anna74

For a variety of reasons, we don't want to fly or take trains while in UK. Is this at all possible. We are flying into London the a.m. of January 12. We want to spend 3-4 days in Edinburgh and then 2 days in bath. Are there any stopover cities that could help us break up the driving--what would be a good plan?

m_kingdom2

"For a variety of reasons, we don't want to fly or take trains while in UK"

If it's a safety reason then stop being so ridiculous. It can't be a phobia because how else are you getting here? (it doesn't sound like a cruise affair)

Driving will be long, and motorways in the ice/snow (Scotland especially)/fog/heavy rains are no fun, and require a lot of concentration while driving. Such conditions which are frequent in the North make driving a terrible chore. Just grow up and get over your "variety of reasons" and take a train or a plane. The only way it's a pleasant drive is when the sun is shining, and the roads are empty, otherwise forget it. It's slow - even going as fast as possible (I'm talking within reason here, but certainly above the set speed limits) it's hard to do it in under eight hours if you allow for frequent and necessary rest breaks.

flanneruk

Going from London to Bath via Edinburgh isn't my idea of the most efficient route planning. But if you're locked into it for some reason, you're looking at a round trip of around 1000 miles before you do any detours. Assume you'll average 55mph on motorways in practice, and 30 on ordinary country roads, and remember that getting into any British city and finding somewhere to park will almost always take not much short of an hour.

Ignore MK2, who's clearly never driven this generally painless (even in mid-Jan. Believe me. It's more or less how I spend every Christmas), but mostly rather boring, route. Instead, just glance at a map. You'll see that one thing we're not short of is cities.

A good plan would be to stop at towns that have something to interest you. And there's no way on God's earth any of us have the faintest idea what that might be.

adamhornets

You are taking a risk driving in January. The weather could be fine but you never know...

Our Motorways are boring and A Roads can be slow but here's my route:

M1 north to A1. Overnight in York (2 nights if you can spare the time). A1 to Newcastle then if the weather's good A road (not sure the number) and A68 to cross the border into Scotland just south of Jedburgh. Or stay on A1 up the coast road to Edinburgh.

To head south cut across to Moffatt (A74?) then M6/M5 south to Bath. Long day but you could do it. Nicer to stop one night in the Lake District.

From Bath head along the M4 back to London or if time divert via Salisbuty and/or Stonehenge if piles of rocks interest you!

Have a great trip and please contact me on [email protected] if you need more advice.

Gardyloo

I'm assuming you're flying into Heathrow and not Gatwick. If LGW, then heading north becomes more complicated and much more time-consuming.

Remember also that the UK's latitude is much farther north than most big cities in N. America (if that's home) so in mid-January night will fall very early, compounded by poor light if the weather's poor. For that reason I think Yorkshire is about as far as you're likely want to get. If you're jetlagged on top of that, driving at night under unfamiliar conditions (including maybe the other side of the road from your norm) can be risky.

If you don't want to navigate into York proper, you might look at overnight accommodation in Harrogate or Knaresborough, both close to the A1 and very nice places in their own right; easy visits (car or train) into York city the next day.

Then stick to the A1 the rest of the way into Edinburgh - not a boring drive at all (visit Bamburgh and the Holy Isle if time permits en route).

From Scotland to Bath, use the M74/M6/M5 combination. It's a long day; if your timing works out you might want to consider doing the whole drive on a Sunday so as to avoid (some) traffic in the Midlands. If you get far enough and want to venture off the main highways, you might want to look at Hereford as a nice break, or travel the M40 for a short distance past Birmingham and stay in Warwick or Stratford. That way you can approach Bath via the Cotswolds roads, which in January will not be as tourist-impacted is in other months.

Use the excellent resources of the AA for trip planning and accommodations searches. http://www.theaa.com/

janis

Of course it can be done. On many of my UK trips I never set foot on a plane (other than transatlantic) or train. BUT you are talking about January and three cities on opposite ends of the country. The weather MIGHT be fine, but it could just as easily be really horrendous winter storms or even blizzards. If the weather turns nasty you will be lucky to average 40 mph even on the motorways.

The drive in May/June is lovely with early mornings and loooooong days. But in january it won't be light until about 8 a.m. and dark by 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

So anyway you slice it - even if you luck out w/ the weather - the drive will take two FULL days out of your limited time. If you decide to make stops enroute the driving will just take that much more of your time.

Also - you do not need a car IN Edinburgh, London or Bath. From your earlier thread it appears your husband doesn't want to fly, so can I assume you don't want to take the train? I'd REALLY try to compromise. Fly up to Edinburgh (or take the sleeper train so you don't lose so much sightseeing time). Then after you've see Edinburgh, pick up your rental car and head south. You can stop anywhere - Durham an/or York on the east side; the Lake District and/or Chester on the west side.

But be very flexible w/ you plans -- if there is wintry weather it is nothing to trifle with. Don't try to drive if there is ice / heavy snow / or fog

sunflow

Anna74, ave you decided on some sort of itinerary, made changes?

Robespierre

I have driven from Glasgow to Liverpool in December. It was the most unpleasant twelve hours I have ever spent. In summer, it's a four-hour trip, but rain, snow and fog slowed our progress to a nerve-racking crawl. Since my car was scheduled to be brougt to New York aboard <i>RMS Sylvania</i>, I had no choice but to plunge onward.

If you book a car, make sure your contract allows you to bail out if a low-pressure system materializes in the Irish sea just as you arrive in London. Then you can grab a train and peer out at the sleet with a nice warm drink in your paw.