The Cream of Devon and Cornwall

Your journey towards Devon and Cornwall begins in London, with time to make the capital your own. You might wander through one of many museums on offer, passing ancient artefacts and polished galleries filled with centuries of human history, or head towards the royal heart of the city and pause outside one of London’s grand royal residences. Perhaps you’ll push open the door of a neighbourhood pub instead, where beer taps line the bar and the first cool sip of a pint marks the beginning of your adventure through Southwest England.

You’ll meet your Travel Director and travel through England’s green countryside towards Windsor, where centuries of royal history sit alongside the everyday life of this market town. Crossing Salisbury Plain you’ll arrive at Stonehenge, where the great monoliths have stood for thousands of years. You’ll circle the monument, tracing the rough surfaces and immense scale of stones whose origins still invite questions. From there, you’ll continue south-west to Paignton, where the sea marks your arrival in Devon. Explore the seaside town before joining your Travel Director and fellow travellers for dinner.

With the Devon coast behind you for the day, you’ll head for the Eden Project, today’s MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience, where humid rainforest air and sun-loving Mediterranean plants fill its vast biomes. Outside, you can wander through gardens alive with local species and learn how communities are putting practical ideas for a healthier planet into action. Then continue to St. Ives, where fishing boats bob in the working harbour and narrow streets curl between galleries, cottages and the sweep of golden sand. Artists have been drawn here for generations, and you can follow that creative thread through a town where the sea is never far away.

It’s your decision how to start your day in Plymouth, with time to explore at your own pace or join an Optional Experience cruise along the coast as sea air drifts across the harbour. Later, you’ll travel through Dartmoor National Park, following winding roads across open moorland and granite-strewn country. At Buckfast Abbey, you’ll get familiar with a Benedictine community with almost 1,000 years of history, then explore its gardens and browse the shop before returning to Paignton. This evening, you may choose an Optional Experience in a local village, settling in for a traditional pub dinner with hearty food and good company.

Travelling north through Devon and Cornwall, you’ll make your way towards Port Isaac, where steep lanes wind between whitewashed cottages to a working harbour edged with fishing boats. There’s plenty to notice as you wander, from worn walls and tightly packed cottages to the lapping of the water below. You’ll continue to Tintagel, where stories of King Arthur have long been tied to this clifftop setting above the Atlantic. Whilst exploring the village, pause and look towards Tintagel Castle, its ruins standing high above the sea. For something sweeter, you may choose an Optional Experience to a fishing village for a traditional cream tea, with warm scones topped with jam then cream in true Cornish style. Later, continue to Bideford, where the River Torridge runs beside this historic town and the evening is yours to explore or find somewhere for dinner.

With your Travel Director, you’ll begin in Dunster, following medieval lanes past historic buildings in a village that once grew around a thriving monastery. After your orientation, there’s time to wander at your own pace, perhaps pausing for lunch or choosing an Optional Experience to Dunster Castle and Gardens, where terraces and sweeping grounds rise above the village. Continue to Lynmouth, known as the ‘walking capital’ of Exmoor, where wooded hills descend towards the water and paths lead out into the surrounding landscape. Then travel through Exmoor National Park, passing broad moorland, deep green valleys and rugged sea cliffs before joining your travel companions for dinner.

In Bath, you’ll trace honey-coloured streets through a UNESCO-listed city recognised as one of the Great Spa Towns of Europe. You might follow Pulteney Bridge across the River Avon, then make your way towards the 15th-century abbey, taking in its soaring Gothic stonework. You may choose an Optional Experience through Bath’s Georgian streets, where elegant façades and sweeping crescents recall the city’s years at the heart of fashionable society, followed by afternoon tea with warm scones, thick clotted cream and sweet jam. Later, travel through the open countryside towards London, watching green fields and hedgerows slip past as the memories of Southwest England travel with you.

With stories swapped and memories gathered from coast, countryside and centuries-old towns, your adventure through Southwest England comes to a close as you share final goodbyes with the friends you’ve made along the way.