Driving from Edinburgh to Cotswolds

You might want to check out this website http://www.viamichelin.co.uk You can enter in your starting point and your destination and get good timings. I've compared with trips that I have taken and they seem reasonable to me. They recommend a west coast route. But you could enter in shorter trips to see if you can get to Bamburg and the Fountains Abby. I will say that I visited Rivaux and found it wonderful.

Pam

Thanks Pamela. The Michelin site is very helpful!

All the map sites seem to prefer the M6/west coast over the A1/east coast route, so I can't help but wonder what the difference is between an "M" road and an "A" road. Do you know if the A1 is an interstate-type divided highway or is it more of a local route?

M roads are limited access. A roads are good roads and may have bits that are limited access. If you really want to try the east road, then pick intermediate spots. Check Edinburgh to Bamburg and then Bambrug to Fountains Abbey and lastly Fountains Abbey to Cheltenham and you'll see what the driving time is. I think that this is a long drive. Your frustration may be that you don't have time to stop and see things. If you go down the west side, you do go past the Lake District and other scenic areas.

Pam

Refer to Pamela's last letter.
Wikipedia says about highways in UK:

Originally the principal roads were all Class I routes and were allocated numbers commencing with A; when the limited access highways were built, they were called motorways and allocated numbers commencing with M.

I guess today that means that the A roads are inferior to the M roads. When I drove the UK I always used the motorways because they were described as faster.

Mary, an "M" road is like an interstate here in the states, if you go on one remember that their "fast" lane is the outside lane. I would recommend driving down on the A road this way you can see all the beautiful villages.

Hi Mary,
I did this drive a few years ago and although I don't remember each town we drove through we did stay in a wonderful hotel on the sea in a beautiful little town called Whitby. It was off-season but I heard they filmed a few movies there and I could see why. I believe it was near the area called Robin Hoods Bay, but I would have to check my journal...just look on a map, and although the drive was long it was relaxing and beautiful.

Thanks again for all the good advice. From everything I've read, the west coast/M6 route seems like the fastest and easiest route, but I think if it's a beautiful day, we will make the most of it and take the slower, more scenic route on the A1.

Using the viaMichelin route and timing, we'd leave Edinburgh by 9 AM, be at Bamburg Castle by 10:30 AM, Fountains Abbey by 1:30, and Chipping Campden by 6 or 7 PM, assuming an hour or so at each stopping place. It's not as much time as I'd like, but it will break up the trip and give the kids a chance to stretch their legs in some beautiful settings!

It would be nice if we had time to spend the night along the way (I've been to Whitby and Robin Hood's Bay and it's gorgeous!), but we're stuck with a week long rental on the cottage in the Cotswolds so have to check in that day.