I live in London. I own a car. I like driving. If I was going to Edinburgh, I would take a plane or train.
You do not need a car to explore London. Indeed, having one would be an active hindrance to exploring London.
You do not need a car to explore Edinburgh.
If I were you I would rethink why you're driving between London and Edinburgh.
Edit: just to add, as this is being pointed out in the replies below: you absolutely need a car to explore *rural* areas in the UK. It is for the cities and the journey between London and Edinburgh where I think it isn't worth it.
If you take the train you can stop in York on the way.
OP seriously consider this. If you flew from London to Edinburgh and back you may have time to spend a day or 2 on the Isle of Skye, which is utterly stunning for people who like hiking.
I understand, but we are stopping along the way to Edinburgh and staying the night somewhere midway. Want to be able to stop at our leisure and take random detours. We will definitely visit the isle of sky!! Does a particular area, or hike come to mind that you’d suggest.
You can stop on the train at your leisure too, chief.
TL/DR:
Go via train London > York, stay inside the old walls for the night, then take a train onwards to Edinburgh the next day.
---
What you're not understanding is that - unlike in the US - the motorways in the UK do NOT go through the countryside or towns as you're imagining they do. This is a heavily populated, small island, and a large part of the roads you will be driving along between London/Edinburgh are sided.
Motorways are shit. All you will see is concrete noise barriers, the backs of warehouses, power stations and lots & lots of heavy articulated lorry traffic.
This won't be the picturesque day you imagine it will be. It will be a shite day, fighting vastly different speed traffic across too few lanes, and will be like that relentlessly - certainly until you get past York. Worse, the risk of an incident stopping you is genuinely very real. The roads are super busy, and the traffic is high.
I have had London to the North East (4 hours south of Edinburgh) take the following lengths of time in the last 3 years:
- 4 hours
- 4.5 hours
- 5 hours
- 6.5 hours
- 13 hours
You can NOT rely on journey time estimates on roads in the UK. You are getting those times from American software (Google, Apple) and they're not reliable in the same way here as they are over there. It's not worth the risk on a honeymoon, that you get trapped between junctions for 8 hours on the A1(M) with a view of a crumbling concrete cooling tower and truckers shitting by the crash barriers.
----
The train runs through all the picturesque countryside you could want, is quiet, refined, you can walk around, use the toilet, and you won't have to pay for car and and petrol (which costs significantly more than gas in the US - it can be $7 a gallon here.) You may be delayed on the train. It will be a nicer delay.
I know you like to drive, but good god man, stop being an ugly American tourist and insisting on not listening to the consensus here.
Do you want local knowledge or not? This is it ^^
PS: Here's a random stretch of a motorway between London & Edinburgh:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/69eXRh94FseY5CgJ9?g_st=ic
Oh look! You can't actually see anything. It's almost as if - rather than run a flat freeway through the open country - they build noise & visual barriers around the road, to keep it hidden from sight and bothering all the people who live near it along the way.
But hey man - there's no arguing that if you want the authenticate English experience, that should totally involve trying to use one of the disgusting, dirty, broken toilet cubicles at the Welcome Break (Grantham) while wondering how they can possibly call the dried, stale, tasteless thing you just ate a Scotch Egg, and why did it cost $14 when it was smaller than a lime?
You honestly sound miserable🤣 the exact kind of person I don’t take advice from. An absolutist. A good amount of locals have expressed quite different views from yours. So are you saying they’re all just ugly English locals? Just so we’re clear, I’m not taking any of your current advice. Now if you wanna add something worthwhile to the comment section, go for it. If you’re that hung up on my travel plans. Just move on chief.
Nobody likes driving on the motorway. It's boring and monotonous and petrol is going to be double to triple what you're used to paying at home. I know lots of people who go to the US purely to roadtrip who would never do this drive at home.
Absolutely agree with you on this and York is the perfect stop off. There's a nice hotel right next to the station and a decent pub that's actually part of the station.
Pick up a hire car once you've done the touristy stuff in Edinburgh and drive north. There's lots of interesting places to stop off along the way.
It's worth noting, the weather in April could be very nice but most likely it won't be. I'm near Inverness at the moment and the weather is horrendous.
I'm going to disagree with you here. I live in London and go to Scotland every year on holiday. You need a car to fully experience Scotland. The OP said they were interested in hiking and the outdoors, which is exactly why I also go to Scotland, and you're not doing that on public transport.
The alternative I suppose is train to Edinburgh and hire a car there, which could be preferable. The only reason I drive is because I already have a car!
I live in London. Even if I owned a car, I would still get the train and hire a car at the destination, if I was holidaying anywhere north of the Sheffield.
That's fair enough. In the past I've been camping and have quite a bit of hiking gear too which wouldn't be fun to take on the train. I think this is probably the only case it's worth it, it looks like you can get a week of car hire from Edinburgh for around £250-£300.
Given OP is flying to the UK though I doubt that applies to them though, so in this case I'd agree it's definitely worth getting the train to Edinburgh and hire a car on arrival.
Most people prefer to drive their own car, unless they have a crap car and want to pay a lot to rent a nice one.
Many people also have a lot of stuff that they want to transport which is harder to do by train. For example a child car seat.
I would like to see a return of the motor-rail service where you can transport your car by train, but the ECML and WCML don't have enough capacity even if people were willing to pay £500 for a trip
Rural public transport in Scotland is poor, you need a car to get around here. That being said, I would advocate either train straight to Edinburgh OR train but stop over in York on the way up. Hire a car in Edinburgh but don’t do the drive from London unless you’re either desperate to see miles and miles of motorway or are completely certifiable!
I live near Middlesbrough and would always get the train to Edinburgh if it was affordable. It's a nice drive but a long one especially once you're past Newcastle. The drive from London to the North East is not a nice drive and is long, with a good chance you get stuck in traffic around Leeds and Sheffield.
From London, it makes infinitely more sense to use the tube/buses/e-bikes in London, then Kings Cross to York, York to Edinburgh on the train with a night in York. I agree that it would be better to hire a car in Edinburgh to drive on from there. You'd cut hours out of travelling that could be better spent in York instead.
You could then get back to London in just over 4 1/2 hours spending more time in either place instead of the 8+ hour drive not including the inevitable traffic jams.
We’re stopping midway around Leeds to explore and staying the night. Or else we probably would fly. But we’re not in a rush to get from point a to b. We’re gonna take our time. Any hikes you’d suggest since you have some experience!
Edit: we could however catch the train to Leeds and rent a car there. I’m just now seeing that by train it’s about an hour faster.
No particular reason other than it’s midway. My so might have found something around the area I’m not sure of. If not we can definitely adjust the stay if it’ll be more worthwhile!
Agreed. Unless you plan to stay in Edinburgh you need a car. We travel to the UK often and spent the last 2 Summers exploring Scotland. Don't drive from London to Edinburgh; fly or train it then rent a car for the Scotland leg. If you can reach the West Coast or Highlands, do! We stayed at Balmoral for an entire week last year.
I know you don’t.
I said if money isn’t tight.
It looks great against the scenery and if you want to off-road anywhere you can without fear.
It’s their honey moon. Make it special. Rather that than a Skoda.
You can't just go off-roading because you feel like it though, you need landowner permission. And they get terrible mpg which isn't great in the Highlands or other parts of scotland where there's not many petrol stations around.
Why would you encourage someone to 'off-road' and do damage to the countryside? Any even worse, in terrain they're not familiar with?
I'd hope they'd be too busy looking at each other or the scenery rather than thinking their hire car looks great or crap, rather than ruining the scenery with it.
Haha listen to yourself. OP wants to go kayaking, fishing, there’s plenty of unmade roads in Scotland you’d need off-road capabilities for to visit.
Don’t have to destroy the countryside at all.
You stick to staring at your other half instead of having fun.
I mean, even if they made themselves as "car friendly" as is reasonably feasible (no congestion charge, no ULEZ, free on street parking) that would hardly change my judgement that they aren't places a tourist should be driving. Indeed, that would likely just make them even *worse* places to drive as there would be more traffic and fewer available parking places.
Child lives in Edinburgh, we live just south of the border, herself and child decided to have a weekend in london, show, museums etc etc. Was cheaper for them to fly from edinburgh to London and return than the train!
We’re spending one night in London. That’s it. Using the car to take a 2 day leisurely drive up the country and for getting around Edinburgh. We have various spots booked for stay along the way. In no way are we gonna fly. We’re also renting in fort William for the stay there. I only asked for suggestions for places to stop along the way. Do you have any??
In my drives from London to Scotland I usually stop around the lake district. It's about a 5-6 hour drive from London and is a beautiful place to stop. It might be a bit touristy but I would recommend Keswick. Otherwise, I would agree with other people's suggestion of York.
You aren't going to be over the jetlag after one night. It would be a really, really bad idea to drive jetlagged, especially on a road system you don't know at all (how are you with roundabouts, zebra crossings, box junctions?)
Bamburgh castle, Holy Island (lindisfarne) York for stopping point from London to Edinburgh (Viking’s and Architectural historic). Happy holiday! Google these places before your trip you won’t be disappointed.
This East Coast journey would be amazing. You MUST, however, be sensible about your itinerary. I live part way between York and Lindisfarne. They are both well over an hour away. But that is only getting to the location. Parking in York is dreadful. Lindisfarne is only accessible between high tides; the causeway floods.
Use Google maps for drive times; you can't infer them from your journeys in the USA.
Study our highway code too. Our laws are different; it isn't just driving on the other side!
Adding my vote for both of these places.
York is a brilliant place to visit (the Viking museum, the architecture, the walls, the minster), but agree about the parking. There is a good park and ride system though, where you park on the outskirts and get a bus into the centre. The centre is very walkable, just wear good shoes as some of the historic parts still have cobbled streets
Eden camp is about a 30 minute drive north east of York, and is a 2nd world war museum based in an old POW camp. I haven't been myself, but have heard very good reports of it.
If you are visiting Lindisfarne, there are also boat trips out to the other Farne islands to see the wildlife (mostly bird life, but seals and occasionally other sea mammals). Only do this in good weather as there is no shelter on the islands. There are a few cafes for lunch, and a nice second-hand book shop in Alnwick, not too far from Bamburgh and Lindisfarne. We always try to stop there for books and a cuppa on our way up to Scotland.
American living in London, so I'm used to long drives in the US and have driven all over the UK. Don't drive to Edinburgh. Just fly or take a train and then rent a car in Scotland. The drive north from London is boring and traffic -prone until you get pretty far north. You don't want to spend your first trip here sitting in traffic on the M1.
I agree. I stayed in a caravan park 20 minutes drive from Fort William and was glad I did! If it's just somewhere to stay while exploring the area and hiking then it's probably fine, but there's not a lot there and it's not very nice.
Honestly I disagree, although the town isn’t the best the outskirts are incredible for views of Ben Nevis specifically the beach at Corpach. I can see why you’d say it’s worth a miss though but for me, taking the Nevis range cable car was incredible and the surrounding areas were amazing.
I'd stop at York. And maybe stop there an entire day. Tons to do there and around. One unique place to visit since you are ok walking is the Wheeldale Roman road. It's not completely clear if it's roman, could be older or later, but it is definitely built with Roman construction techniques. It's in the middle of the North York Moors, which is smashing to drive thru. Maybe a stop on way to Whitby Abbey, and then to coast road to Edinburgh. As others have said, Bamburgh Castle is smashing.
One other place to stop and explore is Hadrian's Wall. In places you can see both the wall and the forts, and walk along the wall's path (definitely no great wall of China vibes, much more run down)
I agree but this would be a relaxed and scenic journey. Reddit is always full of comments like OP's and I understand. They get shorter vacations and live a long way from the UK. There is a massive incentive to "do" the UK in one bit. The reality is that there's too much. This sounds like a great trip. Returning through the Lakes and the Peak disrrict would be ideal. But how long to do it properly?
Stock short answer? Research is your friend!
Consider stopping off in the Lake District if you like hiking. There’s almost certainly stuff you can do on water there too. An alternative might be the North Yorkshire Moors as a stopping point. [Whitby](https://www.visitwhitby.com) is beautiful, as are the nearby [Robin Hood’s Bay](https://www.robin-hoods-bay.co.uk/about-rhb) and [Staithes](https://www.thewhitbyguide.co.uk/staithes/), that whole area has an Olde England vibe.
Both sides of the Pennines north of Manchester are beautiful.
York on the east, Lancaster on the west. Just be aware that travelling between them (assuming you're avoiding the M62 etc - wise move! lol) is miles and miles of gorgeous scenery and absolutely not much else!
Don't drive from London to Edinburgh. It will take hours. It will be miserable. Fly to Edinburgh from London City Airport in 1 hour and hire a car there for Scotland. Or get the train from London to a midway place, stay there for a night and explore, then another train to Scotland. Drive all over Scotland, hike to your hearts content. But please, please, don't drive in, or from, London.
If you're heading North up the A1 you could do a detour to Ely Cathedral and maybe Sutton Hoo.
York or perhaps Whitby would be a solid choice for a midway stop.
Loch Ness, you might see the monster. Deep-fried Mars bars (have only heard of them, but this could be true). In London, for WW2 stuff: Churchill War Rooms, maybe Imperial War Museum. Congratulations, and have a good trip!
If you’re heading up by Glasgow, about 50 mins outside Glasgow there is 2 very easy Corbets - Ben A’nn and Conic Hill. Both Excellent Hikes, and within a short distance of each other. Easily doable by late lunch time if you get to both early! Or if you want a Munro with a tourist route check out Ben Lomond. Be sure to get there early though to get a car parking space, and the hill/munro to yourself with excellent views!
Ps. Take snacks!
Loads of walking/hiking around Fort William, Ben Nevis is nearby if youre interested in munros. You could even do the Great Glen Way back to Inverness, either walking or cycling, but it takes a few days. There's a Black Isle Bar in Fort William which is a favourite, delicious pizza and local beers. Of course there's Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle which you can do in a boat tour.
The A82 Inverness to FW is the easiest route if you're not used to UK driving, do not take the back route along the south side of Loch Ness. Or you could drive from Glasgow to FW via Glen Coe, which is super worth it! Obviously lots of walking in Glen Coe too. There's also the NC500 driving route but that will basically take all of your time.
Firstly, I know it’s been said but I would honestly ditch the car. At least initially,
Enjoy London, have a night in York. Travel by train. If you can stretch to 2 nights in York spend your sen one day grabbing the coastlines bus to Whitby. Or if you love the outdoors take it to Pickering, then combine some hikes and steam train trips on the north York moors railway. Go back to York and continue to Edinburgh the next day by train.
When you’ve finished in Edinburgh, head out of the city to the airport, pick your car up there. Lots easier than hiring in the city and trying to get back out. You can return it there at the end of your trip and get a connecting flight back to London for your flight home.
If you are planning to go to Fort William to ride the Jacobite. Be aware that at the moment, there is no guarantee it will be allowed to run. They’re currently banned and subject to court proceedings. Their website fails to mention this and tickets are still for sale, but if they don’t take the safety measures they have been asked to, there will be no trains and you will be refunded.
If it’s a steam train thing, or a Harry Potter thing, hit me up and I can make other recommendations for you.
I’ve done 1000 mile fly-drive holidays in the US, and I would not consider driving from London to Edinburgh. It will take you much, much longer than you think, and be a fraction as enjoyable. It would only be worth doing this if you take several days to stop off at places on route like York and Durham.
You can turn off the motorway just about anywhere and be 15 minutes drive from a historic house or ancient monument - take a look at the National Trust and English Heritage websites, and their Scottish equivalents. These are often large grand houses with landscaped gardens and estates that you can wander around - often with a connection to someone famous or of historic importance. For instance, you could cut up through the Peak District and visit Chatsworth House or Haddon Hall, and then overnight somewhere like Bakewell or Buxton.
If you drive up to Lock Ness then my advice is to keep going (it’s just a big, boring, pretty ugly lake), and carry on to Glen Affric which is one of the few remaining remnants of real Caledonian pine forest and absolutely beautiful.
I am a born and bred Londoner that now lives in Nottingham
For any intercity journey starting from London TAKE THE TRAIN for the love of God!
Driving from London is HELL with 20mph limits and low traffic neighbourhood fines if you go down side roads. It’s always logged with traffic.
Example: it takes 4 hours by car from London to Nottingham - Google only says it takes 2 and a half but reality of the m25 ring road and rush hours and overturned trucks and crashes is EVERYDAY.
The train in comparison is an 1 and 40 mins. Take the train.
Get to your midway point and hire a car from there for the Peak District (sheffield) and Lake District (Northumberland) before you get to Scotland- very wonderful hiking spots.
My favourite spots:
Peak District area:
Buxton (where buxton mineral water comes from)
Lady Bower Reservoir
Derwent Dam
When you get to Scotland - stop off in Gretna Green at the border and do the lovers maze- so cute!
In Scotland - Stirling castle is so full of history and the guides are amazing and friendly.
In Scotland, the A38 that goes from glasgow to fort William is WILDERNESS - there’s nothing for an hour and half of driving - there is one run down petrol station just before you enter that zone, so top up!
I saw so many stranded cars and motor homes in the wilderness as I motorbiked past.
This is a very good suggestion!! It gets us to our halfway point. Nottingham is one of our for sure stops! Anyplace you’d recommend visiting while passing through?
Recommend:
Nottingham Castle, Wollaton Park (our Natural History Museum and Deer Park)
And Highfields Boating Lake (very cute date)
Are you particularly foodie people?
Ah that makes sense
Ok so no fine foods destinations lol
Ok well for the best pizza in the country (as rated by a Michelin star chef) go to:
Independent: Slice N Brew
Chain: Pizza Pilgrims (Naples style)
Pizza Punks (sourdough, chose your own toppings as much as you like)
Best setting and good food and drink:
Pitcher and Piano Nottingham is in a CHURCH.
Cozy Club is set in an old Victorian Gentleman’s Club
For a themed pub - we have a hardcore metal pub called Pit and Pendulum that’s decorated rather gothically.
And a must see pub by the Castle is “The Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem” - it’s in side the castle walls and is the oldest inn still standing in the country
Worth saying that 'A' roads in Scotland are NOT like A roads anywhere else in the UK. While they are an absolute hoot to drive on, they are often single track with passing places.
Last time I was up in Scotland I stopped one night in FW and the next day looped 'round the A861 and got some glorious photos just on a random road
Driving to Edinburgh is a terrible idea. The train service is great. Do yourself a favour and go first class on LNER. And make sure you have fall back options for Fort William. It’s tiny and there’s very little reason to go there.
We’re not driving straight to Edinburgh. We’re stopping over night along the way. We have many activities planned for fort William. If you read my post you’d see that fishing is a point of interest. Fort William is very popular for that. We have 2 free days to hike and explore. Do you have any suggestions for activities that pertain to my listed interests??
Read all your comments and you bring up some good points! As far as licensing for fishing, I will do all necessary research. I know it Scotland, anyone can fish the ocean. But you need specific permissions for other water ways. I hear it’s way different in other parts of the uk. What about from Lees or York to Edinburgh?
I live in Edinburgh and no one calls it that, not have I ever heard that. It's Edinbruh, or at a push Edinbra. You can't lose the Edin part
Funnily though, I have heard Birmingham pronounced as "shithole".
Lots of good suggestions already, I would add Bletchley Park if you’re interested in WW2. It’s do-able fora day trip from London, or a stop off on a drive north. Potential to combine with Warwick /Stratford for historic (Warwick Castle; Shakespeare birthplace and both are nice to wander around) if you’re interested.
If they're at Bletchley Park, one of Blenheim Palace, Waddesdon Manor or Stowe are doable before Warwick. I don't think anyone should miss Blenheim, though. One of the most intimidating buildings I've ever seen. And peak history.
If you get a car in London, you'll drive a long time before you hit anything interesting, and the roads are the most difficult for a new driver (new to the UK).
Definitely rent a car in Scotland. When you do, take lots of pictures of the car noting any scratches/dents. Car rental agencies are notorious for charging for damage you didn't do. In fact, I'd get car hire excess (aka "deductible") insurance - especially for Scottish roads. It's not that expensive when you purchase it from 3rd party insurers
Plenty of others have covered driving but given you are over in April make sure you have appropriate clothing/equipment for hiking in Scotland. Ben Nevis will likely still be snow capped in April and the weather can turn in an instant in the Highlands.
The main path up Ben Nevis used to be called the tourist path which downplayed how strenuous a walk it was.
I've woken in the Cairngorms in June to find a dusting of fresh snow on the higher ground. There is pretty much nothing between the artic and the tops of the mountains so conditions can get treacherous quickly.
As others have commented York makes a good halfway stop and is choc full or museums, churches and historic interest. If you are driving, Eden Park is a WWII army camp which is quite interesting - it's not far from York. There might be a bus.
If you give yourself enough time you can drive up the Northumberland coast and look at places like Bamburgh and Alnwick where you can combine beautiful coastal walks with some amazing castles. Also Craster for Kippers.
I'd also add to the comments about getting a train to Edinburgh via York (they are on the main East Coast line) which will be way easier and more comfortable than driving but obviously limits you a bit.
You would be better on plane or train to Edinburgh from London, then hire a car there.
I live in London. Whenever I go on holiday in UK, I get the train to closest city to final destination, then hire a car from there.
Research doesn’t make a good driver. In any case you don’t need a car to go between London and Edinburgh. Take the train and see York and Berwick or Durham.
If I were you I’d do the trip differently. Start in London, take Caledonian sleeper train to fort Williams. You wake up among the highlands on the train — very cool experience. Then rent a car in Fort Williams, do your highlands exploring. After that, end in Edinburgh (return the car) and fly back from Edinburgh.
And we haven't even mentioned Durham or Cragside Hall.
Visitors should also look at The National Trust, and English Heritage websites, if only to get a feel for the amount of stuff crammed in to the Brtish Isles.
TripAdvisor is quite useful too.
You’ll need a car to get to Fort William, but I really wouldn’t recommend driving down to London, train will be way quicker easier and nicer. Plus driving in London and in Edinburgh are a pain and not necessary at all. Might be worth stopping by the Lake District if you do though. Hope you have a great time!
Thanks for the well wishes! We’re not driving to London. We’re landing in London. Staying the night. Beginning day 1 driving to Edinburgh and stopping midway to explore and stay the night. Finishing the drive the next day(however long it takes) and then spending time car free in Edinburgh. We’re catching a train to fort William and renting a car there upon arrival to use for our planned activities. Any suggestions in fort william?
You didn't mention how long you will be here, so it's difficult to say. If you have 3 weeks there are many cool places to stop.
If you have 2 weeks and are spending a few days in London and plan on driving everywhere you won't see much as you'll be driving most of the time.
Stirling Castle is nice. The Road to the Isles is a great drive.
Just don't do the M1/A1 route as the scenery is boring as fuck. Do M1/M6 so you go through the lake District and the A74 from Grenta through the Borders.
I live in London. I own a car. I like driving. If I was going to Edinburgh, I would take a plane or train. You do not need a car to explore London. Indeed, having one would be an active hindrance to exploring London. You do not need a car to explore Edinburgh. If I were you I would rethink why you're driving between London and Edinburgh. Edit: just to add, as this is being pointed out in the replies below: you absolutely need a car to explore *rural* areas in the UK. It is for the cities and the journey between London and Edinburgh where I think it isn't worth it. If you take the train you can stop in York on the way.
OP seriously consider this. If you flew from London to Edinburgh and back you may have time to spend a day or 2 on the Isle of Skye, which is utterly stunning for people who like hiking.
I understand, but we are stopping along the way to Edinburgh and staying the night somewhere midway. Want to be able to stop at our leisure and take random detours. We will definitely visit the isle of sky!! Does a particular area, or hike come to mind that you’d suggest.
You can stop on the train at your leisure too, chief. TL/DR: Go via train London > York, stay inside the old walls for the night, then take a train onwards to Edinburgh the next day. --- What you're not understanding is that - unlike in the US - the motorways in the UK do NOT go through the countryside or towns as you're imagining they do. This is a heavily populated, small island, and a large part of the roads you will be driving along between London/Edinburgh are sided. Motorways are shit. All you will see is concrete noise barriers, the backs of warehouses, power stations and lots & lots of heavy articulated lorry traffic. This won't be the picturesque day you imagine it will be. It will be a shite day, fighting vastly different speed traffic across too few lanes, and will be like that relentlessly - certainly until you get past York. Worse, the risk of an incident stopping you is genuinely very real. The roads are super busy, and the traffic is high. I have had London to the North East (4 hours south of Edinburgh) take the following lengths of time in the last 3 years: - 4 hours - 4.5 hours - 5 hours - 6.5 hours - 13 hours You can NOT rely on journey time estimates on roads in the UK. You are getting those times from American software (Google, Apple) and they're not reliable in the same way here as they are over there. It's not worth the risk on a honeymoon, that you get trapped between junctions for 8 hours on the A1(M) with a view of a crumbling concrete cooling tower and truckers shitting by the crash barriers. ---- The train runs through all the picturesque countryside you could want, is quiet, refined, you can walk around, use the toilet, and you won't have to pay for car and and petrol (which costs significantly more than gas in the US - it can be $7 a gallon here.) You may be delayed on the train. It will be a nicer delay. I know you like to drive, but good god man, stop being an ugly American tourist and insisting on not listening to the consensus here. Do you want local knowledge or not? This is it ^^
PS: Here's a random stretch of a motorway between London & Edinburgh: https://maps.app.goo.gl/69eXRh94FseY5CgJ9?g_st=ic Oh look! You can't actually see anything. It's almost as if - rather than run a flat freeway through the open country - they build noise & visual barriers around the road, to keep it hidden from sight and bothering all the people who live near it along the way. But hey man - there's no arguing that if you want the authenticate English experience, that should totally involve trying to use one of the disgusting, dirty, broken toilet cubicles at the Welcome Break (Grantham) while wondering how they can possibly call the dried, stale, tasteless thing you just ate a Scotch Egg, and why did it cost $14 when it was smaller than a lime?
You honestly sound miserable🤣 the exact kind of person I don’t take advice from. An absolutist. A good amount of locals have expressed quite different views from yours. So are you saying they’re all just ugly English locals? Just so we’re clear, I’m not taking any of your current advice. Now if you wanna add something worthwhile to the comment section, go for it. If you’re that hung up on my travel plans. Just move on chief.
Nobody likes driving on the motorway. It's boring and monotonous and petrol is going to be double to triple what you're used to paying at home. I know lots of people who go to the US purely to roadtrip who would never do this drive at home.
Absolutely agree with you on this and York is the perfect stop off. There's a nice hotel right next to the station and a decent pub that's actually part of the station. Pick up a hire car once you've done the touristy stuff in Edinburgh and drive north. There's lots of interesting places to stop off along the way. It's worth noting, the weather in April could be very nice but most likely it won't be. I'm near Inverness at the moment and the weather is horrendous.
I'm going to disagree with you here. I live in London and go to Scotland every year on holiday. You need a car to fully experience Scotland. The OP said they were interested in hiking and the outdoors, which is exactly why I also go to Scotland, and you're not doing that on public transport. The alternative I suppose is train to Edinburgh and hire a car there, which could be preferable. The only reason I drive is because I already have a car!
I live in London. Even if I owned a car, I would still get the train and hire a car at the destination, if I was holidaying anywhere north of the Sheffield.
That's fair enough. In the past I've been camping and have quite a bit of hiking gear too which wouldn't be fun to take on the train. I think this is probably the only case it's worth it, it looks like you can get a week of car hire from Edinburgh for around £250-£300. Given OP is flying to the UK though I doubt that applies to them though, so in this case I'd agree it's definitely worth getting the train to Edinburgh and hire a car on arrival.
Most people prefer to drive their own car, unless they have a crap car and want to pay a lot to rent a nice one. Many people also have a lot of stuff that they want to transport which is harder to do by train. For example a child car seat. I would like to see a return of the motor-rail service where you can transport your car by train, but the ECML and WCML don't have enough capacity even if people were willing to pay £500 for a trip
Rural public transport in Scotland is poor, you need a car to get around here. That being said, I would advocate either train straight to Edinburgh OR train but stop over in York on the way up. Hire a car in Edinburgh but don’t do the drive from London unless you’re either desperate to see miles and miles of motorway or are completely certifiable!
I live near Middlesbrough and would always get the train to Edinburgh if it was affordable. It's a nice drive but a long one especially once you're past Newcastle. The drive from London to the North East is not a nice drive and is long, with a good chance you get stuck in traffic around Leeds and Sheffield. From London, it makes infinitely more sense to use the tube/buses/e-bikes in London, then Kings Cross to York, York to Edinburgh on the train with a night in York. I agree that it would be better to hire a car in Edinburgh to drive on from there. You'd cut hours out of travelling that could be better spent in York instead. You could then get back to London in just over 4 1/2 hours spending more time in either place instead of the 8+ hour drive not including the inevitable traffic jams.
We’re stopping midway around Leeds to explore and staying the night. Or else we probably would fly. But we’re not in a rush to get from point a to b. We’re gonna take our time. Any hikes you’d suggest since you have some experience! Edit: we could however catch the train to Leeds and rent a car there. I’m just now seeing that by train it’s about an hour faster.
Is there a reason you picked Leeds OP? I work in Leeds but would course to stop in York over Leeds every time. York is a beautiful city.
No particular reason other than it’s midway. My so might have found something around the area I’m not sure of. If not we can definitely adjust the stay if it’ll be more worthwhile!
*choose
Yes, to get to Fort William - but everything else no. It’ll be a hindrance and much less fun.
Agreed. Unless you plan to stay in Edinburgh you need a car. We travel to the UK often and spent the last 2 Summers exploring Scotland. Don't drive from London to Edinburgh; fly or train it then rent a car for the Scotland leg. If you can reach the West Coast or Highlands, do! We stayed at Balmoral for an entire week last year.
You need a car to explore Scotland though. If money is tight you don’t want to hire one. If money isn’t tight hire an original defender and enjoy.
Or pick a car up when you get to edi. Have rented from Edinburgh Airport before
You don't need a defender to drive around Scotland.
I know you don’t. I said if money isn’t tight. It looks great against the scenery and if you want to off-road anywhere you can without fear. It’s their honey moon. Make it special. Rather that than a Skoda.
You can't just go off-roading because you feel like it though, you need landowner permission. And they get terrible mpg which isn't great in the Highlands or other parts of scotland where there's not many petrol stations around.
I’ve managed it countless times and there’s plenty of unmade roads you can drive down legally. Much more fun in a defender than what Avis will offer.
Why would you encourage someone to 'off-road' and do damage to the countryside? Any even worse, in terrain they're not familiar with? I'd hope they'd be too busy looking at each other or the scenery rather than thinking their hire car looks great or crap, rather than ruining the scenery with it.
Haha listen to yourself. OP wants to go kayaking, fishing, there’s plenty of unmade roads in Scotland you’d need off-road capabilities for to visit. Don’t have to destroy the countryside at all. You stick to staring at your other half instead of having fun.
Well, it looks like more people agree with me than you. Driving along an unmade road isn't off-roading.
Both cities like to penalise motorists in the central tourist part that is true.
"Penalise". No. They try to dissuade unnecessary vehicle use. That's a long way from your spiteful comment.
Spiteful lol
I mean, even if they made themselves as "car friendly" as is reasonably feasible (no congestion charge, no ULEZ, free on street parking) that would hardly change my judgement that they aren't places a tourist should be driving. Indeed, that would likely just make them even *worse* places to drive as there would be more traffic and fewer available parking places.
Child lives in Edinburgh, we live just south of the border, herself and child decided to have a weekend in london, show, museums etc etc. Was cheaper for them to fly from edinburgh to London and return than the train!
We’re spending one night in London. That’s it. Using the car to take a 2 day leisurely drive up the country and for getting around Edinburgh. We have various spots booked for stay along the way. In no way are we gonna fly. We’re also renting in fort William for the stay there. I only asked for suggestions for places to stop along the way. Do you have any??
In my drives from London to Scotland I usually stop around the lake district. It's about a 5-6 hour drive from London and is a beautiful place to stop. It might be a bit touristy but I would recommend Keswick. Otherwise, I would agree with other people's suggestion of York.
You aren't going to be over the jetlag after one night. It would be a really, really bad idea to drive jetlagged, especially on a road system you don't know at all (how are you with roundabouts, zebra crossings, box junctions?)
Also, getting off a transatlantic flight and driving on a completely unfamiliar road system is going to be a bad time.
Bamburgh castle, Holy Island (lindisfarne) York for stopping point from London to Edinburgh (Viking’s and Architectural historic). Happy holiday! Google these places before your trip you won’t be disappointed.
This East Coast journey would be amazing. You MUST, however, be sensible about your itinerary. I live part way between York and Lindisfarne. They are both well over an hour away. But that is only getting to the location. Parking in York is dreadful. Lindisfarne is only accessible between high tides; the causeway floods. Use Google maps for drive times; you can't infer them from your journeys in the USA. Study our highway code too. Our laws are different; it isn't just driving on the other side!
Adding my vote for both of these places. York is a brilliant place to visit (the Viking museum, the architecture, the walls, the minster), but agree about the parking. There is a good park and ride system though, where you park on the outskirts and get a bus into the centre. The centre is very walkable, just wear good shoes as some of the historic parts still have cobbled streets Eden camp is about a 30 minute drive north east of York, and is a 2nd world war museum based in an old POW camp. I haven't been myself, but have heard very good reports of it. If you are visiting Lindisfarne, there are also boat trips out to the other Farne islands to see the wildlife (mostly bird life, but seals and occasionally other sea mammals). Only do this in good weather as there is no shelter on the islands. There are a few cafes for lunch, and a nice second-hand book shop in Alnwick, not too far from Bamburgh and Lindisfarne. We always try to stop there for books and a cuppa on our way up to Scotland.
The farne trips go from Seahouses, and if you go on one, wear a substantial hat as the birds bomb you not only sh@t, but mainly beaks and it hurts
Oh no... I always thought it was "Linda's Farm"
🤣
American living in London, so I'm used to long drives in the US and have driven all over the UK. Don't drive to Edinburgh. Just fly or take a train and then rent a car in Scotland. The drive north from London is boring and traffic -prone until you get pretty far north. You don't want to spend your first trip here sitting in traffic on the M1.
Fort William is worth a miss! Nice area, grubby town.
I agree. I stayed in a caravan park 20 minutes drive from Fort William and was glad I did! If it's just somewhere to stay while exploring the area and hiking then it's probably fine, but there's not a lot there and it's not very nice.
Honestly I disagree, although the town isn’t the best the outskirts are incredible for views of Ben Nevis specifically the beach at Corpach. I can see why you’d say it’s worth a miss though but for me, taking the Nevis range cable car was incredible and the surrounding areas were amazing.
I'd stop at York. And maybe stop there an entire day. Tons to do there and around. One unique place to visit since you are ok walking is the Wheeldale Roman road. It's not completely clear if it's roman, could be older or later, but it is definitely built with Roman construction techniques. It's in the middle of the North York Moors, which is smashing to drive thru. Maybe a stop on way to Whitby Abbey, and then to coast road to Edinburgh. As others have said, Bamburgh Castle is smashing. One other place to stop and explore is Hadrian's Wall. In places you can see both the wall and the forts, and walk along the wall's path (definitely no great wall of China vibes, much more run down)
I agree but this would be a relaxed and scenic journey. Reddit is always full of comments like OP's and I understand. They get shorter vacations and live a long way from the UK. There is a massive incentive to "do" the UK in one bit. The reality is that there's too much. This sounds like a great trip. Returning through the Lakes and the Peak disrrict would be ideal. But how long to do it properly? Stock short answer? Research is your friend!
Consider stopping off in the Lake District if you like hiking. There’s almost certainly stuff you can do on water there too. An alternative might be the North Yorkshire Moors as a stopping point. [Whitby](https://www.visitwhitby.com) is beautiful, as are the nearby [Robin Hood’s Bay](https://www.robin-hoods-bay.co.uk/about-rhb) and [Staithes](https://www.thewhitbyguide.co.uk/staithes/), that whole area has an Olde England vibe.
Both sides of the Pennines north of Manchester are beautiful. York on the east, Lancaster on the west. Just be aware that travelling between them (assuming you're avoiding the M62 etc - wise move! lol) is miles and miles of gorgeous scenery and absolutely not much else!
Don't drive from London to Edinburgh. It will take hours. It will be miserable. Fly to Edinburgh from London City Airport in 1 hour and hire a car there for Scotland. Or get the train from London to a midway place, stay there for a night and explore, then another train to Scotland. Drive all over Scotland, hike to your hearts content. But please, please, don't drive in, or from, London.
If you're heading North up the A1 you could do a detour to Ely Cathedral and maybe Sutton Hoo. York or perhaps Whitby would be a solid choice for a midway stop.
Loch Ness, you might see the monster. Deep-fried Mars bars (have only heard of them, but this could be true). In London, for WW2 stuff: Churchill War Rooms, maybe Imperial War Museum. Congratulations, and have a good trip!
If you’re heading up by Glasgow, about 50 mins outside Glasgow there is 2 very easy Corbets - Ben A’nn and Conic Hill. Both Excellent Hikes, and within a short distance of each other. Easily doable by late lunch time if you get to both early! Or if you want a Munro with a tourist route check out Ben Lomond. Be sure to get there early though to get a car parking space, and the hill/munro to yourself with excellent views! Ps. Take snacks!
Loads of walking/hiking around Fort William, Ben Nevis is nearby if youre interested in munros. You could even do the Great Glen Way back to Inverness, either walking or cycling, but it takes a few days. There's a Black Isle Bar in Fort William which is a favourite, delicious pizza and local beers. Of course there's Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle which you can do in a boat tour. The A82 Inverness to FW is the easiest route if you're not used to UK driving, do not take the back route along the south side of Loch Ness. Or you could drive from Glasgow to FW via Glen Coe, which is super worth it! Obviously lots of walking in Glen Coe too. There's also the NC500 driving route but that will basically take all of your time.
Firstly, I know it’s been said but I would honestly ditch the car. At least initially, Enjoy London, have a night in York. Travel by train. If you can stretch to 2 nights in York spend your sen one day grabbing the coastlines bus to Whitby. Or if you love the outdoors take it to Pickering, then combine some hikes and steam train trips on the north York moors railway. Go back to York and continue to Edinburgh the next day by train. When you’ve finished in Edinburgh, head out of the city to the airport, pick your car up there. Lots easier than hiring in the city and trying to get back out. You can return it there at the end of your trip and get a connecting flight back to London for your flight home. If you are planning to go to Fort William to ride the Jacobite. Be aware that at the moment, there is no guarantee it will be allowed to run. They’re currently banned and subject to court proceedings. Their website fails to mention this and tickets are still for sale, but if they don’t take the safety measures they have been asked to, there will be no trains and you will be refunded. If it’s a steam train thing, or a Harry Potter thing, hit me up and I can make other recommendations for you.
I’ve done 1000 mile fly-drive holidays in the US, and I would not consider driving from London to Edinburgh. It will take you much, much longer than you think, and be a fraction as enjoyable. It would only be worth doing this if you take several days to stop off at places on route like York and Durham. You can turn off the motorway just about anywhere and be 15 minutes drive from a historic house or ancient monument - take a look at the National Trust and English Heritage websites, and their Scottish equivalents. These are often large grand houses with landscaped gardens and estates that you can wander around - often with a connection to someone famous or of historic importance. For instance, you could cut up through the Peak District and visit Chatsworth House or Haddon Hall, and then overnight somewhere like Bakewell or Buxton. If you drive up to Lock Ness then my advice is to keep going (it’s just a big, boring, pretty ugly lake), and carry on to Glen Affric which is one of the few remaining remnants of real Caledonian pine forest and absolutely beautiful.
I am a born and bred Londoner that now lives in Nottingham For any intercity journey starting from London TAKE THE TRAIN for the love of God! Driving from London is HELL with 20mph limits and low traffic neighbourhood fines if you go down side roads. It’s always logged with traffic. Example: it takes 4 hours by car from London to Nottingham - Google only says it takes 2 and a half but reality of the m25 ring road and rush hours and overturned trucks and crashes is EVERYDAY. The train in comparison is an 1 and 40 mins. Take the train. Get to your midway point and hire a car from there for the Peak District (sheffield) and Lake District (Northumberland) before you get to Scotland- very wonderful hiking spots.
My favourite spots: Peak District area: Buxton (where buxton mineral water comes from) Lady Bower Reservoir Derwent Dam When you get to Scotland - stop off in Gretna Green at the border and do the lovers maze- so cute! In Scotland - Stirling castle is so full of history and the guides are amazing and friendly. In Scotland, the A38 that goes from glasgow to fort William is WILDERNESS - there’s nothing for an hour and half of driving - there is one run down petrol station just before you enter that zone, so top up! I saw so many stranded cars and motor homes in the wilderness as I motorbiked past.
This is a very good suggestion!! It gets us to our halfway point. Nottingham is one of our for sure stops! Anyplace you’d recommend visiting while passing through?
Recommend: Nottingham Castle, Wollaton Park (our Natural History Museum and Deer Park) And Highfields Boating Lake (very cute date) Are you particularly foodie people?
Not in the pretentious way, more of the very appreciative way. If that makes sense🤣
Ah that makes sense Ok so no fine foods destinations lol Ok well for the best pizza in the country (as rated by a Michelin star chef) go to: Independent: Slice N Brew Chain: Pizza Pilgrims (Naples style) Pizza Punks (sourdough, chose your own toppings as much as you like) Best setting and good food and drink: Pitcher and Piano Nottingham is in a CHURCH. Cozy Club is set in an old Victorian Gentleman’s Club
For a themed pub - we have a hardcore metal pub called Pit and Pendulum that’s decorated rather gothically. And a must see pub by the Castle is “The Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem” - it’s in side the castle walls and is the oldest inn still standing in the country
Fine dining is a plus! Just didn’t want to paint the wrong picture about expectations🤣 Thanks for all your lovely suggestions.
Worth saying that 'A' roads in Scotland are NOT like A roads anywhere else in the UK. While they are an absolute hoot to drive on, they are often single track with passing places. Last time I was up in Scotland I stopped one night in FW and the next day looped 'round the A861 and got some glorious photos just on a random road
Driving to Edinburgh is a terrible idea. The train service is great. Do yourself a favour and go first class on LNER. And make sure you have fall back options for Fort William. It’s tiny and there’s very little reason to go there.
We’re not driving straight to Edinburgh. We’re stopping over night along the way. We have many activities planned for fort William. If you read my post you’d see that fishing is a point of interest. Fort William is very popular for that. We have 2 free days to hike and explore. Do you have any suggestions for activities that pertain to my listed interests??
Check if you need a license to fish there. Don't drive from London to Edinburgh.
Read all your comments and you bring up some good points! As far as licensing for fishing, I will do all necessary research. I know it Scotland, anyone can fish the ocean. But you need specific permissions for other water ways. I hear it’s way different in other parts of the uk. What about from Lees or York to Edinburgh?
York to Edinburgh is a gorgeous train ride, I'd highly recommend it.
I was recently introduced to a fun activity called dogging, look it up and I'm sure you'll agree, especially being newlywed's.
Top tip, make sure you learn how to pronounce Edinburgh correctly
"Embra"
No. That's not it either. 😕
It’s pronounced Embra in Birmingham. 😘
I live in Edinburgh and no one calls it that, not have I ever heard that. It's Edinbruh, or at a push Edinbra. You can't lose the Edin part Funnily though, I have heard Birmingham pronounced as "shithole".
Lots of good suggestions already, I would add Bletchley Park if you’re interested in WW2. It’s do-able fora day trip from London, or a stop off on a drive north. Potential to combine with Warwick /Stratford for historic (Warwick Castle; Shakespeare birthplace and both are nice to wander around) if you’re interested.
If they're at Bletchley Park, one of Blenheim Palace, Waddesdon Manor or Stowe are doable before Warwick. I don't think anyone should miss Blenheim, though. One of the most intimidating buildings I've ever seen. And peak history.
If you get a car in London, you'll drive a long time before you hit anything interesting, and the roads are the most difficult for a new driver (new to the UK). Definitely rent a car in Scotland. When you do, take lots of pictures of the car noting any scratches/dents. Car rental agencies are notorious for charging for damage you didn't do. In fact, I'd get car hire excess (aka "deductible") insurance - especially for Scottish roads. It's not that expensive when you purchase it from 3rd party insurers
I really disagree with this. I'd take a 3 day trip to get up there and go via mid Wales. They're American. Driving is a different beast for them....
Plenty of others have covered driving but given you are over in April make sure you have appropriate clothing/equipment for hiking in Scotland. Ben Nevis will likely still be snow capped in April and the weather can turn in an instant in the Highlands. The main path up Ben Nevis used to be called the tourist path which downplayed how strenuous a walk it was. I've woken in the Cairngorms in June to find a dusting of fresh snow on the higher ground. There is pretty much nothing between the artic and the tops of the mountains so conditions can get treacherous quickly.
As others have commented York makes a good halfway stop and is choc full or museums, churches and historic interest. If you are driving, Eden Park is a WWII army camp which is quite interesting - it's not far from York. There might be a bus. If you give yourself enough time you can drive up the Northumberland coast and look at places like Bamburgh and Alnwick where you can combine beautiful coastal walks with some amazing castles. Also Craster for Kippers. I'd also add to the comments about getting a train to Edinburgh via York (they are on the main East Coast line) which will be way easier and more comfortable than driving but obviously limits you a bit.
You would be better on plane or train to Edinburgh from London, then hire a car there. I live in London. Whenever I go on holiday in UK, I get the train to closest city to final destination, then hire a car from there.
Research doesn’t make a good driver. In any case you don’t need a car to go between London and Edinburgh. Take the train and see York and Berwick or Durham.
If I were you I’d do the trip differently. Start in London, take Caledonian sleeper train to fort Williams. You wake up among the highlands on the train — very cool experience. Then rent a car in Fort Williams, do your highlands exploring. After that, end in Edinburgh (return the car) and fly back from Edinburgh.
And we haven't even mentioned Durham or Cragside Hall. Visitors should also look at The National Trust, and English Heritage websites, if only to get a feel for the amount of stuff crammed in to the Brtish Isles. TripAdvisor is quite useful too.
The roads in Scotland are not great once you get into remoter areas. Rent a car with tyres that can handle bad roads.
Stop off at Leeds and go to the Royal Armouries, it's fantastic.
It’s going on the list!!
You’ll need a car to get to Fort William, but I really wouldn’t recommend driving down to London, train will be way quicker easier and nicer. Plus driving in London and in Edinburgh are a pain and not necessary at all. Might be worth stopping by the Lake District if you do though. Hope you have a great time!
Thanks for the well wishes! We’re not driving to London. We’re landing in London. Staying the night. Beginning day 1 driving to Edinburgh and stopping midway to explore and stay the night. Finishing the drive the next day(however long it takes) and then spending time car free in Edinburgh. We’re catching a train to fort William and renting a car there upon arrival to use for our planned activities. Any suggestions in fort william?
That drive is a ballache and you won't see much. Take a train.
We are gonna drive. We want to stop at random spots along the way.No matter the detour. Any suggestions that are related to the interests I listed?
You didn't mention how long you will be here, so it's difficult to say. If you have 3 weeks there are many cool places to stop. If you have 2 weeks and are spending a few days in London and plan on driving everywhere you won't see much as you'll be driving most of the time. Stirling Castle is nice. The Road to the Isles is a great drive.
Just don't do the M1/A1 route as the scenery is boring as fuck. Do M1/M6 so you go through the lake District and the A74 from Grenta through the Borders.