London to Cornwall - Overnight stop or go all thway in one day?

[imme]

We're off to Cornwall in July and will stay near Bodmin. We have done the journey in the past in one day but I am now thinking about breaking up the journey into two days. We have a baby girl who hates going in the car so I thought we should keep travelling time to a minimum.
If we did the journey in one day we would leave very early on Saturday. If we did it in two days we would leave on Friday lunchtime, stay somewhere on route and then take it a bit easier on the Saturday in order to arrive at the cottage early afternoon.
What do people recommend? And if we stay somewhere en route, where would be a nice place?
Cheers

[Mothergothel1111]

We drive through the night on long journeys. Lift the babies at 1 am and drive. ( so dh can have a few hours in bed)

Pack your car the day before.

Children wake up on holiday!!

[imme]

Thanks for all your input. I am slowly coming around to the idea of leaving at 4 am on Saturday morning and then do it all in one day.
But would love to add a couple of days somewhere at the end, because otherwise 1 week of holidays is just not enough...

[eatyourveg]

In that case, come back slowly stopping for a picnic lunch at Burgh Island, tea and overnight in Lyme Regis, stroll along the cob before breakfast and spend the day exploring the Jurassic coast before heading up to Salisbury or Winchester for dinner and a look around the following day. From there you can head straight up the M3 and be home for tea.

If you don't want to head inland then I'd go for Purbeck and spend the day on Brownsea Island. Its easy to get onto the M27/M3 from there.

[Auriga]

We used to leave early on Saturday morning with a long stop at Farmer Giles for a play and a picnic (they do good food but sometimes there are long queues). It was part of the holiday, we'd meet friends there and have a good play. Then finish the journey with them all sparked out.

[Auriga]

Oops, sorry, looks as though Farmer Giles not open except for school trips

[worldgonecrazy]

Leave at 3.00 a.m. in the morning - breakfast in Cornwall. Sorted.

[Doristhecamel]

Saturday travel to tge southwest in July and August is awful. I would go Friday evening. Say leave 7pmish. Drive all the way. You could be there in a lot less than 6 hours.
Either book a travel lodge well past Exeter or add the Friday onto your accommodation and just plan to get there late like 1am or something.

Leaving on the Friday evening will get you there the quickest which is what you are after if baby hates the car.
Leaving Friday lunchtime will take longer.

[Pooka]

The problem with the eagle is that it's on the other carriageway on way down to cornwall. You can turn across into it, but it would be big hassle trying to find a gap in traffic to cross the London hound traffic to rejoin the west bound carriageway. Is ok for a pit stop on the way back to London though.

[Hjthorne]

We live near the M5-Weston s mare,Somerset and the M5 is always clogged up,from 8am onwards,Southbound,for the 7 week school holidays... I suggest you either leave very early-4am .or travel later-in the late afternoon or evening.

[neffi]

From SW London we leave at 5 am ish and stop for breakfast somewhere along the A303. You really do beat the worst of the traffic leaving earlier.

Two weeks this year. Yippee!