The South West is long. Cornwall is further from us than Edinburgh, and the road network thins out considerably west of Exeter, where the A30 and A38 carry almost everything. Bristol and Gloucestershire are quick and simple runs; the far south west needs more planning, particularly in summer when the trunk roads are busy.
Free delivery to South West England
Delivery is free to South West England on every container we sell, and the price you see is the price you pay — nothing is added at checkout. Offload by HIAB or crane is agreed in writing before delivery, so you know how the container is coming off the lorry before it leaves us. This page is one of our UK delivery areas.
Ports serving South West England
- Bristol (Avonmouth and Royal Portbury)
- Plymouth
- Falmouth
- Poole
- Teignmouth
Avonmouth and Royal Portbury together form the main port complex on the Bristol Channel and handle the bulk of the region’s container traffic. Plymouth and Falmouth serve the far south west, though many containers destined for Cornwall still arrive by road from further east.
Roads and routes into South West England
The M4 and M5 make Bristol, Gloucestershire and Somerset fast to reach. Beyond Exeter the region depends on the A30 and A38, with the A303 as the alternative from the east and the A39 and A361 covering north Devon and the coast. Cornwall is reached across the Tamar at Saltash, and in summer the trunk roads carry very heavy tourist traffic that changes what is achievable in a day.
Areas we cover
- Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly
- Devon, Exeter and Plymouth
- Dorset
- Somerset
- Wiltshire
- Gloucestershire
- Bristol and Bath
- Torbay
- The Cotswolds
Site access
Cornwall and Devon have the tightest lanes in England, with high hedgebanks that leave no room to manoeuvre and no room to reverse out of a mistake. It is worth being honest with us about the final approach. Deliveries to the Isles of Scilly require a sea crossing and separate arrangement.
A loaded 40ft container arrives on an articulated lorry. In the UK an artic runs to a maximum of 44 tonnes gross and is around 16.5 metres long, so it needs firm, reasonably level ground, room to turn, and space clear of overhead cables and branches for the offload. A 10ft or 20ft unit is considerably more forgiving. Our guide to delivery access, craning and ground preparation sets out what to check. If you are unsure whether your site works, tell us about the approach and we will tell you honestly before you order.
Planning permission in South West England
Planning control in England sits with your local planning authority. Dartmoor and Exmoor National Parks are separate planning authorities, and the Cotswolds, Cornwall, North Devon, South Devon, Dorset, Mendip Hills, Blackdown Hills, Quantock Hills and Cranborne Chase are all National Landscapes (formerly AONBs). This region has more designated landscape than any other, so the designation covering your address is worth checking early. Our guide to planning permission for a shipping container explains the principles so you can ask the right question. It is general information, not planning advice — your local planning authority has the final word.
Delivery timing to South West England
Bristol and Gloucestershire are quick runs. West of Exeter the last stretch is the slow part, so a container heading for west Cornwall or north Devon needs more notice than the map suggests. Deliveries to the Isles of Scilly involve a sea crossing and are arranged separately.
Nearby delivery areas
- Shipping containers in Wales
- Shipping containers in the West Midlands
- Shipping containers in South East England
- Shipping containers to the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey
Or see every region on the container delivery areas page.
Buying a container in South West England
You can browse shipping containers, storage containers, high cube containers, refrigerated containers, site cabins and modified containers, or see the full container range. Every container is sold outright — we do not hire.
Read the condition guide to understand the difference between new, one-trip and used grades, the buyer’s guide for choosing between sizes and specifications, or the delivery information page for how offload and access are handled. If you would rather talk it through, request a quote and tell us where the container is going.
County pages
More detail on the ports, roads, site access and planning regime for individual counties in this region: