{"id":9762,"date":"2025-05-07T10:48:20","date_gmt":"2025-05-07T10:48:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/justpaste.in\/blogs\/complete-guide-planning-great-british-road-trip\/"},"modified":"2026-08-04T10:13:38","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T10:13:38","slug":"complete-guide-planning-great-british-road-trip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/justpaste.in\/blogs\/complete-guide-planning-great-british-road-trip\/","title":{"rendered":"The Complete Guide To Planning Your Great British Road Trip"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s genuinely no better way to explore the UK than on a road trip.<\/p>\n

A road trip is by far the best way to get an authentic taste of British life as you get to see (and do) so much more than you would if you explore the country any other way. Taking a train, flight, or coach will take you to pretty much pre-defined stops where everyone wants to visit, but on a road trip, you get so much more control, which in turn means you have the best experience possible in the UK.<\/p>\n

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This being said, though, planning a road trip does take a tad more effort than just hopping on a train. The effort of course becomes minimised the more informed you are and so, to help you with planning your road trip, we figured we\u2019d pull together a guide to help you see more of our home country along with tips and tricks to help you along your way and in particular, show you how we did the same thing too! (More on that last one further down!)<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s get started, shall we?<\/p>\n

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How To Get Around?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

A road trip pretty much implies everything the name says, travelling by road, i.e. by car. The UK has one of the best transport options available in the world, so you would be forgiven for skipping the stereotypical road trip model and creating a hybridised version instead.<\/p>\n

Some journeys might just be faster and more convenient if you combine the car option with a train, bus or flight. Case in point, travelling within London – there\u2019s just no point driving around London. Instead, park your car and take the tube.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll find that this can also apply to other transportation options, so it’s worth exploring alternatives if a specific car journey starts to seem like too much effort.<\/p>\n

When To Get Accommodation Sorted?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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It is worth noting, though, that before you start your trip, you should book accommodation for the start and end of your road trip as well as the midway point. You book the beginning and end because you know what these are in advance, and you book the midway point(s) in advance because this helps keep you on track.<\/p>\n

The accommodation for the rest of the time can be booked a day or two in advance, and this way, you have flexibility when it comes to planning your route, as you might find that you want to spend more or less time in certain places as you go along your road trip.<\/p>\n

Where To Start And Where To End?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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First off, you\u2019ll save yourself a pretty considerable amount of money if you book the same start and end destinations. You\u2019ll save money on return tickets (as it tends to be cheaper when booked from the same destination) and on car pick-up and drop-off fees, which can double your costs if the pick-up and drop-off locations are different.<\/p>\n

We started in London and finished off in London but for instance, when picking up a car to move my things from Uni in Cambridge (pick up) to our home in Wales (drop off), it costs like \u00a3300 extra just for the different locations \u2013 a cost that would effective have been \u00a30 otherwise. (The same happened in the US, picking up a car in Florida and dropping it off in California added an easy $500 to our rental cost.)<\/p>\n

As a rule of thumb, though, the further away you drop off the car, the more expensive it becomes.<\/p>\n

What Stops Should I Make?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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This one is the trickier one and one that is entirely driven by self-interest. There genuinely are no right or wrong answers here.<\/p>\n

Our road trip was all about exploring historic parts of the UK, so our focus was on cramming in as many cities, towns, and<\/strong> villages with beautiful landmark sights as possible in 4 days. There were so many potential stops we could have made on our route (you won’t be able to see them all), so our advice is not to try to see everything \u2013 you\u2019ll drive yourself nuts if you attempt to.<\/p>\n

Instead of trying to cram it all in, I decided to focus on key areas I had wanted to see (we have a few places listed in this link to get you started on potential UK road trip stops). The places we couldn\u2019t visit are just another excuse for a future road trip.<\/p>\n

The best strategy to have is to have two layers of planning:<\/p>\n

1.) The 1st \u2018layer\u2019 is to define a general route along with the major stops where you plan on spending the night before<\/strong> you start your road trip. This way, you have a goal as to where you should head to every day. We decided to travel from London to Bath, then to Oxford, and finally to Cambridge, all within 4 days.<\/p>\n

2.) The 2nd<\/sup> \u2018layer\u2019 is to decide on stops you want to make in between the ones above, a day or two before. This flexibility is crucial as you don\u2019t want to pigeon-hole yourself and create a plan that you can\u2019t keep up with. The plan is there to help you, and you don\u2019t want to find yourself a slave to your plan.<\/p>\n

What To Take With You?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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In truth, aside from your clothes, medication and electronic devices, there\u2019s not much you need to take with you. Everything else is just a ‘want’ really… The UK has numerous options when it comes to the items you can purchase on the road, so my best advice is to pack as lightly as possible and acquire the non-essential items as you go along (e.g., toiletries). Even things like drinks and food are easy to find as you drive across the country, so you don\u2019t have to stress too much about other road trip essentials like this.<\/p>\n

What Other Costs Should You Look Out For?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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1.) Extra car rental costs \u2013 Sat Nav, Full Insurance, Car Breakdown cover\u2026etc<\/p>\n

2.) Toll costs. There aren\u2019t that many in the UK (there are a handful), so it\u2019s not a major concern, but still worth paying attention to.<\/p>\n

3.) A local SIM card (unless you already live in the U.K.), which can cost as little as \u00a35, so it’s worth getting one to stay connected while on the road.<\/p>\n

4.) Entry into local attractions. Many monuments in the U.K. are free to visit, but some charge a fee, so it’s worth researching this in advance. Additionally, you may be able to secure a discount, which is also worth considering.<\/p>\n

What did we do on our own road trip?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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Travelling abroad really does make you appreciate the amazing gems back at home, so this one was one that I\u2019d wanted to do for quite some time! Here\u2019s how our time went \u2013<\/p>\n

London<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

We set off from London in the pouring rain, and seeing as we live in the UK, it strangely didn\u2019t bother me as a forecast for the next few days. The weather here is so unpredictable anyway that we Brits just get on with it. Luckily, though, by the time we hit the road to Bath, the sun came out and pretty much stayed for the entire road trip!<\/p>\n

Stonehenge<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Stonehenge was one of those places we realised fairly last minute that we would be going past on the trip up and figured it made sense to pop in to see it properly. In the past, you would walk right up to it but these days, the entrance point has been moved further away so you can\u2019t really see it without paying the fee.<\/p>\n

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Salisbury<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Stonehenge was only a 15-minute drive away from Salisbury, and although this wasn\u2019t on our road trip, a quick Google and Wiki search (along with recommendations on Snapchat and Instagram) showed Salisbury was most definitely worth a visit and boy am I glad we did! Salisbury is a medieval old town, home to the Magna Carta and absolutely charming!<\/p>\n

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Bath<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

To be honest, in the past, I\u2019d taken Bath for granted. I\u2019ve spent a few nights here and partied with friends here but never really visited it for its sights.<\/p>\n

One gifts travelling definitely gives you (which I mentioned in this post here<\/a>) is how it makes you appreciate the things at home a lot more \u2013 Bath is a prime example of this as this ancient city has so many amazing sights to see, the Roman Baths, Royal Crescent and Bath Abbey to mention but a few.<\/p>\n

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Lacock<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Lacock is one of the sleepiest and prettiest English villages out there. It\u2019s your quintessential Cotswolds village and is so small, quaint and filled with little delights at every turn.<\/p>\n

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Castle Combe<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Castle Combe has been a big one for me, and seeing as this is close to Lacock (and Bath), we knew this had to be added to our list of stops! It\u2019s another amazing Cotswolds village and has been the scene of many a TV series (including Downton Abbey).<\/p>\n

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Bibury<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Bibury is home to what is thought to be the most photographed street in England \u2013 Arlington Row, where you’ll find many stunning rambling Cotswolds cottages.<\/p>\n

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Banbury<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Banbury was one of those places that ‘just<\/em> happened to be on the way<\/em>\u2019 to Oxford. There was no real plan to visit, we saw a sign that said Banbury and decided to pop in. This is one of those moments where it definitely pays to wing it.<\/p>\n

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Oxford<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Despite how easy it is to get here, we\u2019ve never really visited Oxford properly. I\u2019d been a couple of times when trying to decide between Oxford and Cambridge for University but this was the first time we\u2019d actually visited to see the city properly.<\/p>\n

Oxford, by the way, is absolutely stunning and chock-a-block with lots of amazing historic sights to see and without a doubt, a great place to visit when you visit London.<\/p>\n

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Blenheim Palace<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Blenheim Palace looks like it\u2019s straight out of a classic British movie. This stately home is the birthplace of Winston Churchill. You can still visit the room he was born in, which comes complete with ringlets of his hair from when he was a child (not entirely sure why that’s on display there). Blenheim Palace is without a doubt one of the grandest old homes you can visit in England and is worth popping into when you’re in Oxford!<\/p>\n

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Cambridge<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Going to Cambridge was like a homecoming of sorts. Since my graduation, Lloyd and I hadn\u2019t been back but more importantly, this is the birthplace of Hand Luggage Only! We visited my old college, where we started writing the blog just over two years ago and popped into some of the other colleges and sights in the city!<\/p>\n

Time studying here means you kinda take sightseeing here for granted so it was quite fantastic to visit the grand city and see it in a different light.<\/p>\n

Oh and if anyone asks, Cambridge is much prettier than Oxford (though I am biased).<\/p>\n

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London<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Our return to London was exactly the same as our way out – rainy! Like seriously, as soon as we arrived back, the skies opened and poured out heavily. It seemed quite apt, especially considering the amazing weather we\u2019d had for the last few days.<\/p>\n

All was not over, though. to celebrate the end of the road trip, we met up with friends for dinner and drinks in Central London and partied till late at night before rolling up at the final hotel, merry and thoroughly happy with the road trip across Southern England!<\/p>\n

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10 Very Best Things To Do In Bath, England<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n