London to Wales road trip: ultimate guide & itinerary

Driving from London to Wales – smart choice! Getting from the UK’s capital to the best highlights of unmissable Wales is easily doable on a campervan trip. Wondering about the best way to do it? Use our expert guide! Taking in stunning coastline, world heritage sites, old fishing villages and world-famous towns – plus three national parks, our road trip from London to Wales includes some of the best destinations in Britain.

We’ve included stops in England on the way from London to Wales, and unmissable stops once you cross the border. Hire a campervan in London, or anywhere you like on the route: we have plenty of listings for campervan hire in the UK overall, and campervan hire in Wales specifically.

Let’s go!

10 destinations you can’t miss on a road trip from London to Wales

Total distance: 771 miles | Recommended days: 10 | Best time to drive the route: April to October | Route on Google Maps

1. Stonehenge (distance from London: 88 miles)

Our first stop on the trip is the world-famous Stonehenge, the prehistoric/Neolithic monument on Wiltshire’s Salisbury Plain that’s one of the most iconic images of Britain. Along with the stones of nearby Avebury, Stonehenge is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, now managed by English Heritage. It’s not possible these days to go right up to the stones, but

This is a good stopping point to park up for the night: try award-winning, four-starStonehenge Campsite, the closest campsite to the henge (postcode: SP3 4TQ). Prices start from £22.50.

2. Bristol (distance from Stonehenge: 45 miles)

Next up is Bristol, one of the best-known and most popular cities in England’s southwest. Among its many top sights are the Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery, the Clifton Suspension Bridge, the Old City and the 70-acre Bristol Harbour or Bristol Floating Harbour; look out for the Banksy artworks around the city too.

Drive early to Bristol from Stonehenge to stay at Baltic Wharf Caravan and Motorhome Club Campsite right in the city centre (from £18.50 per night; postcode BS1 6XG). From here, you can walk or cycle into town for a day’s sightseeing and shopping and an evening around Bristol’s restaurants, bars and gig venues. Colston Hall, Bristol Academy, Mud Dock Café, Chomp and The Hatchet are all top picks.

3. Cardiff (distance from Bristol: 44 miles)

And now to Wales! The long-travelled route from Bristol to Cardiff makes your first foray into Wales, arriving at Cardiff via the Bristol Channel and Newport.

Like Bristol, Cardiff has camping right in its city centre. Arrive early in the capital to book a pitch atCardiff Caravan and Camping Park in Pontcanna Fields (postcode CF11 9XR), which is open every day of the year with pitches from £27. Then set off on foot to explore for the day: recommendations include Cardiff Castle, Cardiff Bay, Llandaff Cathedral and sports events at the Millennium Stadium. Take the 2¼-mile Centenary Walk through the city centre to see some of Cardiff’s best-known attractions and architecture.

You don’t have to drive far to find a Cardiff campsite either:Cardiff Caravan and Camping Park in Pontcanna Fields (postcode CF11 9XR) is in the city centre and is open 365 days a year. Pitches with or without electric hook-up are available, starting from £27 per night.

4. Gower Peninsula (distance from Cardiff: 45 miles)

The Gower Peninsula just south of Swansea isn’t (yet) a national park, but is stunning enough to be one. As it is, it’s an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the first designated one in Britain, covering a 19-mile stretch of coast west of the little seaside town of Mumbles. It’s popular for its xxx coastline, beaches and hundreds of ancient sites including barrows and caves, and is a top South Wales destination for hiking and surfing. Climb 193-metre (633 ft) The Beacon at Rhossili Down for views over Rhossili Bay, regularly voted among the best beaches in the world.

The Wales Coastal Path runs alongside the peninsula. Stay right on the path at five-starThree Cliffs Bay Holiday Park (postcode SA3 2HB) a short walk from Three Cliffs Bay. Pitches start from £36.50.

5. St Davids (distance from the Gower Peninsula: 75 miles)

Your next stop takes in our road trip’s second national park in Wales, the Pembrokeshire coast, arriving at Britain’s smallest city and St Davids at the southern end of the Irish Sea. The resting place of St David, this has been a place of pilgrimage for centuries.

The cathedral, Bishop’s Palace and Tower Gate are the most popular sightseeing destinations, and the city is well known too for its walking and watersports. Climb to Saint Non's Well for views of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path and St Brides Bay, or take the two-mile journey out of town to surf at Whitesands Bay.

[St Davids Camping and Caravanning Club Site](https://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/campsites/uk/pembrokeshire/haverfordwest/st-davids-camping-and-caravanning-club-site/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_content=StDavids&utm_campaign=google_places# Availability) (SA62 6DW) also has views over the coastline, as well as a bus stop outside the park entrance and easy access to the Pembrokeshire Coast Path. Pitches start from £6.65 per person per night.

It’s 75 miles direct from the Gower Peninsula to St Davids, but you could also detour via Tenby (90 miles total) to drive along the coast for as much of the journey as possible. Other possible stop-offs along the way are Saundersfoot, Pembroke Castle, Milford Haven and Solva, or detour inland for Carmarthen.

6. Isle of Anglesey (distance from St Davids: 169 miles)

Also, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty but stunning enough to be a national park is the Isle of Anglesey northwest from St Davids, the biggest island in Wales and the fourth biggest in Britain.

Take a few days if possible for the journey between St Davids and Anglesey, as there are heaps of beautiful highlights along the way. Fishguard, Cardigan Bay and Aberystwyth are all on the direct route, and it’s only a small detour to Barmouth and Harlech.

Anglesey’s county town is Llangefni, almost in the centre of the island and a perfect base for all Anglesey’s highlights. You could hike part of the xxx-mile Anglesey Coastal Path, visit Beaumaris, or set off by bus or bike around the island’s roads (take the A5025 north or A4080 south). Holyhead on the northwest is the main ferry port to Ireland if you’re lucky enough to be travelling further. Or just set off on an Anglesey nature walk: the entire island is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

As the main town, Llangefni is a great base for exploring Anglesey.Trefollwyn Campsite (from £11 per night; LL77

7SJ) is on a working beef and sheep farm only a mile and a half from town.

7. Snowdonia National Park (distance from Anglesey: 34 miles)

Your next stop on this incredible road trip from London to Wales is at the second of Wales’s national parks, famous Snowdonia. Our route from Anglesey to Snowdonia goes to the Betws y Coed Information Centre (LL24 0AH), so you can stock up on info on Snowdonia’s many activities and attractions including many hiking trails and over 100 lakes including Bala, Snowdonia’s biggest.

Among the many options are the Llechwedd Slate Caverns and Ffestiniog Railway at Blaenau Ffestiniog, Harlech Castle above its white beach, mighty Conwy Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the market town ofDolgellau, the mountain village ofBeddgelert. Elsewhere in the park, you could tackle the peak of Mount Snowdon (the highest mountain in Wales) on one of its six climbing routes, or take the railway to the summit for views over the park.

Snowdonia campsites are plentiful and cover all landscapes in the park. For a coastal stay, book into award-winningGraig Wen (LL39 1YP) on Snowdonia’s west, winner of the North Wales Tourism Award for Best Campsite. Pitches at Graig Wen start from £20.

8. Brecon Beacons National Park (distance from Snowdonia/Betws y Coed: 121 miles; 130 miles from Graig Wen)

Your next stop after Snowdonia is south to the third of Wales’s three national parks, the Brecon Beacons, arriving at the Brecon Beacons National Park Visitor Centre and Tearooms at Libanus. The park surrounds the Brecon Beacons range of hills in southern Wales, including the Black Mountains, and the setting of forests, lakes, castles, waterfalls, and market towns like Crickhowell and Hay-on-Wye. A top Brecons pick is the Gospel Pass, the highest driving road in Wales, running over the Black Mountains from Abergavenny to Hay-on-Wye.

The Brecon Beacons is also home to the National Showcaves Centre for Wales or Dan yr Ogof, a 10.5-mile cave system and surrounding nature reserve. The centre has a campsite,[Brecon Beacons Camping & Caravan Park](https://brecon-beacons-camping-and-caravanning.co.uk/index.html# pricing-table2-18), where pitches start from £25.

9. The Cotswolds (distance from the Brecon Beacons: 95 miles)

Back into England now on your next stop, from the Brecon Beacons to one of the UK’s most visited destinations, the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. This is the biggest AONB in Britain, covering 787 square miles, known for the Cotswold Hills, Jurassic limestone and distinctive gold-coloured Cotswolds stone seen in so many of its houses and other buildings.

Make for the market town of Bourton-on-the-Water from the Brecon Beacons National Park Visitor Centre and Tearooms at Libanus, a distance of 95 miles. Bourton’s a great base for a Cotswold sightseeing trip, either around the region’s other market towns like Chipping Campden, Stow-on-the-Wold, Broadway, Bibury and Stanton, or the 93-mileCotswold Way from Bath to Chipping Campden (Chipping Campden is 14 miles north of Bourton).

Drive 20 miles east from Bourton towards our final stop to stay atCotswold View Caravan & Camping Site (OX7 3JH) in Oxfordshire, a 54-acre scenic park with forest and farm trails. Its spacious pitches start from £15 per night.

10. Oxford (distance from the Cotswolds: 33 miles)

A 33-mile drive from Bourton (or 19 from Cotswold View) is one of Britain’s most iconic sights, the university town of Oxford.

It’s a 56-mile drive back to London after seeing Oxford, coming into the city from the west on the M40 and A40.

Why not extend your trip a little with a few Oxford to London stops? The Chiltern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (22 miles from Oxford), Windsor (41 miles) and Thames access from Maidenhead (34 miles) are all excellent options.

Or book an Oxford campsite and travel back to London the following day.Valley Farm Camping and Caravan Site four miles from the city centre (from £20; OX29NL) will make a scenic and peaceful stop for the trip’s final night.

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