Start with morning coffee at a hotel near Rugby, then a cross country run through some charming little known villages and picturesque countryside via the impressive Welland Viaduct (longest in England), to Rutland Water for lunch. The afternoon run takes us north east to a stop at RAF Coningsby, home of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.

In the afternoon we head north on quiet backroads, passing Cadwell Park racing circuit and keeping to the higher ground of the Lincolnshire Wolds until we reach our hotel for the night in Louth.

 

We head back through the Wolds into south Lincolnshire, stopping at the charming Woodhall Spa for coffee before by-passing Boston with its church tower known as the ‘Stump’, and on into the Fens. We will stop at a remote Fenland pub for lunch not far form the edge of ‘The Wash’, before heading south along some amazingly straight roads and through some pretty villages on our way to Bury St Edmunds for the night.

 

Today we head out into rural Suffolk via picturesque villages such as Thornham Parva with its thatched church, making our way to the coast at Dunwich, once known as the capital of East Anglia. Dunwich was once a bigger port than Ipswich but in the 14^th century most of the town was washed away by a storm and the estuary and the port silted up. From here we turn inland again into the countryside made famous by Constable’s paintings. We stop at his best known subject, Flatford Mill before heading west again through more delightful un-spoilt villages on an undulating route through trees and meadows as we briefly cross into Essex and follow the River Stour through Dedham Vale, an area of outstanding beauty. We then turn north again for a stop for tea at Castle Hedingham before meandering through more quiet back roads on our way back to the hotel for a farewell dinner.

 

After our recce visit we have decided to revise the route of the GWR Tour somewhat to take into account the extremely narrow roads in some parts of Devon and Cornwall. However, not all the narrow roads have been excluded. We feel it is part of the experience of driving in the south west and also it is impractical to get across country in some place by any other route – so be prepared!

 

We have also revised the start venue in order to give us a little more time in Devon. Therefore the start will now be from the SPEECH HOUSE HOTEL in the Forest of Dean on Monday morning. Accommodation can be arranged here for Sunday night at £98 B+B.

Today we head back across Exmoor towards the North Devon Coast. We cross Dunkery Hill with fabulous views of the coast below and zig-zag across the moor before descending the Porlock Toll Road which gives us more splendid views of the sea. Lunch can be taken at the pretty harbour of Porlock Weir before we climb the 1 in 4 of Porlock Hill – on the main road! We then head further west to the spectacular Valley of the Rocks with its stunning rock formations and beautiful coastline. From here we follow the coast along the ‘Tarka Trail’ Toll road which hugs the cliffs before dropping down to the remote Hunters Inn. There are more coastal views as we make our way to Combe Martin and Ilfracombe before returning to Barnstaple for a second night.

 

Today we start with a short run via Bideford to the Dartington Crystal Factory where we have a tour of the glass making works and a stop for coffee (and no doubt the ladies will want to spend some time in the shops!) From here we head west again via the Tamar Lakes where you may wish to stop for lunch before we take the ‘Atlantic Highway’ south.

We avoid the ‘honeypots’ of Padstow and Newquay and instead make a detour via Boscastle and Tintagel before cutting across Bodmin Moor to our next superbly located hotel overlooking St Austell Bay.

A slightly longer driving day today. After traversing the China Clay mining area near St Austell we once again join the ‘Atlantic Highway’ to head south. This time we detour to St Ives and then follow the coast to our ultimate destination Land’s End, where we can have lunch. The return journey north offers an optional diversion to The Lizard Point – the actual most southerly point of Britain – but a 10 mile dead end!

Our preferred route takes us on some of those aforementioned narrow roads, firstly to the secluded Lamorna Valley with its beautiful almost secret cove – again a dead end, but only ½ mile this time! Returning from the cove we pass the amazing Lamorna Wink pub – worth a look in. The next little narrow road provides us with a spectacular route into the idyllic fishing village of Mousehole. Even the roads through the village are extremely narrow, but well worth the effort. From here pass through Newlyn and skirt Penzance getting our first views of the majestic St Michael’s Mount across the bay.

We follow the coast past St Michaels Mount and then take the main road around Helston and Falmouth to take the King Harry ferry across the River Fal. We then make another detour, on good roads, to the charming little harbour at St Mawes which gives views across the Carrick Roads to Falmouth itself. As we head back to St Austell there is yet another detour onto minor roads, this time via Porthluney Cove and Caerhay Castle to the picture postcard village of Mevagissey.

Today we start with a visit to the fascinating Eden Centre, just minutes from the hotel. As some people may wish to spend some time here the morning route is a straightforward main road run through Losthwithiel, Liskeard and Tavistock to Datmoor where we spend the afternoon and the remainder of the tour exploring this remote wilderness.

 

Our route takes us past Princetown and the infamous Dartmoor Prison ( a stay is optional!) before we head into the picturesque villages on the edge of the moor such as Widecombe in the Moor. This might be a good lunch venue but we cannot guarantee there will be a fair taking place or Uncle Tom Cobbley and co. will be present. The final run takes in one last little surprise before descending to the seaside and our final hotel at Dawlish Warren which is only a few miles from the end of the M5 for those wishing to get an early start for Goodwood the next morning.

HOTELS

Sunday - Optional, Speech House, Forest of Dean 

Monday/Tuesday – Barnstaple Hotel, Barnstable

Wednesday/Thursday -                     St Austell*

Friday – Langstone Cliff, Dawlish Warren

We start from our ‘new’ hotel overlooking Windermere and head back towards Kendal on the quiet ‘B’ road to Crook and then by-pass Kendal to join the old A6 Trunk Road to the North. This once busy highway is now a fabulously quiet good driving road as all the traffic now roars up the nearby M6. From Shap we cut across country to Pooley Bridge and the Northern Shores of Ullswater via a coffee stop at haweswater.

After coffee we leave the lake and head north again on quiet roads through the lesser know Matterdale valley and on upto the North lakes via the villages of Heskett Newmarket and Caldbeck. From the summit of Caldbeck Fell we get views of the Solway Firth and the Scottish Hills and the Lake District mountains from a different aspect. We drop down onto the flat coastal plain for a lunch stop in the Victorian seaside town of Silloth, where on a clear day the Scottish Hills look almost within touching distance across the bay.

 

From here we head south with the Lakes Hills to the left and the Scottish Hills to the right until we reach the sandy beaches at Allonby. Here we turn inland again and head back to the Lakeland mountains now in front of us. On our way we pass through the delightful valley of the River Derwent with forests on either side and the imposing bulk of Skiddaw ahead. A run down the east side of Bassenthwaite Lake includes a stop for tea before we make a little detour to the atmospheric stone circle above Keswick.

 

The final run takes us via St John’s in the Vale, the west side of Thirlmere to Grasmere and over Red Bank into Langdale, then on to Coniston and Beatrix Potter Country around Esthwaite Water and Far and Near Sawrey. All that remains is the ferry crossing over the Lake (Windermere) and a very short run back to the hotel.

Today we leave the hotel and go straight onto Kirkstone Pass. Once over the pass we follow the beautiful shores of Ullswater, the second longest lake in the Lake District. After travelling the full length of Ullswater we visit the ancient dwelling, Brougham Hall, for coffee. Refreshed, we skirt the town of Penrith going via Beacon Edge which gives panoramic views over the town to the Lakes Mountains. We now continue into the Eden Valley proper passing through picturesque villages such as, Lazonby, Armathwaite and Ainstable where we get splendid vies over the valley as far as the Solway firth in the north. We now follow the edge of the Pennines before climbing to the top of Hartside Pass for lunch. The summit of the pass gives breathtaking vies over the Eden Valley to the Lake District and as far as the Galloway Hills in Scotland (on a clear day!).

 

After lunch we descend the pass and continue south following the River Eden through Langwathby and Culgaith and on to more remote villages such as Kings Meaburn, with its picturesque ford and Great Asby. From here we cross the open moorland pass the isolated bird sanctuary at Sunbiggin Tarn with the Howgill Hills in the background on our way to a tea stop at the Chocolate Factory in Orton.

 

After this little indulgence we head south through the Lune Gorge before crossing the fells back to Kendal where we get views not only of the Lakes Hills but also Morecambe Bay. The final run takes us over Scouts Scar into the Lythe Valley and back to our hotel.

 

Includes one night dinner bed and breakfast.

Coffee Saturday and Sunday, Tea Saturday. Lunch Saturday.

‘Rally Plates’, full ‘Road Book’ and souvenir awards.

EXTRA NIGHTS ACCOMMODATION on Friday and Sunday by arrangement.