Road trips
Manchester to Edinburgh road trip: cross-country guide
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Why fly when you can make an unforgettable holiday out of a drive? Don’t go from Manchester airport to Edinburgh if you’re heading to Scotland from England’s northwest – hit the road with a van journey instead. Our road trip from Manchester to Edinburgh is the best way to travel in style. From Peak District National Park to Stirling Castle, we round up the eight places you can’t miss visiting on this cross-country adventure below!
Best road trip from Manchester to Edinburgh – 8 places you can’t miss
We’ve crammed this trip with amazing destinations and some of the best sights in the country! Although our trip has eight stops, we recommend at least 10 days’ journey time, for a day each in Manchester and Edinburgh too.
Total distance : about 480 miles | Recommended days : 10 days | Best time to do the route : May to September |See route in Google Maps
Peak District National Park
This is a northbound trip as it’s England to Scotland, but we’re going south for our first stop, to Britain’s oldest national park. The beautiful Peak District covers much of Derbyshire as well as parts of Staffordshire, South Yorkshire and Cheshire, and is a haven for hiking, cycling and other outdoor activities as well as sightseeing around its many historical sites.
Manchester to the Peak District at Bakewell Visitor Centre is 39 miles; from Bakewell, you can easily get to any number of attractions for a Peak District day trip. Chatsworth House, used in many films such as Pride and Prejudice, is just four miles from Bakewell, and medieval Haddon Hall under three miles. Market town Buxton and access to Poole’s Cavern is 12 miles away. Monsal Dale and the Headstone Viaduct are four miles to the northwest.
2. Southport
We recommend two destinations in one for our next stop, by setting off early to spend more time in the Peak District as you drive back towards Manchester! The National Trust’s Lyme Park stately home (also used in Pride and Prejudice) is on the route to our next stop, the Lancashire seaside town of Southport. It’s also only a quick detour to two of the most visited Peak District attractions, Kinder Scout and the Hope Valley.
Once at Southport, spend some time on the wide sandy beach and take a walk along Southport Pier, the second-longest in the United Kingdom. The beach and dunes at Ainsdale is our top Southport pick: head for this award-winning beach to visit Ainsdale Discovery Centre, situated adjacent to the beach and the Ainsdale & Birkdale Sandhills Local Nature Reserve.
3. Lancaster
Our next stop Lancaster has a long role in the history of Great Britain, as it was once the seat of the House of Lancaster, part of the royal family in Tudor times, and is the home of an old castle, a cathedral and lots of Victorian buildings. It’s a university town, so there’s lots going on in modern times too!
Soak up the history of Lancaster with a guided tour of Lancaster Castle or a visit to the Lancaster City Museum or Lancaster Maritime Museum. The Edwardian folly and huge cenotaph Ashton Memorial is also well worth a look, in Williamson Park where there’s also a butterfly house. Or take things easy and have a stroll along Lancaster Canal to cross the River Lune on its 18th-century aqueduct.
Spend the full day in Lancaster, or split Day 3 with a morning in Morecambe first; this seaside town is home to the photo-worthy estuary of Morecambe Bay, the biggest expanse of intertidal mudflats and sand in the UK.Southport to Lancaster and Morecambe Bay is 50 miles.
4. Yorkshire Dales National Park
We have three national parks on this route, and here’s the second. The Yorkshire Dales National Park centres around the Yorkshire Dales, a part of the Pennines region in northwest England made up of hills, moorland, valleys and rivers – a gorgeous landscape to spend some time in!
Our route fromLancaster to the Yorkshire Dales National Park cuts across the northern edge of the Forest of Bowland, another top stop, and arrives in the Dales at Aysgarth near Leyburn. Visit Aysgarth Falls from here, a triple set of waterfalls and one of the most popular destinations in the Yorkshire Dales.
A visitor centre is in the village where you can stock up on more things to see and do in the national park. The Dales Countryside Museum, Bolton Castle, Malham Cove and the Settle and Carlisle Railway including the Ribblehead Viaduct are our top picks.
5. Ambleside
Straight from the Yorkshire Dales to our third national park for the next stop, the beautiful Lake District. OurYorkshire Dales to Lake District journey (48 miles) arrives in the Lakes at Ambleside, the pretty Cumbrian town on the head of Windermere, England's largest natural lake. This gives easy access to Windermere, as well as hiking and mountain hiking from Kirkstone Pass just to the north, where several paths and trails meet.
The best way to see the Lake District from Ambleside is to book a cruise trip from there to Bowness-on-Windermere on the lake’s east and Lakeside on its south, for spectacular views of Windermere and the surrounding mountains. You could also set off from Ambleside on the Fairfield Horseshoe ridge walk, a 10-mile journey around the major fells of the Rydal Beck
Valley, including High Fell, Low Fell and Fairfield.
6. Keswick
The sixth stop on our Manchester to Edinburgh road trip has the shortest journey time (17 miles/about 35 minutes), as it’s another Lake District highlight. The northern tourist centre of the Lakes, Keswick is a market town just south of one of the main waters in the national park, Derwentwater, and four miles from another at Bassenthwaite Lake. It’s a well-established outdoor centre too, as it’s close to Skiddaw, England's fourth-highest mountain.
Hiking and climbing are some of the main activities around Keswick, but there’s plenty more to see and do if outdoor adventures aren’t top of your Lake District bucket list. Start a Keswick sightseeing day with a visit to the Keswick Museum and Art Gallery or the quirky Cumberland Pencil Museum, take a tour of Keswick Brewery, or have a walk around the 17th century Mirehouse House and its lakeside gardens. By road, drive from Keswick to Buttermere over Honister Pass for breathtaking views.
7. Dumfries
Our next leg of the journey brings the route over the border into Scotland and Robert Burns land, where the poet spent the last years of his life at the market and former county town of Dumfries. The town offers free admission to Robert Burns House and the Dumfries Museum as well as the small museum as Devorgilla Bridge, a 15th-century footbridge over the River Nith which flows through Dumfries.
Just south of Dumfries, Sweetheart Abbey and Caerlaverock Castle are two of the region’s best-known attractions. Other nearby options are Mabie Farm Park, a perfect stop if you’re on a family trip, and Mabie Forest, which has a 7stanes mountain biking course.
The 68-mile journey from theLake District to Dumfries passes Carlisle, just before crossing into the Scottish Borders at Gretna Green. Or go via the Solway Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (88 miles),via Silloth and Bowness.
8. Stirling
There’s lots to see on the final day of the road trip before the last leg to Edinburgh, with a couple of awesome detours too! Our last stop is Stirling, home to Stirling Castle which is one of the biggest and best-preserved castles in Scotland; Stirling was a strategic Scottish point for centuries as it was the main route between the Highlands and Lowlands. On a rocky crag overlooking the city, the castle is open to the public year-round.
Elsewhere in Stirling, visit the Battle of Bannockburn Experience, telling the tale of when Robert the Bruce and fellow Scots attacked English-held Stirling Castle. Just out of town is the Blair Drummond Safari Park for family days out, and Bridge of Allan village for walks in the surrounding hills.
The direct route fromDumfries to Stirling is 91 miles, but taking a longer route fromDumfries to Stirling via Glasgow (102 miles) allows for some Glasgow sightseeing along the way. Either way, try and make time for a stop at the little spa town of Moffat, 21 miles north of Dumfries, for a trip to the Grey Mare’s Tail Waterfall or a walk on the Sir Walter Scott Way.
The final leg of your trip is the 40-mile journey fromStirling to Edinburgh.
Other options for England to Scotland road trips
If you’d like to arrive at Edinburgh from England’s northeast, to include Newcastle-upon-Tyne and the North York Moors, we’ve also put together aManchester to Edinburgh via Newcastle route. This veers east from the Peak District with stops at Harrogate, the North Yorkshire coast, Newcastle and two national parks – the North York Moors and Northumberland.
You could also set out from London for a truly lengthy adventure! Our best road trip from London to Edinburgh guide has all the details you need. Or maybe you’d prefer to continue your sightseeing across Scotland? Check out our road trip fromEdinburgh to the Isle of Skye.
Organising your road trip from Manchester to Edinburgh
We have plenty of options forcampervan hire in Manchester and its surrounds. Have a browse, choose a few vans, and check out their full listings to find the perfect rental for your road trip from Manchester to Edinburgh – we have pet-friendly vans, vans with showers/toilets, vans that can be delivered to you, and much more!
Got some time to spare after returning to Manchester? Check out our not-to-be-missed route for the ultimate Manchester road trip!
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