Best 3-day road trips from London

London road trips calling! Whether you live in the capital or are based there on a UK holiday, it’s tempting to get out onto the road for a long weekend or bank holiday. But no-one wants to spend most of their getaway driving, so what are the options for road trips from London that still allow you to get out into nature and explore the best of the country?

From the Cotswolds to Cardiff, North Norfolk to the New Forest – read on for our 8 best 3-day road trips from London. Apart from a few exceptions, we’ve kept driving distances to around 100-150 miles, leaving you maximum time to explore.

8 best 3-day road trips from London

1. London to Bath and the Cotswolds

Total distance: about 200 miles | Best time to do the route: summer | Route map

Passing Oxford, Windsor and many more famous sights, the first of our 3-day road trips from London is to the Cotswolds, making an unmissable holiday. It finishes in the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) known as the most “quintessentially English” region in the country, with plenty of time to explore its gorgeous villages and stroll or hike the Cotswolds Way. The trip also detours to the Georgian spa town of Bath.

Start the trip by driving west from London to Windsor (25 miles), home of Windsor Castle, then drive through the Chiltern Hills AONB to Oxford. Windsor, the Chilterns, Oxford and Thames towns Marlow and Henley are all options for sightseeing – we recommend taking a full day’s drive to soak up the sights.

Park up for the night at the Cotswolds AONB’s southwest, near Bath and the “prettiest village in England”, Castle Combe. This leaves two days to explore this beautiful region, where highlights include the villages of Bourton-on-the-Water and Chipping Norton.

2. London to the Kent coast

Total distance: about 115 miles | Best time to do the route: | Route map

Any 3-day road trips from London roundup must include Kent, one of the easiest and shortest destinations from London. Spending three days on a Kent coast trip will allow for loads of seaside and sightseeing time – Whitstable, Deal, Dover, St Margaret’s Bay and Folkestone are just a few of the highlights on this simple and scenic trip.

It’s 60 miles from London to our first Kent coast destination, Whitstable. A stop along the way is Rochester, the former home of Charles Dickens; otherwise, drive straight to Whitstable and park up near there or inland at Canterbury.

On days 2 and 3, drive east then south along Kent’s coast, taking in Margate, Broadstairs, Ramsgate, Deal and Dover en route to Folkestone. It’s easy to spend a couple of days just along this stretch of coast, but options from Folkestone include driving further south to Dungeness, or inland to the Kent Downs AONB. Alternatively, make for Hastings, Rye, Brighton or Camber Sands in East Sussex – see ourroad trips from London blog for more inspiration.

3. London to Mersea Island

Total distance: about 85 miles | Best time to do the route: summer | Route map

Enjoy a low-key trip around Mersea Island in Essex on our third 3-day road trips from London, 87 miles from London via the A12. With a population of just 7,000, Mersea is the most easterly inhabited island in the UK, reachable from the mainland via The Strood causeway.

Head to West Mersea for sandy beaches, cafés, pubs and vintage shops and boutiques, as well as the Mersea Island Museum (open in summer). The more rural eastern side of the island, home to the East Mersea Flats Nature Reserve and Cudmore Grove Country Park, is more wild and rural so is ideal for hikes and getting into nature. Our trip takes in both, plus two of Mersea’s absolute musts: fresh Mersea seafood from West Mersea Oyster Bar or The Duke's Seafood, and local wine from Mersea Island Vineyard.

Extend your trip by seeing more of the Essex coast at Harwich to the northeast, or visit the riverside town of Maldon to Mersea’s southwest.

4. London to Stonehenge and the North Wessex Downs

Total distance: about 160 miles | Best time to do the route: summer and winter solstices | Route map

One of Britain’s most iconic sights, mighty Stonehenge lies 86 miles west of London on Salisbury Plain. Leave early in the morning to spend an afternoon at Stonehenge, or leave the night before to arrive for dawn of the summer or winter solstice (unlike at other times of the year, during solstices visitors are allowed full access to the stones).

On Day 2, visit the nearby stone circles of Avebury, the largest megalithic stone circle in the world; the site includes a manor house, gardens, a gallery and a museum. For Day 3, explore the surrounding North Wessex Downs AONB, where highlights include the Uffington White Horse etched into the chalk downs, and Highclere Castle, the setting of hit TV series Downton Abbey.

Like most of our 3-day road trips from London ideas, London to Stonehenge can be done in a day or two if you’re really pushed for time, but is best experienced over at least three. If you can extend even further, we recommend driving out of central London via a morning at Richmond, then stopping off at Salisbury or Winchester on your way to Stonehenge.

5. London to North Norfolk

Total distance: about 170 miles | Best time to do the route: summer | Route map

Stately homes, coastal villages and a stunning coastline of over 100 miles all await in North Norfolk, along with proximity to the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads if you want to extend your trip.

The first stop on any 3-day road trip from London to North Norfolk should be beautiful Heacham, on the western edge of the North Norfolk Coast AONB close to King’s Lynn. (The drive north from London goes via Cambridge for an optional stop.) Walk the 2.8 miles along the beach to Hunstanton to see its famous red and white chalk cliffs and round off your first day.

You can then continue to explore the North Norfolk Coast AONB coast on Days 2 and 3 with stops at Wells-next-the-Sea, Holkham Hall and Cromer. Also highly recommended is Blakeney Point and the Blakeney National Nature Reserve, home to England's largest grey seal colony. Or see Blakeney, Wells and Cromer on Day 2 and drive to the rest of the Norfolk coast on Day 3 to visit Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft and Southwold.

6. London to the New Forest

Total distance: about 120 miles | Best time to do the route: summer | Route map

The first national park in our best 3-day road trips from London list is this spectacular break in the New Forest, a beautiful and peaceful area crammed with highlights and attractions.

The woodland, wetland and heathland habitats of this popular national park are a haven for wildlife including many rare species: visit the New Forest Heritage Centre, the New Forest Wildlife Park and the New Forest Reptile Centre for an overview. The New Forest Tour Bus runs between late June and mid-September, taking in all the national park highlights.

Our 3-day trip arrives in the New Forest at Lyndhurst, home of the park’s heritage centre, with optional stops at Winchester or Southampton. Days 2 and 3 cover the best of the park, visiting the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu, Exbury Gardens, the 18th-century shipbuilding village at Buckler’s Hard, and 16th-century Hurst Castle, for views across to the Isle of Wight.

Check out the best New Forest campsites!

7. London to Cardiff and the Gower Peninsula

Total distance: about 210 miles | Best time to do the route: any time | Route map

It’s easily possible to get to Wales on 3-day road trips from London! This trip of just over 200 miles heads to Welsh capital Cardiff in only about three hours’ drive; from there, it’s just another 50 miles to The Mumbles and the beginning of the Gower Peninsula AONB.

Take Day 1 to drive to Cardiff from London, stopping at a Cardiff campsite overnight. On Day 2, make your way to The Mumbles along Wales’ southern coastline, detouring via Barry, Llantwit Major, Nash Point and Porthcawl. This leaves plenty of time on Days 2 and 3 to explore the Gower Peninsula, a stunning landscape that was Britain’s first ever designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Extend your trip by driving further west to Pembrokeshire and the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park which makes up the only fully coastal national park in Britain.

8. London to the Lake District

Total distance: about 425 miles | Best time to do the route: summer, autumn | Route map

Our longest trip on our 3-day road trips from London list is well worth the drive, to England's largest national park, the Lake District. Arriving at Kendal, the last of our best road trips from London suggestions leaves early on Day 1 for a leisurely 312-mile drive north via the Cotswolds, Stratford-upon-Avon, the Peak District National Park and the Forest of Bowland AONB. All of these are well worth at least a day in themselves if you can take longer for your trip. (If you want to drive directly to the Lakes,London to Kendal is 263 miles.)

Days 2 and 3 take in as much of the Lakes as possible: see Windermere, Barrow-in-Furness, Ambleside, Scafell Pike and Keswick, before rounding off your Lake District road trip at Penrith. Don’t forget to leave time for a boat trip!

Hire a van for your 3-day road trip from London

3-day road trips from London are the perfect break for a long weekend. They’re simple to arrange for a van trip too: just search our listings forcampervan hire in London to explore a wide range of campervans and motorhomes to suit any budget.

If 3-day road trips from London aren’t enough, check out ourroad trips from London blog which includes trips of up to 10 days all around England and to Scotland and Wales.

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