Road trips
Best UK road trips from London: weekend & long breaks
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Do you want to escape the city for a weekend? Or maybe you’re on an epic UK trip keen to set off on a road trip after a few days in the capital? Whatever your travel needs, read on for our best UK road trips from London for everything you need to know. Our trips are of varying distances so you can escape from the city for a week, a fortnight or even just a weekend!
With all our trips, we highly recommend staying at a campsite in central London on your first night, so you can sightsee in London that day then set off early the next morning.
Best UK road trips from London
Towns of the Thames
Total distance: 69 miles
Recommended duration: 2-3 days
What better way to road trip from London than to visit towns on the course of its mighty river? Our first London road trip goes west from the city through Home Counties countryside to arrive at the town of Windsor, most famous for Windsor Castle and Eton College. The smart market towns of Marlow and Henley-on-Thames are next; from Henley, drive on to Oxford to sightsee among the famous colleges and other architecture.
One of the best parts of this trip is that its Oxford finish easily leads into another famous UK road trip – see our next entry!
Where to camp
Berkshire campsite:California Chalet and Touring Park, Nine Mile Ride, Finchampstead, Wokingham RG40 4HU
Oxfordshire campsite:Greenhill Leisure Park, Station Rd, Bletchingdon, Kidlington OX5 3BQ
The Cotswolds
Total distance: 71 miles
Recommended duration: 2 days
Possibly one of the most iconic images of Britain, the yellow sandstone buildings of the Cotswolds are set in peaceful countryside within an easy drive of London. Our trip starts in Oxford for a few hours sightseeing, then meanders around Cotswold villages with frequent stops for walks, teas and pub lunches. Drive to Bibury from Oxford, then on to Bourton-on-the-Water, Chipping Norton, Moreton-in-Marsh and Chipping Camden.
Where to camp
Cotswolds Caravan and Camping, Spelsbury Rd, Charlbury, Chipping Norton OX7 3LL
Bourton-on-the-Water Caravan and Motorhome Club Site, Cheltenham Road, Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire, GL54 3BU
The Kent coast
Total distance: 113 miles
Recommended duration: 3 days
Heading southeast from London to the seaside towns of the Kent coast, this trip is perfect for a weekend escape. Leave London via Dartford and drive 61 miles east to Whitstable, then another 15 or so miles to Margate via Herne Bay. Go via Broadstairs and Deal when driving from Margate to Dover and Folkestone, so you can stay close to the coast.
A great detour option is to swing south on the Whitstable to Margate drive for a few hours in Canterbury, Kent’s county town. Or if you’re feeling very adventurous, you could extend your trip from Dover all the way to France!
Where to camp
Quex Holiday Park & Campsite, Park Rd, Birchington-on-Sea, Birchington CT7 0BL
New Romney Caravan Park, 105 Clark Rd, New Romney TN28 8PB
We have details of morecoastal road trips in the UK here.
The New Forest
Total distance: 153 miles; also including Milford-on-Sea and Southampton
Recommended duration: 5 days
This route of this peaceful five-day trip runs from London to the New Forest National Park and includes Hampshire seaside days at Milford-on-Sea and Southampton. Take the M25 west from London to drive through Surrey and come into Hampshire with an optional stop at Winchester. Then drive across the New Forest to Fordingbridge to loop around the park down to Milford, then east to Beaulieu. Leave a day at the end of the trip to sightsee in Southampton.
Where to camp
New Forest campsites
Harry’s Meadow, Hale Park, Fordingbridge, Hampshire SP6 2RE
Green Hill Farm Holiday Village, New Rd, Landford, Salisbury SP5 2AZ
The Peak District
Total distance: 173 miles (from London to Edale); 248 miles (London to Edale and Peak District tour)
Recommended duration: 7 days
Onto our lengthier road trips now! These are all suitable for holidays of a week or more and take in spectacular landscapes and famous attractions around the country.
Our first trip covers the crags, moorland, limestone, caves and wide-open countryside of the rugged Peak District, the first designated national park in the UK. Hiking, climbing, caving, cycling and watersports are all popular here, while top destinations include Buxton, Bakewell, the Heights of Abraham and the Blue John Cavern.
We’ve started the trip in Edale as it’s the beginning of the Pennine Way, the UK’s first long-distance walking trail. Set out on foot from here for a Peak District walking weekend, or follow our driving route around the highlights of the national park, finishing up just to its west at the village of Leek.
Where to camp
Callow Top Holiday Park, Buxton Road, Ashbourne DE6 2AQ
Dale Farm Rural Campsite, Moor Rd, Great Longstone, Bakewell DE45 1UA
London to Edinburgh
Total distance: 559 miles
Recommended duration: 2 weeks
The direct London to Edinburgh drive is around 400 miles and takes about seven hours. But don’t rush it when there are so many awesome places to see on the way! Taking a full fortnight for a London to Edinburgh road trip lets you have one or two days each in London and Edinburgh at either end and allow nine or 10 days for the drive.
We prefer a zigzag route for this trip so you can see as much of the country as possible, stopping off at Windsor, the Cotswolds, Oxford, Stonehenge, Bath and Manchester. You’ll also drive between the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales national parks, and pass close to Birmingham, Cheltenham and Gloucester.
Where to camp
Lake District campsite:[Windermere Camping and Caravanning Club Site](https://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/campsites/uk/cumbria/kendal/windermere-camping-and-caravanning-club-site/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_content=Windermere&utm_campaign=google_places# Availability), Ashes Ln, Staveley, Kendal LA8 9JS
Lancashire campsite:Ashton Hall Caravan Park, Ashton Hall Estate, Ashton Road, Lancaster LA2 0AJ
The Atlantic Highway
Total distance: 320 miles
Recommended duration: 2 weeks
This is another long-distance road trip, but so worth it if you have time. The Atlantic Highway is the name given to the part of the A39 that runs from Bath to Falmouth, via lovely spots like Bude, Camelford and Newquay.
Drive the 121 miles to Bath from London (we recommend stopping for the night around Bath or Bristol), then join the Atlantic Highway on the morning of Day 2. From here, it’s a breathtakingly beautiful journey along Devon and Cornwall coastline, via Wells and Glastonbury, to cross into Cornwall to its south coast at Falmouth.
Where to camp
Bath campsite:The Blackberries Camping Park, Farleigh Rise, Bath BA15 2QP
Bude campsite:Atlantic Camping, Atlantic Farm, Atlantic Highway, Bude EX23 8LY
Also recommended
South England road trip – London, Kent, the South Downs, the New Forest, Oxford and the Cotswolds
Set off on one of the best UK road trips from London!
London really is an ideal place to start a road trip from. There’s loads of choice, you can get anywhere in the country without too much difficulty, and you get to have a day or two in the capital first! Start planning your trip by browsing our listings forcampervan hire in London – whatever your budget, we’ll have a van to suit.
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