One Day Driving Distance?

[hiccy18]

I find 8 or 9 hours driving in a day sensible enough, although it's a lot easier on the continent than in the UK, or at least most of England. Longest in one day was Saumur in the Loire to Glasgow via the high speed ferry, that was 15 hours all in including the crossing and stopping for dinner at Tebay, from Portsmouth up to the Blackpool/Preston turnoffs was hellish but the rest of the journey was pleasant enough. Turning a 1.5 day journey into one day was worth it.

[VerySideways]

1300km across Spain and France is much easier than 400 miles in the UK, especially if that 400 miles involves the M6 in daylight.

[mogman888]

Have done 250k miles in my Morgan +8 in the last 37 years. 46 Countries which includes USA. Longest is Kitzbuhel to Saffron Walden, 856 miles in 15 hours got home just in time for a beer at the local. And by the way that's with no roof or sidescreens and it was -7C when we left. Also East Berlin to Falaise France in the same car in a day, 840 miles in 1989.

[Claude455]

I’m considering a driving holiday to enjoy some of the best parts of Scotland.

Home to Fort William is 500 miles / 8.5 hours and because time will be limited I’d like to do the above journey in a day, leaving more time to go exploring on the other days.

Any feedback, tips, suggestions, recommendations for the there/back days of driving? I’ll be in a noisy, modified hot-hatch wearing ear plugs.

Would you drive at the maximum speed you’re comfortable with to complete the journey as quickly as possible, or set cruise at 65 and take it steady?

[hiccy18]

Claude455 said:

I’m considering a driving holiday to enjoy some of the best parts of Scotland.

Home to Fort William is 500 miles / 8.5 hours and because time will be limited I’d like to do the above journey in a day, leaving more time to go exploring on the other days.

Any feedback, tips, suggestions, recommendations for the there/back days of driving? I’ll be in a noisy, modified hot-hatch wearing ear plugs.

Would you drive at the maximum speed you’re comfortable with to complete the journey as quickly as possible, or set cruise at 65 and take it steady?

Route suggestions covered here: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

I drive long journeys at a speed I am comfortable with, consideration of fears for my licence included. From Tyndrum up you will be gawping at the scenery, Loch Tulla viewpoint is a traditional place to stop for a dodgy hotdog, styrofoam tea and a blether, no toilets though.

[Desiderata]

Claude455 said:

I’m considering a driving holiday to enjoy some of the best parts of Scotland.

Home to Fort William is 500 miles / 8.5 hours and because time will be limited I’d like to do the above journey in a day, leaving more time to go exploring on the other days.

Any feedback, tips, suggestions, recommendations for the there/back days of driving? I’ll be in a noisy, modified hot-hatch wearing ear plugs.

Would you drive at the maximum speed you’re comfortable with to complete the journey as quickly as possible, or set cruise at 65 and take it steady?

Presuming you're heading up from the busy South, I'd set off very early to miss the traffic, arriving at the "nice bits" at dawn. You can go as fast as you're comfortable with in the dark, then enjoy the rest of the trip still before the bulk of the caravans etc get out of bed. Obviously it'll depend on what time of year your'e coming up but I'd be aiming for a nice breakfast at the Green Welly in Tyndrum just as it opens. Enjoy!

[Stan the Bat]

65 seems a bit low, how about 75 ?

[anonymous-user]

500 miles is about as far as I’d do although it’s usually with 2 driving.
Longest is about 650 from NW Scotland to Kent, although did have a nightmare 14 hrs Somerset to Edinburgh once .

[Super Sonic]

600 miles 12hrs south coast to Manchester and back. Used to do this monthly in a sprinter van, stop once on the way, ten minute nap after unloading van, stop once on the way back. Start at 03:00 to clear M25 before rush hour ( load van day before and take it home ) Used to smoke so would get home with brown fingers and a sore throat.
Have done the same distance recently in Accord R but without the stupid o'clock start.

[Kenty in Weardale]

Hopefully when Non League footy restarts in August I can go back to my monthly jaunts to see my team play on the South Coast; 750 mile round trip in a day and sadly I really enjoy the drive in a very boring Hyundai i30 tourer. Leave the North Pennines around 6.30 am, get to Worthing for lunch and game, back home for midnight. I have tried doing it faster but the strain of concentrating at 70mph + makes it far more tiring than a 60/65mph bimble

In the Caterham 650 miles is my highest returning from Spa Classic and I was wiped out for 24 hours but 300 miles is fine

[matt3001]

My record

[N111BJG]

Me & a mate drove from Suffolk to Prague in a day, 745 miles, got there in early evening, not very tired so then went out for beers & to a nightclub.
It was not a wasted youth, I was creating tales for older age.

[GloverMart]

I'm physically and mentally incapable of doing it these days but when I was 22.....

Living in Yeovil, drove down to Exeter via the A303, A358 and M5 to pick up four mates at around 10.30am. Back on the M5 and headed, with just one stop near Manchester, to Carlisle United's ground for their Fourth Division match against my mates' team Exeter, arriving about 7.15pm. Watched the game then popped across the border for a pint at the Crossways Inn before leaving at 11.15pm.

All the way back down to Exeter then, again only one stop but I can't remember where, dropping my mates off around 5am. Quick breakfast bap somewhere and got back to Yeovil at around 6.30am. From memory, it was about 820 miles. As I said, really couldn't do it now, most I do these days is around 250-300 tops.

[vikingaero]

A decent road trip yesterday. 424 miles in 9hrs 44m.

38 miles from Maidstone to Eastbourne for half a day of maintaining a nuclear bunker and catching up with friends
190 miles from Eastbourne to Brum to collect Vikingette1 from Uni.
165 miles back home.
30 odd miles taking fathers day present to my Dad

Lovely weather, traffic horrible from A3 to Heathrow on the M25. M40 fast and devoid of speed cameras.

[SilverShamrock]

Next week I shall be undertaking my longest trip in one day. Yeovil to Münster, Germany. Just over 500 miles not including the channel crossing (dover to calais ferry). Will also be the first time I've driven outside the UK. I'm quite excited to be honest!

[GloverMart]

SilverShamrock said:

Next week I shall be undertaking my longest trip in one day. Yeovil to Münster, Germany. Just over 500 miles not including the channel crossing (dover to calais ferry). Will also be the first time I've driven outside the UK. I'm quite excited to be honest!

I'd be excited at the thought of leaving Yeovil too....

(Lived there from 1978-1999).

[SilverShamrock]

GloverMart said:

I'd be excited at the thought of leaving Yeovil too....

(Lived there from 1978-1999).

Haha yeah I did notice your post above, and your username. I've lived here since 2005, but spent just as long in Bridgwater previous to that. Out of the frying pan.. lol.

[mmm-five]

SilverShamrock said:

Next week I shall be undertaking my longest trip in one day. Yeovil to Münster, Germany. Just over 500 miles not including the channel crossing (dover to calais ferry). Will also be the first time I've driven outside the UK. I'm quite excited to be honest!

We did the 900 or so miles from Launceston to Munich earlier in the year. Had a break on the Chunnel, and swapped drivers a couple of times. Filled up in Cornwall, and once again in Ashford (Tesco @ J10 M20).

We also weren't speed-limited by the weather as it was late summer. Not sure how long it would have taken if we hadn't been cruising at highish speeds from Frankfurt down, but we managed it in about 14 hours.

Return trip was a little more broken up, as we were looking at potential properties around Strasbourg/Metz/Saarbrücken, visits to the BMW & Porsche museums, and a couple of laps of the Ring on the final day.

Edited by mmm-five on Tuesday 13th December 14:11

[Red9zero]

In my youth I did Worcester to Girona in a little Metro GTA non-stop, apart from ferry, toilet and petrol stops. IIRC it took about 26 hours. Then I did the same on the way back and not having learned my lesson, did the same again a few months later. Nowadays, Bristol to Le Mans non-stop is as far as I go in a day. It normally takes me a good few weeks to recover when we get back too

[bolidemichael]

SilverShamrock said:

Next week I shall be undertaking my longest trip in one day. Yeovil to Münster, Germany. Just over 500 miles not including the channel crossing (dover to calais ferry). Will also be the first time I've driven outside the UK. I'm quite excited to be honest!

This trick is to go quickly from the get go.