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Original poster

What's the furthest you've driven to from the UK?

40 replies

KenDodd · 28/03/2020 11:35

We were supposed to go on holiday (long flight) CV and the break it has given the earth has caused me to rethink if we should be doing stuff like that anyway due to the environment impact. I love travelling. Next year, where could we realistic drive to with three teenagers? Would love to go to Moscow, don't think it's feasible though?

OP posts:

SpoonBlender · 28/03/2020 11:38

South of France/north Spain might be about your limit with four+ in the car, depending on how many fights break out. Moscow would be a mad trip. (expecting comments from Americans who regularly drive 3000 miles to visit grandma any moment now...)

There's always the train? You can definitely take a train to Moscow.

Tartyflette · 28/03/2020 11:45

You'll need a large, comfortable car, and i wouldn't advise driving for more than 8-10 hours a day for your own safety and sanity. Even if you're sharing the driving with someone.
It's tiring being a passenger too.
Take a break at night and book into a hotel, if possible.
As to rules and regulations on going to Russia , i'm sure someone with more knowledge will be along to advise you.
I've driven lots within the EU, to France, Italy, Spain and Portugal, with and without kids, sharing the driving with DH. The best advice i can give is to take it easy and have plenty of breaks.

MaxNormal · 28/03/2020 11:47

Southern Spain and the Algarve in our campervan. From Scotland.

Original poster

KenDodd · 28/03/2020 11:55

We've driven down to the south of France before and the Alps. Added complicated of course is that we won't be in the EU anymore so that will add to the paperwork and costs.

OP posts:

MrsT1405 · 28/03/2020 11:57

We regularly drive from near Girona to Calais in one.
It's about 12 hours, both driving and it's pretty exhausting. Maybe best way is a road trip with a longish stop part way. Thinking a days drive then 2 days stay.

Tartyflette · 28/03/2020 11:57

Have also driven from north of Durban to Cape Town with two overnight stops, Port Elizabeth and Franshoek.
Gruelling, even though there were no borders to cross and driving in SA is generally fine. (And i much prefer it to terrifying German autobahns!)

bowchicawowwow · 28/03/2020 11:58

We drove to Venice in our motorhome.

thenightsky · 28/03/2020 12:00

North East England to Barcelona many times, but always with an overnight stop in Dijon south campanile.

Hoppinggreen · 28/03/2020 12:00

Yorkshire to Gibraltar, in a fiat panda when we were kids
My father refused to pay motorway tolls so it took longer than necessary and he also refused to pay for hotels on the way so he set up a camp bed by the side of the road overnight while we slept in the car
As we were quite young it was a bit of an adventure but looking back I think it was a nightmare for my poor Mum
On the way back we had no French Francs and no way to get anyway/no credit cards etc so we had to get across France with only the supplies we had until we could get on the ferry and use £. We were all pretty hungry by then

ivykaty44 · 28/03/2020 12:03

I flew to Portu last year to see my father, he was staying near Faro for 3 months. He’d had a fall and asked if I’d drive him home. So I had my holiday with him...drove home.
Did Spain in a day, literally. As dad had done this trip before no satnav or map required. Then drove from jyst north of St Jean to Calais on the second day, then ferry to U.K.

1572 miles

We chatted, stopped for coffee and it was all fine

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 28/03/2020 12:11

We did UK- Western Germany often. Did North Germany to London with a 4mo.

From our base in Germany we went as far south as Austria and as far north as Denmark.

DH has done UK- Austria a few times in a van for work.

If you take it slowly, driving a few hours to a new place, sightseeing, staying overnight and moving on it can be quite fun. Just driving is horrible.

Look at trains as well... A lot more pleasant!

OhTheRoses · 28/03/2020 12:13

MrsT I take my hat off to you. We regularly do Calais to Pyrenees-Orientales but always with an overnight stop, nr Limoges on the way down and in the Loire on the way back. Ten hours in the car with a couple of breaks of more than an hour is enough for us.

Katinski · 28/03/2020 12:16

We usually drove from Rome to Birmingham once a year, with a loaded car on the return trip. Didn't have a coolbag back then, so the kippers (proper ones with heads,tails and glassy eyes staring up at you) were the supper treat once we were home

Redazzy · 28/03/2020 12:21

We drove from Calais to south of Barcelona (around 1500 km) last year with two teenagers for a fortnight. The journey there felt endless but it wasn't too bad on the way back. We shared the driving and did it without an overnight stop. We definitely didn't feel like doing much driving while we were there though! A long drive can be a bit of an adventure however you definitely need to leave plenty of actual holiday time to make it worth while.

Original poster

KenDodd · 28/03/2020 12:21

The holiday we were supposed to go on was a road trip (after an 11 hour flight) I expect we might have driven about 2,000 k in total.

I imagined any road trip from home would have lots of stops. Anyone driven to Morroco? That might be fun because we could take the boat to Spain to cut out France completely.

OP posts:

OhTheRoses · 28/03/2020 12:26

I think the packing and unpacking would be the killer KD.

Sadik · 28/03/2020 12:35

I used to live in south of Spain so been back & forth by car a few times both going through France & doing ferry to north of Spain (latter is expensive).

Personally if you can afford it I'd recommend going for a train journey instead - with some clever planning it's not too expensive, probably no more than taking a car on the ferry to Bilbao and it makes a really good holiday. I've done south of France, south of Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey all by train with variants of buying advance tickets / using rail pass options. (Man in Seat 61 website is good for planning & tips)

Sadik · 28/03/2020 12:39

How about this as an option to Morocco?
Though if I were planning a fortnight's trip, I think I'd go for this option & really make the most of the stop-overs & the scenery en route

Windyatthebeach · 28/03/2020 12:41

Drive north east to Portugal once with 7 dc and driving a second car....

Original poster

KenDodd · 28/03/2020 13:54

To be honest I would much prefer to travel by train. There's much more romance to a train journey. As a family of five, we just couldn't afford it though.

OP posts:

ICouldHaveBeenAContender · 28/03/2020 14:03

We were planning a road trip to Sicily this year...

Love a road trip, us.

We know a couple who made a 7000-mile European road trip when they were both 88!

TildaTurnip · 28/03/2020 14:05

As children, our parents drove us to and back from Turkey. It was an amazing experience. We had a caravan and stopped in so many countries.

TheGinGenie · 28/03/2020 14:09

Austria & Spain (I don't catalog know which is further!)

WellGoshDarnIt · 28/03/2020 15:15

Not me, but my in laws regularly drive from the south of the uk to Tenerife. They do take a few days though!

GiantKitten · 28/03/2020 15:32

Furthest ever was London to Crete, over 2-3 weeks (& no kids involved!) - in 1976, in a British Leyland 1300. We had some mechanical adventures along the way.

Longest single journey was Perpignan to Lancashire - about 1000 miles? Took close to 24 hours. Not recommended.

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