Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Southern England: Stonehenge, the New Forest and the Jurassic Coast
7 days from London: two nights in Salisbury for Stonehenge, Avebury and Magna Carta, two in the New Forest for Beaulieu and Buckler's Hard, and two in Lyme Regis for Durdle Door, Corfe Castle and fossils.
7 days · Round trip from London · up to 12 guests
Salisbury Cathedral from the Close, our base for days 1 to 3 Photo: User:Hassocks5489, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Salisbury_Cathedral_(Cathedral_Church_of_St_Mary),_The_Close,_Salisbury_(NHLE_Code_1023581)_(September_2019)_(2).jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 7 days, 6 nights
- Start and end
- Round trip from London
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Longest drive
- 3.5 h on day 5No drive day is longer than 4 hours.
- Activity level
Moderate
Most days are 2 to 4 hours on foot on level forest tracks, grass, village streets and shingle beaches. The steepest walk is about 3.2 km there and back from Lulworth Cove to Durdle Door on day 5, with steep steps; the optional Golden Cap climb on day 6 is harder. Every walking day has an easier option and the minibus can meet you partway.
- Meals included
- 6 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 2 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 1,225 (estimated price)
- Season
- April to October
Highlights
Why this trip
- Inside the Stonehenge circle outside opening hours where we secure a Stone Circle Access slot, otherwise the first entry of the day
- Walking among the stones at Avebury, where the village sits inside the circle
- Magna Carta of 1215 in the Chapter House of Salisbury Cathedral, under the tallest spire in Britain
- The riverside walk from Beaulieu to Buckler's Hard, where Nelson's warships were built
- Ponies, heath and ancient woods on foot across the New Forest
- Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove at a quarter to ten, before the crowds, then Corfe Castle
- A fossil walk on the beach at Lyme Regis with a local collector, and the Abbotsbury swans
What makes this trip different
Short drives, all published
Every drive is listed day by day, and none is longer than 4 hours.
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 1,225 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
The longest drive is 3.5 h, on day 5.
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
London to Avebury and Salisbury
Central London to Avebury, then south across the Wiltshire downs to Salisbury
- Lunch at Avebury and a welcome dinner in Salisbury
- Stay in Salisbury
- Drive about 3.5 h
We meet at a central London point at 8:30 am (the exact place comes with your final itinerary) and drive about two hours west on the M4 to Avebury, where the village sits inside the largest stone circle in Britain. Unlike Stonehenge, you can walk right up to these stones: your guide leads a loop of about 2 km along the great bank and ditch and down the West Kennet Avenue, with Silbury Hill, the largest prehistoric mound in Europe, in view across the fields.
Afternoon
Lunch, at about 1 pm, is a sit-down meal at a village pub. In the afternoon we cross the downs, about 60 km and an hour and a quarter, and reach Salisbury by about 4 pm.
Evening
Settle in, then join your guide for an easy evening stroll through the Cathedral Close and out to the river meadows, where the spire rises over the water. At 7:30 pm we sit down together to a welcome dinner in the city centre.
Included
- Pick-up at a central London meeting point
- Avebury stone circle, the henge bank and the West Kennet Avenue with your guide
- Sit-down lunch at a village pub in Avebury
- Evening walk through the Cathedral Close and the river meadows
- Welcome dinner in Salisbury
Optional experiences
- The Alexander Keiller Museum at Avebury
Free time: Late afternoon free in Salisbury
Activity: About 4 km on foot through the day, on grass and level paths. If London traffic runs late, the Avebury walk is shortened rather than lunch.
Stonehenge early, then the cathedral and Magna Carta
Salisbury to Stonehenge and back, then the Cathedral Close
- Breakfast
- Stay in Salisbury
- Drive about 45 min
Today starts early, for a good reason.
Morning
Where we have secured a Stone Circle Access slot, English Heritage's small-group visits outside normal opening hours, we leave Salisbury around dawn and walk in among the stones themselves before the site opens to day visitors, a place you otherwise see only from the rope line. Where no slot is available on your dates, we are at the gate for the first timed entry, about 9:30, before the coaches arrive. Either way your guide explains how the circle was built and rebuilt over centuries, from the first earthwork about 5,000 years ago to the great sarsens raised around 2500 BC. Back in Salisbury, we visit the cathedral late morning with a guided tour: built mostly between 1220 and 1258, it has the tallest spire in Britain, at 123 m, and in the Chapter House one of the four surviving original copies of Magna Carta of 1215.
Afternoon
The afternoon is free.
Included
- Stonehenge: Stone Circle Access inside the circle where booked, otherwise the first timed entry, with the visitor centre exhibition
- Salisbury Cathedral with a guided tour
- Magna Carta in the Chapter House
Optional experiences
- Salisbury Cathedral tower tour (332 steps, booked ahead)
- Old Sarum, the hilltop site of the first cathedral
Easier option: Skip the early start: join the group at the hotel for breakfast and meet them at the cathedral at 11.
More active option: Walk the 3 km north along the river to Old Sarum in the afternoon and take the bus or a taxi back.
Free time: Afternoon free in Salisbury
Activity: Stone Circle Access slots are early in the morning and sold in very small numbers; we confirm whether your departure has one when you book. About 3 km on foot at Stonehenge.
Beaulieu and the river walk to Buckler's Hard
Salisbury to Beaulieu, along the Beaulieu River on foot to Buckler's Hard, then Brockenhurst
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Brockenhurst
- Drive about 1.5 h
Morning
We check out after breakfast and drive about an hour south into the New Forest, where ponies graze the verges and have right of way on the roads. We reach Beaulieu at its 10 am opening. One ticket covers Palace House, the Montagu family home built around the gatehouse of a Cistercian abbey that King John founded in 1204, the abbey ruins and cloister, and the National Motor Museum, whose collection runs from Victorian carriages to land-speed record cars. Then we leave the minibus and walk about 3.5 km, flat and easy, along the wooded bank of the Beaulieu River to Buckler's Hard. This single wide street of 18th-century cottages running down to the water was a shipyard that built warships for Nelson's navy, including HMS Agamemnon.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal by the river, then the small maritime museum, and a short drive to Brockenhurst, where we stay two nights. The late afternoon is yours.
Included
- Beaulieu: Palace House, Beaulieu Abbey and the National Motor Museum
- Guided riverside walk from Beaulieu to Buckler's Hard
- Sit-down lunch at Buckler's Hard
- Buckler's Hard and its maritime museum
Easier option: Ride in the minibus from Beaulieu to Buckler's Hard and meet the group for lunch.
Free time: Late afternoon free in Brockenhurst
Activity: About 6 km on foot through the day, on level woodland paths and village streets.
Ponies, tall trees and Lyndhurst
A New Forest loop from Brockenhurst to Rhinefield and Lyndhurst
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Brockenhurst
- Drive about 45 min
The New Forest has been a royal hunting forest since William the Conqueror and a national park since 2005, and it is still grazed by ponies, cattle and donkeys that belong to local commoners. We start on foot from Brockenhurst straight onto the open forest, a loop of about 6 km on gravel tracks across heath and through old oak and beech woods, with your guide explaining how commoning works and why you should never feed the ponies. A short drive takes us to the Rhinefield Ornamental Drive and the Tall Trees Trail, where Victorian conifers stand among the tallest trees in the forest.
Morning
Late morning we reach Lyndhurst: the New Forest Heritage Centre, and St Michael and All Angels church, with Pre-Raphaelite stained glass and the grave of Alice Liddell, the girl who inspired Alice in Wonderland.
Afternoon
Lunch and the afternoon are yours.
Evening
In the evening we drive out to a forest pub for dinner together.
Included
- Guided walk on the open forest from Brockenhurst
- Rhinefield Ornamental Drive and the Tall Trees Trail
- Lyndhurst: the New Forest Heritage Centre and St Michael and All Angels church
- Dinner at a New Forest pub
Optional experiences
- Bike hire in Brockenhurst for the forest gravel tracks
- The train to Lymington for its harbour and Saturday market
Easier option: Skip the morning walk: the minibus takes you to Rhinefield and Lyndhurst, with a level 1 km stroll among the tall trees.
More active option: Spend the afternoon cycling the waymarked forest gravel tracks from Brockenhurst on a hired bike.
Free time: Lunch and afternoon free in Lyndhurst or Brockenhurst
Activity: About 8 km on foot in the morning on level gravel tracks and grass, muddy after rain.
Lulworth Cove, Durdle Door and Corfe Castle
Brockenhurst to Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door, then Corfe Castle, then west to Lyme Regis
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Lyme Regis
- Drive about 3.5 h
Today we reach the Jurassic Coast, England's first natural World Heritage Site, listed by UNESCO in 2001 for about 185 million years of rock history laid out along 153 km of shore.
Morning
We leave Brockenhurst at 8:30 and drive about an hour and a quarter to Lulworth, arriving around 9:45, before the late-morning crowds. Lulworth Cove is an almost perfect circle of water held inside the cliffs; from there your guide walks you over the hill on the coast path to Durdle Door, a limestone arch standing in the sea, about 1.6 km each way with a steep climb.
Afternoon
Then we drive a short way east to the village of Corfe Castle for a sit-down lunch and the castle itself, a royal fortress for about 500 years until Elizabeth I sold it in 1572, later blown apart by Parliament's troops in 1646 after a siege. Late afternoon we drive west through Dorchester, about an hour and three quarters, to Lyme Regis, where we stay two nights.
Evening
The evening is free.
Included
- Lulworth Cove with your guide
- Coast path walk from Lulworth Cove to Durdle Door
- Sit-down lunch in Corfe Castle village
- Corfe Castle
Easier option: Stay at Lulworth Cove: walk the level path around the cove and visit the Lulworth Heritage Centre while the others go to Durdle Door.
More active option: At Corfe, skip the second half of lunch and climb onto the Purbeck ridge above the village for the view down onto the castle, a short, steep walk on grass.
Free time: Evening free in Lyme Regis
Activity: The longest day on the road, about 3 hours 30 minutes in total, broken by two long stops. The Durdle Door path is about 3.2 km there and back with steep steps and loose stone.
Fossils at Lyme Regis and the Abbotsbury swans
Lyme Regis beaches on foot, then east along the coast road to Abbotsbury and back
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Lyme Regis
- Drive about 2 h
Lyme Regis is where Mary Anning found the ichthyosaur and plesiosaur fossils that changed science in the early 19th century, and the cliffs here still shed fossils with every winter storm.
Morning
This morning a local fossil collector takes the group onto the beach for about two hours, timed to the falling tide: how to read the rock layers, where ammonites and belemnites wash out, and what is safe and legal to keep (most loose finds on the beach). Then we visit the Lyme Regis Museum, built on the site of Anning's birthplace.
Afternoon
After a sit-down lunch in town, we drive about an hour east through Bridport to Abbotsbury Swannery, at the western end of the Fleet lagoon behind Chesil Beach, a 29 km bank of shingle, where hundreds of mute swans nest in a colony begun by Benedictine monks in the 11th century.
Evening
We are back in Lyme by about 5:30, and the farewell dinner is in town tonight.
Included
- Fossil walk on the beach with a local collector
- Lyme Regis Museum
- Sit-down lunch in Lyme Regis
- The view over Chesil Beach from Abbotsbury Hill
- Abbotsbury Swannery
- Farewell dinner in Lyme Regis
Easier option: Stay in Lyme Regis for the afternoon: walk out along the Cobb, the old stone harbour wall, and sit on the seafront.
More active option: Instead of the swannery, walk up Golden Cap, at 191 m the highest point on the south coast, from Seatown: about 4 km there and back with a steep climb.
Activity: The fossil walk is on shingle and rock at the foot of unstable cliffs, so we keep to the beach and away from the cliff base. If the tide is wrong in the morning, the fossil walk and the swannery swap.
A last morning in Lyme Regis and the train to London
Lyme Regis to Axminster station, then the train to London Waterloo
- Breakfast
- Drive about 15 min
Morning
The morning is free in Lyme Regis. Walk the Cobb before breakfast while the harbour is quiet, look for fossils on Monmouth Beach on your own with what you learned yesterday, or sit with a coffee on the seafront. We leave at about 11 am and drive about 15 minutes inland to Axminster station, where your guide checks you onto your train.
Afternoon
A standard-class ticket to London Waterloo is included, and direct trains take about 2 hours 45 minutes on the West of England line, passing back through Salisbury on the way, so you are in central London by mid-afternoon.
Evening
For a flight home from Heathrow the same day, book one leaving after about 8 pm, or stay a night in London and we can book it for you. If you would like more time by the sea, stay on in Lyme Regis and take a later train on the same ticket, subject to its rules.
Included
- Drop-off at Axminster station
- Standard-class rail ticket from Axminster to London Waterloo
Free time: Morning free in Lyme Regis
Activity: Book a Heathrow flight leaving after about 8 pm, or a night in London.
- Londonstart
- Salisbury2 nights
- Brockenhurst2 nights
- Lyme Regis2 nights
- Londonend
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: From April to June the New Forest is full of foals and the swannery has its cygnets from about late May into June; in August the forest heath turns purple with heather. Coast-path and beach days depend on the weather and tide, so the guide can swap the fossil walk and the swannery on day 6. July and August are warmest but busiest at Durdle Door and Lyme Regis.
Want this plan in your inbox?
Get the day-by-day itinerary by email, or ask us anything about this trip. A trip planner replies the same or next business day.
Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Travellers who want Stonehenge done properly, early and with Avebury alongside
- People who prefer villages, forest walks and the sea to big-city sightseeing
- First-time visitors to England who would rather not drive on the left
- Curious minds: Magna Carta, Nelson's shipyard, fossils and stone circles in one week
Not for you if you want
- Step-free access: coast paths, shingle beaches and castle ruins are uneven and steep in places
- Travellers who want London sightseeing; the trip leaves London on the first morning
- A beach holiday: we visit coves, but there is no beach day
- The Cotswolds, Bath or Cornwall, which are not on this route
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
6 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Salisbury2 nights
- Brockenhurst2 nights
- Lyme Regis2 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 6 nights: 2 in Salisbury, 2 in Brockenhurst in the New Forest and 2 in Lyme Regis
- Central hotels or inns of a 3-star-plus standard with private bathrooms, walkable to the town centre; we name each hotel when we confirm your dates
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- Pick-up at a central London meeting point on day 1
- A private minibus and professional driver from London to Axminster, sized for 7 to 12 guests, so your bags travel with you
- A standard-class rail ticket from Axminster to London Waterloo on day 7
- All parking fees for included stops
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group for the whole trip, from London to Axminster, leading every walk and visit
- A local fossil collector for the beach walk at Lyme Regis, and local guides where a site requires them
Activities
- Avebury stone circle and the West Kennet Avenue
- Stonehenge: Stone Circle Access where booked, otherwise the first timed entry
- Salisbury Cathedral with a guided tour, and Magna Carta in the Chapter House
- Beaulieu: Palace House, Beaulieu Abbey and the National Motor Museum
- The riverside walk to Buckler's Hard and its maritime museum
- A guided walk on the open New Forest
- Rhinefield Ornamental Drive and Lyndhurst
- Lulworth Cove and the coast path to Durdle Door
- Corfe Castle
- A fossil walk at Lyme Regis with a local collector
- Lyme Regis Museum
- Abbotsbury Swannery and the coast road above Chesil Beach
Meals
- 6 breakfasts
- 4 lunches: Avebury (day 1), Buckler's Hard (day 3), Corfe Castle village (day 5) and Lyme Regis (day 6)
- 3 dinners: a welcome dinner in Salisbury, a New Forest pub dinner and a farewell dinner in Lyme Regis
Not included
- International flights to and from London
- Your hotel in London before day 1
- The UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA)
- Travel insurance
- Lunches on days 2, 4 and 7 and dinners not listed
- Drinks
- Tips
- Optional activities, such as the cathedral tower tour, Old Sarum or bike hire
- Personal expenses
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 1,225 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
What does the price include?
Six nights in central hotels or inns, 6 breakfasts, 4 sit-down lunches and 3 dinners, a private minibus and driver from London, your See Sight Tours guide throughout, Stonehenge, Avebury, Salisbury Cathedral and Magna Carta, Beaulieu, Buckler's Hard, Corfe Castle, a fossil walk with a local collector, the Lyme Regis Museum, Abbotsbury Swannery and a rail ticket back to London.
Can we go inside the stone circle at Stonehenge?
Where we secure one, yes. English Heritage sells a small number of Stone Circle Access visits outside opening hours, and we book them for our departures where we can and tell you at booking. It depends on the month: late-June and late-September to October departures usually cannot have it. Otherwise we take the first timed entry of the day, about 9:30, and view the stones from the path that circles them, as all day visitors do.
How big is the group?
Between 7 and 12 guests, never more. That fits one minibus that can reach Buckler's Hard, Lulworth and the forest lanes, and one table at the pub. If you want an even smaller group, the private version is your party only, on a date you choose.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group for all 7 days, from the London pick-up to the Axminster drop-off, and leads every walk and visit. A professional driver handles the minibus. A local fossil collector leads the beach walk at Lyme Regis, and we add local guides where a site requires them.
How fit do I need to be?
Moderate. Most days are 2 to 4 hours on foot on level tracks, streets and beaches. The hardest walk is about 3.2 km there and back from Lulworth Cove to Durdle Door, with steep steps. Every walking day has an easier option, and the minibus can meet you partway.
I'm travelling solo. What does a single room cost?
A room of your own costs from CAD 1,225 more than the shared price, shown before you book with no surprise later. Solo travellers get the same rooms, seats and meals as everyone else, and the price you see for a single room is the price you pay.
When is the best time to go?
April to October. May, June and September bring long days and fewer crowds, with foals in the New Forest and cygnets at Abbotsbury in late spring. July and August are warmest but busiest at Durdle Door and Lyme Regis. Expect some rain and wind in any month.
How does booking work?
Choose a start date and send a request to book. We check availability and provide the final quote, itinerary and booking terms before you accept. No payment is taken when you send the request. The small group starts from CAD 7,210 per person sharing, with taxes included.
Can I do this trip on my own dates?
Yes, as a private trip for your party only, on a date you choose, with your own guide and vehicle. If you would rather travel independently, ask us from the dates section and we will quote the same hotels, entries and transfers without a guide; that is a separate inquiry, not a style on this page.
Do Canadians and Americans need a visa for England?
No visa is needed for a tourist visit, but Canadian and US citizens need a UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before they fly. You apply online or in the official app, and it usually comes back within a few days. Other passports: check before you book and we will help.
Will we really find fossils at Lyme Regis?
Most groups do. The cliffs between Lyme Regis and Charmouth shed fossils every winter, and a local collector shows you where ammonites and belemnites wash out on the beach. Loose beach finds can usually be kept. The walk is timed to the falling tide, so it may move to the afternoon.
Why this route instead of the Cotswolds?
Because it is quieter and has the sea. Travellers on forums often point people who want villages and walks towards the New Forest and Dorset rather than the busiest Cotswolds villages. You still get Stonehenge, a great cathedral and thatched villages, plus forest, the Jurassic Coast and fossils. Our Cornwall and Devon trip covers the far south-west.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
Book your Tour
Get in Touch
- Toll Free1-888-961-6584
- Local1-289-271-9767
© 2026 See Sight Tours. All rights reserved.