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UK Self-Drive South-East of England Tour
Follow Russia footsteps in the UK
6 days/5 nights
There’s no better feeling than driving through the magnificent landscapes of the South and East of England! We have created an exclusive self-drive adventure for you to get back on the road. In 6 days, you’ll visit many exquisite places, staying in a different hotel each night, and you’ll get a chance to rediscover the splendid nature and the cultural heritage that surrounds us. And what if you’ve seen it all? Even better! Allow yourself to be mesmerized, discover the new details you previously missed, see it all from a new perspective, and you’ll be back for more.
A lot of Russians fall in love with that part of England. And there are plenty of places with links to the Russian history and culture that you can discover for yourlsef. Look out for the Russian Footprint sign in the itinerary!
This itinerary is just a draft of your holiday. Driving your own car you are free and flexible, you can choose the places of interest on the route, feel free to create your own UK Bucket List and we’ll to make it happen.
- Tour Introduction
- Tour Itinerary
- Tour Accommodation
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The Route:
London • Beaulieu • Torquay • Plymouth • The Lost Gardens of Heligan • Truro Cathedral • National Trust - Lizard Point • Saint Michael's Mount • Newquay • Tintagel Castle • Clovelly • Cheddar Gorge • Bath
SOUTH-EAST OF ENGLAND:
Self-drive staycation to follow Russia footprints in the UK
DAY 1, LONDON TO DORSET ROAD TRIP (153 miles)
Today is devoted to the amazingly beautiful coast of Dorset and the New Forest National Park. Start by visiting the Beaulieu Estate (Palace House), in which the Montague Family has been living since the 16th century. There you will find the National Motor Museum where the Top Gear programme was filmed!
Beaulieu hosts the first dedicated Soviet Russian art gallery in the UK- Art Russe Gallery. Displaying a selection of paintings and sculptures from the Art Russe foundation, this thematic collection is renewed each quarter.
You can visit the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum in Bournemouth. The Russell-Cotes (formerly East Cliff Hall) was the home of two Victorian collectors and travel enthusiasts, Sir Merton and Lady Annie Russell-Cotes.
The Green Room of the Museum contains a display of art which Russel-Cotes brought from Russia in 1898.
The Europe’s largest museum of tanks is located in Bovington.
Here you can see the best medium tank of the WW11 – Russian T34 , and Russian KB tank with the sign on its tower “Ленинград, За!»
Near the museum there is Monkey World, where you can meet different types of primates. The Monkey World is an organization that provides care for monkeys with special needs. You can also visit the famous Peninsula of Portland with fortified fords that defended the coast of England and played an important role during the world wars. It is the center of the Jurassic coast with the headquarters of the United Nations.Overnight at the Moonfleet Manor Hotel.
DAY 2, DEVON (147 miles)
Today you will visit Devon. It is the sunny coast of England, carefully keeping the history of Britain’s navigation and serving as the setting for the famous novels by Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle. You will be walking along the Jurassic coast where you will observe the remains of the Iron Age settlements. On the way, you can visit the Hardy Monument and the Abbotsbury Swannery which is home to swans that do not belong to the Queen (the only one in the country!)
According to the program you can have a lunch in a cozy coastal pub, where in the open air you can relax and enjoy a pint of local ale enjoying a picturesque seascape.
There is another link to Russian Royal Family in Sidmouth. From 24th June to 24th August 1831 Grand Duchess Helena of Russia, Sister-in-Law of the Czar, born Friederike Charlotte Marie Prinzessin von Württemberg, rented No. 8 Fortfield Terrace for herself and No. 7 for her entourage. She was wife of Grand Duke Michael and later an important supporter of Alexander II's reforms. Visit commemorated by double-headed eagle, symbol of Imperial Russia, on the central pediment
Then you will go to the one of the towns of the English Riviera - Torquay, where Agatha Christie was born and began her writing career. In the evening you get to Plymouth, where Mayflower, the first ship with English immigrants, started its journey and learn about the history of the British navigation. Overnight Fowey Hall hotel.
DAY 3, CORNWALL (113 miles)
Today you will enjoy the beauty of Cornwall landscapes - an exceptional combination of history, culture and natural beauty. For nature lovers, there’s an opportunity to observe the unique ecological park, the Eden Project. Here, special structures with an artificial climate – biomes – are constructed. One of the biomes serves as home to the humid subtropics: This is the largest greenhouse in the world - 240 m long, 110 m wide, 55 m high (that’s enough space for the Tower of London!). Another biome is reserved for the subtropics of the Mediterranean, California and South Africa; and The third is located in the open air with flora of mid-European area.
The program includes a visit to the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Truro (one of three cathedrals in England with three spiers), or Lost Gardens of Heligan. You will also visit the incredible Kynance Cove Bay and the tidal island of St Michael's Mount and its castle. The fabulous St Michael's Mount is located on a high granite cliff with a view to Mount's Bay.
According to the legend a monastery was founded in the 5th century when one fisherman saw St. Michael standing on a cliff. You will learn about all the milestones of the fascinating history of the fortress while walking around the castle. Today it’s one of the few places in Britain where the descendants of the count family of St. Aubyn who bought the castle back in 1657 still live and work. And finally, you will visit the southernmost (Lizard Point) and the westernmost (Land's End) points in England, which are only an hour away from each other.
Overnight in Land`s End Hotel.
DAY 4, CORNWALL
On the 4th day of your UK adventure, you’ll explore the Cornwall, visit the resort city of Newquay, known as the capital of English surfing.
Another option is to see the ruins of King Arthur Tintagel Castle, enjoy the traditional Cornwall cream tea and drive through the Dartmoor National Park. Some of the bogs on Dartmoor have achieved notoriety. Fox Tor Mires was supposedly the inspiration for Great Grimpen Mire in Conan Doyle's novel The Hound of the Baskervilles. In Dartmoor, it is possible to come across the remains of ancient dwellings and stone obelisks of the same shape as the blocks of Stonehenge. With gloomy sights, Dartmoor, has always been the object of myths and legends, and some of them are quite ominous. Local swamps are considered to be home for the mischievous pixies. Moreover, the headless horseman and a bunch of ghostly hounds appeared in the swamps a couple of times. Among the much more friendly animals in the wastelands of Dartmoor, you can find wildly grazing Dartmoor ponies - the oldest race of ponies in the United Kingdom. Afterwards you will go to the well-known private village of Clovelly, which keeps many old traditions and touching legends, and is also home to the famous donkeys. Overnight stay at the fabulous Lewtrenchard Manor hotel
DAY 5, BATH
After delicious breakfast, it’s time to leave the beautiful Lewtrenchard Manor for Cheddar Gorge and Bath.
The day begins with a fascinating walk around the Cheddar Gorge, where traces of the ancient Cheddar Man, dating back to 700,000 years, were once found. After a walk in the open air, you will go for a tasting of the real British cheddar in Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company.
At the end of your trip you will come to Bath - one of the most famous spa cities in Britain. Once it was a favorite holiday destination for royal families. In Bath we recommend you to visit the famous Roman baths, where the Roman aristocracy relaxed 18 centuries ago, and the modern Thermae Bath Spa with four pools with warm natural mineral waters and an endless set of modern spa treatments.
Overnight at The Royal Crescent Hotel.
DAY 6, BATH
Enjoy your day with the Bath exploration before heading back home.
The program can vary. It is possible to have a quick overview of all places as well as just visit some of them according to your preferences.
South-East of England
Self-drive Staycation to follow Russia footsteps in the UK
The hotels in the tour are a suggestion only. We are happy to offer anything from B&B to a castle suite! Just contact us and we will find the best option for you!
For many years, we have been opening the fascinating United Kingdom to the travellers from Russia and other countries via our parent company Charm Communications Ltd.
Charm stands for Culture, History, Art, Romance, and Mystery and we are proud to call it our Mission!
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Package Includes:
• Bed and Breakfast Accommodation at hotels as mentioned in the itinerary
• Entrance tickets to named Castles and visited places (if included in the itinerary)
Package Does Not Include:
• Optional activities, which we will add to you summary/quote upon request
Terms and Conditions:
• The terms and conditions will be personalized for every booking, and will reflect the supplier's conditions
• All prices are NETT / non-commissionable;
• The prices are given as indication only and can be changed in accordance with the actual date of departure and the hotels' availabilities;
• The example price from is calculated on the 15th August 2020 departure