Legoland Windsor - advice on driving back north

[Piffpaffpoff]

We're driving from Scotland to Legoland and I need a bit of advice/suggestions for our journey back. (Journey down is all sorted)

We're going to Legoland for two days, staying in the Legoland hotel overnight. When we leave at the end of day 2, we're planning to drive a couple of hours north and stay in a travelodge or similar. My questions are...

1 When should we leave Legoland to avoid the worst of the rush-hour traffic? Should we leave early, like 3ish or would we be better off hanging around the general vicinity, get something to eat and set off early evening?

2 How far should we expect to get that night, reasonably. I was thinking Birmingham, possibly even the north side of Birmingham?

All advice welcome - thank you!

I would stay as late as you can. We stayed till closing when we went and it only took me 10 minutes to clear the car park. We also drove straight home to Manchester afterwards, it Took 4 hours to get home. Depends on how tired you are though

If it's a Friday night you want to avoid hitting the motorways around Birmingham at rush hour.
If it's not Friday it should be ok If you head up the M40.

Thanks - it's a Monday night.

Driving back on a Monday night? School hols or term time (makes a difference) school hols you can probably risk leaving later. Traffic is ALWAYS better around there and the M25 in the hols.

I did that drive a couple of years ago. Don't push yourself to get too far. After a day in a theme park with excited children just get to Birmingham and then have a good rest.

It's term time ( we're taking them out of school - gasp!!). Birmingham is definitely as far as we would go, but we've just no real concept of how far/long that is. But yes, I am factoring in tired and grumpy children!

The Sunday will be busy by lunchtime....but a Monday in term time will be fantastic...quiet and no queues!.
The park can be done in a single day if its quiet....so tbh I think you will be ready to go by mid afternoon Monday. You will easily do Birmingham in a couple of hours.
Enjoy!

Birmingham is quite simple to get to from Leonard as you go onto the M4 for a couple of junctions, pop up the A404 to the M40 and takes you to B'ham. The M40 is one of the quieter motorways so will be busy during rush hour but not hideous.

Monday night, Windsor to Birmingham would take you about 2 hours I reckon.

I would be tempted to drive from Windsor to Maidenhead, then High Wycombe and then pick up the M40 at High Wycombe to Birmingham.

Have a look on the map and see what you think of that route.

Dancingwitch's route is the other one I would consider.

When you come out of Legoland, turn right, then right at the first roundabout onto Drift Road, then wiggle across via Fifield Road to the A308 and you'll hit the M4 at junction 8/9 and can go straight up the A404. That's the quickest way I found to get back to the M4, much better than going back through Windsor.

How old are your DC? When do they normally eat & go to bed? I think that would probably determine whether I left at 3pm & got to B'ham and had supper there or stayed until the end eating at L'land & then travelling up.
I may be tempted to leave L'land about 4.30/5.00, go into Windsor for supper at one of the many chain restaurants by the castle, go for a stroll by the river, pop DC into PJs and then set off about 7.00ish hoping they'd fall asleep in the car.

Eat in Windsor on the Sunday night, not at the hotel, unless you've got dinner included. There are much better options for the same or less money.

Don't forget swimming costumes for the splash pool. £1 for locker.