6 scenic road trips to take from London
Say goodbye to 6am Ryanair flights, and hello to freedom. On a road trip you’re in charge; deciding the route, timings and how often you pull over for a snack break. Here are six of the best to take from London this year.
The A39: Bath to Falmouth
Drive it for: walks, pubs and scenery.
Length: 191 miles
While the A39 doesn’t have the most romantic of monikers, the route itself is rather different. Snaking through some of the most divine West Country landscapes, it sews up the pastoral outskirts of Bath, the fringes of the Mendips, the pony-studded wilds of Exmoor and the dramatic granite cliffscapes of Hartland peninsula, before plunging down through west and central Cornwall to the harbour of Falmouth.
Along the way, stop off for clifftop rambles along the South West Coast Path, pints and pies in higgledy-piggledy pubs like The Quarryman outside Wadebridge, and to poke around ancient churches such as St. Tudy in Bodmin, with roots dating to the 6th century. This feels like Britain at its most idyllic.
Must-stay along the way: St Tudy Inn (sttudyinn.com, from £75) combines 17th-century pub environs with ambitious plates such as barbecued Cornish monkfish tail with pickled kohlrabi and verjus bisque.
The details: Bath is about a 2.5 hour drive from London, and Falmouth is around 5.5 hours.
Normandy Coast: Calais to Cherbourg
Drive it for: seafood, history and Belle Époque glamour.
Length: Around 310 miles
With a starting point just three hours from London — far closer than Cornwall, or the Lake District — the northern reaches of France provide a dose of road trip exotica that can be tackled in as little as a long weekend. Making your way along the coast from Calais to Cherbourg, you can stop off at pretty centres like Boulogne-sur-Mer, Honfleur, Deauville and Barfleur to scoff ultra-fresh seafood towers, admire Belle-Époque architecture and dip your toes in the Atlantic surf off of golden beaches.
For the history-inclined, there are numerous WWII sites, Proustian hotspots in resorty Cabourg, and a *certain* medieval stitchwork to behold (maybe you’ve heard of it: the Bayeux Tapestry). For those with more time, slight detours to Rouen, with its grand cathedral and Joan of Arc links, and Caen — home to a castle built by William the Conqueror — provide further attraction.
Must-stay along the way: Check into Proust’s favourite stay, Le Grand Hôtel Cabourg (grand-hotel-cabourg.com, from £199), and enjoy a morning swim off the white sandy beach followed by just-baked madeleines.
The details: Calais is about a three-hour drive from London via the Eurotunnel (leshuttle.com). Cherbourg is around 7.5 hours via a ferry to Portsmouth (brittany-ferries.co.uk).
Basque Foodie Triangle: Bilbao, San Sebastián and Rioja
Drive it for: pintxos, wine and Michelin star menus.
Length: Around 250 miles
For hungry, and thirsty, travellers, few Euro road trips can beat one through Spanish Basque Country: home of silky Rioja wine, smoky parrilla barbecue, moreish local tapas and more than 20 Michelin-starred restaurants. Begin in gateway Bilbao, with its grand riverside Ribera Market, striking out to fishing village Getaria and onwards to resort town San Sebastián, where the tangle of old town streets buzzes with gourmet pintxos (tapas) bars and Michelin-starred haunts.
After a couple of days of feasting on saline Gildas, fluffy tortilla and blackened cheesecake in the beachside centre, head south to Riojan wine capital Logroño, via legendary Basque BBQ meat restaurant Julian de Tolosa. In and around the vineyard-encircled riverside city bodegas including Marqués de Riscal welcome visitors for tours and tastings of fragrant red, white and rosé wines.
The short driving stretches in between all of your bases (ever more than an hour or two) afford epic changing panoramas, from seaside cliffs and beaches to rolling vineyards backed by snow-capped mountains, making it a feast for the eyes as much as the stomach.
Must-stay along the way: Near the curving beachfront in San Sebastian, regal Hotel Maria Cristina (marriott.com, from £260) makes an elegant base for all your gluttony.
The details: One or two return ferries operate from Portsmouth to Santander, one hour’s drive from Bilbao, per week (brittany-ferries.co.uk).
Belgium & Netherlands: Ostend to The Hague
Drive it for: beaches, chocolates and culture.
Length: Around 370 miles
For a summer alternative to the scorching Med, make for the beachy resort towns of Belgium and the Netherlands, home to powdery swathes bathed in more moderate climes as well as UNESCO-listed centres with fine art, architecture and shopping aplenty. Kick off things in promenade-lined Ostend on the Flemish coast, dipping south to photogenic Bruges (capital of chocolate and canals) and Ghent, with its medieval castle and grand 15th-century altarpiece. Next stop is Antwerp, known for its historic Diamond District and rambling Grote Markt square, before you slow things down with a meander through the Dutch region of Zeeland, stopping as you please across 650 miles of coastline to take in Caribbean-worthy beaches, wildlife and water sports. Round things off with a stop at The Hague, a charming North Sea city with a glut of top museums, including the masterpiece-stuffed Mauritshuis.
Must-stay along the way: With sea views, spa treatments and family fun, De Blanke Top (blanketop.com, doubles from £209) in Cadzand-Bad is a beach bum’s favourite in Zeeland.
The details: Ostend is around a four-hour journey from London via the Eurotunnel. Alternatively, regular ferries run from Dover to Dunkirk (dfds.com), less than an hour’s drive from Ostend.
Loire Valley: Nantes to Orléans
Drive it for: castles, greenery and great wine.
Distance: Around 210 miles
Seat of medieval kings, the Loire Valley is strewn with grand châteaux, manicured gardens, patchworks of vines and dense forests ripe for cycling or hiking adventure — all bisected by the longest river in France. Begin your road trip at the waterway’s mouth in Nantes, where quirky public art pieces meet 15th-century Château des ducs de Bretagne and glass-roofed shopping mall Passage Pommeraye. Then pick your way along the banks of the Loire River towards Orléans — one of France’s oldest cities — via a series of intriguing stops.
Angers has the grand (if slightly harrowing) Apocalypse Tapestry, Tours charming half-timbered houses, Amboise the tomb of Leonard Da Vinci and Chambord the largest (and arguably most breath-taking) château in the valley. There are eclectic wine towns en route too — sip fruity reds in Saumur and Chinon, sparklings and whites in Vouvray — as well as glorious landscaped gardens. Domaine Chaumont-sur-Loire, with its annual International Garden Festival, is particularly epic.
Must-stay along the way: Wrapped in forest, the luxury treehouses at Loire Valley Lodges (loirevalleylodges.com, doubles from £33) immerse you in forest greenery.
The details: Overnight car ferries run from Portsmouth to Saint-Malo, from which Nantes is a little over a two-hour drive. Alternatively, travel via the Eurotunnel.
Read our full review of Loire Valley Lodges
North Coast 500: Inverness to Inverness
Drive it for: castles, lochs and whisky tasting.
Distance: 516 miles
Scotland’s most famous road trip is bucket-list stuff, but you’ll need a week or more to do properly. Beginning in the atmospheric old core of Inverness, you’ll sweep up to tip top of the UK mainland at John o’ Groats before heading west and south along the webbed fingers of the loch-carved west Scottish coast. It’s the dramatic scenery that you’re here for, studded with castles, carns and standing stones, and fringed with golden beaches and rolling green slopes. Not to mention some very fine whisky distilleries: book in a visit at the likes of Old Pulteney, Glen Garioch or Wolfburn, and bring along a friend who’s happy to play designated driver.
Must-stay along the way: Royal Marine Hotel Brora (royalmarinebrora.com, from £120) has a restaurant serving Highland beef and a location near a golden beach.
The details: Ullapool is around 11.5 hours driving time from London, while John o’Groats is around 13 hours.
