Stonehenge, Devon & Cornwall — Self-Launched 5-Day Version
5 days · South West England (Stonehenge, Devon & Cornwall)
On The Go Tours charges £1,150
No-markup version: ~£600 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched version of On The Go Tours' 5-day "Stonehenge, Devon & Cornwall (Hotel)" coach tour, which the operator runs on the ground in partnership with Rabbie's. Instead of a guided minibus, you ride the same corridors by train, bus and local day-trip shuttle: Salisbury plain for Stonehenge, Exeter as a two-night base for Dartmoor, then Falmouth for the far west — Tintagel, Boscastle, St Michael's Mount, Land's End, St Ives and Minack via local transport and self-bookable day tours. Costs are approximate per person, assume shared hostel/guesthouse rooms and a mix of self-catering and pub meals, and exclude international flights. Booking well ahead on GWR advance fares is the single biggest saving.
Day-by-day
London to Exeter via Stonehenge & Winchester
London → Salisbury Plain → Exeter
Catch an early GWR train from London Waterloo or Paddington to Salisbury (~1.5 hrs, £20–35 advance). From Salisbury, the Stonehenge Tour bus (Stagecoach, ~£18 return including the hop-on hop-off loop) runs to the visitor centre and stone circle — pre-book the Stonehenge timed entry slot online (~£26–29) and you get the exhibition, replica village and land-train shuttle to the stones included, exactly what the coach tour includes. Back in Salisbury, detour to Winchester by train (~20 mins) if you want the Norman Great Hall, the cathedral and its copy of the Round Table, then continue west by GWR train to Exeter St Davids (~2 hrs, £18–30 advance). Exeter has plenty of YHA-/independent-style guesthouses and budget hotels near the Quayside; base yourself there for two nights.
🚌GWR train London → Salisbury (~£25 advance); Stagecoach Stonehenge Tour bus (~£18 return); GWR train Salisbury → Exeter (~£22 advance)
🛏Budget guesthouse or hostel double/twin near Exeter Quayside (~£45–65/room, ~£25pp)
- →Stonehenge timed entry + visitor centre exhibition
- →Land train shuttle to the stone circle
- →Salisbury Cathedral (optional, donation)
- →Winchester Cathedral & Norman Great Hall (optional)
Exeter city walls & Dartmoor by local bus
Exeter & Dartmoor
Morning on foot in Exeter: the Roman/medieval city walls circuit, Exeter Cathedral (£8ish), the Royal Albert Memorial Museum (free) and a stroll along Exeter Quayside for coffee. In the afternoon, the Stagecoach 359 (or the Haytor Hoppa in season) runs from Exeter toward Bovey Tracey and Haytor on Dartmoor — pay the driver, no booking needed. Walk to Haytor Rocks, or take the 118/171 to Postbridge to see the medieval Clapper Bridge and the moorland village of Widecombe-in-the-Moor. Pubs on the moor are the foodie highlight: a pasty lunch plus a Devon cream tea should set you back £12–18. Return to Exeter on the same bus in the evening.
🚌Stagecoach day rover on Dartmoor (~£10–14) or single fares ~£5–7 each way
🛏Budget guesthouse or hostel double/twin near Exeter Quayside (~£25pp)
- →Exeter city walls & Cathedral Green
- →Royal Albert Memorial Museum (free entry)
- →Exeter Quayside
- →Haytor Rocks or Postbridge Clapper Bridge on Dartmoor
- →Widecombe-in-the-Moor village
Exeter to Falmouth via Tintagel & Boscastle
North Cornwall → Falmouth
This is the day the coach tour spends on the minibus, and it's the trickiest to self-launch — do it with a small-group day tour or by train-and-bus combo. The most efficient route: book a North Cornwall day tour from Exeter or Newquay via GetYourGuide/Klook that covers Tintagel Castle (£16ish English Heritage admission), Boscastle and Port Isaac (expect £55–75 for a small-group day trip). Independent alternative: GWR train Exeter → Bodmin Parkway or Newquay (£15–22), then the First Kernow 55/95 up to Camelford/Tintagel, and the 595 along the coast to Boscastle — much slower but only ~£12 in fares. Cream tea in Boscastle and the Museum of Witchcraft (£8) are easy add-ons. Overnight: take the train Bodmin Parkway → Falmouth Docks (~1 hr, £10–14) and check into a Falmouth guesthouse for two nights — the town's seafront hostel/guesthouse stock is cheaper than St Ives.
🚌Small-group North Cornwall day tour (~£65) or GWR + First Kernow buses (~£25); train Bodmin Parkway → Falmouth (~£12)
🛏Falmouth guesthouse or hostel double/twin (~£55–70/room, ~£30pp)
- →Tintagel Castle (English Heritage)
- →Boscastle harbour & Museum of Witchcraft
- →Port Isaac village
- →Cream tea stop
St Michael's Mount, Minack, Land's End & St Ives
West Cornwall (Falmouth base)
West Cornwall's sights are strung out with thin bus coverage, so a hop-on-hop-off or small-group West Cornwall day tour from Falmouth/Penzance is the pragmatic self-launch (GetYourGuide, ~£55–70). DIY version: Falmouth → Penzance by train (~45 mins, £8–10), bus 1/1A to Marazion for St Michael's Mount (causeway free, castle £14 if open), the 1/1A west to Porthcurno for Minack Theatre (theatre entry ~£8–10, garden-only tickets cheaper) and Porthcurno beach, then onward to Land's End (£12ish for the 'Land's End Experience'). Finish in St Ives — Tate St Ives and the Barbara Hepworth garden cost £10–12 each, galleries free — and ride the scenic St Erth branch line back (£4). Train back to Falmouth in the evening.
🚌West Cornwall small-group day tour (~£62) or train + First Kernow day rover (~£20)
🛏Falmouth guesthouse or hostel double/twin (~£30pp)
- →St Michael's Mount causeway & castle (optional)
- →Minack Theatre & Porthcurno beach
- →Land's End coastal path
- →St Ives Tate & Barbara Hepworth sculpture garden
- →St Erth–St Ives branch line (one of Britain's great rail journeys)
Bodmin Moor & Glastonbury Tor en route to London
Falmouth → Glastonbury → London
Check out and take the train Falmouth → Truro, then GWR Truro → Castle Cary (~2 hrs 15, £25–35 advance) — Castle Cary is the rail gateway to Glastonbury. From there, the 667/1 bus or a £10–12 taxi covers the 20 minutes into town. Walk up Glastonbury Tor for the Somerset Levels panorama (free), explore the Abbey ruins (£11), and have lunch in town — the High Street is full of vegetarian cafés and pubs (£10–14). In the late afternoon, bus/taxi back to Castle Cary and take a GWR train to London Paddington (~1 hr 45, £20–30 advance). If you'd rather break the journey, Bruton and Frome on the same line are both worth a wander.
🚌GWR Falmouth → Truro → Castle Cary (~£30 advance); local bus/taxi Castle Cary → Glastonbury (~£10); GWR Castle Cary → London (~£25 advance)
🛏N/A — tour ends in London
- →Bodmin Moor views from the Truro line
- →Glastonbury Tor climb (free)
- →Glastonbury Abbey ruins
- →Glastonbury town & lunch
Self-launched vs. On The Go Tours
| This itinerary (self-launched) | On The Go Tours | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£600 | £1,150 |
| Duration | 5 days | 5 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £550 per person (48%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more On The Go Tours-style trips? Check them out here.~£600
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
Customise with Tour BusterCreated by
Travel Crew
0 trips
Frequently asked questions
How much does Stonehenge, Devon & Cornwall — Self-Launched 5-Day Version cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £600 per person for 5 days in South West England (Stonehenge, Devon & Cornwall). This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with On The Go Tours?+
Yes — On The Go Tours charges around £1,150 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £600 — a saving of roughly £550 (48%) per person.
How long is the South West England (Stonehenge, Devon & Cornwall) trip?+
This itinerary runs 5 days, covering 5 day-by-day stops through South West England (Stonehenge, Devon & Cornwall).
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a culture, adventure, slow-travel trip through South West England (Stonehenge, Devon & Cornwall), self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
Drop your comment below — if you've done a similar route, tell us what worked, what you'd add, or what you'd skip.
No comments yet — be the first to share your take.
Sign in to leave a comment.