The Somerville Hotel
The Somerville Hotel
The Somerville Hotel
The Somerville Hotel
The Somerville Hotel

Planning a Welsh Extension to a Devon Holiday: Travel Options for Groups

Planning a Welsh Extension to a Devon Holiday: Travel Options for Groups

A week on the English Riviera followed by a few days in north or mid Wales is a tempting combination: sea and gardens first, then mountains, narrow-gauge railways and Cardigan Bay. For a group, the travel between the two is what needs the most thought. These are the questions organisers tend to ask, answered in the order you'll need them.

Does Devon-then-Wales really work as one trip?

Yes, if you treat it as two holidays joined by a travel day rather than one long tour. Each stage has its own base, its own local travel and its own luggage needs. Planning them separately, and then designing the handover between them, avoids most of the problems: the wrong vehicle for the second half, luggage with nowhere to go, or a return journey nobody has thought about.

How does a group get from Devon to Wales?

The options are the familiar ones: your own cars, a hired vehicle, or the train with local transport at the other end. What suits you depends on group size and how much you're carrying. If you drive, one change worth knowing is that tolls on the Severn crossings between England and Wales were abolished on 17 December 2018, as set out in the UK Government's announcement.

Be realistic about the travel day. Porthmadog and Aberystwyth are a long way from Torbay, and the last stretch is on slower roads. Plan it as a full day with proper breaks, and don't book anything time-critical for the evening you arrive.

Should we hire one vehicle for the whole holiday, or one for each stage?

Often one per stage is simpler. A vehicle collected in Devon and dropped in Wales relies on one-way hire, which not every company offers and which may cost extra. Hiring locally for the Welsh stage means the Devon week can be done in your own cars or by public transport, and the Welsh vehicle is chosen for the Welsh plans. Whichever way you go, ask the hirer directly. Don't assume a through-hire is available because a website mentions one-way rentals in general terms.

What can we hire around Porthmadog?

Start by deciding what you need: a car or two for a small group, a van if you're bringing bikes or bulky kit, or something with more seats. For enquiries in that area, you can check vehicle availability in Porthmadog; the page describes car, van, minibus and truck hire in and around the town and says bookings and enquiries are handled by phone only. Confirm the vehicle type, seats, insurance and where you would actually collect it before you plan around it. Treat the local information on any hire page as a starting point and check distances and parking for yourself.

We're too many for cars. Is a minibus from Aberystwyth an option?

It can be, if the group is basing itself on Cardigan Bay and someone can legally drive it. Groups looking at that end of mid Wales can read the minibus hire information for Aberystwyth, which lists vehicles from seven-seaters up to 17-seat minibuses.

The licence question comes first, though. GOV.UK's minibus guidance explains that a car licence may cover a minibus with up to 16 passenger seats only in limited circumstances: no payment from or on behalf of passengers, driving voluntarily for a non-commercial body using the minibus for social purposes, aged 21 or over with at least two years' driving, no trailer, and within a 3,500kg weight limit (4,250kg for electric or hydrogen). Drivers over 70 must also meet Group 2 medical standards. A group of friends splitting the cost of a holiday minibus is unlikely to fit those conditions, so the driver may need full minibus (D1) entitlement. Check every driver's licence entitlement and the hirer's terms for the specific vehicle before you book.

Where does all the luggage go?

This is the question that trips up multi-centre holidays, because everyone has a full week's bags plus whatever was bought along the way. Ask how much luggage space a minibus has with every seat filled. Some groups end up sending luggage in a separate car, or hiring a small van for bags and bikes alongside cars for people. If you do that, remember that people travel only in proper seats. Nobody rides in the back of a van with the luggage.

Check access at the Welsh accommodation too. Can a larger vehicle park there, and is it a long carry from the parking to the door?

What's different about driving in Wales?

The one change that surprises visitors is speed limits in built-up areas. The Welsh Government introduced a default 20mph limit on restricted roads, typically residential streets with street lighting, in September 2023. Some roads have since been set at other limits, so follow the signs rather than assumptions from home.

How should we arrange the journey home?

Separately, and early. Once the Welsh stage ends, the group is a long way from both Devon and, perhaps, home. Decide before you leave who is driving back, what time you're setting off, and whether any hired vehicle is returned in Wales before the journey starts. If drivers are tired after the final day, consider an overnight stop rather than one long push.

Handover checklist between holiday stages

This is not a through-booking service. It's a list to run through so each stage hands cleanly to the next.

Two good holidays joined well beat one long one held together with hope. Settle the handover and both halves can be enjoyed for what they are.