Perfect road trip duration: expert timing guide

How long does the perfect road trip take? As much time as you’ve got! But if you’re new to road trip planning or can’t take the month out you want, it can be difficult to figure out how much time to take for each trip, day or destination.

No one wants to rush a spectacular road trip like Scotland’s North Coast 500 or leave only a day to see the Cornish coast. But saying that, the perfect road trip length is the one that’s right for you. Different road trips require different durations for the utmost # vanlife experience, and different people have different holiday needs.

So we’re here to help! Read our guide below to help plan your perfect road trip.

How long does the perfect road trip take?

The perfect road trip is the one that’s right for you and the time you have for it, whether that’s a short and sweet weekend trip or an epic adventure lasting a month or even several. Our road trip suggestions for all over the country cover getaways of various lengths, from two days to four weeks.

Weekend road trip ideas

Around London

There are two types of road trips around London – one spending a day in the city and a second day in its surroundings, and the other taking a two-day trip from the capital if you live there and want a weekend escape. Even two days is fine for a road trip in or around London if you plan in advance and know what your big highlights are.

If spending a day in London, hire your van to pick up after sightseeing and spend the night at a London campsite such as Walton-on-Thames or Crystal Palace. On day 2, head east to the Essex coast, south to Brighton or the Sussex Downs, or south-east to Kent or Surrey.

If you want a longer trip, why not try Oxford and the Cotswolds? A full two-day trip out of London can take in the coasts of Kent, Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk.

Around Edinburgh

As with London, this trip allows for either a day sightseeing in Edinburgh then a day in the surrounding countryside, or a trip setting out from Edinburgh early on day 1 to explore as far afield as you like.

For the first trip, stay your first night in an Edinburgh campsite like Drummohr or Linwater caravan parks, then drive west to Glasgow and further west to Loch Lomond. For the second, drive north from Edinburgh to the Aberdeenshire coast then cut left for a day in the Cairngorms National Park.

Or drive from Edinburgh to Glasgow and Oban on your first day to spend day 2 on the Isle of Mull; or north-west from Edinburgh to the Isle of Skye via Perth and Pitlochry.

Around Belfast

Belfast and Northern Ireland are perfect for two-day road trips as the country is small and a lot of its highlights are easily covered in a weekend. Whether you spend a day in Belfast first then the night at a Belfast campsite like Dundonald or Jordanstown Loughshore, both our recommended trips include the glorious Antrim coast.

Drive north then east from Belfast on the Causeway Coastal Route, stopping for a break at the golden beach of Ballycastle. Sights to see after this include the Giant’s Causeway, Bushmills distillery, the Carrick-a-rede rope bridge, Portrush and Portstewart.

1-2 week road trip ideas

Ready for a longer trip? These ideas are perfect for hitting the road for a week or two!

South East England

Covering Essex, Kent, Hampshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Surrey and East and West Sussex, as well as two national parks, South East England is stunning terrain for a road trip.

Hike the 100-mile South Downs Way between Winchester and Eastbourne, roam around the New Forest, explore Oxford or Canterbury, take the kids to Thorpe Park… the possibilities are endless. South East England also includes the Isle of Wight, an awesome option for a few days of your trip.

One easy way to road trip around this beautiful region is on a coastal adventure. Drive south from London through the Surrey Hills of Outstanding Natural Beauty to Worthing, then east along the coast to Brighton, Eastbourne and Hastings. From there, head for the Kent coast to see Folkestone, Dover, Margate and Whitstable.

Scottish Highlands

Ben Nevis, Fort William, the Moray Firth, Culloden, Inverness and the Cairngorms and Loch Lomond & the Trossachs national parks… It's no surprise that the Scottish Highlands are a hugely popular destination forUK road trips.

Take the world-famous North Coast 500 (“Scotland’s Route 66”) on its spectacular Highlands route west from Inverness to the Applecross Peninsula. Then head north towards Torridon and Ullapool, and further north to Caithness and John O' Groats. On the last day of your trip, drive south to Dingwall and back to Inverness.

1-month road trip ideas

If you’re lucky enough to have a month to spare, the entire UK is there to explore! Get planning your perfect road trip around Wales, England or Scotland. We have ideas forNorthern Ireland road trips too!

Explore Wales

At just a sixth of the size of England, Wales is easily doable on a shorter road trip but even better over a month! Top highlights include the Blue Flag beaches of gorgeous Pembrokeshire, the Isle of Anglesey, the Gower Peninsula, lively Cardiff, and the Snowdonia and Brecon Beacons national parks. This is castle country also: Wales has around 600.

A perfect place to start a Wales road trip is the book town of Hay-on-Wye, easily reached from Cardiff or if coming into Wales from England. Spend time in the Brecon Beacons National Park, Abergavenny and Monmouth, then have a few days in Cardiff and around Cardiff Bay.

Then it’s Swansea and the Gower Peninsula, before a coastal route around Pembrokeshire, St Davids and Aberystwyth. The next drive is inland to Snowdonia National Park, where you can spend a couple of days before driving on to Llandudno.

Explore England

The UK’s biggest country is also easy to road trip around. Devon, Cornwall, the Jurassic Coast and Stonehenge await in the south-west; north is the Yorkshire coast and the Northumberland, North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales national parks; east is Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk and the Norfolk Broads; and England’s south is packed with seaside towns and port cities.

Or how about Central England? Head here for the Peak District, the Cotswolds and England’s smallest country at Rutland.

A month-long trip setting out from London starts by going south towards Brighton, then west for the Jurassic Coast, Dartmoor and the Cornwall and Devon coasts. Head inland from North Devon towards Glastonbury, then north to Bristol, Bath, the Cotswolds and Birmingham.

Driving further north will take you to the Peak District, Manchester and Liverpool, then to the Lake District and Carlisle via the Yorkshire Dales. Take a cross country route east next to Northumberland National Park, and drive back to London via the Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex coasts.

Explore Scotland

Smaller Scotland can be covered in a couple of weeks if need be, but a month is ideal to see the best of the country. Four weeks’ exploring will give you heaps of time to explore Edinburgh, Glasgow, the Scottish Highlands, the west and east coasts, and Scotland’s two national parks.

Start your month in Scotland by spending a few days in Edinburgh before driving to Fife, Dundee and Aberdeen. Explore the Scottish Highlands and drive the North Coast 500 in week 2, cutting inland to the west for the Cairngorms National Park as an additional option.

Week 3 is for Scottish islands – Skye, Mull, Lewis, Islay and Eigg among others – before a final week in the Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park, arriving back in Edinburgh via Glasgow.

Length of the UK

But maybe you want to see all the UK and its hundreds upon hundreds of highlights? No problem – read on!

One easy way to do a cross country UK road trip is to drive from London to Edinburgh, on a scenically circuitous route via southwest England and Wales. Start with a westwards route towards Winchester, then drive south to Bournemouth or Poole, and onwards to spend some days around Devon and Cornwall.

At the start of week 2, drive inland from North Devon to Bath and Bristol, and from there into Wales for a week’s exploring. Week 3 is back to England via Chester, towards the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales, with optional detours to the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, arriving in Edinburgh via Carlisle.

Aim to arrive in Edinburgh in the middle of week 3, to spend several days exploring Scotland before returning to London via the coastline of England’s east.

Tips for the perfect road trip

Plan ahead

You don’t need to meticulously plan every last minute of your trip, but a bit of forward-thinking will remove holiday stress. Book at least a couple of your campsites in advance, decide on your essential destinations and talk to your travel buddies to see if you’re all on the same page.

Make a road trip map

No need to read a map: use your phone to create a virtual road trip route using Google Maps. Here you can pin a huge range of options such as proposed locations, company websites and categories like beaches or national parks. See our detailed step-by-step guide onmapping a road trip to make it simple.

Get kid-ready

Going on your road trip with kids? Check out our How to plan a family road trip: the ultimate guide for all the info you need!

Browse campervans for hire for your road trip

Now that you know how long the perfect road trip takes, it’s time to find a campervan to bring you on your holiday! No matter how much time you have, from a couple of days to a month or more, road tripping in the UK is easy with Camplify.

Whatever your budget, party size or preferred starting point, we have a van to suit. Decide on the type of van best for your needs – couples’ campervan or pet-friendly or luxury six-berth motorhome as just three examples – and check out our listings to find your perfect van.

And if you need some more help getting your adventure in order, check out our family road trip ideas or guide on how to plan a road trip with friends - whichever suits your holiday!

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