Best road trips from London: 8 unmissable routes

London is one of the best destinations to start a UK road trip from. It’s easy to arrange campervan hire from here and it’s conveniently placed in a great geographic location for road trips in all directions… plus it allows for London sightseeing before or after your trip! Below, we’ve put together the very best road trips from London for 2022.

8 best road trips from London: beautiful places you can’t miss

Whether you want to explore the UK coastline or experience its stunning national parks, go off for a day trip or spend a few weeks on the road, London’s the perfect starting point. To give you loads of choice, our routes range from day trips to longer journeys.

1. East Sussex coast

Total distance : about 143 miles | Recommended days : 1-3 days | Best time to do the route : summer |Route on Google Maps

Brighton, Hastings, Rye and seaside time at Camber Sands all feature in this East Sussex road trip, one of our top picks for day trips from London. See our East Sussex highlights in one day, or extend your trip with a night at a Brighton campsite before heading back to London the next day. It’s also well worth making this a longer trip to visit Hever Castle in Kent’s Edenbridge on the way to the coast.

Set off early from London to drive the 79 miles to Rye, a seaside town and former Cinque Port with beautiful old buildings, cobbled streets and the famous Mermaid Street, probably one of the most photographed spots in Sussex. Just outside Rye is the wide-open bay and only dune system in East Sussex of Camber Sands – an absolute must-see.

Have fish and chips in Hastings, a handsome old town with centuries worth of history and Britain’s steepest funicular railway. Then drive onto Brighton to wander along the beach and Palace Pier, before a shopping trip to the independent shops of the Lanes.

2. Kent

Total distance : about 136 miles | Recommended days : 1-2 days | Best time to do the route : summer |Route on Google Maps

Another easy day trip from London (although do stay overnight if you can), our Kent road trip takes in seaside towns like Whitstable, Margate and Deal, as well as one of the most iconic sights in Britain at the White Cliffs of Dover. Optional extras include hikes in the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) from Dover or a detour inland to the scenic old city of Canterbury.

The first part of the journey is the 60-mile trip fromLondon to Whitstable, the pretty seaside town on the north Kent coast famous for its oysters. If you’re making this a two-day trip, spend a few hours in Whitstable to walk or cycle the five-mile seafront Oyster Bay Trail; bike hire is available in town. Then it’s on to Margate, for a visit to the Turner Contemporary gallery or a look at the jaw-dropping beauty of Shell Grotto; then the 40-minute journey to Deal for Deal Castle and a stroll on the town’s peaceful beach.

From Deal, drive to Dover, for Dover Castle, Dover Museum and of course the white cliffs, part of British culture and identity for centuries as the first sight to greet travellers arriving back in Britain over the English Channel. A look at the port town of Folkestone is next, before rounding off your Kent trip at Dungeness, a wildlife haven centred around one of the largest expanses of shingle in Europe.

3. Oxford and the Cotswolds

Total distance : about 141 miles | Recommended days : 1-2 days | Best time to do the route : summer |Route on Google Maps

The university town of Oxford coupled with the breathtaking landscape of the Cotswolds is one of the most “English” trips you could take from London. Again, it’s easily possible to do this on a day trip, but best to experience it fully with an overnight stay and lots of time to explore.

London to Oxford is just under 60 miles, passing through the Chiltern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) with an optional detour at the peaceful Thames village of Marlow. Once at Oxford, sightseeing and activity options around its cobbled streets include the Bodleian Library and Ashmolean Museum; visiting Magdalen and Christ Church colleges or punting on the river on a guided or self-guided tour.

The hills, green countryside and famously picturesque villages of the Cotswolds are next, on a driving tour through this traditionally English AONB… or why not hike along the glorious Cotswolds Way? Finish your Cotswolds trip at Castle Combe, often named as the “prettiest village in England”, and at Broadway Tower, high on Beacon Hill among 200 acres of parkland.

4. East Anglia

Total distance : about 250 miles | Recommended days : 3-4 days | Best time to do the route : summer |Route on Google Maps

The eastern England region of East Anglia includes the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk, both with gorgeous coastlines; Cambridgeshire, home of Cambridge University; and Norwich, a lively city with a long history of arts and culture. Our East Anglia road trip takes in the lot! We recommend at least three days for this one so you can soak up the sights.

Spend some hours in Cambridge, about 60 miles from London, to see the Cambridge colleges and take a boat trip on the Cam, then drive east to the East Anglian and Norfolk coast at Orford in the Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB. The top destinations on the Suffolk coast are Southwold and Lowestoft, both ideal stops for an overnight stay.

Our route then arrives in Norfolk via the seaside resort and family destination of Great Yarmouth with its long sandy beach. Head inland next to Norwich for a huge range of sights including medieval Norwich Cathedral and Norwich Castle, plus shopping at Norwich Market, one of the largest outdoor markets in England. Round off your trip with a day at the Norfolk seaside towns of Cromer and Wells-next-the-Sea.

5. Winchester, Salisbury and the New Forest

Total distance : about 115 miles | Recommended days : 1-2 days | Best time to do the route : summer |Route on Google Maps

The New Forest is one of several national parks on our best road trips from London list and the closest on all our routes from central London. (The closest national park to London overall is the South Downs, another of our top spots!) It’s a beautiful space of woodland, heathland and pastures, along with plenty of destinations and tourist attractions throughout.

It’s just 89 miles fromLondon to the New Forest Heritage Centre at Lyndhurst, which is perfect if you want to see the New Forest on a one-day trip. To make it a two-day adventure, include the historic cities of Winchester and Salisbury with a half-day in each before driving south to Lyndhurst. You get to include the South Downs this way too – Winchester is on the eastern edge of the South Downs National Park and is the start of the 100-mile South Downs Way from Winchester to Eastbourne.

Salisbury is an acclaimed destination in itself and is a convenient gateway to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Stonehenge just eight miles away.

6. Lake District

Total distance : about 325 miles | Recommended days : 3 to 5 days | Best time to do the route : spring, summer | Route on Google Maps

The lovely Lake District is one of the UK’s most popular national parks, a landscape of lakes and fells/hills with lots of outdoor activities including hiking, fell climbing and fishing – don’t forget to book a boat trip too.

The route we’ve chosen bypasses the busy M6 and takes in as much beautiful countryside and famous UK highlights as possible – including another national park.

This trip is three to five days long, leaving London to drive northwest to Oxford then further west to the Cotswolds. The Shakespearean town of Stratford-upon-Avon is next, then a stop at Warwick Castle: take most of a full day here if possible as there’s heaps to do. From Warwick, drive north to the Peak District National Park and then to Manchester, arriving in the Lake District via the Forest of Bowland AONB.

Check out ourroad trip from London to the Lake District expert guide for the full lowdown on this fabulous trip.

7. London to Wales

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

Don’t limit yourself to short trips if road-tripping from London: it’s simple to arrange lengthier adventures too. Ourroad trip from London to Wales is a 770-mile, 10-day journey setting out from central London to head west into wonderful Wales, before arriving back in England to visit the Cotswolds and Oxford as final stops. It covers all three national parks in Wales.

The first legs of the journey are the 88-mile route from London to Stonehenge, then a city sightseeing day in Bristol with an optional stop at the Regency city of Bath. Drive to Cardiff from Bristol to explore the Gower Peninsula, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and the Isle of Anglesey. Snowdonia National Park and the Brecon Beacons National Park are the next must-sees, then our route crosses the border again for stops at the Cotswolds and Oxford.

8. London to Scotland

Total distance: about 600 miles | Recommended days: 10 | Best time to drive the route: summer, early autumn | Route on Google Maps

Don’t limit yourself to short trips if road-tripping from London, as it’s possible to have lengthier adventures too! Scotland is an awesome pick for longer trips from London, and for touring around once there: you’ll find plenty of ideas in ourNorth Coast 500 road trip,road trip from Edinburgh to the Isle of Skye andbest road trips around Scotland in 2022 guides.

Our top route from London to Scotland arrives in Edinburgh via heaps more English highlights and two more national parks. The first stops are Windsor Castle, Stonehenge and Bath, then it’s back in an easterly direction to visit the Cotswolds and Stratford-upon-Avon.

The Peak District National Park and the North York Moors National Park are next, with an optional stop in York, then it’s north to Edinburgh via Northumberland National Park and an optional stop at Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Further details are in ourbest road trip from London to Edinburgh guide.

(If you’re looking for a route that brings you back into England and back towards London, ourbest road trip from London to Scotland guide is the one to pick. It’s a fab three-week, 1,430-mile adventure arriving in Scotland to see some of its best sights, then coming back south into England and towards London via Cambridge. Here’s theroute map.)

Organising your road trip from London

Now that you know the best road trips from London, it’s time to select your favourite route and hire a van to take you on it!

At Camplify, we take all the hassle out of finding a van for your road trip. Ourcampervan hire in London lets you find the perfect van for your London road trip, whether you’re on a holiday with friends, a family adventure or a romantic break! Need more berths? Motorhomes and caravans are also available.

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