Road trip stops in the UK
The places worth pulling over for across the UK: the famous ones, the ones locals keep quiet about, and where to sleep on the way.
Plan your road tripThe best stops
- Walk
Walk · Bushmills
Giant's Causeway
Forty thousand basalt columns stepping into the sea, and the reason most people drive this coast.
- Beach
Beach · KinlochbervieHidden gem
Sandwood Bay
Mile-long pink sand beach with a sea stack, reached only on foot from Blairmore.
Beach · Lizard
Kynance Cove
Serpentine rock stacks and a white-sand cove on the Lizard.
- Viewpoint
Viewpoint · West Lulworth
Durdle Door
Limestone sea arch on the Jurassic Coast.
- History
History · Bamburgh
Bamburgh Castle and beach
A huge basalt-rock castle above a wide, empty beach on the Northumberland coast.
- Town
Town · Holy Island
Holy Island of Lindisfarne
A tidal island with a priory, a tiny castle and a causeway you can only cross at the right time.
- Activity
Activity · Kielder
Kielder Observatory stargazing
Public stargazing nights under some of the darkest skies in England.
- History
History · Bardon Mill
Vindolanda
A working Roman dig where soldiers' letters on wooden tablets were found.
- Museum
Museum · Stanley
Beamish, the Living Museum of the North
An open-air museum with working trams, a pit village and a 1950s town.
- Activity
Activity · Seahouses
Farne Islands boat trip
Boat trips from Seahouses to see puffins, grey seals and huge seabird colonies up close.
- Walk
Walk · Craster
Dunstanburgh Castle walk from Craster
A mile and a half along the shore to a ruined castle on a headland.
- Town
Town · Low NewtonHidden gem
Low Newton-by-the-Sea
A tiny seaside square owned by the National Trust, with a sheltered beach and a pub on the green.
Hidden gems
Quieter places that are worth the detour.
- Wildlife
Wildlife · ScourieHidden gem
Handa Island
Seabird reserve reached by a short boat from Tarbet, with huge cliff colonies.
- Walk
Walk · StoerHidden gem
Old Man of Stoer
Walk along sea cliffs to a 60 m sandstone stack off Stoer Head.
- Walk
Walk · AchiltibuieHidden gem
Stac Pollaidh
Short, steep hill walk with jagged summit ridge and big views over Coigach.
- Viewpoint
Viewpoint · KilchoanHidden gem
Ardnamurchan Point
Lighthouse at the westernmost tip of the British mainland, at the end of a long single-track road.
- Viewpoint
Viewpoint · GlendaleHidden gem
Neist Point
Lighthouse at Skye's westernmost point, reached by a steep stepped path.
- Scenic drive
Scenic drive · CannichHidden gem
Glen Affric
Pinewood glen with lochs and waymarked walks, at the end of a road from Cannich.
- Walk
Walk · GradbachHidden gem
Lud's Church
A mossy gritstone chasm in the woods, rumoured to be a Green Knight site.
Beach · SannaHidden gem
Sanna Bay
White shell-sand beach with dunes and views of Eigg, Rum and Muck.
Beach · DervaigHidden gem
Calgary Bay
White shell-sand crescent on Mull's north-west coast, backed by machair.
Food stops worth the detour
Pub · PorthdinllaenHidden gem
Ty Coch Inn
Beach pub on the sand at Porthdinllaen, often ranked among the world's best beach bars.
- Pub
Pub · Pontfaen, Cwm GwaunHidden gem
Dyffryn Arms (Bessie's)
Time-warp pub in Cwm Gwaun that still serves beer from a jug.
Pub · Low NewtonHidden gem
The Ship Inn, Low Newton
A simple pub on the green of a tiny seaside village, with its own microbrewery.
- Pub
Pub · Reeth
Tan Hill Inn
Britain's highest pub, a lonely inn on the moor at 528 metres.
Restaurant · Whitby
Magpie Cafe
Long-running harbourside fish and chips, famous enough that there's usually a queue.
Café · Harrogate
Bettys Café Tea Rooms, Harrogate
A genteel Swiss-Yorkshire tea room, famous for fat rascals and afternoon tea.
Places to stay
Campsites and holiday parks we’d go back to. See every one by region in campsites in the UK and free camping in the UK, or the nearest to you in campsites near me and free camping near me.
Campground · DundonnellHidden gem
Badrallach Bothy and Camp Site
Remote shore-side camping on Little Loch Broom, facing An Teallach.
- Campground
Campground · ApplecrossHidden gem
Applecross Campsite
Waterside camping at Applecross Bay, below the famous Bealach na Bà road.
- Campground
Campground · FionnphortHidden gem
Fidden Farm Campsite
Machair camping next to white sand beaches on the Ross of Mull.
Campground · KielderHidden gem
Kielder Campsite
Camping in England's biggest forest, under one of Europe's darkest skies.
Campground · Wasdale Head
Wasdale Head National Trust Campsite
Mountain campsite under Scafell Pike, run by the National Trust.
Campground · KinlochbervieHidden gem
Oldshoremore Camping
Croft campsite by a white-sand beach, near the walk to Sandwood Bay.
- Campground
Campground · Arisaig
Camusdarach Campsite
Beach-side camping on the sands used in the film Local Hero.
- Campground
Campground · Glenbrittle
Glenbrittle Campsite
Beachfront camping beneath the Black Cuillin.
- Campground
Campground · Great BerneraHidden gem
Eilean Fraoich Camping
Croft-side camping on Great Bernera, minutes from empty beaches.
Classic road trips in the UK
- Peak District passes60 km · 1 day
- Route to the Isles75 km · 1 day
- North Norfolk coast80 km · 2 days
- Snowdonia mountain loop90 km · 1 day
- Lake District passes100 km · 1 day
- Yorkshire Dales and Buttertubs100 km · 2 days
- Pembrokeshire coast130 km · 3 days
- The Snow Roads145 km · 2 days
- Cotswolds villages150 km · 2 days
- Northumberland coast and Hadrian's Wall170 km · 3 days
- Jurassic Coast170 km · 3 days
- Cornwall north coast190 km · 4 days
Plan the drive, not just the stops
Roadtrip works out what the drive costs in fuel for your car, splits it into days with the best stops and places to sleep, and finds the cheapest fuel on the way.
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