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 The
south of England and Wales offer unique, secluded
escapes for travelers seeking luxury, crashing
surf, and history. This coast and castle itinerary
takes you through the battlemented heartland
of this beautiful countryside. Arriving in London
via Heathrow Airport, you'll avoid the congestion
of the city by picking up your Mercedes C150
and driving straight south to Amberley Castle
in Sussex, one of the oldest inhabited fortresses
in Europe. Dating from the early 1100s, the
curtain wall of this castle contains beautiful
gardens and a number of more recent buildings
in which lovely quarters are set. In the evenings,
you'll dine in the great hall and enjoy traditional
music and a roaring fire. During the day, you
have plenty of time for daytrips into London
- leaving your car behind, as you can actually
catch a train in from the village nearby - or
to other historic castles in the south.
 Your
second set of nights will be at the Hotel Tresanton,
a seaside hotel overlooking the beautiful Cornwall
coast, a long but pretty coastal drive from
Amberley in Sussex. At Tresanton, you'll enjoy
fine dining, spa treatments, and sailing if
in season. You can shop in picturesque St. Mawes
village, and walk the rocky beaches outside
of town, looking for shells and pirate treasure
from the many offshore shipwrecks. You'll also
be perfectly situated for exploring Dartmoor
National Park and the medieval ruins of the
southwestern countryside, and after your final
breakfast at Tresanton, your drive to Wales
will take you right past Stonehenge, for a lesson
on a much different period of British history.
 Driving
through Bath and Bristol on your way north,
you'll explore Roman ruins and seaside shops
before bridging the sea channel to Wales and
completing an afternoon drive in the Black Mountains,
where you'll stay at an evocative Edwardian
manor named Llangoed Hall.  A
heaven for salmon fishers, lovers of literature
- Tintern Abbey is a stone's throw away - and
for castle fanatics, Llangoed is in its own
right a destination, housing a major collection
of British art, one of the finest restaurants
in Wales, and grounds which slope gently down
to the River Wye. You'll have three days to
explore the crags and valleys of Wales, discovering
castles, warmth, and friendship before taking
a 1st class train back to London from Cardiff
for your flight home.
Who
will enjoy this trip:
Lovers of coasts and castles, who want to combine
their history lesson with relaxing on beaches
and in seaside gardens. Admirers of great coastal
and mountain driving. Those who want to see
backcountry Britain in a shorter stay.
Who
should avoid this trip:
Those who want to focus on big cities, and who
wish to keep driving to a minimum. Travelers
needing to travel to the British Isles in October-April,
as these destinations shut down for late fall
and winter.
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