England Travel Forum

After visiting Stamford, we want to head to south Wales - no specific Welsh town in mind.
Looking for suggested routes that avoid going any further north than Coventry and that we could comfortably drive in a day (ie Stamford to Wales).
As Aussies we are used to driving 800kms a day (although that doesn't allow for much sightseeing)

Would appreciate advice on:
Routes
Approx distance/time to drive
Any points/places of interest to see on the way
Whether we are kidding ourselves to think we can do it it one day!!

Thank you

Hi there

My rellies live in Lincs (just north of Stamford) and we have driven to South Cornwall (way down south west), took about 6 and a half hours!! The difference to Australia is the amount of traffic on the roads.

The first places that come to mind are Stratford on Avon (WIlliam Shakespeare) and any village in the Cotswolds, very pretty.

Good luck!

I woudn't bother with Stratford. The Cotswolds is pretty, but very popular with tourists and not in the least bit Welsh. :-)

It's not a matter of distance, it's a matter of time. Driving in the UK always takes longer than one expects from the map and this is especially true of west-east journeys (or vice-versa). Roads are congested (including motorways) and ruraL roads are often narrow and winding, so overtaking lorries/tractors/caravans etc is difficult.

Get a mapbook from a garage: they are about 5GBP, large-scale and essential for finding routes and work-arounds.

http://www.theaa.com/travelwatch/planner_main.jsp?database=B

will give you point-to-point printable routes, with distances, approximate timings, traffc blackspots etc. To avoid congestion you need to make a very early start: I'd be thinking of leaving around 6, to make the journey across the Midlands bearable.

Why south Wales? It's much further, and mid/north Wales is equally worth visiting (if not more so). The parts of south Wales you could feasibly get to in a daytrip are the more industrialised parts, in the main, although the Welsh Valleys and the Big Pit are well worth visiting.

Stamford to Blaenavon (where the Big Pit is) takes 3+ hours. An early start would allow you to drive further around this area, which has its own beauty.

http://www.walesinfo.com/

http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/bigpit/

Stamford to Cardiff takes around 3h 20.

Other possibilities:

Llangollen (about 3+ hours). Some nice scenery on the way, and Llangollen is pretty, if touristy (I have a VT page). You could drive further up the A5 into Wales should you have time & the desire to do so, but there are lots of little villages and places of interest around the town itself.
http://www.llangollen.org.uk/

Ludlow (not Wales): around 2.5 hours, lovely town with castle, stop and explore there then take yourselves onwards to drive around the Welsh Marches (borders).

http://www.ludlow.org.uk/

http://www.ludlow.org.uk/marches.html

Do allow for traffic congestion slowing your journey, expecially on the M5/M42/M6 around Birmingham and the West Midlands. Avoid these motorways at rush-hour (7.30 - 9, 4.30 - 6.30): the volume of traffic alone can cause long tailbacks.

Having re-read your question, I think I know 'why south wales': it looks easiest on the map.

But it isn't. By going south of Cov you will have to pass through the busiest and most congested parts of the Midlands motorway system. I live in that area, so I am well aware of what a nightmare it can be (and usually is).

It would be better to look for somewhere on the mid or north Wales border.

Thanks for the suggestions so far.
We have approx 4 days between leaving Stamford and commencing a week long stay in the Cotswolds, hence the visit to Wales.
Hadn't really factored in the likelihood of congested motorways - more of the Aussie mentality of once away from a major city, one can pretty much travel at 100kms without any difficulty.

Have thought about making Wales a day trip from the Cotswolds - would this be feasible or would we basically be driving to/from with little time to sightsee?

I suspected it was the 'out-of-the-city' perception: England is a tiny country stuffed with people, cars and settlements. Even motorways don't give you easy rides, except in the middle of the night.

You could do a day from the Cotswolds, possibly. Whereabouts will you be based? South or mid-Wales might be feasible. It will still be a long drive though.

Thanks, Leics
We're staying in a village by the wonderful name of Lower Oddington (do so love the English names) which is not far from Stroud.
Have just checked the map and it looks like a possible route is down (from Stroud) to Frampton Cotterell and then across to Wales.
We'll be there late October, early November - would this time of year mean less traffic or make absolutely no difference at all?

Not much difference in volume of traffic, no. But bad weather makes everything worse.....and rain counts as bad weather. Spray can be particularly nasty on motorways, and will slow traffic down. You'll also have less daylight: light around 7ish, dark around 6 (I think....can never really remember). The clocks go back on October 26th this year.

Am now about to ponder possibilities from Stroud...will get back to you...

You could go down the M5 and over the Severn Bridge/M4 into Wales. Exploring the Welsh Valleys would be possible in a daytrip. Stroud to Blaenavon, for example, takes 1+ hours.

Or up via Gloucester and across through Ross-on-Wye into the border country there: very pretty, and Ross is a pleasant little place (though not Wales). You could come back via the Forest of Dean (again, not Wales): interesting area.

http://www.royalforestofdean.info/wye-valley/ross-on-wye.shtml

http://www.visitforestofdean.co.uk/

Chepstow and the Wye Valley is nice (and is partially in Wales):

http://www.visitwyevalley.com/tic/chepstow.html

The south coast of that part of Wales is fairly industrial (Cardiff, Barry, Swansea, Port Talbot): interesting in itself, but not really 'pretty'. It would be a long journey to the prettier parts (e.g. Tenby, Manorbier): nearly 3 hours.

Cardiff itself is around an hour from Stroud.

You're a gem, Leics.
Checked the AA website you suggested - extemely helpful although I did wonder when the travel times were actually taken ie during the day or in the dead of night. I guess part of the fun of travel is not always knowing exactly where you'll be at day's end. We'll just try and keep open minds and cool heads.
Thanks again.

Travel times on the site are for during the day not allowing for bad congestion but allowing for 'normal' congestion (yes, it's normal to have congestion....) and 'average' speed (ha!).

But they are only an estimate, obviously, and you'd be sensible to add on at least 30 minutes to all of them if you are travelling in the daytime.

The other UK motoring organisation has its routeplanner here, if you want to compare:

http://www.rac.co.uk/web/routeplanner/

Enjoy your route-planning! :-)