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Hello everyone!
My friends and I are flying from Toronto to the UK to attend a wedding in Dundee, north of Edinburgh in the beginning of May. We were thinking of flying into London or Birmingham, and then driving to Bristol to visit friends for 2 nights.
From Bristol, we would road trip up to Edinburgh for the wedding, and then fly home from Glasgow. Hoping you guys can provide me with some tips, including best places to stay, must-visit attractions, etc.:
1. Can we get a one-way car hire from London/Birmingham airport and then drop off in Glasgow? If so, which company has the most cost-efficient (ie. cheap) service? Do we need to get a separate insurance?
2. As it stands, here is our schedule. Please provide feedback if possible 
Saturday-Sunday: Fly into London/Birmingham, drive to Bristol. Visit Bristol/Bath - anywhere else in the area worth seeing?
Monday-Wednesday: Drive to Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester, Liverpool, Blackpool - where is the cheapest/most charming area to stay? I'm assuming Manchester is pretty expensive.. is it better to stay at a B&B in Stoke, and do day trips to Manchester/Liverpool?
Thursday-Saturday: Drive to Edinburgh. Visit Edinburgh - anywhere else worth visiting?
Saturday-Sunday: Drive to Dundee. Wedding.
Sunday: Drive to Glasgow.
Monday: Fly home.
10 days - Bristol to Edinburgh
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hi, eyeween,
let's start at the beginning - i'm assuming that you are not aware that you can fly direct from Edinburgh to Bristol on easyjet, which will of course be far preferable to flying to London/B'ham and then driving.
so you can pick up your car at Bristol, though if you are going to stay in the city, you might want to delay collecting your car until when you leave, as there is plenty to see in the city and it's very walkable. you can also get a train to Bath. i would suggest 3 nights in Bristol to make the most of staying there.
Secondly, what are you wanting to see in the Manchester, Liverpool, Blackpool area? [honestly, they are not top of the list of most tourists' must see lists], and I don't remember anyone here suggesting that they are going to stay in Stoke!
if you are sure that's what you want to do, there are a number of ways of getting there, - straight up the motorway, via the Welsh Marches, or for at least part of the way following the Fosse Way up through the cotswolds.
thirdly, once you get back to edinburgh you probably won't need the car.
Secon
Others will give you advice on the practicalities regarding car hire and drop off, but I can offer suggestions regarding places to visit between Bristol and Edinburgh.
Why have you selected such random places to possibly stop off. Stoke on Trent, Liverpool, Manchester are not in the least charming and there are far better places to stay - Blackpool is a favourite of mine but much of it is far from charming. Manchester is no more expensive than many places but I would give it a wide berth, unless there is a good reason to have it on your list.
If you havent been to to the UK before I would set your sights on other areas that could be described as charming, en route, like York and Yorkshire Dales.
Ah! Yes I have been to the UK, but only in and around London, and southwest England. I have a friend in Manchester so I thought it would be a nice place to visit, but I am more than willing to give it a pass if you feel York is a much nicer place to go.
Thanks for the easyjet recommendation, I guess we want to make a road trip/vacation out of it, hence the driving!
Thanks for the easyjet recommendation, I guess we want to make a road trip/vacation out of it, hence the driving!>>
trust me, you will have more than enough driving returning by road from Bristol to Edinburgh. and going straight to Bristol puts you where you want to be as quickly as possible.
if you want a city experience combined with stunning countryside roughly half-way between Bristol and Edinburgh, you could head to Liverpool, and day trip out to North Wales. or go further north to York and the Dales, as Stevelyon suggests. However, it's a long drive from Bristol to York.
but then it sounds as if that's what you want!