Last summer the #FabFam had a journey to seek some family and personal history in the U.K. This could only be accomplished by taking a two-week road trip around the UK. We began in London, spent the weekend in the countryside in Devon with some good friends, drove through Wales to seek dragons and castles, spent a few days in Liverpool and Manchester, explored the Scottish Highlands (including searching for the mysterious Loch Ness Monster), spent one family-friendly day in Edinburgh, and then came back down the eastern coast to loop back towards London.
Today I am sharing the route and itinerary for a U.K. road trip, including recommendations on where to stay during a UK road trip, the top cities to see when traveling to England, Scotland, and Wales, what we found to be the best places to eat during a road trip through the UK, as well as reviews, recommendations, and tips for the best activities for kids during a family road trip and driving tour through England to Wales and Scotland. You’ll want to pin this post for planning your own UK road trip.
UK Road Trip Itinerary Day 1: Arrive in London
See more specific reviews and recommendations for London in these posts:
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Arrive in London in the morning (local time)
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Collect rental car (Kia Optima Sportswagon)
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Check-into hotel (two nights):
Westminster Borough, London, W2 4BG, UK
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No parking available
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Complimentary continental breakfast included
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Morning: Misc. London sight-seeing: Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, London Bridge
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Mid-day: Visit the Tower of London
- Afternoon: Kid-friendly Afternoon Tea at The Park Room (Grosvenor
House, 86-90 Park Lane, London, W1K 7TN)
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Evening: London Eye Champagne Experience
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Dinner: Zizzi (several locations)
UK Road Trip Itinerary Day 2: London
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Morning: Breakfast at Farm Girl (59A Portobello Rd, London W11 3DB, UK)
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Shopping around Portobello Road and Notting Hill
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Misc. London sight-seeing: Abbey Road
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King’s Cross Station Harry Potter Platform 9 3/4 (free)
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Afternoon sight-seeing: Buckingham Palace
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Hyde Park (Diana Memorial
Playground) -
V&A Museum (free)
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Natural History Museum (free)
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Evening: Visit the world’s largest toy store, Hamley’s
- Dinner: The Diner (several locations)
UK Road Trip Itinerary Day 3: Drive to Devon
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Visit Highclere Castle (aka Downton Abbey!). Make sure you are aware of their closure dates before planning to visit.
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Lunch: The 15th century Castle & Ball Hotel (High St, Marlborough SN8 1LZ, UK)
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Drive to Stonehenge for a visit
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Drive to Devon
UK Road Trip Itinerary Day 4: Devon
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Visit Devon
- Lunch and sight-seeing in the seaside town of Lynmouth
- Afternoon: Cream tea (and the best scones in England with traditional Devonshire clotted cream) at Watersmeet House
UK Road Trip Itinerary Day 5: Drive to South Wales
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Depart Devon
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Lunch and sight-seeing in Bath
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Drive to Cardiff, misc. sight-seeing: Cardiff Bay Beach (at Roald Dahl Plass). Admission: free (activities extra).
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Check-into hotel (one night):
Kingdom
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Self parking: Complimentary
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Complimentary breakfast included
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Dinner at hotel restaurant
UK Road Trip Itinerary Day 6: Wales
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Drive around Wales
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Caerleon Roman Fortress and Baths (High Street, Newport NP18 1AE, United Kingdom). Admission: free.
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Dryslwyn Castle (B4297, Carmarthen SA32 8JQ, UK). Admission: free.
- Drive to the city with the longest name in Europe (and second longest in the world): Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch on the island of Anglesey.
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Drive to Liverpool
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Check-into hotel (three nights):
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Self parking available for a fee
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Complimentary breakfast included
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UK Road Trip Itinerary Day 7: Liverpool
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Morning: Misc. Liverpool sight-seeing
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Evening: Beatles history
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Dinner: Hard Days Night Hotel (Central Buildings, North John Street, Liverpool L2 6RR, United Kingdom)
UK Road Trip Itinerary Day 8: Manchester
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Manchester sight-seeing
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Old Trafford stadium (mecca for Manchester United fans)
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UK Road Trip Itinerary Day 9: Drive to Scotland
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Depart for Scotland
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Picnic lunch: Lake District National Park
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Check-into hotel (one night):
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Self parking: Complimentary
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Complimentary breakfast included
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- Afternoon: Loch Fyne
- Drive by Dunderave Castle (the former castle of Clan MacNaughton)
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Dinner: Cairndow Stagecoach Inn (Cairndow PA26 8BN, UK)
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UK Road Trip Itinerary Day 10: Drive to the Highlands of Scotland
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Depart for Inverness
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Drive by Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park
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Visit Loch Ness
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Depart for Aviemore
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Check-into hotel (one night):
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Hilton Coylumbridge– the most family-friendly hotel I have ever stayed!
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Self parking: Complimentary
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Complimentary dinner and breakfast included
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UK Road Trip Itinerary Day 11: The Highlands of Scotland
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Explore the Highlands, driving the Old Military Road through Cairngorms National Park
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Drive to Edinburgh
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Dinner: The Scran & Scallie (1 Comely Bank Rd, Stockbridge, Edinburgh EH4 1DT, UK)
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Evening: Visit the dungeon or do a ghost tour (if your kids are old enough)
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Check-into hotel (one night):
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Self parking: Complimentary
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Complimentary breakfast included
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UK Road Trip Itinerary Day 12: Edinburgh, Scotland
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Morning: Misc. Edinburgh sight-seeing
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Lunch: La Favorita (331-325 Leith Walk, Edinburgh EH6 8SA, UK)
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Afternoon: Edinburgh Castle
- Depart for York
- Misc. York sight-seeing
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Dinner: The York Roast Co. (several locations). I had to have Yorkshire pudding while in York!
- Check-into hotel (one night):
1 Tower Street, York Y01 9WD, United Kingdom
T: +44-1904-648 111
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- Self parking available for a fee
UK Road Trip Itinerary Day 13: Peak District
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Drive to Peak District
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Stanage Edge (Derbyshire / South Yorkshire) – have your own Elizabeth Bennet moment and take in an unbelievable view
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Chatsworth House (aka Pemberley for you Pride & Prejudice fans)
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Drive to Cambridge, visit campus
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Drive to Thetford
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Check-into hotel (one night):
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The Crown Hotel(circa 1650)
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Self parking: Complimentary
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Complimentary breakfast included
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UK Road Trip Itinerary Day 14: Return to London
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Visit Lakenheath, Suffolk, and surrounding area (I was born and lived in this area)
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Drive back to London
Related Posts:
- Connecting with my family and personal history in the U.K.
- A Romantic Long Weekend in London
- Fabulous Things to Do in London with Kids
- A Weekend in Devon, England
- One-Day Road Trip Through Wales – Seeking Ancient Ruins, Dragons, and Castles
- What to Do in Liverpool and Manchester with Kids
- Discovering the Beauty of Scotland’s Highlands
- Family Travel Bucket List: Hunting for the Loch Ness Monster in Scotland
- Family-Friendly Edinburgh
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Sophie Taylor says
Last month, my friend and I visited Scotland. We're very satisfied with the tour. Our guide was very knowledgeable, fun and experienced. We really do get the best of Scotland, Isle of Skye in last 3 days. Hopefully to visit again. Thanks for sharing such a great post. ~ Sophie Taylor
Zu says
Hi,
Your trip is currently is my main reference for my UK road trip.
btw, any reason why you didn’t go to durdle door as well The Minack Theatre.
TQ
Ramona Cruz-Peters says
Thank you! No reason we didn’t visit those two aside from time. We sometimes spent extra time in different spots and then wouldn’t be able to make it to the next place.
Leesa R Edwards says
This trip looks amazing, and I want to base my trip on it. Is it terribly rude to ask an estimate of the cost of the trip?
Ramona Cruz-Peters says
Hi Leesa! It’s not rude, I am sure it’s helpful info for planning purposes. I don’t have the total cost handy, but the round-trip flights to London were just under $3500 total for 4 people, then you’ll need to factor in hotel costs for the amount of days you’re spending, and same with the number of days for a rental car (plus petrol). For food, we try to find hotels that include complimentary breakfast to save on some of the cost of meals. We also did a picnic one day for lunch which was reasonable. London was the most expensive part of the trip, but note that there are free things to do there (Platform 9 3/4 is free, the museums are free).
Beth Taylor says
Thanks for the great info! Where did you park the rental car during your first few nights in London?
Ramona Cruz-Peters says
Great question! We street parked where we could or used parking structures if available, but in hindsight I would actually not get the car until leaving London for the rest of the road trip and instead Uber around while in town. We ended up with at least one ticket as it wasn’t easy to drive or park in town. Since this trip we’ve done similar road trips in France and Ireland, and for both of those trips we ended up not using a car in Paris or Dublin respectively, and just picked up the rental cars on our way out of town.