way to Charlestown to see the historic port. The port was beautiful and open to walk around. We grabbed some Cornish ice cream and had a wonder to the water’s edge, enjoying our ice cream and the view. We then had a walk around the port to take a closer look at the ships docked along the port. There were information boards along the walkway to explain some of the history and equipment on display.
We decided to visit the Shipwreck Treasure Museum. There are more than a quarter of a million shipwrecks around the coasts of Britain. The museum showcases a few of those by displaying salvaged cargo and information about the ships, crew, and how they sunk. There were lots of interesting things to read and explore, with stories of the ships and their unfortunate ending.
When we left the museum it was raining, so we headed to the car to wait for a bit to see if the rain stopped. Unfortunately, the rain kept going so we decided to call it a day and head back to our Airbnb for some much-needed down time.
Day 7
St. Ives. We started the day with a visit to St. Ives. The town was larger than some of the others we visited and it was super busy. We parked at the top of the hill and walked into the town centre. At the parking lot there is an option to jump on a bus that will take you to and from the centre if you don’t want to do the walk.
The streets were quite busy around the shops and restaurants. Unfortunately, due to covid stores were limiting the number of people inside, so all stores had a queue outside, which made the streets even more crowded. We didn’t end up staying too long because we booked a timed entry at the Geever Tin Mine, but that was OK with us as it was hard to enjoy St Ives.
Geever Tin Mine. The Geever Tin Mine was larger than expected. If you really want to take time to see everything, and read all about mining, then you should plan to spend a several hours there. We were pleasantly surprised that one of the underground tunnels was open for visitors. You are required to wear a hard hat during your visit and a face covering was suggested for inside the buildings and tunnel.
We spent a couple hours there and ended up looking at all of the exhibits and reading quite about of the information (although not all of it).
Land’s End. After the tin mine we drove further south and ended up at Land’s End. We arrived later in the day so it wasn’t very busy. We also noticed that most of the attractions in the area were closed due to covid, so the number of visitors was lower than normal anyway.
We had a look around, walked down to the viewing area and took a picture under the Land’s End sign. We had heard that the area was quite touristy and not very nice, but we didn’t get that impression at all, however things were closed and it wasn’t very busy, so maybe we were lucky and saw it on a good day.
Mousehole. After Land’s End we finished our day in Mousehole. This is such a cute, small fishing village. When we arrived we found parking on the sea wall, which was a fun place to park – and the warning to not park here in bad weather made us laugh.
We walked around the port area and ended up eating at The Ship Inn pub along the main street. After the pub we walked further around the port and into a rocky area overlooking the sea. We had a seat and just took in the nice weather and peaceful surround.
Mousehole ended up being one of my favorite towns in Cornwall. It was a good size and had character within the small port.
The Lost Gardens of Heligan. We began the day at The Lost Gardens of Heligan. We really liked the story of the gardens and how they came to be. The gardens are really about the past workers of the gardens and not the family that lived there, which is so different to most large estate gardens.
The website for the gardens show a few sculptures in the gardens, so I was expecting a bit more of that, however the ones on the website are really the only ones there. That may have been my fault and misunderstanding with the gardens, but we both really still enjoyed the gardens.
Ben, who didn’t have that expectation, said these were some of his favorite gardens. And I completely agree that it was a great way to spend the day. The gardens have a bit of everything. There are wildflower meadows, kitchen and flower gardens, a woodland walk, a jungle with rope bridge, and a lawn to relax with a play area for children. There are also several food options to grab a bit to eat.
We enjoyed wondering around the meadows, woodlands, and the jungle, before taking a lunch break in the east lawn. From there we finished with the farm animals, and gardens.
Mevagissey. After the gardens we visited the small town of Mevagissey. Another very cute and quaint fishing village.
Pendennis Castle. In the afternoon we booked an entry time for Pendennis Castle near Falmouth. Pendennis Castle was built by Henry VIII to protect the coast. We booked the last entry time and unfortunately didn’t have enough time to see everything. There was a queue, with a long wait, to go into the castle. So we spent most of our 1 hour waiting in line. While we were waiting Ben and I took turns walking around the grounds so we did get to see some of the other exhibits.
Inside the castle a guide walked you through several of the rooms and up to the viewing deck. The tour wasn’t a full guided tour, but the guide did provide a bit of information as we ventured into each room.
Kynance Cove. After the castle we headed to Kynance Cove. From the parking lot there is a somewhat steep walk down to the beach. The beach was beautiful and very unique with the rock formations and caves that you can walk through in low tide.
We happened to be there at low tide, so we were able to walk around the beach and walk through a few of the caves. It was a really beautiful beach and kind of wished we had our swimming suits with us to enjoy the water and beach a bit more.
Around the cove there are a few walks displayed on the map near the car park. We were going to do the main loop to and from the beach, but ended up going for the longer wilderness scramble. We thought the loop continued up and behind the old farm buildings, but in fact the path was along the road in front of the buildings.
Oh well, it was a beautiful walk higher along the cliffs and through the fields. The path eventually meets with the main loop and we ended up back at the car park. Other than a climb up the stairs and a short scramble up the rocks at the beginning it was a fairly level walk with beautiful scenery. I’m glad we made the mistake!
Lizard Point. After the cove we went further south to Lizard Point. We grabbed some food from a nearby pub and parked the car in a lot looking out over the water, listening to our audio book. When we roadtrip we usually pick an audio book to listen to while in the car and this trip our choice was David Copperfield. It was a nice way to enjoy our meal.
Day 9 – Cornwall to North Devon
We checked out of our Airbnb and made our way to our next stayover in Barnstaple.
On the way we stopped at Padstow, Port Isaac, Tintagel, and Boscastle before ending up in Barnstaple.
Padstow. We didn’t spend much time in Padstow as we had several towns we wanted to get to today, but it was a nice village with a large port area. There are some great shops in the village so we spent about an hour wandering from shop to shop as well as admiring the yummy bakeries full of various pasties before making our way back to the car.
Port Isaac. We decided to stop in Port Isaac because of the movie Fisherman’s Friends. It’s based on the true story of a group of local fisherman that get a record deal singing sea shanties. They still perform in the port area, but due to covid they are not performing right now. Hopefully we are in the area again some time in the future and get to see them perform…
We ended up having lunch in Port Isaac sitting along a rock wall by the water. Before leaving we wanted to get something related to Fisherman’s Friends. After trying a few stores, I Googled to see if there was anything specific listed on their website and turns out one of the band members and his wife own a store – The Boathouse. So, we were able to get a CD before heading back to the car – where we listened to the sea shanties for the rest of the day!
Tintagel. Our next village was Tintagel. We really wanted to visit Tintagel Castle, but it was fully booked (and booked for the next few days) so we couldn’t get tickets. Even if you aren’t visiting the castle you can walk down to the cove and see the castle from below.
The area around the castle is stunning with the rock cliffs and flowing stream. Near the cliff edge there is an exhibition about the castle and the history of King Arthur. You can visit the exhibition even if you aren’t visiting the castle. The exhibition is free, but we did have to wait a while as they are only letting one family group (of 6 people) at a time. The exhibition is a small room with panels detailing the history and legend. We enjoyed it and thought it was worth the wait.
After viewing the cliff edge and exhibition we made our way back up the hill (it is a bit steep but worth the view at the bottom). Once back at the top we took a walk down the main road, viewing the beautiful buildings including the old post office. Unfortunately, the post office was closed due to covid, but we got a few pictures of the outside. There are several interesting stores along the road with lots of yummy food stops.
Boscastle. Our last village, before reaching Barnstaple, was Boscastle. We arrived later in the day so the shops were closed, but we enjoyed walking along the river that flows out to the sea. The river walls are amazing, with a cute bridge joining the two sides. We walked along the river to the port opening and sat along the wall enjoying a late afternoon snack – scones with jam and cream of course! After our yummy treat we walked to the other side of the river and continued down the port to the sea opening.
Along the cliff edge there was an amazing platform of slate. It was the perfect area to relax and enjoy the surrounding area. We sat there for quite a while, before continuing to our hotel in Barnstaple.
Day 10 and 11 – North Devon
Ilfracombe. We decided that we had to do a boat trip at some point during this trip. We tried booking on the day at a few ports but didn’t have any luck as everything was booked. We didn’t want to book too many days in advance because we weren’t exactly sure what we were going to be doing or where we were going to be. We got lucky in finding a 2 hour boat tour from Ilfracombe for the next day (when we knew where we were going to be there).
We booked with Ilfracombe Sea Safari and ended up having fantastic weather for the tour. During the trip we only got to see two porpoises and one seal but it was still a fun trip. The cliff edges are stunning, the water was smooth (at least on the way out), and we had a wild ride back (a bit rough against the wind and the driver did a few wave chasing circles for us!) so it was a nice trip. Plus, we got to sit for two hours rather than walking non-stop like we’ve been doing for the last week!
After the boat trip we took a bit of a stroll around the town. It’s a lovely town, larger than some of the others, but it wasn’t actually overcrowded like we found in St. Ives and other larger towns.
Clovelly. We spent the next day exploring the lovely cliff side town of Clovelly. We heard that Clovelly was beautiful and worth a visit, but we didn’t realise that the town was privately owned and you had to pay to enter the area. Luckily, we found out about the entry fee before going as well as the need to pre-book right now. I think it’s probably a good thing for us that they are limiting numbers right now as it wasn’t as busy as you would expect from the pictures we have seen. There was plenty of room in the streets and we were able to get some great pictures of empty areas.
The walk down to the water is beautiful. At the top is the donkey stables where you get to see the donkeys of Clovelly up close. They usually allow children to ride the donkeys, but this attraction was closed due to covid. You still got to see them in the fields, and open stable area as well as their covered stables. There was even a baby donkey that was only 3 weeks old – so cute!
The houses are all well-kept, and several have stunning front gardens. There are a few shops and museums in the houses so you can see the inside, including the Fisherman’s Cottage and the church. There are a couple restaurants including a tea shop with amazing views over the water. We stopped for a sandwich and cream tea – we could have sat there all day.
We finally arrived at the bottom of the hillside to take in the view of the water and boats. We took in the scenery for a little while before making our way up the hill. Normally, they offer a ride back to the top, but it is currently closed due to covid, so we had to walk back to the top. We stopped a few times along the way up, venturing off a few side streets and checking out a few of the stops we missed on the way down. Breaking up the journey to the top made it much more manageable and before we knew it we were back at the top in the gift shop.
After exploring the village, we made our way to the garden area that is included in the admission price. We always love a walled garden with the classic green houses. it’s a small garden area, but still a nice walk around.
Just past the garden is the church and cemetery. The church wasn’t open while were there (not sure if it normally is or not), but the cemetery is open and worth a look around in the peaceful, tree covered church yard.
Day 12 – Devon to Somerset
We checked out of our hotel in Barnstaple and on our way to the next location we stopped at the villages of Lynton and Lynmouth. We just had to ride the water powered train between the towns.
Lynton. We decided to park in Lynton (the top village) and then take the train down to Lynmouth. I’m glad we made that decision because it was much easier to access and park in Lynton. We visited a few shops in Lynton as well as a walk around the old town. It’s a very small, cute village. We grabbed some pasties at the train café on the top of the cliff and enjoyed the views while we ate, then made our way down to Lynmouth via the water powered train.
The Cliff Railway opened in 1890 and is the highest and steepest fully water powered railway in the world. The railway contains two cars and is built over a large (very large) water tank. The water tank is used to fill the top car. The extra weight of the top car acts as a pully system to go down the hill, pulling the other car to the top. When the car gets to the bottom it releases the water, while the top car is filled with water. It constantly goes up and down the track, so even if there is a long queue to get on the car it goes reasonably quick. The ride down is smoother than the ride up, so I’m glad we went both up and down to experience both rides.
Lynmouth. Lynmouth is the larger of the two villages. We didn’t have too much time in the village to do much more than walk around and look at the Lynmouth Flood Memorial Hall. The memorial hall provides information on the search and rescue services launched from Lynmouth from 1869 until 1944. There were several stories about rescue missions and the rescue boats used by the village. Well worth a read!
Dunster Castle. After taking the train back up to Lynton we made our way to Dunster to visit the castle. Unfortunately, the castle wasn’t opened, but we could make our way around the castle grounds to see the gardens. The gardens and view were nice. We’ve seen better during this trip, but it was still a nice walk around the castle.
After walking around the castle we then walked to the water mill, where we crossed the “lover’s bridge”. The name was given to the bridge because there is a stone bench built for two on the bridge.
After crossing the bridge there are more grounds to walk through, including an activity area complete with climbing areas and musical instruments (made of wood).
Dunster. After the castle we drove down to the medieval village. You can walk from the castle, but we weren’t sure we could leave our car in the National Trust parking lot as the castle was closing. We easily found a car park on the edge of town. We walked down the main street, stopping in a few shops and checking out the Yarn Market. The pub at the beginning of the road is worth a look inside, the entry is beautiful and very medieval.
After a stroll up and down the street, including a stop in the chocolate shop, we headed back to the car. In the car park we found a map that highlighted a few things to see in the village – St George’s Church, Tithe Bar, and Dovecote. They were all located together on the road parallel to the main road. Since we had been walking all day and just came from the main road we decided to drive to the buildings. The map did show a parking area next to St George’s Church so we drove that way and hoped there would be parking. The road is quite narrow, but still enough room for our large vehicle.
St George’s Church was built in the 14th century and has a garden area out front that you can walk through. Next to the church is the Tithe Barn, built in the 16th century. Unfortunately, you can’t go into the barn and can only see the outside. Across the road is the Dovecote, built in medieval times. You can peek in the doorway and see all of the nesting holes around the inside of the dovecote. Information for all three buildings is documented on the outside of the church gate wall.
Next we made our way to Axbridge (near Cheddar) for our final hotel stay.
Day 13, 14, 15, 16 – Somerset and Bristol
We planned to split our first day in the area between Wells and Wookey Hole.
In Wells we planned to visit the Wells Cathedral, Bishop’s Palace, and see the Vicar’s Close.
Wells. We started by heading to the cathedral, but before entering we walked around the side and across the street to see Vicar’s Close. This is supposedly the oldest residential street, with original buildings, in Europe. It was built in the mid-14th century and contains Grade 1 listed buildings built for Bishop Ralph of Shrewsbury. There is a chapel and library at one end (north) and a hall on the other over the arched gate (south) – this is the side closest to the cathedral, which is the side we entered from. The south end is connected to the cathedral by a walkway over the road. It’s a beautiful street and worth a look (and a few pictures).
Wells Cathedral. From there we headed to the Wells Cathedral. The cathedral was built in 1176-1450 to replace an earlier church on the same site (from 705).
In the Nave there are three Scissor Arches built during the second phase of the building in the 14th century. I haven’t seen any arches like that before in a cathedral, they were beautiful, and I never would have guessed they were built so long ago – they looked new.
Inside the cathedral you will find an astronomical clock. This clock is thought to be the second-oldest working clock in the world – and the oldest with its original dial! Every quarter of an hour the jousting knights gallop around the turret above the clockface. The same one has been knocked down every time for over 600 years!
Above the clock and to the right is a figure known as Jack Blandiver. At every quarter of the hour he strikes the bells with the heels of his feet and on the hour he strikes the bells with a hammer. It’s well worth waiting to see the bells and jousting knights.
After the cathedral we grabbed a sandwich and had lunch on a bench next to the Bishop’s Palace moat. There are tables and green areas inside the palace as well where you can enjoy your bought lunch or order from the café on site.
Bishop’s Palace. After lunch we headed into the Bishop’s Palace. The gardens are beautiful and so lovely to walk around. In the garden you can see the wells springs, which is where the town gets its name. There’s a community garden allotment area that you can walk through as well as a play area for children.
After walking through the gardens, you can enter the palace and take a look at the ground and first floor. In one area there is a great video that shows the changes to the palace and gardens over the years. It is long(ish), as there is a lot of time to get through, but very well done so you can see the changes that have happened with each Bishop.
After the palace we checked out a few shops along the main street and then made our way to Wookey Hole.
Wookey Hole. Wookey Hole contains the largest cave system in the UK. They advertise the caves and several other attractions, but some of the other attractions are not really worth mentioning. The caves are impressive, as well as the “Cave Diving Museum”. The museum shows the diving equipment used during the cave’s first dive, along with details about exploration dives and a world record dive all completed at the Wookey Hole caves.
There is also a “Cave Museum” which discusses the caves and tunnels in more detail as well as the history and legends of the caves. another museum is the “Paper Making Museum” with working equipment. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see a demonstration, but they usually do them regularly throughout the day.
Another good attraction was a “Vintage Penny Arcade”. Unfortunately, the arcade games weren’t on while we were there, but they looked quite fun.
After walking through the caves, you walk through the “Fairy Gardens” and “Animatronic Dinosaur Valley”. I was kind of looking forward to the fairy gardens, but they weren’t that great – not much too see. And the dinosaurs were a bit sad looking. Maybe both would be more enjoyable for a younger audience, but I wouldn’t get too excited about those attractions. “King Kong” is just a giant statue of King Kong, so not really an “attraction” but something to see and maybe grab a quick photo as you walk by.
I really don’t like adventure golf/miniature golf, so I won’t comment on the “Pirate Island Adventure Golf”, but it looked like all other adventure golf courses I’ve seen.
While we were walking through the caves they did have a side tunnel that contained shelves of cave aged cheddar cheese. The cheese is kept in the cave for up to 1 year! There is also a cage containing cave aged wine (red, white, and rose). The cheese and wine can be purchased from the gift shop. The cheese is yummy, and I haven’t opened the wine yet so I can’t comment.
Black Rock Trail. After Wookey Hole we drove through Cheddar to the Black Rock to check out Cheddar Gorge and take in a nature walk around the area. It was a nice drive through the gorge – there were lots of people out walking and rock climbing. It was a very active area as we drove through. We found a parking spot and walked up one of the trails with views over the area.
Day 14
Today we planned to visit Berkeley Castle and Bristol.
Berkeley Castle. Berkeley Castle has some amazing history and has been owned by the same family since the 12th century (except for a brief period when it was owned by the Tudors). Normally they offer guided tours, but because of the covid situation you tour the house by yourself in a one-way system. There are guide sheets in each of the rooms as well as a tour guide in most rooms. I would highly recommend chatting to one of the guides to get some great information about the castle and family. We were lucky enough to speak to one of the guides who shared some fascinating history and details about the castle, including the required hole in the outter wall!
The inside of the castle is stunning, and you get to see quite a few rooms, including the Great Hall and kitchen areas. The gardens aren’t the most impressive, they are large but mostly full of green area and trees, and no flowers or different sectioned gardens. We grabbed some food from the café and had a nice picnic under one of the trees in the yard.
S.S. Great Britian. After the castle we headed to Bristol. We purchased entry tickets to the S.S. Great Britain. There is a lot to see inside the museum so be prepared to spend a bit of time there. Unfortunately, the dry dock area wasn’t open due to the virus but everything else was.
The museum contains tons of information about the ship and the ship designer. You can also go inside the ship to see the different rooms and common areas. The rooms are tiny, even for the upper-class passengers. I couldn’t imagine doing a trip to Australia for a couple months in the small rooms – I thought 14 hours on a plane was bad…
After the S.S. Great Britian we took a walk around Bristol to see the city and some of Banksy’s artwork.
Day 15
Glastonbury Abbey. On our way home, we stopped in Glastonbury. We visited the Abbey – had to see King Arthur’s tomb since we saw his castle in Tintagel. The ruins of the abbey were pretty impressive. I can only imagine how amazing and grand it would have looked in it’s full splendour.
Glastonbury. After the abbey we walked around the town of Glastonbury to look at some of the shops. To be honest we weren’t expecting much in the town, but I do wish we would have had more time to wonder around and look through more of the shops and other attractions.
We had a great time in the West Country. It was a good choice for a road trip right now. Even with covid, quite a lot of attractions were open, but the area is naturally beautiful so there is plenty to see and do outside.