The UK is rich in history and sites to see. Visitors planning a trip may want to see it all without breaking their travel budget.
For this, planning a UK road trip is an inexpensive way to control your sight-seeing and still save on your vacation. However, there are a few things to consider when attempting to plan a UK road trip.
The vital information that you need to be sure is in place before your trip begins is to familiarize yourself with all needed paperwork and emergency services.
If you are not a native of the UK you will need to be sure your passport and visas are in order.
Read area information to plan your trip so that you know each area you will be visiting, the attractions you do not want to miss, the cost associated with each stop so that you can insure you have enough cash, and make sure you have maps.
Since the weather is always unpredictable you need to be sure you have proper clothing and a good umbrella. Choosing a season for your travel will dictate your clothing needs, and also your choice of travel.
As you choose the locations you want to visit on your road trip you will need to think about all the things you love to see, castles, countryside, famous landmarks, cities, or everything. A popular route that many take is London to Brighton, then off to Southampton, Winchester, Salisbury and of course Stonehenge.
After you get all your solstice alignment in order you can head for Bath, come around to Cardiff and back to London. This trip can be completed in about a week, and offers many famous sights, and of course the stop in Cardiff allows you to say you visited Wales and offers a great stop at Cardiff Castle.
You can also put Caerphilly Castle on your list of things to see, it is famous for its leaning tower, similar to the one in Pisa, Italy. One of the nice things about this trip is that it can be done at any time of the year, allowing easy scheduling for your calendar.
Another popular road trip, if you have about two weeks, is to begin in Edinburgh, where you can have some of the most amazing sites ever. Scotland is a wealth of attractions, but a few that are recommended are Falkirk Wheel, Loch Ness, Sterling Castle, Edinburgh Castle, Eileen Donan, the Isle of Skye, Cragievar Castle, and last but definitely not least, Dunnottar Castle.
As you depart Edinburgh, head to Fife, Sterling, Aberdeen shire (known as Castle country), Inverness, the Isle of Skye, proceed to Glasgow, closing in at Border Abbeys and of course back to Edinburgh.
This trip is better planned for the summer since many of the attractions have off season closings or reduced hours. You will find that Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh are very cultured spots, so aside from the sightseeing they also offer great entertainment, shopping and restaurants.
There are many beautiful sites aside from the ones above; some very scenic choices are Grampian Mountains, and the Highland’s.
If you are traveling by car you can set your own schedule and as long as you allow enough time for motorway tolls, correct speed, and other drivers, you might find this much more convenient, and allows for you to make a couple of side stops if you are so inclined, or stretch out another day if you happen to love where you are. Driving in the UK can be tricky however, remember to drive on the left.
If you are from outside the UK, this can take a little getting used to. You have to be at least age seventeen, and under the age of seventy, with a valid driver’s license that has at least twelve months left before expiration, and you need to know the code of the highway.
Speed cameras have been introduced in many areas and are extremely controversial in whether they are for revenue or accident prevention, but the fines are steep so better to keep your speed under control. Another note for fines, do not get caught using a handheld cell phone while driving, the charge will be dangerous driving and involves court with a very high fine, better to use hands-free or ask someone else to make the call.
Seatbelts are required in the United Kingdom, front and back seat and you will be fined if you are not wearing them. The only area of driving that can be tricky is the roundabouts. While they do have some in other countries they are quite prominent in the UK and the general rule is that as you approach you yield to traffic already in the roundabout, and the traffic coming in from the right. Study the laws and you should have no problem, especially if you are used to driving.
If you are looking for many of the attractions you will want to note that brown signs are typically used for tourist information. You will find that museums, natural attractions, English Heritage, historic buildings, National Trust properties, gardens, zoos, pubs, theaters, hotels, and restaurants all are displayed by brown signs.
They are great for helping find all the sites along the road trip and might help you find some you were not even aware of.
You can start your road trip without having a predetermined path, just drive, and look for the brown signs, letting it take you on an adventure that even you are not sure of. Now if you prefer to let someone else do the driving on this road trip, you can always find a car for hire. These companies allow you to plan your own route, break up the trip anyway you choose and stay overnight in as many places as you like.
If you are planning to visit the UK, a road trip may be perfect for you. The savings of driving vs. taking a train or bus, along with the freedom to see what you want to see can create a vacation full of exploring. Take the time to learn the rules of the road and how to navigate in the UK in order to have a hassle free vacation.
Marcie McDonald the author of the “Planning a UK road trip for cheap travel” is an travel consultant who writes for a number of UK travel websites and blogs.