Road Trips From Exeter – Exploring the South West of England

Exeter and the South West of England

Why bother hopping on a plane overseas when some of most stunning landscapes, charming towns and beautiful vistas exist right here on your doorstep? Exeter, and the South West in general, can offer unique experiences that can rival any international destination! From the historic city of Exeter, with its vibrant culture and impressive architecture, to the breath-taking natural beauty of Devon and Cornwall, there’s something for everyone to enjoy here. So before booking that flight, have a look at some of our road trip ideas below and see exactly just what this beautiful region can offer!

Hiring a Car In Exeter and the South West

With it being mostly rural, relying on public transport in the South West can be spotty at best. Luckily for you though, hiring a car there has never been easier! With branches all across Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Dorset, no matter your destination we should have an easy pickup point close by! Here’s a table with our most popular locations below:

Barnstaple	Bath	Bodmin
Bournemouth	Bristol Temple Meads Station	Bristol Airport
Christchurch	Dorchester	Exeter Airport
Exeter City	Ferndown	Newquay Airport
Newquay City	Newton Abbot	Penryn
Penzance	Plymouth	Poole
Taunton	Torquay	Trowbridge
Truro	Weston-super-mare	Yeovil

Of course this is far from exhaustive, and we even have options for delivery / pickup as well, so just let us know if you have any specific requirements.

Top Road Trip Destinations in the South West

So what exactly is there to do in the South West of England? Well if I’m honest answering what isn’t there would be an easier question! Nonetheless though I’ll attempt to answer it below with a few of the top road trip destinations we have below for you:

Dartmoor National Park

Established as a National Park back in 1951, Dartmoor is a vast, sprawling moorland in Devon with absolutely breath-taking views, and has a wide variety of attractions with something to offer for everyone! These include (but certainly not limited to!) hundreds of tors for walking or climbing, such as the famous Haytor or Brentor tors, a plethora of reservoirs and rivers for canoeing and kayaking, and of course the famous Dartmoor ponies make it a perfect place for horse-riding too! Not to mention the neolithic and ancient Bronze Age settlements to visit such as Grimspound for the history buffs out there.

The Jurassic Coast

The Jurassic Coast probably needs no introduction, but it’s a near continuous 95 mile long stretch of coastline ranging from Exmouth in Devon to Studland Bay in Dorset, renowned for its stunning natural beauty and geological significance. It get its name from the cliffside running alongside it that has been eroded over the years, revealing an extensive geological record from the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods of history. An absolute dream come true for fossil finders and history lovers, with the idyllic, picturesque scenery being reason enough to visit for the rest of us!

The Somerset Countryside

The Somerset countryside is a quintessential slice of rural England, characterized by its rolling green hills and patchwork fields. That doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty to see and do though! The most notable attraction is likely Cheddar Gorge, next to the village of Cheddar – the very same one that the cheese got its name from! Cheddar Gorge is England’s largest gorge, with its towering limestone cliffs creating one of the most iconic landscapes in the country, a perfect place for hiking. It’s also home to an extensive cave network as well for those after something a bit more daring! After a day of adventuring you can always close out the evening with a trip to the city of Bath too, a historic Roman spa town famous for it’s ancient Roman baths.

North Cornwall Coast

The north Cornwall coast is perhaps lesser known but certainly no less worthwhile visiting – this is where you can find all those hidden gems, beaches tucked away from the larger population. There’s plenty of well known ones too, such as Widemouth Bay by Bude, with it’s large sandy beach perfect for watersports, and the quiet, craggy Treyarnon Bay, ideal for rock pooling and picnics. The captivating Tintagel Castle is a must visit too, a medieval castle long rumoured to be the conception of the legends of King Arthur. And last but nowhere near least is the magnificent Bude Tunnel, one of the countries most prized tourist attractions.

Of course this isn’t even close to exhaustive, there’s also all the small Cornish towns like St Ives and Penzance, the sights in Exeter itself such as the Exeter Cathedral, there’s Lyme Regis, Gloucester, Bristol – we haven’t even mentioned Stonehenge! So we strongly encourage you to do your own research online to plan the perfect trip for you.

Tips for a Smooth Road Trip in South West England

Our job at Indigo is to make sure you have the smoothest rental experience possible, and here are some tips to help achieve that goal. A lot of these can apply to renting anywhere but there are some more specific to the region:

Choose the right vehicle. This is very dependant on what you are doing – the southwest is quite rural so if you’re travelling down a lot of rugged country roads then perhaps a 4×4 or something more raised off the ground would be more appropriate. If you’re just travelling on smaller B roads between towns though then a small city car would be perfectly fine.
Plan your journey in advance. This is also relevant to the first point as well, but out in the sticks the signal isn’t always quite so reliable on your phone and GPS. It helps to plan your journey beforehand and maybe even print out a map as well just in case. Petrol stations are also a bit fewer and further in between too so worth keeping that in mind.
Book in advance. The southwest can be a popular place, especially in the summer during peak periods, and as such a lot of the branches can be quite prone to selling out. We always recommend booking with as much notice as possible, that way you can guarantee your vehicle and make sure you’re getting the best price possible.
Make sure you read the contract before signing when collecting the car. It’s important to make sure that you’re paying matches exactly what you agreed when booking – sometimes extras are added without realising, just a quick glance over the contract before signing can ensure you don’t accidentally sign for something you don’t want.
Take pictures of the car from all angles before setting off. If any damage is noticed that’s not been marked down on the damage report, then having the pictures as proof that the damage was already there is the easiest and simplest way of solving any damage claims. Even if you have full cover it can just save some headaches later on.

We are always available to contact anytime as well if you need anything at all during the rental, either on phone, email or Whatsapp. Even out of hours don’t hesitate to give us a call for any emergencies!

Have Any Specific Requirements?

Here at Indigo we pride ourself on catering too as many people and niche requirements as possible. Are you over 75 and struggling to hire a car? Or do you keep getting refused for not having a credit card? We have solutions to all these issues and more, here are just some of the special requirements we offer in the region: