Driving from Oxford to Canterbury....suggestions for sightseeing stops along the way.

It’s a rather tedious drive via the southern section of the M25, which if you went direct on a good day could take you almost 3 hours and on a bad day 4+ hours.

What interests you?

Windsor isn’t too far off the M25.

Churchill’s former home, Chartwell near Sevenoaks could occupy you for several hours or there are other National Trust properties such as Knole in Sevenoaks. Sissinghurst gardens are also en route.

As a non tourist I would perhaps break this journey up by stopping at the RHS Gardens at Wisley which is just off junction 10 of the M25. For a more sightseeing option it's not too difficult to get to Hampton Court but don't attempt without a sat nav.

Rye would be a good place to see while in the southern part of England. It’s about an hour from Canterbury.

If you are coming down the M40 from Oxford it will probably be about as quick to go around the top of the M25 over the Elizabeth Bridge (very strictly enforced camera controlled speeds on the bridge and in the tunnel, toll to pay electronically by midnight the following day) and out the M2/A2 as it would be to go around the bottom of the M25 and up to Canterbury.

Either way it will not be pleasant. I have a fiver here that I am happy to put on the dead cert that it will not be pleasant.

I don't care if you go around the top - the traffic between the M40 and M1 will be 'orrid, the traffic around Waltham Abbey (good place to stop, but certainly a second or third string attraction when compared with St Albans and many of the cathedrals, IMHO) will be 'orrid, the queue onto and off the Dartford Crossing Elizabeth Bridge will be 'orrid, if you pick the wrong time the traffic around Bluewater (another nice place to stop if you like spending money, but you are nearly at your destination) the traffic in and out of the Mall will be - you guessed it - 'orrid.

Or if you go around the bottom, the traffic between the M40 all the way past the M4 and the airport and down past the A3 and M3 (as mentioned above there is Wisley near there, also Runnymede and a good antique bus museum near a golf course) will be 'orrid. The traffic in and around the Junction 9 area will be between 'orrid and awful - but you could get off and see Polesden Lacey or Box Hill, both National Trust and both with incredible South Downs views. You may also run into traffic around Junction 8, the M23 but it is unlikely to add more than a few minutes.

Full disclosure - I have never liked the M25, but it is a necessary evil, but now I hate it. Really. (you probably couldn't tell)

Do you really have to drive this awful drive? Couldn't you let the train take the strain? Oxford>Paddington>Circle Line (or Hammersmith & City)>Kings Cross St Pancras> High Speed train direct to Canterbury..

Are you at least attempting this on a Sunday, or at the very least when it is far away from the Peak travel hours?

Although Rye is nice and many a day I have spent there, it’s c 2 hours more driving than you need to do and after the joys of the M25, you won’t want to spend any more time in your car!

I often take the M1 or M40 route to Kent where I live and although there are issues going either north (the Dartford Bridge) or south (Heathrow area), the southern route usually has fewer delays. The traffic at the bridge can often add 30 minutes to the journey, despite their “improvements” and you have the hassle of paying the toll online.

Some GREAT suggestions. Thank you. I appreciate the traffic info. We live in the greater Atlanta, Georgia area and I'm an experienced horrid-traffic driver and would rather avoid it, if at all possible. Can anyone suggest non-highway routes instead of the major roads? Here, we have interstates (horrid) and regular U.S. highways and county roads which are much more pleasant to travel on.

Your problem is that London is in the way for a direct route ... so you always have to go round somehow.

Having done this trip a few times I would take the southerly way round the M25.

oh, and don't be tempted to just drive straight through to avoid going around.

The M40 soon peters out (lots and lots and lots of speed and traffic light cameras, some less visible than others) into the A40. Lanes are very narrow, lots of traffic, loads of traffic lights, plenty of loopy London geezers and white van man, and then you are just on a regular city road. With the Congestion Charge if you are not careful. The biggest problem is that there is simply no easy way to reach the eastern edge of the M25 from the centre without miles upon miles of drudge.

sorry

How quickly are you trying to make this trip? If you go down to Southampton and turn east nearer the coast, you'll be around no end of popular sightseeing options.

So, here's a question about the southern part of the M25 around London: is there a time of day when it's easier to drive through? Or, is it like Atlanta traffic where we have a 24-hour "rush hour"?

Middle of the night if it isn't a full moon, and if none of the truck drivers either fall asleep or sideswipe a car on their blind side, and if it isn't snowing.

Really.

Likely the most reliable. Do be aware that in the middle of the night there will be a fair share of trucks, white van man will still be there, but fewer of him, and London geezer drives even faster and less predictably at night. Most of the mileage from Oxford to Canterbury via the south side of the M25 will have no streetlights.

Not as much to see at night.