The UK Roadtrip

My mom, the kids and I were scheduled to meet my dad in Canterbury two years ago and spend a long weekend in London while he was there on business, but we all know (exactly) what we were actually doing two years ago—a whole lot of lockdown. Between Brexit and covid, it hasn’t been possible for us to visit until now. So we took three fun week-long trips and crammed them into less than two weeks. What could go wrong? Here’s what we did.

Day 1: Brussels to Amsterdam. Take the overnight ferry to Newcastle, UK.

About three hours in the car. Chris was very delighted to have the car on the ferry.

Day 2: Newcastle to Edinburgh via Hadrien’s Wall

Driving on the left was not so bad on beautiful, sun-soaked country roads. It was about two hours in the car getting off the boat and going through customs, then driving to Hadrien’s Wall. It was another two hours after that up to Edinburgh. Maybe more. The customs guy asked where we were headed, and when he heard our itinerary he said, “Well that’s not much of a holiday, is it? It’s a lot of work for the driver anyway!” and waved us on our (crazy) way. Hmm, my thoughts exactly….

Day 3-4: Edinburgh

No driving! This was great. We did the usual: Edinburgh Castle, High Street, some thrift store shopping, Holyrood Palace, tea time, parks, the history museum. Beautiful, warm, sunny weather.

Day 5: Drive down the coast to York via Burwick-Upon-Tweed and Durham

This day was a lot a lot a lot of driving. First, we stopped at Portobello Beach for a few minutes, then on to Burwick-Upon-Tweed, where we stopped to see some castle ruins. We’d hoped to spend a few hours on Holy Island instead, but we couldn’t get there before the tide came in, transforming it into an island. Also, the moment we crossed the border into England, we were enshrouded in thick fog. It was instantaneous. We were able to stop in Durham to see the Norman cathedral before finally arriving in York. Whew. Easily over five hours of driving, maybe more. Temperate, cloudy weather.

Day 6: York

Another no driving day! Hooray! This was probably my favorite day of the trip. We walked the old city walls, had tea at Betty’s, visited the Viking Museum, bought lots of English tea and biscuits, played wizard-themed miniature gold at Hole-in-Wand, then went to the York Cathedral for Evensong. Cool, overcast weather with some rain.

Day 7: York to the Cotswolds via Nottingham

Another four or five hours of driving. Chris HAD to see Nottingham Castle. The kids really enjoyed the Robin Hood Experience in the castle and the Kitty Café where we stopped for tea time. We arrived in the Cotswolds much later than I’d hoped. Bitingly cold weather, very windy and raining off and on. Too cold to enjoy running around the farm anyway. We didn’t even venture out to find dinner and just had farm egg omelets. The kids cracked all the eggs!

Day 8: Cotswolds to London via Stonehenge

Two hours down to Stonehenge, then another two hours to London’s Warner Brother’s Studio, then another 45 minutes getting to our airbnb. I didn’t really understand why Chris NEEDED to see Stonehenge, but it would have been a fun diversion if it had been a little less windy. Temperatures were above freezing, but it was the knock-you-over, eyes streaming wind that did us in. I was wearing fleece-lined tights, a dress, a cashmere turtleneck, a down vest, a thick wool coat, with a wool scarf, and I was not warm at any time. We had snow off and on all day, including big swirls of fat flakes outside the window while we were having Butterbeer and burgers at the Harry Potter sets!

Day 9-10: London

Ah, no driving. Maybe someday my heart will stop racing from almost getting smashed in a roundabout and flattened by a honking 18-wheeler yesterday. We toured the Tower of London and did a hop on, hop off bus tour, then Westminster Abbey, afternoon tea, some lovely parks and the outside of Buckingham Palace, St. Paul’s Cathedral, went back for Evensong, then had dinner along the Thames.

Day 11: London to Brussels via Canterbury and the Eurotunnel

We drove a couple hours to Canterbury, had lunch and toured the cathedral, then drove an hour (road work) to the Eurotunnel. We had zero traffic, and when we arrived it gave us the option to bump forward onto the earlier train. YES! We zoomed through customs, drove onto the train, and were headed out in less than 30 minutes. The train ride was about 35 minutes I think, then we drove another two hours home with no traffic.

The days we didn’t drive were my favorite. Toward the end of the trip, Isaac asked, “When are we going to like, GET somewhere?” Again, my thoughts exactly. “Sorry, kiddo—this isn’t that kind of trip.”

The countryside was lovely! The highways and roundabouts…not my favorite. I LOVE the freedom of a road trip; however, I’m finding we lack the self-control to limit what we do to an enjoyable amount. We would need years to examine and experience all the places we’d like to visit! How do you choose what to leave out?!