Stonehenge, Devon & Cornwall — Self-Launched Independent Version

Start early at London Waterloo. Take the South Western Railway train to Salisbury (about 1h25, roughly £12-20 if booked in advance) or, better for Stonehenge, take the direct train to Salisbury then the Salisbury Reds 'Stonehenge Tour' bus (about £18 return) that runs hourly from Salisbury station via the visitor centre. Alternatively National Express and Megabus run London–Salisbury coaches from ~£6 if booked ahead. Pre-book Stonehenge entry on the English Heritage site (~£28-33 with donation; cheaper if you have a Cadw/English Heritage reciprocal pass) — this covers the visitor centre exhibition and the land-train shuttle to the stones. Spend 2.5-3 hours there, then return to Salisbury for a quick look at the cathedral close and the Magna Carta in the chapter house (donation entry). Late afternoon, take the train Salisbury → Exeter St Davids (~1h45, ~£15-25 advance). Check into a hostel or pub-with-rooms in Exeter's city centre; the award-winning Globe Backpackers is closing/limited — better bets are the YHA Exeter (if open) or a budget guesthouse on St David's Hill (~£30-45 dorm/£55-70 private). Evening wander: Exeter Quayside for cheap eats and a pint by the river.

🚌Train London Waterloo → Salisbury (~£12-20 advance), Stonehenge Tour bus (~£18 return), train Salisbury → Exeter St Davids (~£15-25 advance)

🛏Budget guesthouse or hostel, Exeter city centre (~£30-45 dorm / £55-70 private)

• →Stonehenge entry with visitor centre and shuttle bus (pre-book English Heritage, ~£28-33)
• →Salisbury Cathedral close and Magna Carta chapter house
• →Exeter Quayside evening stroll

No need for a tour vehicle: the 359/173/118 bus network links Exeter with the moor, but the cleanest self-launched route is the Stagecoach South West 1/1A from Exeter to Bovey Tracey or Newton Abbot, then the 171/173 up to Postbridge (check Devon County Council timetables; Sunday services are sparse — do this on a weekday or Saturday if possible). At Postbridge, walk 10 minutes to the medieval clapper bridge over the East Dart — free, atmospheric, and one of Dartmoor's best-loved spots. Short moorland loop (1-2 hours, easy paths, watch for boggy ground and livestock). Continue by bus or a short taxi hop (~£12 shared) to Tavistock for a mooch around the Pannier Market and the abbey ruins, then back to Exeter by bus/train. If buses prove slow, the alternative is a Devon-wide 'Dartmoor Explorer' day rover ticket. Back in Exeter by early evening: free walking look at the Roman/medieval city walls, the Norman cathedral exterior (entry ~£8 if you want inside) and the Royal Albert Memorial Museum (free).

🚌Stagecoach/Country Bus services Exeter–Postbridge–Tavistock (~£10-14 day ticket), optional shared taxi ~£12

🛏Budget guesthouse or hostel, Exeter (~£30-45 dorm / £55-70 private)

• →Postbridge clapper bridge and East Dart river walk (free)
• →Dartmoor moorland loop walk
• →Tavistock Pannier Market and abbey ruins
• →Exeter city walls and RAMM museum (free)

This is the big transport day — the tour's minibus does it in one shot, so you need to plan. Best value: National Express or Megabus Exeter → Bodmin Parkway / Wadebridge (from ~£8-14 advance), then the First Kernow 95/96 or Go Cornwall 594 bus to Camelford/Tintagel. Tintagel Castle is English Heritage — pre-book (~£17-20) and be ready for a lot of steps: the footbridge and island paths involve roughly 60 flights' worth of climbing, so wear grippy shoes and allow 2.5-3 hours. Quick onward bus to Boscastle (10 mins) for a short headland stroll past the harbour and, if it's your thing, the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic (~£8). Then bus to Port Isaac (Doc Martin's Portwenn) for a 45-minute wander down the slipway lanes. From Wadebridge or Bodmin Parkway, take the train down the spectacular branch line to Falmouth (change at Truro; ~1h45 total, ~£12-18). Check into a Falmouth hostel or guesthouse near the Moor/Events Square (~£28-40 dorm, £50-70 private). Fish and chips on the quay if you still have energy.

🚌Coach Exeter → Bodmin/Wadebridge (~£8-14), local buses to Tintagel/Boscastle/Port Isaac (~£8-10 day rover), train Bodmin Parkway → Falmouth via Truro (~£12-18)

🛏Falmouth hostel or budget guesthouse near the town centre (~£28-40 dorm / £50-70 private)

• →Tintagel Castle and island footbridge (pre-book English Heritage, ~£17-20)
• →Boscastle harbour headland walk
• →Museum of Witchcraft and Magic, Boscastle (~£8, optional)
• →Port Isaac village lanes

Pick your west Cornwall priorities — the peninsula is bigger than it looks and public transport is sparse. Option A (castle-and-theatre day): train Falmouth → Penzance (~1h, ~£9), then the 2/16 bus to Marazion for St Michael's Mount (crossing and garden ~£14-25; castle sometimes closed on Saturdays — check National Trust times). Then the 1A/16 bus to Porthcurno for the Minack Theatre clifftop (visitor entry ~£8-10; a show ticket is more and must be booked months ahead) and a swim/leg-stretch at Porthcurno Beach. Option B (artist-and-end-of-England day): train to Penzance then the 1/1A bus or the open-top Land's End Coaster to Land's End (free to walk the headland, ~£8 parking-equivalent if you drive; bus day ticket ~£10-12) and on to St Ives for the Tate St Ives and Barbara Hepworth sculpture garden (~£12-15 combined) and the harbour galleries. Doing both options in one day is not realistic without a car. Evening: train Penzance/St Ives → Falmouth, or stay flexible with a late bus back to Truro. Cheap eats: pasties, a pint of Proper Job, harbour-front crab sandwiches.

🚌Branch-line train Falmouth ↔ Penzance (~£9 each way), First Kernow day rover on west Cornwall buses (~£10-12)

🛏Falmouth hostel or budget guesthouse (~£28-40 dorm / £50-70 private)

• →St Michael's Mount crossing and gardens (~£14-25, National Trust)
• →Minack Theatre clifftop visit (~£8-10)
• →Porthcurno Beach
• →Land's End headland walk
• →St Ives: Tate St Ives and Barbara Hepworth garden (~£12-15)

Breakfast, then the branch-line train Falmouth → Truro and mainline Truro → Castle Cary or Bristol Temple Meads (~2h15-2h45, ~£20-30 advance). From Castle Cary, the 1/667 bus or a short taxi (~£10) gets you to Glastonbury town. Climb Glastonbury Tor (free, 30-40 mins up a steep stepped path, stunning Somerset Levels views) and walk the ruins and grounds of Glastonbury Abbey (~£10-12 entry; the Tor and chalice well are free/cheap alternatives). Grab lunch in town — the town is packed with veggie cafés — then bus/taxi back to Castle Cary for the direct train to London Paddington (~1h45, ~£20-35 advance). Arrive London late afternoon/evening. Book the Castle Cary–London leg as soon as you know your dates: walk-up fares on this route are brutal.

🚌Falmouth → Truro → Castle Cary train (~£20-30 advance), local bus/taxi to Glastonbury (~£8-10), Castle Cary → London Paddington (~£20-35 advance)

🛏N/A — tour ends in London; budget London hostel from ~£35-55 dorm if you need a night

• →Glastonbury Tor climb (free)
• →Glastonbury Abbey ruins (~£10-12)
• →Glastonbury town cafés and shops