Great British Road Trips: Enjoy Your Grand Tour in Scotland and Wales
Whatever the weather there is no reason not to get out and about and enjoy our beautiful country in all its wonderful colours. So where should we be driving to? Here are a couple of suggestions.
If you are not already there, head north to Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. It is easy enough to get there on the M74/M8 going past Glasgow, then change to the M898 to the Erskine Bridge, then onto the A82 and into the National Park. You might think it is in the middle of nowhere, but if you are staying in Glasgow it is just 35 minutes away, or a rather more leisurely hour and a half from Edinburgh.
Once there you can enjoy the scenery, and what the park is all about, the Lochs, there are 22 in total and the most famous is Loch Lomond. You can even go on the Three Lochs Forest Drive, which takes you deep into the heart of the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park. It is a seven-mile one-way adventure, which begins just north of of Aberfoyle on the A821, The Duke’s Pass.
Caerfai Bay is gorgeous in Autumn If you have never spent any time in Wales then a great place to start is Britain's only fully coastal National Park, on the Pembrokeshire Coast, with a fantastic variety of cliffs, beaches, harbours and coves. Getting to Wales usually involves getting on either the M4 or M5 and at some point ultimately onto the A477. The nearest major city is Cardiff, but Swansea is much closer if you wanted to stop somewhere for the weekend.
There are countless places to park your car and drink in the incredible views at places such as Caerfai Bay on the south coast. You can swim in the bay, but this isn't for the faint hearted unless it's the middle of summer, we suggest rock pooling, but it is still best to take some wellington boots. Fishing is also still doable and there are all sorts of picnic and walking options. A great combination of sea views and healthy out doors things to do.
Of course, if you're planning on a UK road trip it's worth checking you have breakdown cover and if you've got children it's worth checking out our guide to surviving long family drives!
If you're driving during the winter months we'd also advise checking your car is prepared with our Winter Driving Checklist.
