Country Roads of Wales, Devon & Cornwall — Self-Launched

Land at Heathrow or Gatwick and take the Tube into town (Piccadilly line from Heathrow, ~£5.60 contactless; Southern/Thameslink from Gatwick, ~£12). Base yourself in a hostel near Victoria or King's Cross — Victoria makes the next morning's Oxford train easy. Spend the afternoon on a free self-guided walk: Westminster Bridge, Big Ben, the South Bank and Tate Modern (free). Buy an Oyster or just tap contactless — daily cap is around £8.50 in Zones 1–2.

🚌Tube/Thameslink from airport ~£6–12; contactless travel in London capped at ~£8.50/day

🛏Hostel dorm near Victoria/King's Cross (e.g. YHA London Central, Astor Victoria) — £28–40

• →Self-guided Westminster & South Bank walk
• →Tate Modern (free)
• →Borough Market browse

Take the GWR or Chiltern train from London Marylebone to Oxford (~1h, £10–20 if booked ahead). Wander the colleges and spires on your own — Christ Church (£18) or free entry to a few others — then catch the Stagecoach S2 or a National Express coach to Stow-on-the-Wold in the Cotswolds (~1.5h, ~£10) for the market town and a pub lunch. Continue by bus/train via Moreton-in-Marsh and Didcot to Bath, arriving evening. Book a dorm or budget B&B in Bath.

🚌London–Oxford train ~£15; Oxford–Stow coach ~£10; Stow–Bath via train ~£20

🛏YHA Bath or budget B&B — £30–45

• →Oxford colleges & spires self-guided walk
• →Stow-on-the-Wold market square
• →Arrive Bath, evening at Royal Crescent

Book the Roman Baths ticket online in advance (GetYourGuide/Ticketek, ~£27) — the Great Bath, Sacred Spring and museum are all included. Then do the free architecture circuit: Bath Abbey, Pulteney Bridge and the Royal Crescent. Optional: the Jane Austen Centre (£14) or the free Bath Skyline walk for views. Evening: Thermae Bath Spa rooftop pool is pricey (~£40) — skip it and hit a pub instead.

🚌All on foot; local buses ~£2 if needed

🛏YHA Bath or budget B&B — £30–45

• →Roman Baths entry (pre-booked ~£27)
• →Bath Abbey & Pulteney Bridge
• →Royal Crescent & Bath Skyline walk

Take the train Bath Spa → Newport → Abergavenny (~1h 30m, £15–20) and a local bus into Brecon or Crickhowell. Walk a section of the Brecon Beacons — the Sugar Loaf or Pen y Fan routes need no guide and are free. Grab a farm-to-table pub lunch in Crickhowell or Brecon (~£12–15). Evening bus/train to Cardiff (Merthyr line from Merthyr/Abergavenny, ~£8). Base in a Cardiff hostel near the castle.

🚌Bath–Abergavenny train ~£18; local bus ~£5; Abergavenny–Cardiff ~£8

🛏Cardiff city-centre hostel dorm (e.g. YHA Cardiff Central) — £25–35

• →Brecon Beacons self-guided hike (free)
• →Crickhowell / Brecon pub lunch
• →Local bus through the National Park

Do the same orientation circuit yourself: Principality Stadium exterior, then walk or take the BayCar down to Cardiff Bay for the Wales Millennium Centre, Pierhead Building and The Senedd (free entry). Optional: Cardiff Castle (£14.50) or St Fagans National Museum of History — free entry, ~20 min bus from town. Cheap eats in the Castle Arcade or the indoor market.

🚌BayCar bus ~£3; walking otherwise

🛏Cardiff city-centre hostel dorm — £25–35

• →Cardiff Bay & Senedd (free)
• →Principality Stadium exterior walk
• →St Fagans National Museum (free)

Train Cardiff → Bristol Temple Meads (~50m, £10), then the First Bus 376 to Glastonbury (~1h, £7). Walk up Glastonbury Tor (free) and see the Abbey ruins (~£10–12). Late afternoon bus to Taunton, then train Taunton → Plymouth (~1h 20m, ~£15–20). Plymouth has hostels and cheap B&Bs near the Barbican.

🚌Cardiff–Bristol train ~£10; Bristol–Glastonbury bus ~£7; Taunton–Plymouth train ~£18

🛏Hostel/budget B&B in Plymouth — £30–40

• →Glastonbury Abbey ruins (~£11)
• →Glastonbury Tor walk (free)
• →Plymouth Barbican & Hoe evening stroll

Take the scenic GWR branch line Plymouth → Looe (~30m, £6) for the working harbour and shops, then backtrack and ride the mainline to St Erth (~1h 45m, ~£12), connecting on the St Ives Bay Line (~10m) — one of the best budget train rides in Britain. Browse St Ives' galleries (Tate St Ives ~£12 optional) and surf shops, then train St Erth → Penzance (~10m). Sleep in a Penzance hostel or guesthouse.

🚌Branch-line rail hops: Plymouth–Looe £6, Plymouth–St Erth £12, St Erth–St Ives £4, St Erth–Penzance £3

🛏Penzance hostel/guesthouse (e.g. YHA Penzance) — £30–45

• →Looe harbour wander
• →St Ives Bay Line scenic rail
• →St Ives galleries & Porthmeor beach

This is the big travel day — the coach tour saves you time here, so plan carefully. Train Penzance → Bodmin Parkway (~1h 20m, £12), then bus to Camelford/Boscastle and the 595/55 to Tintagel (~£8 total). English Heritage Tintagel Castle (~£16) and the clifftop walk are worth it. Bus to Port Isaac (~£4) for the fishing harbour, then on to Padstow (~£5) for fish and chips by the harbour. Evening bus to Barnstaple (~£6) and a cheap B&B.

🚌Train ~£12 + local buses ~£20 total (consider a £10 North Devon day ticket where valid)

🛏Barnstaple guesthouse or Travelodge — £35–45

• →Tintagel Castle & cliffs (~£16)
• →Port Isaac harbour walk
• →Padstow fish and chips

Bus Barnstaple → Lynton/Lynmouth (the 309/310, cliff railway ~£3.50, ~£6 fare) for the famous cliffside village. Walk into Exmoor National Park on marked paths (free) and optionally a bus to Dunster Castle (~£15 National Trust). Afternoon train/bus via Taunton or Exeter towards Bovey Tracey on Dartmoor (~£15–20). Skip Bovey Castle — instead use a Dartmoor YHA or a Bovey Tracey B&B as a base.

🚌North Devon buses ~£6; onward bus/train to Newton Abbot/Bovey ~£18

🛏YHA Dartmoor / Bovey Tracey B&B — £30–40

• →Lynmouth & Lynton Cliff Railway
• →Exmoor National Park walk
• →Optional Dunster Castle (~£15)

Morning on Dartmoor — free walks from Haytor or Becky Falls area. Then train Newton Abbot → Dorchester South via Exeter (~1h 45m, £20–25), bus up to Puddletown (~£3). Instead of the private manor-house tour, visit Athelhampton House independently (£14, check seasonal opening days, usually Tue–Thu) and take a cream tea in a Dorchester café (~£8) rather than the served high tea. Sleep in Dorchester or Puddletown.

🚌Train ~£22; local bus ~£3

🛏Dorchester hostel/budget B&B or YHA — £30–45

• →Dartmoor morning walk
• →Athelhampton House & gardens (~£14)
• →Dorchester cream tea

Bus Dorchester → Wool/Lulworth (X50/B1, ~£6) for Lulworth Cove and the 20-minute walk over the hill to Durdle Door — the UNESCO Jurassic Coast at its best, no ticket needed. Free visitor centre for the geology. Afternoon bus to Weymouth (~£6) for the beach, Nothe Fort (£8) if it's open, and an evening pub dinner by the harbour. Stay in a Weymouth guesthouse.

🚌Local buses ~£12

🛏Weymouth budget guesthouse/backpackers — £30–45

• →Lulworth Cove & Durdle Door walk (free)
• →Lulworth visitor centre
• →Nothe Fort (~£8), Weymouth beach

Train Weymouth → Salisbury (~1h 15m, £15–20). See Salisbury Cathedral free (donation requested) and the Magna Carta in the Chapter House (~£5 suggested). Then the Stonehenge Tour bus from Salisbury station (~£35 return including entry, or book entry separately from English Heritage ~£25 and take the local bus). Evening train Salisbury → London Waterloo (~1h 30m, £20–30 advance). Back to your London hostel.

🚌Weymouth–Salisbury ~£18; Stonehenge Tour bus ~£35; Salisbury–London ~£25

🛏London hostel dorm — £28–40

• →Salisbury Cathedral & Magna Carta
• →Stonehenge (shuttle + entry ~£35)
• →Waterloo arrival and riverside walk

Use the morning for a free museum (British Museum or Natural History Museum) or a walk through Hyde Park and Kensington. Grab a coffee and a market lunch, then take the Tube to Heathrow (~£5.60) or Thameslink to Gatwick (~£12) for your flight home.

🚌Tube/rail to airport ~£6–12

🛏—

• →British Museum (free)
• →Hyde Park walk