Driving from London to Edinburgh

The most interesting way of driving within UK is to take it slow. get off the motorways and stop at places (or even village names) that look interesting. You could aim in virtually any direction from Heathrow. Northish you could aim via Bury St Edmunds, Lincoln to York; west you could do the Cotswolds OR Dorset Devon and Cornwall, East to East Anglia, Cambridge and the Norfolk Broads. etc etc If I wanted to see Edinburgh, I would train or fly from London, rent a car and potter around Scotland. Or possibly fly to Edinburgh and drive down toward Yosk and see how far you get To me, making a motorway dash to Edinburgh is more stress than i would want be aware that in November the days are relatively short and it gets dark early. Its much nicer driving in Summer when days are long.

We did the sort of same trip this summer, that is to want to get outside the London City. However, we took the train from London to Edinburgh which was a relieve and wonderful experince. The train is fast, ca. 4 1/2 hours and if you book early in advance, a one way ticket, even on First class with constant catering service included in the price, will cost you a mere GBP 50.00 per person. Arriving relaxed in Edinburgh, we rented a car there and drove into the Scottish highlands. But of course, this is different from your plans - just my emphasis on the fact that the travel from London to Edinburgh can be done in a relaxing and inexpensive way by train. I agree with the other post that the days in November are short and cold, weatherwise. Thus, another inventive for taking the train:-) Perhaps better to do Oxford as a day trip from London. happy travel!

Take a train from London to pick up a rental someplace north. Driving anywhere near London is not worth the hassle.

We did something similar in 2010. We took a train to York, spent two nights there, then picked up the rental car at the train station. Subsequent stops included Hadrian's Wall, Edlingham Castle, Alnwick for two nights, St. Abbs Head, Dryburgh and Melrose Abbeys and overnight in Melrose, Roslin Chapel....... We continued on into the highlands for ten nights before returning the car to Edinburgh airport.....If you want a round trip, you could do a return trip through the Lakes District and then head down towards Oxford, Salisbury, Winchester, and return the car to LHR.

I would agree that starting a bit further north is a good idea. One trip that I did started in York where I rented a car. I ended up in Glasgow after exploring Castle Howard, Rivaulx Abbey, the Yorkshire Dales, Hexham and Hadrians Wall and the Border area. I didn't get to Edinburgh, but I did on a later trip. Pam

Other posters here have good advice. My only thoughts are "why Leeds?". I can't think of anything there to attract me. We once took a wrong turn and ended up at the abbatoir. In the vicinity is Harrogate, very nice, and of course York.

Leeds: Royal Armoury Musuem, one of the best of its kind in the world. It has a lot of the stuff they moved up from the Tower, plus more. The director was telling us that the reason they did it was Leeds needed a shot in the arm since it was pretty nothing. The immediate area is all spiffed up with new buildings, but there appears to be an occupancy issue.

Really, I would do York instead of Leeds. Much more picturesque, more to do. The armory in Leeds is an easy day trip from York if you really want to see it.

Another vote for York. My favorite place in England after London. Take the train from King's Cross station to York, (two hours) Spend that night and the next in York. Then, rent a car and drive north. Oxford is an hour by train from Paddington. And there's a very frequent, but slower, bus. If you drive, you will regret it. Driving in the UK is a lot of fun. But... driving anywhere near London is like driving anywhere near NYC. Plus, the scenery north of York is better than the scenery south of York.

If you don't plan or need to be in London, consider flying in and out of Manchester or Glasgow (Icelandair has cheap flights from NY via Reykjavik), rent the car there and go where you want (Edinburgh, Hadrian's Wall, Durham, York, Lincoln, Oxford, Chester?). No reason to put up with Heathrow and the long drive north if you don't need to. If you need to fly to/from London, then I'd agree with the recommendation to take the train to York, or Oxford, before getting the car. I found driving in Britain a bigger challenge than I'd expected, harder than many others here have found, but outside the big cities it gives you flexibility you'll appreciate.

We did London to Edinburgh last summer, with a stop in Durham along the way. We absolutely loved it! We did not drive, but took a train. (East Coast had excellent fares.) In Durham, we loved walking around town, visiting the cathedral, and doing the short walk across the river to get a better view of the city. We wanted to hike part of Hadrian's Wall, but it wasn't very accessible without a car. In Edinburgh, we did the Castle, a bus tour through town, shopped the Royal Mile, and hiked Arthur's Seat in Holyrood Park (a must if you like hiking at all). Arthur's Seat was one of our favorite experiences of the trip! We flew out of Edinburgh...in fact we were flying Delta into Atlanta and actually arranged a stay-over in Dublin that was cheaper than flying directly out of Edinburgh. We flew Aer Lingus from Edinburgh to Dublin. Enjoy your planning!

I did that drive a few years ago over New Years, so had short days as well. I loved the drive... we had no specific agenda, just took off from Heathrow (easy enough if you follow the signs out of the city) I will have to look again to see our exact route, but we did stop in York on the way (loved it) and then headed over towards the water and stayed in Whitby. It was a wonderful town and we had a great dinner there and a perfect little hotel with a view of the water. There were a few movies filmed there. We also would get off the beaten path frequently and if you are interested I can ask my friend exactly where we stopped. We found a beautiful golf course on the water (just looked, not golfers) and also an island that had a road that was only accessible a few hours of the day because the tide came in. It was very wierd, but we enjoyed seeing it. I have driven there many times and it can be a challenge, and although I drive a manual at home and in Europe, however I always get an automatic when I am driving in UK. I am a photographer, so the train is really not an option for me on most trips, plus I like my freedom and independence to wander and linger if I want to. I also remember Robin Hood's Bay and that may be right there by Whitby, I don't remember. I also loved Edinburgh and would go back again.

If you like historic houses, beautiful gardens, and art and antiques in situ. I would go to the "Treasure Houses" on the way between Edinburgh and London.
Castle Howard near York, Harewood House near Leeds, Chatsworth north of Derby, Burghley House near Rutland Waters, Woburn Abbey near Cambridge, and Bleinham near Oxford. Most of these have been sets in Movies and TV...some have special events such as plays or Antiques Road Show. These are all available on passes. If you did all of these you should allow at least 6 days. We did all of these except Woburn and they are what I'll always remember best. If you only have time for one pick Chatsworth.

Thanks everyone for all the tips!! York sounds really interesting so I'll definitely plan a generous amount of time there along the way. @Nigel, to be honest I was looking at a very tiny map, and the only recognizable place names I could make out between London and Edinburgh were Leeds and Oxford :) @Terry Kathryn, that kind of trip sounds exactly like what Im looking for! We actually enjoy driving and just stopping wherever looks interesting!