To drive 11 hours to Northern Scotland with 3 DC and a puppy?

[Carlia]

My Granny lives in Northern Scotland and would like us to visit her this Summer like we did last Summer. We would all love to but I;m not sure DH and I can face the 11 hour car journey.

DH and I have 3 DC (18 months, 4 and 6), last year we went on the plane but because we have a dog this year we can't and would need to drive.... It will cost a fortune in overnight stop overs (we plan 2 each way), a roof rack plus box and petrol, the only available cottage is also very expensive, (£1000 for the stay) and we just don't have much money at the moment.... My Grandma has offered to help us with the finances as she is desperate to see us all but we don't feel comfortable accepting her money.

The journey is going to be a nightmare, our youngest DS screams if he is in the car for more than an hour....

She thought it was a bad idea us getting a puppy as we already have 3 DC and now it seems as though we have put the dog before her if we don't go because the drive will be awful IYSWIM?

I would do the overnight drive with you and dh doing 3 hour spells with stop halfway for leg strech and drinks.You could walk pup at same time and dc should all sleep most of the time.
It could be the last holiday with grandma and dc are young enough now to sleep most if not all of 12 hours.

Why don't one of you adults & dc fly to wick with flybe, & the remaining adult & dog either drive or take the train with one stop over?

N.b. my sister drives from south London to Aberdeen then ferry to northern isles, so it's very doable, even with doggy pee stops. Your vet can you doggy sleeping pills too.

You should make the effort.

Just had a long chat with DH and we are now thinking of driving... Leaving home at 5 after dinner, driving for 5.5 hrs, stopping overnight halfway in Cumbria then driving on at lunchtime the next day, arriving at our destination that evening.. Am now getting worried about the roads as I have heard the A9 is really dangerous, arghhhh!

The A9 is not that bad, you have to watch out for people getting frustrated and overtaking on the non - dual carriageway sections. I don't find it half as scary as busy roads down South but I used to drive up it every month when in- laws had a holiday house near Aviemore.

It is much better when they are wee and sleep a lot, when they are older they stay awake and squabble..

A9 is a really boring road to drive. Take it easy and don't make any crazy overtaking maneouvres and it's fine.

A9 is no more dangerous than any other road.
Be patient and take your time.
btw i reckon the M6 is more dangerous.
and I loathe the A1
Touch wood never been involved in an accident on these roads, but have been stuck on the tailbacks on M6

Research travelodge/premier inn type hotels along the route

or have you thought about camping?

Trains could be worse than driving in that there would be several changes and vast swathes of Northern Scotland dont have a rail link

Could granny not come to you, smuggling haggis , tattie scones and Irn Bru over the border?

The A9 is quite bad, but I think much safer if you aren't tired, and if you wait for the dualled bits rather than taking any risks overtaking.

the A9 is dangerous becasue sometimes it's dual carriage way and sometimes single... after a while of this if people are tired they can forget which is which and go on the wrong side on the single carriage way bit.. or get impatient with the tourist traffic caravans and overtake when it's not safe.
it's just a road you have to pay attention on, that's all, it'll be fine if you stay alert.

Thanks everyone, you've all been incredibly helpful!

You're options, then are,
a) Fly eith as many kids as possible (assuming puppy unafforaqdable on plane) then hire care/car share from Glasgow.
b) Train -sleeper with pre-bookings.
c) Drive and suffer.

IMO you'd be bonkers to miss out on seeing Granny whilst she's still able. As to self-catering costs, I honestly think you're looking in the wrong places/somewhere v high-end for £1,000 for a week for 5 +dog, (esp as one of you is under 2!).

I'd look around where granny lives for self catering caravans and such if cottages are so expensive.
You may find some campsites have static vans to rent
look on www.ukcampsite.co.uk/sites/
to get an idea

or have you any other relatives up there that may house swap?

The Caledonain Sleeper is brilliant - go to bed in London, wake up in Inverness, hire a car and off you go! It's really cheap with a family rail card and booked in advance.

www.scotrail.co.uk/caledoniansleeper/index.html

I live in the Highlands and really would echo what others have said in warning about the A9 - it is a lethal road, not only because of the single / dual carriage changes (and it is more or less single carriage after Dalwhinnie till you get to Inverness) but also because of slow moving traffic,lorries, tourists who are uncertain of the road, general speeding prats and bloody, blasted, suicidal, dancing deer. (Guess which one caused me an accident?) It is not a road I would choose to drive at night either, if I could avoid it - for all the reasons given, not just the deer. It is unlit, as are most major roads outside of the central belt / big cities. There are endless stretches of wilderness, few and far between petrol stations, even fewer stop offs and any houses are even fewer and further between.

However, this is a view to cherish at dawn or dusk:

munro-madness.com/region/drumochter

There's a nice-looking B&B near here, if you do drive. Avoid Pitlochry, it will be expensive.

Hope you do go visit your granny one way or the other, and have a whale of a time. I think I've done my bit for Scottish tourism now :)

Is it possible for you to fly with the children and DP stay at home with the puppy and just go for a couple of days

That's v far north.

FWIW I just went to visit my gran this weekend - she lives in central Scotland, - its a 7 hour drive, yes pita with 3 DC (aged 8,6 and 2) but she is 86 and really really appreciates us visiting. We stay in a travelodge en route (£45 a night) - and yes would still go even if 11 hours. We try and do bulk of driving at night and outings in day to break journey. Kids watch videos etc on our phones/ipad while we drive. We go 3 times a year.

We do Bath to Aviemore with 2DCs no dog though! We usually do your last suggestion, leave after school go as far as lake district. Sleep over night then arrive early afternoon next day. Have done the drive south in 1 go leaving about 9am with 2-3 stops. My 2 are very good travellers which helps but haven't found it too bad.

Have done many holiday trips to Scotland with DC, but not with a dog since the days when we had a caravan.
When they were the age of yours, it was definitely easier to leave at midnight and take breaks as and when we needed to. Woke them up just across the border for breakfast and continued on. Far easier when they slept couldn't stand the bickering when awake and though it is a disadvantage to arrive for a holiday feeling so tired, it was far better than being stuck in a traffic jam with bored DC and intolerant DH.
DD dislikes long journeys so where practicable we stop off near Windermere because I am lakeland ltd's no 1 fan

If your puppy is only eight weeks old, he won't have had all his vaccinations, so kennels won't take him. Also, since he won't yet be able to walk on pavements, you'd be carrying him everywhere. Sounds like hard work.

It isn't ideal when he is just getting used to being away from his mother and littermates, but he'd be probably be happier to be left with an experienced dog-lover than be moved from place to place at this early stage. He'd need loads of loo breaks too, if you want to avoid wet patches everywhere. How would your grandmother feel about an incontinent puppy visiting?

I once took our new kitten plus three young children to a holiday cottage. Despite my best efforts, I ended up having to replace a set of net curtains which the kitten had used for bungee jumping in my (brief) absence one day. It was madness on my part - I remember thinking the kitten would miss us if we went without her, and my house-sitter (my Ma) didn't like cats, so...

I think you'll find the journey much simpler if you only have the children to consider. Try to travel at night if you can, have as many breaks as possible, play games and sing songs as you drive. I'm sure your grandmother will be delighted you made the effort and at some point in the future, you'll be glad you did too.

We did near London to the Black Isle a few times a year when we were young, 3 kids and a dog. My mum & dad always had us leaving early and we'd stop a few times on the way up. Never stayed over night, always did it in one. But we all used to sleep in the car (maybe they drugged us ) so I think it wasn't too painful for my folks. Bloody long way though, my poor parents must have been exhausted. And it was when the roads in the Highlands were really, really awful.

I don't think the puppy would be 8 weeks when they travel - more like 6 months? Mine was 10 months when he first went to Ireland via Scotland and an angel in the car & ferry (which was a surprise as he's a nutter most of the time).

saintlyjimjams - I'm an eejit; of course the puppy won't still be eight weeks when they go. But I thought the trip was to be in the summer? And the puppy is 8 weeks now? Even allowing for school holidays starting later in England, which I'd forgotten (end of June here in Scotland), wouldn't the puppy still be very young?

I'd still be concerned about having an untrained puppy in someone else's house, especially if grandma has already voiced her disapproval - I'd be avoiding a potentially stressful situation and leaving him with someone this time. Good luck, OP!

Hmm yes it could be an issue. But they train pretty quickly don't they? or have I already forgotten the horrors? I missed grandma's disapproval though. That could be an issue agreed. We probably won't take our dog next time we go to Northern Ireland, but that's because he wasn't particularly welcomed there rather than the journey.

I do DREAD the long journeys, but they're always better than I expect. Even when one child screams between birmingham and Glasgow this is a blog post about our last trip; I highlight the blog bit because I know not everyone wants to read blog posts so please ignore if you don't, I'm not trying to push it. I posted because that post actually summarises all the awful journeys we've had over the years

Worth it though. And despite screaming for hours ds1 does ask me every single day at the moment when we're next going to northern ireland (when I've recovered from the last trip )

Just make it out as an adventure for the little ones. When I was a child we drove each year for holidays from the southern Netherlands to Italy. It's about a thousand miles. We did it in one day until dad decided one year he'd rather take it easier. I loved it, for me the holiday started when mum woke me up at ungodly o'clock to get in the car. I still love the process of traveling almost as much as actually being on holiday, despite still not having grown out of motion sickness age 26. You'll be fine!