Driving from Gatwick to Staffordshire

[JulieWent]

I hope you don't get tired of us dipping into the UK Community board conversation for vacation planning advice! Our UK trip for next summer is starting to take shape, and I wanted to ask some advice.

Most of our vacation will be with a group -- Adventures by Disney, but we are thinking of coming in a week early and doing some exploring on our own outside of London. If we rented a car at Gatwick and drove toward Staffordshire, would the outside-of-London traffic be absolutely horrific?

I was thinking of staying overnight near Gatwick, hiring a car the next day, and then driving to Warwick / Stratford. We'd like to do some sight-seeing in that area, and then my son, who is 11, would like nothing more than to go to Alton Towers, so I think we might indulge him.

Would you venture the drive if you were a Yank just learning to drive on the "other side"? (For instance, I have no idea how large a city Birmingham is. Would the drive there be difficult?)

Thanks for being patient with my questions.

Julie

 

[emily1982]

Hi

Gatwick isn't to difficult to get to/from as that's the airport we normally go from to get to the states, it's just off a motorway so it's not like you have to go through central london.
It's about a 3/4 hour drive to Birmingham area from there. I live near Birmingham, it's not very difficult driving through it, you just have to know which lanes to get into, but i know their are several big hotels on some of the outter roads leading into the city, so you wouldn't hit the traffic.
There are some nice places to visit around the midlands area...stratford upon avon (shakespere's country), cadbury's world, west midlands safari park and lot's of countryside...have fun!

 

[Frances999]

If we rented a car at Gatwick and drove toward Staffordshire, would the outside-of-London traffic be absolutely horrific?

Obviously this would depend on the time of day you were travelling, but it shouldn't be too bad.

I was thinking of staying overnight near Gatwick, hiring a car the next day, and then driving to Warwick / Stratford.

Gatwick to Stratford-upon-Avon should take little over two hours on a clear run. Most of the journey will be on motorway. I think it would be wise to stay the night at Gatwick and leave nice and early the next day (or wait until a little after the rush-hour) to avoid the heaviest traffic.

Would you venture the drive if you were a Yank just learning to drive on the "other side"?

I don't think it would be too much of a problem. As most of your journeys will be on the motorway, as long as you plan your trip in advance it should be relatively straightforward and easy to get from A to B.

A very useful resource for you might be The AA Route Planner - simply type in where you want to get from and to and it will calculate the route for you, show you a map, and give you an estimated journey time. It will also highlight any traffic blackspot areas which may be encountered on your route.

Have fun planning

 

[Boo Boo Too]

Assuming you are going back to London to join your tour, how about taking the long way back, from Warwick/Stratford, via Bath (http://visitbath.co.uk/)?

You should be fine driving in the UK. Remember, on motorways, only overtake on the righthandside and, at traffic lights, NO left turn on a red. Roads are narrower and parking spaces a lot smaller over here, but it isn't bad to drive over here. Suppose you might want to request an automatic transmission car from the hire company... (make life easier).

Boo

 

[ERICS MUM]

Gatwick to Warwick/Stratford about 3 hours. From there to Alton Towes, another 1.5 or 2 hours. No need to go into Birmingham (unless you want to) as the motorways go around it. You could carry on to Chester (roman remains) and Liverool (Beatles) from Alton Towers.


LInda