Recommendations Regarding Driving Around Northern England?

There are some recent discussions on this board about driving in the UK (i.e. on the left), which is a perennial favorite topic. Here's the latest, you may find others using the search tool above. Assuming that you're comfortable enough with the driving itself, your route is definitely doable and should be quite enjoyable, though I think somewhat rushed. We spent three nights in Keswick, four in Durham (including a day trip up to Hadrian's Wall, and three in York. The roads are fine and scenery excellent.

Highlights for us:
- Derwentwater, where you can take a boat around the shore from Keswick
and back, getting off to walk as you choose.

- Castlerigg stone circle just east of Keswick, accessible and very scenic.

- Hadrian's Wall. We stopped at Housesteads Fort and Vindolana, there are other
access points to the west that should be interesting.

- Hexham, near the eastern part of the wall, with a Saxon church with Roman crypt.
- Durham's Norman cathedral and castle (now part of the university with
guided tours).

- A drive up any of the Yorkshire dales (we chose Swaledale) between Durham and York
- In York, the Minster (very good guided tour, also evensong), the Yorkshire Museum, and walking along the city wall. If you love trains, the National Railway Museum is excellent. We weren't as thrilled by the York Castle Museum as Rick Steves seems to be, and the Jorvik site seemed overly commercial (so we skipped it, so maybe we missed something great, but I doubt it).

Hope this helps. I can recommend a couple of lodging places if you want to PM me.

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I've done this route and there is a lot of driving involved. In particular, the Lake District can be very slow going because of the narrow roads and tourist traffic. Give yourself extra time when driving there.

Depending on how much you like hiking along Roman ruins, you might want to consider an extra day at Hadrian's Wall. I spent two days there--one for the museums and one for hiking the best section of the wall (Steel Rigg to Housesteads). With two days planned, I was able to choose the best weather for hiking--it rains a lot at this time of year. For a Hadrian's Wall B&B, the Vallum Lodge is centrally located.

Thank you Dick and T! Since we'll spend the morning in Liverpool at the museums, I thought I'd make it 3 nights in Keswick. Then leave early morning for drive to York, stopping in Vindolanda and Rievlaux Abbey on the way, getting to York late afternoon. Does that sound like too much driving in a day? If anyone wants to recommend a route plan that is relatively easy and scenic, feel free. All the previous ideas and any more new ones (e.g. quaint towns) appreciated too. We've been to York before but want to see a few new places.

We drove all over north England. It's easy once you get used to driving on the left and using roundabouts. In the country most of the roads are narrow so you drive down the middle anyway. We stayed in a farmhouse near the west end of Hadrian's Wall and drove east visiting the Roman sites. Durham is well worth a visit because of the wonderful Cathedral with the mysterious pillars which are all carved differently. The interior of the church has been used in many movies. We enjoyed Dumfries and Galloway. We stayed in Dumfries which is Bobbie Burns hometown. There are several Medieval Castles and Abbeys in this area. If you haven't been to the Lake District, you should at least drive through it. There were too many day trippers there for me. We found the Great Estates in the Midlands such as Chatsworth much more fascinating than the Hotels in the Lake District. Check the National Trust UK on line site for great ideas and info about Overseas Tourist Pass.

If you are stopping by Rievaulx Abbey on your way to York it is just outside the town of Hemsley. The Abbey was not busy when I was there last summer. There are headsets available for in-depth history/tour. We spent about 2 hours there. Hemsley is a very pretty town and worth a stop maybe for lunch. Its has some nice craft, art, and gift stores. The driving around North Yorkshire was fairly easy.

Oops; spelling error. I mean Helmsley.

I can comment on the Lake District and York specifically...
I've spent a lot of time in the Lakes and the fact that you are going in early May will play to your advantage. There are fewer tourists. As far as driving goes, it depends on where you plan to go. Driving and parking there is quite easy. If you get out of the main towns and into the countryside west of Ambleside and Grasmere, the roads can be extremely narrow with stacked stone walls on either side. They are fine until you run into a bus or truck coming the other way - then you suck all of your breath in and hope that your car gets skinnier too! I've never scratched a car yet but the smaller the car you can get the better. Last time I was there I had a smallish station wagon type car - I wouldn't want to go any bigger. Some of the passes there are breathtaking to drive - I love the Honister Pass as well as well as the Kirkstone Pass. There are plenty of places to park your car all around the Lakes - some are free but for many of them now you have to pay. Not expensive but something to know so that you have coins on hand.
Driving in York can be challenging but they have a remote parking scheme with lots around the perimeter of town where you can park and then ride a shuttle bus in. Although since you'll be returning your car there that probably won't apply to you.

Thank you all for your great suggestions. If anyone wants to recommend a particular B&B in Hexham, Durham or one in a smaller town between Durham and York, it would be greatly appreciated. I've perused Tripadvisor and Rick's guidebooks but thought I'd ask.

It sounds like a lot of driving to me rather than visiting places. 1 May is a Bank Holiday here, so avoid the Lakes over that week, as they will be packed with tourists.

Driving in Liverpool is awful and I live in the UK and know the British roads, so allow plenty of time to get around.

Look at sawdays.co.uk for B&B recommendations - these are always nice places.

If you are looping through the Lakes, you could add Hardknott and Wrynoses passes
They are VERY steep indeed ( 1 in 3) in places and twisty too.
Hardknott has a Roman fort a short walk from the road

I don't know if you are still contemplating driving from the Lake District to York with 2 stops. I love this part of England and urge you to spend more time here. We spent 3 nights along Hadrian's wall, a night in Durham and then to York and we came back for more. We did 2 half day hikes along the wall and visited a number of Roman sites. We stayed on Haltwhistle but Hexham would be nice too. This is my favorite kind of place to stay -- towns with several good places to eat and stay, but places that have some life other than tourism. There is so much to see. Durham has one of my favorite cathedrals and I have been to a lot of cathedrals!

Really, you could skip the Lake District and York and still not run short of things to do.

We visited Hadrian's Wall at Housesteads Roman Fort, not far from Vindolanda.
Make sure you include time for Fountains Abbey and Castle Howard.
Durham is an absolute MUST DO - in my opinion Britain's finest cathedral.

This is possible if you are on a tight schedule after you leave the Lake District ...
Day #1 - Hadrian's Wall, Durham Cathedral - overnight Durham
Day #2 - Fountains Abbey, Castle Howard - overnight York
Day #3 - York sights - overnight York

Definitely not time, from your description, for a venture in to Scotland.

Driving that route isn't too bad. I did the Lake District last May when the road was closed and I had to use the Kirkwell pass...just go slow its fine...and beware of random sheep on road. While the LD has numerous winding roads, its usually nice as long as you travel in the day. I wouldn't risk it at night...but I doubt you'd be on the road then anyways.