Southern England Itinerary: The Ultimate 10-Day Roadtrip
Southern England is the perfect setting for an unforgettable road trip. From exploring the dramatic cliffs of the Cornish Coast and wandering through the picturesque villages of the Cotswolds, to hiking the Seven Sisters and experiencing the vibrance of London, this 10-day Southern England itinerary has it all. Start planning your Southern England road trip now!
Southern England Itinerary Overview
Here is a quick overview of each day of this Southern England itinerary.
East Sussex
Day 1: White Cliffs of Dover
Day 2: Seven Sisters Cliffs
Cornwall
Day 3: Port Isaac and Park Head
Day 4: Fistral Beach and Holywell Bay
Day 5: St. Agnes Head, Chapel Porth Beach, and Kynance Cove
The Cotswolds
Day 6: Painswick and Stow-on-the-Wold
Day 7: Bibury and Castle Combe
Hampshire
Day 8: Highclere Castle
London
Day 9: Big Ben, Arch Bridge Photo Spot, and The National Gallery
Day 10: Hyde Park, Natural History Museum, and Tower Bridge
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How to Get Around Southern England
As this is a road trip itinerary, you will need to rent a car for this trip. We rented a car from Hertz at London Heathrow Airport and had a great experience. Keep in mind you’ll be driving on the left side of the road and make sure you are familiar with road signs and laws in England.
When you arrive in London, you can easily use public transportation to get around. Consider returning your car before exploring London if your hotel does not have parking or the parking fees are high. Additionally, based on negative reviews and safety concerns, you will probably want to avoid parking in a parking garage.
When to Take a Southern England Road Trip
For the best weather, plan your Southern England road trip for the months of May-September. We visited in early June and experienced mostly sunny days. If you want to spend time swimming at one of Cornwall’s beaches, plan to visit around July or August when the temperature is a bit warmer.
Where to Begin Your Southern England Road Trip
We would recommend beginning your Southern England road trip in London. Flights to London are usually cheaper and as this itinerary ends with time in London, you’ll be able to pick up and drop off your rental car at the same location.
Southern England Itinerary
East Sussex
Day 1: White Cliffs of Dover
After arriving in London, drive about two hours to visit the scenic White Cliffs of Dover. These white cliffs are made from layers of finely grained limestone and keep their white color due to natural erosion. In recent years, a grassland regeneration project was started to restore the landscape and wildlife habitats. We walked along the King Charles III England Coast Path and were blown away by just how lush it was. We stopped to take pictures of the rolling green hills overlooking the English Channel, the wildflowers along the pathway, and a cute little ladybug we spotted. After a long travel day and car ride from London, this is the perfect start to your England adventures.
Day 2: Seven Sisters Cliffs
Located in East Sussex, Seven Sisters Cliffs is a beautiful place. Named for the seven cliff peaks, Seven Sisters Cliffs is a popular hiking spot. If you don’t feel like hiking the entire miles long stretch of coastline, you can easily shorten the distance and hike parts of the trail. Alternatively, you can visit one of the many viewpoints for a glimpse of the cliffs. We decided against hiking and stopped at Birling Gap and Cuckmere Haven instead.
Birling Gap
When visiting Birling Gap, you can walk along the cliff top and view the cliffs from Birling Gap Beach. We would recommend taking the steps down to the beach first, as it is an easy walk from the National Trust car park. Be sure to check the tide times before heading down to the beach, as the sea comes right up to the cliff edge at high tide. After strolling along the beach, head back up the stairs and walk along the path to the left of the parking area. It is a short uphill walk, about 200 meters or so. From here, you will get a dramatic view of Birling Gap.
Cuckmere Haven
If you’re looking to capture the historic cottages near the cliffs, park at South Hill Barn Car Park and follow the path. After a short walk, you will see the Coast Guard cottages framed by the Cuckmere River and Seven Sisters Cliffs. This is one of the most photographed scenes in England.
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Cornwall
When visiting Cornwall, we made the mistake of staying in one Airbnb causing us to spend hours in the car each day. Consider staying in different areas of Cornwall to make better use of your time here.
Day 3: Port Isaac and Park Head
Port Isaac
Start your first day in Cornwall by visiting Port Isaac, a picturesque fishing village on the coast. Walk a portion of the South West Coast Path (more information can be found here), take in the views of the harbor, and stroll through the village.
Park Head
If you have ever watched the BBC series Poldark, you might recognize the views of the coastline at Park Head. Many of the dramatic cliff scenes were filmed here. To get to the cliffs, the walk is flat and easy. From the parking lot, enter through the gate on the left and follow the path to the next gate. Once you pass through the second gate, you can either follow the path to the right or left to see the rugged coastal cliffs. We recommend visiting later in the evening, closer to sunset. The light is pretty harsh in the afternoon, making it difficult to see and photograph the cliffs.
Day 4: Fistral Beach and Holywell Bay
Fistral Beach
Before exploring Fistral Beach, stop at Seaspray Fistral for breakfast. This cafe sits above Fistral Beach with an amazing view of the waves crashing below. If the weather allows, ask for a table outside on the deck.
After enjoying the view from Seaspray, head down to the beach. Take a walk, watch the surfers (Fistral Beach is one of the best and most popular surf spots in the UK), and look at the colorful shells dotting the shore.*It is against the Coastal Protection Act to collect shells from beaches in the UK.
Holywell Bay
If you want to have a beach day in Cornwall, Holywell Bay is the perfect beach for it. (This is one of the places we saved for sunny weather.) After walking up the grassy dunes, you’ll see a stunning beach that you won’t believe is in the UK. When we arrived in the mid-afternoon, it was crowded with beachgoers and Harry Styles’ “Watermelon Sugar” was blasting from someone’s speaker…a vibe.
Day 5: St. Agnes Head, Chapel Porth Beach, and Kynance Cove
St. Agnes Head
Offering stunning panoramic views of the coastline, St. Agnes Head is a place where you’ll want to spend a few hours. Park at Wheal Coates to visit the former tin mine, then continue along the path. There is a 1-mile loop you can walk, or you can just meander along the trail for as long as you like. In our opinion, with flower covered cliffs and the aqua blue sea below, St. Agnes Head is one of the most scenic stops in Cornwall.
Chapel Porth Beach
From St. Agnes Head, you can walk to Chapel Porth Beach, or you can get back in your car and drive the short distance. However, parking near the beach fills up quickly. When we visited in June, paid parking was available in a nearby field. If the main Chapel Porth lot is full, look for overflow parking signs at the top of the hill. Chapel Porth Beach is a beautiful cove with restrooms and a cafe that sells the well known Cornish treat, hedgehog ice cream.
Kynance Cove
While it is a bit of a drive from St. Agnes, the views at Kynance Cove are well worth it. You can either stop at the viewpoint or hike towards Lizard Point to see Pentreath Beach and Lizard Lighthouse. Keep in mind that Kynance Cove is a very popular spot and often crowded in the summer months. We visited on a cloudy day in June and didn’t see many visitors, but expect to see lots of beachgoers when the weather is nice.
The Cotswolds
Day 6: Painswick and Stow-on-the-Wold
Painswick
To start your time in The Cotswolds, visit the charming village of Painswick. We chose to stay in Painswick for the duration of our time in The Cotswolds (we stayed at this cute Airbnb with a wonderful host) and while it is a bit far from popular areas such as Bibury and Castle Combe, we found it to be a quiet and pleasant place to stay. Known as the “Queen of the Cotswolds”, Painswick is one of the best preserved Cotswold towns and is a beautiful place for walking. Stroll through the streets or walk along the Cotswold Gateway-Painswick 1, a 3 mile loop that follows the Painswick Stream.
If you love history and nature, Painswick Rococo Gardens is also worth a visit. With the help of a 1748 painting by Thomas Robins, this garden was restored in 1984 and is the only complete rococo garden in the UK today. This garden is home to many unique features, colorful blooms, and lovely views of the countryside.
Stow-on-the-Wold
Stow-on-the-Wold is known for its market square, antique shops, and scenery. The North Door framed by two yew trees at St. Edward’s Church is a well known attraction and is said to have possibly inspired J.R.R. Tolkien’s Doors of Durin. If you have more time to visit another Cotswold village, you can walk to Bourton on the Water from Stow-on-the-Wold. While it is a 4.5 mile walk, it is flat, easy, and scenic.
Day 7: Bibury and Castle Combe
Bibury
Begin your day with an early morning visit to Bibury. Here you’ll find the famous Arlington Row and the pretty Swan Hotel. In all honesty, we made the mistake of visiting Bibury mid-morning and did not enjoy our time here due to the amount of visitors. We walked quickly past all of the selfie sticks and tripods along Arlington Row and took in the view from across the Rack Isle water meadows.
Castle Combe
Often referred to as “the prettiest village in England”, Castle Combe is the quintessential Cotswold village. With no new homes built since the 1600s, Castle Combe has preserved England’s past. We found Castle Combe to be much quieter than Bibury, and we enjoyed walking around and popping in to St. Andrew’s Church.
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Hampshire
Day 8: Highclere Castle
Highclere Castle, the setting for the popular BBC series Downton Abbey, is only about an hour away from The Cotswolds. It is open for various tours throughout the year. If you are visiting in the spring or summer months, Highclere Castle and its gardens are open to visitors on select dates from March to May and July to September. You can view their calendar here. Unfortunately, our Southern England road trip took place in June, so we were unable to visit Highclere Castle. We chose to venture to Chatsworth House in Central England before ending our trip in London. If you’re a fan of Pride and Prejudice (the 2005 version), then we would highly recommend a visit to Mr. Darcy’s house.
London
Remember, London is easy to get around via public transportation. Return your rental car and take the Tube back to your hotel, if you don’t want the hassle of driving and parking in London.
During our time in London, we stayed at Zedwell Piccadilly Circus, a unique capsule style hotel with windowless rooms. Our room was small and basic, but the price was great and we didn’t have much time to spend at the hotel. The hotel’s location allowed us to walk to most of our London points of interest.
Day 9: Big Ben, Arch Bridge Photo Spot, The National Gallery, and Chinatown
Big Ben and Arch Bridge Photo Spot
Big Ben, the iconic landmark that you cannot miss when visiting London is a great intro to the city. Check out Arch Bridge Photo Spot (Google Maps pin); you might have to wait in line, but you can usually take a photo without other people in it here. If you want to learn more about Big Ben and how the famous bell works, you can book a guided tour that takes you inside the Elizabeth Tower. Tickets can be purchased on the UK Parliament website.
The National Gallery
With free admission and over 2,000 works on display, be prepared to spend a couple hours here. The National Gallery is home to famous works such as van Eyck’s Arnolfini Portrait, van Gogh’s Sunflowers, and Monet’s The Water-Lily Pond.
Chinatown
London’s Chinatown is located in the West End, and its vibrant gates are hard to miss. Here you’ll find a cultural hub of restaurants, traditional markets, bakeries, and souvenir shops. While we rarely talk about food, we highly recommend visiting Sushi Joy. This tiny hole-in-the-wall sushi place is worth the hype. The sushi is delicious, affordable, and ordered by the piece. It was a short walk from our hotel in Piccadilly Circus, and we ate here more than twice.
Day 10: Hyde Park, Natural History Museum, and Tower Bridge
Hyde Park
For your final day in England, grab a coffee and stroll around Hyde Park. At 350 acres, it’s impossible to cover the entire park in a morning, but it is a lovely green space to experience. If you’re visiting in the spring and summer months, you can even rent a pedal or row boat to take around the Serpentine Lake.
Natural History Museum
Another free museum in London, the Natural History Museum has exhibits ranging from dinosaurs and fossils, volcanoes and earthquakes, minerals, and more. As you walk in, you’ll see the massive blue whale skeleton hanging from above and with over 35 million specimens and artifacts, you’ll have lots more to see here. Our favorite display was the case of colorful butterflies in Hintze Hall.
Tower Bridge
Skip the London Bridge and visit Tower Bridge instead. This bridge is another well-known London landmark and worth a visit. If you’re interested in learning more about the history of Tower Bridge or having a panoramic view of London from the bridge’s glass walkways, you can book a tour on the Tower Bridge website.
Southern England is an unforgettable road trip destination, and we hope you found this 10-day Southern England itinerary to be helpful in planning your trip!
