UK Highlights: An Audacious 2,100-Mile Driving Trip

Here are highlights and ratings from our major stops during our audacious UK driving tour.

Lake District, Cumbria: 3 out of 5 stars

After enjoying Edinburgh as we always do, we were off south to charming Keswick (where we had the best fish and chips of the whole trip). We checked out Hadrian’s Wall, walked around the pretty lakes set against lush green fields and hills, and hiked up to Cat Bells. I did the via ferrata at Honister Pass, which ended at a wonderful outlook over Buttermere Lake.

Fountains Abbey & York, North Yorkshire: 4 out of 5 stars

The Cellarium at Fountains Abbey, North Yorkshire

You don’t want to stop at every ancient ruin, but Fountains Abbey is fabulous. This Cistercian monastery, founded in 1132, is one of the largest and best preserved.

York is a great town! Constantine was declared emperor here in 306 AD—he was the first ruler to legalize Christianity. The Minster is one of the largest Gothic Cathedrals in Europe—you can walk up 275 steps to the tower for nice views. Evensong still resonates in the beautiful Quire, with amazing acoustics designed 600 years ago. And, you can walk atop the most complete city wall in England. (Dine at Rustique!)

Conwy, Wales: 4 out of 5 stars

Caernarfon Castle in North Wales, where King Charles was invested as Prince of Wales in 1969 (on the round platform)

The Snowdonia area is where mountaineers train, including Edmund Hillary, but the weather didn’t cooperate during our visit and the mountain railway was offline. Caernarfon Castle, the impressive ancestral home to the Prince of Wales, has 12 towers, most of which you can get to. You can stand on the slate disc where King Charles was invested as Prince of Wales in 1969, and where the formal news of his becoming king was declared in 2022.

Conwy, anchored by a great castle, is an authentic seaside town where fishermen are off to work before dawn (try the local mussels). The nearby Bodnant gardens are beautiful.

Pembrokeshire, Wales: 5 out of 5 stars for wildlife

Puffin mom and puffling at Skomer Island, Wales

Driving nearly the length of Wales from Conwy to Fishguard was our longest single day. We stopped at Devil’s Bridge (featured in the TV show Hinterland), but the waterfalls were puny. Nearby is Bwlch Nant yr Arian, where there are daily feedings for hundreds of wild red kites. We were agog as the kites dove to grab meat, fought, skimmed the ground, and soared.

The next day, I had an amazing outing to Skomer Island, a wildlife haven with the largest Manx shearwater colony in the world, and where nearly 40,000 puffins return to breed between April and July. As the short boat ride neared the island, hundreds of birds—mostly puffins—were swirling, diving, and leaping from the water! That season, there were 260,000 Manx and 36,000 puffins fishing, trotting, and flying all around as I wandered the island paths. I spotted three young pufflings (still gray)—the only ones I've ever seen.

Wells, Somerset: 3 out of 5 stars

We left Wales for pretty Wells, enjoying an outing to see West of England’s birds of prey with a hawk walk. I checked out Glastonbury’s eighth-century abbey, where there is a marker declaring King Arthur’s grave, and walked over a mile to Glastonbury Tor. Nearby is Cheddar Gorge, England’s largest gorge at three miles long and 400 feet deep. If you lack time to do the circuit, you can pay to go up 274 steps on Jacob’s Ladder to the top, then over to the best views on the Cliff-Top Walk.

Cornwall: 6 out of 5 stars

This gorgeous southern stretch of the UK was our top highlight, a visual feast of gleaming waters, fields, and towns.

Delightful Port Isaac in Cornwall, aka the town of Portwenn from TV's "Doc Martin"

• Port Isaac, aka Doc Martin’s Portwenn, was even more charming than in the TV show. You can walk up the cliff above the town for fabulous views. (Note: The biggest crowds we encountered in Cornwall over eight days were here. Parking is a challenge.)

• Tintagel Castle is the legendary birthplace of King Arthur. The ruins are sprawled over hills with great coastal views, and there’s a terrific sculpture at the top.

• Kynance Cove, with colorful rock formations and white sand along the sea, was gorgeous. Locals come here to sunbathe and swim in the frigid water—being cautious about the incoming tides, which will completely cover the cove.

Beware of tides stranding you at Kynance Cove, Cornwall

• Lizard Point, the southernmost point of England, is where radio inventor Marconi set up the Lizard Wireless Telegraph Station. In January 1901, he received a transmission from the Isle of Wight, 180 miles away, proving that radio would work over the horizon. (You can walk from Lizard Point to Kynance Cove in about an hour.)

• St Michael’s Mount, a tidal island hosting a castle and chapel, is more intimate than Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy, France, to which it was originally linked. St. Michael’s is also more accessible, just seven miles from Penzance, an easy walk when the tide is out.

• Minack Outdoor Theatre, perched on a cliff overlooking Porthcurno Beach, is just delightful. It was built in 1930 and featured its first show, The Tempest, in 1932. We had hoped to see Pirates of Penzance there but it didn’t work out. Look for the steep half-mile path down to the beach. (Note: the drive here is challenging, along narrow, steep roads. I was actually relieved we weren’t going to drive home at night after a show.)

Cliff-top Minack Theatre, overlooking Porthcurno beach, Cornwall.

Highclere, Hampshire, England: 5 out of 5 stars (for Downton Abbey lovers)

Highclere Castle, aka Downton Abbey, Hampshire

This has been on my to-visit list for years and we finally made it near the end of our grand tour. The grounds are impressive just driving in (1,000 manicured acres), and the first views of Highclere take your breath away. Alas, no pictures are allowed inside—but it is splendid. We gawked at the gorgeous library, drawing room, and salon; walked down the staircase used not only for Downton, but also by Churchill, Disraeli, and others; and saw the bedrooms used in filming. Yes, it’s quite a showcase for Lady Carnarvon, but you have to admire her entrepreneurial spirit.

Brighton, East Sussex: 4 out of 5 stars

Seven Sisters chalk cliffs, East Sussex

We found the second dim sum restaurant of our trip in this bustling town (the first was in a mall in Cardiff), so that deserves an extra star. I drove and hiked around Seaford Head and the Birling gap, which has great views of the soaring Seven Sisters chalk cliffs, and an easy stairway down to the beach.

Hampton Court, Windsor & the Queen: 4 out of 5 stars

On our last day, en route to Heathrow, we paid homage to the Crown. Stately Hampton Court Palace is unique because Henry VIII brought all six of his wives here. Jane Seymour died here after giving birth to Prince Edward VI (who became king at age 9 after Henry’s death, but died at age 15); and Catherine Howard was arrested for adultery here before later being executed.

Windsor Castle has been home to 40 monarchs and counting. It’s the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world. Highlights include the state apartments, the beautiful St. George Chapel, and displays such as Elizabeth’s glittering coronation gown, robe and jewels. We were here on July 21, 2022, when the queen was in residence. She passed away two months later at age 96, and now rests in St. George’s Chapel with her parents, sister, and husband.

What a trip! Hope you’ve enjoyed riding along!

The most challenging aspects of driving on the wrong side of the car and road is getting accustomed to a reverse turning radius; mixing up the turn signal and windshield wiper; and staying LEFT. Our worst mishaps were taking a wrong turn in a roundabout that resulted in a 40-minute detour and one flat tire in the middle of nowhere with no cell service.

Top tips

• Try to get the smallest car you can (definitely an automatic!)

• Be comfortable going slowly and getting honked at

• Tuck your side mirrors in when traveling narrow lanes

• Beware, Google Maps may not be entirely reliable

• If you miss your turn in a roundabout, just keep circling

• Make sure to have good rental car insurance

I'd love to help get you on the road!

For more inspiration and insider recommendations, visit our United Kingdom page.