It was time for another roadtrip. In 2019, Loïc and I travelled to Scotland. We drove the Scotland Rally.

This time, we decided to organise everything ourselves, so we could drive where we wanted, stop when we wanted and sleep where we wanted. If our trip appeals to you and you would like to do it yourself, feel free to send us an email for “even” more information.
We decided to drive back in our classic car. Our BMW 850i had a few issues, but after replacing some parts, we felt reasonably confident. The trip ended up being more than 4,000 km, which we completed in nine days.
That means you spend a lot of time in the car. Nevertheless, we still felt very relaxed. We took plenty of time to complete the “planned” visits.
Given that this is a road trip in a classic car, you will notice that there are some “car-related” stops along the way.

On 24 May, we left early in the morning for Calais to take Le Shuttle and arrive in Folkstone in just 35 minutes. Before you can enter the UK, there are a few things you need to take care of first.

You will need an international passport and, nowadays, an ETA. First, obtain your passport (from your local municipal authority) and then you can easily apply for an ETA via the ETA App. Your ETA will remain valid for two years.

Day 1: De Klinge – Folkestone – Salisbury 349 miles

The first and last days are two long days with many kilometres. This is partly due to the trip from home to Calais. Incidentally, these are the only sections where we took the motorway. Once we were in the UK, we set our GPS to “motorways”. Driving on the left takes very little getting used to and, in fact, driving in the UK is smoother than on our side of the Channel. So don’t let that put you off.

Hastings

The first town we visited was Hastings. It was foggy and drizzly, so we quickly decided to have a coffee in one of the many coffee bars that are so common in England. If you have time, you can definitely take a guided tour about the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

The town also offers a wide pebble beach and a pleasant town centre with many shops.

Beechy Head

We continued our journey along the coast with the aim of flying the drone for the first time at Beechy Head to capture the beautiful chalk cliffs. However, there was so much fog that when you put your hand in the air, you could hardly see your fingers. So flying the drone was definitely out of the question. Well, we are in England after all…

A little further on, it cleared up slightly, so we stopped near the Seven Sister Cliffs, where we took a few photos. Despite the poor weather, there were quite a lot of people on the beach.

Brighton

It’s only a short drive from the Seven Sisters Cliffs to Brighton, so we decided to stop there and visit the famous Brighton Pier. It’s similar to the pier in Scheveningen (NL), complete with lots of stalls and a real funfair.

National Motor Museum Beaulieu

When we stopped here in 2019, we were just too late. The National Car Museum closes at 5 p.m., so we timed our visit a little better this time to make sure we would be on time. This museum was on our to-do list ☺️.

The museum has a number of permanent exhibitions. For example, there is a large section devoted to Formula 1 cars and everything related to them. British public transport is also well represented, as are a number of World Land Speed Record Machines.

There is also a wide range of motorcycles on offer. British brands such as Royal Enfield, Norton, Triumph and many others are abundantly represented. Fortunately, foreign brands are also well represented. The motorcycles are divided into categories, each with a sign providing detailed information about the model in question.

If you ever visit this museum, make sure you allow more time than we did. The entrance fee is £30, which is not exactly cheap. However, this gives you access to the entire estate, which is much more than just the car museum. You can also visit the abbey with its church, a monastery and the family castle with its landscaped gardens.
We will write a separate report about the car museum later.
From the National Motor Museum, it is still a reasonable drive to Salisbury, where we were able to spend the night in an Airbnb. We had a delicious meal at Lah Koh, a trendy Asian restaurant.

Day 2: Salisbury – Congleton 235 miles

The first day is over and we thought we could take it a little easier from today onwards. The plan was to start with a visit to Stonehenge. It was a 20-minute drive away and, as always, we got up fairly early. We also left on time, which meant we arrived at Stonehenge at 9:10 a.m. Unfortunately, it didn’t open until 10:00 a.m.

We first visited the interesting museum. This is about much more than just Stonehenge. The entire area and the movement of the peoples as well as their ways of life are depicted here, often in an interactive way. Again, there is a hefty admission price of £30.90 per person, plus parking.

You can easily reach the stones on foot, but it is quite a long walk. There is also a shuttle bus that will drop you off at the site in a few minutes. Because we had already lost some time, we decided to take the bus.
It gets very crowded, so if you can, make sure you arrive early. In 2024, almost 1.4 million people visited the site. So, if you want to take a photo like the one above without any people in it, you’ll need to be very lucky.

Bristol

Bristol is a lively city in the south-west of England. Located on the River Avon, the city is known for its rich maritime history. The city has a beautiful harbour in the heart of the city centre, which is a pleasant place to spend time.

Bristol is a true paradise for art lovers. The city has a lively street art scene where you can admire impressive works by artists such as Banksy. A search through the city will reveal a total of eight of his works. Unfortunately, some of them have been sprayed over with graffiti.

Bristol is a large city where we think you could easily spend a few days. Some streets have large staircases that take you directly to another level of the city, often giving you a beautiful view of the city.

Diddly Squat Farm

It was almost on our route, so we really couldn’t help but stop at Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat farm. Having a drink went quite smoothly. However, if you want to buy something in their shop, you’ll need to be patient. From here, we headed towards Congleton.

From here, we headed to Congleton, where we ended the day in a pub where we could enjoy a real English pint.

Day 3: Congleton – Carlisle 168 miles

While we were enjoying a delicious breakfast at Sienna’s in Congleton, the owner mentioned that we were heading to Liverpool. He frowned and told us that Liverpool had won the Premier League and that there would be a parade through the city that day. It was expected that around two million extra visitors would come to the city for the festivities.

Liverpool

Football madness. We parked on the outskirts of the city in a spot we knew we would be able to get out of later. All access roads to the centre were closed and the city was swarming with Liverpool supporters. It was red as far as the eye could see and the atmosphere was exuberant but friendly.

Since neither of us are into football and we were in the city of The Beatles, we decided to visit The Beatles Story. The museum is really worth a visit, so if you ever find yourself in Liverpool, be sure to make time for it.

Preston

From Liverpool, we headed to Preston, a medium-sized city with around 150,000 inhabitants and striking street art. As it was raining continuously, we decided to visit a colleague and then enjoy a delicious cappuccino.

Before continuing on to Carlisle, we wanted to visit Lancaster Castle, but it turned out to close at 5 p.m. The reason we wanted to visit was that this historic building was used as a category C prison until 2011, something you wouldn’t immediately expect from this type of building.

Day 4: Carlisle – Mallaig 247 miles

It is only 16 kilometres from Carlisle to the Scottish border, so we soon came across the sign saying “Scotland welcomes you”.

From here, we headed towards Glasgow, which is a 165 km drive, and we didn’t stop along the way because we wanted to spend more time in the city.

Glasgow

With over 625,000 inhabitants, Glasgow is Scotland’s largest city and, like many other cities, it also has a LEZ zone. The first time we passed a sign like this, we were a little concerned. So we looked it up and ended up on the FBHVC website, where we were reassured. The car must be over 30 years old, in which case no registration is required. At the time of writing, we have been home for two months and have not received any fines.

We briefly visited the Gallery of Modern Art and continued to enjoy a beautiful sunny day. When we were here in 2019, Glasgow left me with a grey impression. I really want to revise that opinion. It is a pleasant city to walk around with very beautiful architecture.

This time, our daily coffee and cake came from Black Sheep Coffee. We also visited the train station, which is a huge shopping mall.

Loch Lomond

Around 1 p.m., we left the city and headed for Loch Lomond. It was high time to finally get the drone out. It gives a cautious impression of just how big these lakes are.

Falls of Falloch

And while we’re on the subject of water, our next stop was at the Falls of Falloch. We are now in the northern part of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. This waterfall is a popular spot, so you sometimes need a little patience to find a place in the much too small car park.

Bridge of Orchy

The bridge is named after the River Orchy, which it crosses. It was built in 1746, and shortly afterwards, in 1751, the village of Bridge of Orchy was founded. The bridge was built by the British army during the pacification of the Highland Clans that followed the Battle of Culloden in 1746.

Skyfall

On our way to Inverness, we took some time to drive down the dead-end road to Skyfall. This road is quite popular, especially among James Bond fans. The road continues all the way to Loch Etive, but we didn’t drive that far due to time constraints. It is a beautiful road with plenty of passing strips to let oncoming traffic pass. Our next stop was Glencoe, but we stayed in the car because of a cloudburst.

A little further on, we stopped at Lagangarbh Hut, perhaps one of the most photographed white cottages in Scotland. After a short stop, we headed towards Fort William.

Fort William

The name sounds more impressive than the town itself. It comes from one of the former strategic forts in the immediate vicinity. We are also close to Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the United Kingdom.

Glenfinnan Viaduct

Harry Potter fans may be familiar with the Jacobite train. This train is one of the few steam trains still operating on the standard rail network in the UK.

The central station in Fort William is the departure point for this train, which then crosses the Glenfinnan Viaduct. The walk to get a good view of the viaduct is quite strenuous, but you are rewarded with a beautiful view.

Mallaig

The plan was to take the ferry to Sky. It would save us a lot of kilometres. However, this is a fairly busy ferry and you have to book in advance. So if you ever want to do this, be sure to make reservations via the website of Direct Ferries. Unfortunately, we had to drive around.

It was a little more difficult to find affordable accommodation in Malliag. In the end, we spent the night in a kind of glamping pod or tiny house. It was surprising how much space there was and how practical it was laid out. The fantastic view of a stretch of the Atlantic Ocean made up for a lot, as did the delicious fish dish with risotto at The Chlachain Inn.

We also make short videos of our trips. Much of the footage comes from the GoPro mounted on our car and the drone. You can view the results above or on the YouTube channel of Wheels-And-Things.com.