Driving from Cotswolds to Edinburgh?

I have done this drive and it was a beautiful drive. I did stop in York, which I loved, as well as going along the coast to Whitby... another great place... I think we spent the night there. I however, do not mind road trips, and it was a few years ago, so don't remember how long it took. You do not need a car in Edinburgh. It was pouring rain when we arrived there, but fortunately found a hotel with easy parking, but did not use our car again till we left. Are you getting a van, or two cars?

Thank you! I'm so glad to hear #2 is not a complete rookie move. We're hoping to get a van in Bath but I hear that our options for large transportation vehicles may be limited. I hear that a car is not needed in Edinburgh so we will likely return the car there, stay 3-4 nights and then catch the train to London. Thank again!

We did not use a car when we were in Edinburgh. We will be going to Sweden this summer, and there will be 6 of us. When I checked with the rental car agency (Hertz), they told me they could give me a van that would seat 6 (very expensive!) but there was no room for luggage. We ended up getting a car for 4 people, and the other 2 (who live in Sweden) will take their own car. Anyone have any experience with transportation for 6-8 people that would leave room for luggage?

You may want to spend more than one day in the Cotswolds, if at all possible. It is peaceful and beautiful there.

Hi Rebecca,
We are spending 3 nights in the Cotswolds and planning on spending 4 nights in Edinburgh so that given the long day of travel, we would plan to arrive in Edinburgh in the early evening.

Hi Kerri, good plan. Have a great trip.

When you say car rental, do you mean one car for 8 people or two cars? Not sure you could get a vehicle that would seat 8 people and their luggage. But otherwise, option 2 makes some sense. It's a long day of travel either way, but once out of the Cotswolds, it's all major highway to Edinburgh. If you leave early, you should have time to at least stop in York for lunch and a quick walk around the town. You'd probably arrive in Edinburgh later but the airport rental lot is open late and has easy taxi service downtown. Perhaps a better alternative to option 1 is to return the car in Oxford, take the train into London and then a train to Edinburgh. Going all the way back to Bath from the Cotswolds seems to back-track out of the way.

Kerri, I'm not crazy about either option. I think that a variation of #2 makes more sense. It looks like a drive from Birmingham through York to Edinburgh will take in excess of 8 hours driving time. York is charming, but under these conditions, I would discourage it. The option I would choose would be the M5/M6 to Carlisle and the A7 from Carlisle to Edinburgh. You will border the Lake District which, in my opinion, is at least as pretty as anything else in the UK. This route shaves about 2 hours off the drive. If you return the vehicle(s) at the Edinburgh airport, there is a convenient bus to the train station. Alternatively, there is a car rental return at the train station. However, the train station lot can be difficult to locate because of a number of one way streets in the area.

A possible Option 3 if an 8-hour drive does not appeal - fly to Edinburgh from Bristol Airport, dropping off the rental there.

You might consider taking one day off Edinburgh to allow more time for seeing York and maybe one of the beautiful ruined abbeys just north of York. We have visited both areas several times - please don't shortchange York and Yorkshire if you haven't seen them, (assuming you are interested in medieval English history.)

Plan 2 is the best. You will love seeing all the small quaint villages that you will drive through.

I brought forward the possibility of flying to Edinburgh because there was a chance the OP didn't know that this could be done from a reasonably close regional airport, and option 1 of the OP is a direct journey without mentioning stopping at York or anywhere else - and the holiday schedule overall is tight. If this suggestion is of no interest to Kerri I am not offended. I don't see why anyone else should be either. I lived in York for 3 years and am not saying it isn't worth a visit ...

Agree with Cynthia... I loved York and found it charming and would have liked to stay longer. I only had a 4 hour visit, and would definitely take a day from Edinburg to have an overnite in York if I had it to do again.

I appreciate the generosity in your sharing your suggestions. You all bring a wealth of diverse options to consider in our travel route. Thank you.

Sorry, Keith, I did not detect a burning desire to go to York. The plan is to get from the cotswolds to Edinburgh. Also, while you are from England, I can read a map and have been to the area. It is 15 miles from an M6 exit to Windermere. If the intent is to minimize the drive, I stand by this suggestion. However, unless side trips are planned from Edinburgh, I concur that 4 days is more than enough there. If there is a strong desire to see York, and it is very picturesque, I would agree that a better option would be to stop there for the night and reduce the Edinburgh time. If the plan is to take side trips from Edinburgh, say to Stirling, St. Andrews, Pitlochry, etc, I would take the faster option and skip York.