Ideas for two unstructured days in Scottish Highlands and York-to-Windsor?
 

Hello all! We will be making a ten day trip to England/Scotland in the not too distant future. Most of the days are filled up with the must sees (London, Edinburgh, York etc). But we do have two days/one night in the Scottish highlands as we meander our way from Inverness to Edinburgh with no specific plans nor a hotel booked, and later another two days and night with no hotel booked as we travel from York to Windsor. We do plan on arriving in Windsor early enough to see Windsor castle and get a good nights sleep before we leave the next morning to catch our plane at Heathrow. (We have a hotel for that night. )

Looking for recommendations on best ways to use those four as yet unstructured days. Our travel preferences lean more toward nature, unique experiences, mixing it up with the locals or amazing historical sights - not fancy restaurants or shopping. We will have a car. Any ideas!?

You only have 10 days total for London, Inverness, Edinburgh, York and and Windsor. That is very <B>VERY</B> aggressive. How can you have days to spare? I honestly can't see how that is possible. I wouldn't think you'd have <i>any</i> meandering time.

Oh --just noticed your screen name . . . I give up :)

You got more than 100 replies on your other thread but it looks like we couldn't convince you. This is still too fast -especially w/ 4 along for the ride. If I were you -- I'd just drive as far as you can manage, and then throw yourselves on the mercy of the local Tourist Information Office to find you a place to sleep.

One thing you could do is to get the TIO in the place you're leaving (or somewhere en route if you have to start early) to book accommodation for you at the place you're going to.

But both these journeys are drives that take up the best part of a day in themselves, so you won't have much time to do other than catch a glimpse of whatever's en route.

Thanks for your long suffering Janis! Yes, we are a lost cause I'm afraid - our idea of meandering has been so skewed by American Expressway travel. I've been watching Stephen Fry's documentary on America where he traveled across America - at least hitting every state - in his British Cab. I've often found myself chuckling at comments he makes himself about how we Yankees view long distance travel. Of course, I really truly would love the luxury of more time, but at least we won that night train to Inverness which earned us an extra day in London. So, since we have to work our way down, may as well make it scenic.

And that brings me to your post Patrick - yes, these are the two heavy travel days, so I know we won't be able to do much but catch a glimpse. So what are the best things to catch a glimpse of? The little beside the road pubs where we can grab a bite for a reasonable price in a homey atmosphere? The roadside signs that describe some little known historic locale, or a glimpse of a well known historic locale? That is exactly the type of tip I"m looking for.

To translate, here in the US you can get from Michigan to Tennessee in what is considered a heavy day of travel - 10 hours or so allowing for bathroom and food breaks. That won't allow you to stop and see the Kentucky Horse Farm or the spectacular train station in Cinccinati at any length, BUT you can see the Horse Farm and the Train Station from the road if you know where to look, and if you are stopping for lunch there are definitely some spots that are more picturesque and hospitable then others to do so. For instance, you can stop for lunch at the first and original Kentucky Fried chicken for an extra 10 minute drive off the road. As far as scenery, you can take US 75 the whole way, which is less scenic but a little faster, or you can split off on highway 25 in Southern Kentucky and add 30 minutes to your journey, but see much more interesting stuff for a relatively small amount of time. For a first time visitor, I'd recommend the later option. So, looking for the UK version of what I just described for US 75? Thanks so much for bearing with me. :)

"<i>So, looking for the UK version of what I just described for US 75?</i>"

There isn't one.

"<i>here in the US you can get from Michigan to Tennessee in what is considered a heavy day of travel - 10 hours or so allowing for bathroom and food breaks.</i>"

As I think was explained on your other thread - one can't compare distances/drive times in the States w/ those in the UK. You can certainly drive from Edinburgh to London in less than 10 hours - but you will have missed everything in between. The only way to make good time is on motorways and you can't just jump off and back on the Motorway to see sites. For one thing there are very few exits,and they are not generally near the sites you'll want to see. Plus even on Motorways there can be HUGE traffic jams and tailbacks. (And motorways aren't even an option in places like most of the way from Inverness to Edinburgh, or near York.)

To see things and be able to stop where you'd like, you need to be off the motorways - and that gets you back to slow travel.

I live in the northeastern United States where traffic can be difficult, but I have never seen anything like the M1 and M25, where traffic zooming along at 90mph suddenly slows to a halt. It then resumes, slowly. Okay, an accident ahead. Eventually it will clear. No, nothing like that at all. Suddenly it is all back to going 80 or 90 mph until the whole thing happens again. You never see a reason, never have an explanation. It just happens. Randomly.

If there is an accident, it is just like the US: traffic backs up for miles in both directions as everyone looks to see if there are good body parts in the road.

Further to Ackislander above - any traffic going at 80 or 90 is SPEEDING - the limit on motorways is 70mph and never higher. Not everyone breaks the limit either - we don't for a start and we drive on the A1 daily (one of the busiest roads in the country). But yes, cars sail past us breaking the law.
I once saw a programme that explained the stop/start phenomena on motorways but not sure I was any the wiser at the end!

It sounds like an utterly horrible place to drive all the way around, but drive we will be doing. I don't think we will do the motorways any more than necessary - the opportunity to take the back roads is exactly why we are driving. Both my brothers have driven there, one several times, and my brother's best friend has been there many times. They just don't have horrible memories of it - maybe its a male thing or what they are accustomed to. They have all lived in the rurals for long periods at one time or another, where to get anywhere you have to drive 50 miles. One lived in DC where the traffic is horrendous. Whatever the reason, they don't seem the slightest bit worried and they have been there. So, since we will be driving longer distances in shorter periods then what is desireable, we must make the best of it. The longest of the two hauls is York to Windsor at 200 miles, split between two days.

Regarding my comparison to I-75, it wasn't so much the "easy on/easy off" aspect I was thinking of as much as the "only the things natives know" aspect. Those little tid-bits of info that can make a long road trip more interesting then it would be otherwise.

"<i>It sounds like an utterly horrible place to drive all the way around, </i>"

"<i>They just don't have horrible memories of it - maybe its a male thing or what they are accustomed to. </i>"

OK -- I'll try one more time and then give up. Not a person posting here thinks driving in the UK is 'horrid'. And it certainly isn't a "<i>oh, the girls just don't understand - us guys can handle it</i>" situation.

I maybe a 'girl' - but I have also raced Formula Fords - and driven the length of the UK more times than I can count. I love <B>LOVE</B> road trips. But what I don't do is try to cover the entire country in a week and a half.

No offense meant, Janis. Your input is appreciated - after all, you are from there! The male thing was meant toungue-in-cheek and not as a statement against our sex or its capabiities. Thats the problem with writing - those subtleties of voice that let someone know you are teasing are gone. As to whether driving there is horrible or not - well, what can I say? I haven't heard much positive (except from my brothers who enjoyed it.) I'd LOVE to hear some things to dispel that notion.

Something important to remember - this is not my trip - it is a family trip. I don't get to call all the shots. All four of us are making compromises. We each get to pick two things that are most important to us. My two have been worked into the schedule. My brothers love driving through the countryside and seeing the little known spots - that is their thing, so it gets a few days too and by Jimmy - if that is what I have to do then I'm going to try my best to enjoy it! So, I'd really just like to find out the little-known interesting things to see, interesting things to eat and interesting places to sleep on the way from Inverness to Edinburgh and on the way from York to Windsor?

One thing to remember is that janisj and others with similar responses have considerably more driving experience in the U.K. than your brothers. And, please note than driving in the U.K. is no better and no worse than driving in the States. It's just different and it's that difference that posters have tried to address.

I realize that you have other opinions and itineraries to take into consideration when traveling with a group, but don't disregard the information posted here just because you think it doesn't apply to you or your fellow travelers. Driving through the countryside is fine,and it can be the highlight of one's trip,but it is slow going.

Good luck with your trip, and I hope you have a great one.

Thank you. I do understand and respect that, and I appreciate the fact that all just want to be helpful and allow us to see their country in the best way possible. In fact, it was due to input from others, including Janis, on a different thread that we already cut down our itinerary a great deal, abandoning any ideas of seeing the west side of England. Instead, we are taking the train to Scotland and working our way back down the east side. We are now down to just three cities - London, Edinburgh and York (2.5 in London, one full day/two nights for the other two) along with whatever countryside happens to lie between. I recognize that on our main travel days we will not have time to stop and see any major sites - again, based upon what others have said. Even our main travel days are 125 miles or less for the whole day. Before getting input here we planned main travel days to be more like what we do in the States - 400 or 500 miles.

So, I feel I really have listened and applied what I learned to the degree that it is possible considering the group I'm with and the time I have. The leisurely pace that is desireable is not an option. On my other thread, there were those who gave input on our adjusted itinerary who did not seem horrified by it.

As to my negative feelings about driving there, those feelings have come about based upon what I've read here at Fodors. I used to drive 120 miles round trip every day getting to my job, with 8 hours in between to work. So when I'm given the impression that roads are so difficult to navigate that 120 miles is going to take the entire day with no time for anything else at all - if you were me, what conclusion would you draw?

When I started this thread, I was expecting some ideas of what we can see out the window of the car, maybe a fun place to stop for lunch, maybe a recommendation about which road is more scenic when given a choice. Now I'm more terrified of driving there than ever, I feel chastened for trying to make the best of a less than ideal situation, and still haven't gotten even one recommendation on interesting and quick sites to see along the way.

What you can see out the window of a car on the York-Windsor route, to get back to your original question, is pretty much what you would see from an interstate in the US. Grass, trees, edges of towns, power lines, distant church steeples. You will see more power stations and perhaps more radar/telecommunications equipment since the country is smaller and has fewer places to hide them.

In the Highlands, you will pass through more scenery on an inland route than along the coast. Choose any of the three options offered on Google Maps, and you will still have only a half day of driving and all the scenery in the world. Or you could drive via Braemar [and Ballater and Aberdeen if you really wanted drive by scenery].

Why do so many head for Inverness instead of somewhere pretty? It seems to be everyone's destination. Odd.

1) the pulse backwards of heavy traffic which causes stoppages with no apparent cuase is a natural affect of waves and is down to people each breaking just a bit too much driving a pulse of breaking back up the line or queue of traffic.
2) Driving on UK motorways and major roads is generally (but not always) high density. As you get closer to the dense part of the country (basically Derby and south) you will find traffic with 2 second braking time and in rush hour with breaking times of 1 second. Since most people's reaction time is quiet large this can become very tiring and is something completely different than you will normally see in the states.
3) I doubt if we can make many suggestions of good stuff to see from the windows of motorway traffic as generally the roads were laid to avoid beauty spots and nice things to look at. Hence it will be fields, industrial units and villages mile after mile, though generally as you go further north you will see more stuff, like bigger hills and of course it gets better once you get off the motorway.
4) Around Derbyshire you should see a number of older mansions
5) Sheffield will be laid out in all its glory
6) The Amazon warehouse at Crick (JNCT 18) is impressive etc e tc
7) more seriously I can recommend the West Yorkshire Sculpture park, the visit is free though the carpark is expensive and the food very good http://www.ysp.co.uk/ at JNCT 38 M1

Yes, if I could have actually pointed out interesting things to see from the road, I would have. It's pretty much as Ackislander and bilboburgler have stated. The Scottish bits will be a bit better than the English. ;)

And, really no reason to be terrified of driving in the U.K. Even I can do and have done it.

"<i>We are now down to just three cities - London, Edinburgh and York</i>"

If that was it, you actually could work out a very decent 10 day plan. But that doesn't include Inverness plus Windsor plus all the countryside between those five places.

Well, I don't think it is worth beating you up any more.

Why don't you try this? Go to the journey planner at www.theaa.com and put in York to Windsor. It should tell you that it is 215 miles with an estimated driving time of 3h 50m. Then insert three "vias" - I'd suggest Lincoln, Grantham and Cambridge. Then check the "avoid Motorways" box under options. You should then have a 270 mile journey with 6h 45m driving time.

So drive to Lincoln, have a look at the cathedral & castle, have lunch, walk up and down Steep Hill a couple of times to burn off some calories, and continue to Grantham, which I think you will find of some interest, for overnight. Next day, drive to Cambridge, spend a couple of hours looking at the colleges and backs, then continue on to Windsor. Since you want to get to Windsor in time to visit the castle, you may want to uncheck the avoid Motorways box for this segment. If you weren't in a rush to get to Windsor, I'd suggest a 2nd stop in St Alban's.

Caveat: Although I have done some driving in the UK, and have visited all the mentioned places except Grantham, I have not driven this route. So it's all theoretical. Obviously, you could choose some different way points if these are not of interest.

Akislander, Bilboburgler and Ron - THANK YOU SO MUCH for the following:

<i>"In the Highlands, you will pass through more scenery on an inland route than along the coast. Choose any of the three options offered on Google Maps, and you will still have only a half day of driving and all the scenery in the world. Or you could drive via Braemar [and Ballater and Aberdeen if you really wanted drive by scenery]."

"more seriously I can recommend the West Yorkshire Sculpture park, the visit is free though the carpark is expensive and the food very good http://www.ysp.co.uk/ at JNCT 38 M1"
</i>
....and Ron - your whole post! This is the sort of thing I was looking for.

I'll also make sure I watch out for that Amazon Warehouse, Billoburger! (okay, this was a joke - you can't see my face or hear my tone of voice, so take my word for it...)

Again THANK YOU!

For clarification (and perhaps to answer zippo's question too) - neither Inverness nor Windsor are sightseeing destinations. Inverness is where the train lets us off. We will pick up our car there around 9:00 am and work our way down to Edinburgh by the following evening. This idea came from other travelers who have done it. As for Windsor, it is simply where we are spending the night before catching our plane home the following day. If we are there early enough to see some sights, great, if not, fine.

Our present itinerary is based upon input received from my first thread and a short post by Annettetx. I went to her profile and found the details of her trip here:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-itinerary.cfm

There are many ideas in her thread. For some reason though, nobody "beat her up" for basically the same itinerary we are planning to do. It is nice to have some relief from that. I had a glass of wine after dinner tonight to calm my nerves before opening this thread for fear of another onslaught! :)

And history traveler - thanks for the vote of confidence on the driving! I would like to give it a go, starting out someplace without too many other cars around.