Driving from Edinburgh to Southampton for 1st time - where to stay overnight?

Hi,

First time cruising from Southampton this July and would really appreciate any tips on best place to stay to break up the car journey down. The furthest I have driven down South before is to the Lake District. We are definitely driving because we have a 16 month old who I don't want to fly with and we have also booked a week in the Lake District following our cruise so need our car for that and all our luggage!

I don't want to drive all the way to Southampton in one day since we have our little boy with us but plan to leave early the day before and do as much of the driving as possible that day so after a good night's sleep we only have an hour or two to drive before getting to the cruise port. My partner and I can share the driving.

Can anyone recommend a good place to stop to stay overnight which doesn't leave too much driving the next day? Any advice on which route/stops to make and which company to use for car parking at the port would be greatly appreciated.

TIA

F

What days of the week for the journey down from Edinburgh to So'ton please?

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Hi,

 

First time cruising from Southampton this July and would really appreciate any tips on best place to stay to break up the car journey down. The furthest I have driven down South before is to the Lake District. We are definitely driving because we have a 16 month old who I don't want to fly with and we have also booked a week in the Lake District following our cruise so need our car for that and all our luggage!

I don't want to drive all the way to Southampton in one day since we have our little boy with us but plan to leave early the day before and do as much of the driving as possible that day so after a good night's sleep we only have an hour or two to drive before getting to the cruise port. My partner and I can share the driving.

Can anyone recommend a good place to stop to stay overnight which doesn't leave too much driving the next day? Any advice on which route/stops to make and which company to use for car parking at the port would be greatly appreciated.

TIA

F

I don't know how far you're coming, but I think it's sensible to drive as much a you can the first day. There's lots of motels at service stations; we drive down from Cumbria in one day, and have our last break near Oxford.. then we look out for the first time Southampton appears on a sign- 67 miles, I think is the first one- and after a lot of driving, that's a very welcome sight!

Perhaps a service station somewhere like Warwick or Oxford is one aim? Sorry, I don't know the names of motels, but they can be Googled.

If the OP wants advice I'd be happy to share my knowledge but need my earlier question answered first, as to West or East routes etc.

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Thank you for your replies - I've just realised that I didn't say we are driving down from Edinburgh! Apologies. Any suggestions of routes and stop overs from Edinburgh to Southampton would be great.

We only drive from Yorkshire, but have stayed in Oxford, Banbury and Newbury. All are no more than 90 minutes from the port.

As a regular visitor to Scotland we have tried various routes over the years, but always end up on M74 to M6, its far quicker than A1. From Edinburgh from the M6 its M42, M40, A34, M3, M27, M271 to port.

How long it takes from Edinburgh to your first night stop very much depends when you hit Manchester and Birmingham, especially if its a weekday. With stops I expect 6-7 hours if you get a good clear run. Have alternative routes in mind in case of problems.

We only drive from Yorkshire, but have stayed in Oxford, Banbury and Newbury. All are no more than 90 minutes from the port.

 

As a regular visitor to Scotland we have tried various routes over the years, but always end up on M74 to M6, its far quicker than A1. From Edinburgh from the M6 its M42, M40, A34, M3, M27, M271 to port.

 

 

How long it takes from Edinburgh to your first night stop very much depends when you hit Manchester and Birmingham, especially if its a weekday. With stops I expect 6-7 hours if you get a good clear run. Have alternative routes in mind in case of problems.

Your last paragraph is why I asked the OP to say what days are involved, as from Edinburgh they have choice of East side via A1/M1 or West side via A702/M74/M6 then around London. The day of the week can make a significant difference as to which routing I'd recommend, come to that time of the year as well.

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As a regular visitor to Scotland we have tried various routes over the years, but always end up on M74 to M6, its far quicker than A1. From Edinburgh from the M6 its M42, M40, A34, M3, M27, M271 to port.

Or try M6, M5 to junction 11A, A417/A419 to Swindon, then M4 East to the A34 near Newbury - this largely avoids the worst bits of going round Birmingham.

Thanks for everyone's replies, really helpful.