I grew up in the UK and have lived all over it, from Cornwall to Edinburgh. I’ve driven pretty much every road that matters between the two.
This is the one week UK itinerary I actually recommend to friends visiting from overseas. It starts in London, heads west to Stonehenge and the Cotswolds, up through the Peak District and Yorkshire, along Hadrian’s Wall and up the Northumberland coast, and finishes in Edinburgh. Around 750 miles over seven days.
I won’t pretend it’s not busy. It is. A week isn’t long for a country with this much to see, and the route asks you to move at a reasonable pace. But if you’ve got seven days and you want to see a cross-section of what the UK actually is, rather than spending the whole week in one city, this is how I’d do it.
If you’d rather slow down, my two week UK itinerary is a better fit, and if you want to stay in London the whole time, I’ve got a six day London one for that.
Table of Contents:
One Week UK Road Trip: Day by Day
We’re kicking off this itinerary in London, on the assumption that this is where you’re going to fly into. London has more flight connections than the rest of the country combined, so the chances are high that this is where you’ll be landing.
The route from here heads west to Stonehenge and Bath, up through the Cotswolds and the Peak District, across to Yorkshire, then north along Hadrian’s Wall and up the Northumberland coast to finish in Edinburgh. It’s around 750 miles of driving over seven days.
One note on style. This itinerary moves at a decent pace. It’s doable, but if you’d rather slow down and spend more time in fewer places, you’ll want to adjust it accordingly. As always with these things, treat it as a starting point rather than a prescription.
Day 1: London
I lived in London for several years, and my main piece of advice for a first-time visitor on a tight schedule is this: pick a walking route and commit to it. London is one of the most walkable big cities in the world, and the great thing about walking it is that you stumble into all the things the guidebook doesn’t mention (the little pubs, the Wren churches, the alley that turns out to be eight hundred years old). The tube is brilliant for distances, but use it too much on your first day and you’ll come away with a head full of platforms rather than a head full of London.
Don’t hire a car for London. Just don’t. Between the congestion charge, the low emission zone, the one-way system that seems to have been designed by someone with a grudge, and the fact that central London traffic now moves at roughly the same pace as it did in the age of horses and carts, a hire car in London is an expensive way to sit in traffic. If you must, stay a little outside the centre in a hotel with parking near a public transport hub, or better, pick your hire car up on Day 2 when you leave.
Now. The day itself.
Start at Tower Hill, which gets you to the Tower of London before the queues build up. Allow about two and a half hours here. The Crown Jewels are worth it, the White Tower is worth it, and the Yeoman Warder tours are worth building your visit around (the Yeomen are retired senior military, and they know how to hold an audience). If you’re short on time, skip the Crown Jewels queue and do the White Tower and the walls instead. I think the Tower is one of the few London attractions that actually rewards the full ticket price.
From the Tower, walk across Tower Bridge, then head west along the South Bank. This is, for my money, the best walk in London. You’ll pass the HMS Belfast, Borough Market (stop here for lunch if your timing works, it’s worth the detour), the Shard looming overhead, Shakespeare’s Globe, the Tate Modern, and then the view opens up across the river to St Paul’s. Cross the Millennium Bridge for the classic St Paul’s approach shot, or keep going west along the river.
Continue along the South Bank past the Royal Festival Hall and the London Eye. You’ll want to cross the river at Westminster Bridge for the view of the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, which is properly called the Elizabeth Tower now but nobody actually calls it that.
From Westminster, walk up Whitehall past Downing Street (you can’t get near the door any more, obviously) and the Horse Guards, into Trafalgar Square. If your feet are still with you, carry on up the Mall to Buckingham Palace. If they’re not, the National Gallery is right there on Trafalgar Square and it’s free, and there are few nicer ways to spend an hour than wandering around looking at paintings that are, for whatever reason, free to look at.
For dinner, Soho is a fifteen minute walk from Trafalgar Square and has approximately nine thousand restaurants. Covent Garden is slightly closer and slightly more touristy (though the piazza is lovely in the evening). If you’ve got the energy for a show, the West End theatres are a five minute walk from either.
If you’d rather save money on the various attractions above, and you’ll be visiting a few, the London Pass is worth a look. It’s available in 1, 3 and 6 day versions, and if you’re planning on visiting three or more of the major attractions the savings add up quickly. Jess has written a detailed post on whether the London Pass is worth buying, which is worth a read before you decide.
One last thing. If you’ve got a bit of extra time at the start or end of your week, Windsor Castle and Hampton Court Palace are both easy half-day trips from London and both worth the effort. But I wouldn’t try to fit either into your Day 1 itinerary, you’ll have plenty to see without them.
For accommodation, London has every kind of hotel at every kind of price point. Check the options for London on booking.com, or Plum Guide if you’re after an apartment. I’ve also got a full guide to where to stay in London if you want proper neighbourhood breakdowns.
Day 2: Stonehenge, Bath and the Cotswolds
Day 2 is the busiest day on the itinerary, and I want to flag that up front rather than just list three things and wish you luck. Stonehenge, Bath and the Cotswolds in a single day is doable, but only if you’re organised about it and you start early. Pick up your hire car from a London location that lets you get out of the city without driving through it (Heathrow, Watford Junction or any of the outer boroughs on the western side work well), and get going by 8am.
From London, Stonehenge is roughly an hour and a half by car, which means an 8am departure puts you there shortly after opening. Allow an hour to ninety minutes on site. The stones are smaller than most people expect from photographs (everyone says this, and everyone turns out to be right), but seeing them in person, out in the open landscape of Salisbury Plain, is a different experience entirely. I’ve visited a number of times and I still find the place rather moving. Whatever you believe about who built it and why, you’re standing somewhere people have been standing and wondering about for five thousand years.
From Stonehenge, Bath is about a 45 minute drive. I lived in Bath for a while, and while I’d happily argue the case for a full weekend there, the good news on a schedule like this is that it’s not a big place and the highlights cluster conveniently together.
With a half day to spend, I’d do: a walk along the Royal Crescent (the curved terrace of thirty Georgian houses is the most photographed thing in Bath and deservedly so), the Circus (no, not that kind of circus, it’s another Georgian set piece), Bath Abbey and a stroll across Pulteney Bridge, which is one of only a handful of bridges in the world with shops built along its length. If you’ve got time for one paid attraction, the Roman Baths are worth it. The Romans, as you’d expect from a people who invented underfloor heating and roads that still exist, built a rather good bathing complex here, and the current visitor experience does a good job of bringing it to life.
You could overnight in Bath, and there’s an argument for doing so. But most visitors want to spend time in the Cotswolds too, and the Cotswolds are directly north of Bath, 30 to 45 minutes away depending on which village you’re heading to.
There are dozens of Cotswold villages and no single right answer on which ones to visit. If you only have an afternoon, some of our favourites are Bourton-on-the-Water, Burford and Chipping Campden. We’ve spent a lot of time in the area over the years and, controversially, I think the lesser-known villages are often more enjoyable than the famous ones, purely because there are fewer coaches. Lower Slaughter and Upper Slaughter (named, disappointingly, after an old English word for “wet land” rather than anything dramatic) are both lovely and see a fraction of Bourton’s crowds.
Plan to find somewhere to stay in the Cotswolds or nearby for the night, which sets you up for an early departure north the following morning.
Day 3: Warwickshire and the Peak District
From the Cotswolds, today takes you north through the heart of England. It is a fair bit of driving, but the stops along the way are some of my favourite places in the country, and worth the time.
Your first stop is about an hour and a half north from most Cotswold villages. I’d recommend heading to either Warwick or Stratford-upon-Avon, depending on which appeals more (or both, if you’re an early riser).
Warwick is one of those English towns that feels like it’s barely changed in centuries. The main draw is Warwick Castle, which is spectacular, but if the entry fee gives you pause (it is not cheap), you can get a lot from the town itself. I’d particularly recommend the Lord Leycester Hospital, which despite its name has never actually been a hospital. For over 400 years, this cluster of 14th century buildings has housed retired military veterans. It’s a remarkable bit of medieval architecture.
St. Mary’s Church is also worth popping into. I mistook it for a cathedral the first time I saw it, which gives you an idea of the scale. Head up the tower for a panoramic view across Warwickshire, and don’t miss the Beauchamp Chapel, which is a rather fine piece of medieval craftsmanship.
If you have a soft spot for moated manor houses, it’s also worth a short detour to Baddesley Clinton, a National Trust property just outside Warwick. It is over 500 years old, surrounded by a moat, and has a fascinating history of hiding Catholic priests during the Reformation (the priest-holes are remarkable). You could easily spend an hour here, if not more.
If you’re more of a literature person than a castle person, skip Warwick and head to Stratford-upon-Avon instead. Shakespeare’s birthplace has been pulling in visitors for centuries, and for good reason. Allow a couple of hours to wander the old town, visit Shakespeare’s Birthplace and have a look at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre by the river.
By early afternoon, it’s time to leave Warwickshire behind and continue north to the Peak District. The drive takes about an hour and a half, and as you cross into Derbyshire the landscape shifts noticeably. Rolling green hills, dry stone walls, and tiny villages tucked into valleys.
Find yourself somewhere to stay in the Peak District for the night. There are some lovely options here, from traditional pubs with rooms to converted farm buildings, and the prices tend to be more reasonable than in the Cotswolds. If you arrive with some daylight left, the area around Bakewell is a good place for an evening stroll. The town is famous for its Bakewell Pudding (not “tart”, as the locals will firmly remind you), and you can pick one up from the Old Original Bakewell Pudding Shop.
Day 4: The Peak District and Yorkshire
Set aside your morning for Chatsworth House. If you’re going to visit one stately home on this trip, this should probably be it. Often voted the UK’s favourite country house, Chatsworth has been home to the Dukes of Devonshire since the 1550s, and the current house has over 25 rooms open to the public, filled with an art collection that spans 4,000 years.
I’d allow at least two to three hours here, more if you want to explore the gardens properly. The 105 acres of garden have been evolving for six centuries, and there are water features, sculptures and designed landscapes around every corner. Pre-book your tickets online (particularly in summer, as time slots can fill up). The house is closed during winter (usually January to mid-March), so if you’re travelling in those months, check the opening times before making it a key part of your day.
There’s a good café on site for lunch, or you could head back into Bakewell (about 15 minutes by car) for something.
After Chatsworth, it’s roughly a two-hour drive north to Yorkshire. I lived in Leeds for a while, and Yorkshire is one of those parts of the country that, once you spend time there, you stop being surprised by. The stone villages, the moors, the way people talk to you in the pub as if they’ve known you for years. If you have spare time on any UK trip, add Yorkshire days.
On a schedule like this, the one stop I’d absolutely make is Fountains Abbey, a UNESCO World Heritage Site set in Studley Royal Park.
Thanks largely to Henry VIII and his enthusiasm for dissolving monasteries, England has a lot of ruined abbeys. Fountains is one of my favourites. The ruins of this 12th century Cistercian monastery are magnificent, and the scale of the place isn’t something you can appreciate from photographs. Walking through the roofless nave, with the tower still standing and the arches framing the sky, you get a sense of how ambitious the original construction was. And then there are the 18th century water gardens, which are considered some of the most important in the country. Ornamental lakes, temples, and carefully designed sight lines through the valley.
If you can time it so you’re exploring as the light starts to soften in the late afternoon, you’ll get some lovely photographs. I’ve been here a few times at different times of day, and the golden hour light through the abbey ruins is hard to beat. There’s a solid tea room for when your legs start complaining.
When you’ve had your fill, find somewhere to stay in the nearby area. Ripon is the nearest town and has some good options. The cathedral there is worth a look if you have the energy. It dates back to 672 AD, which makes it one of the oldest in England.
If you’re wondering where York fits into all this, it doesn’t, quite, on this itinerary. York is a superb city and if you’ve got a spare day it’s a 30 minute drive east of Fountains Abbey and makes an excellent base for a night. I’ve got a dedicated guide to spending a weekend in York if you want to work it in. But on a strict seven-day schedule, I’d pick Fountains Abbey as the Yorkshire stop over York, because it’s a quieter experience and the grounds are something you can’t get elsewhere.
Day 5: Hadrian’s Wall
From Ripon, today takes you north into Northumberland and almost two thousand years back in time. The drive up to Hadrian’s Wall takes about two and a half hours, and the landscape gets gradually wilder as you go. The Pennines rise up on your left, the towns get further apart, and by the time you’re crossing into Northumberland proper the dual carriageways have given way to two-lane roads with nothing on either side except sheep and weather.
I lived in Northumberland for a few years, and it remains in my view one of the most underrated parts of the UK. It’s England’s least densely populated county, which means you get landscape on the scale of the Lake District or the Highlands without the crowds that come with them. And it’s got Hadrian’s Wall, which is one of those sights that rewards actually being there in a way that photographs don’t quite convey.
Hadrian’s Wall was built starting in 122 AD, during the reign of the Emperor Hadrian (not a coincidence). It stretched 73 miles from the Solway Firth on the west coast to the Tyne estuary on the east, and marked the northern limit of the Roman empire. The precise reason for building a 73 mile wall is still debated. Keep the Picts out, consolidate the empire’s furthest frontier, give the legions something to do, mild imperial vanity project. My personal theory is that it was mostly because they could, but historians tend to disagree.
The wall itself is in varying states of preservation. Some stretches are up to chest height and walkable along the top; others are just a line in the grass where the foundations used to be. There are multiple places you can visit it, but my favourite stretch by a long way is near Housesteads Roman Fort, where the wall follows the dramatic ridge of the Whin Sill. The views from up here are something else, with the wall snaking across the hilltops in both directions and the empty Northumbrian landscape falling away on the Scottish side. You can walk for miles along the wall here and barely see another person outside of high summer.
Housesteads Fort itself is the most complete Roman fort in the country. It’s run by English Heritage and is worth the entry fee. You can walk through the foundations of the barracks, the granaries, the commander’s house, and what the guidebooks tactfully describe as “the best preserved Roman latrines in Britain” (they are, and they are quite something). Allow a couple of hours for the fort and the wall walk combined.
If you’ve got more time, Vindolanda is a few miles west and makes a great pairing with Housesteads. It’s an active archaeological dig (they’re still finding things after 70 years of excavation) with a superb museum that includes the Vindolanda writing tablets, which are the oldest surviving handwritten documents in Britain. Letters home from Roman soldiers complaining about the weather. Some things, as it turns out, never change.
You may have heard of Sycamore Gap, where a famous lone sycamore tree once stood in a dip in the wall. The tree was illegally felled in 2023, which caused huge public outcry. The stump is showing signs of regrowth, but the landscape has obviously changed. The walk along the wall itself is still one of the best walks in the country, and the site is still worth visiting, but I’d manage expectations if you’re coming specifically for the tree.
For tonight, base yourself in Hexham, which is a lovely old market town about twenty minutes south of the wall. Hexham Abbey is worth a look, the town has good pubs, and there’s a proper selection of accommodation from boutique hotels to traditional inns. Check options in Hexham on booking.com.
If you’re planning to visit several English Heritage properties on this trip (Stonehenge, Housesteads, and potentially more on the way), the English Heritage Overseas Visitor Pass is worth a look. It gives unlimited entry to all English Heritage sites and usually pays for itself after two or three visits. You can buy the pass in advance here.
Day 6: The Northumberland Coast
Today is castle day. The Northumberland coast has more castles per square mile than anywhere else in England, and the whole stretch from Alnwick up to the Scottish border is one of my favourite drives in the country. I used to do it for fun when I lived up here.
The important thing to know about today is that you can’t do all of it. Or rather, you can, but you’d be driving between sights all day and not actually experiencing any of them. Far better to pick the two or three that most appeal to you, spend proper time at those, and leave the rest for next trip. Here’s what each of the options gives you, so you can pick:
Alnwick Castle (pronounced “Annick”, the W is silent, because of course it is) is the one to pick if you want the proper working-castle experience. Home to the Duke of Northumberland since 1309, it’s the second-largest inhabited castle in England after Windsor, and the state rooms are as opulent as you’d expect from a family that’s been collecting for nine centuries. It’s also the Hogwarts castle from the earlier Harry Potter films (the first flying lesson was filmed in the outer bailey), and the last two Christmas specials of Downton Abbey were filmed here too. The gardens, designed by the current Duchess, are a major attraction in their own right. Allow three to four hours if you do both castle and gardens.
Bamburgh Castle is the one to pick if you want the iconic Northumberland photograph. It sits atop a rocky outcrop above a long golden sand beach, and you can see it for miles in either direction along the coast. The native Britons built a fort here that housed the original kings of Northumbria, until the Vikings showed up in 993 and, as Vikings will, burnt the place to the ground. The current structure was rebuilt by the Normans in the 11th century and bought by the Armstrong family in 1894, who still own and live in it. Substantial parts are open to the public. Allow a couple of hours for the castle, plus time on the beach below (which is one of the best beaches in England, and usually empty).
Lindisfarne Castle on Holy Island is the one to pick if you want history and atmosphere. Holy Island is a tidal island, which means the causeway road is submerged at high tide and you must check the crossing times before you go. The tide timetables are published by the Holy Island website and they are not advisory, they are physics. People end up abandoning cars in the sea every year because they tried to beat the tide. Don’t be them.
Assuming you’ve got the tide times right, Holy Island is a lovely place to spend a couple of hours. The castle is a 16th century fort converted into a country house by Edwin Lutyens in the early 1900s, and it’s small but oddly charming. The priory ruins by the harbour are older and more substantial: this was a major centre of early English Christianity in the 7th and 8th centuries, and the site where the Lindisfarne Gospels were produced.
The Farne Islands are the one to pick if you’d rather have wildlife than another castle. Boat trips leave from Seahouses (between Alnwick and Bamburgh) and take you out to see the largest puffin colony in England, along with grey seals, guillemots, and kittiwakes. The best season for puffins is roughly May to July when they’re nesting. It’s one of the best wildlife experiences in the country and a proper change of pace after days of cathedrals and castles. Allow half a day including the boat time.
Dunstanburgh Castle is the one to pick if you want walking and ruins rather than intact castles. It’s one of my favourite ruins in England. You can’t drive to it (the walk from Craster is about 1.5 miles each way along the coast path), but it’s a lovely walk and the castle itself sits on a cliff edge above the North Sea. Bring a camera. Bring a raincoat.
My own order of preference if I were picking for a first-time visitor: Bamburgh for the photograph, Alnwick for the castle experience, then a boat trip to the Farnes if time allows. But there’s no wrong answer here.
For tonight, stay somewhere on or near the coast. Bamburgh village has some lovely places, Alnwick has more options, and Seahouses is the obvious base if you’re doing the Farnes.
Day 7: Edinburgh
Your last day takes you over the border into Scotland, and finishes in Edinburgh, which is one of my favourite cities in the UK. I lived in Edinburgh for four years and could happily write about it at twice the length this section will allow, so I’ll try to be disciplined.
From Bamburgh, the drive to Edinburgh is about two and a half hours up the A1, which follows the coast most of the way. It’s a properly scenic drive: the North Sea on your right, the Cheviots inland on your left, and the road crosses the Scottish border at Berwick-upon-Tweed. Berwick is in England, confusingly, despite sitting on the Scottish side of the River Tweed. It’s changed hands between England and Scotland thirteen times over the centuries and is currently English, but only just.
My advice: drive straight in, drop the hire car, and spend the rest of your day on foot in the city. There are plenty of worthwhile stops on the outskirts of Edinburgh (the Forth Bridges, the Pentland Hills, Rosslyn Chapel for the Da Vinci Code fans), but on a last day where you’ve only got an afternoon for the city itself, the city is what you came for. Save the outskirts for your next trip.
Edinburgh is a nightmare to park in, a worse nightmare to drive in, and with a week behind you, you’ll have earned a day on foot. Edinburgh Airport is 20 minutes from the city centre and has all the major hire operators, and the tram runs directly from the airport to the centre of town in about 30 minutes.
Once you’re in town, here’s what I’d do with an afternoon. Start at Edinburgh Castle, which sits on top of a dormant volcano at one end of the Royal Mile. The castle is worth the entry fee (the Crown Jewels of Scotland, the Stone of Destiny, the Great Hall, the views over the city) and you can comfortably spend two hours there. Book tickets in advance, the on-the-day queues are painful.
From the castle, walk down the Royal Mile, which is Edinburgh’s old town main street, running downhill from the castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse. It’s a mile long (the clue is in the name) and it’s packed with closes, wynds, old pubs and independent shops. At the bottom you’ve got Holyroodhouse, the Scottish Parliament and, if you’ve still got energy, Arthur’s Seat, another dormant volcano with a path to the summit and some of the best views of the city. It’s a proper walk rather than a stroll but the payoff is worth it.
If you’d rather skip the climb, the New Town is on the other side of Princes Street Gardens and is a grid of Georgian streets and squares that are every bit as impressive as anything in Bath (I’d argue more so, but I lived there so I’m biased). George Street, Charlotte Square and the Dean Village are all worth a wander.
For dinner, Edinburgh is in the middle of a good food moment. Leith (the old port district) has become one of the best places to eat in the city and is a short tram or Uber from the centre. Or, if you want atmosphere over cuisine, the Grassmarket has some of the oldest pubs in the city (the Beehive Inn has been serving since the 16th century, as long as you believe their sign).
I’m not going to try to do Edinburgh full justice in a single day’s notes. If you’re ending your trip here and have an evening or a half day before your flight home, I’ve got a two-day Edinburgh itinerary and a guide to the quieter side of the city which should help. For accommodation, Edinburgh has plenty of options from boutique hotels in the old town to apartments in the New Town. Check Edinburgh options on booking.com, but do book early, particularly if you’re visiting in August when the Festival is on and prices triple.
And that, at the end of seven days and 750 or so miles, is the end of the road. Turn your car in the next day at Edinburgh Airport, fly home, and start planning the next trip to fill in the gaps you’ve just identified.
1 Week UK Road Trip Map
Here’s the route laid out visually. You can also open this on Google Maps if you’d rather have it on your phone as you go.
So, Is This Route Worth the Drive?
Seven days, around 750 miles, and a route that takes you from Roman ruins to Renaissance castles to the Cotswolds in between, finishing in the city that I think has the best skyline in the UK. If you’ve never been to Britain before, this gives you a cross-section of what the country actually is: cities and countryside, south and north, England and Scotland, lived-in working towns and picture-postcard villages.
I’ve tested this route myself more times than I can count (both driving it for fun and sending friends down it), and it holds up. The drives between days are, with one exception, all in the two-to-three hour range, which leaves enough energy for actually enjoying each stop. The stops are spaced in a way that means you’re not doubling back on yourself, and the route finishes at an international airport, which is the kind of practical detail a lot of itineraries get wrong.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a car for this itinerary?
Yes. I know that’s not the answer some of you were hoping for. The route as designed takes in places that are either difficult or impossible to reach efficiently by public transport, particularly Northumberland, the Peak District, and the Cotswold villages.
If you’d rather do the UK without a car, we have a separate 10-day UK itinerary by public transport which covers many of the same highlights on trains and buses. If you haven’t driven in the UK before, do check out our guide to driving in the UK before you go. Driving on the left is less traumatic than you’d think, but there are a few things worth knowing.
How much does a one week UK road trip cost?
As a rough guide, budget somewhere between £100 and £200 per person per day depending on your accommodation choices and how many paid attractions you visit. London and Edinburgh will be at the higher end of that range. The rural sections will come in cheaper.
That’s a wide range because UK travel costs really do vary this much. A couple staying in chain hotels and doing a few paid attractions will spend a very different amount from two people staying in boutique B&Bs and eating at the best restaurant in every town. We have a more detailed guide to the cost of travel in the UK if you want to plan your budget properly before you go.
Can I do this itinerary in reverse?
Yes, and there’s a reasonable argument for doing so if your flights work out that way. If you’re flying into Edinburgh rather than London, running the route south to north in reverse works fine. The driving distances and timings are the same in either direction, obviously.
The only thing I’d flag is that ending your trip in London gives you marginally better international flight options than ending it in Edinburgh. But it’s marginal.
Which airports should I fly into and out of?
For a traditional south-to-north run, fly into any London airport (Heathrow has the most long-haul connections, but Gatwick and Stansted can be cheaper), and fly out of Edinburgh. Edinburgh Airport has direct flights to most of Europe and to a number of US east coast cities.
If flying out of Edinburgh isn’t an option (or is much more expensive), you can add a day to drive back to London, or take the train south from Edinburgh to London which takes about 4.5 hours on the East Coast mainline.
Is this itinerary suitable for first-time visitors to the UK?
It’s built for first-time visitors who want to see a range of what the UK has to offer. It takes in England and Scotland, mixes cities with countryside, and gives you a feel for how different the various regions are from each other (more different than most people expect). If it’s your first time in London specifically, you may want to extend the London portion to two days and trim Warwickshire or the Peak District accordingly.
What’s the best way to book accommodation along this route?
Book in advance, particularly for London and Edinburgh, where demand is consistently high and last-minute options tend to be expensive. For the rural sections there’s generally more flexibility, but you’ll still find better prices if you book a few weeks ahead.
We use Booking.com for most of our accommodation bookings. Their free cancellation policies on a lot of properties mean you can book early and still adjust as your plans firm up.
When is the best time of year for a UK road trip?
Late spring (May to early June) and early autumn (September to early October) are the sweet spots. Long days, fewer crowds than the peak summer months of July and August, and reasonable weather by British standards. I’ve detailed my thoughts on seasons below.
How to Get Around the UK
This one should be pretty obvious: I’m going to suggest a rental car. This itinerary is only really doable as a self-drive, and the UK has good roads (with the occasional exception where centuries of “we’ll just widen this Roman road a bit” have produced something best described as character-building).
We 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 few practical notes. Most rental cars in the UK are manual transmission; if you want an automatic, specify at booking because they’re scarcer and tend to be more expensive. Modern rental cars will be ULEZ-compliant for London, so you don’t need to worry about emission charges. And if you’re from a country that drives on the right, give yourself half a day to get used to the left-hand-drive setup before tackling anything technical. Roundabouts are where this gets tested.
When To Visit the UK
The UK has what I can only describe as persistently changeable weather. Having grown up there, I can tell you that a perfect June day and a washout July are both plausible, and neither should be a surprise. The good news is that you don’t really get extremes in either direction, so travelling in any season is workable.
If I had to pick one month, I’d say May. The bluebells are out across the English woodland, the days are long, the tourist crowds haven’t yet reached their summer peak, and the country looks its best. June is nearly as good, with the advantage that Scotland in June gets daylight until almost midnight.
July and August are busy. Not apocalyptically so, but Edinburgh in August during the Festival is a different city from Edinburgh in October, and accommodation prices reflect that. The Cotswolds also see their peak crowds in these months, and the popular villages can be difficult to navigate by early afternoon. If you’re travelling in summer, start your days early.
September is, in my view, the most underrated month for this trip. The summer crowds thin out, the weather is still reasonable, and the light for photography is better as the sun sits lower. Autumn colours in the Peak District and Northumberland can be lovely from mid-October, though the days shorten noticeably by then.
Winter has its own appeal if Edinburgh in December with Christmas markets is your kind of thing. Some of the more rural sections of this route will feel bleak in December and January, and some smaller attractions reduce their opening hours or close entirely. Chatsworth House, in particular, is closed from early January to mid-March.
One piece of practical advice regardless of month: avoid UK bank holidays and school holidays if you can. The UK has a number of public holidays through the year, and the roads and attractions fill up. A quick web search for “UK bank holidays [year]” will show you when to avoid.
Where to Stay in the UK
The UK has loads of accommodation options, from cosy B&Bs through to upscale hotels, as well as all the chains you’d expect. Here’s how we approach it:
We’ve tried a lot of booking sites, and we nearly always end up using Booking.com. They have an extensive selection of properties, many with no-fee cancellation policies, and they often run discounts and special offers. Click on each city title to see their listings: London, the Cotswolds, the Peak District, Yorkshire, Northumberland, and Edinburgh.
If you’d prefer an apartment or a more hosted stay, we recommend Plum Guide. We’ve tried most of the alternatives, and Plum Guide consistently has the best quality in the locations we’ve used them in.
If you can’t find what you want on Plum Guide, or you want some other options, we’ve written a whole post on the best alternatives to Airbnb, as well as a guide to our favourite holiday cottage accommodation in the UK.
Two passes are also worth a look if you’re planning to visit a lot of historical properties. The National Trust Explorer Pass gives access to hundreds of National Trust properties across England, Wales and Northern Ireland (Baddesley Clinton, Fountains Abbey and Lindisfarne Castle are all on it for this itinerary). The English Heritage Overseas Visitor Pass covers all English Heritage properties (Stonehenge, Housesteads, and a lot more). Both are available as short-trip passes (7 or 9 days) and can save you a meaningful amount if you’re visiting three or more properties on them.
What About a Tour of the UK?
We’re often asked if a trip like this can be done as part of a tour instead of driving yourself. The answer is yes, and you’ve got a few options.
First, you could take a group tour. Someone else handles the logistics, and you just turn up and enjoy. We’ve used and can recommend Rabbie’s Trail Burners, a small-group tour operator with lots of experience and good guides. They run a wide range of tours of varying lengths covering many parts of the UK. This 8 day tour runs from London to Edinburgh and covers a route broadly similar to this itinerary.
You can also arrange a private tour. This will usually cost more, but lets you put together something fully customised. Rabbie’s customised tour service is our go-to recommendation.
Another option is a professional driver-guide. This website lists all the certified Blue Badge guides offering tours across the UK. We’ve taken tours with these guides and always had a good time.
Further Reading for Your UK Trip
And that wraps up my guide to one week in the UK. Before you go though, we’ve got lots of other resources to help you plan your trip:
- If you want a longer trip taking in Wales and Ireland, check out our two week UK itinerary. We also have a detailed Wales road trip itinerary.
- Since this is a self-drive trip, do check out our guide to driving in the UK for tips.
- For budget planning, see our guide to how much it costs to travel in the UK.
- If you’d prefer not to drive, we have an itinerary for 10 days in the UK by public transport.
- We have guides to many of the cities and sights on this itinerary:
- A two day London itinerary and one day London guide for alternative London plans.
- A guide to visiting the Tower of London and where to stay in London.
- A six day London itinerary and tips on buying and using the London Pass.
- The best photography locations in London and eight things to do in Kensington.
- Our guide to Stratford-upon-Avon.
- A guide to 10 of the best stately homes in England if Chatsworth has given you a taste.
- A two day Edinburgh itinerary and 21 highlights in Edinburgh.
- Edinburgh off the beaten path and Jess’s guide to the Royal Edinburgh Ticket.
- If you want to extend into Scotland, our guide to driving Scotland’s North Coast 500, and where to stay on the NC500.
- A guide to touring the Scottish Borders and things to do in Cambridge.
- If you want a physical guidebook, Amazon has a good line in UK travel guides, including the Lonely Planet and the Rough Guide to the UK.
Sasha says
Hi Lawrence,
I’m doing a 5 day trip on my motorbike from Liverpool to London. I’ve tried to pull together a route but I seemed to have picked the wrong stop points as I don’t know a lot about the areas. I would like history, good views and to stay away from busy cities where I can. Could you recommend a route please?
Thank you!
Sasha
Laurence Norah says
Hi Sasha,
So I would probably head east from London towards Stonehenge / Avebury, where you can definitely see some history. Salisbury is also a lovely town to explore. From there, I’d head north up into the Cotswolds, which has a lot of stunning villages and quintessential English countryside. Towns like Circencester, Bibury, Burford, Bourton on the Water etc. There are lots of nice B&B style accommodation options in the area to enjoy. If you are interested in Shakespeare, you can head up to Stratford-Upon-Avon which is also a nice town. After that I’d suggest the Peak District National Park which is also very pretty. Chatsworth House is a lovely stately home but there is good walking and lots of nice villages here as well. From there it’s an easy trip across to Liverpool perhaps via Chester if you have spare time.
I hope this makes sense, let me know if you need any more input!
Safe travels, would love to hear how your trip goes 🙂
Laurence
Karen says
Hello Laurence,
I need help please, so we are following your 7 days road trip to Edinburg.
1 Week UK Itinerary Summary
Days 1 & 2: London
Day 3: Stonehenge, Bath and the Cotswolds
from costwold, is it possible to drive through Yorkshire straight to Manchester
Days 4 & 5: Warwickshire, The Peak District & Yorkshire (for this 2 days we want to stay in Manchester) from Manchester train to Edinburgh..
Do we need to rent a car in Edinburgh?
Day 6: Edinburg
Day 7: Edinburgh
What do you think?
Thank you in advance.
Cheers,
Karen
Laurence Norah says
Hi Karen,
Sure thing. So yes, it is possible to drive from the Cotswolds to Manchester, it’s about a 3 hour drive. However you won’t be driving through Yorkshire, which is to the east and north of Manchester. You would also have passed Warwickshire and the Peak District if you drive up to Manchester as they are both south of Manchester.
For Edinburgh you definitely don’t need a car, the city centre is very easy to get around either on foot on by local bus. The only exception would be if you wanted to visit sights out of town of course.
Have a great trip!
Laurence
Karen says
Thank you for your help!
Merry Christmas!🎄
Karen says
Hi Laurence and Jessica,
The only blog that I can trust. Thank you for this wonderful article. We are travelling to Uk on august , for 7 days before heading to Ireland. I have a question, my husband’s dad was born in manchester and grandmother born in Bath. so we will definitely visit bath and probably stay in costwold for the night (can you recommend a hotel or b and b) in this itinerary can we add manchester before edinburgh?
Thank you for taking time to read. God bless you both!
Karen
Laurence Norah says
Hey Karen,
My pleasure. So yes, you could definitely tweak this itinerary to include Manchester, it would be around days 4 or 5 and you would want to adjust what you see in that area instead. It’s quite a busy itinerary already, so you would definitely want to swap something out.
In terms of a hotel, there are so many great ones to choose from and it would really depend a lot on how far from Bath you wanted to drive. Bath is right at the southern end of the Cotswolds, and you can drive for a couple of hours from there up to Chipping Norton, and all of that drive would be through the Cotswolds. Villages to consider would be Bibury, Bourton on the Water, Lower Slaughter, Stow-on-the-Wold, Broadway and Chipping Campden. I think any of those would be a lovely option.
Have a wonderful time!
Laurence
Karen says
Great Thanks. I appreciate it.
Sean says
Thank you for your blog. This is a trip for the future — just took my family to Venice and Paris for 10 nights. Anyway, as a note, I would estimate that your itinerary is too full (both of them). It’s very high paced without real time to stop and smell the roses. But, it’s a very, very solid starting point, well considered, and much better than anything I have. Thanks again!
Laurence Norah says
Hi Sean!
Our pleasure 🙂 We absolutely agree that this is a pretty full itinerary, and as you say, most of our itineraries are. The idea is to show what is possible (some people really like to pack it in!), but we highly recommend folks pare them back to what is suitable for them, as everyone has a different travel style. So we hope this works as a good basis for you to work from, and that you have a great trip in the future!
Laurence
Sean says
Awesome photography, too!
Laurence Norah says
Thank you!
Chiang Kok Weng says
Dear Laurence and Jessica, we are from Singapore. We are a family of 4 adults planning to do a one week tour of UK at the end of the year, just after Christmas and into the New Year. We saw your one week itinerary and it looks quite fun and exciting. We are wondering if this itinerary is doable with self-drive as we are not familiar with the crowd, weather and road condition during this period.
Thanks much!
Chiang
Laurence Norah says
Hi Chiang,
This should be fine even at Christmas and New Year. Snow is uncommon in the UK – usually it is just wet. Of course, it is possible that there will be snow and ice, but the roads are usually well treated so you should not have any problems. Just drive to the conditions of the road and you should be fine. Have a great trip and let me know if you have any more questions!
Laurence
Amber says
Hi, just wanted to say thanks for sharing all this! I know it is a ton of work but your posts are amazing!
Laurence Norah says
Thanks very much Amber, it’s appreciated 😀
Carole Cavers says
Dear Laurence and Jessica, My husband and I are from New Zealand and are planning a trip to the UK for the first time. We arrive at Heathrow on the 20 August 11.45am and leave from Heathrow 20 September. We have been looking at lots of options and have decided to rent a car to travel around England, Scotland and Wales. We intend to fly to Ireland and pick up another rental car (if you think that would be wise) to see the sights there. My question is, what would you recommend for an itenarary so we get to see some sights in each country, finishing our trip with 5 days in London for sightseeing. Your recommendations would be much appreciated.
Thanks, CC
Laurence Norah says
Hi Carole!
So my advice would be to essentially follow my two week UK itinerary (https://www.findingtheuniverse.com/two-weeks-in-ukmy-perfect-itinerary/), but to extend it to a month. I would also recommend flying across the Irish Sea rather than worrying about car rentals and ferries. It wouldn’t be heard to extend the itinerary as you could add in time in Wales, the Highlands, and much more time in Ireland. But it should give you a good basis for a trip that you can work on.
I hope this helps a bit!
Laurence
Kathy says
Hi Laurence…so many helpful hints on your site for us ignorant non Brits! I’d love your opinion on our September 4 wk visit from Aust. All accommodation booked – 3 nts Prague, 4 nts Paris, 10nts London, train to Bath, pick up hire car to Mevagissey 3 nts, 3 nts Cotswolds, 1nt York, 1 nt Ft William, 2 nts Plockton, Edinburgh 1 nt via Perth. Leave car.. Then we’d like to train from Edinburgh to Windsor as have 2 nts booked there before flying home – . It seems that we have to change trains at Piccadilly or Kings Cross to get the Windsor line..any suggestions please? ( picturing us 3 over 65 ers in peak hr with luggage climbing stairs at a train station ???? ( pretty stretch Edinburgh to York so not keen on flying )
Locals on other forums are horrified at us doing so much driving in that time but many OP here doing similar so don’t feel so bad!
Thanks so much for any thoughts you have on all of this!
Laurence Norah says
Hi Kathy!
Thanks very much. I’m happy to help out of course. It sounds like you have an amazing trip planned out!
Since everything is booked it sounds like the itinerary is fairly well arranged. My only feedback is that 10 days is quite a long time in London, although there is so much to see that you could easily fill more time than that. Our 6 day London itinerary is probably going to give you the most help in terms of planning. You can see that on our other blog here: https://independenttravelcats.com/london-itinerary-6-days-in-london/
For your first question, you are correct about needing to change trains. The majority of trains from Edinburgh arrive at Kings Cross, wheras trains to Windsor go from Paddington or Vauxhall. In either case, you are going to have to take the underground, and trust me, I know what carting luggage around down there is like!
The good news is that Kings Cross tube station is now fully accessible, which means that there are lifts from the platform to street level. I should warn you in advance though that you do have to take multiple lifts, there is not just one lift. There will be a lift map to help you figure this out. This is because the station was built a good long time ago, before such things as lifts to tube platforms were thought of as being handy, so they’ve had to put lift shafts where they can rather than necessarily where is totally logical.
At the other end, Vauxhall also has full lift access. Paddington has escalator access, so if you prefer a lift, the route from Vauxhall will be easier.
In terms of your itinerary, especially given that you are coming from Australia, I suspect you will not find the driving distances that long! After my year of travelling in Australia, my perspective of what makes for a “long drive” certainly changed a great deal! The longest drive you have is going to be between York and Fort William. That would be nearly a 6 hour drive without stops.
I hope this helps, don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any more questions 🙂
Laurence
Kathy Jones says
Hi again Laurence……do you think the scenery is worth taking the train (first class maybe) from Edinburgh to London please? ( I’ve read posts that it’s lovely especially Edinburgh to York). Otherwise we’d consider flying using Easyjet.
Also we wondered about train London to Truro or Bodmin ( sleeper?) to save a bit of driving! Good idea or not? Getting an idea how hire car versus train cost, for this trip is confusing …prices vary a lot. Thanks heaps.
Laurence Norah says
Hi Kathy 🙂
The view from Edinburgh to York on the train is really nice, I have done that journey many times, and the Northumberland coastline is just stunning. First class is going to be more comfortable, and if you book well in advance the prices are not that expensive either. Flying is another option, but to be honest, the time saving is a bit of a myth – by the time you’ve got to the airport at one end and from the airport at the other, as well as gone through security etc, it won’t really save you any time. Plus the train doesn’t require you to worry about bag weight and size.
Train prices vary a lot depending on the time of day, day of week and how far in advance you book. Going to Cornwall for example on a Friday afternoon will likely be more expensive as it’s popular time to return from London. Car hire might be cheaper, especially as you can split it between you, whereas you need individual train tickets. Note that cars are usually cheaper to hire from city centre locations rather than airports. The overnight train is a good option, but these are usually not budget options. However you do save a night in a hotel, which is another cost. I would definitely recommend having a car in Cornwall for sight seeing though.
Laurence
Kathy J says
Thanks again for your time Laurence. Sensible advice there…!! I spend too much time browsing your website ????
Laurence Norah says
My pleasure Kathy. Delighted to have been of help 😀
Greg n Ramona Willingham says
Laurence & Jessica,
I am so thrilled to have found y’all and your amazing website. My husband and I are from Alabama here in the States and are super excited for our upcoming trip. We are working together to plan an experience of as many sites as are reasonably possible, without stressing ourselves out, and doing a fair job at controlling our modest budget. We feel that experiences shouldn’t cost a fortune and responsible spending is doable without sacrificing quality. I have been doing research for almost 2 months and cannot believe it took that long to find all of this fantastic information! Thank you for sharing your experiences, guides and useful information.
My husband and I are planning our 20th anniversary trip to the UK; England/Wales/Scotland & Ireland for November 8-24, 2019. We will fly overnight on the 8th and return the 24th. I have researched public transport (coaches/trains), car hires, & even various flights from one main local to another. We are flying into London at approximately 10am November 9th and planned to nap after settling in and then exploring London. We will be flying out of Dublin the morning of the 24th back to London until our later afternoon flight that same day. We have considered doing a sail-rail pass to Dublin from Scotland or England, even though it’s a bit pricey. Many people have told us that it’s an unforgettable experience. We are strongly leaning towards a car hire for the UK portion and then returning the car for a flight to Dublin from Glasgow or the sail/rail pass over. While in Dublin, we plan on doing day trips from there. We feel having a base is more secure and comfortable than lugging around our packs….lol!!! ???? I have discovered that we can do 5 days of single day trips for about $550/each for those 5 days and have found that the price is relatively inexpensive due to the transport, entrance fees, tour guides, and the few meals included. This should also give us the opportunity to allow another to drive as we relax on the last leg of our trip. Those day trips will allow us to venture to all coasts and Belfast: 1-Aran Islands-2-Cork/Cobh-3-Wicklow/Avora Mill Village…(misspell I’m sure ????)-4-Belfast/Giants Causeway-5-Dublin itself. Respectively, that should place UAB in Dublin the night of the 18th or early the 19th. My husband wants to do the ferry but considering the cost and the time needed I am more inclined to fly over for a small fare and enjoy a day of settling in and exploring a bit for dinner and guiness rofl ????. However, I suggested we maybe do a ferry to Isle of Man. I think he would enjoy that area as an avid rock-climber. We would like to add Bath & Cardiff to our road trip out of London then maybe head to the car museum in the Coswolfs then off to Chester-York-Newcastle-then on into Scotland for Edinburgh-Pitlochry (probably spelt that wrong too ????)-Inverness-Maybe Skye-Definetly Glen Co-Glasgow-Then on to Dublin by ferry or flight; as stated prior. Stonehenge isn’t a top priority for us but we dont mind drive by for a photo or 2, then to Bath and on to Cardiff. Would this be doable with our travel time and driving ourselves or would we better served searching out daytrips or multiday trips from London on to Edinburgh, etc? If this is doable, is our planned route workable or should we modify our planned route? Oh, my husband would also like to visit Greta Green but I’m unsure how to make that happen. Could York to Greta Green before going on to Edinburgh be feasible? Thank you in advance for your time and information.
Greg & Ramona ????????????
Laurence Norah says
Hi Greg and Ramona!
Wow, sounds like you’ve done a great job of planning 🙂 I would say that your route is certainly do-able. Personally I’d fly from Glasgow to Dublin as you have mentioned, it will take a bit less time. For your trip, I think driving yourself is going to be your best option as it will give you the flexibility you will need, and you won’t have to keep returning to a base which will cost you time. I think your timetable is busy but certainly achievable, and your route looks sensible to me.
York -> Newcastle -> Gretna Green -> Edinburgh is possible. It’s a bit of a detour but not a major one 🙂
Let me know if I can be of any more help!
Laurence
Greg n Ramona Willingham says
Thank you for the quick reply Laurence. It’s great to hear we are on the right track with our plans and that the flight seems the most reasonable way to get to Dublin without a large amount of time wasted. Thank you again and have a blessed day. ????????????
Patt Snow says
I loved reading your itineraries! So very helpful! I will be traveling in May, 2 weeks with my hub and granddaughter recent high school graduate, she’s an avid reader, taught herself Welsh, wants to be a librarian. Here’s my conundrum: I rented a condo near Snowdonia NP for one week and cannot cancel without relinquishing my payment. What do you recommend for that week and then if I could extend our trip for an additional 8 days what path would you take? We will rent a car in London on our way of the city…I’m allowing 2 nights in London and then onto Snowdonia! Thank you so much for any input!
Laurence Norah says
Hi Patt!
Our pleasure. Snowdonia is a stunning part of the UK, and you won’t regret spending a week there. I spent a long time in this area as my grandparents used to live in the national park, and it is magnificent. There is plentiful hiking as well as lovely coastline, beaches, and cute villages and towns to visit. So don’t worry, you will have a wonderful time. It’s also the part of Wales where Welsh is quite commonly spoken, so your daughter will have ample opportunity to practice.
If you did want to extend, my advice would be to visit some of the towns and cities between London and Snowdonia, so as to have a balanced trip – Snowdonia is more countryside, so you might want to experience a bit of culture. So some ideas might be Oxford, Liverpool, Bristol or Bath, to give you a balanced trip!
I hope this helps – have a wonderful trip!
Laurence
Patt Snow says
Laurence, thank you for your prompt reply. We are definitely looking forward to our time in Snowdonia! I’m just not certain how to incorporate driving time. London to 2 nites Oxford, then onto Wales. Would a day trip from Snowdonia to Cardiff be crazy as far as drive time? Then, I’m thinking ferry to Dublin and driving north, reentering Great Britain in Scotland, visiting Highlands 1 day, driving to Edinburgh for two nights,and back to London for two nights???? Is two nights in Ireland enough time? Of course we want to kiss the Blarney stone! I’m all over the place????!
Laurence Norah says
Hi Patt,
No worries 😀 So I think you could do just one night on Oxford and still see plenty. Snowdonia to Cardiff would be a long drive – there are no motorways in Wales, so driving times are significantly increased compared to the rest of the country. So I wouldn’t personally do that trip, but it’s up to you of course.
Otherwise your itinerary looks pretty good. Of course, there’s never enough time and always more to see, and you will be driving a fair bit, but if you are happy with that then go for it!
Patt Snow says
Laurence! You are awesome! Thank you so much for your input! I love a good Roadtrip and am so very excited to visit these wonderful places I’ve always read about!! Your site has certainly given me a great guideline…I’m not feeling terribly overwhelmed at this moment!???? I think I can plan this! I thank you so very much and I look forward to reading about more of your travels!!!
Laurence Norah says
Thanks Patt, that’s brought a big smile to my face! Do let me know if we can help any more. If not, we always love to hear how trips go after the fact 😀
Sylvia says
Hello Laurence & Jessica, I am so glad to chance upon your site, So love your story sharing and the photographs. THANK YOU!
I am Sylvia from Singapore, have spent 2-yr in Newcastle in mid 90’s and have been to various parts of England & Scotland. My last trip was 15 yr ago (didn’t realize it’s been so long)! I am planning a 8.5-days trip in Dec with my family (arriving 3rd, departing night of 11th). My teenage daughter has never been to UK and I’d love to show her it’s really more than London. Anyway, this trip is really for her. 🙂
I’d like to get your advice.. here’s the must have.. London, Stonehenge, Bath, Manchester (to catch a match on 5-Dec), Newcastle. My hubby has very fond memories of Wales and be great if we could include a walk/hike in the region. A trip to York/Edinburgh or Ireland would be bonus but not sure if time permits. Is it better to start from London (3-4 Dec)? Would it be less crowded on Mon/Tue to weekend? Another crazy thought is include a day trip to Paris.
Also, would be great if you can recommend some places for best fish & chips, scones and a good pint of guinness.
Much thanks! Sylvia
Laurence Norah says
Hi Sylvia!
Thanks for your comment, it’s always appreciated! Let me try to help!
Your trip does sound do-able, but it depends on how rushed you wanted to be. We’d suggest at least two days in London, and from London it’s easy enough to do a day trip that includes Stonehenge and Bath. However, as you are doing Manchester on the 5th, you might need to do this after that, as you’ll want to get up to Manchester in time for the match on the 5th. A train to Manchester from London is easy enough, just book in advance for the best tickets. Then you can get a train from Manchester to Newcastle, and then back down to London.
If you wanted to visit Wales, I think the best option would be from Manchester. York could be done on the way from Manchester to Newcastle, either as a day stop or an overnight stop.
Personally, with the time you have I’d probably advise against adding Ireland or France, as it’s just going to involve more travel days and less time sight-seeing. For food and drink, to be honest, most pubs serve decent Guinness these days, just make sure you visit a popular one so that the barrels are regularly cleaned. We usually just check google reviews, and find a pub that does good fish and chips. London will generally be more expensive, other cities less so 🙂
Hope this helps!
Laurence
Sylvia says
Thank you Laurence! We plan to self-drive (outside of London) for greater flexibility. Will use your links to book car and accommodation. I will share with you how our trip goes. Regardless, I know it will be a blast!
Let me know if I can bring anything for you from Singapore. 🙂
Laurence Norah says
Hey Sylvia! Thanks so much 😀 We’ve not actually visited Singapore, so we don’t know what we would want, but that’s very kind of you to offer 🙂 Do let us know how your trip goes!
Miyako says
Hello, I would greatly appreciate some advice on our first 9D8N trip (last min) in early Nov to London. We will be flying into Gatwick and leaving from there. There are so many sight-seeings in London, however we are thinking if we could squeeze in a self-drive to see the countryside.
What would the weather be like in November? We are hoping to capture some gorgeous pics at the countryside. If the weather is bad, then perhaps we will just do London and one more city.
We would like to visit the following:
Windsor Castle
Bath
Stonehenge
Chelsea Stadium
Edinburgh
Westminister Abbey
St Paul’s Cathedral
Imperial War museum
Churchill War rooms
Tower Bridge
Shard skyscrapper
Big Ben
British museum
London Bridge experience
Sky Garden
Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre
Moulin Rouge
London eye
London zoo
Is it too ambitious? Could you help us plan a route that is most efficient? We would also like to catch a musical.
Many thanks in advance!
Laurence Norah says
Hi Miyako,
Your itinerary definitely looks achievable. I would suggest you need around three- four days in London to get all those things done. You would then want a day for Stonehenge and Bath, and half a day for Windsor. These are possible as day trips from London, or you can visit them independently. So with the amount of time you have, i think you should be fine.
My only feedback is around the Moulin Rouge – do you mean the musical? Because the actual Moulin Rouge is in Paris 🙂 For Edinburgh I would recommend at least two days. If you only visit Edinburgh, it will probably be quicker to fly or take the train.
I hope this helps – have a wonderful trip!
Laurence
Cass says
Hi Laurence,
Cass here from Malaysia 🙂 I’m doing some research to plan for a 5 days (11th -15th Sept) road trip from London to Edinburgh & back to London, and found that your article is really useful for me & the itinerary pretty fits to my itinerary!
Appreciate if you could advice on my 5 days itinerary if I’m driving with my family (6 of us)? Or would you suggest us to go with other transportation? If you recommend driving, where is good to rent a 7 seaters?
I think I would most likely follow 80% of your itinerary here but would be helpful if you could share some advice here as I have some concerns. I will skip London cz I’ve been there. Prefer to explore more of cities outside London especially Edinburgh 🙂 Not too keen on visiting churches or normal structure, but love experiencing, sightseeing., nice places for pictures haha! Of course if the church is a super historical one then we don’t mind. Just hope to visit as many places out of London as possible within these 5 days (**sorry abit greedy haha!) By the way, a lil confused on point 3 & 4.
Much apologies for the last minute enquiries as my schedule is kinda tight over here.
Looking forward to your reply! 😀
Thanks,
Cass.
Laurence Norah says
Hey Cass!
Great to hear from you. So to answer your question on car hire, we usually try Enterprise and Priceline. I just checked, and both have the option to specify how many passengers, and they both have options for 6 people 🙂 You can see links under our car hire suggestions here:
https://www.findingtheuniverse.com/travel-resources/#Car-Rental
For the itinerary in this post, a car is definitely going to work better than public transport. For six of you, a car will also be more cost effective, as tickets for six people, especially at this short notice, will definitely work out more expensive.
So for your trip, I would follow the itinerary pretty closely, but skipping London. Perhaps start with Stonehenge and the Cotwolds, then overnight in Oxford on your first night (https://www.findingtheuniverse.com/6-ways-spend-day-oxford/). Second day you could explore Oxford then head north to Warwick. Overnight at Warwick, see the sights, then head further north, perhaps to York for your third night. Then on again, maybe a night in Durham, before your last night in Edinburgh?
Should give you something to work from anyway, without too much driving every day!
Hope this works for you! Have a great trip 🙂
Laurence
Stella says
Thank you for providing such a great itinerary! My family and I are planning a trip for about 5 or 6 days total to the UK and the only set plan is to leave from London at the end of the trip. Now, we either want to go to Oxford and stay in that area for a few days, or go to Edinburgh and take a train directly to London. Which would you recommend? Thanks!
Laurence Norah says
Hey Stella! My pleasure 🙂
Well, it really depends on what you want to see. From Oxford you have access to the Cotswolds and highlights like the Roman city of Bath, and of course, Stonehenge. Edinburgh is a bit bigger than Oxford so there is a bit more to see and do in the city, and then of course there are a lot of great day trips you can do to places like Loch Lomond, the highlands – even Loch Ness. So I guess it depends on if you want more cute villages, or more dramatic medieval city / landscapes!
I love both cities, so it’s hard to pick, but as a city I think Edinburgh has a bit more to offer, just because of the size. Hope this helps – have a great trip!
Cherry Vanderhoek says
HI there,
I was originally going to do your one week itinerary starting in London and ending in Glasgow but now due to flights I have to start in Gatwick and end in Gatwick. I love everything on your itinerary. I want to see quant villages, Stonehenge, Castles (medieval if possible) and I do love the look of that one house where they were inspired for Lord of the Rings, beautiful. I also wouldn’t mind seeing a nice market and a couple local pubs along the way. By the looks of things, based on your one week itinerary, I could do:
London- Stonehendge/Bath/Cotswolds/- Warwickshire/Peak District/Yorkshire
but than after that I would need to start rounding back down towards Gatwick. What do you suggest and where can I fit in Cambridge and possibly a medieval castle and a market? Or should I spend more time in London at the end?
Keep in mind I have been to London before and have seen alot of the main sites but definitely not all of them. How is the driving there, I will be on my own?
Thank you 🙂
Laurence Norah says
Hi Cherry!
Well, Warwick has a castle, as does Oxford, so you might want to add in Oxford on your way out. You could do Cambridge on the way back to London from York, that would be quite easy. York is also home to a pile of medieval streets which should tick that box very nicely. Also, not to forget, London has a super old castle in the form of the Tower of London – although I suspect you might have been there already.
In terms of driving, the UK isn’t too bad once you get used to being on the left side (I have some tips for driving in the UK here: https://www.findingtheuniverse.com/tips-for-driving-in-the-uk/). I’d definitely avoid driving in London though, it’s really slow and inefficient, parking is hard to find, and the congestion charge makes it really expensive! So definitely avoid that if you can.
Otherwise, have a great trip, and let me know if I can help any more!
Laurence
Joe says
I would love to follow your itinerary and would love to add 2-3 more days in it. Will be a family of 5 with 3 preteens. Are there any special considerations. Would like to see Stonehenge from road and would like to drove through Stratford on Avon. Would also like to add York to our trop and see Sycamore gsp. Is it worth going to Edinburgh in August for festival or should we avoid it? Any thoughts on where to stay town-wize in the Cotswolds and where would be the best placd to make a run for York and still ser Chatworth, Baddesly and the ruins? Thanks.
Laurence Norah says
Hey Joe! I guess it depends on the stamina of your kids 🙂 If they are very young then usually we advise cutting back a fair bit, but if they’re closer to teenage then they probably have more energy than everyone else 😉
Edinburgh is great in August if you are into the festival, but it is very very busy (and accommodation is harder to come by and more expensive), so if you’re not that excited about the festival, you might want to visit another location. For the Cotswolds, you can try Burton on the Water, Burford or Stow on the Wold 🙂 – or you could stay in Stratford which would give you a good run up to York.
Rocksy says
Thank you so much..
Rocksy Vidiaty says
Hi Laurence, thank you so much for your article. It helps me a lot in planning our UK big family trip next June. There will be 7 adults and 6 kids in this trip. Where would you suggest us to stay? And do we need to be a member of EH or NT in order to cut off the cost of entrance fee?
Thank you for your advices..
regards,
RFV
Laurence Norah says
Hey Rocksy – my pleasure. Wow, that sounds like quite the trip 🙂 For the English Heritage and National Trust sites, if you’re a member then you get free admission. If you’re visiting from overseas, you can pick up the passes I link to which are cheaper than annual membership, and last for a shorter duration – normally long enough to cover a trip. My suggestion would be to look up the entry prices for the attractions you are interested in, add them up, and see if the pass would save you the money or not.
For accommodation, for such a large group my suggestion would be to look at larger apartment rentals as that will give you more flexibility as a larger group. Hotels are an option, but you would likely have to book quite a few rooms, so apartments might be a better option. I have a list of accommodation sites that specialise in apartment rentals that might be a good place to start, you can see that here: https://www.findingtheuniverse.com/alternatives-to-airbnb/
Have an amazing trip, and do let us know how it goes – and do feel free to send us any more questions of course 🙂
Rocksy Vidiaty says
Thanks Laurence.
We plan to rent 2 big cars and do our self-drive UK trip. We will follow some of your route and modify the rest. So our route will be Heathrow – Stonehenge – Bath – Cotswold (in one day) -Baddesley Clinton-Chatsworth (in one day). From here we have 2 options, either go to York (in one day) – Cambridge – Oxford (in one day) -Windsor -London (in 3 days), or go to Manchester-Liverpool-Snowdonia (in 2 days) -Oxford-Windsor-London (in 3 days). We have 8 days in total. Can you please give some advice? In our group there will be 80 years old lady to 2 years old boy..
Thanks in advance
Regards,
Rocksy
Laurence Norah says
Hi Rocksy,
Sounds like a great trip! Well, I don’t think you’ll have enough time in 2 days to do Manchester, Liverpool and Snowdonia, so my suggestion would be the first option you suggest, which will give you a bit more time. I’d also add that Cambridge and Oxford are fairly similar, so you might prefer to just pick one of the two 🙂
Crystal says
HI. I was wondering if you had a detailed map of this 1 week UK itinerary. Thank you
Laurence Norah says
Hi Crystal! That is an excellent point – I have been trying to add maps to my itineraries and seem to have missed this one. I’ll add one in as soon as I can and will respond to your comment again when I have done so – thanks for letting me know 🙂
Dylan Wright says
Thank you for the article. But I would like to ask a question. I want to rent a car, but I’m under 25. What is the UK policy for renting a car to students?
Laurence Norah says
Hi Dylan,
There’s no UK wide policy on age restrictions for car rentals – it’s varies from company to company. I would advise checking individual car rental services like Enterprise, Hertz, Sixt etc. and seeing what their policy is. Most companies will have a surcharge for drivers younger than 25, but it should still be possible to rent a car. I have more information on my driving in the UK post, which you can eee here: https://www.findingtheuniverse.com/tips-for-driving-in-the-uk/
Kathleen says
I’m so happy to have found this! My husband and I are planning a one week trip this June coming from the US and this sounds perfect. I am just trying to figure out how to fit everything in along with the driving. Several things don’t open until 10 or 11 am and then close early, which doesn’t leave much time. For example, you mention staying at Fountains Abbey through sunset, but the website says it closes at 18:00. Can you stay on the grounds past closing? I’m also trying to decide if it would be worth stopping for a night between Newcastle and Edinburgh if we have time which gives us more time in Edinburgh. Any suggestions?
Thanks
Laurence Norah says
Hi Kathleen!
I’m glad to have been able to help! Opening times can be a bit of a challenge for sure, and they vary by season – so you’ll definitely have to plan around them. It also depends what time of year you visit depending on the sunset – in June the sun won’t set until around 10pm, in December, it’s more like 4pm! With Fountains Abbey, when I spoke to the staff there they said you were fine to stay after official closing hours, there’s just no entry after those times. it’s a huge park, so they’d struggle to get everyone out anyway! For an overnight stop between Edinburgh and Newcastle, there are a few options, perhaps Alnwick would be a good option?
Have a great trip!
Kathleen says
Thank you so much for answering my questions! I have one more for you. My husband is very leery of trying to drive since we are used to driving on the other side of the road. If we plan on picking up a rental car at heathrow on our way out of London on day 3 and returning it either in Newcastle (to take the train to Edinburgh) or at the Edinburgh airport at our arrival there, how much city driving would there be? The thought of getting confused in a roundabout scare him 🙂
Thanks so. much!
Kathleen
Laurence Norah says
My pleasure Kathleen 😀 The remaining cities are not really that big (London is by far the worst to drive in), but I would say that the UK doesn’t have quite the interstate system of the USA, so there will still be the odd roundabout to deal with. But if you take your time (and make sure to hire an automatic if you’re not used to driving stick!) then you should be ok. I also have a guide to driving in the UK he might find helpful, which I wrote from the perspective of someone coming from the US in mind 🙂 You definitely won’t need a car in Edinburgh. I would also advise bringing a GPS – even google maps with an offline version of the UK downloaded onto it will make your travels a lot easier.
https://www.findingtheuniverse.com/tips-for-driving-in-the-uk/
Dora says
Dear Laurence and Jessica, this all sounds pretty amazing. I have lived in the UK for over ten years (Southampton and London) and I totally agree with the itinerary you’re suggesting. I was wondering if you can give me any ideas on the following: my fiance and I will be in York in June for work and then have about six days to travel around the country. We want to spend the two last days in London as we need to catch our plane back to Australia. We’ve been debating whether we should explore the Scottish Highlands or go down to Cornwall, both of which are places we haven’t visited before. Or are we missing out on a better itinerary for our timeframe? I admit I very much like your one week in the UK although I have visited most of these places before…Any ideas? Thank you!
Laurence Norah says
Hi Dora!
Thanks for your comment. Let me see if I can help 🙂 My personal preference would be to go to the Scottish Highlands. I’m not sure how you are travelling exactly, either by car or public transport, but your best option would be to take a car – either take the train to Inverness and hire one, or drive up from York. For scenery, my suggestion would be to head to the west coast – perhaps Glencoe, the Isle of Skye, and then up the west coast towards Durness. That part of the country is home to some of the most spectacular scenery in the UK. Definitely check out my North Coast 500 itinerary (https://www.findingtheuniverse.com/7-day-north-coast-500-camping-itinerary/) for pointers on that, as well as our Isle of Skye photography guide (https://www.findingtheuniverse.com/skye-photography-locations-scotland/).
One other option, I’m not sure if you’ve been to the Lake District, but if you didn’t want to drive so much then that’s also a good option from York 🙂
Have a great trip – let me know if you have any more questions!
Dora says
Dear Laurence,
Many thanks for your prompt response and apologies it took me forever to get back to you! We will be renting a car to do our travelling. Lake District is currently one of our options and we are also considering the Yorkshire moors as a closer option before heading down to London. Any preference between the two (Lake District vs Yorkshire moors)? Thank you!
Laurence Norah says
Hi Dora
No need to apologise! My personal preference would be the Lake District – it’s a really beautiful part of the UK. The only thing is it’s likely to be a bit busier than the Yorkshire moors, so if it’s peace and quiet you are after, the Yorkshire Moors are also very beautiful and likely to be a bit less busy! Hope this helps a bit 🙂
Have a great trip!
Laurence
H Singh says
Dear Laurence and Jessica, All of this is wonderful and very helpful info. What would you suggest to see and do in UK for a family of four on a net budget of around 1500 GBP. Tickets and Visa to UK I shall take care separately. We plan to visit in July and start the itinerary by travelling into London Please advise. Thanks. HS
Laurence Norah says
Dear HS,
Thanks for your message! You will be pleased to hear that I have just today published a detailed post that covers the cost of travel in the UK. This is based on two people, but you should be able to use the numbers to help inform your budget. You can see that here: https://www.findingtheuniverse.com/cost-travel-uk/
How long are you in the UK for and what are you interested in?
Thanks
Laurence
H Singh says
Dear Lawrence,
Thanks for your prompt reply. Your article related to the costs is very timely for me, I am looking forward to a short UK holiday in July with family (me, wife, teen son, pre-teen daughter) on a 1500 GBP budget (airfare, visas separate). Seeing the costs in the article, wondering how to make it possible!!! Any advice will be very useful to me!
Thanks
HS
Laurence Norah says
My advice would be to book as much in advance as you can – especially train tickets or plane tickets are much cheaper if you book them in advance. For accommodation, try some of the alternative lodging options (https://www.findingtheuniverse.com/alternatives-to-airbnb/) – which might help you save money, especially travelling as a family. I hope this helps a bit.
H Singh says
I’ll look into the link you provided for accommodation, as well as note your advice on advance bookings. Thank you Lawrence.