My wife and I (early 60s) are taking a 3 week trip in England and Scotland the last of September/first part of October this year. We are asking for advice about travel (by car) from Edinburgh to York. We would like a see a bit of Hadrian's wall on the way. Is this a one day trip? Specifically, should we stop and spend an overnight in say, Durham, or continue and overnight in York? We plan to spend 2 or 3 nights in York.
Michael
Posted by
washington
837 posts
Michael, we drove from Edinburgh south, but not to York. I would recommend driving through the border abbey area around Jedburgh. Floor Castle is worth a visit. We were headed for the Lake District, which I would recommend. I also wanted to see some of Hadrian's wall. I found that unless we stopped and paid to go to Homestead's Fort, one can see very little. I don't know how much of your total trip is spent in Scotland and York. If you have the time, I would spend a couple of nights in the Lake District. I would spend no more than 2 nights in York. One full day is plenty to see the city and walk the walls. If you wish to drive the moors, perhaps a second day is called for.
Posted by
near Ringwood, Hampshire, UK
521 posts
It's about 200 miles, easily done in one day, although the scenic route I'll describe includes a lot of 2 lane road, much of it winding and hilly. We drove this route on the way home from honeymoon in Edinburgh, stopping in York for a couple of days. Take the A7 south from Edinburgh, through Dalkeith, down to Galashiels, join the A68 to continue through Jedburgh (we always used to stop there for tea when going to Scotland to visit my grandparents), through the Northumberland National Park, joining the A1 just north of Darlington. Then it's junction 47 from the A1, on to the A59 for York. If you wanted to go to the Hadrian's Wall study centre then you will need to divert off that route by about 25 miles. Vindolanda is about a 15 mile diversion. Google Maps is a good tool for route planning, and virtually every road in the UK is covered by Google Streetview if you want to take a closer look at junctions and road signs.
Posted by
Ojai, CA
591 posts
We took the scenic route from Edinburgh via the Scottish Borders and highly recommend going this way. The highlights were visiting Sir Walter Scott's home (Abbotsford) near Melrose, and spending a couple nights just outside of Kelso at the beautiful Roxburghe Country House Hotel. Floors Castle is also worth a visit. Check out the web-sites: http://www.scottsabbotsford.co.uk/ http://roxburghe-hotel.com/
Posted by
OP
Bakersfield
37 posts
Thank you all for your input. My wife and I appreciate them very much
Michael
Posted by
Central Florida
484 posts
Hi Michael. Here's my 2 cents of info. I saw the Scottish Border area one day. Here are a few sights you may want to add to your list if logistically easy. 1) Melrose Abbey - in ruins, only takes about 30 minutes, Robert the Bruce's Heart is buried there. Simple grave, marked only by a small decorative heart. Staff is very friendly about answering any history questions. Not a must see.
2) Alnwick Castle (England) border area. Look up online. Nice Castle with history to tour. Beautiful gardens. Again, staff is friendly about answering history questions about Percy Family who own it. I believe Alnwick may be close to Hadrian's Wall. I have not been to Hadrian's Wall or York - so, I'm no help to you with that. Enjoy Your Visit. May you have Sunny Skies!