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UK travel

Welcome to our UK travel forum where you can get advice on everything from holidays to exotic destinations, to tips on London travel.

Original poster

Drive from Glasgow to Cornwall with kids

84 replies

Goscat · 25/01/2026 22:29

We're going to Cornwall for a week in September and trying to decide whether to drive or fly. We have extra days either side to spare so would drive 5 h, 5h down and same back, breaking it up into 2.5h stints each day.

Pros-
. much cheaper even including fuel and hotels
. Get to spend a few hours in a couple nice places in the eat down and back
. Flights are really late so kids bedtimes would be haywire, driving avoided that.

Cons-
. Driving 10h with a 1 and 4yo 🤣

Anyone done similar?

OP posts:
Original poster
Goscat · 26/01/2026 15:56

Clefable · 26/01/2026 13:24

We often do north of Scotland to Cornwall, Devon, France, Holland and never had any issues tbh. We love a driving holiday, car packed to the gunnels (we are lucky to have a very big car and a 500L roof box, makes life easier!), bikes, all that stuff. DH is from the south west so we often go down to visit family there for a week or so.

Good thing is that we can go in the Scottish holidays which are always offset from the English ones, so it’s never as busy. We always make sure to go away in summer before the English schools go off, etc. Much better that way!

Edited

Thank you! We're going right at the end of the month, so I think even the English private schools are back by then. Only issue is it's a Friday for the last leg and I do remember traffic being hellish later in the day on a Friday with weekend gett away-ers when I lived down in the Cotswolds.

I think we might aim for 7h day one then an early 3-4 the next day

OP posts:
Original poster
Goscat · 26/01/2026 15:57

Alpacajigsaw · 26/01/2026 14:00

We’ve done it tons of times. Doing it in 10 hours is optimistic. We always drive as we need a car when there and have loads of stuff. We’ve done it in one go a couple of times but more often than not not break up the journey around the midlands.

I think we might aim for 7h day one and 3/4 day 2 early to try and beat the traffic down 😬 here's hoping 🤣

OP posts:
TheGlitterFairy · 26/01/2026 16:06

Goscat · 26/01/2026 15:53

Why are you having a go at me for asking? It's not me who responded to you.

I've had some very helpful responses about how to break up the journey etc, so very glad I did ask! I've never done a drive that length with kids so wanted to hear from some who have.

I hope you never find yourself having to make a decision and reaching out to people who might have experience for guidance. Easy to be nasty on the internet isn't it, glad everyone else has been kind and helpful.

Show quote history

I was responding to a different poster who was suggesting I wasn’t aware that google was in Scotland 🙄 and was, conversely having a go at me!!

I’m good with decision making but thank you for the concern. Hope you enjoy your holiday.

sittingonabeach · 26/01/2026 17:17

Friday evening from Bristol onwards might be pants!

Original poster
Goscat · 26/01/2026 20:02

sittingonabeach · 26/01/2026 17:17

Friday evening from Bristol onwards might be pants!

Yes so I'm gathering! I think we might try to do lions share of driving Thurs then hit the last stretch early on Friday instead of pm.

OP posts:
JustAnotherWhinger · 26/01/2026 21:13

Avoiding Friday into Cornwall and Monday out is always advisable if possible.

Also if you look for stops that aren't services, but don't take you too far off route, then Carlisle (although a bit soon after Glasgow), St Helens, Coventry and Bristol are all good options (although Gloucester services before Bristol are nice) with retail park/shopping areas just off the motorway.

twohotwaterbottles · 26/01/2026 21:25

HolesInTheAlbertHall · 25/01/2026 23:15

But that is 10 hours in good conditions. Driving during the day it could easily end up nearly double that.

Why Cornwall?

Yes I was going to say that. It has taken me 8 hours to do Hastings to Leeds more than once as the roads are always carnage in one place or another. There are just so many accidents causing hours of tailbacks. A flight would be potentially much less stressful.

Oklahoma120 · 29/01/2026 23:16

Yes, regularly used to drive from central belt to Cornwall. Was easy when kids in nappies, terrible when toilet training. I remember one infamous trip when I genuinely believe we stopped almost every 30 mins! We did it in a oner for years. Then starting breaking it, with an overnight each way, which is more civilised if you have annual leave. With an overnight, honestly it felt easy after the 13 hour marathons inc stops!

We would stop at Brockholes
https://www.lancswt.org.uk/brockholes

To let the kids run around. Just off junction 31 of M6 at Preston.

its a good idea to have some potential stops in mind for areas kids and adults can stretch their legs, makes it much more pleasurable.

Have fun, miss our Cornwall adventures. Ours have outgrown family holidays now.

Brockholes | The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire Manchester and North Merseyside

Brockholes is an award-winning nature reserve with the UK's first floating visitor village.

https://www.lancswt.org.uk/brockholes

mightyducks · 30/01/2026 20:21

Ryanair have just announced they are flying Edinburgh to Newquay this summer - beginning of June to end of September- might suit . Long long drive Glasgow to Cornwall, if driving I’d stay in North Cornwall, but a bit of the time off the drive . Michael wood services have a hotel off the M5 which is a good
stopover

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