Why The Southwest Of England Is A Pleasure To Drive

The south west of England is the complete package. It is the model region of England for almost everything outdoors: from its beautiful coastline and beeches, to its rolling hills, celebrated architecture and its miles and miles of British countryside. Dotted all throughout this colourful landscape are various examples of some of England`s finest attractions such as the 123 meter tall Salisbury Cathedral, stunning coastal rock formations such as Durdle Door, the Eden Project and the mysterious Stonehenge.

Historically, the economy of this area of England has relied upon fishing and mining, but more recently the focus has switched primarily to tourism. This is not only because the south west of England is simply an excellent place to visit, but also because the south west on England is an excellent place to drive. Covering around 2900 square miles of land, this region is the largest of all of England`s regions with its northern most point being as close to Scotland as it is to the south most point of the region. For some areas, it can be rather tedious to travel the considerable distance between destinations but the landscape of the south west makes it a pleasure to embrace the journey. So much so in fact, that popular driving routes have emerged throughout the region.

One such driving route runs along the south coast of the region from east to west with it`s common starting point being Southampton and the finish line residing at the geologically stunning county of Cornwall. Along this popular route are the two national parks of the south west, New Forest National Park and Dartmoor National park, as well as various other attractions such as Beaulieu National Motor Museum. Even without attractions along the route, the stunning landscape such as the white cliffs of Bournemouth and the variations in beeches along the way are enough to make driving a very pleasurable experience.

There are many places to stay along the way and the best bet for anyone driving throughout the south west is to book into one of the many locally run bed and breakfast hotels which are likely to give the most authentic feel and provide the best eating options regarding local produce (a feature which the south west is particularly notable for).

For those who are travelling from London with intent on driving the south coast route, a solid recommendation is to begin the journey slightly further north staying at one of the many fantastic hotels in Bristol to extend the route to include a further coastal drive and through the cities of Brighton and Portsmouth. For ease of access, Brighton should be reached by train from London, at which point you can benefit from car rental in Brighton to begin the glorious journey.