What are the Best Summer Road Trips in the UK?
Summer is here at last, and not a moment too soon! But where the summer holidays should offer respite from stress, the mere act of choosing a holiday for family or friends can be enough to turn you off the idea entirely. If you’re struggling with a trip idea this summer, hear this: why not try out the best summer road tripsTrips in the UK? The UK is chock-full of incredible locations just begging to be visited, and making driving the central point of your holiday can remove a lot of logistical issues that would otherwise plague your time off.
Of course, before you set off on your grand summer road trip adventure, you’ll need to make sure you’ve got everything in place to make it a safe and stress-free road trip. For starters, if you’ve not been using your car as often you may need to check and re-inflate your tires; you might also need to renew your car insurance before you set off, so you and any other drivers are covered as you travel. Lastly, pack well and make sure your friends and family know the price of petrol – if they’re chipping in for travel costs, they may be in for a shock!
The Lake District
The Lake District is an inarguably beautiful portion of England and one which practically invites exploring by car. The Lake District National Park is huge and edifying, with winding roads that follow along the shores of gargantuan glacial lakes and snake their way up mountainsides. There are myriad villages to stop and explore as you perform a circuit of Lake Windermere, or take the car north to Derwentwater and the picturesque town of Keswick.
The Great West Way
The Great West Way is an easy-going 125-mile drive between Bristol and London, that takes in the best of the South’s natural landscapes and some of the UK’s biggest cultural and architectural marvels. The route touches the River Thames and the Kennet and Avon Canal brushes past the quaint idyll of the Cotswolds and snakes through the stunning beauty and culture of Bath.
The Yorkshire Dales
The Yorkshire Dales gives the Lake District a run for its money in terms of Northern treasures; the national park in God’s Own County stretches across England’s northern reaches, from the edge of Leeds to the tip of Carlisle. It encompasses the Pennines and includes within it some of the most majestic natural landscapes in the UK. Even a simple day trip through Pateley Bridge will reveal unmissable countryside views.
The Cotswolds
The Cotswolds is a location known to many tourists to the UK and those who live in the UK who maybe don’t want to go abroad, but instead, want to take in the fantastic scenery this country has to offer. The Cotswolds has a lot of small villages and towns which have their own unique, picturesque quality; which is why it’s a great place to go if you want to ultimately take your time on a road trip and divulge what it has to offer.
Don’t do this route if you’re in a rush. This is definitely a route that is best done by taking your time and stopping off at each town to take in one of the country’s best scenery.
The Atlantic Highway
In the Southwest of England, there is another driving route that is one of the best that the UK has to offer. The Atlantic Highway is a route down the A39 which, again displays some of the best features that the UK has to offer.
As most of these routes, particularly this one as it connects a lot of the seaside towns together, it is extremely busy during the summer/bank holidays. If you plan on driving this route, try to go in the offseason or at a time when it has calmed down a little bit as this will make the journey much more enjoyable!
The North Coast 500
Lastly, the North Coast 500 is an undertaking reserved only for the most hardcore of road-tripping – if you intend to do it in full, that is… The route is a circular one, that bounds the Highlands and takes in the best of Scotland’s northernmost coastal reaches. This trip is eminently customizable – but do bear in mind that wild camping in Scotland is legal if you’d like to try it!
Of these trips, they all offer something a little different so don’t think that because you’ve done one, you can’t do another! Try the different routes to see the best of what the UK has to offer!
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