What's Cool in South England?
 

Hey guys :)

Me and my wife are going to England to a Kate Bush concert in september and we thought we might as well turn it into a proper holiday. So, we're renting a car from Heathrow and then driving to Cornwall (south west). Then we plan to end up in Canterbury after about a short week's time (south east). We have some stuff planned, like visiting Land's End and seeing the cathedral in Canterbury, but I was hoping you guys might have some travelers tips for us.

What should one do on a car trip through southern England in september?

Tore!!! Its been awhile. I would love to see that show so badly. I envy those in Europe, that get to see what could be her last shows.

I have pretty much no familiarity with the South of England, but I do know that Cornwall is a nice place.

Nice to see you around these parts again :)

Stonehenge is an obvious one and is on the way to Cornwall if you're going from Heathrow. The Cotswolds is another depending on if you're going that way.

I've been to the south of England a fair few times (Westward Ho!, Surrey, Cornwall, Isle of Wight and maybe a couple other places I can't remember right now) but can't think of much. Cornwall has a lot of character though, (when you are there make sure to try their pasties).

Depends what you're looking for, the scenery is great (there are quite a few 'areas of outstanding natural beauty' you could visit if you are into that thing - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Area_of...Natural_Beauty). Unknown Soldier and Tristesse will know their onions when it comes to down south.

There's a place called "Westward Ho!"?

Yes mate that is actually the name including the exclamation mark. Went there for a week on a school trip, it was excellent.

That's hilarious.

Thanks for the warm welcomes, and thanks for some great suggestions, Christian! :)

I've been wondering about Stonehenge. I think the history of it is AWESOME and so interesting, but is seeing it interesting? It looks cool on pictures, but they usually don't include the fence you have to stand behind and the hordes of tourists you have to share the experience with.

What's a cotswold? I'm gonna google that right now ..

You might want to visit the underground caves at Wookey Hole as well.
It's on your route and it's much more proactive than Stonehenge.

I'd also suggest stopping off at Leeds Castle on your way to Canterbury.

This is a pretty extensive list.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...,d.cGE&cad=rja

Hopefully it works.

I spent several weeks visiting England in late August to mid September each year from 1992 to 1996. I'd start with 3 days at the Reading Festival, then go to London for the Notting Hill Carnival. I'd spend a week or so in London before heading to Amsterdam for a few days. While I was in London, I'd occasionally take day trips by train to visit various castles, palaces, historic sites and other places of interest. Many of my day trips were to various places in the south east. Not sure if any of these might interest you as much as they interested me, but I'll throw them out as possible suggestions.


Dover Castle | English Heritage

Walmer Castle and Gardens | English Heritage

Deal Castle | English Heritage

1066 Battle of Hastings, Abbey and Battlefield | English Heritage - There were also a lot of interesting antiques/junk shops in town to browse in when I was there.

Royal Pavilion - The Brighton Marine Palace and Pier is nearby and there's an aquarium next to the pier (which I thought was much more interesting) billed as the world's oldest operating aquarium.

Southsea Castle - Castle / Fort in Portsmouth, Portsmouth - South East England - Portsmouth Historic Dockyard is nearby and has the Royal Navy Submarine Museum and HMS Alliance, The Museum of Naval Firepower, the Royal Marines Museum, the new Mary Rose Museum and world famous ships HMS Victory and HMS Warrior 1860.

Leeds Castle - Castle / Fort in Maidstone, Maidstone - South East England - Urban already mentioned this one, but I'll second the recommendation.

Arundel Castle & Gardens - Castle / Fort in Arundel, Arun - South East England

The Wookey Hole? I love caves, spelunking and so on and The Wookey Hole sounds just like something I'd love to penetrate deep into. Brilliant, thanks!

I've already checked out Leeds Castle some and while there's a wealth of castles to visit, this one seems to have a lot going on. I saw you could visit the armory and stuff .. appeals to an old fantasy nerd. :)

Thanks for taking the time writing this up, Psy-Fi :) I especially appreciate the links! We don't have as many days as you did, so we'll have to prioritize a bit. Do you have any top-picks from your selection?

One of the things related to what you mention here is a visit to Brighton. It's been on my mind a bit .. I like aquariums, but I'm not sure how much else Brighton has to offer. On a tight budget of days, is it worth dropping by?

If you only have time to visit one castle, I'd recommend Leeds Castle over the others mentioned. It costs a bit more for the admission than the others, but it's probably the most well rounded experience as far as castles go. Plus, unlike the others mentioned, it has a moat.

Dover, Walmer, and Deal castles are all close enough to each other that you could probably visit 2 of them in one day (possibly all 3) if you wanted to.

Southsea Castle is more of a fort than what I usually think of as a castle, but the admission is free and there are a lot of other places of interest close by.

I went to Brighton mainly to visit the Royal Pavilion, which I found quite interesting. I also went to the Brighton museum, the aquarium, and the Brighton Pier. The museum, aquarium and pier were just side attractions to fill up my day and they were enjoyable but I probably wouldn't have gone to Brighton just for those. Everything was close enough to walk to and the town has more of a typical seaside holiday vibe to it than Portsmouth, which has more of a working port town feel to it.