Editor’s Note: The following is a guest post from William Collins – a Brit who shares a passion for Britain and enjoys driving around the country. This post is a summary of what you could do if you ventured outside of London into the North of Scotland. Thanks Will!

Venturing north of the border presents a wealth of adventure and opportunity to get stuck into. Perhaps you want to go and get amongst Scotland’s extremely cultured cities? Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen are all immense cities with great entertainment spots, shops, restaurants, sightseeing opportunities and more. Perhaps you want to just marvel at the scenic landscape? The country is in possession of some truly staggering scenic spots with the Grampian Mountains, Loch Lomond and the Highland’s but to name only three of many.

To get to Scotland from London, there are of course various transport methods to get you there including trains, planes, buses and of course the car. However buses take a very long time, but are the cheapest option. Flying there is quick but you miss out on visiting other points of interest on the way, trains are comfortable but you have to stick to a timetable and can be expensive if you are travelling with a group. That leaves driving by car, it isn’t the cheapest method but it is convenient and you can get to see what you want when you want.

If you are visiting the UK from abroad, then there are many car hire companies that offer cheap car hire throughout the UK. This will enable you to stop off and tour some of England’s most spectacular destinations at your own leisure. Planning your trip is essential if you are going to make this road trip one to remember. You will want to break your journey up and organise places to stay overnight along the way so you need to know where you are going to visit. Don’t rush this road trip, take a few days at least to appreciate the destinations and sightseeing opportunities along the way.

If the west of Scotland is where you plan on heading (Glasgow, Loch Lomond, Isle of Sky etc) you will probably be using the M1, M6 and M4 for the best part of the trip as you head towards Glasgow. There are various options along the way, you can head towards the Peak District in the Midlands, or go and spend some time in the cities of Leicester, Derby and Nottingham, each city characterised by its own identity.

The most scenic part of keeping to the west of the British Isles is undoubtedly the Lake District. If you’ve got your camping gear and fancy the great outdoors, there’s arguably not a more beautiful spot in the whole of Britain! If you don’t fancy camping, you can always take in Cheshire before you get to the Lakes or even make a detour to the immense cities of Liverpool and Manchester or even the famous seaside town of Blackpool?

Carlisle will be your last major English town on the map as you cross the Scottish border and head towards Glasgow. Glasgow provides the gateway to some truly stunning areas of natural beauty. Loch Lomond is just 25 miles away leaving you on the cusp of numerous national parks and the spectacular beauty of the Highlands. If you’re feeling adventurous, go and visit other lochs in the area and pretty tourist friendly towns such as Glen Coe and Fort William. If you’ve still got more energy left in you, make the 65 mile trip up to Inverness and through the pleasant scenery people now associate with the popular ‘Monarch of the Glen’ TV series. If travelling in true untainted wilderness is for you, you could make one last push to the top of the country up the A9 to Wick or perhaps the famous fishing town of Ullapool further west.

Alternatively from Inverness, you could head east along the A96 and A98 taking in the small towns of the north-east such as Nairn, Forres, Elgin Banff, Fraserburgh and the fishing town of Peterhead, before heading south on the A90 towards Aberdeen, before making the trek back towards England via Dundee, the iconic Forth Road Bridge and the historic town of Edinburgh for what would be one incredible lap of honour round our fine land.

Author Info -  Jonathan is a consummate Anglophile with an obsession for Britain that borders on psychosis. He keeps Anglotopia running in his spare time, always dreaming of his next trip to England, wishing he lived there - specifically Dorset - and is always trying to figure out a way to move to England. It will happen one day. Keep up with him on Twitter here. Read more from this author

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