It's a highlight of a trip to England if you hire a car and drive through gorgeous English landscapes, visiting quaint villages and epic castles. You can go off the main roads to see the sun setting or a bird of prey in the sky.
There are nine of the best road trip routes in the country from a loop around Cornwall in the southwest to a coastal jaunt right to the border with Scotland. We assume a lot of diversions from the main route so that you can explore more of the different regions.
Allow 3-4 days for the Carlise route.
You will see the engineering of Hadrian's Wall when you traverse the island's narrow neck. The Roman mile had a gateway guarded by a small fort and two observation turrets. The southern forts were developed as bases, and 16 of them are still there. The route includes preserved remains and intriguing museums. The last strong post of the wall is marked by starting in Wallsend. You can stop to explore sites along the way. You must include the superbly-preserved Roman cavalry fort at Chesters Roman Fort and Museum in order to enjoy the views over the wall and the moors.
There is a mini-cinema that takes visitors on a journey to the past at the Housesteads Roman Fort.
The distance from London to Oxford is 450 miles.
England's rich heritage is visible through this multi-day road trip. If you want to see a Gothic cathedral, stop at the historic city of Canterbury. There are cobbled alleyways in the medieval settlement of Rye. You can learn all about the city's nautical heritage at the historic docks in the next city on the route. Cathedral lovers will be overjoyed by the stops in Salisbury and Winchester where they will be able to see the medieval spires. You can take a tour of the Georgian cityscape in Bath, as well as the spires of Oxford.
Allow 10 days for Bude- Fowey.
Cornwall is one of the few corners of Britain where scenery packs such an eyes-wide, heart-in- the-mouth, jaw-on-the-floor punch. The adventure begins in the seaside town of Bude and goes all the way down to Fowey before returning to Bude again. Along the way you'll see sparkling beaches, surf bays and seaside ports galore, as well as curiosities such as a clifftop castle steeped in Arthurian legend and a theater built into the granite rocks. You are about to discover that it's wonderful out west.
This is one of the best drives in the west, rolling up chalk ridges, through thatched villages and along sea-fringinged roads. There is a lot of history, from fairy-tale castles to an art-packed quarry. As you head west, prepare for the sight of the sea and the sunsets. You can fall in love with the ruins of Corfe Castle by taking a dip in Lulworth Cove. A visit to the Monkey World sanctuary in Wareham, the 18-mile stretch of pebbles at Chesil Beach, and the fossils that can be found in the area are likely to interest children.
There is a 149 mile trip from Bath to Stratford-upon-Avon.
The core of one of England's most desirable regions can be found in the southwest of the country. Look at Georgian grandeur in Bath, marvel at Painswick's sleepy beauty, and discover Roman history. You'll want to stop in Bibury to see the gorgeous cluster of riverside cottages and then take a stroll through the lanes of Chipping Campden, where William Shakespeare lived.
The picture-postcard villages of Upper and Lower Slaughter have maintained their unhurried medieval charm. The Old English words for muddy place are what they are called.
The Windermere to Ullswater route allows for five days.
William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and Beatrix Potter have all fallen in love with the lake district. It has been a national park since 1951 and is studded with England's highest hills. Country houses, hill walks and cozy pubs are thrown in for good measure on this drive. Highlights include visiting Wordsworth's former homes in Grasmere, walking through the classic Lakeland valleys of Borrowdale and Buttermere, and admiring the wild landscapes and England's highest mountain in Wasdale.
Motorways and A-roads deliver you quickly from one end of the country to the other. Lesser A-roads, B-roads and minor roads are more scenic than the main roads.
The distance fromNottingham to Lincoln is 344 km.
The tour ends at the mighty fortress of Warwick Castle, which is also known as Lincoln Castle. You can learn about the discovery of Richard III's long- lost remains in a city car park after seeing the Bosworth Battlefield where he died in battle. The final resting place of Princess Diana can be found at Althorp House, which is located in the heart of the English countryside. Take time to explore the opulent corridors, the magnificently-landscaped gardens and the wider estates, some with deer.
Allow 4-5 days at Robin Hood's Bay.
The tour includes ancient architecture, wild moorland scenery, picture-postcard villages and a classic seaside resort. Behind the medieval city of York and the aristocracy of Castle Howard lies the road that leads to a world of moors, sheep and stone crosses. You can stop in Malton, a Yorkshire food haven, and then the bustling fishing harbor of Whitby, with its Gothic abbey and links to the movie "Draper". Robin Hood's Bay is a beautiful spot on the Yorkshire coast.
Go back in time to the 9th century at the multimedia Jorvik Viking Centre. A reconstruction of the Viking settlement unearthed in the late 1970s brings history to life.
Allow 3-4 days for the 112 mile journey from Newcastle to Berwick-upon- Tweed.
The historic medieval kingdom of Northumbria is encompassed by this drive along northeast England's stirring coastline fromNewcastle-upon-Tyne to Berwick-upon-Tweed on thescottish border. If you stop by the Angel of the North sculpture a few miles south of the city, you will find one of the best surf spots in England at a Blue flag beach overlooked by the ruins of a Benedictine priory. The area is wild and remote and the pace slows down after you hit the road. You can visit a puffin colony in Amble if you want to see fresh seafood hauled in at traditional fishing ports. The region's most dramatic clifftop castle is located in Bamburgh and it was featured in the Harry Potter movies. Lindisfarne is a tiny place that is linked to the mainland by a narrow causeway at low tide.
About 10 hours ago, this article was updated.
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