Southern Belle Loop

Fourteen nights looping out of Atlanta through the Appalachians and down to the Carolina coast, with three nights on a beach in the middle of it. Flights, car and hotels are arranged together from the UK with a road book for the route.

It starts at Stone Mountain, then climbs into the Great Smoky Mountains for two nights, which in autumn is as good as the eastern United States gets for colour. Two nights in Asheville follow, with the Biltmore Estate, still the largest private house in the country, and the North Carolina Arboretum beside it. Chimney Rock and a lunch stop in Columbia break the drive east.

Two nights in Charleston bring the City Market and the live oaks, and then the trip slows right down: three nights on Hilton Head Island, which is the point of this route rather than a detour. Savannah follows for two nights, a city laid out around twenty-two squares under Spanish moss, with the Bonaventure Cemetery on the river. Two nights back in Atlanta close it.

Around 1,025 miles over a fortnight, with six of the seven stops lasting two nights or three. A loop means one airport at both ends, which keeps the flights simple. The itinerary is bespoke, with nights addable and stops removable, and departures arranged around your dates. It suits anyone who wants mountains and a beach in the same fortnight without the music-city marathon, and who likes the idea of three nights somewhere with nothing much to do but walk.