← The Weekend Day 01 of 03 Friday
Friday · The Opening Act

Engines,
Stones &
the Jurassic Coast.

John collects Haruna and Amina, and the three head west. Surrey racetrack curves, then Salisbury Plain, then a limestone arch on the Dorset coast that the sea spent a few million years carving. Bed in Bath.

Total Drive
5h 30m spread out
Stops
Four + overnight
Distance
~270 miles
Friday's Route · Tap a pin
01
09:30 — 11:30 // 2 hours

Mercedes-Benz World

Brooklands, Weybridge · Surrey

The opening act, and a soft start: a free-to-enter shrine to German engineering set on the curves of the original Brooklands racetrack. Glass atrium, classic SLs, Lewis Hamilton's silver arrows, simulators upstairs. If Haruna or Amina has any opinions about cars, we'll find them here.

Pro tip If we want the real thrill, John pre-books an AMG hot lap or wet skid pan — they sell out for weekends. 35 minutes from Bracknell.
1h 40m drive · A303 westbound
02
13:10 — 14:40 // 1.5 hours

Stonehenge

Salisbury Plain · Wiltshire

Five thousand years old and still the most enigmatic stone circle on Earth. The audio guide is genuinely good — it walks through how Neolithic people moved 25-tonne sarsens across hundreds of miles, with nothing but wood, rope, and stubbornness. Easily the most "we are very small in the timeline of things" stop of the weekend.

Book ahead Timed-entry tickets sell out for weekends. Aim for a 13:00 slot. Free shuttle from the visitor centre, or walk it for the dramatic approach across the plain.
1h 40m drive · south to the coast
03
16:20 — 17:50 // 1.5 hours

Durdle Door

Jurassic Coast · Dorset

A natural limestone arch carved by the sea over a few million years. Steep walk down from the clifftop car park; turquoise water below; Jurassic-era fossils embedded in the rock under our shoes. This is where Haruna and Amina take the photo that ends up framed on a wall back home.

Wear shoes The path down is unpaved and sharp. Parking is £12+ but unavoidable. The afternoon light hitting the arch is unbeatable.
10 min drive · along the cove road
04
18:00 — 18:30 // 30 min

Lulworth Cove

Same parking ticket · Dorset

A near-perfect circle of bay carved out of the cliffs — a geology textbook in real life. Quick stroll, ice cream from the kiosk, photos against the chalk cliffs. Then we point the car north and chase golden hour to Bath.

Time it If sunset is later than 18:30 (April–September), linger here for the light. If earlier, push on so we reach Bath by 8pm for dinner.
1h 30m drive · north through Wessex
05
20:00 onwards // rest of the night

Bath

Overnight · Somerset

We roll into the honey-stoned UNESCO city, drop bags, head out for dinner. Sotto Sotto for proper Italian (book ahead — small and popular), The Scallop Shell for seafood, or Beckford Canteen for something modern. Bed early; Saturday's a walking day, and Haruna and Amina are doing well to still be standing.

A very good Friday awaits