The UK has over 200,000 miles of road which is just waiting to be explored. Despite the reputation of having some of the worst traffic on our motorways, the views waiting at the other side are surprisingly picturesque. Travelling from coast to coast is not always just about reaching the next destination, sometimes the journey there can bring about the most beautiful scenes and landmarks can often be missed if you are only concentrating on covering the most amount of road possible in the shortest space of time. Travelling in summer can turn the road trip into more of a holiday as you are more likely to experience better weather, and the sun makes us all happy. Depending on how much time you have available to you, you can cut this trip short, stay for longer in some of your favourite locations – taking in the sunset and views from your pop top roof or skip some altogether. This route does not have to be taken in the exact way it has started, if you live in a different location you can start from wherever is closest to you, this is just to help you along your travelling way. Driving through the UK – whether in your own car, a rental or a campervan conversion – can be exactly whatever you want to make it, just be sure to have some time to really explore and enjoy the locations you are most interested in instead of having only allocated 1 hour for each location and being obsessed with reaching your next destination.

Top tip: Be wise with your planning – don’t have every day planned down to the last minute as you might miss out on some hidden gems off your planned route!

London is of course somewhere that needs to be seen by all who visit the UK. The capital city has its own charms and sights that most definitely need to be seen, however we’ve covered that already in our London hidden gems blog. Starting in London will be open your journey up to many different route options, but we’ve decided that the best route taken is to head along the A2/M2 passing by Canterbury Cathedral which is a world heritage site and one of Britain’s oldest Christian churches. Again, you can spend as much time in Canterbury looking in awe at the Cathedral and exploring the history of the area or you can take a fleeting look at the Church and head straight on to Brighton. Taking the A259 route takes a little longer than some of the others available, but the scenery along the way is worth the extra time- it is breathtaking and is home to historic sites such as Hastings Castle and beaches along the Sussex coast. Brighton is a seaside town with much to see, do and enjoy. You could visit the Royal Pavilion before relaxing on the pier with some fresh fish and chips. Brighton was named as one of the Top 10 cities with brilliant beaches by Lonely Planet and their beach is famous for its pebbles where there are an estimated 614,600,000! The British Airways i360 gives visitors the chance to view Brighton from 162 metres above ground with a breathtaking view of the city, coast and countryside before hopping back in your car to leave for the next destination, finding somewhere to park up your campervan for the night or finding your B&B for the night.

Top tip: If you’re renting a car then it is best to schedule your trip in a loop as it is often significantly cheaper to pick up your car and drop it back off to the same place.

You can’t take a holiday trip around the UK without checking out one of the Seven Wonders of the World; this means making use of your location and taking the coastal route from Brighton to Salisbury, following the A27 road as far as Arundel, when the dual carriageway ends you can follow the road towards Chichester where you have the option to stop off and see a show at the Chichester Festival Theatre or the Military Aviation Museum. Continuing down this route will bring you past Stonehenge. Contrary to popular belief Stonehenge is more than just the iconic symbol of Britain, a walk around the Stone Circle is one of the things that has to be done in every person’s life, certainly every British person at least. Its history spans over 4,500 years and has many different meanings to people today. It is a wonder of the world and a masterpiece of engineering that is still a mystery to us today. There are also the Neolithic Houses to see, where you can step inside to imagine how people lived 4500 years ago and discover how the houses were built using authentic materials and techniques.

Now here is where you decide whether your aim is to completely stay along the coast, witnessing beautiful views and covering as much of the UK as possible or whether the next destination is more important. This means you can either move on from Stonehenge to Plymouth – taking the scenic route stopping in at another amazing beach town of Newquay: known as the surging capital of Britain, or you can cut this section out and drive straight onto Cardiff – viewing the many castles of Wales on your way. Here you can spend time on sandy beaches and cross the historic Barmouth toll bridge. Wales has so much to offer and the fish and chips bought on the beach cannot be beaten, it is full of lots of family friendly pubs which offer a friendly atmosphere and great beer. As you move further towards the north of Wales you can climb Mount Snowdon if hikes are your thing, you can go as far or as low as you like if you are a family with all different abilities and there is even the longest zip line in Europe “Zip World Velocity” which gives a unique bird’s eye view to the town.

From Snowdon you can head onto Liverpool, Manchester and Blackpool. Manchester is known as the unofficial second capital of the UK and is home to two of Britain’s biggest football teams; Manchester United at #1 and Manchester City which is #4. It’s not all football here though you can visit the home of the Beatles in Liverpool and visit the yellow submarine for a picture at John Lennon airport. The Albert Docks are a popular tourist location and is a leisure complex in the old Victorian docks, when the weather is nice there isn’t a better place to be except enjoying lunch and the beautiful views with your family near the water. Despite the jokes about Blackpool being named so because of the black water its sea has, it is a seaside town worth the visit. It is home to Blackpool Pleasure Beach and the UK’s only Nickelodeon Land where children will be filled with endless hours of fun for a low price.

Top tip: Investing in a good A-Z will help you hugely along this trip! It has more detail than standard road maps and can often show alternative picturesque routes that a Sat-Nav will not.

If you’re planning to make the trip finish at the same place you began then a visit to Hull and the historical town of Lincoln will help to bring this tour of the coast to a close whilst still experiencing the beauty that UK has to offer. Steps can definitely be taken to include more exciting cities and experiences like travelling from Blackpool to Glasgow, then on to Aberdeen, Edinburgh and the Angel of the North in Newcastle, but travelling through the UK can be exactly what you wish to make it. The most important thing is to make sure you have planned where you will be going before leaving and to have at least a rough idea of how long you want to spend in each location to help you stick to a kind of schedule, whether it is a loose one or not.