uk road trip map

UK Road Trip – 18 Unmissable Routes

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Top United Kingdom Road Trip Ideas

If you want to escape day-to-day life, explore new destinations and enjoy travel freedom, then plan a UK road trip. And where better than in the glorious isles of the United Kingdom, where landscapes vary from the gentle to the dramatic, and roads thread through the patchwork countryside between quaint villages and historic towns?

Whether you’re looking for an epic Scottish adventure through highlands and glens, a gentle potter along one of England’s beautiful coastlines, a fast-paced action-packed Welsh road trip, or you like Northern Ireland’s road less travelled, you’ll find it here, amongst our collection of the eighteen best road trips in the United Kingdom.

If you’ve got wheels, we’ve got the best UK road trip ideas for you!

Getting to the UK

The UK has over 40 airports meaning there will be one which is perfectly located for the start point of your road trip. We recommend booking through Skyscanner for live deals and the best prices.

• London Heathrow, Gatwick and Stanstead, Manchester, Newcastle and Birmingham are best for English road trips .
• Fly into Belfast City and Belfast International for Northern Irish road trips .
• Head for Edinburgh and Glasgow International for Scottish road trips .
• Cardiff, Bristol or Birmingham Airport are best for Welsh road trips .

You can hire a car  at any of these airports and be on your chosen UK driving route within an hour of landing. Book your rental car well in advance and use a car hire booker like Rentalcars.com  who will provide the best deals from all the top car hire companies.  How?  Because they have such a large market share, they’ve got way more buying power than individuals and can negotiate much harder on price.

For a real adventure , hire a motorhome or campervan in the UK. We recommend Motorhome Republic , an aggregate booking site who pull together all the best deals from a number of rental agencies, to offer you a wide choice of options alongside an excellent English speaking expert motorhome Concierge Team.

Best Time to Take a UK Road Trip

December to february.

The winter months in the UK are often cold and wet, more so if you head to Scotland or Northern Ireland. Although other visitors will be thinner on the ground, the weather may hinder you from seeing everything you want to, accommodation options may be limited and the driving experience will be a lot less enjoyable.

March to May

Late spring is a wonderful time to visit the UK, as the cold and wet retreats and gives way to kinder weather. Wildflowers appear, baby animals abound and life picks up a lively pace again. But, remember that the country is so lush because it rains frequently, so always be prepared for a downpour, or a few drizzly days when you plan a UK road trip.

June to August

Summer brings sunshine to all of the UK, with south Wales and the western coast of Scotland getting the best of the Gulf Stream. This is the perfect time to visit for outdoor adventures such as hiking and coasteering and ideal if you’re in a tent or motorhome wild camping.

September to November

Autumn is a fantastic time to explore the UK . The coasts will be quieter but still warm and the glorious colours of fall bring vibrancy to the countryside. Don’t leave it too late, it will be cold and wet again by mid-October.

Is this your first time visiting the UK? Get all the information you need in our United Kingdom Travel Guide , including what to pack, the best time of year to go, getting there and practical tips to help you have the best trip!

UK Road Trip Planner

The United Kingdom is a small but diverse country and it can be hard to decide where to take a road trip. Whatever type of road trip you enjoy, and whether you’ve got one week or one month for your UK trip, you’ll find an itinerary here that’s right for you!

UK Road Trip Map

England Road Trips

Devon & cornwall, barnstable – rock – padstow – newquay – st ives – sennen – porthcurno – penzance.

The most south-westerly county in England has some of the best beaches the country has to offer. You’ll also find plenty of quaint seaside towns, stunning landscapes and lots of fantastic days out, which make Cornwall one of the best UK road trips for families.

The drive down the M5 or A303 can be long and slow, especially at the weekends when lots of self-catering accommodation providers have their change-over days. Try and head down mid-week and break up the journey before you get to the A30, the main arterial road through the county.

Visit the  Eden Project on the way, an amazing place to explore, and not to be missed when you’re driving so close by.

Alternatively, take the Atlantic Highway from Barnstable, just south of the glorious Exmoor National Park, to Newquay. This route takes you into Cornwall on the A39 road, passing some of the  best beaches in north Devon  on the way. As you head south, enjoy the walking and cycling trails on North Devon’s aptly named Adventure Coast.

The Camel Estuary

With pretty Padstow on one side of the estuary and trendy Rock on the other, this is a fantastic family destination with lots to do. Try your hand at surfing or body-boarding in Rock or just have fun in the waves. Eat delicious, locally caught fish in Padstow restaurants and enjoy strolling the charming harbour and town. 

The most famous of all Cornish holiday and seaside towns, St Ives is graced with a couple of superb beaches and a lively ambience in the busy and picturesque town and harbour and is a must-stop on any  Cornwall road trip .

With shops, restaurants and bars open long into the evening in summer, and several world-renowned galleries, St Ives has a cosmopolitan feel and is perfectly placed for day trips around the south of Cornwall. It can get very busy here in the high season, if you’re travelling as a couple, visit before UK schools break up for summer if you possibly can. 

Porthcurno & Around

The tip of the Cornish peninsula has some amazing coves and beaches. Porthcurno is one of our all-time favourite beaches and is overlooked by the Minack Theatre, which you should visit, if only for the spectacular views. Get to the beach early in the summer months, the car park fills quickly.

Elsewhere on the peninsula, Sennen Cove and the  tin mines at Botallack  provide a fascinating insight into Cornish history.

Head east for charming Mousehole (pronounced Mowzle), one of Cornwall’s hidden gems (as much as anything in this part of the world can be!).

Penzance, of pirate fame, and the splendid  St. Michael’s Mount , accessible on foot when the tide is out, are all within a few miles of each other and well worth a visit.

RELATED POSTS: Cornwall Road Trip: The Best Itinerary, Map & Tips | Atlantic Highway: An Epic Devon & Cornwall Road Trip

Make sure you have travel insurance you can trust when visiting the United Kingdom . We recommend True Traveller for their 5-star TrustPilot reviews, variety of cover options, best activities cover as standard, great prices and excellent service.

The Cotswolds

Burford – cheltenham – painswick – bath.

Is there anywhere more perfectly English than the Cotswolds? The lush and rolling countryside of southwest England is dotted with honeyed picture-perfect villages set around duck ponds and greens, and the winding country lanes are lined with stone walls and hedgerows.

The region is recognised as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and offers close encounters with wildlife and birdwatching opportunities at the  Slimbridge Wetland Centre .

If you prefer a bit more activity, paddle boarding, kayaking and archery are all available at the  Cotswold Water Park , and there are lots of great cycling and hiking routes in the area. If you’re looking for a gentle escape and a slow pace, this is a perfect 1 week road trip in the UK.

The medieval town of Burford, just 30 minutes west of historic Oxford and an hour and 45 minutes by car from  London , is on the edge of the so-called ‘Golden Triangle’, bordered by the A40, A44 and A429.

The triangle is home to some of the most idyllic chocolate box villages of the Cotswolds, including Kingham, Churchill, Broadwell, Bledington and Oddington, and a perfect place to start a Cotswolds road trip.

Burford itself has changed little over the centuries, other than becoming one of the most popular tourist spots in the area. Stroll down the famous High Street, lined with half-timbered houses and Georgian architecture, as it descends to the River Windrush.

Dip in and out of the side streets and alleys for hidden treasures, more historic buildings and great places to stop for lunch. 

Painswick, known as ‘The Queen of the Cotswolds’, is a beautiful and historic wool town. One of the best-preserved settlements in the Cotswolds, built from locally quarried stone, Painswick is a great starting point to travel around the area.

Close enough to Cheltenham to make exploring easy, there are many small country roads and tiny villages between Painswick and Cheltenham to discover.

Sitting halfway along the  Cotswold Way National Trail , Painswick is surrounded by fabulous hiking country and is a great base to start from. Painswick Beacon has spectacular views across the Severn Valley to the mountains of Wales.

End your road trip in the historic Roman and Georgian spa city of Bath. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Bath is famous for its hot springs, Roman baths, Medieval heritage and elegant Georgian architecture.

Visit the fascinating  Roman Baths  which date from AD43, to see how the Romans liked to relax. At the more modern end of the scale, take a dip in the contemporary  Thermae Bath Spa , which houses the only natural thermal hot springs in Britain.

Make time to admire the iconic Royal Crescent and the majestic Circus to see the fine period architecture which epitomises the city that was home to the author, Jane Austen.

Bournemouth – Swanage – Corfe Castle – Kimmeridge – Lulworth – Weymouth – Portland – Abbotsbury

This stunning  coastal road trip in England  takes you through the county of Dorset, which boasts a rugged UNESCO World Heritage Site coastline, traditional villages and some great bucket-and-spade resorts.

The cliffs of the 95 mile long ancient Jurassic Coast contain millions of fossils and there is even a forest of fossilised trees.

With Bournemouth, Swanage and Weymouth providing good old-fashioned seaside entertainment, there’s a lot to recommend on this England road trip itinerary.

Swanage & Around

Swanage is a traditional English sea-side resort that was ‘discovered’ by the Victorians when sea bathing became fashionable.

At the far eastern end of the Jurassic Coast and Isle of Purbeck, Swanage boasts a safe sandy beach, steam train, nearby  Corfe Castle , great wreck diving and  Durlston Country Park , so there’s a great deal to keep you busy and entertained.

Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door

At the other end of the Isle of Purbeck, Lulworth Cove is an almost perfect circle and is considered one of the best examples in Europe of this type of marine erosion.

Whatever the reason for Lulworth Cove, it really is a wonderful holiday spot, perfect for kayaking, stand-up paddling or just messing about in the water.

Literally next door is Durdle Door, a natural limestone arch in the sea, caused by millions of years of erosion. Durdle Door is backed by a beautiful pebble beach and the imposing limestone cliffs that the Jurassic Coast is famous for.

Both places are on the glorious  South West Coast Path , which starts in Minehead in Somerset and ends in Poole harbour. The longest long-distance footpath in the UK, it snakes along the coast for 630 miles. Follow the path west from Lulworth for wild clifftop views free of people, and the geological wonder that is Kimmeridge Bay.

Chesil Beach & Around

An eighteen mile long shingle barrier beach made up of 180 billion pebbles, the iconic Chesil Beach stretches from West Bay to Portland, on the western side of Dorset.

Head for  Abbotsbury Gardens  for one of the best views of Chesil Beach from above, stretching miles in either direction. Pop in to see the mute swan colony at the Abbotsbury Swannery, also a little-known filming location for the Harry Potter movies.

Energy levels permitting, drive south to the instantly recognisable  Portland Bill  lighthouse at the tip of Portland, for more wild seascapes.

RELATED POST: A South England Road Trip to Dorset & the New Forest

Don’t forget your road trip essentials! Our free road trip checklists help you remember everything, including road trip snacks , podcasts and road trip songs for the journey!

The Lake District

Ullswater – keswick – grasmere – ambleside – windermere.

The rugged Lake District in Cumbria is known as ‘Wordsworth country’ and is home to some of the most scenic roads in UK. This English road trip has something for everyone, whether escape or adventure is on the agenda, and is one of the best road routes in the UK for active families and experience days for couples .

Head for the busy towns of Ambleside and Keswick or find peace and quiet by one of the sixteen beautiful bodies of water in this stunning national park.

Enjoy great hiking, biking and outdoor activities in the warmer months, or spend time on the water, with boat hires, kayaking and SUP all on offer. 

Start your Lake District road trip at Ullswater, the second largest of the national parks lakes. Ullswater is nestled amongst some of the best fells the area has to offer and is home to the stunning Aira Force waterfall.

With hiking and water sports on your doorstep, this is a perfect spot for road trippers to enjoy nature and outdoor activity, and some of the best Lake District hikes.

To the west of Ullswater, Keswick is a busy market town that lies between the natural beauty of Derwentwater and the imposing Skiddaw mountains.

Hike up to the prehistoric Castelrigg stone circle, literally surrounded by fells and sky in every direction, or try an easy trail like Catbells, which also has the added benefit of  incredible Lake District views  of the rugged and far-reaching landscape.

Honister Slate Mine

At the southern end of Derwentwater is the valley of Borrowdale, leading to the Honister Pass and the home of the Honister Slate Mine, the last working slate mine in England.

The mine has a visitor centre which provides underground guided mine tours and a range of adventure activities including a Via Ferrata (by ropes) course, a ropes course in the mine and a daring infinity bridge – kids big and small will love it here!

The New Forest

Fordingbridge – lyndhurst – brockenhurst – lymington.

The historic New Forest in Hampshire, planted in 1079 by William the Conquerer, retains a strong sense of tradition. Home to New Forest wild ponies, roaming pigs, Highland cattle and deer, the forest is a haven for wildlife and offers peace and tranquillity to all who visit.

It is a particularly special place to visit in autumn , when the crowds have gone, and the fall colours are spectacular. You might also spot rutting deer if you visit at this time of year.

Also a hub for outdoor activity, including water sports, cycling and hiking, you can find the top  New Forest outdoor activities here . 

Just a few hours from the capital, the New Forest is one of the best road trips from London and perfect for an activity focussed long weekend.

Brockenhurst

A charming village to the south of the forest and an excellent base for cycling and walking, Brockenhurst has a few good pubs and a seriously good  takeaway fish and chip shop . An excellent hub from which to explore, you can hire bikes in the village or bring your own – download this helpful map for routes.

New Forest Water Park

On the western fringes of the forest, the New Forest Water Park offers wakeboarding and a giant inflatable aqua park, the best fun you can have in a wet suit and a perfect family day out. Try your hand at wakeboarding, kayaking and stand-up paddle before running the gauntlet on the aqua park course …its a lot, lot harder than it looks!

Right on the southwestern edge of the New Forest, Lymington is a traditional bustling market town. With a busy modern harbour and easy access to the Solent, this is a haven for sailors.

From your base in Lymington, take a trip to  Hurst Castle , built by Henry VIII and situated on a shingle spit stretching into the Solent.

On hot days, take a dip in the seawater swimming baths on the edge of Lymington town.

Lymington also makes a great base to visit the Isle of Wight. Sitting guard in the Solent, at the entrance to one of the UK’s busiest freight ports, the island is famous for being the one-time home of Queen Victoria and having the sunniest beach in the UK, amongst lots of other things.

You can get the  car ferry  there and back in a day, making it a road trip within a road trip!

RELATED POST: Top 16 New Forest Outdoor Adventures

Norwich – Wroxham – Hemsby – Cromer – Blakeney – Hunstanton – Kings Lynn

One of the most beautiful counties in England, Norfolk enjoys an incredible and unspoilt heritage coastline and the famous Norfolk Broads, where you will find huge skies and mesmerising landscapes, making it one of the best road trip destinations around the UK.

A national park and a haven for birds and wildlife, the Broads are a nature lover’s paradise and can be explored on foot or by boat, with a traditional Norfolk wherry being the ultimate Broads experience.

The historic city of Norwich is a hidden gem and a must-visit if you’re in Norfolk. Considered the UK’s best preserved medieval city, Norwich delivers a fine Norman cathedral with the second highest spire in England, a lively and well-respected bar and restaurant scene, and the Norwich Lanes, a muddle of pedestrian alleys full of independent shops and boutiques.

As you follow the coast north from the Broads, you’ll come to the North Norfolk coast and Blakeney . This pretty coastal village lies in an area of outstanding natural beauty which boasts a nature reserve of spacious landscapes with salt marshes, sand dunes and horizons stretching far out to sea.

Practice your crabbing skills in the harbour, or take a trip out to Blakeney Point to see the Common and Grey seals that breed here in winter. 

Sandringham

South of the Wash lies the royal estate of Sandringham. Set in beautiful woodlands, perfect for walking, you can also visit the house, gardens and transport museum before heading to see the St Mary Magdalene church where the Queen attends services when she is staying at Sandringham.

There are often events here too, such as farmer’s markets and craft fairs, check the Sandringham Estate website for details and dates.

RELATED POST: Road Trip England – 10 of the Best Routes

Northumberland Coast Route

Alnmouth – craster – embleton – beadnell – seahouses – bamburgh – holy island of lindisfarne – alnwick.

This drive takes you along the stunning Northumberland coast, passing through the beautiful landscapes and seaside fishing villages of the county.

Northumberland is home to some of England’s most dramatic castles, an iconic holy island and Hadrian’s Wall, on the border with Scotland. There is fantastic coastal walking in the region, huge sandy beaches that seem endless and warm hospitality for visitors.

Alnwick Castle

Alnwick Castle is a spectacular castle and country house, and the seat of The 12th Duke of Northumberland. It was built following the Norman conquest and renovated and remodelled a number of times, into the castle you see today.

Film and TV fans shouldn’t miss a visit here – the castle has been featured in Transformers: The Last Knight, Elizabeth, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, as the magnificent Brancaster Castle in Downton Abbey, and probably most famously, as Hogwarts in the first two Harry Potter films.

Coastal Villages

As you head north, spend a night in one of the fishing villages such as Craster or Beadnell, and enjoy a bracing beach walk from your accommodation, and a traditional fish and chip supper from the local chippie!

Lindisfarne Holy Island

The tidal island of Lindisfarne , also known as Holy Island, is one of the most important centres of early English Christianity. Irish monks settled there in 635CE and the monastery became the centre of a major saint’s cult celebrating its bishop, Cuthbert.

In 793CE the Vikings attacked Lindisfarne, looting the monastery and killing or enslaving many of the monks. It was the first time the Vikings had attacked a monastic site in Britain, and the attack came as a major shock for medieval Christians.

The historic island lies just off the extreme Northeast corner of England near Berwick-upon-Tweed, and is reachable across a paved causeway, but only when the North Sea tides permit! Safe times to cross are predictable and can be found here , and the route takes around two hours to walk.

The Peak District

Chesterfield – bakewell – buxton – castleton – glossop.

Nestled between the cities of Manchester and Sheffield is the glorious Peak District. Straddling the Pennines’ southernmost hills lie ancient stone villages, hillsides dotted with grand stately homes and rocky outcrops in every direction, but no peaks, despite the name.

To the north, the Dark Peak area is dominated by exposed moorland and gritstone ‘edges’, while to the south, the White Peak is made up of rolling limestone dales. The diverse and soaring landscapes of the Peak District mean some seriously good drives, making for one of the best road trips in England.

Chatsworth House

Known as the ‘Palace of the Peak’, this huge stately home three miles northeast of Bakewell has been the family seat of sixteen generations of earls and dukes of Devonshire. Inside, the lavish apartments and mural-painted staterooms are filled with priceless paintings and period furniture.

Head outside for 25 square miles of grounds and ornamental gardens, including water features, a maze, sculptures, and splendid Victorian glass houses. Some of the grounds were landscaped by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown.

Full of history,  Chatsworth House  was founded in 1552 by the formidable Bess of Hardwick, who came from modest beginnings to become the second most powerful woman in Elizabethan England after the Queen. It was with Bess’ second husband, Sir William Cavendish, that the Cavendish line, which continues today, was established.

Finish your Chatsworth House visit with lunch or dinner a few miles up the road, at the highly-rated Prince of Wales in Baslow, one of the best fine dining pubs in the Peak District .

Caves and Caverns

The Peak District is littered with caves and caverns, some entirely natural and some created as a result of historic mining activity.

Peak Cavern  at Castleton is the largest cave system in the Peak District and is almost all entirely natural. Known as the ‘devil’s arse’, the cave was inhabited by rope-making cave dwellers until the early 20th century and 40 families lived in two rows of cottages in the cave entrance, along with stables, a pub and a few small shops! You will also find Speedwell Cavern, Blue John Cavern and Treak Cliff Cavern in Castleton.

The  Heights of Abraham  opened in 1780 and is one of the oldest tourist attractions in England. Alongside the cable car ride and parkland with lots of attractions are two 350 million-year-old caves, Rutland Caverns and Great Masson, where you can experience what lead mining in the 17th century was like.

In the heart of the rugged North Peak area of the Peak District, lies Snake Pass. Winding its way through the valley connecting Sheffield and Glossop, this is one of the best roads to drive in Europe . Following the river Ashop, Snake Pass crosses the Pennines at Ashopton and reaches a high point of 512 metres above sea level.

With stunning views in every direction and surrounded by heather-carpeted moorland, deep valleys, reservoirs and lush woodland, the scenic Snake Pass makes for a truly memorable drive. With its sharp twisted roads, moulded around the rugged landscape, Snake Pass really is a drive to be celebrated by road trippers. 

Just a word of warning though, this road is considered one of the most dangerous in the UK, so take it slowly, stop for photos, and savour the drive.  

RELATED POST: Why We Say These Are the Best Driving Roads in Europe

Yorkshire Dales

Harrogate – malham – hawes – richmond.

In ‘God’s own country’ of Yorkshire , the roads ribbon between glacial valleys, patchwork fields, flat-topped hills and rocky outcrops, punctuated by pretty villages with quaint pubs, and windswept hiking trails.

There’s history aplenty too, in this land that was once host to the War of the Roses, the bloody struggle between the royal houses of Lancaster and York.

Be aware that the Yorkshire Dales National Park is a mecca for tour buses which cause major headaches both on the roads and in car parks at the most popular spots. Avoid the summer months if you possibly can.

Start in the well-heeled and elegant Georgian town of Harrogate, known then as ‘The English Spa’. On the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, this is a great starting point for your Yorkshire road trip.

Malhamdale is in the Pennines, at the southern end of the Yorkshire Dales. Malham itself is a pretty village, surrounded by the limestone buildings and the dry-stone walls so common in the Dales, with a stream bubbling through the centre of the village. 

Malham is best known though for the glacial lake, Malham Tarn, and the majestic Malham Cove, a vast curving amphitheatre-shaped cliff formation of limestone rock. 

The vertical cliff face is about 80 metres high. If you’re lucky, you may see Malham Cove waterfall, which appears in the centre of the cliff face in spring and after heavy rain.

Wensleydale

The lush sweeping valley of Wensleydale is distinct for its wooded hillocks and rushing waterfalls, the most famous being the triple flight Aysgarth Falls and Hardraw Force, England’s largest single-drop waterfall.

The capital of Upper Wensleydale, Hawes, is a lively market town with many hotels and tearooms. Local craft and artisan industries thrive making pottery, wooden toys and the famous Wensleydale cheese, Wallace and Gromit’s favourite.

The  Dales Countryside Museum is an essential visit for anyone interested in traditional countryside life in Yorkshire.

One of the northernmost dales in the national park is Swaledale, a deep and winding valley that is home to the pretty cobbled market town of Richmond, which boasts a rich and vivid history.

Sitting high above the town,  Richmond Castle  dominates the skyline. The views from the top of the massive keep are far-reaching between the hills of Swaledale to the west, the Vale of York to the south and in the far distance to the east, the stunning North York Moors.

Famous for its hardy breed of horned sheep, Swaledale also puts on a spectacular wildflower display in its meadows, which are a riot of wildlife and colour in June and early July.

Spring comes late to this part of England, but you’ll find it an excellent time of year to hike the trails crisscrossing the rugged countryside.

Northern Ireland Road Trips

The causeway coastal route, ballycastle – bushmills – portrush – portstewart – castlerock – londonderry.

This picturesque and unspoilt country of the United Kingdom may require a ferry crossing if you don’t live there, but it is a coastal road trip in the UK that’s worth making the effort for.

From the breathtaking natural beauty of the  Giant’s Causeway  to the huge Benone Beach, the coastline is studded with Game of Thrones locations and pretty seaside towns.

End your trip in the walled city of Londonderry, a popular tourist destination in its own right, or continue onto the Wild Atlantic Way just over the border, for more big seas, idyllic beaches and dramatic landcscapes.

If you don’t live in Northern Ireland, why not start your road trip in the fun city of Dublin – we even have the perfect one day Dublin itinerary for you!

It’s easy to fly in and rent a car in Ireland before heading north across the border to Belfast and making your way up the coast – if you have to take a ferry or plane, you might as well make the most of it and cover two countries in one trip!

The Giants Causeway & Around

Forged by volcanic nature some 50 to 60 million years ago, these 40,000 columns of basalt spilling into the wild North Atlantic are simply unmissable.

This UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of Northern Ireland’s most famous historic and natural landmarks, as well as being an awe-inspiring place that really gets you thinking about man’s insignificance in the grand scheme of things.

Climb the Shepherd’s Steps to hike along the clifftop trail for an aerial view of the dramatic sea views, or take the road less travelled on a five mile hike along the stunning cliff-top path for uninterrupted views.

Don’t miss the tiny harbour at Ballintoy (also a Game of Thrones location) before heading along the coast to the  Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge  and testing your courage as you cross between the mainland and the island.

Portstewart & Portrush

Literally next to each other, both Portstewart and Portrush are pretty seaside holiday towns.

With souvenir shops, restaurants and bars, Portrush is livelier and has a nightclub and amusements.

Portstewart has a more laid-back vibe with some interesting independent shops along the prom which sell local crafts and a few great places to eat.

Both have superb beaches and excellent golf courses. If you like motorbikes, head here in May for the infamous  North West 200 , when bikes race along the roads you are driving, but at twice the speed.

Benone Beach & Around

A favourite of surfers, kite flyers and walkers, the vast beach stretches from Magilligan Point in the west to Castlerock in the east.

From here you can see, and then visit the  Mussenden Temple  on the headland and the Downhill Demesne.

The mighty Binevenagh mountain sits to the south and is excellent for hiking, with stunning views of the coast, Loch Foyle and Donegal from the summit, if you pick a clear day. 

Make time to pop into the  Sea Shed Cafe  for their legendary Spanish hot chocolate and home made cake right on the beach!

RELATED POST – Causeway Coastal Route: The Best Road Trip In Ireland?

Mourne Coastal Route

Belfast – bangor – ards peninsula – downpatrick – newcastle – mourne mountains.

The Mourne Coastal Route follows the lesser travelled eastern route of the Northern Ireland coast.   This area is known for its traditional fishing villages and picturesque seaside towns, only surpassed by the stunning scenery and coastal landscapes of the region.

As you drive, you’ll get many glimpses into the past, from ancient tower houses to stately homes and gardens. You’ll also be able to spot many birds including geese and duck, oystercatchers and curlew, and in the summer nesting tern are in abundance.

Strangford Lough

Strangford Lough is a Marine Nature Reserve, meaning the marine life is worth exploring. Wandering along the shore reveals starfish, urchins, shellfish and even glimpses of seals basking on the rocks. If you stop for a walk along the coast, you’ll be sure to see beautiful wildflowers and a huge variety of butterflies.

With Northern Ireland’s three main fishing ports on the Mourne Coastal Route, you have to sample the fresh seafood. It features on many menus, whether you’re looking for fine dining, or just to grab some fish and chips and watch the boat activity in the harbours.

Artisan food producers are plentiful in this area which is home to Comber potatoes, Portavogie prawns, Dundrum Bay oysters, local honey, Finnebrogue venison and many local brews and beverages. 

Stately Homes

The National Trust sites in this area all offer beautiful views and glorious nature. Neo-classical Mount Stewart has exceptional gardens and walks, as well as a house tour. Castle Ward estate extends right to the edge of Strangford Lough, with its unique mansion, gardens and trails, and you can experience archery and a medieval banquet on the original set of Winterfell from Game of Thrones.

RELATED POST – Belfast in A Day: Itinerary, Map & Tips

Want to plan your own road tri p? Get our step-by-step road trip planning guide to help you organize the perfect trip, or check out our top road trips in Europe for ideas and inspiration.

Scotland Road Trips

The argyll coastal route, loch lomond – inverary – lochgilphead – oban – glen coe – fort william – glenfinnan.

Starting at the tip of Loch Lomond and following the coast from Inveraray to Fort William, this west coast of Scotland road trip is for seafood gourmets, sunset lovers and those that want to get under the skin of Scotland and feel its turbulent history in the air and glens of the incredible landscapes. 

We’ve added an extra stop to the official route at Glenfinnan – you’re so close to this historic village at the end of the trip, we just couldn’t resist.

Cultural Glasgow and historic Edinburgh are also both within striking distance at the start or end of your road trip if you fancy a few days of city life.

Easdale Island

Spend a fantastic car-free day wildlife watching from Easdale Island. Make the five minute passenger ferry crossing to this tranquil part of Scotland, where you can take a whale spotting trip, an excursion to the Corryvreckan Whirlpool or a tour of a local seal colony. 

Other areas of interest include the historical remains of what was once the centre of the Scottish slate mining industry.

The still pools, which are a defining feature of Easdale, were once active slate quarries, and together with the wide variety of flora and bird life make Easdale unique.

With magnificent views of towering mountains and glens, Glen Coe is a landscape full of natural wonders. Explore the  Glen Coe Geotrail  to learn more about the ancient volcanic history of this other-worldly place which was shaped by glaciers and fiery volcanic explosions millions of years ago.

In the picturesque village of Glencoe, you can learn about local history, including the Massacre of Glencoe in 1692, when members of the Campbell clan murdered members of the MacDonald clan on the orders of the English Crown.

At the top of this road trip lies Glenfinnan, the historic spot in which Bonnie Prince Charlie called for the local clansmen to assemble in 1745, proclaiming the throne of Great Britain to be denounced and rightfully returned to his family, the Stuarts.

His actions and the subsequent Battle of Culloden led to a seismic change in the Highland way of life and caused a long rift between Scotland and England. 

You’ll also find the magical Glenfinnan Viaduct here, made famous by the Harry Potter films. This railway viaduct has carried trains on the West Highland Line since 1897. 

For the best views, take the Glenfinnan Trail to the viewpoint, where you’ll see the steam train crossing the famous viaduct. Turn around for a magnificent view of Loch Shiel and the Glenfinnan Monument which commemorates the Jacobite uprising.

RELATED POST: Eight Incredible Scotland Road Trips

The North Coast 500

Inverness – john o’groats – durness – lochinver – ullapool – inverness.

This ultimate Scottish route and one of the great British road trips is a 516 mile spectacular circular trip around the north coast of Scotland, starting and ending at Inverness Castle and passing through some of the most beautiful places in Scotland.

Do a bit of it or tackle the whole iconic route, for which you’ll need at least two if not three or four, weeks to do the trip justice. You’ll find incredible landscapes, myths and legends, welcoming Scottish hospitality and the thrill of the open road. 

The NC500 is one of Europe’s best-known road trips and it will be busy in the summer months – head there in late spring or autumn for quieter roads and better deals on accommodation.

Both the start and finish point of your driving holiday in Scotland, this ancient cathedral city is full of history and interest. Go hunting for monsters on Loch Ness, take a trip to the haunting and emotive  battlefield at Culloden  and visit  Inverness Castle .

Home to John O’Groats and Dunnet Head, the most northerly village and northerly point of mainland UK respectively, Caithness is right at the top of Great Britain.

It is so far north that in favourable conditions, it’s possible to see the northern lights from here. The coastline features soaring sea stacks and towering headlands, home to puffins and other sea birds.  

One of the last great wilderness of Europe, quite a few miles of the NC500 pass through Sutherland’s raw and naturally beautiful.

The coast of this part of the route is unspoilt and diverse, from huge sandy beaches in the west to the rugged and aptly named Cape Wrath cliffs, the most north-westerly point of mainland UK and only accessible by boat or special transport.

RELATED POST: North Coast 500 Route Planner + Highlights, Map & Tips

Kyle of Lochalsh – Portree – Duntulm – Dunvegan – Armadale

The Isle of Skye is Scotland’s second-largest island, a 50 mile long stretch of heather-carpeted moors, jagged mountains, sparkling lochs and dramatic sea cliffs.

This incredible landscape is the main attraction, but there is plenty to do when the mist descends, including castles, museums, craft studios and even fairy pools.

Follow this popular UK road trip route out of season for real solitude and remoteness, some of the best hiking in Scotland, and to breath the clear air and remind yourself of why life is good. 

Dunvegan Castle

In a beautiful position at the edge of Loch Dunvegan, Skye’s most famous historic building,  Dunvegan Castle , is the seat of the chief of Clan MacLeod and has been so for over 800 years.

The castle itself is fascinating and the formal gardens make a wonderful contrast to the stark beauty of the surrounding landscape. It’s a busy tourist attraction though, and best visited outside of the peak months of July and August.

The Sleat Peninsula

Commonly referred to as ‘the garden of Skye’, the Sleat peninsula is home to verdant gardens and thick forests, surrounded by glorious beaches and sparking seas.

This eclectic corner of Skye not only has nature on its doorstep, it also has some of the best restaurants on the island and of course, a  whisky distillery , for that wee dram you must have when visiting.

The Trotternish Peninsula

Trotternish is the most northerly peninsula and enjoys Skye’s most striking and dramatic landscapes. As you drive north your attention will be captured by The Storr and The Old Man of Storr, a 50m high lance of rock that sits at the foot of the cliffs. 

Head to The Quiraing for some fantastic hiking and to see the best of these ancient landscapes in this remote, stunning part of the island.

The South West Coastal 300

Prestwick – ballantrae – cairngaan – isle of whithorn – kirkudbright – dumfries – lockerbie – moffat – dalmellington – prestwick.

The South West Coastal 300 is a road trip for nature lovers and history buffs. With stunning coastlines, lush forests which stretch over rolling hills and dramatic moorlands, this quiet corner of Scotland will woo you until you fall in love with its gentle charms.

This is a well-located road trip in Scotland for those driving north from the rest of the UK and can be joined at Lockerbie, within a 20 minute drive of the Scottish border. 

Dunure Beach

Our favourite beach on this road trip, the small but perfectly formed Dunure Beach has dark sand and shingle with great rock pooling and stunning views of Ailsa Craig from the ragged ruins of Dunure Castle.

Dip into  Galloway Forest Park , the only Dark Sky Park in Scotland and a top spot to see the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, or visit the  Scottish Dark Sky Observatory  at Dalmellington to use their powerful telescopes to observe the night skies – stargazing without light pollution is an incredible experience.

Kirkudbright

Spend a day in lively Kirkudbright (pronounced kir–coo–bree) and follow the Arts and Crafts Trail. Home to generations of creatives, ‘the artist’s town’ has a flourishing community of painters and craftworkers. You might also hear bagpipes here as they have lots of parades.

Wales Road Trips

Brecon beacons, hay-on-wye – brecon – libanus – llandovery – gwaun-cae-curwen.

Undulating dramatically across the landscape, the Brecon Beacons National Park (Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog) encompasses some of the most spectacular scenery in southern Wales.

High mountain plateaus and glacial hollows rise above forested valleys, hidden waterfalls and gorgeous rural landscapes that echo to the sound of rushing waterfalls, making this a varied and exciting Wales road trip.

The relatively short distance from London to Wales, just three hours and 40 minutes driving makes this one of the best weekend road trips from London.

Starting at the northernmost tip of the national park, Hay-on-Wye is famous the world over for books and the annual  Hay Festival of Literature and Arts , a reputation that belies its small size.

Known as Hay by locals, this charming town in Wales sits on the gently flowing river Wye and abuts the Wales-England border. 

The town centre is made up of skinny sloping lanes characterised by a shabby elegance that suits the quirky bookshops and antiques emporia that thrive in Wye’s independent and cosmopolitan vibe. 

Known as ‘the Beacons’ to hikers, there are many trails to choose from in these mountains. Pen-y-Fan, which just misses out on ‘Furth’ status (the equivalent of a Munro in Scotland), is a favourite of many.

The route is a challenging ten mile slog through forest and moorland to the steep ridge of Pen-y-Fan. The views from the top, at 886m, are superb, especially in the winter when the landscape is dusted with frost and snow.

But there is more hiking here than just Pen-y-Fan; an online search will reward you with many options, including Sugar Loaf in Monmouthshire and the four waterfalls walk which starts in Porth yr Ogof.

The Black Mountain Pass

One of the most scenic drives in Wales, this epic mountain road of Top Gear fame gives unrivalled views of the surrounding valleys and mountains, and enough hairpin bends and switchbacks to satisfy any dangerous road enthusiast.

For the best experience, drive the A4069 road from north to south. Starting in Llandovery, the pass snakes between breathtaking viewpoints as you cross the twin humps of Pont Aber and Herbert’s Pass, before descending to the village of Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen. 

Be aware that sheep will cross the road indiscriminately – not uncommon for roads in Wales! It is known that mobile speed cameras are sometimes along the route in objects such as horseboxes or small trucks.

Since its exposure by Jeremy Clarkson, the route has become incredibly popular – save this one for a weekday if you can.

RELATED POSTS: The Best Wales Road Trip Route and Itinerary | One Day Cardiff Itinerary – Map, Tips & Guide

Pembrokeshire

Fishguard – st davids – marloes – pembroke – tenby.

Famous for its rough cliffs, huge beaches and remote islands, the coast of Pembrokeshire offers limitless opportunities to enjoy the outdoors, and is one of the most beautiful places in the UK.

From the Victorian seaside town of Tenby to the puffins of Skomer Island, this road trip in Wales has something to suit everyone, outdoor adventurers and nature lovers alike.

Coasteering

Pembrokeshire boasts that it invented coasteering, so how could we leave it off the list? The sport of jumping from land to sea, cliff scrambling and swimming between rocks will stretch you mentally and physically but give you hours of fun.

You can find a pace to suit you, there are guided expeditions and courses for beginners of all ages, some of which include marine biology education along the way.

Skomer Island

The wild island of Skomer is a haven for migrant birds such as puffins, razorbills and guillemots. You may also see seals here, which come to moult in April, along with owls, buzzards and peregrine falcons.

In the spring, wildflowers cover the island, making it a truly beautiful and fascinating place to visit.

Working on a first-come, first-served basis, numbers and tickets are limited so make sure you get to Lockley Lodge visitor centre early.

Tenby is one of the most iconic seaside towns in Wales, steeped in history and surrounded by an imposing medieval stone wall. With several excellent sandy beaches, a colourful harbour and narrow cobbled streets with a fantastic selection of gift shops, cafes and pubs, this charming town is perfect for a day out. 

If you base yourself here for a few days, you’re within striking distance of two of the best castles in Wales,  Pembroke Castle  and  Carew Castle , both well worth a visit.

Snowdonia & Anglesey

Betws-y-coed – bangor – newborough – holyhead – benllech.

Head for spectacular Snowdonia in north Wales for drama, huge skies and outdoor adventures.

Cross the iconic Menai suspension bridge to reach the beautiful Isle of Anglesey, home to some of the best beaches in Wales, and fantastic coastal hiking and cycling paths.

With a good dose of remoteness, this is one of the best travel routes in the UK to escape the hustle and bustle of urban life.

Betws-y-Coed

Set in a beautiful valley, Betws-y-Coed is a typical mountain town, full of companies offering outdoor adventures and shops selling outdoor gear. Pubs are full of hikers talking about the day’s adventures.

The town is a great base for outdoor sports and activities such as climbing, hiking, abseiling, zip-lining and mountain biking.

You’ll also find natural beauty spots such as Fairy Glen and Swallow Falls to visit in the nearby area.

Snowdonia National Park

Test yourself by climbing to the peak of Snowden, the highest mountain in England and Wales, some 1,085m above sea level.

If you still want to enjoy the views but don’t fancy the hike, take the train up and hike down!  

Newborough Beach & Llanddwyn Island

Newborough beach is our favourite beach on Anglesey, backed by the tranquil Newborough Forest, where you might see red squirrels.

Take a walk through the forest and dunes to the peninsula of Llanddwyn Island to see the fascinating lighthouse and pilot’s cottages. 

UK Road Trip Resources

Here are the websites and services we personally use and recommend for traveling in the UK.

• Search for affordable flights to the UK with Skyscanner
• Search for availability and book hotels and accommodation in the UK with Booking.com
• Find and book the best campsites in the UK with Eurocampings
• Book the cheapest and most reliable hire cars in the UK with Rentalcars.com
• Find and hire your perfect motorhome or campervan with Motorhome Republic
• Get highly rated, reliable and trustworthy travel insurance with True Traveller
• Check if you need a visa and arrange your documents with Visagov

Information About Driving in England

Whether you’re road tripping the UK in a car, camper or motorbike, make sure you’ve got all your documents handy and your spare tyre is in good condition. If your UK road trip itinerary is longer than a few weeks , you may want to consider a vehicle service before you go, and breakdown cover is probably a good idea.

• Drivers from non-EU countries may require an International Driving Permit. The general rule is that if your licence is not in Latin script, then an IDP will be required. Check with your hire company or embassy if you’re in doubt.
• You must have at least 3rd party insurance for your vehicle.
• Your car must be considered roadworthy in the country in which it is registered.
• Your headlights must be adapted for driving on the left if your vehicle is registered outside the UK.
• Unlike France, the UK does not have laws that require you to carry certain equipment in your car, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t. Being prepared in the event of an accident or a breakdown is invaluable. Ideally, you should carry a reflective jacket, a warning triangle, a first-aid kit and a fire extinguisher.
• Understand insurance options, mileage limits and fuel policies before booking a rental car.
• Check the car for damage on collection and make sure anything you spot is noted, and the same again when you drop it off.
• Remember to drive on the left during your trip to the UK!

RELATED POST: Driving in Europe – Everything You Need to Know

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A Lady in London

And Traveling the World

Lady’s England Road Trip Itinerary and Map

Today I want to share my England road trip itinerary and map with you. I love a great British road trip, not least because the cities, villages, and countryside in the UK are stunning.

I’ve done many road trips in England over the years. They’ve ranged from short drives in the Cotswolds to 5-week odysseys covering the length of England and Wales.

Through them I’ve seen big British travel destinations and off-the-beaten-path locations alike. Now I want to share the highlights with you.

England Road Trip Itinerary

My England road trip itinerary covers my favorite bits of this part of Britain. From cities to towns, coast to countryside, it has a variety of destinations that make this one of my favorite places to travel.

You can visit them all in one trip, or you can split the itinerary up into shorter ones. Some of them even make for great scenic drives near London if you only have a day.

1. London (3 Days)

Since I live in the UK capital, I’ll start my England road trip itinerary in London. If you haven’t been here before, it’s worth spending at least 3 days in the city to see the highlights.

You can use my 3-day London itinerary to get ideas for what to do. It’s a great guide for visitors.

2. Cambridgeshire (1 Day)

From London, my England road trip itinerary goes north to Cambridgeshire.

Cambridge is one of the prettiest cities in England . Its colleges feature stunning historic architecture and beautiful grounds. It’s worth spending a day here soaking up the atmosphere and going punting on the river.

Just north of Cambridge, under-the-radar Ely often gets overlooked. It’s worth a visit for its stunning cathedral and great markets, though. The side streets and riverfront are pretty, too.

3. Norfolk (2 days)

From Cambridgeshire my England road trip itinerary will take you to Norfolk . Norwich is one of the best cities in England , not least because its historic streets are bursting with colorful houses. Its cathedral is impressive, too.

The coast in North Norfolk is worth a visit as well. Driving to places like Wells-next-the-Sea and Holkham Beach is worthwhile, and towns like Burnham Market are great places to stay.

4. Nottingham (1 day)

From Norfolk, my England road trip itinerary will take you to Nottingham .

Famous for its Robin Hood connections, this city in the Midlands is worth a stop for its historic castle, heritage buildings, and shops. It’s even home to one of the oldest pubs in England.

5. Derbyshire and the Peak District (2 days)

From Nottingham, my England road trip itinerary continues with a stop in Derbyshire. This place is great for Peak District stately homes and outdoor activities.

Chatsworth House, Kedleston Hall, and Haddon Hall are all worth touring (and they’re famous filming locations for many movies set in England ). There are lots of great hikes and country walks in the Peak District, too.

6. Yorkshire (2 days)

From the Peak District, it’s not far to Yorkshire. No England road trip itinerary would be complete without a trip to York . It’s one of the most beautiful cities in the UK, and its pretty streets and spectacular minster are worth discovering.

Over on the east coast of Yorkshire, Robin Hood’s Bay is a coastal gem with a storied past, and Whitby is famous for its abbey ruins and Dracula connections. (Don’t worry, I’ll get to West Yorkshire soon).

7. Durham & Newcastle (1 Day)

Leaving Yorkshire, my England road trip itinerary will take you north to Durham and Newcastle . The former is home to a hilltop cathedral, castle, and university. The nearby Angel of the North sculpture is worth seeing when you’re here, too.

The latter is packed with stunning bridges, historic streets, and great nightlife. You can do a side trip to Hadrian’s Wall if you like Roman history as well.

8. Northumberland (2 Days)

Way at the top of England, the next stop on my itinerary is Northumberland . Alnwick Castle is a popular place to visit, and Alnwick itself is adorable (don’t miss the bookshop).

Farther up the coast, Bamburgh Castle takes over a hilltop next to the beach. It’s stunning both inside and out.

Right on the border with Scotland, Berwick-upon-Tweed is a great seaside town, too.

9. Lake District (2 Days)

From Northumberland, my England road trip itinerary will take you west to the Lake District . This part of the UK is famous for its outdoor activities, and it’s a great place to go walking and hiking.

There are also a lot of famous houses here, from Beatrix Potter’s Hill Top to John Rusin’s Brantwood and Blackwell, the Arts and Crafts house .

Towns and villages like Windermere , Keswick, Ambleside, and Grasmere are worth popping into as well. I particularly like the gingerbread shop in Grasmere.

10. Yorkshire Dales National Park (1 Day)

From Cumbria, my England road trip itinerary will take you into the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

This is another great place for country walks , including the famous peaks of Pen-y-ghent, Ingleborough, and Whernside. Malham Cove is beautiful, too.

11. Chester (1 Day)

From the Yorkshire Dales, my England road trip itinerary continues south with a stop in Chester .

This place is one of the most underrated cities in the UK , and it’s worth a special trip. With stunning streets and layers of history dating back to Roman times, Chester is magical.

12. Birmingham (1 Day)

From Chester, you can drive down to Birmingham . This city is packed with things to see and do, from shopping arcades to art museums and an eye-catching contemporary library.

13. Wye Valley (1 Day)

South of Birmingham, it’s worth spending a day in the Wye Valley . From market towns like Ross-on-Wye to hikes around the cliff at Symonds Yat Rock, there’s a lot to take in here.

15. Cotswolds (2 Days)

No England road trip itinerary of mine would be complete without a stop in the Cotswolds. From beautiful countryside to picturesque Cotswolds villages like Painswick and Upper Slaughter , there’s a lot to love about this part of Britain.

It’s worth spending a couple days driving through this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty to soak up the scenery. It’s one of the most beautiful places in the UK .

16. Bath (1 Day)

Next on my England road trip itinerary is Bath . This city is famous for both its Roman baths and its Jane Austen sites . It’s packed with scenic streets and great independent shops , too.

17. Cornwall (2 Days)

From Bath, it’s worth heading west to Cornwall for a few days. My England road trip itinerary will take you to St Ives , which is one of the most beautiful places in England .

Basing yourself there, you can drive to places like Land’s End, St Michael’s Mount, and the Eden Project. There are great coastal walks in Cornwall, too.

18. Devon (2 Days)

From Cornwall, you can drive to Devon , where it’s worth spending a couple days exploring the coast and countryside.

You can stay in Salcombe , a pretty seaside town, and drive to places like Dartmoor National Park. You can also explore some of the walks along the water in the area.

19. Wiltshire and Hampshire (2 Days)

From Devon, my England road trip itinerary will take you to Wiltshire and Hampshire . The former is home to everything from cathedral cities like Salisbury to historic sites like Stonehenge and villages like Lacock.

The latter is home to cities like Winchester and great countryside around places like East Meon. Jane Austen’s House Museum is here, too.

Both Hampshire and Wiltshire are home to the New Forest , one of the best places to get outdoors in England. It’s worth taking a walk here and spotting some of the area’s famous ponies.

20. Brighton (1 Day)

Next on my England road trip itinerary is Brighton . This seaside spot in East Sussex boasts of one of the most famous beaches in Britain.

And that’s to say nothing of the historic pier and Royal Pavilion. They make Brighton one of the best places to visit in the UK .

21. Kent (2 Days)

Last on my England road trip itinerary is Kent . The Garden of England features everything from coast to castles, and it’s a great place to get both a seafood fix and a dose of history.

From Dover Castle to Canterbury Cathedral and the Charles Dickens highlights in Rochester , there’s a lot to discover here.

From Kent, it’s a short drive back to London, where my England road trip itinerary ends. You can spend more time in the UK capital if your head isn’t already spinning from all the amazing places you’ve seen during your journey.

England Road Trip Itinerary Map

If you want to follow my route, the places on my road trip in England are on the interactive map below. You can click on the pins to see more about each one. I hope the map helps you plan a great British adventure of your own.

England Road Trip Itineraries and Beyond

If you’re looking for additional inspiration, I’ve published blog posts about UK road trips , a great British road trip itinerary for England and Wales, a legendary Scotland road trip , a road trip in North Wales , and road trip packing tips .

I’ve even written about road trip movies . Happy driving!

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17 Tips To Plan The Ultimate UK Road Trip

The United Kingdom is a road tripping paradise – windy roads, scenic vistas, rolling hills, majestic mountains, meandering rivers, quaint towns, castles and history galore. 

Every great travel adventure starts with an equally great plan. So, I’ve put together my best British driving and planning tips to help kick off your own epic UK road trip. 

Let’s jump in!

1) Start from the end

When hiring a car, it’s much cheaper returning the car to the starting point, rather than paying for an exorbitant one-way fee. Pick out a few key non-negotiable locations you want to see along the way (you’ll find ideas at the end of this article) and plan the high-level route first, then fill in the detail from there. Avoid the temptation to cram in too much detail (yes, I’m often guilty of that!).

2) Choose your car rental wisely

If you’re starting in the south (and don’t live in the UK already), chances are you’ll be flying (or train-ing) into London . Check out the cheapest London car hire options, or save time and go with SIXT car hire . If you’re starting in the north, then look through Edinburgh car hire options. Once you’ve settled on a rental provider, ensure you’re adequately covered. It is mandatory to have at least 3 rd party insurance, which most rental car providers will include. However, check the fine print of your credit card or travel insurance terms to find out if “full cover” (also known as collision damage waiver - CDW) is automatically included. No point paying for the same thing twice!

Typically, you can use your driver’s license from your home country, but check the official list .

3) Don’t pay for a GPS

Pffft! Rental GPSs are sooooo 1999! Download offline maps using Google Maps. Or even better, travel with a Wi-Fi hotspot . Many roads in the UK were designed before automobiles, so there’s no shortage of 1-way streets and unexpected sharp turns. If you find yourself taking the wrong turn accidently you’ll be glad you’ve got Google Maps to re-route.

Tip: Bring your own car power adapter & USB cable so your smartphone never goes flat.

4) Make your drive cheaper by selling space

If your trying to stretch your road trip budget as far as it can go, make a little extra cash by driving other passengers using BlaBlaCar - a smart, safe carpooling platform. Once you’ve registered, let the platform know of your route and add as many “stopovers” as possible (cities that you’ll be driving through) for a better chance of picking up a paying passenger along the way. That’s guaranteed to make your road trip conversations more interesting!

5) Be flexible & book accommodation on the way

There’s oodles of small hotels and cute B&Bs in the United Kingdom. I recommend checking the latest accommodation prices on Kayak.com.au . It saves you time by comparing prices with several big agents, including Booking.com and Expedia. If you keep your hotel bookings flexible, and only book a day or two in advance (or even on the day), then you can go with the flow and see where the road takes you. Preparation is simple – just download the free Kayak mobile app before departing.

Travel tip: if you're flying into London but don't need to take all your luggage with you, I recommend this  London luggage storage  service. Less luggage means you can fit into a smaller (and cheaper) rental car for your road trip.

6) Stick to the speed limits

This is one thing you can’t be flexible about. Don’t just follow everyone else because the Brits have a reputation for speeding. Speed limits are indicated with black numerals on circular white signs with a red border. The “National Speed Limit” is indicated by a plain white circular sign with a black diagonal stripe (no numbers) which is 60 miles/h (~97km/h) on single-carriageway roads and 70 miles/h (~112km/h) on dual-carriageways and motorways. Built up areas are usually 30 miles/h(~48km/h) and school areas typically drop down to 20 miles/hr. It’s no fun adding the cost of a speeding fine to your road trip. Trust me!

7) Beware of local driving laws

If you’re from the United States or Canada, some of the local road laws may seem a bit foreign. There’s no “right on red”. And of course, they drive on the left side of the road (not a problem for us Aussies!). If you’re going through a roundabout (also called a “traffic circle”) don’t change lanes mid-way through and give way to traffic on the right (already on the roundabout). 

8) Roads are narrow!

On UK roads it's often necessary to stray into the opposing lane to get around obstacles such as parked cars, vans unloading, or roadworks. Drive with caution and use courtesy. In rural and more remote areas, including Scotland, it’s common to find “single track roads” – just 1 lane that allows traffic in 2 directions. Fortunately, there are “passing places” (that’s their real name!) that you can pull off on the side of the road to let opposing traffic pass or an impatient overtaking driver from behind. If you get stuck, stay calm and patient. Just use a bit of common sense, and if in doubt, vehicles travelling uphill have right of way.

9) Park in the right places

While parking areas on streets are usually clearly marked with white lines, there’s marked areas that you should also avoid. A single yellow continuous line along a kerb means there are parking restrictions at certain times of the day. A double yellow continuous line means no parking any time. These are typically strictly enforced. No lines at all doesn’t necessarily mean that parking is acceptable either, so pay attention to what other local drivers are doing.

10) Avoid toll roads

There aren’t too many toll roads and bridges in the UK, but every penny saved is a penny earned. So, use your favourite maps app to try to avoid unnecessary paid roads.

11) Avoid driving around central London

This is especially true within the inner-city area called the “ Congestion Charging Zone ”. If you zip through here, even for a few minutes, you will get slugged with a hefty extra fee that is charged automatically to your car rental provider (and passed onto you). Cameras are used to track the number plate of every vehicle that enters and leaves. On top of that finding parking in central London ain’t easy (or cheap!). I found out about this the hard way, when the rental car provider notified me when I returned my vehicle. It would have been handy to know about it before !

12) Metric & imperial living side-by-side in harmony

File this under “strange but true”. The road speed limits and distances on signage in the UK are indicated in miles (imperial) but fuel purchasing is measured in litres (metric). No point fighting it, just go with the flow. 

13) Take a ferry

Yes, you can drive your car onto some ferries. This is the best way to extend your UK road trip into Ireland. Check that your car rental agreement allows travel outside the UK – some, like Enterprise, may charge extra for the privilege.

14) Consider mixing a train with your car

The train network in the UK is world class, and especially for long distances. In some cases it can be more convenient than driving, especially if left-side driving freaks you out a little. So, consider mixing train travel with a car on your UK road trip. You could use a car to zip around a small region/city, then return the car and catch a train elsewhere in the UK. This is a good idea if you’re not planning on returning to the starting point of your road trip. 

15) Save money on historic sites

A lot of historical sites in the UK are free or have a relatively small entry fee. However, on a road trip you’re likely to be stopping at quite a few of these places. If you purchase a special ticket in advance from specific organisations, you can access multiple sites for a deeply discounted rate. Check out prices from National Trust (specifically, their Touring Pass ), and the Scottish Heritage Pass .

16) Road trip weather

Keep an eye on the daily weather forecast. As you can imagine, it can change very quickly in the UK. The ideal time for a road trip in the UK is late June to early September . There’s a good chance you’ll hit rain at some point, so don’t stress, and just pack your poncho. 

17) A little location inspiration

If you don’t know where to start your UK road trip planning, here’s a few locations (with map links) to get the creative juices flowing: 

Stonehenge – iconic prehistoric monument in the southwest of England. 

Bath – known for its natural hot springs that were popular back in Ancient Roman times. 

Salisbury – old medieval town home to the magna carta. 

Oxford – home to the world-famous university and plenty of historic sites.

Stratford-upon-Avon – birthplace of William Shakespeare.

Liverpool – industrial city that was the birthplace of The Beatles. 

Edinburgh – Scotland’s capital and home to Scotland’s crown jewels. 

Glasgow – Scotland’s cultural hub (tip: Save up to 40% on Glasgow car hire ). 

Cardiff – Wales’ capital with a beautiful redeveloped waterfront. 

If you want a smaller road trip, check out my Wales road trip . 

I hope this has helped to inspire you for a road trip around the UK. 

Happy travels!

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Reader Comments...

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9 top road trips to see the best of England

Jul 17, 2023 • 8 min read

Jump in the car and hit the road with one of these great road trips through England © Photos by R A Kearton / Getty Images

Hiring a car and driving through gorgeous English landscapes, visiting quaint villages and epic castles is a highlight of a trip to England  no matter the season.

Roads are well maintained, although you may be caught out by the occasional pothole. Off the main roads you can meander down narrow lanes of hedgerows and stop to watch the sun set or a bird of prey gliding in the sky above.

Here are nine of the best road-trip routes across the country, from a loop around Cornwall in the southwest, all the way north to a coastal jaunt right to the border with Scotland. The distances provided are not direct between the start and end points. Instead we assume plenty of diversions from the main route so you can explore more of each region.

1. Following Hadrian's Wall

Best road trip for rugged landscapes and Roman history Newcastle – Carlise; 127km (79 miles), allow three to four days

Traversing the island's narrow neck, you'll encounter the extraordinary feat of engineering of Hadrian's Wall first-hand. Every Roman mile (0.95 miles) had a gateway guarded by a small fort (milecastle), with two observation turrets between them, and many of these remain. A series of southern forts, which may predate the wall, were developed as bases, and 16 lie astride it.

Preserved remains and intriguing museums punctuate the route, along with easily accessible remnants of the 1900-year-old wall. Start in the Newcastle suburb of Wallsend at Segedunum , marking the last strong post of the wall. Follow the route west, stopping to explore on the way. Be sure to include the superbly preserved Roman cavalry fort at Chesters Roman Fort and Museum , and enjoy the views over the wall and the moors of Northumberland National Park at Housesteads Roman Fort and Museum .

Local tip:  The interactive Housesteads Roman Fort & Museum showcases objects once belonging to Roman soldiers and includes a mini-cinema that takes visitors on a journey to the past.

2. The historic south

Best road trip for English history and culture London – Oxford; 720km (450 miles), allow seven to 10 days

England's rich heritage runs like a glittering seam through this remarkable multiday road trip across the south. Romantic  Leeds Castle  alone is worthy of a full day, before stopping at the historic city of Canterbury  with its World Heritage–listed Gothic cathedral. The quaint medieval settlement of Rye  is a delight, with cobbled alleyways and stories of smugglers.

Brighton , a lively coastal city with superb nightlife, is next on the route, followed by Portsmouth, where you can learn all about the city's nautical heritage at the historic docks . Cathedral lovers will be further overjoyed by stops in Winchester  and Salisbury to marvel at their majestic medieval spires, before traveling onwards to the fascinating archaeological sites at  Stonehenge and Avebury . Drive on to soak up the Georgian cityscape in Bath , Churchill's palace and Oxford 's spires. 

3. Cornwall's coast

Best road trip for scenery Bude – Fowey; 333km (207 miles), allow 10 days

Buckle up, roll down the windows and have the camera ready – there can be few corners of Britain where scenery packs such an eyes-wide, heart-in-the-mouth, jaw-on-the-floor punch as Cornwall . This unforgettable adventure travels top-to-bottom, coast-to-coast, starting from the breezy seaside town of Bude and following the coastline all the way down, round and back up again to Fowey.

Along the way you'll encounter sparkling beaches , surf bays and seaside ports galore, as well as curiosities such as a clifftop castle steeped in Arthurian legend, a theater built into the granite rocks, the wonderful St Michael's Mount , and a trio of space-age biomes at the Eden Project . It's wild and wonderful out west, as you're about to find out.

4. The Jurassic coast

Best road trip for a memorable family holiday  Poole – Lyme Regis; 145km (90 miles), allow seven days

One of the west’s best drives, this route rolls up chalk ridges, through thatched villages and along sea-fringed roads. History is everywhere, from fairy-tale castles to an art-packed quarry .

Prepare for the pick of Dorset ’s sights and sea-view sunsets as you keep heading west. Fall in love with the romantic hilltop ruins of Corfe Castle  and take a dip in Lulworth Cove before hiking over to the stunning Durdle Door arch. Little ones are likely to love a visit to the Monkey World sanctuary in Wareham or the 29km (18-mile) stretch of pebbles at Chesil Beach, and they may well be fascinated by the fossils that can be found in Lyme Regis.

5. The Cotswolds

Best road trip for quintessential England Bath – Stratford-upon-Avon; 240km (149 miles), seven to eight days

From the less-traveled, superbly pretty villages of the southwestern Cotswolds to the impossibly beautiful gold-colored streets of the classic northern Cotswolds, this trip threads through the core of one of England's most desirable regions.

Glimpse Georgian grandeur in Bath, marvel at Painswick's sleepy beauty, and unearth Roman history in Cirencester. You'll want to stop in picturesque Bibury to admire the gorgeous cluster of riverside cottages , before strolling Chipping Campden's honey-hued lanes and wrapping up in dramatic Tudor style at Stratford-upon-Avon , home of the illustrious Bard, William Shakespeare.

Detour:  Roughly 1.6km (1 mile) apart and 5.6km (3.5 miles) southwest of Stow-on-the-Wold, the picture-postcard villages of Upper and Lower Slaughter have managed to maintain their unhurried medieval charm. Their names have nothing to do with abattoirs; they come from the Old English sloughtre , meaning slough or muddy place.

6. The Lake District

Best road trip for the great outdoors Windermere – Ullswater; 260km (162 miles); allow five days

William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Beatrix Potter are just a few of the literary luminaries who have fallen in love with the Lake District . It's been a national park since 1951 and is studded by England's highest hills (fells), including the highest of all, Scafell Pike. This drive takes in lakes, forest, hills and valleys, with country houses, hill walks and cozy pubs thrown in for good measure.

Highlights include visiting Wordsworth's former homes in Grasmere, walking through the classic Lakeland valleys of Borrowdale and Buttermere, admiring the wild landscapes and England's highest mountain in Wasdale and driving Hardknott Pass, the district's steepest road pass. At a 30% gradient in some places, with precious few passing places on the narrow, single-file road, it's absolutely not for the faint-hearted or nervous drivers. 

Planning tip:  Motorways and main A-roads deliver you quickly from one end of the country to another. Lesser A-roads, B-roads and minor roads are much more scenic – ideal for car or motorcycle touring. If you or your children get travel sick, you've been warned: these roads are twisty. 

7. The Midlands

Best road trip for battlefields, castles and stately homes  Nottingham – Lincoln; 344km (214 miles); allow five days

This grand tour begins with famed Nottingham Castle and ends with similarly famed Lincoln Castle , stopping at the mighty fortress of Warwick Castle en route. In between you'll see Bosworth Battlefield , where Richard III became the last English king to die in battle, and learn the extraordinary story of the 2012 discovery of his long-lost remains in a city car park.

You'll also stop at wonderful stately homes, such as lavish Burghley House , the Tudor mansion at Sulgrave Manor  and Althorp House , the final resting place of Princess Diana. In each, take time to wander the opulent corridors, the magnificently landscaped gardens and the wider estates, some with free-roaming deer.

8. The North York Moors and Yorkshire coast

Best road trip for windswept moorlands York – Robin Hood's Bay; 140km (87 miles), allow four to five days

This varied tour takes in ancient architecture, wild moorland scenery, picture-postcard villages (complete with steam trains!) and a classic seaside resort…with macabre literary connections. The Blakey Ridge road out of Hutton-le-Hole just keeps climbing and climbing, leaving behind the medieval city of York and the aristocratic splendor of Castle Howard to enter a world of windswept heather moorland, wandering sheep, lonely stone crosses and ancient footpaths.

Stop in Malton, a Yorkshire food haven, and then the bustling fishing harbor of Whitby , with its Gothic abbey and links to Bram Stoker's Dracula . End your road trip in Robin Hood's Bay, one of the prettiest spots on the Yorkshire coast.

Detour: Get transported back to 9th-century "Jorvik" (the Viking name for York) at the multimedia Jorvik Viking Centre, where history is brought to life with a smells-and-all reconstruction of the Viking settlement unearthed here during excavations in the late 1970s.

9. Historic Northumbria 

Best road trip for untamed coastline  Newcastle – Berwick-upon-Tweed; 182km (113 miles), allow three to four days

This drive along northeast England's stirring coastline from Newcastle-upon-Tyne to Berwick-upon-Tweed on the Scottish border runs through the historic medieval kingdom of Northumbria, passing long, desolate beaches, wind-battered castles and magical islands. 

Newcastle is renowned for its culture and nightlife. Stop by the iconic Angel of the North sculpture a few miles south of the city before taking the road north to nearby Tynemouth, where you'll find one of the best surf spots in England at a Blue Flag beach, overlooked by the ruins of a Benedictine priory .

Once you hit the open road the pace drops down several gears – wild and remote, this area is sparsely populated. Along the way you'll encounter incredible birdlife in Amble, where you can visit a puffin colony, and fresh-as-it-gets seafood hauled in at traditional fishing ports. Alnwick is a lovely historic town with an  impressive castle that starred as Hogwarts in the Harry Potter movies, and  Bamburgh  has the region's most dramatic clifftop castle.

Further north, the road takes you by Holy Island, or Lindisfarne , a tiny otherworldly spot linked to the mainland by a narrow causeway at low tide. 

This article was first published Mar 18, 2021 and updated Jul 17, 2023.

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Finding the Universe

Travel tales, photography and a dash of humor

2 Weeks in the UK – My Perfect UK Trip Itinerary

Last updated: April 16, 2024 . Written by Laurence Norah - 219 Comments

If you are looking for a two week UK itinerary which includes Ireland, you have come to the right place. This UK road trip itinerary has you starting in London, and using a rental car as the transportation method. It covers some of our highlights in the UK, including cities, castles, and stunning natural scenery.

I have spent a great deal of time living in and exploring the UK. I’ve drawn on my experiences travelling here to put together my perfect two week UK trip to help you plan your own trip.

This UK itinerary (which also includes Ireland) covers England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. It’s a self-drive road-trip, although could also be modified to support travel by public transport if you prefer.

If you haven’t driven in the UK before, do check out my guide to driving in the UK for helpful tips. We also have a guide to how much it costs to travel in the UK if you need budget planning help.

Without further ado, allow me to present my two-week UK itinerary.

A 2 week UK Trip itinerary

This itinerary is very busy and fits a lot in, including time in Ireland. It is doable, but just be aware that it will be fast paced with quite a lot of driving. Naturally, you are welcome to take the itinerary and adjust it to meet your own interests and pace.

For example, many folks prefer to focus on the UK with their two weeks, and skip the island of Ireland, returning instead via the Lake District and Wales. However, if you want to see as much as possible, this itinerary is how to do it.

Days 1 & 2: London

The UK’s capital is one of my favourite cities in the world. It’s been hanging around for over 2000 years on the banks of the Thames, and there is just an incredible wealth of things to see, from historical sights, to amazing museums, to crazy street markets.

It’s a wonderfully walk-able capital, and you can easily take in the major central sights in a day or so, leaving you the second day to explore museums, art galleries, or go a little further afield and take in some of the other sights, from crumbling cemeteries to massive parks. And if all else fails, you will never be short on an incredible pub to while away some time before heading on.

For inspiration for your visit, take a look at our 2 day London itinerary , which covers the major highlights of the city, and also links to lots of other information about visiting, including tips on finding Harry Potter locations in London through to Winston Churchill locations in London – something for everyone!

My advice for London is to invest in an Oyster card to save money on your transport (don’t hire a car until you leave the capital) and if you think you’re going to use it, look into buying a London Pass to save money on London’s top attractions.

Available in 1, 3 and 6 day versions, as well as a version with an included Oyster card, the savings can really be quite impressive if you plan on visiting a few locations. You can read a full break down on when the London Pass is worth buying here , and buy one yourself here .

Finally, London is probably going to be the most expensive city in the UK for your accommodation. We recommend booking well in advance to get a good deal.

Some of our recommended accommodation options in London are:

The Walrus Bar and Hostel , The Z hotel in Shoreditch , Point A Hotel , Lime Tree Hotel and the  Resident Victoria Hotel . You can see more London hotel listings here on booking.com . We also love the curated apartments available on Plum Guide .

Once you have finished up exploring London, we suggest collecting your car hire and heading out of town. For car hire we recommend Discover Cars , they search all the major providers so you can compare and find the best deal for your trip.

Days 3 & 4: Oxford & the Cotswolds

One of the stipulations of the original question was the wish to avoid feeling too much like a tourist. Unfortunately, this is nearly impossible in Oxford , as nearly everyone there is either a tourist or a student. I lived in and around Oxford for a number of years, and generally felt like a tourist most of that time too.

Part of the reason for that is that this tiny city is absolutely jam packed with incredible buildings, largely in the form of the Oxford Colleges. These are seriously wealthy establishments, who clearly had no problem flaunting that wealth in an architectural fashion back in the day.

This means that yes, it is full of people wandering around, mouths agape, at quite how pretty the whole thing is. Yes, it’s jam packed with tourists. But for good reason!

So strap that camera on and snap away. Then go for a punt on the river, and enjoy some Pimms or a cream tea. Seek out the Harry Potter filming locations . Take a walking tour of the Universities . There’s no shortage of way to fill your time!

Read more tips for spending a day in Oxford, here .

From Oxford you are also well located to take in the incredibly picturesque Cotswolds area – all quaint villages and rolling countryside. The England that everyone imagines England to be like, with country pubs, village greens and cricket ovals. Lovely stuff. Check out hotel prices for  Oxford here .

Days 5 & 6: Peak District and Manchester

From Oxford I’m going to suggest heading “up north”, towards the Peak District national park. Think rolling hills, quaint villages, and beautiful walks.

There are also some fabulous stately homes to visit , not to mention that on the way from Oxford you can stop off at Warwick Castle – one of the UK’s best-preserved castles.

If you’re interested in the industrial revolution in the UK I can highly recommend a visit to the city of Manchester.

Of course, if the industrial revolution isn’t your thing there are plenty of other reasons to visit Manchester, including excellent retail therapy, an awesome food scene, and a variety of architectural highlights. Not to mention the music scene!

You can see my guide to things to do in Manchester for lots more ideas, and you can see hotel prices for Manchester here .

One other thing you might consider as you pass through the Peak District and Manchester is a visit to Alton Towers . This is arguably the UK’s best known theme park, and would make for a great thrilling day out for those of you who like that sort of thing.

Day 7: York

Not that far from Manchester (England is so quaintly explorable!), the city of York is another of my favourite UK cities.

From the incredible Gothic York Minster (a climb to the top is highly recommended) to the winding, tumbled down alleyways of the shambles, to the Viking history – this is a city that just cries out for exploration.

It’s also an awesome place if you’re into ghost stories. There are a whole number of ghost walks that take in the spooky past of York, so if you want an evening of entertainment and intrigue, likely accompanied with a number of fine drinking establishments, an evening ghost walk is a great bit of fun.

I’m not a great believer in this sort of thing usually, but I took a tour and thoroughly enjoyed it!

If you do plan on seeing a few things in York, you might save money with a York City Pass , which includes most of the attractions in the city as well as access to the York Sightseeing bus or York City Cruises. You can buy that in advance here .

For more York ideas, see our guide to spending two days in York , which has a comprehensive itinerary as well as tips on where to stay and how to get around.

For accommodation, you can check out and book the best York hotels here .

Days 8 & 9: Edinburgh via Northumberland

From York we’re going to wave farewell to England, and head up to Scotland’s capital city, Edinburgh. On the way though, you’ll be passing through some of England’s least travelled, yet stunningly beautiful, landscapes.

I am of course talking about Northumbria. From miles of deserted beach, to crumbling castles, to the Roman equivalent of the great wall of China, Northumbria really has a lot to offer someone looking for a slightly off the beaten track England experience. The rolling landscapes are breath-taking and you’ll find yourself alone much of the time. Worth taking a bit of time to explore, in my opinion.

Then of course, it’s up to Edinburgh , where you’ll not be short of amazing things to look at. From Edinburgh castle, to Arthurs Seat, from fine whiskys, to Princes Street, there really is enough here for a number of days of entertainment. And if you visit during the Fringe festival… well… plan on being entertained for a good many weeks!

See more ideas on spending some time in Edinburgh in this detailed two day Edinburgh itinerary that I put together, as well as our guide to things to do in Edinburgh , our tips on visiting Edinburgh in winter , and our guide to finding Harry Potter in Edinburgh .

Then  check and book your Edinburgh hotels here.

Days 10 – 12: Ireland

Because the UK is an easily explorable place with decent roads and relatively short distances to drive, it is totally possible to include another country – Ireland! – in a trip like this if you’re up for it.

Do be aware that if you are renting a car, some car rental companies have restrictions on taking cars on ferries, or into other countries – so make sure you check before you go as there may be an additional fee to pay.

Of course, you could also fly to Ireland (Edinburgh to Belfast or Dublin for example), and use different rentals for different parts of your adventure!

If all that sounds like too much hard work, you could extend your time in Scotland, or alternatively, you could take in the west coast of the UK, including Glasgow , the Lake District, and Liverpool, as well as popping into Wales for the stunning Snowdonia national park, and rejoin this itinerary in South Wales or Bristol . The choice is yours!

If it is Ireland you want though, it’s a short ferry ride from Scotland (Cairnryan to be precise, which is 2-3 hour drive from Edinburgh) across to Belfast in Northern Ireland, from where you can spend a few days exploring the Emerald Isle.

We have travelled from Cairnryan with both Stena Line and P&O Ferries, both of which have been a fast, comfortable and efficient service. We normally use Direct Ferries for ferry booking as they compare prices across all the providers and support payment in multple currencies. You can book your ferry tickets here .

This part of the world has a lot to offer, and three days is quite a short amount of time. We can recommend spending some time in Belfast and driving north along the causeway coastal route to see such highlights as the Giant’s Causeway, ruined castles and spectacular coastline. Then, head south into Ireland, and see fabulous Dublin.

I’ve explored Dublin and her surroundings, taken a trip down to the Dingle Peninsula , kissed the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle, gazed at the Cliffs of Moher ,  and visited the Dark Hedges of Game of Thrones fame – to name but a few of our wonderful experience on the Irish Isle.

In Dublin there’s the Guinness Factory, of course, as a popular highlight, but also oodles of Gaelic history and culture to get excited about.

There are also of course the Irish people, well known for their love of a good time! Personally, I’d head on down the coast from Belfast, through Dublin and down to the port of Rosslare, where after three exciting days in Ireland another ferry service will whisk you across to the last of the four countries to make up the UK: Wales!

Day 13: South Wales and Cardiff

In Wales you will arrive either at Fishguard or Pembroke – both excellent places to explore the Pembrokeshire Coast national park . Here you will find beautiful beaches, rugged cliffs, and fabulous opportunities for walking.

You’re also not too far a drive from Cardiff, the Welsh capital. Four capitals in a fortnight – not bad going! Here you’ll find castles, sporting venues and more Welsh based culture than you can shake a stick at. Plus, arrive at the right time of year and you’ll find the Great British Cheese festival in full swing. What’s not to be excited about? For more about travelling in Wales and highlights along this route, see our detailed Wales road trip itinerary .

Find and book your Cardiff hotels here .

Day 14: Bristol & Bath

From Cardiff you’ll cross the enormous Severn estuary over the impress Severn road bridge and be back in the UK, or Bristol to be precise. Here you’ll find all sorts of interesting items of historical interest, largely running on a nautical theme, as well as some of the best street art in Britain .

For over a thousand years Bristol has been an important English port. From early explorers and traders, to the dark years of the African slave vessels, to filling Australia with immigrants, it is hard to understate the role that Bristol has played in Britain’s sea faring history. There is, after all, a reason for the expression “ship-shape and Bristol fashion” having a place in the English language.

I can highly recommend taking a trip round the SS Great Britain when you’re in Bristol. Built in 1843, and designed by the engineering genius who was Isambard Kingdom Brunel – the man who almost single-handedly revolutionised both engineering and public transport in the UK.

The SS Great Britain is notable as being the first steamer to cross the Atlantic – setting a record pace for the time of 14 days. An amazing bit of history. Note that tickets are slightly cheaper if you book them online, which you can do online here .

For more ideas in Bristol, check out our guide to things to do in Bristol , which should give you plenty of ideas to fill your time. Find the best prices on Bristol hotels and book here .

From Bristol it’s on to the Roman spa city of Bath, a world heritage site. Like Oxford , this is a difficult place to be anything other than a tourist, but it is so worth it all the same!

Day 15: Back to London, via Stonehenge!

Our last day of our just over two week UK itinerary takes us back to London. No trip to the UK though would really be complete without taking in perhaps our most famous monument – the circle of rocks known as Stonehenge.

There is just something about the place that makes you wonder. A circle of rocks, built by a people who had nothing but their hands and some bits of wood to help them out, in the middle of the Wiltshire countryside, hundreds of miles from an actual quarry, is just mind blowing.

Add in the pagan ritualism, the relationship between the rocks and the sun, and the sheer mystery of the place, and you have somewhere that is capable of really capturing the imagination. Worth your time to visit (see more thoughts from a trip to Stonehenge here ).

Plus, while you’re there you can pop into Salisbury and enjoy the cathedral, which boasts the highest cathedral spire of any church in the UK.

And then… back to London, where this tour finishes!

2 Weeks in the UK: Road Trip Map

Here’s a map of the route , for your reference.

2 Week UK Itinerary Summary

• Days 1 & 2 : London
• Days 3 & 4 : Oxford & the Cotswolds
• Days 5 & 6 : Peak District and Manchester
• Day 7 : York
• Days 8 & 9 : Edinburgh via Northumberland
• Days 10 – 12 : Ireland
• Day 13 : South Wales and Cardiff
• Day 14 : Bristol & Bath
• Day 15 : Back to London, via Stonehenge!

Can you do this 2 Week UK itinerary by public transport?

A popular question from readers is whether or not this itinerary can be done by public transport. I appreciate that of course not everyone wants to drive in the UK, and the answer, for the most part, is yes.

Certainly, between the major cities on the itinerary there are good rail and/or bus links, with the train usually being a little faster. The main challenge is the rural sections of the route – for example, exploring the Cotswolds, Northumbria or the Peak District. This is possible using local buses of course, but it can definitely slow you down a fair bit, and so you would need to adjust the itinerary a little to fit the schedule.

Another option is to add in some days in London or Edinburgh, and doing some specific day trips from these cities to take in the out of town attractions.

For example, there is this  day trip from London that takes in highlights such as Bath and Stonehenge. Then, for Northumbria and the Scottish Borders, including beautiful Alnwick Castle, consider this tour from Edinburgh .

If you are interested in doing this itinerary by public transport, check out my guide to taking a 10 day UK trip by public transport, which as well as a route, has lots of ideas for how to book different forms of transport in the most effective and cost-efficient way.

What About Touring the UK With A Tour Company?

Another popular question is whether or not this sort of trip can be done with a tour company, and if we have any companies we would recommend for this.

So you have a few options for doing this which I have outlined below.

The first option is to take a group tour of the UK. There are a number of companies offering small group tours – we’d recommend finding a service which operates tours of 15 people or less. We usually use and recommend Rabbie’s Trail Burners , who operate trips around the UK and Ireland, and have a number of tour options to choose from.

We haven’t found a tour that exactly matches our UK wide itinerary, but we still have a solution for those of you wanting the do a similar trip as part of a guided tour.

First, we recommend you spend two or three days in London, following our suggested London itinerary .

Next, we recommend you take something similar to this small group tour , which takes eight days to take you from London to Edinburgh.

In Edinburgh, you can spend a couple of days following our Edinburgh itinerary , after which you can easily fly to either Belfast or Dublin direct from Edinburgh.

Here you can either explore these lovely cities, or take a tour to explore more of the country, we’d recommend either this three day tour of Northern Ireland  or this three day tour of the southern and western coast .

Alternatively, if you’d prefer to skip Ireland, you could take something like this five day tour of the Scottish Highlands and Skye .

Finally, you can either return to London, or have your flights home depart from Dublin or Edinburgh, depending on your tour choice.

The other option is a bespoke tour company and/or a private tour guide, who will be able to put a tour together for you, including guiding, transport and accommodation.

Of all the options, this will generally be the most expensive way to travel, but it will also give you total flexibility in terms of your trip and schedule, plus you’ll have a guide with you every step of the way, taking all the hassle out of your trip.

For this sort of tour, we recommend the services of Robina Brown, who is a blue-badge guide offering tours across the UK. See her website here .

When to Visit the UK

You can visit the UK at any time of year, although for the best weather and longer daylight hours, we’d definitely suggest visiting in the warmer months – from May to September. May is probably our favourite time of year, the weather is usually quite reasonable but the tourist crowds are not too intense.

Christmas, and the period leading up to Christmas, can also be a wonderful time to visit, when the streets and shops are all brightly lit and decorated for the festive season. For a good example of this, check out our guide to visiting Edinburgh at Christmas .

Where to Stay in the UK:

For accommodation , there are a great many options to choose from, ranging from cosy B&B’s through to upmarket hotels, and everything in between. Finding the best deal on your accommodation is an important part of trip planning – helping you to get the most from your budget, as well as find the property that is right for you.

• We’ve tried a lot of booking sites, and nearly always find ourselves using Booking.com. They have an extensive selection of properties, many with no-fee cancellation policies, and often run discounts and special offers. Click on each city title to see their listings:  London , Oxford ,  Manchester , York , Edinburgh , Dublin , Cardiff and Bristol .
• If you prefer an apartment or more of a hosted stay, then we recommend Plum Guide . We’ve tried all the others, and in our experience Plum Guide consistently has the highest quality options for the locations they are available.
• If you can’t find what you want on Plum Guide, or you want some new options to try out, we wrote a whole post on the best alternatives to AirBnB , as well as a guide to our favourite holiday cottage accommodation in the UK , which you should check out!

Between these options, you should find the best prices and places to stay for your trip, as well as a good selection of reviews and feedback to help you make an informed decision.

How to Get Around the UK

For this kind of trip I also obviously recommend that you look into renting a car. We have used and can recommend Enterprise Car Rental , they usually have great rates, especially for one way rentals. We also recommend comparing car prices using a service like Discover Cars , which compares prices across a range of providers to help you find the best deal.

A hire car will give you a lot more flexibility than public transport, and prices are generally fairly reasonable. However, if you would prefer to do a trip like this by public transport instead of driving yourself, check out our UK itinerary by public transport for ideas.

Another option for travelling in the UK is to hire a motorhome. Whilst this might not be practical for a city focused trip, you might prefer it if you are planning on visiting more rural locations.

For campervan rental we suggest checking out Motorhome Republic . They offer a campervans from a range of companies at different price points, so you can find the right one for you. You can see their UK listings here .

Further reading for your UK Trip

We’ve got lots of resources to help you plan your trip to the UK, from posts we’ve written ourselves to third party content we’re happy to recommend. Here it is:

• If you want a shorter trip, taking in some more off the beaten path destinations, check out this one week itinerary of the UK that I put together. If you’d prefer not to drive yourself, we also have a 10 day UK itinerary by public transport .
• To prepare for your trip to the UK, we’ve put together a detailed UK packing list which covers both London and the wider UK at any time of year
• This is a self-drive trip, so you should definitely check out our guide to driving in the UK for helpful tips.
• We also have a guide to how much it costs to travel in the UK  which will help you cost out a trip like this.
• A guide to driving Scotland’s epic North Coast 500 , as well as accommodation options on the North Coast 500
• When you’re near Glasgow, you should check out the beautiful Devil’s Pulpit in Finnich Glen
• A two day Edinburgh itinerary & 21 Highlights in Edinburgh
• Edinburgh: Getting off the beaten path
• A Two Day Glasgow and Loch Lomond itinerary
• A guide to 10 of the best Stately Homes in England , to give you some ideas as you plan your itinerary
• For London, we have some detailed itineraries to help you plan your visit. These include a 1 Day London Itinerary , a Two Day London itinerary and a Six Day London itinerary
• The top Harry Potter sites in London
• The Best Photography Locations in London
• Tips on Buying and Using the London Pass
• Eight Things to Do in Kensington
• The Highlights of Oxford
• Our guide to things to do in Cambridge
• Visiting Blenheim Palace and the Cotswolds
• 20 Things To Do in Dublin , a 2 day Dublin itinerary and a 3 day Dublin itinerary
• A Guide to Touring the Scottish Borders
• Getting online when travelling in a foreign country can be daunting – check out our guide to getting online when travelling to help you figure out the best options for your trip
• If you’re interested in getting better photos when you travel, take a look at my online photography course , where I’ll teach you everything you need to know about getting better photos – whatever camera you have!
• If you want a physical (or digital!) book to accompany your travels, then Amazon do a good line in UK Travel Guides , and there is naturally a Lonely Planet and a Rough Guide to the UK available.

If you’re planning on visiting a number of historical properties, there are a couple of options you have for saving money as a visitor to the UK. Two main organisations exist to preserve these properties, the National Trust, and English Heritage.

Both of these organisations offer specific passes for visitors to the UK, which represent great value for money for visitors.

For the National Trust you can pick up a National Trust touring pass . This is valid for 7 or 14 days, and gives you access to every National Trust property in the England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

For English Heritage , you can get an English Heritage Overseas Visitor Pass . This is valid for 9 or 16 days, and gives you access to every English Heritage property in the UK.

Alternatively, you can also buy a full membership to these organisations, which will last a full year. You can buy an English Heritage Membership here and a National Trust membership here .

So those were my thoughts for taking in a slightly longer than two week trip in the UK. I’ve obviously missed out a great number of places, as no two week trip can possibly hope to see everything, but I’d like to think I covered a great many highlights of this truly fascinating country.

As always, if you’ve got any thoughts on this post, do hit up the comments below!

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25th February 2024 at 6:30 pm

Hello, we are planning a trip this summer. On my list is scotch tasting in Islay. How many days should we add? Do you have any recommendations?

Laurence Norah says

25th February 2024 at 9:28 pm

Sure thing. Islay is beautiful and very much worth a visit. I’d suggest spending a couple of day at least if you can spare it as it takes a bit of time to get to and from the island and there is plenty to see and do there. I have a guide to things to do on Islay which might help. In terms of whisky distilleries, if you have a favourite whisky that I’d obviously recommend going to that distillery. My favourite whisky is Laphroaig, so I enjoyed visiting that distillery particularly. However my guide to Islay lists all the currently active ones so you can make a choice as to which one you prefer.

Have a great trip!

Marcelo Gurgel says

18th January 2024 at 11:52 pm

Hello ! Your post is very good ! I would like to do a similar tour, but on a motorcycle. Including Isle of Man where the TT Isle of Man race will take place. Please for I leave the bike on the London side and take the Ferry by foot and the best option? Cheaper in this case? How much do ferries generally cost? Where do I search for tickets and itineraries? Thanks a lot for the help !

19th January 2024 at 12:02 am

Hi Marcelo,

Thank you! So the only company which operates ferries to the Isle of Man is the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, and the best way to book a ferry is directly on their website here . They operate services from Heysham, Liverpool, Belfast and Dublin.

If you plan on visiting during the TT race then you should book as soon as you can as this is a very popular event.

The price will vary depennding on when you go but it is definitely less expensive to go as a foot passenger. Looking at a route, it’s around £40 – £50 one way for a foot passenger, and £120 – £140 for a passenger with a bike. However, remember that you will need to pay to park your bike somewhere secure, and you will also need to have transport on the Isle of Man. Also, at more popular times, such as during the TT races, prices can be higher.

I hope this helps, let me know if you have any more questions! Safe travels!

PAUL BASILE says

10th December 2023 at 10:20 pm

stumbled across your blog and was pleasantly surprised! my wife and I will arrive in London on 6/19/24 in advance of Wimbledon where we’ll be staying from 7/5 though 7/10. we want to sorta do your route in reverse, heading out of London straight away renting a car, and heading out. we have around 2 weeks and want to start heading to Ireleand, then Scotland, then visiting cousins in Durham in northern GB, returning car in London before wimbeldon.

would love to get some advice on that reverse route, forgoing the London stuff until later, but wanting your insights on anything else! thanks in advance!

13th December 2023 at 12:19 am

It’s great to hear from you. So you can do the route either way without any issue. The main thing if you do decide to include Ireland is to be sure to check if the car rental company you choose allows you to take the car on a ferry to Ireland. Some will and some won’t, you’ll just want to confirm before booking. Otherwise I think you have the structure of a good itinerary. You can follow my route and just adjust it to suit your interests and available time. I’d definitely recommend booking in advance for places to stay and the ferries as you are coming at a popular time for travel so things will start to book up. Otherwise, just have a great time and let me know if you have any questions!

13th December 2023 at 2:38 am

Lawrence….thanks so much…great info on the ferry and booking places….do you have a fav booking site for places to stay?

13th December 2023 at 3:37 am

It’s my pleasure! We primarily use Booking.com when we travel because we like the filters. We usually filter by rating (8+) and then depending on the trip things like having free parking (handy for a road trip). Then things like WiFi, laundry, free breakfast, free cancellation, depending on what we are doing. Also like that you can apply the filters to the map view (again, handy for road trips). You can also book apartments. We also use various other sites depending on where we are going, some places have more AirBnB options. In the UK we also book holiday cottages but for a trip like yours which will likely have more shorter stops I’d say hotels or B&Bs are likely to be an easier option as apartments often have the extra overhead of needing to arrange check in and check out times.

Let me know if I can help any further 🙂

Linda Haddock says

2nd December 2023 at 7:38 am

Hello, thank you for this helpful blog! Do you have any recommendations on when, where and what to include for sites for a JRR Tolkien fan?

2nd December 2023 at 8:46 pm

It’s my pleasure. So Oxford would be my main recommendation as it was here that Tolkien studied and worked. Fun side story, a dear friend of mine was Tolkien’s Doctor and knew him well, although he has now passed. Anyway, Tolkien studied at Exeter Collge in Oxford and was also a fellow at Pembroke College and Merton College, so many of the sights in Oxford like the Radcliffe Camera and Ashmolean museum would be of interest. The Bodeleian Library in Oxford (the Radcliffe Camera is part of this) does have the originals of many of his works but these are not usually on display unfortunately.

I hope this helps a bit! Have a lovely time in the UK and do let me know if you need any more input 🙂

Ingrid Ermanovics says

24th May 2022 at 3:45 pm

Hi, Love your blog. I hear that the traffic in July can be daunting and cause very long delays. As such, would you still recommend a private car hire (car rental)? Or have other suggestions to avoid the issue? Thanks!!

24th May 2022 at 4:33 pm

Thanks very much! So in my experience, the main factors that contribute to traffic in the UK are road works, which can happen at any time, and travelling at specific times. For example, when there is a public holiday on a Monday or Friday, this tends to lead to a lot of holiday traffic. So avoiding those dates makes a lot of sense. July is not particularly worse in my experience, it can be a bit heavier, but it’s not normally awful unless you are unlucky and encounter an accident, or there are road works. I would advise against trips on Friday or Sunday afternoons, as this is when the traffic can be quite bad at any time of year as people go away for or come back from the weekends.

I’d also advise using an app like Google maps with real time traffic, and trying to plan your travel times so they don’t align with the busier times of day. In general though, i would still recommend using a car rental even in July 🙂

I hope this helps!

Debbie Hebert says

16th May 2022 at 12:16 am

Hi Laurence and Jessica, this trip looks super fun and we are looking to visit July-Aug of this year starting in Dublin (as the airfare is best to there from our home in New Orleans). Just a few questions. Would you suggest going North or South from Dublin? How many miles is the entire itinerary? Is there is a stretch where we could ditch the rental car and take the train and then pick up another car? And/or if we drop off the car before and after London and train in which cities would be best to do that? Thank you so much!

16th May 2022 at 3:11 pm

Thanks Debbie!

So I’d probably recommend dropping the rental car in Belfast or Dublin and then flying across to Cardiff or Edinburgh, depending which way you go. Many car rental firms don’t allow for rentals to be taken on the ferry, plus you have to pay more to transport a car, so this would likely save you money.

Direction wise in Ireland, it really depends what you want to see. In the Republic of Ireland you have lovely landscapes and places like the Dingle peninsula and Ring of Kerry. If you head north to Belfast (also a lovely city), then you can visit places like the Giant’s Causeway and the Coastal Causeway route.

Putting a mileage total on the entire itinerary is tricky as there are likely to be many detours but I’d say a ballpark of 1500 – 2000 miles seems about right. In terms of areas where you can drop the car and take public transport, a lot of this will depend on what you want to see. If you are happy with primarily cities, then you can easily get around between cities with a train instead of a car. So for example, Edinburgh to York, York to Manchester, Manchester to Bath and Bath to Oxford would all work. Then if there were specific day trips you wanted to do there’s the option to either rent a car for that day, or take a day tour. But if you are thinking of spending more time in the countryside and smaller towns, then a car would be a lot less useful. I’d definitely recommend against taking a car into London, and dropping it off somewhere like Oxford or Reading before taking the train into London.

Farooq Ghouri says

6th May 2022 at 2:56 am

Hi Laurence and Jessica We are visiting UK this summer for two weeks. Your two weeks itinerary is great resource for us. I wonder how we can squeeze Wales in it . Any suggestions will be much appreciated We will be using rental car Sincerely Farooq Ghouri from Chicago USA

6th May 2022 at 9:44 am

Thanks very much! So the southern part of Wales is included in this trip on the return from Ireland. However, if you wanted to add Wales your main option would be to do it as you drive north, or to consider skipping Ireland and to drive back down through Wales to Bath. The second option might be easier as it cuts down having to think about a ferry / flight across to Ireland, but it’s up to you. This itinerary is already very busy, so adding more to it as it exists would be a bit of a challenge in my opinion.

Let me know if I can offer any further advice, and have a great time in the UK!

6th May 2022 at 5:06 pm

Thank you much Laurence I will keep your suggestion in mind when finalizing the itinerary

Heather says

28th April 2022 at 2:35 am

I noticed your recommended the The Resident Victoria and I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions. I will be travelling with 3 people, one of which is a full time wheelchair user. Do you think the room size is adequate for a 5 day visit? Did you happen to notice if the showers were roll in or a wet room with chair? I realize most hotels only have accessible showers and whatnot in certain rooms so will understand if you don’t know. I found your travel blog a month ago and love it. Thanks from Canada

28th April 2022 at 12:01 pm

Hi Heather,

Sure thing. So, the first thing to be aware of is that rooms in central London tend to be quite small, especially if you are used to the size of hotel rooms in North America. Another thing to be aware of is that baths are quite common, and having a shower over the bath rather than a separate stall is also fairly common. So if looking for an accessible room it’s really important to specify that, and it’s always worth checking with the hotel what that actually means.

I would say that none of the rooms in the Resident Victoria would really be suitable for three adults to share for a longer stay, if that was what you were thinking. The superior rooms do have the option for three single beds, but these are not accessible rooms. In general, the rooms are fairly compact and I think a wheelchair user in particular would struggle in their standard rooms.

If you were thinking of separate rooms, some of their King Rooms are accessible so that would be an option. I called the hotel this morning and they confirmed that it is their King rooms which are accessible and the showers in these rooms are fully roll in. The toilets and sinks are also accessible. They can also provide a chair in the shower if you want. However these are definitely rooms for two people.

I hope this answers your question! The property is very well located for sure. Let me know if I can offer any further advice. I also have a full guide to where to stay in London which has a lot more options 🙂

13th April 2022 at 11:47 pm

Hi Laurence,

Was very interesting to read this trip. But it’s more suitable for adults without kids to travell to Ireland within two weeks. Can you please look for following trip plan: We are 2 adults + 2 kids (12 and 10) for 14 days. My daughter likes Harry Potter, so preference on these kind of attractions. So i wanted to divided for following parts: 1. London 5 days –>>> museums, parks and so on. 2. Warner Bros. Studio Tour London 1 day 3. Oxford or Cambridge .. yet not decided… for one day + Windsor Castle 4. Rent a car(or by train) and drive to the north >> York 1 day Manchester + Alton Towers – 1 day 5. Drive to south Birmingham (Cadbury world + other attractions) – 1 day Costwolds area – 1 day Bath + Stonehenge – 1 day Total 12 + 2 days (driving + bufffer for other changes during the trip)

Do you think is it good? What to add or remove? Or continue to Edinburgh and cancel some places in current trip? Thanks in advance Sam

14th April 2022 at 11:23 am

Great to hear from you. I agree, trying to include Ireland on the trip would be challenging with family. I think your itinerary sounds good, spending more time focusing on a smaller number of areas is a good choice. For your options, I think I might suggest Oxford over Cambridge if your daughter likes Harry Potter as there are quite a few filming locations in Oxford (see the Oxford section of our Harry Potter guide here ). I would also probably allocate a whole day to Oxford and maybe do Windsor Castle on one of your days in London. Oxford is very easy to reach by train from London so makes an easy day trip, but the day might feel rushed if you include Windsor as well.

I think otherwise your itinerary sounds good. A car will make things easier for sure, especially for things like exploring the Cotswolds and getting to Alton Towers. These are doable by public transport but it will take up valuable time. I also think focusing on England is a good idea. Depending on how much of a Harry Potter fan your daughter is you might consider stopping at Gloucester as well to see Gloucester Cathedral, which was used for various Hogwarts scenes .It’s a spectacular cathedral and lovely city in its own right as well, easy to see in 2-3 hours between Birmingham and Bath before dipping into the Cotswolds.

Have a great trip – let me know if you have any questions!

Vincent Choo says

12th April 2022 at 11:04 am

Laurence, My family and I ( 4 of us intend to tour Great Britain for 2 weeks before joining our friends in Belfast to continue another 10 days covering the island of Ireland. We intend to travel with a combination of car, train , ferry and air and hope to have your recommendation on which sectors should I use the above modes of transport. The intineary is roughly the same as your 2 weeks ( loop from London and ends there ) Thank You

12th April 2022 at 2:43 pm

Hi Vincent!

This is a great question, and the answer will come down to both budget and your interests.

If you are primarily interested in cities and larger towns, then travelling by rail might be easier for the majority of your trip. You can get between most cities and towns quite easily by train, and if you book well in advance you can also get cheap fares. You can also use a Friends & Family railcard to save even more. Travelling by train has the advantage that you don’t have to worry about car rental costs, fuel costs and finding car parking, the latter of which can be a challenge in many cities. I’d definitely advise against a car in London at the very least.

If you prefer a mix of city sightseeing and countryside, then a car is going to be more useful as most countryside sights and places like the Lake District are going to be a lot easier to get to and around with your own vehicle. I’d just suggest leaving the car out of the London part of the trip, and remembering to think about parking and fuel prices as part of your budget. I think a car might end up being slightly more expensive than public transport, but honestly the car rental market is so turbulent these days it’s hard to know without doing the math.

My recommendation would be to fly to Ireland – low cost flights with budget airlines will likely be the best option, and most car rental companies actually don’t allow for their vehicles to go on a ferry. Then you could pick up a hire car in Ireland on arrival.

It sounds like you have a great trip planned – let me know if I can offer any more input!

Sanchay says

7th April 2022 at 8:05 pm

Hello, Im planning a 2 week trip which shall include England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland during the month of October 2022. Is it feasible to cover all the places in 2 weeks considering that we are a group of 6 adults and 2 children ( 11 and 12 yrs) or shall we skip any of the destinations. We shall use Public transport in London and prefer Self drive cars / Trains / Ferries elsewhere. I also want to know if you could share some ranch stays where in we can stay and enjoy the country side instead of hotels. Awaiting your kind suggestion

Thanks and Regards 🙂

8th April 2022 at 11:04 am

Hi Sanchay,

Thanks for your comment. So I would probably recommend that you focus on maybe a couple of countries so you can enjoy yourself a bit more. I would probably recommend perhaps the mainland UK, as the extra effort required to get across to Ireland will eat into your time with two weeks. So perhaps a trip which includes London and Edinburgh, and then areas like the Lake District and / or Wales. One thing to be aware of is that the weather in October can be a bit variable, so spending more time in the cities might be more appealing rather than the country side where the weather might not be suitable for a lot of outdoor activities. Of course, you might be lucky and get good weather, but this is not guaranteed.

For ranch stays, probably the closest in the UK would be countryside B&Bs. Some farms do have accommodation option, and there are some lovely self catering options in the country as well.

Have a great trip and let me know if you have any further questions!

Derek Bowen says

2nd June 2021 at 5:16 pm

A really good trip, but I would skip Manchester and head right up through Rawtenstall, up through Burnley and Nelson. This would be a really good look at the cotton industry as well a real feel of northern England, as well as the best fish and chips. Then carry on up through Skipton, trying to time market day, and over to York, which is a must.

3rd June 2021 at 12:53 pm

Thank you Derek! For sure, there are so many ways to change this route depending on interests, and your suggestion is a good one 😀

Patrick Russell says

22nd March 2021 at 5:18 pm

This is absolutely amazing itinerary. What would a rough cost be for a trip like this? Minus airfare, and passports.

Thank you, Patrick

22nd March 2021 at 5:23 pm

Thanks Patrick! So it will vary quite a bit depending on your travel style. The main costs on a trip like this are transport, accommodation, food and attraction entry. Accommodation will obviously depend on how comfortable you like to travel, and food will also vary a lot depending on if you prefer fine dining or simpler fare.

To help cost a trip like this I put a guide to the costs of travelling in the UK in a post, which should give you some guidance 🙂

https://www.findingtheuniverse.com/cost-travel-uk/

Hope this helps!

Matthew says

8th December 2020 at 2:51 pm

Interesting itinerary. As a British person, rather than a traveller, my comment would be it doesn’t have much of the coast in, though I understand the time constraints. But a trip to the UK with no seaside towns! At least add Brighton, easy to reach from London. Dorset isn’t too far either, and has a fantastic coast. Also, Chester is beautiful and well worth inclusion.

8th December 2020 at 2:52 pm

Hey Matthew,

Great feedback. When I wrote this guide initially it was in response to a specific request, but of course there is so much of the UK that it doesn’t cover for various reasons (including time restraints!). I always encourage folks to use it as a rough guide, but to modify it for their own interests 🙂

Thanks for stopping by!

Tammy Howard says

25th February 2020 at 11:07 pm

Dear Laurence,

Thank you so much for this itinerary. It is fabulous!! We would like to sleep in a castle while on our trip. Are there any that you know of that allow this along this route?

26th February 2020 at 11:20 am

Dear Tammy,

My pleasure! So yes, there are quite a few options along the route, depending on your budget. Some options to consider:

Thornbury Castle – just north of Bristol

Glenapp Castle – just south of the Scotland – Ireland ferry crossing. We’ve stayed here and it’s wonderful

Kilkea Castle Hotel – south of Dublin. We’ve also stayed here.

Cringletie Castle Hotel – about a 40 minute drive south of Edinburgh. Another of our favourites.

Of course, this is just a small selection – there are many more across the UK to choose from, at a range of budgets. One tip when staying in a castle hotel – some of them have built more rooms outside the castle itself. So make sure when booking that you get a room that inside the castle (I think otherwise it sort of defeats the point!).

Have a great trip, let me know if you have any more questions!

Abdiaziz says

29th February 2020 at 8:27 am

How much will I pay if I want to travel next month

29th February 2020 at 10:14 am

Hi Abdiaziz,

March is not too busy a month for travel in the UK, so prices should be reasonable. To figure out your costs for this trip, see our guide to how much it costs to travel in the UK 🙂

Dhaval says

3rd February 2020 at 9:17 am

Hi Laurence, Thanks a lot for this amazing itinerary. We are a group of 4 adults + 4 kids (1Y,3Y,5Y,7Y) and are planning a 15 days trip to the UK. This will be our first time. Can you please assist us with the below queries:-

1. Considering we have small kids, what is the best mode of transport to travel from London to Edinburgh to Dublin? Should we keep one separate day for travelling in our itinerary? We will also have Kids Strollers everywhere we travel. 2. We want to do Day tours from London to Oxford, Cotswold, Stonehenge, Bath etc keeping our base in London. But few of my friends suggested that the Local operators don’t include kids below 5Years and we will be forced to take a rent a car. Any suggestions? 3. Also if we follow your above itinerary, can you guide us the exact cities in which we need to book our apartments/hotels to avoid hassle-free travelling.

Thanks a lot in Advance. Cheers 🙂

3rd February 2020 at 2:45 pm

My pleasure 🙂 I will do my best to help of course. To answer your questions:

1 – From London to Edinburgh I would recommend the train. This takes around 4.5 hours and will be a lot quicker than driving / taking a bus, plus you will have more space for your stroller / bags etc. You could fly too, but as it will take time to check everything in, go through security etc, I think the train will be easier. Just be sure to book your train well in advance to get a good price, and be aware that if you book a ticket in advance, you must take the booked train, the ticket will not work on a different train, even on the same day.

For Edinburgh to Dublin, your only option is realistically to fly.

2 – This is correct, for safety reasons most group tours do not accept children under a certain age, which is often 5. However, you can instead book a private tour. For a group of eight of you this should not work out much more expensive than a normal tour, plus you will be able to customise the itinerary. So I would advise reaching out to private tour operators who should be able to assist.

3 – All the cities are in the itinerary, you would need to stay in whichever ones you want to visit that don’t fall within the day tours you wish to take from London.

I hope this helps – have a great trip and let me know if I can help any further,

Serafina Macdonald says

11th January 2020 at 9:09 pm

Hi there, we are planning a trip to England, Scotland, and Ireland at the beginning of July. We are thinking about 16-18 days. I looked at your itinerary and love your suggestions! My husband does want to spend a half-day in Liverpool and I think we can tweak your itinerary to fit it in and try to do Isle of Skye as well. Since we do have the few extra days at the end of the trip, do you think it would be worthwhile to travel over to the other coast of Ireland to explore that side? (Galway, Aran Islands). Would love some suggestions.

11th January 2020 at 9:18 pm

Hi Serafina!

So Liverpool would definitely be an easy addition to the itinerary. The Isle of Skye is a bit more of a trek, as it’s a five hour drive each way from Edinburgh, so I’d suggest allocating at least 3 days for that, one day each for the drive and one day to actually explore. So do keep that in mind.

For Ireland, absolutely. The west coast is stunning, and if you can find time to head over there I would definitely suggest doing so. There’s a lot to see over there, so the hardest part will be choosing, but certainly the Cliffs of Moher, Dingle Peninsula and Ring of Kerry are some good candidates for your shortlist 🙂

Have a great time, and let me know if you have any more questions!

12th January 2020 at 2:15 pm

Thanks so much! Looking forward to this trip!

3rd December 2019 at 9:40 am

Dear Laurence, This is the first time I visit UK so could you help give a good advice to have plan visit UK during time 24th Dec- 08th Jan

Thanks Duong

3rd December 2019 at 6:11 pm

Thanks for your message. The majority of the information you need should be available on the site, both in this post and in the posts I link to. I am happy to try and help answer any specific questions you might have – is there anything in particular you are worried about?

The main things I would suggest, depending on where you are travelling from, are to plan what you want to see, to plan your accommodation and transport, and to pack properly for winter. Obviously you are visiting over Christmas and New Year, which is a busy time of year, so if you have not booked your accommodation yet you will definitely want to look into that, especially over New Year as that can be a busy time for both travel and accommodation.

Let me know if I can offer any more specific help for your trip,

Hang Tran says

26th November 2019 at 3:59 pm

Hi Laurence, Thank you for your advice and emails. I was able to put together our 2-week itinerary in England. I changed our lodging to London instead of Heathrow and booked different places when we travel around with our Britrail passes. I can’t say thank you enough. It’s very helpful for us. We will stay in London (3 days), Edinburgh (3 days:Edinburgh and York), Bristol for 5 days, Bath for 2 days and travel to other nearby cities (Stonehenge, Oxford, Cardiff) by train to make one-day trip. Is it right time to visit Cardiff in winter? If not, do you have any other places to spend a day? We’re thinking about Liverpool but it takes about 3-hours ride. If so, what should we can see in such a short time in Liverpool? We never ride a train before so we don’t mind riding the train everyday and enjoy the view together.

26th November 2019 at 5:20 pm

I am so pleased to have been able to help you and to hopefully make your trip a memorable one. It sounds like you have a wonderful itinerary planned now.

I would say that Cardiff is fine to visit in winter. Like many cities in the UK, lots of the attractions are indoors, so you can visit at any time of year and have a good time. Obviously you’ll want to dress warmly, but this will be the same all around the UK. Cardiff will definitely be one of the easier places to visit given its proximity. Another option would be Birmingham. I think I would probably not do Liverpool from Bristol – the 3 hour trip each way would be 6 hours on a train, so I don’t think you’d really have enough time to enjoy the city.

Let me know if I can be of any further help! We actually live in Bath too, so maybe we’ll see you 😉

28th November 2019 at 5:30 am

Hi Laurence, Thank you for the suggestion. We will look into Birmingham instead of Liverpool. We might be able to meet you for breakfast or lunch in Bath on Dec 22 or 23. I was able to find a place to stay that we can walk up or down the street to get to Bath Spa. Everything is in walking distance. Thanks to you again.

Sincerely, Hang

28th November 2019 at 7:22 pm

My pleasure – have a lovely trip. Do pop a comment here or send me an e-mail if you have some free time!

Laurel says

9th October 2019 at 7:23 am

Hi, love your itinerary of the UK. It includes much of what we want to see. Howev r, we are a senior couple of nomads from Australia and we are trying to organise a four week trip of the UK and Ireland including the islands off Scotland but we are steam train buffs and have the 10 best day trips on steam trains to try to include. Do you help with itinerary planning to include as many of these as we can but in some sort of order? If not can you head us in the right direction? We don’t need London as we have a couple of days there prior to a cruise of Norway. Is it feasible to do this trip in September and will he days still be long and fairly warm? Thanks in anticipation for your advice.

9th October 2019 at 6:16 pm

Thanks very much! So we don’t offer custom itinerary planning as it’s quite a time intensive process. We’re happy to answer specific questions and help where we can of course. Steam trains aren’t really an area of expertise though!

I can definitely answer your questions about September – I’d say September is a great month to travel. If you are lucky it might still be reasonably warm (recent years have been lovely in September), but you skip the crowds of the summer months and the schools will have gone back as well. September and May are our favourite months to travel. Of course, this is the UK, so rain and cooler weather is certainly possible (although you can get this in July and August as well!), so it’s always best to be prepared with layers of clothing, but you should be fine generally. The days will still be long, light until around 8pm depending on which part of the month you visit 🙂

Have a great trip, and let me know if I can answer any more specifics!

Kevin Ortyl says

19th September 2019 at 6:51 pm

Love the website and your two-week itinerary. Very easy to follow.. So glad we found your site. Need advice please… (Coming from Boston, USA) Thinking of a two-week vacation late August 2020 (family of 4… 2 college age kids) flying into London and out of Dublin. So similar trip you outlined but not returning to Heathrow once in Ireland. Planning on rental car and driving everywhere. Can the one way car rental work in this scenario (London, Scotland, ferry to the Emerald Isle, drop rental at Dublin)? Second Q… if we were to eliminate the Wales back to London segment how would you fill in that itinerary staying in Ireland?

19th September 2019 at 7:20 pm

Thanks very much. So dropping off the car in a different country might be a challenge. Most car rental companies will let you drop the car off in a different part of the same country, but as the Republic of Ireland is separate from the UK, that would likely be a challenge. So your best option is probably to rent the car in the UK, then drop it off at Edinburgh airport and fly to Dublin, then pick up a new rental there.

For your time in Ireland, you have a lot of options! If you are looking for a road trip the Causeway Coastal Route in northern Ireland is a favourite of ours, and the Wild Atlantic Way is also a great drive. Of course there is so much to see in Ireland and Northern Ireland depending on what you are interested in, with both Dublin and Belfast being worth a visit. It would just depend if you wanted to do more city or more country 🙂

Let me know if I can be of any more help – we have quite a few posts on Ireland as well on the site with some ideas!

19th September 2019 at 9:58 pm

Thank you for the reply, and the good information regarding rental cars.

To follow up, once in Ireland probably interested in seeing some of the quaint cities/towns, visit the pubs, little urban culture, castles, etc and those types of places in lieu of say hiking and biking. Hoping of course between destinations to see beautiful countryside and such!

20th September 2019 at 9:02 am

My pleasure 🙂 So I would suggest that driving the Causeway Coastal Route ( https://www.findingtheuniverse.com/causeway-coastal-route-northern-ireland/ ) Might be a good option 🙂

4th September 2019 at 2:13 am

Hi Laurence, I really like the two week trip itenerary. We’ll will be driving and are experienced with that. We’d like to see some worthy gardens along the suggested route. Any ideas?

4th September 2019 at 7:02 pm

Certainly. The gardens at Alnwick Castle are wonderful, as are the gardens at many of the stately homes in the UK (you can see our list of good stately homes in England here ). Not all of them have gardens of course, but that’s a good starting point. Many cities also have botanic gardens, including Edinburgh and Kew Gardens in London, which are well worth the visit.

I hope this helps a little 🙂

Rachel Sales says

16th August 2019 at 5:15 am

Hi! This post gave me lots of ideas. However, can you help me out in modifying this itinerary which will make Edinburgh as the last stop? My flight booking is DXB-LHR, EDI-DXB. I thought it will be nice it it’s an onward journey and not have to go back to my starting point. Thank you in advance!

16th August 2019 at 12:12 pm

Glad to be able to help! So as this itinerary is a loop, it’s a bit challenging to modify it that easily. My suggestion would perhaps be to drop Ireland from your trip, and instead to spend more time in Scotland. So you could follow the itinerary up to Edinburgh, and then add in time exploring more of Scotland before returning to Edinburgh. Let me know your thoughts,

Robin Major says

13th August 2019 at 12:53 am

Hello Lawrence,

I just found and love this site!! I’m trying to plan a 25th wedding anniversary trip for next September (2020) to surprise my hubby.

He’s never been to Europe. I was fortunate enough to get two and half lovely days in London a couple years back courtesy of my employer.

I’m not sure if what I want to do is totally doable though… No driving.. we would do transit and rail… I’m thinking a week in Britian and a week in Scotland. Maybe fly into London, spend two full days exploring the sites.. then I’m sort of lost. We are interested in Castles, love the supernatural aspect of York so that will be a must, definitely want to see Stonehenge.. and as odd as it sounds, my parents did Sherwood Forest and Nottingham on their 25th Wedding Anniversary many years ago so wondering if that would be a recommendation? Just not sure of the logistics for a week in Britian.. where to stay etc.

For Scotland, again, Castles and we are both big Outlander fans so we’ve have to see Loch Ness, Inverness and any and all sites made famous by Outlander. I am thinking a week up there and we fly home from either Glasgow or Edinburgh.

Do you have any suggestions/recommendations on an itinerary for us? I would greatly appreciate any knowledge you wish to share with me.

Thank you so much! Robin

13th August 2019 at 10:19 am

Thanks very much! It certainly would be possible 🙂 I’ve actually written a 10 day UK itinerary by public transport. Whilst the route isn’t exactly what you want, the post does have some useful information to help you plan your trip, especially around booking the trains etc. If you’ve not seen that post yet, it’s here:

https://www.findingtheuniverse.com/10-day-uk-itinerary-public-transport-train-bus/

Regarding your specific itinerary, I would suggest you start in London as you suggest. You could then take a day tour from London out to Stonehenge. This is doable by public transport, but is way easier as a day tour, plus they usually have some extra stops like Bath. You can read our guide to doing that here:

https://www.findingtheuniverse.com/Stonehenge-bath-cotswolds-day-trip-from-london/

So Nottingham is nice (I went to university there), but with limited time I wouldn’t say it was a must do. My suggestion would be to take the train from London to Oxford, and then up to York. A day in each location would work. You are now up to five days in England. Castles are a bit tricky by public transport as many of them are out of cities. I would perhaps suggest extending your time in London and taking the extra day to visit either Windsor Castle or Hampton Court Palace. From York you could head up to Durham which is a beautiful cathedral city.

From Durham the train to Edinburgh is not too far. I’d suggest basing yourself in Edinburgh for at least three days. Two days to explore the city, and then one day to take an Outlander tour. We have specifically done 1 day tour with Rabbies , and thought it was great. We have more suggested day tours from Edinburgh here:

https://independenttravelcats.com/day-trips-from-edinburgh-scotland/

From Edinburgh our recommendation would then be to take the train up to Inverness, from where you can explore more castles, Loch Ness and the Highlands. Again, plenty to do in this area, and there are lots of great day trips to plan. You can see our guide to some of the best here:

https://www.findingtheuniverse.com/day-trips-from-inverness-scotland/

I think that should give you plenty to work with – let me know if you have any more questions!

8th August 2019 at 9:35 pm

I just found this page and so glad I did especially your “Best Stately Homes in England” We will be visiting England and Scotland for 2weeks October 16-29, 2019 and I am excited about your itinerary. We have been to Northern Ireland (once)and Republic of Ireland (4 times) so we can leave those out, so are there any other places you might suggest? My husband has driven every time we have visited Ireland so he can handle a manual transmission. We land at Gatwick Airport and I thought we could head to Edinburgh via a easterly route and return to London via a westerly route. We do not have to travel only motorways but don’t wait too many small country lanes (did plenty of those in Ireland). Any suggestions you could make would be greatly appreciated. Love Manor Houses, Castles, rolling landscape, waterfalls, quaint English market towns or villages, etc. THANKS

9th August 2019 at 8:54 am

Sounds like you have a great trip planned, and I will certainly do my best to help. It sounds like your route is pretty good already, coming down the west side of the UK gives you the chance to pop into the Lake District, explore towns like Chester, and even larger cities like Birmingham. In terms of stately homes, well, I would obviously recommend the majority of those in my post on stately homes. I’d also add Edinburgh Castle of course if you like castles, as well as the more ruined Craigmillar Castle on the outskirts of Edinburgh. Alnwick Castle on the way up through Northumberland is stunning, as are many of the other castles in Northumberland, like Bamburgh and dunstanburgh. For rolling hills and greenery, the Lake District is lovely, but I can also recommend the Hadrian’s Wall area of Northumberland, particularly the area near Housesteads.

For quaint English towns, of course the Cotswolds would be by number one pick. The counties of Kent and Dorset are also good options.

I think that should get you started, let me know if you need some more ideas!

Christine Greentaner says

5th August 2019 at 12:26 pm

Hello!! I stumbled on your site asking google if I could do the this kind of trip and wow, here you are! Unsure of the driving though since we zero experience. However, this two week itinerary gives us something to start thinking about. Thank you so much!! Christine

7th August 2019 at 2:52 pm

Hi Christine!

Driving in the UK is definitely a bit different, especially if you are coming from a country where they drive on the right hand side. Also, if you’re coming from the USA, be aware that most cars in the UK have manual transmissions, so when you rent a car if you are not used to driving a manual you should specify an auto. I have a guide to driving in the Uk which you might also find useful 🙂

https://www.findingtheuniverse.com/tips-for-driving-in-the-uk/

Let me know if you have any questions, and have a great trip!

Danie marais says

11th July 2019 at 8:54 pm

What will it cost for 2 adults

12th July 2019 at 4:17 am

Hi Danie – this really depends on your travel style – you can see a guide to how much travel in the UK costs here for some estimates: https://www.findingtheuniverse.com/cost-travel-uk/

Margaret says

9th July 2019 at 6:29 am

HI , Just wanted to ask. I am getting a little a little worried,as our trip is getting closer and closer. Your site has helped so much. Does this sound ok to do. Day 1 arrive late afternoon explore Paddinton. Day 2 & 3 follow your 2 day guide of london sites. Day 4 train to oxford, free 2 hour tour. free time to explore oxford Day 5 train back to oxford ,pick up car. Drive to Cotswold explore.. Drive on up to peak district stay over night . 1 night Day 6 explore peak district , drive to Manchester and york .explore. Now I am unsure to travel to the Lake district Or follow onto Alnwick. as some people say not to miss out on the lake district. We dont have enought time to cut back over to Alnwick unsure . We arrive in paddington on the 20th want to leave Edinburgh 31st. So take into account at least 2 night in Edinburgh and head onto Belfast. We will then explore Belfast and Dublin for 2 weeks as we have friends there. follow onto wales Bath but we do want to stay in Southampton for two days once again friends. Can you get to Heathrow airport from Southampton We have 5.5 weeks for this trip but I do want to spend time with friends in Belfast and Dublin. I am so over whelmed .

10th July 2019 at 5:43 am

Hi Margaret!

First, I’m delighted we’ve been able to help 🙂

Your comment covers a few points so I will try to help where I can. For your itinerary, the first six days look good, the only feedback I would offer is that trying to do the Peak District, Manchester and York in one day is likely going to be too much. Even Manchester and York in one day is quite a bit. York would need at least four hours to fully enjoy it, so I might suggest skipping Manchester unless you are particularly invested in it.

For your Lake District dilemma, I can’t really answer this for you. Everyone has a different idea as to what is “unmissable”, so it really depends on your priorities and interests. The Lake District is certainly very pretty, but so is much of the UK 😉

From Southampton you can definitely get to Heathrow airport. It takes around 2 hours by train. It’s not a direct train though, so you do have to change, but it shouldn’t be too difficult. If you would prefer a direct route, I believe National Express operates a coach service between the two locations.

I think for the rest of your trip you might want to reach out to your friends and ask for their advice in terms of what to see and do. I would try to relax and enjoy yourself instead of trying to see everything and becoming overwhelmed if you can. Travel is definitely a bit of work, but ultimately it is supposed to be fun. I always find that the less planned adventures are the more fun ones. So certainly come up with a framework, but don’t spend too much time worrying about it to the tiniest detail, as it will likely detract from the enjoyment.

22nd July 2019 at 4:35 am

Thank you Laurence, Your advice is so helpful. I have added days, so we can get the most out of our trip 2 days in the Peak District, Manchester and 1 day for York. Now I am on the end part of our trip and once again would like some advice. : After spending 18 days exploring Ireland. We will be catching the ferry to Wales. 20th Fishguard pick up car, early afternoon explore the country driving towards Cardiff, Bristol Question : Unsure as to time length of time needed

I was thinking, see Cardiff, then drive towards Bristol arrive around tea time. sleep overnight and have full day to explore Bristol. 21st after exploring Bristol drive towards Bath. arrive around tea time, find somewhere to sleep for 2 nights (21st and 22nd) 22nd full day to explore Bath. 23 th drive toward Stonehenge, Amesbury, drive onto southamption return Car

24th southamption .explore Southamption see family member. we need to be at Hearthrow airport on the 26th at 9:20 flight take off , My next question is , Should I return to paddington for the 25th so I can get the express train to airport , Is my flight to early to return from southamption. Once again . please guide me. Margaret

22nd July 2019 at 6:03 pm

Hi Margaret,

My pleasure! I will try to help again. Your timings for Bristol / Bath etc seem reasonable. They are very close together, my only advice is to avoid travelling at rush hour (4pm – 6pm), as it will make your journey much longer due to the traffic.

For your second question, in theory you could get from Southampton to Heathrow in time, but it’s around a 2 – 2.5 hour journey. You’d want to check train times for the day you are going, but the earliest trains are around 5am based on my research, so you would get to Heathrow around 7.30am. So yes, it’s possible, but it depends how happy you are with an early start and also the risk of any train delays. Up to you, but personally I avoid early mornings at all costs, so would personally probably just find a hotel near Heathrow 😉

Diana Cottrell says

1st July 2019 at 1:57 am

Loved seeing your site. Very helpful since I’m trying to plan a driving vacation for my husband and myself and really didn’t know were to start. I have some questions but will start with only one. We were in London last year but I could go again. Loved it. Hubby sick and had a different feeling. Would it be hard for someone from the US to land at Heathrow and rent a car…then drive to Windsor right after landing? Is it far enough out of London to get comfortable with driving on a different side of the road?

1st July 2019 at 10:18 pm

So, funny story, after passing my UK driving test the first thing I did was rent a car and drive out of Heathrow! I’m not sure I’d exactly recommend it, you’d be driving onto one of the busiest motorways in the UK (our equivalent of a freeway) which might be quite stressful. It’s possible of course, and I’m sure many people do it, but I would advise caution. Also, make sure you specify you want an automatic as most cars in the UK are manual 🙂

3rd July 2019 at 12:01 am

Thanks for the information. Think we’ll skip Heathrow. How would landing in Edinburgh, then heading up through Scotland and back down England (maybe to Bath). Then going up through York and returning back to Edinburgh to return car.

3rd July 2019 at 2:57 pm

That would likely work quite well. My only advice, if you plan on spending time in Edinburgh, is not to pick up the hire car until you leave, as you won’t need it in the city and you’ll just be paying for car rental and parking for no good reason – the city is very walkable.

6th July 2019 at 11:11 pm

Thanks so much. Will start planning.

Amanda says

23rd June 2019 at 5:59 pm

This is such a great detailed itinerary! We are planning to get a rental car in Cambridge and then driving to Scotland from there, so some of these places we will definitely have to visit! I do have one question, about renting a car. Is there a boarder crossing fee or any other type of fee the rental company could charge to go from England to Scotland? We are planning to do a one-way trip so I know there is a fee for that, but in terms of crossing between the two countries is there a fee? When I read about the boarding crossing fee it was unclear to me if that is only if we leave the UK?

Thank so much!

23rd June 2019 at 6:02 pm

Thanks very much! There’s no fee or anything like that for crossing into Scotland, it’s not really a border like that. It’s all part of the UK, so it’s one country.

Opal joiner says

18th June 2019 at 1:37 pm

Hi Do I need to purchase a London pass and a heritage pass? Or just one pass?

18th June 2019 at 7:05 pm

It depends what you want to see and where you are travelling, but for London the London Pass will cover the majority of the attractions 🙂 I definitely recommend checking what they cover before purchasing though 🙂

Chris Ryan says

17th June 2019 at 8:44 am

From an English persons point of view this is an excellent itinerary. It would be good to include the Lake District and Snowdonia but to cover all this in two weeks would be a nightmare and far too much time on the road. The average Brit would allow at least a month for the whole trip. If only two weeks available I would suggest you save Ireland for another time, it’s sacrilage not to explore more of that country, and maybe see more of the west of Scotland instead.

17th June 2019 at 11:06 am

Thanks very much 🙂 I agree, I was actually born in Snowdonia and that part of the world is wonderful. Have spent many happy weekends camping in the Lakes as well. The itinerary was in response to a specific request – we normally encourage folks to slow down where possible and spend more time seeing and less time travelling, but unfortunately many people don’t have much leave to play with and want to try and see as much as possible 🙂

Lillie says

15th June 2019 at 2:56 pm

Hi! So glad to have stumbled upon your site, as I am planning this trip to the UK in October, and I didn’t even know where to begin. I like the idea of doing all the traveling by road ourselves since we’ll be traveling with our baby who will be 9 month old at the time. I was thinking 10 days, including Ireland, but would you consider that possible? We are really interested in doing the whiskey distillery tours in Scotland and anything and everything related to Harry Potter. We’re also interested in visiting landmarks like the cliffs and stonehenge. We’re usually good at squeezing in a lot in our vacations, but this will be the first time we travel with our son, so I don’t want to set ourselves up for failure either. Any advice on what to cut out or if we need to lengthen the trip?

15th June 2019 at 8:38 pm

So, first off, I have to say that we’re not really experts on travelling with children as we don’t have any of our own. So any advice I offer you is based on what friends and other readers have shared with us about the logistics of travelling with a young person. Of course, everyone’s experience will also be different.

Generally, most folks say that you definitely need to slow down when travelling with young children, as you have to factor in things like feeding, changes and so on. This will definitely vary though depending on age and individual personalities 😉

That said, you are trying to do a great deal in 10 days. Scotland and England are around a 6 – 7 hour drive apart, and if you want to get up into the Highlands you’re looking at another few hours. To then add Ireland would make it more of a challenge for sure. It’s not impossible of course, but it would definitely be rushed. It might be that you would be best off focusing on Ireland and Scotland on this trip, perhaps five days in each, rather than trying to see everything and just having a stressful time. Alternatively, add 3 or 4 days and include some time in England 🙂

I hope this helps a bit!

Ashok Agarwal says

15th June 2019 at 6:01 am

Wow. I looked up the WWW for a 2 week itinerary for the UK and am glad I clicked on your site, from the numerous options that sprang up. The information contained here is so so exhaustive. Not only did I get a fantastic plan but ab amazing read, too. We are planning our first visit to the UK in October and are going to follow your tips to the T. You guys are fantastic. Thanks.

15th June 2019 at 11:04 am

Thanks very much Ashok! Much appreciated 🙂

9th June 2019 at 9:56 am

Dear Laurence!

Thank you SOOOOO much for your inspirational itinerary and all other articles you provide here. They’re great help!

We are going to spend 15 days in UK in August and this is cause we’ve planned to take our son to Warner Bros HP Studio as we are all massive HP fans :). We’ll start and finish in London, though initially we want to hire a car at the airport and start a trip and spend couple of days in London in the end.

Could you kindly give us some advice / decide whether it is possible, to plan a trip considering these simple priorities: 1) we’d love to see Scotland with its green hills, waterfalls etc. 2) we would really like to visit Snowdonia 3) I guess Stonehenge is sth 8-year-old traveler to England must see 4) I personally have dreamt all my life too see PUFFINS (I mean – free puffins) 5) we can skip Irelnad, no problem 😉

I must admit – reading about UK – I am getting a bit lost in huge amount if options and sites one must visit, so I’d be grateful for some advice.

10th June 2019 at 10:57 am

My pleasure 🙂

So my first tip, if you haven’t already booked the Harry Potter Studio Tour is to do it as soon as possible as it books out well in advance 🙂 I also have a guide to visiting which you might have already seen, but just in case you haven’t, it’s here:

https://www.findingtheuniverse.com/taking-a-harry-potter-studio-tour-everything-you-need-to-know/

Then, on to the question of your itinerary. Assuming two days in London, that gives you around 12 – 13 days to play with. I would suggest you spend them as follows. Given that you are Harry Potter fans I’m also including some HP filming locations you might enjoy 😉

Day 1 – head to Oxford, overnight here. Lots of awesome history, plus lots of Harry Potter filming locations to explore. Day 2 – head to Bath via Stonehenge Day 3 – head up to Snowdonia. Will be a bit of a drive, but worth it. I’d advise a couple of days in Snowdonia to do some hiking and exploring the towns, castles etc. The roads are slower here so it will take longer go get around

Day 5 – Head across to York Day 6 – Drive up to Alnwick Castle, another HP filming location. Then continue on to Edinburgh. Day 7 & 8, Edinburgh. Lots to see, lovely castle. Where Rowling wrote many of the HP books. Note the Edinburgh festival will be on so the city will be very busy. If you decide to stay in Edinburgh, you need to book now. Also, if you want to see puffins, the Isle of May just near Edinburgh is one of the best places to get up close to them. You need to book a trip, which you can do here: https://seabird-centre.seafari-edinburgh.co.uk/forth-ferry-and-isle-of-may

Day 9 – head across to Loch Lomond and the Trossachs. Overnight here or in Oban Day 10 – head up to Fort William / Glencoe. You can ride the HP train from here, or go see the viaduct at least Day 11 – head down to Glasgow, overnight Day 12 – drive down to Liverpool, overnight Day 13 – return to London.

I would say that would be a good way to do it! We have lots more info on Harry Potter sites if you are interested: https://www.findingtheuniverse.com/london-harry-potter-locations/ https://independenttravelcats.com/guide-top-harry-potter-sites-in-edinburgh-scotland-jk-rowling/ https://www.findingtheuniverse.com/harry-potter-filming-locations-uk/ https://independenttravelcats.com/harry-potter-filming-locations-in-scotland/

10th June 2019 at 8:52 pm

Thank you a lot for your advice! The plan sounds great and we are definitely going to follow it step by step :)))

with best regards!

7th June 2019 at 9:00 am

Hi, what a great article! However, do you have any tips for hire car? Are there any fees/ extra charge or need to notice the supplier that the road trip route is involve Wales, Ireland and Scotland?

7th June 2019 at 8:37 pm

Thanks very much!

For driving in Wales and Scotland it won’t matter because they are part of the united Kingdom, so it’s still the same country.

The republic of Ireland however is a separate country, plus you have to take a ferry to get there. So that would be something you would need to check with the rental agency.

S. Steinback says

26th May 2019 at 9:16 am

Hi, my daughter and I are leaving mid August to the UK for 2 weeks. We are planning to start our trip in London. Then wanted to see Brighton, Cornwall, Wales and Scotland. We also want to see Bath and Oxford too. Is this doable using the train? We are unsure of how we should book our traveling using train, car or bus. Can you provide and manageable itinerary and recommendations on how we should travel from each place on a 2 week trip?

26th May 2019 at 11:04 am

Hi Sabrina,

So you should be able to see most of what you want to see by train. As an example, I’d suggest:

2 days in London 1 day in Brighton (train to Brighton takes about an hour, so can be done as a day trip from London or overnight) 1 day in Oxford (1 hour train from London to Oxford, overnight in Oxford) 1 day in Bath (1 hr 40 minute train from Oxford to Bath, overnight in Bath) 2 days in Cornwall (around 3 hours by train from Bath to Cornwall. You might want to take a tour in Cornwall as there is less public transport to get around) 3 days in Wales (train from Cornwall to Cardiff is around 3 – 4hours, but then you will have to plan how to get around Wales. Again a tour might be easiest) 3 days in Scotland (you can either fly from Cardiff to Glasgow / Edinburgh, or take the train, but the train will take around 8 hours)

I’d also suggest looking into Rabbie’s Trail Burners . They do a number of tours from London which might suit what you want to do and save you the hassle of planning. These cover the majority of the destinations you want to visit.

I hope this helps a bit with your planning!

Ed Hyland says

17th April 2019 at 12:01 am

Thankyou for your guide it was really helpful I am living in Argentina and j am planning on bringing Argentinian tourists to Wales and central England on a tour of castles and important historical sites .I plan on bringing groups of around 10 people and using a rented mini bus to move around. Do you have any helpful tips as this will be our first tour ,we are planning on visiting early September All the best .Ed,x

17th April 2019 at 10:56 am

My pleasure. So I don’t have any experience of running this kind of trip, so it’s tricky to give very specific advice. I am sure you have considered things like insurance and liability and so on, as well as any other legal requirements involved with running a tour.

THe only tips I have would be around admission to sights – there are usually group discounts available for attractions that you might be able to take advantage of, although you might need to call in advance to arrange these. I’d also advise to definitely book your accommodation in advance as you have a larger group.

Otherwise, I hope you have a great trip!

12th April 2019 at 12:04 am

I was planning this itinerary since I saw and had 15 days in the region. After more research I am now wondering what it takes to get a rental car from London to Ireland and back? Do you use the same car the entire trip, or would you switch cars at the water crossings in order to not have to pay to ferry the car across? Also I’ve heard rental agencies in England don’t really allow their rentals (or at least coverage) in Ireland? And yet another concern is time, I keep hearing that driving over there is quite a bit slower going than say the US, or by train, would this itinerary still give enough time to enjoy the locations or would it be quick stops and rushed in order to get to the next place? Sorry a lot of questions, just trying to decide if I need to break the trip up to just one or two countries. Thanks. And love you blogs and all the information and amazing photography.

12th April 2019 at 11:46 am

So it is certainly possible to take a hire car on the ferry, it just depends on the hire car company, and some of them charge a fee for doing so. Here’s an example of the Enterprise UK policy: https://www.enterprise.co.uk/en/help/faqs/driving-across-borders.html

Obviously you also then have to pay the ferry fee for the hire car as well. So an easier option to be honest is just to fly, for example to take a flight from Edinburgh to Belfast or Dublin. You would drop off the hire car in Edinburgh and pick up a new one in Belfast.

I appreciate this might be a bit of hassle, so certainly adjusting the itinerary so you skip Ireland is another option. In this case, I’d suggest either spending more time in Scotland, or coming down the west coast of the UK, visiting the Lakes and Wales.

The roads in the UK are definitely a bit busier and can also be slower than roads in the USA. This itinerary is definitely doable, but I’m always a fan of slowing down and seeing more, so that is a good option too 🙂

Let me know if you have any more questions!

David Cameron says

11th April 2019 at 1:56 pm

“You’ve packed up every possible solution in this one blog. I’m over the moon! I really am! How much would this trip cost, approximately? And if I’m going on this trip, Ireland will definitely be included coz from the moment I saw P.S I love you and Leap Year movie, I’ve been dreaming of visiting those places. Thank you. Thank you so much, Laurence !”

11th April 2019 at 2:04 pm

Thanks very much! So it’s hard to give an exact price as it will depend on your travel style. The best option is to cross reference this post with our guide to how much it costs to travel in the UK, which will let you come up with a budget based on your travel style 🙂

Have a great trip, and let me know if you have any more questions!

Usha Gupta says

10th April 2019 at 6:02 pm

Hi, we are travelling to London for a holiday from India. My 2 sons (29 & 27) and I are planning on spending 2 weeks in London and Wales. 13th-18th in London 19th-21st in Wales 22nd-26th in London Please advice how best to spend our holidays? We do not want to visit any of the normal places as we have seen n visited them all. What are the best places in wales to see and visit? We have not been to wales. Is it safe to take a road rrip from London to wales? Are 3 days in wales enough to get around? Pl advice

10th April 2019 at 6:52 pm

Well, there’s a huge amount to do and see in London beyond all the normal tourist things that you have likely already done. I can advise visiting Greenwich for example if you have not been out there already, and perhaps some of the palaces out of the city, like Kensington or Hampton Course. Sometimes we like to pick up the London Pass and visit some of the many attractions we’ve not been to before!

Wales is lovely but it is quite big so you will want to consider visiting a region. My favourite part of Wales is the northern part, including the Snowdonia national park and towns like Caernarfon, but there are many nice regions and places to visit. If you want to see more you will likely want a few more days in Wales.

It is certainly safe to take a road trip from London to Wales, of course, I can’t guarantee your safety, but it is no less safe than travel anywhere else in the UK 🙂

I hope this helps – have a great trip!

Usha gupta says

14th April 2019 at 3:24 am

Ty for you advise. We decided to spend all our time in London and do day trips, theatre etc.

14th April 2019 at 11:46 am

My pleasure. Enjoy!

Darlene Williams says

24th March 2019 at 6:10 pm

Lovely ideas here! My Granddaughter and I did a trip last summer to the Cotswolds, London and Paris. I’m thinking of a trip with my Granddaughter (18) in 2020 and would like to base myself in the Lakes District or Wales and take in Ireland and Scotland in a 2 week trip. Since I’ve been there I’ve decided I could probably drive it myself or possibly rent cars when needed and travel via train/bus/tours between Ireland & Scotland. I’m guessing the Highlands is probably out of reach for a 2 week trip? I would welcome your knowledge and suggestions. Thank you, Darlene

25th March 2019 at 3:44 pm

Thanks very much Darlene!

I would definitely recommend hiring a car for the Lakes – it’s a more remote part of the UK, and there are fewer public transport options, both for getting there, and for getting around. I would say that it would make for a good base, but just to be aware that the roads are not very fast in either the Lake District or Wales, so it can take a bit of time to get from place to place.

The Highlands would be achievable, but it would involve a great deal of driving, and if you wanted to head up there i would suggest that as a standalone trip, perhaps flying to Inverness (or overnight train from London), and then renting a car from there 🙂

Do let me know if I can provide any more specific information to help you plan!

Deep Shah says

22nd March 2019 at 5:43 am

Hello Laurence and Jessica,

It has been a pleasure reading about all your experiences in and around UK. I am planning to visit UK between April 22 and May 1. I am planning to start my trip from Edinburg cover a bit of scotland and than move on and end my trip in London.

Here is my itinerary Inverness (23 April) –> Isle of Skye (24 April) –> Fort William (25 April) –> Edinburgh (26 April) –> Jedburgh (27 April) –> York (28 April) –> Cambridge (29 April) –> Cotsworld (30 April) –> London (1 May)

Do you think this is doable? Or any particular section is too aggressive? Your help will really help me plan this better.

22nd March 2019 at 10:00 am

This is in theory do-able, but you will be spending a lot of time driving. From Inverness to the Isle of Skye is a 2.5 hour drive for example, and then there’s a lot to see and do on the island which will also require driving. If you are ok with lots of time driving then yes, this is doable, I just wanted to be sure you knew 🙂

24th March 2019 at 12:35 pm

Thanks for the reply. Yes, I am aware that we will have a lot of driving. But thats ok with me. Thanks again for your time. I have made the reservations to follow this itinerary. Will let you know how it goes.

Thanks for sharing all the information on your website.

24th March 2019 at 12:38 pm

My pleasure – have a great time and do let us know how it goes! You can drop in here or in our facebook group 🙂 https://www.facebook.com/groups/travelloversandphotography/

Omker Mahalanobish says

21st March 2019 at 5:22 pm

Thanks for your detailed itinerary. Looks exciting. By the way, could you please let me know, what should be the expected cost for the said trip? Further : I dont want to drive. Me and my wife would be travelling, and we would rather prefer a chauffer driven cab.

Thanks, Omker

21st March 2019 at 5:27 pm

I have a guide to how much it costs to travel in the UK here: https://www.findingtheuniverse.com/cost-travel-uk/

However, if you want to travel with a private guide, this will generally cost in the region of £500 – £800 per day for the car / driver guide, and then you would need to add accommodation expenses and so on on top of that. We recommend Robina Brown for this sort of trip: http://driverguidetours.com/

Heather Reid says

20th March 2019 at 5:20 am

This site is the most perfect one for my needs. I am a solo traveler female aged 74 and I wish my 75th Birthday be spent on the next trip. If there be another solo person I would be happy to meet up before departure….male or female.

20th March 2019 at 12:49 pm

Thanks Heather – have a great trip, and we hope you find someone to travel with!

Phillip Armanas says

5th March 2019 at 12:20 am

Stumbled over your website while looking for ideas for a two week trip to the UK, glad I did. You’ve got a fantastic itinerary which includes a number of destinations my wife and I had in mind already. We are a retired couple, living in Australia six months of the year, and Atlanta, Georgia the other six months. This gives us great flexibility in travel terms, both in SE Asia and from the USA to many places including UK/Europe. A question I have is whether you have done any family history work on any of your travels? My ancestry is Scottish in the mid-1800s when my great-great-grandfather arrived into Port Adelaide, Australia. As yet we have been unable to track him accurately back into Scotland, but his surname is from a very ancient clan that can be traced back to the 13th century in Fife county. Have you any tips on places I might visit to pursue my elusive ghosts? Phill & Patti

5th March 2019 at 1:35 pm

Hi Phill & Patti!

We’re delighted you have found our content useful : ) So this isn’t something we have personally done, however I have some resources that might be helpful:

http://www.scottishgenealogyresearch.com/ https://www.visitscotland.com/see-do/research-your-ancestry/steps/ https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/research/family-history https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/research/local-family-history-centres

It helps if you know the person’s name you are researching and where they lived before leaving Scotland. If you know this, you can look for a local research center or records office or clan center. The Visit Scotland link above is a good place to start. The Scottish Genealogy Research is a professional service that will do research for you for a fee.

Good luck, and have a great trip!

Ronald Rieder says

15th February 2019 at 1:22 am

My wife and I would like to take your “ideal itinerary” beginning Sept. 30, 2019. Is there anyone or any group that we could join?

17th February 2019 at 3:56 pm

So this itinerary is a self guided tour for those wanting to drive themselves. However, we appreciate not everyone wants to do that, and we’ve put some suggested tours that will allow you to do a similar trip but in a group tour format. My suggestion for that would be to focus on England and Scotland, and to take this small group tour followed by this five day tour of the Scottish Highlands and Skye .

I hope this helps – let me know if I can offer any more advice!

Cass Baron says

11th February 2019 at 2:19 am

Laurence and Jessica, We are from Utah, United States and have never traveled abroad (except a short trip to Canada and a Western Caribbean cruise). It has been our dream to come to England and retrace our family history roots. We were looking for trip ideas that covered the areas for both a historical trip as well as a family roots trip. We found your site and loved everything that you have written about. We like the 2 week itinerary but don’t want to do the Ireland and Wales portion. We would like to include Nottingham and Hastings areas, do you have any suggestions to add these in for the same amount of time. We are planning on this May. Thanks!

11th February 2019 at 7:40 am

Certainly. I’d recommend Hastings first, then heading from there along to Stonehenge and Bath, then the Cotswolds and Oxford. From there, start heading north, with Nottingham your next stop, before continuing with the itinerary. You could even drop the car off in Edinburgh and fly out from there if you didn’t want to drive back down to London 🙂

I hope this helps – let me know if you have any more questions!

Lashaun says

5th February 2019 at 11:42 pm

Hello. If we skip the Ireland portion where should we extend our time or add another destination for the 2 week adventure? Also we’d like to see a football game, suggestions for city (Manchester, Liverpool?), tickets etc? thank you!

6th February 2019 at 10:36 am

I’d say you could extend by visiting the Lake District and northern Wales, or by heading further north into Scotland, where there’s lots to see. You definitely won’t have trouble finding places to see!

For football, if you don’t have a particular affiliate with a team, then Manchester will likely be a good option as they have the largest stadium. Tickets can be bought online in advance for any of the teams from their official websites, just be aware that they can sell out so you’ll want to book well in advance to be sure of getting a spot.

I hope this helps! have a great trip 🙂

Steve Geller says

2nd February 2019 at 3:10 am

Hi there, Curious if this itinerary, or part of it, could be done in a motorhome (midsize RV) for a family of 2 adults and 2 kids. I’ve never been to most of these places, outside of some brief time in London and Dublin. For itineraries like these where there is a lot of moving around, I like the idea of a motorhome vs going from hotel to hotel (or apt to apt). Thanks!

3rd February 2019 at 11:45 am

So yes, it would be possible to do this is a motorhome. However, I’d probably advise modifying the itinerary fairly substantially, especially the city parts. Most UK cities don’t have centrally located motorhome camping locations, and the streets tend to be fairly narrow, which can make driving and parking a motorhome very challenging. I would instead suggest, if you wanted to do a motorhome holiday in the UK, to look at a driving route like the NC500 (see our camping itinerary for the NC500 here ), or adjusting this route so it visits more of the countryside parts, like the Cotswolds, Peak District, Lake District and Northumberland.

Let me know if we can answer any more questions!

Iskandar Zulkifly Bin Ali says

29th January 2019 at 10:05 pm

Hello there ! finding this website was such a blessing for me! i am a student who wishes to travel around UK for 2 weeks before i go outside UK ( around Europe for a month ). my only problem is, i am studying in london therefore i’m gonna skip london from this amazing itinerary, and am also skipping Scotland cuz i went there last Dec already. which will give me extra days to fill in to make it 2 weeks. would you please help me to suggest places to fill in between the itinerary ? ps; i really really want to see Jurassic coast and cambridge and watergate bay. where should i put these places in terms of best route wise?

thank you in advance for your time !! you got a follower on your ig !

30th January 2019 at 7:33 pm

Hi Iskandar!

Thanks for your lovely comment and following on IG! We’ve actually just recently visited Cambridge and written a detailed guide to the city, which will be live on the blog in the next few weeks 🙂

To answer your question, first I have to assume you are driving. If not, this might have to change a bit to accommodate public transport. But I would say I would go from London to Cambridge, then up to the Peak District, Manchester and York. You could then go across to the Lake District if you wanted, then across to Holyhead and to Ireland (if you wanted to visit Ireland). Then south wales, Oxford and the Jurassic coast.

I hope that works for you 🙂 Have a great trip!

HANNAH JOHNSON says

29th January 2019 at 3:07 pm

This has been an amazing help! If possible, I did want to ask about more recommendations as far as castles/history goes. This is a very close itinerary for what I think we want to do, but I was wondering if you had any more info on what I could add/take away from this list in order to do more of that. Also, we will be departing from the atlanta, GA airport, and returning back to (or starting from) england isnt entirely necessarily. I definitely agree and would take your advice of ending in dublin and returning from there or wales, but im basically trying to avoid flying/ferrying more than need be. What would be your recommendation for doing everything in the UK in one vehicle and then only crossing into ireland once? if that makes sense

30th January 2019 at 7:38 pm

So there are a lot of great castles in the UK, and it’s hard to travel anywhere without finding history! Some of my favourite castles are in Scotland and the Northumberland area, and you’ve also got Hadrian’s wall up there. But York has all the Viking history too, and then cities like Oxford or Cambridge have more from the middles ages, Bath has the Roman empire.. So there’s really no shortage of history to find.

If it was me though, I’d spend a bit more time exploring some of the castles in Northumberland like Alnwick, Bamburgh and Dunstanburgh, as well as some in Scotland.

If you want to do everything in the UK that would be possible, just continue from Oxford to Bath and Cardiff, and then head north from there to York. You might want to bypass Manchester in order to get more of the history you are interested in as it’s more of a town that had it’s heyday with the industrial revolution, which might be a bit too recent history for your interests. You could instead add Warwick, which has a popular castle and a lovely town centre.

Have a great trip and let me know if I can be of any more help!

Hannah says

30th January 2019 at 8:25 pm

For sure! Thank you so much.

Maribel says

17th January 2019 at 4:13 am

Hi, I am planning a 2-week trip to Great Britain flying from Mexico City to London. Your post is very helpful. My trip HAS to include the Isle of Man but I do want to go to Edinburgh and Ireland. What do you think would be the best route? Thanks for your amazing post!

17th January 2019 at 6:37 pm

Hi Maribel!

Great question, and the first time anyone has asked me about the Isle of Man, which I have to admit, I haven’t been to!

There are direct ferry connections to the Isle of Man from Belfast, Dublin, Lancaster and Liverpool.

So assuming you want to do a fairly similar route, mug suggestion would be to follow the general outline of this trip, but take the ferry from Dublin to the Isle of Man, and then on to Liverpool, instead of from the southern end of Ireland to Fishguard. I think that’s the most logical option.

There are other option too – you could go London -> Oxford -> Liverpool -> Isle of Man -> Dublin -> Belfast -> Cairyan -> Edinburgh -> London.

So up to you really! Have a great trip, and let us know if you have any more questions!

Maribel Felix says

17th January 2019 at 6:40 pm

Muchas Gracias! I appreciate you advice very much. I will send you an update of my trip on my way back to Mexico.

17th January 2019 at 9:50 pm

Please do Maribel – we love to hear back from people on how their trips go, and incorporate feedback into our content to help everyone!

16th December 2018 at 12:15 am

Hello! I am planning a 28 day trip in in May 2019. What would you recommend to fill in the extra days? Thank you so much! And thank you for sharing such a lovely itinerary!

16th December 2018 at 11:49 am

Hi Sara! It’s hard to give a precise answer without knowing your interests, but if it was me I would extend my trip up into the northern half of Scotland, perhaps spending 7-10 days driving the North Coast 500, visiting the Isle of Skye and seeing the highlands. You could also head out to the some of the other islands, like Lewis. May is a great time to head up into that part of Scotland.

Other options include Wales or Cornwall, or extending your time in Ireland. There’s so much to see and do, even 28 days will be filled easily!

Nathaniel says

14th December 2018 at 7:57 pm

Could I use this itinerary for a school project. You will be credited and cited, obviously. Thank you if yes and thanks anyway if no. This was fun to read, regardless of your reply Thank you again, Nathaniel

14th December 2018 at 11:43 pm

Hi Nathaniel,

Thanks for asking! Could you e-mail me about this so I get more of an idea of the use? It’s [email protected] 🙂

9th December 2018 at 8:26 am

We are planning a 3 week trip to UK (2 weeks) and Amsterdam (1 week).. We will fly to Amsterdam from London. We were looking at your 2 week itinerary and wanted to ask what would you suggest instead of Ireland, We only want to visit London, Wales and Scotland start at London and return to London. Family with kids who like a bit of adventure, culture so interested in castles, nature etc. Also would like to visit Whisky distilleries preferably Glenfiddich and Aberlour. Also we will be hiring a car in London and return there. Would really appreciate your suggestions.

9th December 2018 at 10:37 am

So my suggestion would be to do a loop from London, similar to that I’ve described here, but instead of going across to Ireland, to head down the west coast of the UK, and then visit the Lake District and Wales on your way down.

In terms of distilleries, certainly, Aberlour and Glenfiddich are achievable from Edinburgh, but you are looking at a three hour drive each way. So you might prefer to visit a closer distillery like Deanston, which is also right next to Doune Castle, which I’m sure your kids will also enjoy 🙂

Hope this helps a bit!

Navtej says

22nd October 2018 at 11:18 am

Hi, a very helpful article. As I plan my next year travel to Europe after a gap of 15 years…it’s a god send. I propose to spend a few days in Amsterdam-Bruges and then fly to London. Here I catch up with another couple and there 12 year old daughter and plan to drive to Scotland and Ireland. We have a total of 10 / 11 days for this.

Am thinking will cut Wales from my itinerary and which other place would u recommend I skip ?

Many thanks

Navtej from New Delhi, India

PS another slighlty unrelates question : If I fly into London should I take a flight into Amsterdam and the train back from Bruges or is this complicated and expensive?

22nd October 2018 at 8:22 pm

It’s hard to give specific recommendations as to what to skip as I’m not sure as to your personal interests. If you are more interested in culture / museums etc, then you will want to include more of the cities, and less of the countryside. Conversely, if you are less interested in the outdoors, perhaps leaving out some of the countryside attractions would be a good idea 🙂

Generally my advice would be just to stick to flights as it’s likely going to be easier and probably less expensive. The train though can be a good option if you book far enough in advance, it will just take a little bit longer.

Hope this helps – have a great trip!

Leslie says

21st July 2018 at 11:12 pm

Four women from Texas will be traveling to the UK in September and wanted to drive (one of us is brave enough to drive on the wrong side of the road). We spend 8 days in London last September with side trips to Bath and a tour to Oxford and Cotswolds and Warwick Castle. We have relatives in Glasgow, so plan to see that area of Scotland. Your information is a Godsend and thank you so much for all your planning. We will let you know how it goes!

22nd July 2018 at 9:36 pm

Thanks Leslie – please do! We always love to hear feedback as to how our posts help people (or if they need changing, we love to hear about that too!)

Have an awesome trip!

Ruth Deane says

11th July 2018 at 6:24 am

A good travel guide to the UK. I know it is difficult to provided a balanced approach due to limited wordage but the emphasis should be on the UK. N. Ireland and its capital Belfast have been sadly neglected in this article and the focus was Dublin which is not part of the UK. Surely something coulf have been added about Belfast and N. Ireland in general. It is a beautiful place. The author did make a reference to the Dark Hedges but associates them with Dublin. Last time I checked they are quite definitely in N. IRELAND. Hope this criticism is constructive. N. Ireland continues to get a bad press but it is a beautiful place and the majority of the people are that bad either.

11th July 2018 at 9:44 am

Constructive feedback is always welcome! We’re actually visiting Northern Ireland next week for a week to fully explore Belfast and the Coastal Causeway, and will be updating our content (and creating new content!) to have more information on this part of the UK 🙂 Stay tuned!

Craig Grimston says

26th June 2018 at 2:47 am

Thank you!!

September is a perfect month to come to Texas – the weather is perfect then! I’d be happy to answer any questions you have to the best of my ability (I’m not a native Texan – originally from Australia), but there is a lot of great things to do here. Austin and San Antonio are great too.

Thank you for offering to answer any questions! We are going in a group, so I’m sure a lot of questions will come up! I’ll try not to bombard you with them, but I may just hit you with a few! We are planning for somewhere in June to August next year (I plan ahead big time!) and couldn’t be more excited to see your beautiful country!

But please, definitely hit me up with any questions you have about Dallas or Texas. If I can’t answer them, I can track someone down who can!

Thanks!! Craig

22nd June 2018 at 8:02 pm

Hi Laurence and Jessica,

I just wanted to say thank you for posting this itinerary. I really wanted to plan a road trip in the UK and after googling about it all I got was a bunch of blogs pointing out all of the negative things and basically saying “don’t bother”!

As I was about to give up and go the typical tourist route, I came across your website. It was exactly what I was looking for! It is inspirational, and put the joy and adventure back into my travel plans.

I’m pretty much going to stick to your itinerary with the exception of Ireland (I wanted to check out the Lake District and Liverpool), so Ireland may have to be a separate road trip!

I have a million questions, but I’m going to spare you of that! LOL. I really just wanted to say a big thank you for sharing your experience and knowledge!

Kindest Regards, Craig – Dallas Texas

25th June 2018 at 9:28 pm

Thank you so much, it always means a lot to hear that people are finding our content useful. I think you are making a sensible choice – there is a lot to see on the mainland of the UK, and it’s also less hassle to worry about rental cars and ferries if you leave Ireland for another trip 🙂

We’re happy to answer any questions you have. We’re actually planning a trip to Texas for late September, and will be swinging by Dallas, so may have some questions for you in return!

Vanessa says

14th May 2018 at 9:38 pm

I’ve googled “hire car” and it says “rental car.” But on your site here it seems that a rental care and a hire car are different things. What exactly is the difference? Thank you! And also thank you for this post – it’s amazing and I think I will definitely base my trip -whenever that may be… – around it. Bookmarking this page!!

15th May 2018 at 5:57 pm

Thanks Vanessa! I think in the UK we use the term hire car, wheras in the USA it’s more likely to be called a rental car. But yes, they are the same thing in my mind, you can use the terms interchangeably as far as I know 🙂 Have a great trip, and don’t hesitate to let us know if you have any questions at all 😀

Saurabh says

7th May 2018 at 7:55 am

Hi Lawrence, This is a great post! I think I can use some help. We are planning a 2 week trip to UK in August with a 1 year old toddler. What from above or otherwise will be a good itinerary for us. How realistic is it for me to cover what you have listed here? Appreciate any help. Thanks!

7th May 2018 at 10:03 pm

Thanks Saurabh! First, I should say that not having kids ourselves this isn’t an area of expertise for us 🙂 However, based on experiences of friends who travel with family, my suggestion would be to probably cut the itinerary in half, and focus on some of the major cities. As it is, it’s quite a busy itinerary, and I think you will have a better time doing a bit less and having the time to really explore some of the cities on the itinerary. So for example, maybe just do England and Scotland, and skip Ireland and Wales. This will reduce your travel, and let you spend a bit longer in each city. I’d also advise finding accommodation close to the city centres and attractions, so at least one of you can go out sight-seeing if one of you needs to stay behind for naps etc. I hope this helps – have a wonderful trip!

3rd May 2018 at 12:38 am

My husband and I are following this itinerary this summer, flying round trip into Gatwick from Canada. I was looking at the cost of the ferry from Scotland to Ireland and than Ireland to Wales and was shocked at the cost. Do you know of any Ferry discounts?

3rd May 2018 at 7:12 pm

Hi Sarah – you can try the various ferry search companies like directferries or a1ferries I think they are called. Unfortunately that time of year is school holidays, and there aren’t many companies operating the routes, so the prices go up. You might consider instead flying from Edinburgh to Belfast or Dublin instead, and hiring a car in Ireland rather than taking the ferry, if that is a cheaper option!

Badariah says

21st March 2018 at 8:24 am

Awesome I am planning for a 2 week get away to UK. Your article helpsss a lot. Planning to go in mid sept till end of sept

21st March 2018 at 11:25 am

Thanks very much – have a wonderful trip!

11th March 2018 at 9:06 am

hi lawrence me n my wife middle aged planning to do england and scotland in 15 days in july which would be ideal places to cover by public transport. i am open to hire a car for 2 to 3 days if required. please suggest us best possible train route for this trip we are flying in n out of london thanks waiting for ur reply

11th March 2018 at 10:02 am

My advice would be to follow my 10 day UK itinerary, which is designed for public transport: https://www.findingtheuniverse.com/10-day-uk-itinerary-public-transport-train-bus/

You could spend a little extra time in each location, or you could add a couple of stops. My advice would be to add 1 day in Bath near Bristol, stop in Manchester between Liverpool and York, and think about stopping in Newcastle on the way to Edinburgh. If you wanted to see the Cotswolds, you could do that with a hire car from Bath, or on a tour from London.

I hope this helps! That post also has lots of information on using public transport in the UK. Have a great trip!

Christine says

19th February 2018 at 4:57 am

Hello and Thank You!! I was just wondering, I’m not the best with timelines haha, but exactly how many hotel stays are there in total in each location? I’m just trying to determine if you actually spent the night in each location for both nights or if you spent the day touring then drove to the next location and got a room, especially for the 1 day places… if that makes sense? My husband and are are arriving March 10th and fly back out the 24th so just trying to sort out the timelines… Also it was suggested to me to go to Cornwall or Leeds, what are your thoughts? Thanks!

19th February 2018 at 6:11 pm

Hi! And my pleasure 😀

So you’d be looking at:

2 nights in London 1 night in Oxford 1 night in the Cotswolds 1 night in the Peak District 1 night in Manchester (could do Leeds here instead) 1 night in York 2 nights in Edinburgh (could do one night in Northumberland on the way up) 3 nights in Ireland / Northern Ireland 1 night in Cardiff 1 night in Bristol or Bath

You could of course spend more or less time in each destination, and leave say London after two full days but only one night, and overnight in Oxford. So really it’s up to you 🙂

Leeds you could easily fit into this itinerary. Cornwall would be a bit harder as it’s a bit further away. If you wanted to do Cornwall, you might need to leave Ireland out for example to give yourself enough time. Hope this helps!

15th February 2018 at 10:57 pm

Awesome Itinerary, I would add Canterbury to this list 🙂

17th February 2018 at 8:35 pm

I’ve only briefly visited Canterbury, must return!

22nd January 2018 at 4:52 pm

This came a blessing in disguise after searching for a week almost and making all shit loads of itineraries. I am thinking of blindly following this as it looks great to me. Need your help on a few points here if it doe snot bother you much, it would serve a great deal of planning for me in addition to what it already has, 1. Was this too hectic considering the number of places you covered? 2. Was driving time included in the time spent at each place you mentioned? 3. Is driving safe in and around England? 4. Is driving a cheaper option than using rail/bus transport? 5. How much did this two week trip cost you? 6. How much does the drive part of the trip cost?

22nd January 2018 at 5:44 pm

HI Saurabh!

Pleased to hear you found the itinerary 🙂 I’m happy to answer your questions of course.

1. This is definitely a busy itinerary, although as you can see from the other comments, many people have enjoyed it. So it really depends on your own personal style of travel and your preferences, as well as who you are travelling with. If you want a less hectic schedule, I’d suggest perhaps leaving the Irish part of the trip out, and maybe focusing on England and Scotland, and perhaps extending your time in cities like London and Edinburgh.

2. Yes, driving time is included. Driving time is not too great in the UK as distances are not large and the motorways are good, however, be aware that traffic can be bad around rush hour in the morning and evenings.

3. Yes, driving is very safe. Of course, accidents happen like anywhere in the world, but for the most part you shouldn’t have any trouble.

4. It depends on a few factors – mostly how many of you there are. For one person, it might be more cost-effective to take public transport. Also, if you book public transport well in advance, especially trains, this can be much cheaper than buying tickets on the day. Car hire also depends on the size of the car, but you can get pretty good value car hire. Fuel is quite expensive, but most modern hire cars are very fuel efficient. I am shortly going to publish a post with a similar itinerary that focuses on travelling in the UK by public transport, so stay tuned for that 🙂

5. Cost is really up to you, as it depends so much on what you want to see! I’d say you can hire a car for around £180 – £250 a week, fuel costs will be in the region of £50-£70 a week, and accommodation is likely to be in the range of £80 – £150 a night for two people sharing. You can of course get cheaper and more expensive accommodation options, it really depends on your style of travel.

6. The main costs for the car are the car hire, fuel, and any insurance you buy. I’d say between £200 and £300 a week, plus any parking fees. I’d definitely advise always booking a hotel that includes free parking.

I hope this helps with your planning – have a wonderful trip, and don’t miss my one week itinerary post for more ideas 🙂

https://www.findingtheuniverse.com/UK-Itinerary-One-Week-Road-Trip/

Steve and Cheryl Bales says

26th February 2018 at 9:09 pm

Thank you for the wealth of information! We are planning to take a trip to visit our daughter who is in the Air Force in the UK this May. I’ve read your itinerary and the questions and answers that followed. There were a couple of questions that popped up for me and I was hoping you could answer them. You mentioned taking a car over on the ferry to Ireland. We will be driving our daughter’s car, but I was wondering if we needed special insurance on the car to have it ferried. My husband are both disabled to a degree; neither of us are capable of walking long distances or sitting for any duration. Is there a need for concern over these issues? And, what is the cost of a London Pass and how many people does it cover, there will be four in our group? Any information would be much appreciated, thank you in advance. Steve and Cheryl

26th February 2018 at 9:19 pm

Hi Steve and Cheryl,

Thanks for reaching out, and I’m happy to hear you have found the content useful. You don’t normally need special insurance on a car to have it ferried, but you will likely need to check with your daughter’s insurer to make sure it is covered in Ireland. As far as I am aware it should be covered in Northern Ireland with the full coverage, and most UK insurers do provide at least some level cover for the EU, which Ireland is a part of, but worth checking.

For the itinerary I’ve put together, it’s really up to you how much you do. All the major cities have good public transport if you choose not to drive, as well as sight-seeing buses and things like that.

The London Pass prices vary – you have to buy one price per person, so that would be four passes total. Again, the value is up to you and how much you can get out of them. My only concern would be to get real value out of them you do need to try and pack quite a lot in – if you aren’t sure if that’s going to be possible you might end up being better off not getting them and just paying the ticket prices. Also, I’m not sure of your ages, but many attractions have senior concessions, which might also save you money rather than getting a pass. Worth checking the individual websites for the different attractions you want to visit to see what those might be.

You can see the London Pass prices here; https://prf.hn/click/camref:1011lbTW/pubref:FTU2WeekQuestion/destination:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.londonpass.com%2Flondon-pass-prices.php

Derian Quek says

4th September 2017 at 1:10 pm

This trip seems a bit rushed when driving over to Ireland..I am also planning a 2 weeks this December to January. Any tips on this? Am planning London/Manchester/Lake district/Edinburgh/Cotswolds/bath/Stonehenge/Paris

Laurence says

4th September 2017 at 4:05 pm

Hey Darian,

This trip is definitely quite fast – unfortunately folks don’t have too much time sometimes, and are keen to see as much as possible, which is what I try to achieve on this itinerary.

Regarding your itinerary – at that time of year do be aware that the weather obviously won’t be great and it will be getting dark around 4pm – just something to bear in mind. Certainly your plan is possible but will also be quite packed. Perhaps focusing on a few less locations and seeing more. From your list I’d suggest London, with a day trip to bath, the Cotswolds and Stonehenge, then Edinburgh and Paris. You could add in Manchester as well of course. It would also depend on if you have visited any of the locations before and how you plan to travel. I’d suggest train from London to Edinburgh, and a cheap flight from Edinburgh to Paris.

4th September 2017 at 4:15 pm

Hi Laurence. It would actually be my first time to the UK. I’m visiting Manchester because I would wanna catch a game at old Trafford and that’s probably the only reason why. Flight from Edinburgh to Paris sounds like a good option though I would most likely be self driving from London up north. I’m thinking 3 days in London, 1 day in manchester, 2 days in lake district, 3 days in Edinburgh, 1 day to cotswolds and then 3 days in Paris via eurostar before heading back to London for my return flight

Mital Khona says

9th August 2017 at 2:43 pm

Hi Lawrence, Thanks a bunch for this wonderful itinerary… 1. We are travelling this September with 2 Kids ( 2 years old and 8 years old) and2 parents ( senior citizens).. Is this still doable.. I was thinking of picking up train for journey from London to Edinburgh 2. We would like to spend 3 days on the alternative route to Ireland suggested by you above. Can you help on the route/ time we should allot to Snowdonia, etc(west coast of the UK, including Glasgow, the Lake District, and Liverpool, as well as popping into Wales for the stunning Snowdonia national park)

7th January 2018 at 1:26 pm

Hi Mital! It really depends on your kids and grandparents and their stamina. I think this trip might be a bit much for some, and you might find it easier to go a bit slower and take things in a bit more. So perhaps a trip focusing on Edinburgh / London, with a hire car for the return journey down the west coast of the UK. I’d say three – four days in London, two to three days in Edinburgh, and then the rest of the time on the drive down the west coast would work!

Sussex Bloggers says

30th May 2017 at 12:56 pm

Can’t believe you’ve completely skipped Cornwall and the rest of the south coast. Such beautiful scenery all along the southern coastline and some wonderful towns and villages. Here’s a little teaser!

ipsita bhattacharya says

3rd May 2017 at 12:19 am

Hi guys, We are planning a trip to the UK in August/September 2017 and this 2-week itinerary is proving to be of great help! But if we plan to take public transport instead of driving, how much of this is doable? We are also looking at two weeks and while I understand taking trains/buses will eat into our travelling time, we are not sure we want to drive. Please advise. And thanks for this wonderful travel plan!

8th August 2017 at 8:56 am

Our pleasure. Much of this is doable, certainly between the major cities by train at least. We’d advice flying from the UK, likely Edinburgh to Dublin, and then back from Dublin to Cardiff or London. It’s definitely achievable in part though 🙂

Jessica says

2nd April 2017 at 1:15 am

I am so glad that I found your itinerary as we will be visiting the UK for a little over two weeks this coming summer. I do have question for a part of the trip when you have to ferry from Scotland to Ireland, is it easy to find ferries that will take your car across? Also do you recommend a car for the entire trip or to break it up with trains? Such as from London to Edinburgh? Thank you and I hope to hear back from you soon.

7th January 2018 at 1:24 pm

Hi Jessica! Sorry for the slow response. Most of the ferries take cars, but the question is as to whether or not your rental car company will let you take the car on the ferry. So you would need to check with them. If not, you might find it easier to say fly from Edinburgh to Belfast or Dublin to continue to journey, and perhaps pick up a hire car in Ireland instead.

Nishant says

19th March 2017 at 10:59 am

My family of 4 is planning in Aug’17 for 2 week and i like your write up here. we would be staying with our friend’s family (4 member) in LONDON and then accompany them to this tour plan. we wish to know approx budget in INR apart from AIR Ticket required for this kind of tour. Consider AIR BnB stay, Home cooking where ever possible, car drive and budgeted expense suitable for family.

แอโรคอม บริษัทจำกัด says

13th March 2017 at 8:24 am

Your 2 weeks itinerary seems very good. I am concerned with parking space in tourist attractions especially in big cities. Is it not so difficult to find parking area in all these recommended places (except London)? How much is a typical parking fee?

Thanks in advance! Pairoj S.

13th March 2017 at 2:24 pm

Thanks very much! Parking fees really vary depending on where you want to park. On road meter parking is usually the most expensive, around £3 an hour. I’d suggest finding a larger car park, like a multistorey operated by a company like NCP. These are more reasonable, and you would pay on a sliding scale where it is better value for staying for longer. I wouldn’t worry though, there is usually plenty of parking available, and sometimes if you don’t mind walking a little bit, if you don’t park centrally you can park for free. Have a great trip!

Mittal Shah says

10th March 2017 at 11:44 am

Hi Lawrence and Norah. I have been trying to plan a road trip in UK around July end for approximately 12days and have found a lot of helpful information.There are certain things i would like to know from you: For road trip should i consider hiring a caravan or a car( 4 of us travelling)? Is it better to book a hotel or bnb? Please help. Awaiting your reply

12th March 2017 at 9:47 pm

Thanks for your comment. A car would definitely be the best option, for four of you it would likely be the most cost effective option. I’d also suggest bed and breakfasts are a nice option, although there are lots of great hotels as well, it really depends on your budget,

Enjoy your trip!

rajul parikh says

19th February 2017 at 11:46 am

Hi Lawrence and Norah just been browsing through your site and taking in the information about the 2 week holiday in the UK. We find your information relevant and useful. We live in India and are considering a trip sometime mid June 2017. This would be our first trip to the UK. Lots of questions: would the weather be ok around that time? To cover your suggested itinerary (including ireland) how much driving would one end up doing everyday? Would your stops which are marked alphabetically on the map suggest overnight stay? Since we would like to spend at least 5 days in London we would need to extend our trip to about 21 days. Look forward to hearing from you.

19th February 2017 at 11:49 am

Happy that you found it useful! Yes, the main stopping points suggest an overnight stay. The weather is likely to be good in June, however, the weather in the UK can be very unpredictable. Coming from India, you’ll probably find it fairly cool 😉 I’d say between 15 and 25C would be the norm, and you should plan for rain whenever you visit the UK.

In terms of driving, the UK is quite small so not too much, probably not more than 2 – 3 hours a day.

Myn Wong says

14th February 2017 at 1:18 am

Hi. May I know the estimated cost of this trip?

George Monaghan says

30th January 2017 at 8:51 pm

Finding this site most interesting !

30th January 2017 at 8:52 pm

Thanks George, appreciated!

Dave_Toni says

18th January 2017 at 2:17 am

Hi guys, I’m staying in London for a short time (4 days) and I’m now thinking I should have booked a longer stay, but I’m on route to another destination. What would you recommend for a four day tour to get the best out of “must see” locations in in short amount of time? Really enjoying the site, keep up the great information. Thanks Dave.

18th January 2017 at 6:52 pm

Four days is a good time to see lots of London 🙂 My advice, if you’ve not been before, would be to focus on the highlights, plus allocate some time just to wander a bit. I have a two day Itinerary here: https://www.findingtheuniverse.com/2016/06/two-day-london-itinerary-essential-sight-seeing.html That should help a bit, and then an itinerary that focuses on the region of Kensington: https://www.findingtheuniverse.com/2015/07/top-8-things-to-do-in-kensington.html I also have a guide for getting around London: https://www.findingtheuniverse.com/2016/08/guide-public-transport-london.html Some tips for the best photo spots in London: https://www.findingtheuniverse.com/2015/12/best-photography-locations-london.html And finally, we always recommend the London Pass to save money if you’re planning on visiting a lot of attractions. Here’s a great breakdown to find out if that’s worth it for you or not: independenttravelcats.com/2016/05/21/tips-using-buying-london-pass-worth/ Enjoy!

13th January 2017 at 10:19 am

So so perfect! Planning a 2 week UK holiday in June. This was God-sent!

13th January 2017 at 10:21 am

Wonderful, pleased you found it useful

Ashton says

5th November 2016 at 5:24 am

This is perfect! Exactly what I was looking for to start planning my honeymoon!! Thank you for taking the time to put this together

13th November 2016 at 7:58 pm

My pleasure – let us know how it goes and if there’s anything missing we can add to the post!

shiva bhavini says

16th July 2016 at 2:34 pm

Hi Laurence & Jessica, My husband and I are planning to have a 10 days UK trip , reaching London on September 16 and have return flight from london on september 26 , can you please suggest should we take some travel agent to take us around in UK ? Thanks much in advance

Ellana McNulty says

3rd July 2016 at 1:39 am

Hi Laurence & Jessica, My husband and I are planning on following your itinerary when we go over in August. When we first looked at your blog, there was a map at the end that you could zoom in on, but cannot find it now? Is the link still available.

3rd July 2016 at 11:24 am

Hi Ellana! Sorry about that, the map was causing issues for mobile users so I removed it. See comment below with a better answer!

Paul McNulty says

7th July 2016 at 12:09 am

Thanks for this Laurence!

Is it possible to have the whole route on the map like you had it before?

4th November 2016 at 11:13 pm

Hi Paul, I’ve been battling with google maps over this and gave up as it wouldn’t let me have enough waypoints. So I’ve switched to Bing Maps with the embedded image, and there’s a link to the route here: https://binged.it/2fDQGD2

Sorry for the delay!

5th November 2016 at 12:02 am

Thanks Laurence… we toured the UK in the last half of August using your itinerary. We modified it a bit to suit our personal tastes, but the basis of our trip was thanks to you. And it was even better than we expected!! Cheers.

5th November 2016 at 9:49 am

Brilliant! Delighted you had a good trip 😀

Alicia says

7th June 2017 at 3:22 am

The above link does not have a driving route in it. Is it no longer working (or I am doing it wrong)?

Unfortunately Google wouldn’t let me put together a driving route with this many stops, so this was the best I could do!

Seyne Tee says

27th June 2016 at 4:03 am

Hi Laurence & Jessica, I plan to visit UK for 2 weeks and rent a car to travel around places outside UK. Your perfect itinerary is exactly what I’m looking for, thanks! I have a problem here, I can only travel with my husband and son in the middle of November, will the weather be friendly enough to carry out activities as per your recommendation?

27th June 2016 at 9:23 am

Well, the weather in the UK can be quite varied, with sun even in November! However it will more likely be cold and grey, temperatures in the range of 3 – 10 degrees C. It will also be dark fairly early. However, that shouldn’t put you off, a lot of this itinerary is focused on the cities, and indoors activities, so you should be fine, although you might want to edit the itinerary a bit to focus more on indoor activities than outdoor ones 🙂

Stephen Mason says

9th May 2016 at 3:58 am

This trip is incredible! Can you give a price of what the final trip costed?

28th June 2016 at 11:55 am

Hi Stephen – it really depends on many factors, including your budget for accommodation / food. You can find places for £50 / night in most of the locations I’ve mentioned, food per person you could get away with £15 a day, then there’s fuel and car hire, not to mention attraction entry. I’d probably look to budgeting around £700 – £1500 per person, as a guideline, but a lot of variables to take into account 🙂

SharronJ says

8th March 2016 at 6:33 pm

This is just what I was looking for. I am planning on visiting your wonderful country for a month next year and just started doing research. Your article is just what I was looking for Thanks so much!

8th March 2016 at 6:35 pm

My pleasure! Have a wonderful trip 🙂

Edward says

17th January 2016 at 11:32 pm

Thank you for this. I will be going in UK late Spetember to October (one month) and this is a nice itnerary and I can do it in a slower pace. Would you say September and October is a good time to do this? How is the weather usually in those months?

2nd February 2016 at 2:47 am

It’s the Autum time so you might fair pretty well, considering. It starts to cool down in September and the trees start changing. There will be rain, especially in the West of England and Wales but there always is.

The best time to visit England is May – August, but if you don’t mind getting caught in the rain now and then, you shouldn’t have a problem

Joanne says

12th October 2015 at 2:18 pm

Is it possible to do this itinerary relying only on public transportation since I don’t drive? Thank you in advance.

12th October 2015 at 2:21 pm

Good parts of it are certainly possible, as the major cities are linked by public transport, and the trains in particular are an excellent and fast way to get around. One tip – book well in advance on specific trains to get the best prices in the UK, the fares you pay on the day are much higher. I’d also suggest flying from Edinburgh to Dublin if you wanted to include the Irish part of the trip.

You might have a bit more difficulty visiting places like the Cotswolds or other “country” parts on your own, however there are plenty of tour operators who can give you a day trip out from London to say the Cotswolds and Stonehenge.

On the whole though, yes, the majority of this itinerary would be more than do-able by public transport!

Nina Tchernova says

7th October 2015 at 2:43 pm

Hi Laurence, thank you so much for sharing this! We are planning to go in April, and this is exactly what we were hoping to do. And here it all is, so wonderfully explored and illustrated! One question though – what would you recommend about car rentals -one, or three? when we cross on a ferry to Ireland, do we bring the car, or is it better to rent another one there, and then another when we get back?

10th October 2015 at 1:14 pm

My pleasure 🙂 The answer to your question isn’t as simple as it sounds. One way rentals, as you’d need if you were to change cars, are generally more expensive than returning the car to the same place. On the other hand, a ferry ticket without a car is cheaper! So you might want to just check the math and see, depending on your budget. Personally, I’d not bother with the hassle of changing cars and just stick with the same one, you just need to check that it’s ok to drive the car in Ireland as well 🙂

10th October 2015 at 1:28 pm

Thank you very much, we will have to make a few enquiries.

Darryl Chan says

24th August 2015 at 6:03 pm

Hey! Love your itinerary! Is there anyway I can contact you to get more personalised advices from you? Looking forward to your reply!

27th August 2015 at 5:28 pm

Sure, you can just drop me an e-mail via the contact page on the site, or just fire away in the comments and I’ll see what I can do,

17th August 2015 at 4:58 am

Where’s the castle in your first picture?

25th September 2015 at 8:51 pm

The castle in the first picture (with the daffodils) is Alnwick castle in Northumberland. Home to Harry Potter or at least the was some filming taken place there and also some of Downtown Abbey. Alnwick is also home to Barter Books where the original ‘keep calm and carry on’ poster was discovered. Northumberland has one of the largest number of castles in the uk. Some of the most impressive I think are Bamburgh Castle, Lindisfarne Castle (on holy island – which needs a visit itself) and Chillingham Castle (known for being pretty spooky). Contact Wooler Tourist Infomation Office on +44 1668 282123 to learn about accommodation as Wooler is a fantastic base for the best of Northumberland.

25th September 2015 at 9:02 pm

Can I also say there is an awesome place for Brits and tourists alike; Beamish, the living museum. It is an outdoor village fashioned perfectly on olden days northern England complete with coal mine, dentis, working sweet shop and more

Monica says

11th August 2015 at 8:16 pm

I loved you itinerary and pictures. I’m definitely using your steps to trace some of my own. Thanks for sharing. I’m excited to read through more of your posts.

15th August 2015 at 8:32 pm

Thanks Monica, have a great trip!

3rd August 2015 at 9:50 pm

Great review of a nice trip through GB. My wife and I are trying to plan one for May, and we were thinking of spending more time in Scottland. Do you have any suggestions for moving from Endinburgh and into the northern part of Scotland and skipping Ireland. I thinking about Aberdeen and stopping by Ben Nevis, but it’s our first time traveling abroad and I’d love more information. Thanks!

3rd August 2015 at 11:49 pm

Hi Andy! To be honest I’ve not spent a lot of time in Scotland recently, but I can very much recommend taking the time to visit Glencoe. It’s a couple of hours from Edinburgh, and is an absolutely stunning valley in the highlands. I’ve also heard nothing but good things about the isle of Skye! Sorry I can’t be of much more help right now 🙁

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How to plan the ULTIMATE UK road trip

Trying to plan a UK road trip? Not entirely sure where to start? The UK is amazing and full of incredible road trip possibilities- but narrowing those down to fit an itinerary can be a bit daunting. 

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How to plan a UK Road trip

The key to planning any road trip is figuring out how much time you have for your trip vs where you want to go vs how long you want to drive for each day.

That’s it.

The more road trips you plan, whether in the UK, Europe or anywhere else, the better you get at knowing how far you want to drive each day and how much time you want for sightseeing, relaxing and enjoying your break.

We’ve been roadtripping almost non-stop for years now and today we’re going to share our secrets for how to plan a UK road trip, step by step.

We’ve travelled extensively in the UK, from Lands End in Cornwall all the way up to John o’Groats (if you’re not from the UK, that’s a really popular road trip itinerary if you have the time!)

We are constantly amazed at just how pretty the UK is and how diverse the scenery, architecture, history, accents and customs are. If you’d like to grab some ideas for places to visit, here are some of our favourite UK road trip itineraries .

Just remember, wherever you go, you’re bound to have a good time. (Just bring a coat. And an umbrella. At all times.)

So, grab a cup of tea and a slice of cake (so English!) and let’s get started on how to plan the PERFECT UK road trip!

If you want to make life even easier, grab our FREE, printable Road Trip planner . It’s the best way to keep track of all your ideas, itineraries and locations.

Make planning your next road trip EASY (& fun!)

When you’re planning a road trip, keeping track & organising all your ideas is often the hardest part. Fix that TODAY with our printable pdf road trip planner. Grab yours FREE now

This form subscribes you to our mailing list. We share tips, itineraries, stupid mistakes and guides like this for road trippers and motorhomers.

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Planning a UK road trip- How much time do you have?

I know the UK is small compared to some countries, but you are unlikely to see much of it in a week. It is possible to drive from the bottom to the top in about 24 hours… but all you’ll see is motorway!

Itinerary ideas for a one-week UK road trip

My advice? If you have a week to drive around the UK, you could do one the following areas:

• Split your England Road Trip into 4 quarters. You could do a part of each quarter in roughly a week. 
• One or two of these best scenic drives in Scotland
• Wales – here are some great Wales Road Trip ideas
• Northern Ireland (and Ireland)

If you have extra time, then add more places in! Or take your time and really enjoy the places you find.

VERY VERY VERY IMPORTANT ROAD PLANNING TIP

Do NOT overface yourself. You are NOT going to want to drive 18 hours every day. Heck, what’s the point?

And you are probably not going to want to drive EVERY. SINGLE. DAY either, especially if you’re the only driver or you’re travelling with young kids. You need to allow time to explore the places you travel to. Also, remember many roads in more rural regions of the UK (like Cornwall and Scotland ) are narrow and speed limits are much slower- which means travel times between places are a lot longer!

Planning a vehicle for your UK road trip

There are plenty of vehicle options for a UK road trip and all of them are available for hire (age and licence dependant of course! Check if you’re allowed to drive in the UK with a non-UK licence here .)

Motorhome/ Campervan

Our personal favourite method of roadtripping is a UK Motorhome (RV) or campervan holiday . We love being able to take our home on our backs and see where we end up- much more freedom than booking hotels or B & B’s in advance. We’ve extensively toured the UK and Europe in our motorhome and it’s a perfect way to take everything you need with you. 

If you want to go wild camping, make sure you’re aware of the motorhome and campervan parking laws in the UK .

Hiring a motorhome or campervan? Make sure you ask these important motorhome rental questions first.

However, if a motorhome or campervan really isn’t your style, hire a car and set out on the open road! Don’t forget- it’s cheaper to start/ finish at the same place than pay a one-way fee BUT you may be able to see more if you don’t have to return to your starting point.

You’ll also save on the fuel you might use to return the vehicle, so a one-way hire might be a great option depending on the type of UK road trip you want to do.

For car hire, we use and highly recommend Europcar.    

Motorbike/ bicycle

Lastly, how about a road trip by bike? Yep, that could be a pushbike (don’t underestimate the hills in the UK!) but why not treat yourself and road trip on a motorbike! There are some awesome biking roads all over the UK and plenty of biker-friendly accommodation options. You can even hire helmets and leathers.

Route planning for a UK road trip

So, once you’ve decided on your timescale and how you’re going to get around, you can start planning a UK road trip route and then your accommodation.

If you’re making it up as you go and wild camping in the UK or booking campsites/ accommodation on the fly, then this doesn’t matter so much, but if you’re planning a route in order to book accommodation, then remember my advice from above-  many roads in the UK are slower and smaller than you might be used to, and distances can take longer to travel- particularly in places like Scotland, Wales and Cornwall.

READ MORE: Drive the national driving routes in Wales- the Wales Way – and see some of the best bits of this beautiful country.

Again, don’t try and cram too much in, or you’ll be arriving late each day utterly exhausted. Remember, at this stage you don’t necessarily need to plan each road you will take, but just which towns you want to visit, how long you want to spend in an area and how far driving distances are between each place.

You can record all this information on our FREE printable road trip planner so you can keep track of it all and adjust your route and itinerary accordingly.

TOP TIP: If you’re going to be booking a lot of accommodation, use Booking.com. They offer great discounts on hotels, BnBs, apartments and more & the more you book, so each night gets cheaper and cheaper.

We rarely plan actual routes, but when we do we use Google. Here’s everything you need to know to plan your route with Google Maps

Things to remember while route planning

• If you have a motorhome or large vehicle- get an appropriate motorhome sat-nav . You’ll need it. Make sure it’s in an appropriate holder if you’re looking at it whilst driving.
• Bring a car USB charger for phone/ ipad etc. You’ll need it- using maps on your phone takes more battery power than you might be used to.
• Make sure you have the best route planning apps to help you get the most out of your trip, whether it’s Park4night, Google Maps or one of the others we recommend.

Plan a UK road trip- Travel Documents to bring

Once your rough routes and accommodations are sorted, you need to make sure you have the appropriate travel documents with you . Here’s a list, along with a printable checklist for you to download.

Note – there is NOT an official border between England, Scotland and Wales- you can drive between them in any vehicle you hire. However, for any country which requires a ferry (Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, Channel Islands) you might need a letter from the hire company saying it’s ok to take the vehicle out of the country. You will need to carry your passport/ proof of ID as well.

Another Note – this does NOT apply to the Isle of Wight on the south coast of England- that’s still part of England. It’s complicated, I know.

READ MORE: Here’s everything you need to know to plan a road trip to the Isle of Wight

UK Road Trip tips

Speed limits.

Apparently, us Brits have a reputation for speeding. Having driven in both France and Italy, I think that’s a little unfair- but it’s also probably true. So, here’s the deal when you’re roadtripping in the UK:

• The speed limit on the motorway (3/4 lanes each side) is 70mph. You WILL see people going faster, but remember there are unmarked police cars all over the place.
• IF you see another speed limit on the motorway (for roadworks or traffic) obey that speed limit. There will be cameras everywhere- they are often on the bridges.
• Many motorways in the UK now have average speed cameras, which means they monitor you from one point on the motorway to another, and if your average speed is above the limit, they will send you an automatic fine.
• National speed limit (white circle with black diagonal line through it) is 70 on dual carriageways (unless otherwise marked) and 60 on single lane roads.
• In towns, the speed will often by 30mph, and sometimes 20mph near schools. Do not speed in towns- cameras (and kids!) are everywhere.

Driving Tips for the UK

• There is NO turn on red. Red means stop and wait. Always. Wait for green. If you’re turning, there might be a green arrow while the rest is on red.
• There’s no requirement to drive with your headlights on during the day.
• In the UK, we drive on the left. The slow lane is the lane nearest the curb, the overtaking lane is the one near the centre. DO NOT hog the middle lane- pull into the slow lane as often as you can.
• At a roundabout, the left lane is for either turning left or going straight on. Unless it’s marked differently. 
• If you’re in a tall vehicle (motorhome!) know your height and width and PAY ATTENTION to signs for narrow roads or low bridges. There are MANY of them all over the place. 
• In rural areas, you’ll find many narrow roads. Sometimes, you just have to go for it (slowly!) In a big vehicle, sound your horn before approaching a tight bend- don’t do this at night! These roads will often have passing places- these are NOT laybys, so don’t stop here for the night.
• Double yellow lines mean NO parking (there are some exceptions for disabilities). A single yellow line means parking is restricted at certain times. Don’t block entrances, driveways or bus stops.
• Talking of buses, do NOT drive in a bus lane. Most buses now have cameras on the back and they will fine you.

Driving in London

Personally, I hate driving in central London. Too many cars and the road system is crazy complicated. Add to that the taxis who just push through everyone, the lorries which are too big for the roads… yeah, I park up and catch the train in.

If you do drive into London, be aware of the congestion zone. You can pay it on the day- you don’t need to buy in advance, but DO NOT forget. Here’s the link for info and to pay. 

You also need to be aware of several toll roads around the UK- they should be well signposted, but some you have to pay for via an app or online- if you forget, you’ll be fined automatically. That’s just one of many things NOT to do on a road trip !

Useful (and weird) things to know before travelling to the UK

• We drive in ‘miles’ (imperial), but we buy fuel in litres (metric). No idea why.
• Currency is in GBP- not Euros.
• The UK is no longer in the EU. Which means we are NOT in the Schengen area and visiting the UK doesn’t count towards your 90 days. If you’re travelling to Europe from the UK , make sure you comply with the correct conditions.
• Amex is only accepted in the bigger shops- many places won’t take it.
• Carry small coins (anything from 10p to £1) Many car parks require change to pay for a parking ticket. A rough guide is you’ll pay £1/ hour for parking. Expect to pay MUCH more in cities.
• The best UK weather is usually May-October- but that’s a constant source of amusement for UK residents. In 2018 it was blissfully warm from April all through the summer. In 2019, I was still wearing my winter coat in May. (In 2020, we didn’t leave the house so who cares!) 
• It rains in the UK. A lot. Whenever you’re coming, bring a coat.
• If you’re into history, you have LOADS of places to visit. Many of them are run by the National Trust- you can buy a touring pass here to save money on the attractions. We also recommend getting an English Heritage membership so you can visit some of the best castles and historic monuments.

Activities for kids

Planning a UK road trip with kids in tow? I’m just going to point you in the direction of these amazing road trip activities for kids (and adults!) and quietly close the door. Feel free to rock back and forwards whilst gently hugging yourself. It will be ok.

Road trip songs

Any good road trip needs some TUNES. Here are 100+ of the best road trip driving songs !

Some of the best UK road trip destinations

Looking for some roadtrip inspiration? Here are a few of our favourite places to visit in the UK:

• Cornwall (Avoid Cornwall in July and August- crazy busy.) Here’s an amazing Cornwall itinerary (with map).
• Devon – here are some unmissable Devon road trip itineraries
• Dorset and Hampshire- here are some great places to visit in Hampshire and Dorset
• Wiltshire – (Think Salisbury, Durdle door and Stonehenge )
• Southern Wales. Don’t miss the waterfall walk or the show caves
• Scotland . Pretty much all of it. Here’s a perfect 7-10 day Scotland itinerary (with map) , including the Isle of Skye

I hope this post has helped you plan a UK road trip and I wish you an incredible trip. Let me know where you end up!

Other posts you might find useful:

• Best European Road Trip itineraries and ideas
• 18 beautiful road trip journals and logbooks to record your trip
• Quick, easy and HEALTHY road trip snacks

See all our UK itineraries and places to visit

See all our road trip tips

Know someone who might enjoy this post? Feel free to share it with them.

Kat never planned to buy a motorhome. She also never planned to quit her job as an air traffic controller, go touring around Europe in said motorhome, start one of the UK’s largest motorhome travel websites… or get a cocker spaniel.

Find out how she went from stuck in the rat race to being a digital nomad and inspiring thousands of people to have their own epic adventures here.

If you’d like to connect with Kat, send her an email or follow her adventures on social media.

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omg this post has made me super proud to live in the uK!!! so many amazing places!!! thanks for sharing!

I love that this has literally EVERYTHING to get us prepared for a UK roadtrip!

Happy roadtripping!

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10 Best Road Trips In The UK

• Updated: June 16, 2020

Yes I know what you’re thinking… “Best road trips in the UK? 10 of them? Surely not.”

But trust me…

There are roads right across the UK that are arguably good enough to compete with Australia’s Pacific Highway, Norway’s Atlantic Road Norway and America’s iconic Route 66. 

And no, I’m not taking the mick.

Below is a mix of short and long road trips that stretch all the way across the UK that should (should…) blow your mind on your next drive.

Let’s go for a spin…

10. Norfolk Coast, England

The Norfolk Coast road trip is first up on my list of 10 best UK road trips.

Starting your journey in Kings Lynn, it’ll take you around 2.5 hours to drive along the coastline to your final destination in Mundesley (plus an extra 15 minutes to Happisburgh Lighthouse – more on that below). 

As it’s on the coast you’ll of course be spoilt with endless sea views as you drive, but y ou’ll also get to see things like:

• Golden beaches, lighthouses and piers
• Quaint seaside villages
• Historical architecture (there are over 600 churches in Norfolk, the largest concentration of churches in the world) 
• Seals (no joke, there are seals off the coast of Norfolk)
• Walking trails (in abundance)

You can opt to do the full route in one go, but I wouldn’t recommend it because you’ll be too rushed trying to see it all (especially if you’ve driven from another part of the UK). 

Instead I’d recommend doing this route as a weekend break with a 1 night rest minimum.

Location : Norfolk. Recommended Duration : 2-3 days. Distance : 65 miles / 105 km (2.5 hours total driving time). Best Highlight : Happisburgh Lighthouse – The lighthouse is a short 15 minute detour from Mundesley, but it’s definitely worth a visit so you can grab an iconic photo for the ‘Gram and show off your trip to your followers. Route : Norfolk Coast Road Trip  (hit link for full route on Google Maps). 

9. Black Mountain Pass, Wales

The first of three short road trips on this list, Black Mountain Pass sits in ninth position for the best road trip in the UK. 

Also known as Top Gear Road after its feature on the BBC’s Top Gear in 2011, Black Mountain Pass is recognised for its twisting hairpins, sudden drops and its views that stretch for miles upon miles across Brecon Beacons and the surrounding Welsh Countryside.

You’ll also get to see some sheep too (it is Wales after all…).

If you fancy a longer road trip that includes Black Mountain Pass, you could very easily combine this route into a drive further north into the heart of Wales, but just be careful you don’t accidentally skip it and drive along another route because you’ll be missing out big time. 

Location : South Wales. Recommended Duration : Couple of hours. Distance : 15 miles / 24 km ( 45 minutes total driving time). Best Highlight : Brecon Beacons National Park – Needless to say that the best thing you can do on your way to Black Mountain Pass is take a trip to visit Brecon Beacons National Park and experience more amazing views on foot. Route : Black Mountain Pass (hit link for full route on Google Maps).

8. Yorkshire Moors Circular, England

Next up is the Yorkshire Moors; a national park that stretches well over 500 miles on the East coast of Yorkshire. 

Now I should mention that the Yorkshire Moors hasn’t got a dedicated driving route, so it’s completely up to you how you plan your route and what sights you see…

There is plenty for you to see and explore, however:

• Steam railways
• Market towns

You can also extend your road trip around the Moors and travel West into the Yorkshire Dales (Yorkshire’s second of three national park) and see even more of sunny Yorkshire. 

Location : Yorkshire. Recommended Duration : 1-2 days. Distance : 77 miles / 125 km (2.5 hours total driving time).  Best Highlight : Rievaulx Abbey – One of the largest and best preserved abbey’s in the UK (just a short 5 minute drive from Helmsley, the start of the route). Route : Yorkshire Moors Circular  (hit the link for full route on Google Maps). 

7. Heart 200, Scotland

The Heart 200 is a brand new driving route that launched in 2019. 

The 200 mile circular route takes you around the heart of Scotland, visiting lesser-known and less tourist-infested Scottish towns like Stirling, Perth and then up towards the Scottish Highlands. 

During your drive you’ll get to see: 

• Dozens of idyllic Scottish castles 
• Enormous lochs
• Scotland’s two national parks (Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park and Cairngorms National Park)

The fact it’s a brand new route is great news for me and you because it means you’ll find far fewer cars on the road with people doing the same route, making the drive much easier than some others on this list. 

Location : Central Scotland. Recommended Duration : 3-5 days. Distance : 200 miles / 320km (5 hours total driving time). Best Highlight : Both of the national parks are worth a full day exploration because they offer a chance to escape the mayhem of the cities.  Route : Heart 200 (hit link for full route from the official website).

6. The Coastal Way, Wales

The Coastal Way is a 175 mile road trip that takes you up the entire coast of Wales from St Davids in the South to Aberdaron in the North and it’s my personal favourite of Wales’ 5 best road trips . 

For your troubles you’ll get to see Welsh castles, get the chance to climb Mt Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales and you’ll also get to visit dozens of small seaside towns like Aberaeron, Aberystwyth and Barmouth. 

With it being Wales, I’d recommend avoiding driving this route during the Winter time because roads can get flooded, but definitely try it during the summer and especially September time because the roads are normally quiet and the weather is fairly calm. 

Location : West Wales. Recommended Duration : 3-5 days. Distance : 175 miles / 280 km (5 hour total driving time).  Best Highlight : Aberystwyth – I went to uni here so I had no other choice, but in all seriousness I’d recommend a nights stop in Aberystwyth so you can see one of the best seaside towns in the UK. Go here to see the best things to do in Aberystwyth . Route : The Coastal Way  (hit link for full route on Google Maps). 

5. Cheddar Gorge, England

Cheddar Gorge is an incredible limestone gorge that intercepts the Mendip Hills. 

With the road sitting directly at the base of the gorge, it gives drivers an amazing view of humongous limestone cliffs on either side as you pass through. 

The good news is that there are multiple stopping points along the road that’ll allow you time to get out and take the full extent of the gorge in and get some shots for the ‘Gram.

As the route is so short it might be worth including this one into a longer, unofficial road trip further down south, maybe to Weston super-Mare or down even further into Cornwall. 

Or just keep it easy and enjoy a day at Mendip Hills. 

Location : Somerset. Recommended Duration : Couple of hours. Distance : 10 miles / 16 km (20 minutes total driving time). Best Highlight : Cheddar Gorge Caves – there are a couple of open access caves that are definitely worth a visit if you’re going planning on travelling this route.  Route : Cheddar Gorge (hit link for full route on Google Maps).

4. Snake Pass, England

Sitting just South East of Manchester, the Snake Pass road trip ventures straight through the Peak District, one of the UK’s most popular national parks (and in fact the first of its kind, officially opening as the first UK national park in 1951 – little bit of national park trivia for you there). 

The route itself offers road trippers a spectacular journey on twisting, forest-infested roads and a chance to drive both high up (over 500 metres above sea level in parts) and alongside the magnificent Ladybower Reservoir (as shown above).

The nearby sights and the available walking routes and caves are definitely worth a visit and when you do visit, they’ll help explain why Snake Pass appears so high up on this list!

Location : Peak District. Recommended Duration : Couple of hours – 1 day stop in the Peak District. Distance : 40 miles / 65 km (1 hour total driving time).  Best Highlight : Mam tor – If you’re planning on driving Snake Pass, it makes sense to pay Mam Tor a visit as it’s one of the highest peaks in the region and gives awesome views across the entire Peak District.  Route : Snake Pass (hit link for full route on Google Maps). 

3. Causeway Coastal Route, Northern Ireland

You can’t forget about Northern Ireland when it comes to the UK’s best road trips and you certainly can’t forget about the Causeway Coastal Route, which makes it into the top 3 of my best UK road trips. 

Not only will you get to explore Northern Ireland’s capital city, Belfast, along the route, you’ll also get to explore: 

• Northern Ireland’s many sandy beaches
• Giant’s Causeway (which myths state was a causeway built by giants of the past)
• Cliff edge walks
• Forest parks

Oh and if you’re a fan of Game of Thrones, you might be excited to hear that the series’ producers used Northern Ireland to film certain parts of the show, like the use of Cushendun Caves for the filming of Melisandre giving birth to the shadow creature (if you know, you know). 

Location : Northern Ireland. Recommended Duration : 3-4 days (3.5 hours total driving time). Distance : 130 miles / 210 km. Best Highlight : Rathlin Island – if you fancy catching a ferry, it’s worth a visit to Rathlin Island so you can do some trekking and see some puffins. Route : Causeway Coastal Route (hit link for full route on Google Maps). 

2. Atlantic Highway, England

The Atlantic Highway comes in at a close second for the best road trip in the UK. 

The route will take you from Barnstaple in North Devon all the way down the A39 to Newquay in Cornwall. 

The roads are relatively small, offering intermitting sea views along the Cornish coast and the Cornish countryside as the road dips and climbs for miles on end. 

The sights along the route making it even more enjoyable:

• Crackington Haven beach
• Museum of witchcraft and magic
• Land’s end (if you venture a little further South).

Location : South West England. Recommended Duration : 2-3 days. Distance : 75 miles / 120 km (2 hours total driving time). Best Highlight : Land’s end – If you fancy extending your road trip out a little further, it’s definitely worth you visiting Land’s end so you can see the most western point of England. Route : Atlantic Highway  (hit link for full route on Google Maps). 

1. North Coast 500, Scotland

Last but certainly not least and from one end of the UK in South England all the way to the other in the Scottish Highlands; the best road trip in the UK is… (drum roll 🥁) The North Coast 500. 

Now let me just say one thing before I get into it… 

The fact I’ve only included two road trips from Scotland is a bit of a joke (sorry Scotland) because you could easily make a list of 100 road trips in Scotland and still have 100’s leftover, but hopefully this one makes up for it…

The North Coast 500 is earmarked as Scotland’s answer to America’s Route 66.

The route boasts some of the world’s most spectacular sights with everything from mountaintops to caves to tiny villages to waterfalls to ginormous lochs to castles to Highland Coos to WW2 structures to James Bond roads to the Northern Lights.

You name it – the North Coast 500 has got it. 

In terms of time, I wouldn’t recommend anything less than 5 days because it’ll be too rushed and you’ll end up missing out on everything that the route has to offer and trust me, there’s a lot on offer.

However, the fact of the matter remains that if you can only do one road trip on this list, make sure it’s the North Coast 500. 

Location : Scottish Highlands. Recommended Duration : 5-7 days, but you could easily spend 7-10 days seeing all of the highlights. Distance : 500 miles / 800 km (13 hours total driving time). Best highlight : It’s honestly too hard to pick a single highlight from the North Coast 500 because there is just so much to do. My advice is that you go and drive it yourself and decide on your own highlight.   Route : North Coast 500 (hit link for full route on Google Maps).

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26 Best Places In Britain To Visit

A road trip is an incredible way to see a country, especially when taking in some of the best places in Britain to visit.

You see, one of the best things about our country is the vast amount of diverse regions like the Cotswolds , cool cities and incredible national parks that we have. It’s totally diverse and so amazing to explore. 

Last year, we decided to see much more of our amazing country and I’ve shared some of the best places in Britain to visit that we’ve explored during our travel.

With that in mind, take a look at our road trip route for visiting some of the best places in Britain to visit on a wider trip around the UK. 

Oh yeah, and to use our map below, swipe left or right on it (using the tool in the middle).

1.) Explore the Scilly Isles

Easily reached by ferry (or plane), the Scilly Isles are a tropical paradise that everyone should visit, at least once. Jump into the crystal clear waters, explore the tropical gardens and chill out on the white sandy beaches. This archipelago is a paradise. 

Granted, this island location of these mean that this isn’t strictly ‘road trip’ ready but this is a great way to start up (or perhaps even finish off) your trip.

Read more: Our 1-week itinerary for the Scilly Isles

2.) See the uniquely beautiful St. Michael’s Mount

Nestled within the tiny, Mount’s Bay in Cornwall, St. Michael’s Mount is a small church and parish island that sits within the sea.

This stunning place is gorgeous and easily one of the best places in Britain.

Read more: Best castles in Cornwall

3.) Learn to surf at Watergate Bay

On the north coast of Cornwall is the stunning beaches of Watergate Bay.

Only a few miles from Newquay, it’s the perfect place to brush up on your surfing skills, head for some of the coastal walks or bed-down at the indulgent and beautiful Watergate Bay Hotel . We loved it here; their breakfast waffles are everything! 

Read more: Best things to do in Cornwall  

4.) Explore the Welsh capital city, Cardiff

Wales is one gorgeous country to explore, with its capital city being a pretty amazing place to start. Head to Cardiff Castle, visit Castle Coch and enjoy St. Fagan’s , a gorgeous outdoor museum that offers a snapshot into historic Wales .

Don’t forget to visit the Welsh Millennium Centre too and catch some of the world’s most legendary operatic performers. It really is one of the best places in Britain to visit. 

Read our complete guide to visiting Wales

5.) See the Banksy artworks in Bristol

Bristol is one of the largest cities in the south of England .

Make sure to spend a day, or two, here and discover the city’s beautiful museums , harbour area and the Banksy artwork that is scattered all over the town.

Honestly, Bristol is just so artsy and a totally cool city that’s well worth a day or two visits during your road trip. 

Read more: Best things to do in Bristol

6.) Wander around Stonehenge

One of the most famous sites in England, Stonehenge is a beautiful place to visit the ancient history of this area.

Stonehenge gets quite busy during peak times and weektimes, so if you’re looking for smaller crowds, make sure you visit later in the day or first thing in the morning.

Make sure you also visit Salisbury too, it’s only 15 minutes away by car and the cathedral is awe-inspiring and easily one of the best places in Britain to visit if you love history. 

Read more: Our guide to visiting Stonehenge

7.) Explore the Cotswolds

There are so many stunning spots to explore in the area of outstanding natural beauty. The Cotswolds is totally one of my favourites and up there as some of the best places in Britain to visit if you’re on a road trip.

If you can drive, I’d recommend renting a car to visit some of the region’s most stunning towns. If you’re looking for a beautiful hotel in the area, make sure you check out the Wood Norton .

Take a look at some of the prettiest villages you HAVE to visit:

Lacock | Broadway, Stow-on-the-Wold,  Burton-on-the-Water | Bibury  | Castle Combe

8.) See the Roman history of Bath

The Roman spa town of Bath is one beautiful city to explore.

Head inside the Roman Baths, visit Bath Abbey and the Royal Crescent. It’s totally beautiful and pretty unique, especially with all the buildings being protected. It really is one of the best places in Britain to visit. 

All whilst gorging on a delicious Sally Lunn buns. Yum!

See our full guide on what to do when visiting Bath

9.) Discover Aberystwyth

Aberystwyth is a west coast Welsh city that’s well worth a visit.

Afterwards, take some time to explore the Cambrian coastline, ride the cliff railway in the town and take the steam train to Devil’s Bridge. Trust me, it isn’t as scary as it sounds!

Read more: Best things to do in Aberystwyth

10.) Hike Snowdonia National Park

Snowdonia National Park is home to the tallest mountain in England and Wales. Hike to the top of Mt. Snowdon and enjoy some spectacular views across the country.

A long time ago, Snowdonia was once part of the seabed, before towering up to be the tallest mountain in Wales. This means, that if you’re really fortunate, you can spot a few fossils and even shells along your hike. Keep your eyes peeled.

Read more: visiting Wales and Snowdonia

11.) See the city of Birmingham

Birmingham is one of Britain’s largest cities, with places like the Bullring, the Museum of Art and the many secret spots that most visitors to the city often miss.

Read more: Best things to do in Birmingham

12.) Explore Oxford

Oxford is only around 1 hour from central London, making this a really easy place to visit for a day trip away. Take a tour around the famous colleges, and enjoy one of the oldest institutions in all the world.

Read more: Best things to do in Oxford

13.) Explore Blenheim Palace 

Blenheim Palace is a country house like no other! Being one of the grandest homes in Britain, it easily earns its place on your road trip. Take a tour of the house and the manicured gardens too.

See more on visiting Blenheim Palace, right here.

14.)  Go punting in Cambridge

If you’re looking for a day trip from London, then jump on the train from London King’s Cross (or Liverpool Street) train station and discover the charming atmosphere of Cambridge.

Honestly, there’s a heap of things to do in Cambridge that I’m sure you’ll love. Altneritavely, pop in your car and carry on your road trip to Cambridge if you’re not leaving from London.

It’s one of my favourite cities in the UK and easily one of the best places in Britain to visit. 

Read more: Best things to do in Cambridge

15.) Explore London

London is an epic place to visit and it’s somewhere I’m so proud to call home. This is especially true with all the best areas in London to explore.

There are literally hundreds of different things to see and do in London and it can be hard to pinpoint a few things. Take a look at some of our posts on what you should do when you visit, below:

Best food markets in London | The secret spots to see in London | Most Unique Restaurants in London

What to do at every tube stop in London | Where to eat in Notting Hill | What to do in Camden Town | Where to see in Whitechapel

What to do with a 6-hour | 24-hour | 48-hour layover in London

16.) Experience Brighton

Perched on the south coast of England, Brighton is one of the best places to experience a proper seaside town in England .

Take a drive to the coast, explore the lanes and chill out on the beach. Brighton is easily one of the best places in Britain to visit if you fancy some time at the beach, too. 

Read more: Best things to do in Brighton

17.) Enjoy the White Cliffs of Dover

Dover is famous the world over for its iconic white cliffs that tower over the region.

Take a visit to see the white cliffs and explore the natural beauty of this amazing coastline.

Read more: Best natural sites to see in the UK

18.) Explore Manchester

Manchester was once the industrial powerhouse of the north of England, nowadays it’s a cultural hub and buzzing city that’s amazing to visit.

Make sure to spend some time visiting the Manchester Art Gallery and the quayside too. For a really cool place to stay, make sure you check out Hotel Gotham (it’s as incredible as it sounds).

Read more: Best things to do in Manchester

19.) Explore Yorkshire 

the Yorkshire Dales is one pretty gorgeous place to explore. Head into the dales themselves and hike across the unspoilt landscapes that surround this beautiful region.

Afterwards, head over to charming little villages like Robin Hood’s Bay and see Whitby Abbey , too.

Read more: Exploring Whitby Abbey 

20.) Relax in the Lake District 

The lake district is, as you can imagine, filled with quite a few lakes that are well worth a visit.

Visit Lake Windermere, take some time to also hike Scafell Pike and enjoy the relaxed charm of the region’s villages. You’ll love it!

Alternatively, head over to Ullswater Lake that’s much quieter and only a little smaller. We loved it here. You can follow our 4-day Lake District itinerary, here .

It really is one of the best places in Britain to visit. 

Best national parks in the UK to visit

21.) Visit Newcastle

Newcastle has quickly come to be a new spot for travellers to see in the north-east of England .

See the Tyne Bridge, enjoy the ‘famous’ nightlife and go visit the Angel of the North. It’s a perfect city to spend a weekend without driving.

Read more: Best things to do in Newcastle

22.) Explore Edinburgh

The capital city of Scotland offers so much to do whilst you head further north on your road trip.

Take to the city and explore Edinburgh Castle which sits on top of an ancient volcanic mound, walk down the Royal Mile and visit Grassmarket for some of the city’s best bars .

Read more: Best things to do in Edinburgh

23.) Visit Glasgow

Glasgow is like the wild and lively sister of Edinburgh, it has a buzz and atmosphere like no other city, which is filled with so much to see and do.

Take a wander around the city streets and explore some of the world-renowned art that is housed in the city.

Best things to do in Glasgow

24.) Visit the lovely town of  St. Andrews

St. Andrews is one of Scotland’s best towns.

Then again, I would say that! After living there for 4 years – I’ve fallen head over heels for this place.

Make sure you visit the famous Gold Course, see some of the town’s iconic beaches and take a gander at the ruined castle and abbey. It’s a gorgeous place. I love it here. 

Read more: Best things to do in St Andrews

25.) Climb Ben Nevis and visit Fort William

Fort William is the perfect place to start your journey into the wild beauty of west Scotland.

Take a ramble across the tundra and hike Ben Nevis, Britain’s tallest mountain.

Read more: Best hikes in Scotland

26.) Explore the rugged Scottish Islands

The islands of Scotland are some of the most isolated and breathtakingly beautiful spots to visit in the UK.

Although you can’t necessarily drive to all of them, there are quite a few which you can reach by ferry. It’s one of the best places in Britain to visit if you want some time on the smaller outlying islands. 

Enjoy their stunning charm and really chill out within the rugged natural beauty.

Read more: Best Scottish Islands to visit

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19 Best Road Trips in the UK for Scenic Drives

March 19, 2024

The UK is home to some of the world’s best road trips , with lots of (both official and unofficial) routes zig-zagging across the entirety of the region.

So in this four-wheeled guide, we’ve brought you the 19 best road trips in the UK . I’ve covered routes in all parts of the region, and I’ve included short rides, long rides, coastal journeys, mountainous meanders, and everything in between.

Rev up that engine and come join the fun!

1. The North Coast 500

2. the northumberland coastal route, 3. the north pennines, 4. the arran ring road, 5. the a4069 black mountain pass, 6. the heart 200, 7. the trotternish loop, 8. the snow roads scenic route, 9. the causeway coastal route, 10. the central sperrins route, 11. the cambrian way, 12. the welsh coastal way, 13. the borders historic route, 14. the lake district loop, 15. the atlantic highway, 16. the south west coastal 300, 17. the high mournes scenic loop, 18. the norfolk and suffolk coasts, 19. belleek to teemore, before you go.

I’m starting with my favorite road trip in the whole of the UK.

A 500-mile (800km) loop around the most northern parts of mainland Scotland, the North Coast 500 is iconic and unmissable—and if you’re only going to attempt one ride on this list, you should definitely make it this one. I’ve done this loop twice, and I’ll definitely be doing it again.

People genuinely have no idea how beautiful or remote this part of Scotland is. Along the route, you get fishing villages, charming towns, massive mountains, some of the best beaches you’ve ever seen, and lots of the planet’s best landscapes. Some stretches are unbelievably otherworldly, and totally unlike any other part of the UK.

If you like hiking, you’ll love this ride—it takes you to some of the best, most rugged and most underrated walking spots in the UK, and you could spend years exploring new treks and trails in this area. For walks, I recommend Stac Pollaidh, Torridon, and the shoreside strolls on the west coast (but there are also way more).

For sheer variety and beauty, road trips really don’t get much better than this… and this is one of the best road trips in the UK.

• Location: Scotland
• Distance: 500 miles/800km
• Itinerary: Signposted loop beginning and ending in Inverness (or Applecross), and following the coast for the majority of the way
• Recommended Time: 5-21 days
• Highlights: Ullapool, Torridon, the Bealach na Bà, the tiny villages, the meandering roads, and the beautiful beaches

For me, the Northumberland Coastal Route is the very best road trip in England.

That might be because I’m from the area and I’m very very biased and I absolutely love the place I’m from… but it just might also be because it’s actually true.

If you like remote beaches, isolated shorelines, friendly fishing villages, massive castles, or gigantic portions of heavily-salted fish and chips, you’ll undoubtedly fall in love with this ride.

You start in Tynemouth, just east of the city of Newcastle . From here, you follow the coast all the way to Berwick-upon-Tweed, the last significant settlement before England becomes Scotland.

Along the way, you’ll pass some of my favorite places in the world, including Cresswell, Alnmouth, Amble, Seahouses, Bamburgh, Craster, Bamburgh Castle, Dunstanburgh Castle, and plenty more. If you want history and beaches without countless crowds, it doesn’t get better than this.

Though this is an incredible road trip, it’s actually most famous as the route for the ultra-beautiful Coast and Castles bike ride .

• Location: England
• Distance: Around 75 miles/120km
• Itinerary: Linear route from Tynemouth to Berwick-upon-Tweed, following the coast the entire way
• Recommended Time : 3-5 days
• Highlights: Tynemouth, Cresswell, Alnmouth, Craster, Bamburgh Castle, Dunstanburgh Castle, lots of friendly faces, lots of fish and chips, and a whole load of quiet towns and beaches

If you’re looking for underrated and under-the-radar, this is the best English road trip on our list.

I love the North Pennines. A bleak, barren and boggy range of peaks in northern England, this is the best mountainous area if you’re looking for remote, rural hikes without lots of other people.

It’s a very unique area. While most hilly regions are green and verdant, this place is sort of apocalyptic and empty, but in a strangely attractive way.

It’s also a great choice if you want a short trip—the route I’m recommending measures only 40 miles (65km).

Start in Lambley, a village famous for its massive viaduct. From here, head south to lovely Alston, my favorite town in the area. Keep heading south and you’ll hit Garrigill, Ashgill Force waterfall, and the ever-popular town of pretty Barnard Castle.

If you want to add a detour, I recommend hiking up Cross Fell , the tallest peak in the North Pennines. The highest point in England outside the Lake District, it sits at a lofty 893 meters (2,930 feet).

• Distance: Around 40 miles/65km
• Itinerary: Linear route from Lambley to Barnard Castle
• Recommended Time : 1-3 days
• Highlights: Lambley Viaduct, Alston, Ashgill Force, Barnard Castle, the optional detour to Cross Fell, and exploring a barren-but-beautiful area

Another circular Scottish route, this is one of the best road trips in the UK for completionists who like feeling as if they’ve seen the entirety of one particular place.

Off the west coast of mainland Scotland, you have the Isle of Arran… which is famously known as ‘Scotland in miniature.’

It comes with that reputation because it offers most of the same things as mainland Scotland. You get great beaches , excellent hikes , multi-day walking and cycling trails, fantastic food, friendly faces, varied wildlife , and some of the cutest coastal settlements you’ve probably ever seen.

If you want to see pretty much the entirety of the island, you can drive around its whole perimeter by riding the Arran ring road. It measures in at only 56 miles (90km), but it brings you close to everything you could want to see .

Make sure you hike up Goatfell, walk some stretches of the Arran Coastal Way , and spend some time exploring towns and villages.

• Distance: 56 miles/90km
• Itinerary: Loop beginning and ending in Brodick, following Arran’s entire coast in a big circle
• Recommended Time : 2-7 days
• Highlights: Seeing all of Arran’s highlights, some of the best beaches you’ve ever seen, the Arran Coastal Way, an ascent up Goatfell, and the settlements of Brodick, Lochranza and Blackwaterfoot

The A4069 Black Mountain Pass is only a short journey, but it’s the most famous road trip in Wales by a long way, and it’s absolutely incredible.

Sitting in the western side of the Brecon Beacons (a massive range of mountains in the south of Wales) , rides this short don’t normally have views this good. Famous for appearing on British TV show Top Gear, the route offers jagged peaks, massive passes, and some of the best panoramas that Wales has to offer.

Notorious for its tight bends, hairpin turns, suddenly-there sheep, and stomach-churning scenery, this is an adrenaline junkie’s dream. That said, it’s not as dangerous as some people like to pretend… so as long as you’re a competent driver, you’ll definitely be comfortable.

If you like mountains, or if you’re looking for a short but brilliant ride, this is one of the best road trips in the UK. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to stop for photographs (there are lots of laybys where you can pull in to get your camera out) .

• Location: Wales
• Distance: 20 miles/32km
• Itinerary: Linear route from Llandovery to Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen, across the A4069 road in the Brecon Beacons
• Recommended Time : 1 hour
• Highlights: A short ride, an exhilarating adventure, hitting the most famous road in Wales, and some of the most dramatic mountain scenery that the UK has to offer

The Heart 200 is one of the newest official road trips in Scotland. And unlike the North Coast 500, it takes you in a loop through the center of the nation, instead of on a tour around the outskirts.

The idea behind this ride is that it journeys through the heart of the nation, hitting lots of the most popular tourist spots. It runs between two excellent national parks: Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park, and the Cairngorms National Park (which is the biggest national park in the UK).

In between those parks, you also hit Perth, Stirling, Pitlochry, Callander, Bridge of Allan, Loch Tay, Loch Earn, Loch Leven, and loads more great stuff. The whole route is signposted… which is useful, because the ride meanders a maze-like route through this part of the nation.

For lots of people, the highlights here are all the cute towns and villages, and there are dozens of tiny places dotted around the route. If you like exploring small settlements, this is one of the best road trips in the UK.

• Distance: 158 miles/320km
• Itinerary: Loop starting and ending in Perth or Stirling, following the official signposts all the way
• Recommended Time : 3-7 days
• Highlights: Perth, Stirling, Pitlochry, Bridge of Allan, Loch Tay, Loch Leven, and exploring the outskirts of two of the UK’s best national parks

Sort of similar to the Arran route I’ve outlined above, the Trotternish Loop takes you around an island. But this time, it’s the much-more-famous Isle of Skye —and you don’t see the entirety of the place.

Instead, you see the whole of the Trotternish Peninsula, where you’ll find lots of Skye’s most famous attractions. The most northern part of the Isle of Skye, the Trotternish Peninsula is a finger-shaped area full of attractions and adventures. The most famous parts of this place include the Quiraing, the Old Man of Storr, Mealt Falls, and the island’s capital of Portree.

But you’ll also see Staffin, Uig, Rubha Hunish, the Fairy Glen, the dinosaur footprints of An Corran Beach, and plenty more.

Even if you don’t make any en-route stops, the drive itself is still phenomenal, offering some of the most dramatic landscapes in all of Scotland. If you’re visiting Skye, you should absolutely drive along the Trotternish Loop.

• Distance: 50 miles/80km
• Itinerary: Loop beginning and ending in Portree, following the coast for pretty much the entire ride
• Recommended Time : 2-4 days
• Highlights: The Quiraing, the Old Man of Storr, Mealt Falls, Rubha Hunish, the Fairy Glen, Portree, the dramatic drive itself, and seeing lots of Skye’s highlights in one big trip

If you want a real adventure, this is one of the best road trips in the UK. It takes you through some of the highest parts of the Cairngorms, the biggest (and arguably most impressive) national park in the UK.

Riding through some of the most mountainous parts of Scotland, the Snow Roads Scenic Route climbs through the highest public road in Britain (and, consequently, typically the first road to be hit by seasonal snowfall, which gives the route its name).

Because it’s so high, this is the best ride on our list for panoramic views—along the way, you’ll see lots of peaks and passes. The highest point is Cairnwell Pass, which sits at a loftily-impressive height of 670 meters (2,200 feet).

Full of tight turns and hair-raising switchbacks, you need to be fairly confident to drive this one. But the roads are well-surfaced, and the infrastructure is great (with lots of designated photo-grabbing opportunities along the way, which are purposely placed in the most scenic spots).

By road, there’s no better way to explore the Cairngorms… and this ride is a mountain-lover’s dream.

• Distance: 90 miles/144km
• Itinerary: Linear route from Blairgowrie to Grantown-On-Spey, following the signposts all the way
• Highlights: Cairnwell Pass, Tomintoul, Corgarff Castle , the photo opportunities, the winding roads, and seeing many Cairngorms highlights without ever needing to leave your car

The most famous road trip in Northern Ireland by a long way, The Causeway Coastal Route runs from Derry to Belfast along the northern and eastern coasts of the nation.

It’s most well-known for passing the Devil’s Causeway (the only UNESCO site in Northern Ireland, and the location that gives the route its name). Make sure you stop to see it—it’s one of the strangest geological oddities in this part of the planet.

But the highlights run way beyond that… you get beaches, coastal walks, some surprisingly good inland hikes, Dunluce Castle , Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge , and super-friendly towns and villages.

If you’re only going to tackle one road trip in Northern Ireland, you should probably make it this one. It’s a particularly good choice if you’re a big fan of detours — there are nine official side-trip loops along the route, and they all make your journey bigger, better, much more scenic, and a lot more adventurous.

You should also give yourself enough time to explore both Derry and Belfast, two excellent cities. Tiny Derry in particular is super charming, and it’s one of my favorite settlements in the UK.

• Location: Northern Ireland
• Distance: 130 miles/212km
• Itinerary: Linear route from Derry to Belfast, running all the way along the coast
• Highlights: The Devil’s Causeway, Derry and Belfast themselves, lots of excellent detours, endless coastal walks, Dunluce Castle, Carrickfergus Castle, seeing a massive chunk of Northern Ireland, and riding around the nation’s most famous road trip

In the northwest of Northern Ireland, you have the Sperrins, a mountainous area that takes up almost a quarter of the nation. They’re not the tallest or most well-known mountains in the area, but they’re brimming with hikes, drives, cycling routes, lakes, valleys, historical sites, and some of Northern Ireland’s most overlooked adventures.

In and around the entirety of the Sperrins, there are four official driving routes , taking you to various parts of the area. Of them all, the Central Sperrins Route is the longest, the most comprehensive, and (arguably) the best.

This particular route takes you very close to the summit of Sawel, the highest peak in the area. It’s not massive (measuring in at only 678 meters/2,224 feet), but it’s a great hike.

Other highlights along the way include Baronscourt Forest, Gortinglen Forest, Glenelly Valley, the climb up Mullaghcarn, the villages of Donemana and Sion Mills, and the medieval Aghascrebagh Ogham Stone.

And of course, if you want to add even more action and adventure to your ride, you can add an extra Sperrin road trip or two to your route (all four are joined to one another).

• Distance: 90 miles/145km
• Itinerary: Loop beginning and ending in various possible places, but the best choice is Strabane
• Highlights: Strabane, Baronscourt Forest, Gortinglen Forest, Glenelly Valley, the ascents up Sawel and Mullaghcarn, exploring an underrated part of Northern Ireland, and the exciting option of adding extra road trips

If you want to see lots of Wales and lots of mountains, The Cambrian Way is one of the best road trips in the UK.

The longest Welsh ride we’ve featured on our list, it’s an official route, and it’s probably the most popular road trip in the nation. It runs from the Welsh capital of Cardiff (right in the south of the nation) through to Conwy, a castled resort town on the nation’s northern coast.

But though it begins and ends in coastal territory, the route mainly passes over mountains. It runs through the Brecon Beacons, Elan Valley, the Cambrian Mountains, and parts of Snowdonia National Park.

If you want to take some hilly hiking detours, you have endless options. Snowdon is of course the most popular choice, but there are also lots of wanders in and around nearby Beddgelert. But don’t overlook the southern mountain ranges, which are quieter and arguably more interesting.

Non-hiking highlights include the narrow-gauge Brecon Mountain Railway , Gwydir Castle , and Adventure Parc Snowdonia , but there’s plenty more fun.

• Distance: 240 miles/386km
• Itinerary: Linear route from Cardiff to Conwy via the Brecon Beacons, Elan Valley, the Cambrian Mountains, and parts of Snowdonia National Park
• Recommended Time : 2-10 days
• Highlights: Endless hiking side-trips, Snowdonia National Park, Elan Valley, Conwy, Cardiff, and tackling the longest Welsh road trip on our list

Another official Welsh road trip, the Coastal Way is another south-to-north odyssey through Wales.

But instead of cutting inland through peaks and passes, it instead runs along the coast, taking riders along some of the nation’s best beaches and coastal settlements. The route meanders from St Davids to Aberdaron, following the coast pretty much all the way.

If you like seas, sands and shores, this is one of the best road trips in the UK. Some of the best beaches along the route include Whitesands Bay, Tywyn Beach, and Llangrannog Beach, but there are many more. Make sure you also stop off at the lovely seaside settlements of Abersoch, Cardigan, Aberaeron, and Llangrannog.

All of that said, this ride isn’t all beaches and bays—you also get some good inland hiking opportunities. The northern part of the ride runs west of Snowdonia National Park, while the southern Preseli Hills are great for low-level wanders.

Last of all, make sure you also spend some time in both St Davids and Aberdaron. While St Davids is the pilgrimage-famed smallest city in Britain, Aberdaron is a quaint former fishing village.

• Distance: 180 miles/290km
• Itinerary: Linear route from St Davids to Aberdaron, following the coast all the way
• Recommended Time : 3-10 days
• Highlights: Whitesands Bay, Tywyn Beach, Llangrannog Beach, Abersoch, Cardigan, Aberaeron, St Davids, the Preseli Hills, and seeing countless hidden highlights of the beautiful Welsh coast

The Borders Historic Route is the most underrated Scottish road trip we’ve featured on this list.

Starting from just inside England, the ride then runs all the way to Edinburgh, passing through some of the most history-stuffed parts of southern Scotland.

If you’re interested in history and heritage, make sure you check out Gilnockie Tower , Abbotsford House , and the National Mining Museum of Scotland . And of course, when you reach Scotland’s capital of Edinburgh , there’s plenty of historic stuff to explore there too.

Along the route, you’ll also pass some serene towns and villages, including Langholm, Hawick, Selkirk and Galashiels.

Broadly speaking, this route is very rural and quiet, with lots of rarely-visited settlements and attractions. If you’re interested in Scottish history, lowland Scotland, or being surrounded by few other tourists, you’ll definitely love this ride. It’s not the most dramatic or scenic route in Scotland, but it’s endlessly charming.

• Location: Scotland (and a tiny bit of England)
• Distance: 89 miles/143 km
• Itinerary: Linear waymarked route from Scots Dyke to Edinburgh
• Recommended Time : 3-4 days
• Highlights: Exploring an underrated part of Scotland, the settlements of Hawick, Selkirk and Galashiels, the borderland lowlands, the history and heritage, and an excellent finale in Edinburgh

For seeing very-famous places, this is definitely one of the best road trips in the UK.

The Lake District National Park is the most well-known hiking hub in the entirety of England, and masses of locals travel here for hiking, cycling, swimming, and various other outdoor adventures.

There are endless beautiful drives in and around the region, but for seeing lots of the highlights, here’s what I recommend…

Start in Ambleside, right in the middle of the park. Head east (via the shores of Ullswater) to Pooley Bridge, then cut west to Keswick and Cockermouth. From Cockermouth, head south to Broughton-in-Furness, then back to Ambleside to complete your route.

If you take no detours (though you probably will!), this ride clocks in at 110 miles (177km).

It’s impossible to squeeze all of the Lake District highlights into one drive, but this route does a pretty good job of doing exactly that. It offers Helvellyn, Coniston Water, Keswick, Windermere, Ullswater, all the places we’ve already mentioned, and some of the best panoramas of the park’s various areas.

If you have time, I recommend hiking up Helvellyn, and walking along the entire southern shore of Ullswater.

• Distance: 110 miles/177km
• Itinerary: Loop beginning and ending in Ambleside, via Ullswater, Pooley Bridge, Keswick, Cockermouth, and Broughton-in-Furness
• Highlights: Ambleside, Coniston Water, Keswick, Windermere, seeing the most famous national park in the UK, hiking up Helvellyn, and walking along the shores of Ullswater

Probably the most well-known driving route in England, The Atlantic Highway runs across some of the most famous beaches in the UK.

The ‘Atlantic Highway’, in truth, is just a better-sounding name for the A39 road, a beautiful drive that runs through a western part of southern England.

Though most people only drive from Bridgwater to Bude (which is around 100 miles/160km), I think it’s best to take the route a little further, traveling all the way from Bath to Newquay. If you take the longer route, it measures in at around 210 miles (338km).

Along the way, you’ll pass some of the best parts of the Devon and Cornwall coasts, which many people think are the best shorelines in the whole of the UK. And as another big perk, this is one of the warmest parts of the region, perfect if you’re trying to dodge shoddy weather.

One of the best road trips in the UK for seas and sands, it’s phenomenal. But be warned: it gets outrageously busy in summer… so you should expect lots of crowds and traffic, and you should try to tackle it outside of peak season.

• Distance: Around 210 miles/338km
• Itinerary: Linear route from Bath to Newquay, following the coastline all the way
• Recommended Time : 5-10 days
• Highlights: Bath, Bude, Porlock, Ilfracombe, Woolacombe, lots of beaches, cliffs and sands, and enjoying the warm climes of the hottest part of the UK

The South West Coastal 300 takes you to some of the most overlooked parts of Scotland’s brilliant coastline.

Most people have heard about the northern and northwestern coastlines of Scotland… but way fewer know about all the treats and treasures on Scotland’s southwestern coast.

Some of the highlights include Ayr, Stranraer, Newton Stewart, the Mull of Galloway lighthouse, Girvan, Portpatrick, Moffat and Whithorn. Portpatrick in particular is a big local hotspot, and it’s one of my favorite seaside villages in Scotland.

You also get great seafood, rolling hills, mini lochs, and some underrated hiking opportunities. The entire route circles around Galloway Forest Park , which I think is the best walking region in southern Scotland. Best of all, because this area isn’t yet overrun by tourists, locals are super friendly and welcoming, and love chatting with visitors.

If you want beaches, hikes and villages without crowds, this is one of the best road trips in the UK.

• Distance: 300 miles/482km
• Itinerary: Signposted loop starting and ending in many potential places (but Dumfries is best)
• Recommended Time : 7-14 days
• Highlights: Newton Stewart, Girvan, Portpatrick, the stretch of coast between Ayr and Stranraer, Galloway Forest Park, great seafood, and enjoying coasts without crowds

The High Mournes Scenic Loop takes you through the most impressive part of the Mournes mountains, in the southern part of Northern Ireland.

If you’re looking for short but impressive, this is one of the best road trips in the UK, and it’s crammed with peaks, panoramas and passes at every twist, turn, and hairpin bend.

In and around the area, there are mountains, lakes, seaside views, and forests—so although the route only clocks in at 32 miles (51km), there’s a huge amount of variety. Best of all, the route skirts around Slieve Donard, the highest mountain in Northern Ireland (with a highest point of 850 meters/2790 feet).

Start in the beautiful seaside town of Newcastle, then follow the B180 and the B27 roads, which will lead you to the village of Attica. From Attica, head east, and you’ll hit Annalong, a tiny marina-fronted village where most people end their trip. But I recommend not stopping here—instead, you should turn this trip into a loop by riding along the coast back to Newcastle.

It’s almost unbelievable how much beauty, variety and awe you can cram into a trip this small. If you’re short on time, I 100% recommend it.

• Distance: 32 miles/51km
• Itinerary: Loop beginning and ending in Newcastle
• Recommended Time : 1-3 hours
• Highlights: Newcastle, Annalong, climbing up Slieve Donard, pretty coastal views, the tucked-away lakes, and seeing what might just be the most dramatic mountains in Northern Ireland

Though they’re famous, the Norfolk and Suffolk Coasts (in the southeast of England) are often overlooked in favor of the coastlines in the southwest of England (where you find the Atlantic Highway, which we’ve already outlined).

But this region is absolutely beautiful, and it’s definitely worth exploring.

Because it’s such a big area, there are of course lots of routes you can attempt in the region. But I’m going to recommend driving from Felixstowe to Huntstanton, which is a pretty lengthy drive of around 180 miles (290km).

If you ride the whole route, you’ll hit the three best parts of the region: the Norfolk Coast Area of Natural Beauty, The Norfolk Broads, and The Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Natural Beauty.

The coastlines are the most famous part of this ride, but this part of the nation also has some pretty good low-level hills and hiking… if you want a compromise between shorelines and mountains, you won’t find any better than this.

If you’re interested in birds, this is one of the best road trips in the UK—there are many RSPB reserves in this part of the region.

• Distance: Around 180 miles/290km
• Itinerary: Linear route from Felixstowe to Huntstanton, following the coast all the way
• Recommended Time : 5-8 days
• Highlights: Hunstanton, Blakeney Point (where you’ll find the largest seal colony in England), Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft, and the three officially-designated areas of natural beauty

Another great option for a short ride, the route from Belleek to Teemore is in an underrated part of Northern Ireland, and it’s brimming with endless lakeside views.

It’s not an official drive, but it’s one of my favorites… and it’s absolutely beautiful. But here’s the important part: when you tackle it, don’t take the direct route. Instead, follow the A46 out of Belleek, which will bring you along the southwestern shores of Lower Lough Erne.

One of the prettiest lakes in Northern Ireland, it’s full of great views, excellent picnic spots, and lots of tiny islands. Other highlights along this part of the route include the Cliffs of Magho , Blackslee Waterfall , and Tully Castle .

Eventually, you’ll hit the town of Enniskillen, which is great for an overnight stay. From here, pass both Lisnaskea and Teemore on a pretty ride which takes you over the shores of Upper Lough Erne.

During this part of the ride, make sure you check out the oddly-situated Hare Krishna Temple, which sits on a small island inside the lake.

When you get to Teemore, you’re super close to the Republic of Ireland border. I recommend crossing the border for even more adventures!

• Distance: 38 miles/61km
• Itinerary: Linear route from Belleek to Teemore, via Enniskillen
• Recommended Time : 1-2 days
• Highlights: The Cliffs of Magho, Blackslee Waterfall, Teemore, Enniskillen, the strange Hare Kirishna temple, lots of tiny islands, and endless lakeside views

And that brings us to the end of our guide to the 19 best road trips in the UK . Thanks for reading!

We compiled this list from our collections of the best road trips in England , the best road trips in Scotland , the best road trips in Wales and the best road trips in Northern Ireland . So for even more detail, rev on over to those.

And if you’re curious, here’s the answer to the popular question: How Long Does it Take To Travel Across Great Britain?

About the author

Senior Travel Reporter

Paul is a handsome and hilarious travel writer and travel journalist from the UK. He's hiked, hitchhiked and laughed his way through more than fifty countries, and he's always looking for a new place to call home. Originally from Newcastle, he's lived all over the UK, spent more than three years in Asia, and most recently lived in Vietnam and then in Georgia.

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The Ultimate UK Road Trip Itinerary – Driving Tour of England, Scotland, and Wales

Last summer the #FabFam had a journey to seek some family and personal history in the U.K.   This could only be accomplished by taking a two-week road trip around the UK.  We began in London , spent the weekend in the countryside in Devon  with some good friends, drove through Wales to seek dragons and castles , spent a few days in Liverpool and Manchester , explored the Scottish Highlands (including searching for the mysterious Loch Ness Monster ), spent one family-friendly day in Edinburgh , and then came back down the eastern coast to loop back towards London.

Today I am sharing the route and itinerary for a U.K. road trip, including recommendations on where to stay during a UK road trip, the top cities to see when traveling to England, Scotland, and Wales, what we found to be the best places to eat during a road trip through the UK, as well as reviews, recommendations, and tips for the best activities for kids during a family road trip and driving tour through England to Wales and Scotland.  You’ll want to pin this post for planning your own UK road trip.

UK Road Trip Itinerary Day 1: Arrive in London

See more specific reviews and recommendations for London in these posts:

• Fabulous things to do in London with kids
• A romantic long weekend in London
• Arrive in London in the morning (local time)
• Collect rental car ( Kia Optima Sportswagon )
• Garden Court Hotel
• No parking available
• Complimentary continental breakfast included
• Morning: Misc. London sight-seeing: Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, London Bridge

Obligatory things to do in London with kids: Take a photo with a red phonebooth

• Mid-day: Visit the Tower of London

One of the best things to do with kids in London: Visit The Tower of London

• Afternoon: Kid-friendly Afternoon Tea at The Park Room (Grosvenor House, 86-90 Park Lane, London, W1K 7TN)

Park Lane at Grosvenor House has one of the most kid-friendly teas in London

• Evening: London Eye Champagne Experience

We recommend the London Eye Champagne Experience. What a fabulous thing to do with kids in London!

• Dinner: Zizzi (several locations)

UK Road Trip Itinerary Day 2: London

• Morning: Breakfast at Farm Girl (59A Portobello Rd, London W11 3DB, UK)
• Shopping around Portobello Road and Notting Hill
• Misc. London sight-seeing: Abbey Road

Our boys are named Sawyer and Grayson, so we had to take this pic at Sawyer & Gray in London!

• King’s Cross Station Harry Potter Platform 9 3/4  (free)

Platform 9 3/4 at King’s Cross Station is one of the best things to do in London with kids (or heck, even by yourself! Hufflepuff 4 Lyfe!). This is a must-do when you’re planning your UK road trip

• Afternoon sight-seeing: Buckingham Palace
• Hyde Park (Diana Memorial Playground)
• V&A Museum (free)
• Natural History Museum (free)

The (free) Natural History Museum is one of our top recommendations for things to do in London with kids

The incredible blue whale skeleton at London’s Natural History Museum

• Evening: Visit the world’s largest toy store, Hamley’s

When planning your UK road trip with kids, you must include a visit to Hamleys, the world’s largest toy store

• Dinner: The Diner (several locations)

UK Road Trip Itinerary Day 3: Drive to Devon

• Visit Highclere Castle  (aka Downton Abbey!).  Make sure you are aware of their closure dates before planning to visit.
• Lunch: The 15th century Castle & Ball Hotel (High St, Marlborough SN8 1LZ, UK)

Meat pie lunch at Castle & Ball in Marlborough

Fish and chips lunch at Castle & Ball

• Drive to Stonehenge  for a visit

Stonehenge was a must-do for us when planning our UK road trip

Stonehenge is a must-see during a driving tour of England!

• Drive to Devon

UK Road Trip Itinerary Day 4: Devon

• A weekend in Devon, England
•  Visit Devon

• Lunch and sight-seeing in the seaside town of Lynmouth

• Afternoon: Cream tea (and the best scones in England with traditional Devonshire clotted cream) at  Watersmeet House

What to do during a UK road trip: Cream tea at Watersmeet House in Devonshire

The best scones of my life at Watersmeet House, along with Devonshire clotted cream and cream tea

UK Road Trip Itinerary Day 5: Drive to South Wales

• Depart Devon
• Lunch and sight-seeing in Bath
• Drive to Cardiff, misc. sight-seeing: Cardiff Bay Beach (at Roald Dahl Plass).  Admission: free (activities extra).
• Hampton by Hilton Newport/East 
• Self parking: Complimentary
• Complimentary breakfast included
• Dinner at hotel restaurant

UK Road Trip Itinerary Day 6: Wales

• One-Day Road Trip Through Wales – Seeking Ancient Ruins, Dragons, and Castles
• Drive around Wales
• Caerleon Roman Fortress and Baths  (High Street, Newport NP18 1AE, United Kingdom).  Admission: free.

Caerleon Roman Fortress and Baths in Wales

• Dryslwyn Castle (B4297, Carmarthen SA32 8JQ, UK).  Admission: free.

The ruins of Dryslwyn Castle in Wales. Exploring these ruins was one of our most memorable moments during our UK road trip.

• Drive to the city with the longest name in Europe (and second longest in the world):  Llanfair­pwllgwyngyll­gogery­chwyrn­drobwll­llan­tysilio­gogo­goch on the island of Anglesey.

Fun stop during a driving tour through Wales, UK: The city with the longest name in Europe, Llanfair­pwllgwyngyll­gogery­chwyrn­drobwll­llan­tysilio­gogo­goch

• Drive to Liverpool
• Hampton by Hilton Liverpool City Centre
• Self parking available for a fee

UK Road Trip Itinerary Day 7: Liverpool

• What to do in Liverpool and Manchester with children
• Albert Dock
• Maritime Museum

The Maritime Museum in Liverpool is a fun thing to do with kids during a UK road trip

• Evening: Beatles history

When planning a UK road trip, you must check out the Beatles history and memorabilia in Liverpool, England

The Cavern Club in Liverpool is where The Beatles first started to become popular

• Dinner: Hard Days Night Hotel  (Central Buildings, North John Street, Liverpool L2 6RR, United Kingdom)

UK Road Trip Itinerary Day 8: Manchester

• Museum of Science and Industry

The Museum of Science & Industry is a great sight-seeing option in Manchester during your family’s UK road trip through England

The kids had a great time at the Museum of Science & Industry in Manchester

• Old Trafford stadium (mecca for Manchester United fans)

UK Road Trip Itinerary Day 9: Drive to Scotland

• Connecting with my family and personal history in the U.K. with Kia
• Family Travel Bucket List: Hunting for the Loch Ness Monster in Scotland
• Discovering the Beauty of Scotland’s Highlands
• Depart for Scotland
• Picnic lunch: Lake District National Park

We had a picnic lunch in the Lake District while driving from northern England to Scotland on our UK road trip

• Mambeg Country Guest House

The kids playing at the Mambeg Country Guest House bed & breakfast in Scotland during our road trip

• Drive by Dunderave Castle (the former castle of Clan MacNaughton)

We had to drive by Dunderave Castle (the former castle of Clan MacNaughton – my husband’s family ancestor’s clan) in Loch Fyne in Scotland on our road trip

• Dinner: Cairndow Stagecoach Inn  (Cairndow PA26 8BN, UK)

Sampling the local ale at Cairndow Stagecoach Inn on Loch Fyne in Scotland

UK Road Trip Itinerary Day 10: Drive to the Highlands of Scotland

Full Scotch breakfast at Mambeg Country Guest House

• Depart for Inverness
• Drive by Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park
• Visit Loch Ness

Hunting for Nessie at Loch Ness

Scotland road trip itinerary: Loch Ness

• Depart for Aviemore

The beautiful Scottish Highlands

• Hilton Coylumbridge – the most family-friendly hotel I have ever stayed!
• Complimentary dinner and breakfast included

UK Road Trip Itinerary Day 11: The Highlands of Scotland

• Explore the Highlands, driving the Old Military Road through Cairngorms National Park

Outlander fans can appreciate these standing stones at Cairngorms National Park during our driving tour of Scotland’s Highlands

Scotch thistle photographed in Cairngorms National Park in Scotland’s Highlands

The Scottish Highlands is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen

Scenic views on Old Military Road for a driving tour of Scotland

A magical moment: We saw this complete, perfect rainbow during our road trip through Scotland’s Highlands

• Drive to Edinburgh
• Dinner: The Scran & Scallie  (1 Comely Bank Rd, Stockbridge, Edinburgh EH4 1DT, UK)
• Evening: Visit the dungeon or do a ghost tour (if your kids are old enough)
• Norton House Hotel & Spa

UK Road Trip Itinerary Day 12: Edinburgh, Scotland

• Travel Tuesday: Family-Friendly Edinburgh
• Morning: Misc. Edinburgh sight-seeing
• Lunch: La Favorita  (331-325 Leith Walk, Edinburgh EH6 8SA, UK)
• Afternoon: Edinburgh Castle

We recommend seeing Edinburgh Castle during a UK road trip through Scotland

Add a visit to Edinburgh Castle to your Scotland road trip itinerary

• Depart for York
• Misc. York sight-seeing

Clifford’s Tower in York

• Dinner: The York Roast Co. (several locations).  I had to have Yorkshire pudding while in York!

Yorkshire Pudding at York Roast Co.

• Hilton York

1 Tower Street, York Y01 9WD, United Kingdom

T:  +44-1904-648 111

UK Road Trip Itinerary Day 13: Peak District

• Drive to Peak District
• Stanage Edge (Derbyshire / South Yorkshire) – have your own Elizabeth Bennet moment and take in an unbelievable view

A highlight of our UK road trip: Standing where Elizabeth Bennet stood in Pride & Prejudice at Stanage Edge in the Peak District

The view from Stanage Edge in Derbyshire, England

• Chatsworth House (aka Pemberley for you Pride & Prejudice fans)

Chatsworth House was the filming location for Pemberley in Pride & Prejudice. As a big P&P fan, I had to see this during our UK road trip

If you’re planning a UK road trip with your family, Chatsworth House in Derbyshire is a great place to visit with kids

• Drive to Cambridge , visit campus
• Drive to Thetford
• The Crown Hotel (circa 1650)

The Crown Hotel (circa 1650) is a great place to stay in Thetford on your UK road trip

UK Road Trip Itinerary Day 14: Return to London

• Visit Lakenheath, Suffolk, and surrounding area (I was born and lived in this area)
• Drive back to London

Related Posts:

• Connecting with my family and personal history in the U.K.  
• A Romantic Long Weekend in London  
• Fabulous Things to Do in London with Kids  
• A Weekend in Devon, England  
• One-Day Road Trip Through Wales – Seeking Ancient Ruins, Dragons, and Castles  
• What to Do in Liverpool and Manchester with Kids  
• Discovering the Beauty of Scotland’s Highlands  
• Family Travel Bucket List: Hunting for the Loch Ness Monster in Scotland  
• Family-Friendly Edinburgh  

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Sophie Taylor says

July 10, 2018 at 4:15 pm

Last month, my friend and I visited Scotland. We're very satisfied with the tour. Our guide was very knowledgeable, fun and experienced. We really do get the best of Scotland, Isle of Skye in last 3 days. Hopefully to visit again. Thanks for sharing such a great post. ~ Sophie Taylor

February 15, 2019 at 3:20 am

Your trip is currently is my main reference for my UK road trip.

btw, any reason why you didn’t go to durdle door as well The Minack Theatre.

Ramona Cruz-Peters says

February 15, 2019 at 6:53 am

Thank you! No reason we didn’t visit those two aside from time. We sometimes spent extra time in different spots and then wouldn’t be able to make it to the next place.

Leesa R Edwards says

December 14, 2019 at 1:30 pm

This trip looks amazing, and I want to base my trip on it. Is it terribly rude to ask an estimate of the cost of the trip?

December 16, 2019 at 8:55 am

Hi Leesa! It’s not rude, I am sure it’s helpful info for planning purposes. I don’t have the total cost handy, but the round-trip flights to London were just under $3500 total for 4 people, then you’ll need to factor in hotel costs for the amount of days you’re spending, and same with the number of days for a rental car (plus petrol). For food, we try to find hotels that include complimentary breakfast to save on some of the cost of meals. We also did a picnic one day for lunch which was reasonable. London was the most expensive part of the trip, but note that there are free things to do there (Platform 9 3/4 is free, the museums are free).

Beth Taylor says

September 4, 2022 at 7:17 pm

Thanks for the great info! Where did you park the rental car during your first few nights in London?

September 5, 2022 at 9:56 am

Great question! We street parked where we could or used parking structures if available, but in hindsight I would actually not get the car until leaving London for the rest of the road trip and instead Uber around while in town. We ended up with at least one ticket as it wasn’t easy to drive or park in town. Since this trip we’ve done similar road trips in France and Ireland, and for both of those trips we ended up not using a car in Paris or Dublin respectively, and just picked up the rental cars on our way out of town.

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The Ultimate 2 Week South West England Road Trip Itinerary

01 apr 2024 29 mar 2024 | dan.

Explore quaint villages, medieval castles, ancient places and spectacular coastlines with our epic 2 week, self-drive south west England road trip itinerary. Starting and finishing in London, this is a looping drive to Cornwall and back via the beautiful counties of Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset and Wiltshire.

England, with its beautiful rolling landscapes and winding country lanes, is made for road tripping. But where to even start?   

We’ve been pulling out the old AA road map and exploring English laneways for years now, and we still find the sheer diversity of towns and villages, landscapes, historical sites (and old pubs!) makes putting together any kind of England road trip itinerary a special kind of torture. We just want to see and do everything. 

The south west of England is a case in point. It is quite literally packed with the kinds of destinations and experiences that make for an unforgettable road trip.  

Quaint medieval villages? Too many to count. Ancient sites? The highest concentration in western Europe. World Heritage? All kinds, from ancient mines, neolithic standing stones and two-thousand-year-old Roman baths, to a stunning coastline with a unique geological and fossil story. 

You’ll also find sweeping coastal landscapes and moors scattered with granite tors and traces of structures built by ancient people in a distant past. Moody castles and abbey ruins that whisper of bygone heydays. And of course, a virtually endless choice of cosy old pubs where you can nurse a pint of ale under the low rafters and imagine what the walls would say if they could talk.  

What it all adds up to is a looping road trip from London to Cornwall and back that’s something of a tour de force.

This itinerary packs a lot in, but it’s designed as an introduction to this wonderful corner of the country. It takes on board our own learnings and experiences, and has evolved as we’ve visited and revisited these areas. Ultimately, this itinerary showcases what we reckon are some of the very best places to visit in south west England.  

Our itinerary takes two weeks, but you could certainly make it longer and slower by giving more days to any of the places it includes.  

If you have only one week, we would suggest leaving the Cornwall road trip component of this itinerary for next time. Or do the opposite and focus all your time there instead – it’s a magical place. 

Read on for our day-by-day, self-drive south west England itinerary, and our top take-outs and tips for a road trip you won’t soon forget. 

South West England Road Trip Itinerary Snapshot Start & Finish: London Heathrow, United Kingdom  Distance: At minimum, around 1,350km (840 miles) How long do I need ? This is a jam-packed 2 week looping road trip from London Heathrow, travelling to Cornwall and back via the English counties of Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Wiltshire.  Overnight stops: 1 night in Winchester, 1 night in Lyme Regis, 1 night in Dartmouth, 2 nights in Porthleven, 2 nights on the Penwith peninsula (eg. Penzance or St Ives), 1 night in Padstow, 1 night in Tintagel, 1 night in Exeter, 1 night in Wells and 2 nights in Bath.  

What’s in this post?

What’s the route? Day 1 – London to Winchester Day 2 – Winchester to Lyme Regis along the Jurassic Coast Day 3 – Lyme Regis to Dartmouth via Exeter Day 4 – Dartmouth to Porthleven via Polperro Day 5 – Lizard Peninsula, Cornwall Day 6 – Penwith Peninsula, Cornwall Day 7 – Penwith Peninsula, Cornwall Day 8 – St Ives to Padstow, Cornwall Day 9 – Port Isaac & Tintagel, Cornwall Day 10 – St Nectan’s Glen, Boscastle & Bodmin Moor, Cornwall Day 11 – Wells & Glastonbury Day 12 – Bath Day 13 – Castle Combe, Lacock Abbey & Bath Day 14 – Bath to London via Stonehenge Planning a South West of England Road Trip Getting to London Best time to visit south west England Where to stay in the south west Driving and renting a car in England

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What’s the route?

Our starting point for this south west England road trip itinerary is London Heathrow Airport, which is to the west of central London.  

This is a convenient launchpad as there are extensive car hire options at Heathrow and it’s close to the M25 motorway, which is the first major road we’ll be taking as we head into the south west of England.  

You could also start this road trip at Gatwick Airport to the south of London. There are plenty of car hire options here too. 

You’ll need a car for this itinerary, so unless you plan to drive your own car, you’ll need to rent one. We use Rentalcars.com and Discover Cars to search for and hire cars and we suggest checking prices on both to find the best deal you can.

Over two weeks, you’ll make a looping road trip from London through the counties of Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Wiltshire.  

You’ll drive through picturesque country lanes visiting castles, abbeys and cathedrals, medieval villages, neolithic and Bronze Age sites, ancient places, World Heritage sites, all while immersing in spectacular coastal and countryside scenery.  

There’s a huge amount to see throughout this journey. We’ve cherrypicked what we feel are among the best sites and scenery in each region, to give you a feel for these places and the wonderful diversity of landscapes, history and culture of south west England.  

This road trip through the south west of England is one of the entries on our  Bucket List of 100 Ultimate Road Trips Around the World . Check out what else is on the list  here .

Our 2 Week South West England Road Trip Itinerary

Day 1 – london heathrow to winchester.

Highlights: Farnham Castle | Waverley Abbey | Winchester historic centre   Total driving distance :  appx . 100km (62 miles) assuming a Heathrow starting point   Total driving time:   appx. 1.5 hours   Overnight:  Winchester  

Let’s hit the road! There are two historic stops on this first morning of our south west England road trip, as you travel from London to the ancient city of Winchester. 

Once you’ve collected your hire car, set your GPS for today’s first stop, Farnham Castle.  

If you’re coming from London Heathrow, you’ll head south on the M25 (the London orbital road) to the M3, where you’ll head west. If you’re coming from London Gatwick, take the M25 north west to the A3 and then head west. 

If you’re travelling from somewhere else, make Farnham Castle your starting point. 

Farnham Castle

Our first stop is  Farnham Castle , an impressive motte and ‘shell keep’ ruin attached to a beautifully preserved medieval house in Surrey.

It usually opens from 9am on weekdays and 10am on weekends, but check ahead before you visit as this can vary. Time your arrival for opening, or head into the charming little village for a coffee first.

Farnham Castle was home to Winchester’s bishops in the 12th and 13th centuries, and it’s been occupied almost ever since.  

If you’re lucky, you’ll have the ruins and their wonderful views all to yourself as we did. Even the ghostly presence rumoured to hang around the old stones had better things to do on the day we visited. 

Waverley Abbey

Just 10 minutes down the road, and well worth the detour, are the wonderfully evocative ruins of Waverley Abbey .  

The site is free and open during daylight hours. Park at the abbey carpark and head through the nearby field for around 5 minutes to the ruins. 

Spread out over the field next to the pretty River Wey, this ambient site was home to the first Cistercian monastery in Britain, founded in the early 12th century. Today you’ll see the fine stone remains of a vaulted refectory and surrounding buildings. 

Keep an eye out also for the famous Waverley Yew , a vast tree that’s been standing sentinel here for around 500 years.  

Travel tip : We recommend bringing decent and durable outdoor shoes for this road trip. They’ll come in handy almost immediately for this walk across the field to the abbey ruins, especially if it’s been raining. While we were delighted by this site, we were less so with the state of our shoes afterwards . It was a sentiment that carried through our entire trip, but muddy shoes is usually par for course when exploring the great outdoors in England.

From the abbey, it’s an easy 45-minute drive to Winchester . This important cathedral city was established as King Alfred the Great’s ancient capital of Wessex in the 9th century, and it remained England’s premier town until the Normans arrived in 1066.  

The history here goes back thousands of years, and the city is imbued with a sense of this long and varied past.

If you’re craving lunch by this stage, park up in one of the city’s paid public carparks (we generally use Google maps to search for car parks) and either pick up something to go on the high street, or head to our favourite spot, The Bishop on the Bridge pub, for lunch on the terrace by the river. You’ll find the city’s large statue of Alfred the Great just nearby.    

After lunch, set off on an afternoon meander around the main sites and highlights of the old town. You can go self-guided as we did with this downloadable City Walk .

If you’d like to discover the city with a real guide, this 2-hour guided tour departs daily at 10am. You’d just need to head straight to Winchester this morning to be there in time.

Or tonight, for something quirky and different, why not get out with a guide for a tour of the city’s darker side on this ghost walk .

Highlights of Winchester include the awe-inspiring Winchester Cathedral (it has a charming little Christmas market that we recommend visiting if you’re around in December), the impressive ruins of Wolvesey Castle , and the medieval Great Hall with its Arthurian-inspired round table hanging on the wall. 

Travel tip: There’s plenty to do and see in Winchester, and while our itinerary spends just an afternoon and evening here, you might consider staying longer and exploring more. Or return another time – Winchester is a great short road trip from London.

Where to stay in Winchester

You have plenty of options across the board in and around Winchester, from budget chain hotels on the city outskirts to charming pub stays right in the historic centre.

We stayed at the lovely Bugle Inn at Twyford, 10 minutes’ drive from Winchester. The breakfast was great and there was parking on site.

The following centrally located stays also get great reviews, though check the parking situation with the accommodation provider.

• Good value: The Westgate – modern rooms in historic pub | clean and quiet | close to historic centre
• Mid-range: The Old Vine – characterful rooms | great breakfast | central location
• Spend a bit more: Hotel du Vin Winchester – brightly decorated | comfortable rooms | Well located

Day 2 – Winchester to Lyme Regis along the Jurassic Coast

Highlights: Old Harry Rocks | Corfe Castle | Durdle Door | West Bay | Lyme Regis  Total driving distance : appx. 200km (125 miles)       Total driving time: appx. 3.5 to 4 hours   Overnight: Lyme Regis

On Day 2 of our south west UK road trip itinerary, you’ll be exploring some of the highlights of England’s spectacular  Jurassic Coast . 

Named for the extraordinary geological record packed into its landscape, rock layers and fossils, the natural history captured within this 150km (95 mile) stretch of coast spans 185 million years.

The Jurassic Coast is so geologically important, it’s been listed as World Heritage. It sweeps westward from Old Harry Rocks near Swanage in Dorset, to Orcombe Point in Exmouth, Devon. 

Aim to start early as our itinerary packs a lot in today. If you want to slow the pace or spend more time in some places, consider skipping some of the stops below.  

If you’re into fossils, check the tide times and aim to get to Lyme Regis earlier today so you can max your time exploring the beach (which is tide dependent) and the museums there. 

Old Harry Rocks

The striking, chalky stacks of  Old Harry Rocks are our first stop today, and your first opportunity to stretch your legs on a very small section of England’s famous South West Coast Path. 

You’ll need to make an early start as it’s around 90 minutes’ drive from Winchester along the A31 to this easternmost point of the   Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site .  

Once you’ve parked up at the National Trust South Beach car park in Studland, you have a couple of options, depending on your energy levels.  

You can head straight out along the signposted trail (head past the Bankes Arms Inn and turn left at the public toilets) directly to Old Harry Rocks. It’s a walk of around 20 minutes out to the lookout. This is what we did.  

If you’d like a longer wander to take in this impressive time-worn coastline, continue on once you’ve reached the lookout and follow the Old Harry Rocks Walk in a 5.6km loop back to the car park. Set aside a couple of hours if you intend to do this (and look to skip some of today’s subsequent stops).  

If you’d prefer to take in the scenery without breaking a sweat, head to Knoll Beach Café at Studland and enjoy views of Old Harry Rocks with a cuppa. It’s open from 9.30am. 

Another option, and one we’d like to go back and do sometime, is to get out on the water and see the coastline on this boat tour . If you’re keen to do this, make your way from Winchester directly to The Quay in Poole this morning as that’s where the boat trip departs from.

Corfe Castle

To get to our next destination, you’ll take the same route out that you came in on to Old Harry Rocks. Keep an eye out on the way for signs to Corfe Castle.  

Perched dramatically on a hill, Corfe has been watching over the countryside in one form or another for over a thousand years. It looks every bit as old as it is. 

The castle’s dark history of murder, siege and treachery lends the collapsed hunks of stone and brick a strong sense of melancholy, especially on a day as grey and gloomy as when we visited. If ghosts hang out anywhere, they hang out here. 

In our opinion, this is one of the most hauntingly evocative ruins in England and among our favourite castle ruins on this trip. It’s a must for a south west England itinerary. 

Corfe Castle is managed by the National Trust and there’s an entry fee. It’s open daily between 10am and 4.30-5pm.

Durdle Door

Half-an-hour to the west of Corfe Castle is another spectacular geological showcase of the Jurassic Coast, the quirkily named Durdle Door.  

It sounds like the gateway to somewhere magical, and being on the Jurassic Coast, it really is. Durdle Door is an impressive limestone arch at the head of crystal clear waters and a lovely crescent of beach. Striking white chalk cliffs rise and fall away to the west. 

It’s a steep 15 minute walk from the carpark down to the beach, but worth it if the weather is nice. Otherwise, you could enjoy the view from above the beach and walk along the cliff path. If you hike east for 30 minutes, you’ll reach the lookout over pretty Lulworth Cove . 

Durdle Door is near the village of West Lulworth. There’s a paid carpark which you can reach via the holiday park, and coastal walking tracks weaving off in both directions. Just be aware that this is a highly popular spot in summer and holiday periods and it may be difficult to find parking at those times.  

The weather wasn’t awesome when we stopped by Durdle Door, so we were content to make this a short stop, take some pics and go for a brief wander along the clifftop trail. If you’d like to spend longer here, skip the next stop at West Bay.  

A further 50 minutes’ drive around the Jurassic Coast will bring you to West Bay , a seaside village that doubled as the town of Broadchurch in the binge-worthy crime drama (the UK version).  

A popular seaside holiday spot in summer, West Bay (which is also known as Bridport Harbour) was very quiet when we visited in the late wintertime. The sea was choppy and chocolate-milky but it certainly didn’t diminish the Jurassic Coast view we came here to see.  

West Bay’s striking east cliff is a sheer, mustard-coloured sandstone rise, and could not be more different from the white chalk cliffs of this morning. 

If you’re lunching here, pop by one of the fish and chip kiosks if they’re open, or settle in for a traditional ploughman’s lunch in one of the town’s seaside pubs as we did. 

Travel tip: English pubs generally finish their lunch service at 3pm, although hours can vary on weekends, especially Sundays. Lunching in a quaint village pub is a quintessential feature of an England road trip, so this is a critical piece of information when you’re planning your day, especially on packed days like this one. Despite having lived in the UK on and off for years, we still turn up at pubs looking for a late-arvo bite to eat, only to find we’re too late. If it looks like you’re going to be pushed for time, aim for a high street bite instead.

Monmouth Beach, Lyme Regis

Our next stop is 25-minutes down the road from West Bay. Monmouth Beach  is in Lyme Regis , which is world-renowned for its Jurassic Coast fossil treasure-trove and the pioneering work of palaeontologist Mary Anning.  

If you’re into fossils and dinosaurs, you’ll want to give yourself more time here today so you can join a fossil tour and visit the museums. 

First up, head to Lyme Regis Museum for a full immersion in the local fossil world. Guided fossil walks on the beach can also be organised through the museum, lasting around 2.5 hours.  

A couple of minutes away, there’s also the Dinosaurland Fossi l Museum , which has thousands of fossils on display.  

Both museums have entry fees and varying opening hours, particularly during winter, so be sure to check their websites before visiting. 

We missed the fossil walking tour sadly, but spent a happy hour on the beach anyway, trailing through the pebbles searching for fossils, which emerge and trickle down from the eroding cliffs above.  

There’s also a very cool ‘ammonite graveyard’ here, which you can see at low tide around 15 minutes’ walk west of the carpark along the beach. Just be sure to check tide times before you visit and don’t attempt the walk while the tide is up.

If you’re interested in learning a little more about Lyme Regis, check out this self-guided smartphone heritage walk .

Where to stay in Lyme Regis

Lyme Regis is only small but there are a number of accommodations both in the town and in the surrounding countryside. The following stays get great reviews:

• Good value: Shepherds Hut – tiny home in rural setting | good facilities | free parking
• Mid range: High Tides – on the beach | renovated apartment in historic building | parking nearby
• Spend a bit more: Dower House Hotel – elegant and spacious rooms |excellent breakfast | onsite parking

Alternatively, if you’d prefer a larger range of choice for stays and dinner, you could continue on to the city of Exeter, about an hour’s drive to the west. This is what we did, staying at the Leonardo Hotel Exeter close to the city centre. With hindsight though, we would have preferred to stay in Lyme Regis on this night rather than make another hour long drive after dark, hence we’ve adjusted this itinerary.

Day 3 – Lyme Regis to Dartmouth via Exeter

Highlights: Exeter Cathedral | Exeter historic centre | Totnes Castle | Dartmouth village | Dartmouth Castle   Total driving distance: appx. 120km (75 miles)   Total driving time: appx. 2 hours 15 minutes   Overnight: Dartmouth

This morning, you’ll be exploring the cathedral city of Exeter, so make your way there after breakfast. It’s around an hour from Lyme Regis. 

Park up in one of the city’s central car parks. These are generally pay and display parking spaces. If you’re visiting during peak periods, there’s also a park and ride option for Exeter. 

Exeter’s history goes back to Ancient Roman Britain, when this was a legionary military base on the edge of the Roman Empire.  

The 12th century Exeter Cathedral was built during the city’s religious heyday and is one of the oldest in south west England. It’s an absolute must while you’re here. Be sure to head inside to see the cathedral’s magnificent ceiling, it’s the longest stretch of unbroken Gothic vaulting in the world. 

Spend this morning exploring Exeter’s historic streets and sites. There are several self-guided walks you can do, which bring the city’s story to life through its ancient walls, its medieval period and the wool trade that brought it great wealth in the 17th century.  

There’s also this fun, self-guided smartphone heritage walk you can do at your own pace.

Alternatively, a range of free 90 minute guided tours run each day from the Cathedral green.  

Totnes Castle

Our ultimate destination today is Dartmouth, but en route, you’ll be making a brief stop in the quirky market town of Totnes. It’s a 45 minute drive south west of Exeter. 

Totnes dates back to Saxon times. Today, it’s known for its large artistic community, and thousand-year-old Totnes Castle , which is the focus of our visit. 

This tiny hilltop fortress is renowned as one of the best preserved examples of a Norman motte (hill) and bailey (lower yard) earthworks still in existence. 

Climb up to the stone keep and you’ll be rewarded with captivating views over the valley to the River Dart, and a garderobe (a medieval loo) still in situ. Wander the bailey below and keep an eye out for the tree graffiti left by prisoners held on site during WWII.  

Totnes Castle is managed by English Heritage and there’s a fee to enter. There is pay and display parking nearby.  

The Castle is open daily from 10am to 5pm, but it’s only open on weekends during the winter months. If you’re travelling in winter and today is a weekday on your itinerary, skip this stop and make straight for Dartmouth. It’s a 30 minute drive south. 

Sitting pretty at the head of the River Dart, the town of Dartmouth is a lovely little spot to while away this afternoon and evening.  

Dartmouth was once an important fishing and trading port, and two medieval forts stand vigil at the entrance to the Dart Estuary to this day: Kingswear Castle and Dartmouth Castle . The latter is lauded as one of England’s most picturesque fortifications and it’s one of the showpiece castles of our south west England road trip.   

There’s a paid car park close to the river and town centre. There’s also a cheaper park and ride option just outside of town, however the shuttle between the car park and town doesn’t run between November and late March (it’s around 30 minutes to walk to town).  

Dartmouth’s cute little central streets are worth a wander, and there are a couple of self-guided town trails you can follow for an intro to the local history. The Castle Trail will take you along a section of the South West Coast Path from town to  Dartmouth Castle .  

The Castle’s passages and walkways offer stunning views and fascinating insights into its defensive history right up till WWII, including the set-up for the huge chain that could once be pulled up to block off the estuary mouth.  

The site is managed by English Heritage, has a fee for entry and is open daily, except for the winter months, when it’s only open on weekends – check ahead if you’re keen to go inside.  

If you’re visiting outside of winter, you can jump on the Castle Ferry for a 10 minute river cruise back to town. If you’d like to get out on the water for longer, there are a couple of other river boating options departing from town, like the one-hour Greenway Ferry river cruise. 

The Great Sc one Debate   It’s a requirement of this itinerary that as you pass through Devon, you search out that most quintessential of English afternoon traditions: the cream tea. There are various places in Dartmouth you can stop for tea and scones, including the Dartmouth Castle Tearooms.   As you pay homage to the humble scone, consider this: there’s a very real divide in the UK about the etiquette of the cream tea, and whether jam or cream goes on the scone first.    In Devon, where cream tea is believed to have originated, the Devonshire tea tradition has cream on first followed by jam. Over the border in Cornwall, however, you put the jam on first then the cream.    We personally follow the Cornish tea tradition. Not that we’d quibble if it came out the other way. Try it both ways and you decide!  

Where to stay in Dartmouth

Dartmouth is a small but popular town, especially in peak periods, and accommodation prices can reflect it.  

We actually drove on for another couple of hours when we did this trip, but it was too much for one day. Hence we suggest staying in or around Dartmouth tonight. We’ve included a couple of local stays with great reviews below: 

• Good value: St Elmo House – comfy rooms and beds | short walk to centre | street parking
• Mid-range: The Ship in Dock Inn – colourful rooms in historic building | central location | parking permits provided
• Spend a bit more: Harbourside 3 – modern rooms | overlooks river | free parking

Day 4 – Lizard Peninsula via Polperro, Cornwall

Highlights: Polperro | Truro Cathedral | Royal Cornwall Museum | Gweek Seal Sanctuary   Total driving distance: appx. 190km / 118 miles   Total driving time: appx. 3.5 hours   Overnight: Porthleven   

Today you’ll cross into Cornwall, starting with the charming fishing village of Polperro and then spending the afternoon and all day tomorrow on the Lizard peninsula, known simply as The Lizard .  

This wedge of land is one of the highlights of Cornwall, and a must-visit on our south west England road trip itinerary. Plus, the best way to experience this ruggedly beautiful stretch of Cornwall coastline is on foot. So having a couple of days in this area gives you more time out of the car, so you can get a proper feel for this wild corner of the country.

Travel tip: Take note today as you drive the bridge over the River Tamar on the western edge of Plymouth. This is the ancient eastern boundary of Cornwall, set by King Athelstan in the mid-10th century to separate the feisty Celtic people in that part of the island from the newly united state of Wessex.   Speak to a Cornish person today and you may find sentiment isn’t much changed. As one local character told us over a beer in the historic Blue Anchor Inn at Helston, ‘This is Cornwall. Not England’.

Polperro is a good 1.5-hour drive from Dartmouth so aim to set out early. This is a designated conservation area and, for us, it really does feel like wandering into another, older time. Winding lanes and charming stone cottages snuggle around a wee harbour where swans nap between the boats at low-tide. 

You’ll need to leave your car at the paid public car park at the top of the village and make the 10-minute stroll down to the harbour along the canal and cute houses.  

Once there, wander the pretty streets , look out for the Roman Bridge , and learn more about the history of this fishing village and former smuggler’s haunt at the tiny Harbour Museum , located in what was once the town’s busy pilchard factory (it’s closed over winter).  

If you’re up for some lunch before moving on, then this is a great spot to sample another classic England tradition: fish and chips. There are some quaint old pubs in Polperro and we enjoyed a delicious pile of fish, chips and peas at the oldest of them, The Three Pilchards .

Our next stop is an hour’s drive from Polperro along the A30. Believe it or not, there’s only one actual city in Cornwall, and Truro is it. This is effectively the region’s capital and while it’s far from the madding crowds of London, it’s still busier than most places you’ll visit on this road trip.  

Still, Truro makes a good spot to stretch your legs en route to The Lizard, particularly if you like a good cathedral and a museum showcasing the history of the area you’re exploring. Truro has both.  

We were able to find a space at the paid Old Bridge Street Car Park, which is right around the corner from Truro Cathedral . This soaring gothic revival church was built in the late 1800s and has three spires, just one of three in the UK to do so.   

Up the road you’ll find the Royal Cornwall Museum , which has a small but interesting collection of finds documenting Cornwall’s journey from prehistory to the industrial era. There are some other exhibitions in here too, including a random but quirky little Egyptian space with a mummy. There’s a fee to get in but it lasts a year. 

Our final destination today is Porthleven and you’ll spend the next two nights here as you explore the Lizard peninsula.

Apparently ‘The Lizard’ comes from a Cornish phrase, ‘Lys Ardh’, referring to the area’s high cliffs, rather than any resident fauna or land shape. En route though, you will be making a stop to meet some local wildlife of a different kind.  

Cornish Seal Sanctuary, Gweek

When we were planning to road trip south west England, we spotted a town on the map called ‘Gweek’. Of course we had to go there. What we found was the Cornish Seal Sanctuary and we’re forever grateful. 

The sanctuary is a rescue centre for rehabilitating sick and injured seal pups. It’s a delightful place to linger, set on 40 acres by the picturesque River Helford .  

In addition to plenty of opportunities to see and learn about the recovering and resident seals, including underwater viewing areas, it offers peaceful woodland walks by the tidal estuary. As of early 2024, the centre also has baby beavers!  

The sanctuary is open every day from 11am to 4pm (last admissions at 3pm) and it’s advisable to book in advance . You’ll save on the ticket price if you book at least 2 days ahead. 

Blue Anchor Inn, Helston

By now, it’s definitely beer o’clock and while you’re in this area, we highly recommend a visit to the Blue Anchor Inn in Helston.  

The Blue Anchor is Cornwall’s oldest pub and it’s a little warren of low-ceilinged rooms with a properly ancient feel. We’ve spent a couple of memorable evenings here yarning with locals. 

The onsite brewery has been in operation since the 15th century and is renowned for its medieval ‘Spingo Ales’. Our favourite is the rich and smooth ‘Middle’ ale but if you like beer then by all means, try them all (unless you’re driving, in which case, get a takeaway so you can try it later). 

Afterwards, move on to your overnight stay in the lovely little fishing village of Porthleven , a 7 minute drive down the road. 

Where to stay in Porthleven

Wee little Porthleven has a clutch of accommodations tucked into the streets around the harbour. More options can be found in nearby Helston and in the surrounding area. We suggest the following stays, they all have great reviews.  

• Good value: No 52 bed and breakfast (Helston) – on the high street | nicely decorated rooms | great breakfast (we’ve stayed here and it was a convenient overnighter, with parking a 5 minute walk away or free overnight street parking right outside if you can swing luck and timings. It’s also virtually next door to the Blue Anchor Inn – no excuse not to try those Spingo ales!) 
• Mid-range: Harbour Inn (Porthleven) – historic pub stay | right on the quay | really friendly staff (we’ve also stayed here and love the location; we parked in the Kitto’s Field Long Stay Car Park, a 2 minute walk away) 
• Mid-range: The Artist Loft (Porthleven) – comfy beds | very short walk to harbour | free parking 
• Spend a bit more: Housel Bay Hotel (The Lizard) – If you’re after something special, have a look at this grand hotel. We hiked past it on the Lizard loop walk (see tomorrow’s itinerary) and we’ll be back one day to stay. It’s perched high above the cliffs overlooking the Atlantic and offers direct access to the South West Coast Path. It has a minimum 2 night stay and parking onsite. 

Day 5 – Lizard Peninsula

Highlights: Porthleven Harbour | Kynance Cove | Lizard Point | Lizard loop walk | Halliggye Fogou   Total driving distance: appx. 45km (28 miles)     Total driving time : appx. 1 hour 15 minutes   Overnight: Lizard Peninsula (Porthleven or Helston)

Day 5 of our south west England road trip has you exploring more of the spectacular coastal landscapes of Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall. 

Start your morning with an early stroll around Porthleven harbour . This is the UK’s most westerly port and, with its 19th century inner walls, is an important safe harbour on a coastline notorious for shipwrecks over the centuries. 

The creation of the harbour also unintentionally turned Porthleven into one of the UK’s best surf spots. We stopped for a bit to watch some hardy souls braving the freezing swells crashing onto the harbour wall. 

The Harbour Markets run on various days throughout the week and year. If you’d like to slow the pace today, hang around and check out the markets from 10am and then pick and choose from the rest of today’s suggested destinations around The Lizard.  

Kynance Cove

From Porthleven, set out to explore the rest of the peninsula by car, starting with the legendary Kynance Cove , a dramatic landscape of rocky outcrops, white sand and crystal clear water. It’s around 40 minutes south. 

Kynance Cove often makes lists of the world’s best beaches, with pearly white sand and turquoise water, which is why it made it on to our itinerary. We were also keen to get up close with the famous red and green serpentine rock stacks to be found here. 

We found Kynance to be ruggedly dramatic but our visit was on a day of wild weather so we didn’t get to see it in all its list-making glory. Hopefully you do!   

Park up at the National Trust car park and make your way down the steep and rocky path to the beach. Be sure to check tide times before you do though as the beach can disappear completely under a high tide. 

Lizard Point

Twenty minutes from Kynance Cove is our next destination,  Lizard Point. This is the southernmost tip of Lizard peninsula (and the UK in fact).  

This is a prime opportunity to stretch your legs on another section of the South West Coast Path . This segment is a 6.5km loop walk of Lizard Point .  

The Lizard loop walk starts and finishes in the village of Lizard, so make your way there and park on the village green. There are a number of cutbacks along the way if you’d prefer a shorter walk.  

Alternatively, you can park further towards the point at the National Trust car park and enjoy a short walk to the southernmost point lookout, or along the coast in either direction.  

This coastline around Lizard Point is rugged, beautiful…and lethal. The ocean off the headland has been a graveyard for ships for about as long as people have braved the seas here.  

While our first attempt at the Lizard loop was thwarted by wild weather, we’ve since returned to complete the hike and can confirm it is 100% worth doing if you have the time and inclination (and the weather is cooperating). It ranks very high on our list of awesome things to do in south west England. Set aside around 3 hours to do the full walk, with stops along the way. 

Travel tip: Keep an eye on the weather if you’re planning to walk The Lizard coastline. And do stop by Polpeor Café at Lizard Point. We retreated here to wait out the storm on our first visit and drip dried over the biggest scones we’d ever seen. Cornish tea on the cafe’s terrace overlooking the ocean would be superb on a sunny day. The café closes at 4pm (or as weather dictates).

Halliggye Fogou

Sounds like something a Viking might say, but Halliggye Fogou is the name of an Iron Age site on The Lizard.  

Halliggye Fogou is around 20 minutes north of Lizard village. En route, make a quick pit stop at the Old Cider Barn Arts & Crafts Centre to check out the bric-à-brac and perhaps pick up some traditional Cornish cider. 

A ‘fogou’ is a Cornish word for ‘cave’ and at these sites, it refers to networks of underground passages built in stone around 2,500 years ago as part of Iron Age farming settlements. Their purpose is unknown.  

Halligye Fogou is managed by English Heritage, is free to visit and open during the day, although you can’t go inside the fogou over the winter months.   

Day 6 – Penwith Peninsula, Cornwall

Highlights: St Michael’s Mount | Penzance | Merry Maidens Stone Circle | Minack Theatre   Total driving distance: appx. 40km (25 miles) plus the drive to your chosen accommodation   Total driving time: appx. 1 hour plus above   Overnight: Penwith Peninsula

We’re up early today for a time travel through the  Penwith peninsula , home to western Europe’s largest concentration of ancient sites and arguably the gem in Cornwall’s crown.  

Whether you do it as part of a longer driving adventure like this one or on its own, we reckon the Penwith peninsula is one of the best UK road trips you can do. 

There’s a huge amount to see over the next two days. Penwith peninsula is small enough though that you could reorder any of the sites and experiences to suit your interests and timings (it takes around 30 to 40 minutes to drive the length of the peninsula between St Ives in the north and Land’s End in the south). There is a fair bit of driving to see all the things, but you’ll be getting out of the car often.  

You’ll also be spending two nights in this region so you can choose to base yourself in one spot for both nights as you explore the peninsula, or stay in two places and max your time around each area.  

Travel Tip: Before you leave Porthleven this morning, don’t pass up the opportunity to pick up another local-gone-global speciality that you absolutely must indulge in while travelling around Cornwall: the Cornish pasty.   If you’ve never encountered one before, pasties are baked flaky pastries folded over a savoury filling. The traditional filling is beef and veg, but you can get all sorts of fillings, as well as gluten-free and vegan options.   There are a couple of excellent pasty bakeries in Porthleven (and right across Cornwall). We picked up a giant pasty to-go from Philps Pasty Shop . Whatever else you do, do this. In fact, get two. It was one of our great regrets that we only bought one the first time we visited and had to share it.

St Michael’s Mount

Today’s sightseeing is dictated by the tides, so we encourage you to check the local tide times and plan today’s itinerary to suit.

The reason for this is that you’ll be visiting St Michael’s Mount offshore from Marazion , and if you visit at low tide, you can walk across the causeway. 

You can also take a boat to St Michael’s when the tide is in. But there’s something special about walking the ancient cobbled causeway across to this offshore rock before climbing the steep path to explore the castle. 

It’s no coincidence that St Michael’s Mount bears the hallmarks of Mont Saint Michel, the impressive monastery-capped tidal island across the English Channel off Normandy in France. It was a monk from Mont St Michel who commissioned the monastery on St Michael’s Mount in the 12th century.   

For the last four hundred years or so though, this has been the seat of the St Aubyn family and they still live there today. 

It’s 20 minutes from Porthleven to Marazion and there are a couple of paid car parks in the area opposite St Michael’s Mount. You’ll need to book your tickets in advance. Check out this website .  

From Marazion, make your way to the historic market and port town of Penzance , backdrop to the famed play, The Pirates of Penzance .

While the comic opera is a fiction, piracy and smuggling did give this coastline a notorious reputation for hundreds of years. By the 19th century though, Penzance was a fashionable seaside resort. 

Head to the Harbour Long Stay Car Park and spend a couple of hours wandering Penzance’s streets and gardens. This self-guided walk will introduce you to the town’s history and key spots.   

Merry Maidens & Tregiffian Burial Chamber

Our next stop is the  Merry Maidens Stone Circle . You’ll find it in a field by the side of the B3315 road around 6km south of Penzance. 

The 19 standing stones here were erected in the mists of time, somewhere between 3500 and 4500 years ago. It’s not known why the circle was built, but it’s thought to have been a sort of astronomical tracker and ceremonial site. When we visited, we had the ambient stone circle all to ourselves.  

Walk a little further along the road on the same side and you’ll come to the Tregiffian Burial Chamber . This large neolithic chambered tomb was damaged in the creation of the road, but it’s still an interesting example of what’s known as an ‘entrance grave’.

If you’re particularly keen, there’s also a tall menhir stone called Gun Rith in the field opposite this site. Like the tomb, it’s believed to be linked to the Merry Maidens. 

All of these sites are free and can be accessed from a small layover parking area on the left side of the B3315 as you head south west – look out for the bus stop sign. For the stone circle, climb the steps over the gate and head into the field. 

Minack Theatre

From the Merry Maidens, it’s a 15 minute drive to stunning Minack Theatre , the single-minded creation of the extraordinary Rowena Cade, and possibly one of the most spectacularly-sited open air theatres since the ancient Greeks and Romans were in the business. 

It’s recommended you book your visit to Minack in advance as there is timed entry. Opening days and hours also vary so check ahead.  

The 750-seat theatre built into the rocky cliffs is impressive enough on its own, but if you can, try and time your visit for a performance. The theatre season for 2024 runs from late March until late September, with mainly evening but some afternoon shows. We’ll definitely be back to do this. 

Where to stay on the Penwith Peninsula

You have tonight and tomorrow on the Penwith peninsula so you could opt for two nights in one place and use that as a base, or stay in two different parts of the peninsula.  

Your choices in this area are extensive, and range from boutique B&Bs and guest houses to self-catering seaside cottages, remote pub stays and luxe hotels. There are also campgrounds and holiday parks right across the peninsula. 

If you’d like to stay in a slightly larger town with more amenities and eating options, look to quirky Penzance or chic St Ives , or another village on the peninsula like Zennor or Mousehole . Aim to book well ahead if you’re planning a visit during summer or holiday periods.  

• Check out your accommodation options in Penzance here .
• See what’s available in St Ives here .

We personally stayed near the village of Zennor at The Gurnard’s Head , a beautiful historic inn surrounded by coast and countryside. It’s a short short drive from St Ives and they have a fantastic restaurant serving up local seasonal deliciousness. 

Day 7 – Penwith Peninsula, Cornwall

Highlights: Land’s End | Boscawen-ûn Stone Circle | Carn Euny Ancient Village | The Tin Coast – Botallack Tin Mine   Total driving distance: appx. 25km (15.5 miles) plus travel to and from your accommodation and any additional activities today   Total driving time: appx. 45 minutes plus the above   Overnight: Penwith Peninsula  

Our view when we awoke in Zennor was of rolling moors and cows gathering on the road outside. This is another truly stunning stretch of Cornwall coastline. With an array of walks winding through moorland and along cliffs scattered with tin mine ruins, you could easily spend the day in this area alone. 

For your second day in the Penwith area, however, you’ll be exploring the west coast and heartland of the peninsula, and more of the historic sites that set this ancient corner apart. 

Depending on where you’ve stayed overnight, you might reorder the following sites to suit. Otherwise, make your way first to Land’s End. 

Land’s End

There’s something strangely compelling about standing at the most extreme ends of a place, and that’s the draw of England’s most westerly point, Land’s End . 

The Atlantic views here are spectacular, but be prepared for the crowded theme park it is. If the ‘attractions’ and gift shops don’t appeal, do as we did and make for the coastal paths. 

There’s an easy 4. 9km loop walk starting and finishing at the Land’s End car park, which you might consider if you want to make time for it today. Otherwise, take a short stroll along the cliffs and soak up the views instead. 

Boscawen-ûn Stone Circle

We haven’t been ourselves, but if you’re keen to go searching, there’s another impressive prehistoric ring of monoliths en route from Land’s End to our next stop, Carn Euny.  

Boscawen-ûn Stone Circle is believed to have been a significant ceremonial centre in its day. Like the Merry Maidens, there are 19 standing stones here, one of which is notably made of white quartz. 

There’s access to the stone circle via a signposted path from Boscawen-ûn Farm, though apparently parking is tricky along the farm lane. Instead, on your way from Land’s End, keep an eye out for a layover on the right hand side, about 800 metres before the farm lane. You can park here and there’s a sign and path to the stone circle.  

Carn Euny Ancient Village

There are two fascinating ancient settlement sites on the Penwith peninsula, Chysauster and Carn Euny. 

Chysauster Ancient Village , around 15 minutes north of Penzance, is a 2000-year-old Romano-British settlement with stone-walled houses. It’s managed by English Heritage and there’s an entry fee. It’s closed over winter. 

The other site, around 20 minutes inland along the A30 from Land’s End – and the one we visited – is Carn Euny Ancient Village . It’s also managed by English Heritage but it’s free and open during the day year-round. It does, however, require going off-piste around 600 metres from the small car park through farmland that can get seriously squelchy when it rains.  

Carn Euny was inhabited from Iron Age to Roman times, and features stone house foundations and another of those mysterious underground passages called a fogou. The site serves up impressive views for miles around. 

The Tin Coast

People have been digging metals out of the earth in Cornwall for four thousand years. Today, the remnants of historic mining sites and engine houses pockmark the region.  

In fact, mining is such an important part of the Cornish story that the ‘Tin Coast’ has been declared World Heritage, and there are a number of sites where you can get your Poldark on. 

At Botallack , a National Trust site 20 minutes from Carn Euny Ancient Village, you can follow the paths on this map to see the impressive 19th century engine houses clinging to the cliffs, and the shafts, chimney stacks and other remnants of the busy mining site this once was. There’s parking just past Botallack Count House.  

Less than 10 minutes north is the Levant Mine and Beam Engine , another National Trust site. Among the mine buildings and industrial remains here, there’s a working 19th century steam-powered beam engine. The site can only be visited on a 1.5 hour pre-booked tour , but it’s a great way to learn more about the history of tin mining in the region and the perils of the industry.

More exploring on the Penwith Peninsula

If you’ve still got energy (and daylight hours), there are plenty more ancient sites dotting the Penwith peninsula.  

Two other great sites in the northern area include the 5000 year-old  Lanyon Quoit,  a classic stone dolmen thought to have been a burial chamber covered in earth once upon a time. Near the quoit, you’ll find  Chûn Castle , a 2500 year-old circular Iron Age hillfort. 

There are also a ton of opportunities to get outdoors and explore on foot. The epic South West Coast Path traverses the entire coastline, while hundreds and hundreds more kilometres trail across the countryside.

The Epic South West Coast Path   One of the most impressive discoveries when you road trip England’s south west is that there’s also a walking trail winding its way along most of the coastline!  The South West Coast Path is the longest national trail in the UK, stretching around 1,015 kilometres (630 miles) between Poole Harbour at the eastern end of the Jurassic Coast, right around to Minehead in the north of Devon.  This is definitely on our list of long (loooong) walks we want to conquer in our lifetime. But the great thing about the South West Coast Path is that you can get out of the car and stretch your legs on short lengths of the trail virtually everywhere you stop along the coast.   There are hundreds of short loop walks you can do, which you can find here . Or just park up and set off for a stroll in either direction. Being able to do this is one of the absolute highlights of this south west England road trip itinerary. 

Day 8 – St Ives to Padstow

Highlights: St Ives | Fistral Beach, Newquay | Wine & cider tasting | Padstow     Total driving distance: appx. 80 km (50 miles) plus travel to St Ives from accommodation   Total driving time: appx. 1.5 hours plus above   Overnight: Padstow  

Today, we’re heading further north into western Cornwall to visit a couple of the region’s most famous seaside villages: St Ives and Padstow. 

Between the two towns, there are a couple of activity options today. Just note that if you do the boat trip out of Hayle, you’ll spend most of the day in St Ives.

Start today with a coffee in boho St Ives . We’d seen so much written about this place over the years, we just had to come and see for ourselves what all the fuss was about.  

Summer in this fishing-village-turned-art-hub can be chaotic but we’d heard it could be a ghost town in winter. Not so on the day we visited. The sun was out and by mid-morning, the harbour-front was humming with people and the small beach was filling up. 

We popped into a tiny, side-street café and then wandered the streets. There’s no shortage of pubs, bakeries, bric-à-brac shops, museums and galleries. You’ll also find the highly regarded Tate St Ives Gallery, for which you can book a visit ahead of time here .  

Parking can be a challenge in St Ives, especially in the peak. Perhaps the nicest way to get in and out without losing time searching for a car space is to park up at St Erth Station over in the nearby village of Hayle, and take the 10 minute ‘park and ride’ train to St Ives. You’ll have gorgeous sea views as you travel into the village along the coast. The train runs twice an hour, every day.  

St Ives Station is also the starting point for this 3km self-guided walk around the town.  

If you are parking at Hayle, you might also consider spending more time in this area today and doing a boat trip like this one to experience the dramatic Cornwall coastline from the water. Boat trip itineraries usually depend on the weather, but some do head out to nearby Seal Island  to visit the local seal colony.

Surf’s Up or Bottom’s Up?

From St Ives, it’s a 1 hour 15 minute drive north to the wee fishing village of Padstow. On the way though, you have a couple of diversions to choose from.

En route to Padstow, you’ll pass the town of Newquay, home to the UK’s most famous surfing beaches.  

This is a very popular seaside getaway for Brits, especially in summer. It’s also renowned as a bucks and hens party destination and has the nightlife to go with it.  

We’ve opted not to include Newquay in this itinerary as it’s a bigger town and we feel there are other, prettier places to visit in this area. However, if you’d like to see why the beaches here are considered surfing meccas, you could break up today’s journey to Padstow with a stop at the most popular surf spot, Fistral Beach.

There’s a paid car park at the beach and various shops and places to eat (including a well-priced Rick Stein restaurant) at the International Surfing Centre.  

It’s also worth noting that there are more budget accommodation options here if you’re looking for an alternative to the higher prices in St Ives and Padstow for tonight’s accommodation. 

Wine tasting and vineyard tour

If wine trumps beach for you (it most definitely does for us), then a lovely alternative as you head towards Padstow today is a wine tasting or tour at Trevibban Mill Vineyard .  

English wine’s star is definitely rising and we absolutely recommend taking the chance to sample locally grown and produced vino and cider at this beautiful, high-ceilinged establishment overlooking the countryside. They also serve delicious grazing boards. Check their website for availability. 

Charming Padstow has its share of highlights, but it’s also garnered something of a reputation for its food scene. In fact, this was the catalyst for our original London to Cornwall road trip. 

As far away as Australia, Rick Stein’s way with seafood is legendary and Padstow is where his business empire first flourished. These days there are four Rick Stein restaurants in the village. We decided to go to the source, The Seafood Restaurant. We packaged it up with a stay in one of Stein’s nearby hotels. 

This is just one of many awesome eating opportunities in Padstow however, from the upmarket to the understated. If you don’t feel like a flashy meal this evening, go for a bag of takeaway fish and chips (there’s a Rick Stein joint for this too) and head to the harbourside.   

Food aside, this medieval fishing village is a nice little place to spend the late afternoon, particularly down by the working harbour. Across the water, you’ll see the village of Rock , a posh escape for the rich and famous. Ferries cross back and forth during the day (there’s a timetable down on the pier).  

A wander through the backstreets of Padstow will bring you to the 15th century St Petroc’s Church . This has been a site of worship since the year 518AD and has all the feels of a very ancient place. Outside of the winter months, you can also visit the 16th century manor house, Prideaux Place .

There are a couple of car parks down by the harbour in Padstow but they can fill quickly. We lucked out with a space in the South Quay Car Park. Otherwise, there are a couple of parking lots up the hill, including Padstow Main Road Car Park, a 10 minute walk into town. All of the car parks are paid parking. If you’re staying in town overnight, check with your accommodation provider for your best parking options.

Where to stay in Padstow

For a small village, Padstow has lots of accommodation, reflecting its popularity. But it can book out well ahead of time. Cast the net wider if needed as there are also lovely stays in the area surrounding Padstow.  

• Good value: Drang House – excellent location | clean & comfy | historic building 
• Mid-range: The Old Custom House – cosy pub stay | overlooking the harbour | great brekkie  
• Spend a bit more: Harbour Hotel Padstow – harbour front | lovely views | great staff 

Rick Stein also has a range of accommodations in Padstow, complementing his restaurants around town. We stayed in a very cosy room at Rick Stein’s Café , part of a birthday splurge including dinner at his famous Seafood Restaurant.   

Day 9 – Port Isaac & Tintagel

Highlights: Fishing village of Port Isaac | Tintagel Castle & Village   Total driving distance: appx. 40km (25 miles) plus any additional exploring in this area   Total driving time: appx. 1 hour   plus the above Overnight: Tintagel area

Today you’ll set out into northern Cornwall to visit a charming historic village and the legendary birthplace of King Arthur, Tintagel Castle.  

Leaving Padstow by 9am, make your way north 30 minutes to the tiny fishing village of Port Isaac.  

If you’ve yet to have breakfast (or you’re ready for second breakfast), consider stopping en route at the St Kew Farmshop and Café along the A39 for a bite. We stopped here briefly to browse the pantry and the smells coming from the café were divine! It opens at 9am six days a week (it’s closed Sundays).  

Pretty Port Isaac, with its white cottages decorating the coastal clifftops and the narrow harbour, is the famous ‘Port Wenn’ of the TV series Doc Martin .  

Park at the paid New Road (St Endellion) Long Stay Car Park at the top of the hill and wander along the sea path down into the village.  

Take an hour or two to enjoy a stroll along the tight paths between the village’s cottages, shops and pubs, keeping an eye out for the narrowest of them all, ‘Squeezy Belly Alley’. 

If you’re a fan of the Doc Martin series, you might want to stay a little longer here and make time for this 1.5 hour guided Doc Martin tour of the town. 

Tintagel Castle & Village

It’s a drive of around 25 minutes from Port Isaac to the dramatic bluff where Arthurian myths have swirled for centuries.  

We weren’t sure what to expect on our first visit, but Tintagel and surrounds has turned out to be one of our favourite places to visit in south west England.  

There are five paid car parks in the village of Tintagel. We usually get a space at the good-sized King Arthur’s Car Park in the centre of the village.  

Aim to spend the afternoon in and around Tintagel Castle and village. 

Tintagel Castle

Crowning two dramatic clifftop sites joined by a long bridge, the evocative crumbling ruins of Tintagel hint at the serious fortress it once was. 

The rocky outcrop on which part of the castle clings is also scattered with the stone remains of a Dark Age settlement. 

Tintagel Castle is open daily from 10am to 5pm but check the website before visiting as it can be closed during high winds and poor weather, and isn’t open every day during the winter period.  

It also has timed entry and can get busy, so while you can buy a ticket on the day, it’s useful to book ahead if you can. You’ll save money by booking in advance online too, up till 8.45am on the day you visit. The castle is managed by English Heritage. 

There’s a steep hill down and some stairs up to reach the castle bridge. There’s also a land rover that runs visitors up and down for an additional fee.    

Spend a couple of hours wandering all over and re-imagining this mythical site. Don’t miss the ethereal sculpture, Gallos , on the far side of the island – it’s a fitting tribute to Tintagel’s mystique. 

Travel Tip: For sensational views of the coastline here and of Tintagel island itself, we highly recommend heading out for a walk along the South West Coast Path to the right and/or left of Tintagel Castle. We’ve walked both sides and both serve up fantastic scenery and different perspectives of the castle, bridge and island. The weather was wild when we last hiked but it was exhilarating all the same.   On the south side, you can also walk along the coast path to the spectacularly-sited 12th century St Materiana’s Church . For a shorter walk, you can park at the church and head along the path towards Tintagel instead. 

Tintagel Village

Once you’ve finished exploring Tintagel Castle, take a stroll through the village high street.  

When you see a higgledy-piggledy, ancient-looking stone and slate-roof building, you’ve reached the Tintagel Old Post Off ice , a cottage from the 1300s.  

This is a National Trust site set up as it would have been several hundred years ago when the cottage was a Victorian post office and home, with lots of insights about life in earlier times. We weren’t here long but found it a quaint and fascinating little spot. 

Unless you’ve had lunch on the go, you have plenty of options for a late lunch or early dinner in Tintagel village.  

Alternatively, take a 10 minute drive into the nearby countryside for a stop at beautiful Tintagel Brewery Bar & Bistro for a paddle of beers and something delicious from their menu (we’re still talking about the pork belly Scotch egg with Thai spiced sauce we had here). Check their website for opening hours and serving times.

Where to stay in Tintagel and surrounds

Tomorrow, you’ll be spending a good part of the morning in the area between Tintagel and Boscastle and there’s a range of accommodation in and between both villages. So you can either stay in Tintagel tonight, or in Boscastle, or anywhere between. Boscastle is just 10 minutes up the road.  

The following stays get great reviews: 

• Good value: Bosayne Guest House – friendly and welcoming | near to beach and Tintagel village | free parking 
• Mid-range: King Arthur’s Arms – historic pub stay | centre of Tintagel | free parking 
• Spend a bit more: The Wellington Hotel – elegant, historic building | centre of Boscastle | free parking   

Day 10 – Boscastle to Exeter via Bodmin Moor

Highlights: St Nectan’s Glen Walk & Waterfall | Boscastle fishing village | Bodmin Moor      Total driving distance: appx. 145km (90 miles)   Total driving time: appx. 2.5 hours   Overnight: Exeter  

Today you’ll explore some of the natural and historic man-made highlights of this area before leaving Cornwall as you start your journey back east. 

Depending on where you’ve spent the night, you can do either Boscastle or St Nectan’s Glen first this morning. St Nectan’s Glen is between Tintagel and Boscastle.

St Nectan’s Glen & Waterfall

After a couple of days of poor weather and muddy trails, we very nearly passed up this little nature trail. We’re really glad we didn’t. St Nectan’s Glen and Waterfall is a real delight and wholly unexpected when you park up in the gravel car park off the B3263 road.  

Have £3 in coins with you for the pay and display car park as it’s cash only. Also, wear your decent walking shoes as it can get muddy and there are a bunch of slippery steps at the visitor centre and waterfall. 

From the carpark, follow the signs to cross the road, head up the short path and then off to the right. Soon enough, the trail will start to follow alongside a lovely bubbling river through a mossy, green forest.  

You’ll climb quite a few stairs out of the glen to the visitor centre, where you pay an £8 entry fee and then head back down a heap more steps on the other side of the river. If you go this route, you’ll need to wade into the river to see the falls. We took our shoes off and embraced the freezing, ankle-deep water to go and stand in the spray of the cascade. It’s magic.  

Once you climb the steps out again, you can stop by the café before making your way back through the glen, or looping out and back to the car park along a very rough and ready single-lane dirt road. We went this way and can confirm it’s an easier downhill walk but far less picturesque.    

The trail is open anytime, but access to the waterfall and visitor centre is daily from 9am to 5pm. We suggest being on the trail around 8.30am and getting to the centre for opening. Give yourself around 1.5 hours to do the walk there and back, with some time at the falls. 

Ten minutes north of the St Nectan’s Glen car park and 15 minutes north of Tintagel, tucked into a small inlet between narrow and winding sea cliffs, you’ll find the tiny harbour village of Boscastle . This was another marvellous little stop for us, and definitely worth a visit.  

Park up at the paid Cobweb Car Park. A river runs through the village along a shale-stacked canal and meets the sea at a quay built in Elizabethan times. Pretty stone cottages and some ancient looking buildings line the way. 

Enjoy a wander through the hamlet and stop for a break in one of the tea rooms or at The Wellington , a 16th century coaching inn. Look out for the red telephone box out the front that’s been converted into a donation-based second-hand bookshop.  

If the spirit of Tintagel has fired up your interest in legends and myths, there’s a Museum of Witchcraft and Magic in Boscastle (it’s closed during winter). The Wellington is also said to be haunted!    

In our opinion, the real magic happens here with a walk out along the right side of the bay, up to the high shale rock pile that forms a natural protective barrier for the village. From up there, you’ll have views only nature can conjure, right out over the Atlantic and the coastline and back towards the village. 

Bodmin Moor

From Boscastle, make your way inland and take the A30 road into the granite wilds of Bodmin Moor. There’s only time to visit a couple of the many sites – natural and manmade – that make this landscape so special, but don’t leave Cornwall without at least a drive through part of this ruggedly beautiful place.  

Hurlers Stone Circles

Our first stop is the  Hurlers Stone Circles , a 50 minute drive from Boscastle.  

Hurlers is a series of three stone circles in a line, and a unique formation in England. Legend has it the stones are local men who were punished for playing the Cornish game of hurling on a Sunday. 

The site was particularly ambient on the day we visited: brooding sarsens on the misty, sodden moor with a couple of wild black ponies watching nearby.

You can park for free at The Hurlers car park. If time is on your side, this is also the starting point for our next stop, which involves a walk on the moor.

The Cheesewring

Apart from Bodmin Moor’s highest point, Brown Willy, The Cheesewring is perhaps the next most well-known natural feature on the moor.

Named for cheese presses of old, The Cheesewring is a stack of large individual stones, smoothed over millennia and balanced precariously on top of each other to tower over the surrounding landscape.   

It’s a 20 minute walk from the car park to The Cheesewring. Just beware that weather can change very suddenly on the moor, so dress appropriately and wear decent shoes. If the weather looks to be closing in, or your hours of daylight are limited, consider giving this a miss. 

Trevethy Quoit

Ten minutes south, just outside Bodmin Moor in Liskeard, you’ll find  Trevethy Quoit .  

Known hereabouts as ‘the giant’s house’, this is the tallest neolithic portal dolmen burial chamber we’ve ever seen, standing at 2.7 metres high and in good condition.  

It’s an impressive megalithic structure, if not a little juxtaposed by the modern-day houses right next door.  

Overnight in Exeter

From Trevethy Quoit, set the GPS for the city of Exeter. It’s a drive of around 1 hour 15 minutes. Tonight is spent back in the cathedral city in order to get a headstart on tomorrow’s itinerary, which kicks off in Glastonbury. 

If you’d prefer to head straight to Glastonbury tonight, and don’t mind a long drive, it’s a further 1 hour 15 minutes up the road.

Where to stay in Exeter

As a much larger town, you have plenty of options for a stay in Exeter. As we’ve already spent some time in Exeter on this trip, you could stay on the outskirts tonight. But if you do want to stay closer in, we recommend taking a walk around Cathedral Yard to see the cathedral lit up at night.

The following stays get great reviews:

• Good value: Leonardo Hotel Exeter – modern and clean | close to historic centre | paid parking nearby (we stayed here and it was comfortable and convenient).
• Mid-range: Townhouse Exeter – quiet and comfortable | short walk to centre | paid parking nearby
• Spend a bit more: Mill on the Exe – historic mill house | riverside location | free parking

Day 11 – Glastonbury & Wells

Highlights: Glastonbury Abbey | Glastonbury Tor | Wells Cathedral  | Wells historic centre Total driving distance: appx. 100km (62 miles)   Total driving time: appx. 1.5 hours   Overnight: Wells  

You may have left Cornwall behind now but you’re still firmly within the borders of the ‘West Country’ for these final days of our south west England road trip itinerary.  

It’s a drive of around 1 hour 15 minutes from Exeter to Glastonbury.

Glastonbury

From King Arthur’s mythical birthplace at Tintagel to his fabled burial place in Glastonbury, the mythical ‘Isle of Avalon’, we’re hot on the trail of English legend and folklore as we roll into this world-renowned Somerset town.  

Apart from being home to the famous Glastonbury Festival, this is also considered the birthplace of Christianity in England, and it’s been a spiritual centre for millennia. 

It can get very busy here. We learnt this the hard way the first time we visited and kept going as we hadn’t planned our parking. The next time, we had our options ready in advance.  

The most central carpark is the pay and display St Dunstan’s Car Park at Glastonbury Abbey, and you can take a bus from here to Glastonbury Tor between April and September (that’s if you don’t feel like making the 30 minute walk; there’s no parking at the Tor). This isn’t a large carpark though and it’s closed for a market on Tuesdays, so have a back-up.  

Head into Glastonbury Abbey for a wander around the ruins and look out for the spot where King Arthur and Queen Guinevere are said to have been buried. There’s a fee for the abbey, but you can save by booking online in advance.  

From the abbey, make your way along the High Street and check out Glastonbury Market Cross , the Glastonbury Goddess Temple , the 15th century Glastonbury Tribunal and St John the Baptist Church . 

It’s then a 15 to 20 minute walk to Glastonbury Tor . Coming from town along the A361, turn left onto Wellhouse Lane and then make an almost immediate right onto the narrow lane which takes you up to a gate and on to the Tor. A little further up Wellhouse Lane is the White Spring in a Victorian well house.  

You can also head up the Tor from the opposite side, off Stone Down Lane.  

Glastonbury Tor is free to visit but you earn it: it’s a steady uphill slog from both sides. The reward, however, is absolutely worth it. At the top you’ll find St Michael’s Tower , all that remains of the 14th century church that once crowned the hill. And the views over the ‘Isle of Avalon’ are something else.  

Travel tip: On this itinerary, you’ll visit Glastonbury in the morning and spend the afternoon and evening in Wells. We’ve also had the chance to appreciate Glastonbury at sunset though and it’s pretty special (though unsurprisingly it does attract crowds).  As Wells and Glastonbury are only 20 minutes apart, you could easily flip today’s itinerary if you’re keen for sunset atop the Tor. Or head back from Wells just for sunset or sunrise.

Wells, our next stop, is just 20 minutes up the road, so after coming down off the Tor, you can either lunch in Glastonbury or in Wells.  

Aim to arrive in Wells in the early afternoon, which will give you plenty of time to wander and appreciate this lovely little city, England’s smallest. Wells is actually more village than town and is only designated a city thanks to its cathedral. 

If you haven’t eaten yet, head to one of the pubs in the pretty Market Place.  Then enjoy a leisurely afternoon meander around the 800 year-old Bishop’s Palace . There’s a fee to go in, or you can do as we did and wander the outskirts of the palace and along the   path through the Palace Fields . There are lovely views over the countryside from here back towards Glastonbury Tor. 

Afterwards, tour the magnificent Wells Cathedral . It’s open till 6pm. We came back out just as the sun was turning the façade a golden honey colour. Entry to the cathedral is by donation until late April; after that, there’s an entry fee (reduced on Sundays). 

From the cathedral, pop over to marvel at the adjoining 14th century Vicars’ Close . It’s said to be the oldest original and continually inhabited residential ‘street’ in Europe (the image up near the beginning of this article is of Vicar’s Close). 

For some fun and offbeat self-guided walking tours through Wells, check out this audio guide .

Head back to the vibrant Market Place for dinner before turning in for the night.

Where to stay in Wells

Lovely little Wells has a range of options both in the historic centre and the surrounding area. We stayed in a charming, 600-year-old building overlooking the cathedral green, The Ancient Gatehouse, which we’ve included below. The following hotels all have solid reviews.

• Good value: Premier Inn Wells – budget friendly | clean and comfortable | 20 minute walk to centre
• Mid-range: The Ancient Gatehouse – heritage listed building | central location | nearby paid parking
• Spend a bit more: The Sheep and Penguin – beautifully refurbed pub stay | nearby paid parking

Day 12 – Bath

Highlights: Ancient Roman Baths | Royal Crescent & Circus | Pulteney Bridge & Weir | Bath’s Georgian architecture   Total driving distance: appx. 35km (22 miles)   Total driving time: appx. 40 minutes   Overnight: Bath  

Today, you’re headed to the World Heritage city of Bath, a drive of around 40 minutes northeast of Wells.  

Bath has been drawing people to its therapeutic waters for nearly 2000 years. The Ancient Romans, no doubt desperate for some home comforts in the strange, grey world of Britannia, tapped the hot springs here around 70AD and built the Roman baths that gave the town its name and which you can still see today.  

In the 18th century, Bath’s reputation as a spa town flourished once more, along with the population. Much of the elegant Georgian architecture is from that period.  

As UK cities go, Bath is one of our favourites. It’s strikingly beautiful and, as a university town, there’s always plenty going on and lots of great eating options.  

Day 12 of our itinerary is wholly dedicated to exploring Bath, and you’ll be staying here for the next two nights.  

There are a number of parking lots around Bath. Unless your accommodation has parking, ask them for their advice on the most convenient place to park. We parked at the Charlotte Street Long Stay Car Park, which is huge but not cheap; it was around £18 for 24 hours (cost is dependent on your vehicle’s level of emissions). 

Tours of Bath

There’s a bucket load to see in Bath and we highly recommend exploring it with a guide of some sort to get the most of out of your visit.

You can join a guided walking tour like this . Or go at your own pace and download a self-guided walking tour app like this one . This is what we did and while the commentary is hilariously flowery at times, it does provide a really good insight into the history and the buildings of this beautiful town. We were also able to do it over the course of the day and take our time.

Check out wide range of other themed walking tours you can do in Bath here .

Just make a note of any sites or museums you might want to visit before you rock up, and book ahead where necessary so you don’t miss out during busy periods.

Things to do in Bath

With or without a guide, you can take your pick of the many, many things to do in Bath. Exploring the A ncient Roman Baths is, of course, a must. Do this first thing if you can. We were there at opening and it was already getting crowded.  

While you can’t swim in the ancient baths these days, you can channel the Romans and experience for yourself Bath’s soothing thermal waters with a spa session at Thermae Bath Spa . Or literally take the waters as the Georgians did with a glass of the magic liquid during a high tea at The Pump Room , which is right above the ancient baths.    

Wander up to the Royal Crescent and the Circus to see the city’s most famous Georgian buildings. Cross the impressive the 18th century Pulteney Bridge , one of just four in the world with shops spanning both sides.  

Join a tour of Bath Abbey and go up the tower for views over the city (plan ahead if you want to do this, we missed out).  

If you’re here on a Saturday, head to Green Park Station for the weekly Bath Farmer’s Market and browse the yummy local produce. Or head to the historic Guildhall Market any day but Sunday and browse the stalls. 

Jane Austen lived in Bath and you can learn more about her life and the times at the Jane Austen Centre . Or head to the free Victoria Art Gallery or the Ho lburne Museum for a dose of art and sculpture.  

We also found Bath to have a really extensive and varied eating scene, from Michelin star restaurants and gastropubs to hole-in-the-wall street food. Keeping it low key on our first night, we had a tasty beef stew and a pint of delicious IPA in the cobbled backstreets at The Raven pub. 

Travel Tip: Don’t leave town without delving into the curious world of Bath’s historic ‘buns’. The city gave rise (pun intended) to two unique types of bun that are famous here today – the Sally Lunn Bun and the Bath Bun. Both have interesting backstories and they couldn’t taste any more different. We recommend a parallel taste test. We picked up a Sally bun from Sally Lunn’s Historic Eating House & Museum, and stuffed it with ham and cheese from the Guildhall Market, which is also where we bought a much sweeter Bath Bun.   Which will win your vote? 

Where to stay in Bath

You’ll be spending the next two nights in Bath. As a World Heritage city, a university city and a popular tourist destination, Bath offers accommodation right across the spectrum, from backpacker stays to serious luxe. The stays below are all in the city centre and have great reviews. If you’re after onsite parking, you’ll find more options outside of the historic centre.

• Good value: The Z Hotel – great location | tiny but comfy rooms | friendly staff (we stayed here and while the room was teeny and the bathroom walls are frosted glass, which may not suit everyone, it was perfect for our stay and we loved the location)
• Mid-range: The Henry Guesthouse – centrally located | cosy & comfy | lovely staff
• Spend a bit more: Eight – restored historic house | big, beautiful rooms | close to abbey

Day 13 – Castle Combe, Lacock Abbey & Bath

Highlights: Cotswolds village of Castle Combe | Lacock Abbey | Final evening in Bath   Total driving distance: appx. 60km (37 miles)   Total driving time: appx. 1.5 hours   Overnight: Bath

You have another night Bath tonight, so you’ll have a second bite of the Bath dining scene. Today, though, we’re back in the car to explore some of the countryside highlights in this area. 

Castle Combe

Stretching north of Bath is the beautiful Cotswolds National Landscape. This is quintessential English country-and-village touring, and we recently spent a wonderful few days travelling through the area. There’s so much to see across this landscape though that it really deserves a couple of days at bare minimum.  

For this reason, we haven’t included the Cotswolds more broadly in this itinerary. What we have included is a taster, with a visit to a hamlet on the southern edge of the Cotswolds, Castle Combe. The bonus is that Castle Combe is one of the most photogenic of all the Cotswolds villages. It’s around 35 minutes’ drive north of Bath. 

Castle Combe village, as you see it today, dates largely back to the 14th and 15th centuries, when the cloth industry took off. The village flourished until water levels in the Bybrook River, critical for powering mills, dropped to the point the industry had to move. There have been virtually no new buildings in the village since. So what you see is an authentic snapshot of a village from a time long passed. 

Have a wander, taking in the pretty Cotswold stone cottages , the market square with its 14th century market cross , and historic St Andrew’s Church . The village’s two pubs, the Castle Inn and The White Hart , date back to the 12th and 14th centuries. 

The Manor House , a country house-turned-hotel, sits on the site of the former Norman castle that gave the village its name.    

There’s very limited street parking in and on the approach to the village. Your best bet for Castle Combe parking is in the paid Dunns Lane public car park, a 5 to 10 minute walk up the hill. 

Lacock Abbey

Our next stop today is the 800 year-old Lacock Abbey . It’s a 20 minute drive from Castle Combe. 

Built in the 13th century as a nunnery, Lacock Abbey became a grand country home following Henry VIIIs Dissolution of the Monasteries. It went on to be redecorated and remodelled throughout the ensuing centuries to suit ever-changing architectural and artistic tastes. 

Today’s, Lacock Abbey is a National Trust site. It’s open daily till around 5pm but check the National trust website before you go. There’s an entry fee plus a car park charge.

Late afternoon and evening in Bath

Back in Bath this afternoon and evening, check out whatever you didn’t get to see and do yesterday and pick somewhere awesome for dinner. It is, after all, the last night of our road trip! 

Day 14 – Return to London via Stonehenge

Highlights: Standing stones and museum of Stonehenge     Total driving distance : appx. 160km (100 miles)   Total driving time : appx. 2 hours 15 minutes, but keep an eye on traffic and factor in extra time as Greater London traffic is often seriously congested (especially the M25) and can add quite a bit of time to your journey.  

It’s the final day of our epic two week south west England road trip itinerary! 

Today you’re headed back to London, a 160km (100 miles) drive east of Bath. But we’ve included one more stop to break up the journey. It’s a tourist magnet, sure, but there’s a good reason for that: this is, after all, the pinnacle of ancient places to visit in south west England, if not the whole of the UK. We’re talking, of course, about Stonehenge. 

Stonehenge is around an hour’s drive south east of Bath. It’s open from 9.30am to 5pm daily and we recommend getting there for opening as it gets busy.   

Improvement programs in recent years have changed Stonehenge dramatically since our first visit some 20 years ago and we love coming here now.  

Tour the excellent visitor centre and museum and then take a walk (or the shuttle bus) out to the henge itself, where a redesign of the walkways means you can actually see and photograph the stones without a million people in the scene. 

Wander back to the visitor centre through the fields and past prehistoric mounds and monuments. Today’s experience is an entirely new and enlightening perspective on this incredibly ancient place and not to be missed. 

We also recommend downloading the English Heritage Stonehenge Audio Guide before you visit.

There’s a large car park at the site and you can book tickets on arrival, but you’ll save money if you buy them online ahead of time. English Heritage and National Trust (England) members can visit for free.

Time for one last classic pub lunch, if you can spare the extra hour. There are some excellent old pubs in the region around Wiltshire, like cosy 17th century pubs, The Swan at Enford and The Crown Inn at Cholderton, both around 15 minutes’ drive from Stonehenge. 

Back in the car, set the GPS for Heathrow Airport, Gatwick Airport or your London base, and enjoy the remainder of the journey recapping the many, many highlights of this magical taster of England’s incredible south-west. 

Planning a South West England Road Trip

Getting to london.

The start and finish point for this itinerary is London Heathrow, the UK’s largest airport, and a convenient location to collect and drop off a hire car. It’s also in the west of London, so it makes a good launchpad for our journey through the south west. 

You could also start this itinerary from London Gatwick, which has a huge range of car hire options as well and is south of London.  

Both airports are serviced by flights from around the world. Both can also be reached by direct and regular trains from central London, which in turn can be reached by trains from all over the UK mainland and from several cities in Europe.

Best time to visit south west England

People joke about it always being grey in England. And they wouldn’t be entirely wrong. It certainly feels like it’s overcast and drizzly a lot of the time, especially in winter. But there can also be lovely dry, sunny spells. 

Come expecting it to be overcast, always carry a rain jacket, and don’t let it get in the way of your day. In our experience, all the grey days just make the sunny days that much more welcome and enjoyable.  

But is there a best time to visit England’s south west?

Summer – Some would say summer is best, when the chance of sun is greater and the days warmer. It’s a good time to get outdoors, go walking and visit the beaches of the south and south west coasts.  

July and August are the busiest months in these areas, for both tourists and locals. Prices go up and accommodation can book out well in advance, especially in some of the coastal towns we visit on this itinerary. We don’t enjoy crowds or the hassle of trying to find parking in peak periods. So we’d personally avoid road tripping the south west in summer.  

Winter – Over December to February, London and the bigger cities are still busy with tourists but it gets much quieter in the countryside and smaller villages. At this time of year, the days are shorter and it can get really chilly if you’re spending time outdoors. On the plus side, the low sunlight (when it makes an appearance) at this time of year casts everything in a beautiful golden glow.  

Most importantly though, many cafes, restaurants, accommodations and historic sites close over the winter season, generally reopening around late March. We’ve travelled the south west in the wintertime and it’s beautiful, but all the closures can take a bit of the fun out of the itinerary. It’s definitely something to consider when planning your trip.   

Spring and Autumn – In our opinion, the shoulder periods of Spring (March to May) and Autumn (September to November) are the best times to road trip south west England. Outside of holiday periods, it’s not quite as busy and the countryside colours are at their best: bright and vivid in spring, and warm and muted in Autumn. 

Where to stay in south west England

You’ll find just about every kind of accommodation in the south west, to suit every price point. There are campgrounds, vacation rentals, apartments, B&Bs, boutique and budget chain hotels – everything.  

A uniquely British accommodation experience, and one of our favourite types of stay when we travel here, is a room in an historic coaching inn or pub. It’s a wonderfully ambient experience, and often includes an epic Full English breakfast – required eating at least once on road trips in the UK (but maybe not every day like we tend to).  

When we road trip, we usually stay in comfortable mid-range hotels and apartments, preferably with parking onsite or nearby. Throughout this post, we’ve included suggested budget, mid-range and higher price point accommodation options that have excellent reviews and which we’ve either stayed at ourselves, or which we would choose to stay in.   

Book accommodation well ahead, particularly if you’re wanting to stay somewhere particular or you’re travelling during the summer peak period.

We mainly use Booking.com to find and book accommodation when we travel.

Driving and renting a car in England

Some key points to note if you’re coming from overseas and plan on driving in England, or anywhere in the UK: 

• You need to carry a valid driving licence from your home country to drive a car in the UK. However, if your home licence is not in English, you’ll need an International Driving Permit. 
• In the UK, you drive on the left side of the road and your steering wheel is on the right side of the car. 
• Familiarise yourself with the road rules and signage .  
• Always make sure you have appropriate travel insurance. 
• If you’re renting a car, aim to do so well in advance to get the best deal and the right car for you. We use RentalCars.com and Discover Cars to find our hire cars.  

If you have any questions, thoughts or updates to share about our south west England road trip itinerary, let us know in the comments below!   

If you’re looking for more great road tripping itineraries and adventures,  check out our Road Trips page , and our bucket list of 100 ultimate road trips around the world .

6 thoughts on “The Ultimate 2 Week South West England Road Trip Itinerary”

Thanks for sharing amazing information and ideas about road trips and travel in the UK. Regards: Lux Transfers UK

Thanks Maroof, glad you found it useful.

Would like mor information on your tour. Is sounds terrific. Please send information

Thanks for your message! You might be able to find organised tours for this kind of trip by searching on TripAdvisor and similar sites. However, if you’re driving your own car or hiring a car, we hope you might find our post useful as a suggested itinerary for travelling this route independently.

All the best! Danielle and John

The Wells Cathedral looks beautiful. I would love to explore its architecture from inside out. Another landmark that I dream of exploring is the Stonehenge. I would love to do this road trip.

Hey Rezmin, both amazing destinations and well worth a visit! Thanks for your message!

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I-95 in Connecticut will be closed for days after fiery crash damages bridge, governor says

HARTFORD, Conn. — The major traffic artery linking New England with New York will be closed in Connecticut for days after a tanker fire damaged a bridge over Interstate 95, Gov. Ned Lamont said Thursday.

The tanker truck filled with gasoline burst into flames in a three-vehicle crash Thursday on I-95 in southwest Connecticut, closing the East Coast’s main north-south highway and causing major traffic jams. While Lamont said there were no serious injuries in the 5:30 a.m. accident in Norwalk, the crash caused damage to the bridge above it.

“The heat from the burning fuel compromised some of the bridge, so that bridge is going to have to come down and that demolition is going to start first thing tomorrow morning,” Lamont said at a briefing Thursday evening in Hartford.

He said the hope is to reopen the interstate by Monday morning.

Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling said his city’s schools will be closed on Friday. It’s unclear whether they’ll reopen Monday. He urged local employers to consider allowing employees to work from home on Friday, if possible, or use the MetroNorth commuter rail. Additional trains are being added to the rail line, officials said.

While the bridge was less than 10 years old, “the damage was pretty severe due to the amount of gasoline that was in the tanker ignited directly underneath the bridge structure,” Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto said. “The steel did begin to overheat and warp.”

The tanker had been carrying a load of about 8,500 gallons (about 32,000 liters) when it crashed beneath the Fairfield Avenue bridge, officials said. The overpass did not appear in danger of collapsing, said Scott Hill, chief engineer for the Connecticut Department of Transportation.

Eucalitto said it’s unsafe to allow any traffic to pass underneath the bridge in either direction, so the entire bridge, which has beams that cross both spans of highway, has to be removed.

Large equipment was being brought to Connecticut Thursday evening to complete the demolition, which is expected to begin around 3 a.m. on Friday. Lamont said the work could take 24 hours or longer to complete. After that, the roadway may need to be repaved before it can reopen.

It will likely take about a year to replace the bridge, a major artery for the city of more than 91,000 people. Lamont said he is hoping to receive federal reimbursement to cover the cost.

“I’m glad everyone is OK,” Lisa Brinton, who lives south of I-95, told Hearst Connecticut Media. “My concern is the after effect. Norwalk is divided in half by 95 and I drive over Fairfield Avenue bridge everyday.”

The cause of the crash remains under police investigation and no charges have been filed.

About 160,000 vehicles travel that portion of I-95 in both directions daily, Eucalitto said.

Traffic was backed up for dozens of miles during the morning rush hour, and lengthy delays remained in the area into Thursday evening and were expected through the weekend. Slow-moving detours were set up, taking traffic off the highway and around the accident scene. The crash left other highways and secondary roads in gridlock. The major alternate route in the area, the Merritt Parkway, cannot be used by trucks because the underpasses on that highway are too low.

Text alerts were sent to residents of Connecticut, New York and New Jersey, and trucking companies who use the section of I-95 were notified to find alternative routes and means of travel, he said. U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg also was notified.

“I know what an incredible inconvenience this is for people and all I can ask you to do is stay away from that area as best you can,” Lamont said during an earlier briefing in Hartford. “The traffic jams are horrendous.”

Crews offloaded about 4,000 gallons (about 15,142 liters) of gasoline that was unburnt and remained on the tanker. Utility crews were also working to replace downed wires.

Environmental crews worked to clean up gasoline and firefighting foam. The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said the runoff was contained to a retention pond and did not make it into the Norwalk River or the city’s harbor.

The accident was reminiscent of  last year’s  deadly accident in Philadelphia along I-95 when a tractor-trailer carrying gasoline lost control and caught fire, destroying a section of the highway.

The crash also came just over a year after a similar wreck on I-95 in Connecticut that forced the closure of the highway.

In April 2023, another fuel truck caught fire after colliding with a stopped car on the Gold Star Memorial Bridge between New London and Groton. The fuel truck driver was killed. The crash shut down the southbound side of the bridge for hours, while the northbound side was closed briefly.  The driver of the car  was recently charged with negligent homicide.

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I-95 in Connecticut will close for days after fiery crash damages bridge, governor says

A tanker truck filled with gasoline burst into flames in a three-vehicle crash on Interstate 95 in Connecticut. The wreck closed the East Coast’s main north-south highway Thursday and caused major traffic jams, but the state’s governor said there were no serious injuries.

In this image provided by the Connecticut Governor’s Office, emergency personnel work at the scene of a fiery early morning crash that left both sides of Interstate 95, the East Coast’s main north-south highway, shut down in southwestern Connecticut., Thursday, May 2, 2024, in Norwalk, Conn. (Norwalk Fire Department/Connecticut Governor’s Office via AP)

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This image provided by the Norwalk Police Department shows the scene of a tanker fire on I-95 in Norwalk, Conn., Thursday, May 2, 2024. Both sides of I-95, the East Coast’s main north-south highway, were shut down following the early morning crash involving a passenger car, a tractor-trailer and a tanker truck carrying 8,500 gallons (about 32,000 liters) of gasoline. (Norwalk Police Department via AP)

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — The major traffic artery linking New England with New York will be closed in Connecticut for days after a tanker fire damaged a bridge over Interstate 95, Gov. Ned Lamont said Thursday.

The tanker truck filled with gasoline burst into flames in a three-vehicle crash Thursday on I-95 in southwest Connecticut , closing the East Coast’s main north-south highway and causing major traffic jams. While Lamont said there were no serious injuries in the 5:30 a.m. accident in Norwalk, the crash caused damage to the bridge above it.

“The heat from the burning fuel compromised some of the bridge, so that bridge is going to have to come down and that demolition is going to start first thing tomorrow morning,” Lamont said at a briefing Thursday evening in Hartford.

He said the hope is to reopen the interstate by Monday morning.

Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling said his city’s schools will be closed on Friday. It’s unclear whether they’ll reopen Monday. He urged local employers to consider allowing employees to work from home on Friday, if possible, or use the MetroNorth commuter rail. Additional trains are being added to the rail line, officials said.

While the bridge was less than 10 years old, “the damage was pretty severe due to the amount of gasoline that was in the tanker ignited directly underneath the bridge structure,” Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto said. “The steel did begin to overheat and warp.”

The tanker had been carrying a load of about 8,500 gallons (about 32,000 liters) when it crashed beneath the Fairfield Avenue bridge, officials said. The overpass did not appear in danger of collapsing, said Scott Hill, chief engineer for the Connecticut Department of Transportation.

Eucalitto said it’s unsafe to allow any traffic to pass underneath the bridge in either direction, so the entire bridge, which has beams that cross both spans of highway, has to be removed.

Large equipment was being brought to Connecticut Thursday evening to complete the demolition, which is expected to begin around 3 a.m. on Friday. Lamont said the work could take 24 hours or longer to complete. After that, the roadway may need to be repaved before it can reopen.

It will likely take about a year to replace the bridge, a major artery for the city of more than 91,000 people. Lamont said he is hoping to receive federal reimbursement to cover the cost.

“I’m glad everyone is OK,” Lisa Brinton, who lives south of I-95, told Hearst Connecticut Media. “My concern is the after effect. Norwalk is divided in half by 95 and I drive over Fairfield Avenue bridge everyday.”

The cause of the crash remains under police investigation and no charges have been filed.

About 160,000 vehicles travel that portion of I-95 in both directions daily, Eucalitto said.

Traffic was backed up for dozens of miles during the morning rush hour, and lengthy delays remained in the area into Thursday evening and were expected through the weekend. Slow-moving detours were set up, taking traffic off the highway and around the accident scene. The crash left other highways and secondary roads in gridlock. The major alternate route in the area, the Merritt Parkway, cannot be used by trucks because the underpasses on that highway are too low.

Text alerts were sent to residents of Connecticut, New York and New Jersey, and trucking companies who use the section of I-95 were notified to find alternative routes and means of travel, he said. U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg also was notified.

“I know what an incredible inconvenience this is for people and all I can ask you to do is stay away from that area as best you can,” Lamont said during an earlier briefing in Hartford. “The traffic jams are horrendous.”

Crews offloaded about 4,000 gallons (about 15,142 liters) of gasoline that was unburnt and remained on the tanker. Utility crews were also working to replace downed wires.

Environmental crews worked to clean up gasoline and firefighting foam. The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said the runoff was contained to a retention pond and did not make it into the Norwalk River or the city’s harbor.

The accident was reminiscent of last year’s deadly accident in Philadelphia along I-95 when a tractor-trailer carrying gasoline lost control and caught fire, destroying a section of the highway.

The crash also came just over a year after a similar wreck on I-95 in Connecticut that forced the closure of the highway.

In April 2023, another fuel truck caught fire after colliding with a stopped car on the Gold Star Memorial Bridge between New London and Groton. The fuel truck driver was killed. The crash shut down the southbound side of the bridge for hours, while the northbound side was closed briefly. The driver of the car was recently charged with negligent homicide.

Associated Press writer Dave Collins contributed to this report