AIBU Driving to Scotland

[Toofewshoes]

AIBU to think that is OK for me to drive about 8 hours from just outside London to just north of Glasgow in the Easter holidays on my own with three children and a dog. I could break the journey but I am finding it impossible to find a hotel that will take us and the dog. My husband can now not come on our planned trip. I like driving and would rather not have to pay for a hotel to break the journey. We are meeting my parents there who have sorted the accommodation out. Any thoughts as I lying awake worrying about it.

We regularly drive from london to Scotland with a dog. I would 100% recommend staying somewhere. It might say 8 hours on google maps but in my experience you always get stuck in traffic somewhere. We have done the journey in a day with two adults sharing driving but it's an exhausting day. I wouldn't do it on my own with children personally.

There are loads of dog friendly hotels halfway. For example Gretna green has a dog friendly days inn in a service station at m74.

Even if you know the route, have Google Maps directions running. If there are any delays on the route it will tell you and give you the option to save time

Travelodge often accept dogs. You could book a family room and the dog.

And yes, Tebay is great.

A suggestion if you really don´t want to drive - could one of your parents take the train down to somewhere a few hours away and meet you there? Then you could drive 5-6 hours and your parent could do the last few hours?

I have driven 8 hours many times (live in country with big distances). I´d pack the car night before. leave about 6-7am. Stop at a park or forest or somewhere like that about 11-12ish. Spend 2-3 hours there having a good walk, lunch and relax, and then back in the car and drive on with maybe just a quick stop after a couple of hours, arriving at your destination at about 7pmish.

You need to drive through the night or it will take you longer than you have planned

Tebay!!

We've done Berkshire to Ayr with four kids and a dog, although two of us to share the driving. Start early, take entertainment, have breaks when needed. Think we stopped at Stafford north which has a large grassy area for dog walking, and then probably Tebay.

I would suggest leaving at 4am so you are well north of London by 7.30-8am when you stop for breakfast, start driving again after morning rush hour say 9.15 then drive for another 3 hours and you will be north of the border stop for lunch quickly and you'll be at destination mid afternoon and will have missed Glasgow rush hour l live an hour north of Glasgow you need to be there before 4.30 it takes me 5 hours to go from here to parents near Birmingham, there is rarely much traffic bar accidents once past turnoffs for Liverpool and Manchester however if going at holiday times it might be A bit crowded at lake District turn off, there are major roadworks on M74 south of Glasgow which are a headache at rush hour

I would drive 3+3+2 hours, you get tired quicker as the day goes on you need a proper sleep beforehand you can't drive 8 hours on 4 hours sleep, tired drivers kill 10 times more people than drunk ones.

When we used to holiday in France we'd drive back from Portsmouth to north of Edinburgh in a oney - lots of Scots families do this to cross the channel. We used to choose to land in the evening & drive through the night so the kids slept for the journey. It was fine, no biggy.

Travelodges take dogs for an extra charge, I think about £20 per stay. We travel and holiday with our dog all the time.

It's tiring but it's doable. Plan to take regular breaks. The dog will need out the kids will get restless. So plan to stop let the dog pee, stretch your legs every two and a half hours or so and have a proper lunch break.

I've done similar journey many times and it's the last couple of hours that's the most knackering.

Ps also plan to yake stuff so the kids are amused, lots of snacks and drinks etc too.

I used to live in the Thames Valley and if you try to go anywhere on, say Easter Thursday or Easter Friday you will end up in gridlocked traffic, and if there are roadworks it will be worse.

It's all to do with timing. If you can leave on the Wed you will prob be ok.

I live in rural Scotland and our roads get blocked and slow over Easter - holidaymakers, people going home for Easter. Most of the year they are quiet.
I leave at 5am latest if I'm doing Scotland to SE England or vice versa. Other option is to go late in the day so you hit busy places after 8pm.

Anyway, come back and tell us what you did. I might be out of date with my views.
One thing you can do is tell everyone that 'we will be at Grandma's at bedtime' or whatever, so they don't start asking 2 hours into their journey. And you are of a mindset that you will be sitting for 9 hours, and don't rush it.

Definitely do-able. We've travelled from Scotland to Cornwall several times on holiday. Timing is key, work out when is best to leave to avoid rush hour. If you're going up the M6 then once you're past Lancaster it's clear sailing all the way north.

DVDs for the kids. Definitely stop at Tebay.

It'll be fine. I'm doing the same at Easter. I was more keen on a break so booked a travel lodge part way up. They take dogs and it was v cheap. There are many on the route so if you are worried book a room.

We moved from Devon to the Highlands and did the journey with 2 kids, a dog and a cat. We did break the journey overnight but it was fine. The kids had a DVD player in the back and we had silly cds to sing along to. Lots of stops for the the dog and the kids 😊

Poor dog? Leave him at home? What's so bad about the dog kipping in the car between regular breaks in return for yomping about the Scottish glens with his family?

Some folk do have strange ideas.

LOL at " yomping about the Scottish glens". That's like someone saying they are going to England and assuming that it's the Yorkshire Moors when it could be Islington.

lumela wins it Mainsgill farm is a must stop for us every time! Lovely food and a good place to stretch the legs and see the animals at same time without taking ages as there are beside the car park. Also depending on age of the dcs there's a few ride on tractors and swings and a zip wire to play on after eating. We always stop on our Scotland to Lincolnshire drive twice a year

*they are

Make sure you get two nights of long sleep beforehand and you will be fine as long as you take breaks.

I second Tebay services - a joy!

It will be fine. I do this every so often with 2DSs and various pets - live North of Glasgow and visit family in Reading. The M6 is very, very boring (especially if you have the sat nav on and the next instruction is "in 167 miles, bear left") but get some good music on and ideas for car games for kids. Alphabet topics is a good one and distracts mine for ages

I do a longer trip every year and its fine. Some travelodges will take dogs for an extra charge.

Thank you so much everyone. My children are 5, 10 and 12, the middle one can be travel sick. I think I was having a middle of the night panic. I have driven to the south of France (not with the children) and several times in recent years to the Lake District and Cornwall. As I said I do like driving and the children are good. I think I was just having nerves about. But I have taken your advice and have booked to stay in Tebay for one night on the way there and back, luckily they had family rooms free. So I feel much better about it and I am really grateful for all your comments. And I am sure the dog is going to love "yomping about the Scottish glens" with us. :D

Tebay is great, you'll have a lovely night's stay and they do a great breakfast!

Ooh I'm jealous! I love Tebay, don't eat the night before and you'll be able to manage the lovely porridge and the full English for breakfast 😂