Hi there,

We (myself , wife & kid ) are planning on a road trip from London to Scotland and back, starting next weekend 30/31st July and back by Aug 3/4 back.

Looking at the forums, I understand it is best to take a break, as it is a 12 hour journey. I am keen to cover interesting places ( Lake district ) on my way and plan to take a break on the way .

Any suggestions on how best to plan this trip and what I need to watch out for...

I am open for suggestions on any other interesting/scenic routes that I need to consider..

Thanks for your tips.

Best,
Anil Kanwar

Can we go through these numbers?

You're planning to leave London on a Saturday and be back by Thursday. So you're on the (exceptionally dull) road Sat, Sun, Wed and Thurs. Even at this time of the year, the basic route (M40, M42, M6 Toll, M6, A74, M74, M8, A68, A66, A1, M1) involves spending over half the hours of available daylight behind the steering wheel on roads.

Try taking any interesting diversions (like to Ironbridge, Oxford or Stamford), and you've no time whatever to see anything at all in Scotland.

Nothing against driving to and from Scotland (I've occasionally done it both ways in one go). But if you think more than 10% of this journey will involve anything other than driving, finding hotels and checking in and out - you're just wrong.

You need to decide what you want to do. This forum can help you plan it: we can't make the misguided any less misguided

It's a long drive and the most direct routes (via motorways) are far from being scenic routes (OK an exception would be the A74M just north of the border). You'll likely be a frazzled wreck at the end of this trip and will have seen so little of Scotland.

Hi flanneruk & Gordon ,
Thanks for your suggestion. I took your point ..Do u suggest that i should take train till Edingburgh & then hire a Car & explore the area & around. If so can you please suggest me what are the places i should /sure visit in & around Scotland ( Edingburgh ) .

Anil, like the others I'm a bit confused about what you want to achieve

Are you going for the pleasure of a driving trip with London at one end and the Border between England and Scotland at the other? Or do you want to tour round Scotland a bit but have to get there from London?


If the latter what is it you're keen on? And do you have any accommodation booked in Edinburgh? Festival starts at the beginning of August and it will be FULL.

Hi Sheila ,
You are correct i wanted to visit Scotland & gng via London . Wanted to kno where all can i stay in Edingburgh & wich all the placs i should sure shot see in & around scotland

What are you keen on? What dates do you expect to be IN Edinburgh?

".Do u suggest that i should take train till Edingburgh & then hire a Car & explore the area & around.

No. If you want only to go to Edinburgh (and personally, I'd say it's now getting dangerously late to try organising that at all for your dates, though the precise dates of when Edinburgh gets just unvisitable if you've not already booked vary)), I'd fly directly from your own country, or change planes at your London airport immediately.

Few people need a car at all for a six-day trip to Scotland.Totally useless, and a bloody nuisance, in Edinburgh: much easier after a few days in Edinburgh if you've only got a day or two left, to use a tour or public transport.

But the question, again, is: what do you want to see?

Flanneruk ,
Thanks for the reply . I want tosee the scenic beauty around Edingburgh . Some one told m ethat the Castle & around areas ( out of Edingburgh) are really good.
So need help ..!

OK -- If you want to see castles and scenery, you don't need to go to Edinburgh at all. And that helps since Edinburgh will be totally packed to the gills. Every hotel room booked up.

Are you driving your own car or are you renting? If you are in your own car you are sort of stuck driving both ways. And that is one hellacious trip in so few days.

But if it is a rental car, you can take the train from London to Glasgow or Inverness or Aberdeen, hire a car and spend the the first 3 days touring around and the last day either driving down to London - or taking the train back.

There are castles in every corner of Scotland, so it doesn't have to be Edinburgh . . .

Hi Jainsj ,

Thanks a lot for the info . I will be taking train from London til Edingburgh , but now since u are suggesting ewill try for Inverness /Aberden . Wil rent a car there only so that i could save time ..Any special place/point you suggest to visit guys.

OK. What I think you should do- and you are very patient- is take the train of your choice- ie day time or a sleeper from London to Inverness and hire a car there. I think you should cross over to the west coast, somewhere near Skye, and possibly even spend a day there, then meander south to Edinburgh- West Coast to Oban, east to Loch Tay, south through Crieff to Calendar, then in to Edinburgh, where you should time yourselves to arrive early the morning BEFORE you go back to London. Book a room/s for that night NOW, and spend that day and the next in London then get the sleeper (or the late train, more likely) south again.

If that sort of idea appeals to you, let us know and we'll refine this a bit for you.

I'm pretty sure sheila meant >><i>Book a room/s for that night NOW, and spend that day and the next in Edinburgh then get the sleeper(or the late train, more likely) south again.</i><<

If you have a hard time finding a room in Edinburgh - consider staying in Stirling. It has a magnificent castle-- some like it even better than Edinburgh's.

Edinburgh absolutely would be my first choice, but don't beat yourself up if you can't find a room there. You could stay in/near Stirling, drop the car and take the train from there.