Advice required - Holiday stop over information?

[SamLouise]

Hi All

I  have just booked our holiday in Strathyre, Scotland and we'll be travelling from Essex.  The route planner on multimap says 450 miles and roughly eight hours.  I thought for my husband's sake, we'd leave on the Friday evening and try to get at least half of the journey behind us, stay in a hotel and continue the next morning.  Now, my question is, can somebody help me with what they think might be a good time and place to stop?  Quite happy to bunk down in a motorway hotel service but as a non driver, have no idea when would be a good time (or even where!)

Any help/suggestions would be much appreciated, thank you  :)

Edit:  Mum, if you're reading this, I haven't told H yet so don't drop me in it!  ;D :o

[SamLouise]

[Paulines7]

What time were you thinking of leaving?  Will you have the rush hour to contend with and will it be on a Friday evening?  Presumably you will be going up the A1 (M) so you could stop at Boroughbridge, a very pretty market town, just off your main route.  It is not quite halfway but from there to Strathyre it should not be so busy.
See: http://www.boroughbridge.org.uk/process/10/WelcometoBoroughbridge.html

[OllieC]

I'm a big fan of Travelodge - cheap & cheerless...

[Melbourne12]

I'm a big fan of Travelodge - cheap & cheerless...

If you book early enough, you can get rooms for £29 or even £19.  Travelodges are OK, IMO.  I use them a lot.  With very few exceptions, they're very clean, quiet, and comfortable.

[Hyacinth]

Another vote for Travelodge :)

[Shelle]

Yup Travelodge gets my vote :D

Every holiday we do, we always break the journey into 2, and use whichever travelodge has a good offer along the route.  thus it varies how many miles we do on the first leg.

Have a look at their website, click on savers, and then put your date in to see what lodges come up.  Then from that you can plan where you might like to stop.   (One recommendation is to also find a lodge that has a proper pub attached - rather than a service station - for your nightime dinner).

[SamLouise]

Thank you all for your advice, very much appreciated.  Also thinking about flying from Stansted to Edinburgh then hiring a car from there (Edinburgh is 53 miles from where we'll be staying) to save doing the whole 8-9hr drive (especially when OH said, "If I drive, I'll do it all in one go") EEEEK  :o I'm definitely pushing for the Stansted to Edinburgh option!  LOL  ;D

This is where we're going (Silver Birch Lodge) Roll on September! ;D http://www.forestholidays.co.uk/our_cabins/strathyre.aspx

What time were you thinking of leaving?  Will you have the rush hour to contend with and will it be on a Friday evening?  Presumably you will be going up the A1 (M) so you could stop at Boroughbridge, a very pretty market town, just off your main route.  It is not quite halfway but from there to Strathyre it should not be so busy.
See: http://www.boroughbridge.org.uk/process/10/WelcometoBoroughbridge.html

Edit:  Pauline, if we drive, we will indeed be leaving on a Friday.  I'd like to think either very much before rush hour or very much after, LOL  I can't imagine it would put myself or OH in any kind of holiday mood getting stuck in traffic en route to Scotland on a Friday eve.  Although, on our last holiday we got 3/4 of the way there when I suddenly realised I'd left about 75% of my new holiday outfits hanging on the back of the bedroom door!! :'( Yes to the A1(M) so I will definitely have a look at the link you've posted, thank you.

[lorna]

Sam I seem to remember you posting pics of your holiday last year but can't remember where it was but it certainly looked beautiful accommodation and lovely views. Get driving Sam then you can share long journeys but don't have my habit of getting lost (ask Mum!!!!!!!)

[Hyacinth]

.......or ask me ::)....I still remember Lorns how you were SO sure that the road mantenance peeps had got up specially early just to alter the signs to fox you... ;D

But we had some great fun, didn't we? ;)

[Carol]

Looks like a good choice of holiday destination SB.  I do like that part of Scotland and have been there many times.  Not in a log cabin though!!  Good luck if you are driving north, you could pass my front door in the Scottish side of the Border, should you be aiming for Edinburgh and then picking up the M9 from there.   

p.s.  We are driving from Bruge to home in one day using Eurotunnel.   ::)

[Paulines7]

When we lived in Scotland in the early eighties, we sometimes used to drive from Oban to Kent in one stretch and at a time when the children were fairly young.  We used to leave at 4pm then stop for a bite to eat about 7.30 pm.  The children slept when we got going again and we would finally reach our destination at 2 or 3 am.  I wouldn't do it now though and would definitely have an overnight stop halfway. 

I think we did this on some occasions as well for there was a caravan on a farm in Sedbergh that we stayed in a few times to break up our journey.  It was these regular long journeys that made us decide to move back south to be near both sets of parents who lived in Kent. 

Your holiday accommodation looks lovely and the area is very beautiful so I am sure you will enjoy it. 

[rosebud]

  TRAVELODGE

[daileg]

hi im dave i work in logistics 438 miles in total without your precise point of start any how Darlington is approx half way think about thirsk 

[daileg]

sorry hit the post button before i finished typing soz lol well thirsk or Northallerton are just off the A1 total should take about 9 hours if you take it steady if you are leaving a little later in the afternoon will scrape a 2 hours off the journey depending how many stops you take you could do the journey at 70 miles per hour in about 7.5 hors is my best guess

[lorna]

Sorry to come in on your thread Sam but re Lish's post.... I even directed young Lorna the wrong way to the Potters treat she arranged for Mother's day :o
Funny thing is she has bought a Satnav ready for our joint holiday!!!! ;D

[SamLouise]

^^ LOL @ Lorna's marvellous mystery tours (and all for free, too!)

We've decided to fly to Edinburgh and hire a car at the other end which I think is a nice idea.  I'm very excited because I've never been in an aeroplane before (cept Concorde at Duxford but that doesn't count, heh) I only got my passport at the end of last year!  :-[ ;D

Just wanted to pick some brains again, please.  Some interesting places to visit in Edinburgh other than the castle?  I have found their tourist information webpage but I also find asking people about their own personal favourites is always a good idea.  My husband has always wanted to see the castle so naturally we're going to make a whole day of it there.  Doesn't even have to be in Edinburgh because we have the whole week to go bodding about so (staying in Strathyre) would love to hear of any favourite haunts to check out.  Thanks :)