Getting around Britain, region by region

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England

• London

  Good without a car

  London is built for visiting without a car.

  Driving zone to check.

• Bath

  Good without a car

  You can visit Bath without a car: it has its own railway station and the sights in the center are close together.

  Driving zone to check.

• Birmingham

  Not yet assessed

  We have not yet assessed getting around Birmingham.

• Blackpool and the Lancashire coast

  Not yet assessed

  We have not yet assessed getting around Blackpool and the Lancashire coast.

• Brighton & Hove

  Not yet assessed

  We have not yet assessed getting around Brighton & Hove.

• Bristol

  Good without a car

  Bristol's center is compact and has rail, bus, ferry and Park & Ride links.

  Driving zone to check.

• Cambridge

  Good without a car

  Cambridge is easy without a car: the colleges and museums are in a compact center and the railway station has direct links.

• Canterbury & Kent

  Not yet assessed

  We have not yet assessed getting around Canterbury & Kent.

• Cornwall

  Mixed: depends where you go

  Cornwall's main line, branch lines and ferries make a car-free trip possible between the larger towns, but public transport thins out away from them.

• Coventry

  Not yet assessed

  We have not yet assessed getting around Coventry.

• Devon

  Not yet assessed

  We have not yet assessed getting around Devon.

• Gloucester

  Not yet assessed

  We have not yet assessed getting around Gloucester.

• Hereford

  Not yet assessed

  We have not yet assessed getting around Hereford.

• Ironbridge Gorge

  Not yet assessed

  We have not yet assessed getting around Ironbridge Gorge.

• Isles of Scilly

  Not yet assessed

  We have not yet assessed getting around Isles of Scilly.

• Leeds

  Not yet assessed

  We have not yet assessed getting around Leeds.

• Leicester

  Not yet assessed

  We have not yet assessed getting around Leicester.

• Lincoln

  Not yet assessed

  We have not yet assessed getting around Lincoln.

• Lindisfarne (Holy Island)

  Not yet assessed

  We have not yet assessed getting around Lindisfarne (Holy Island).

• Liverpool

  Good without a car

  Liverpool is straightforward without a car: Merseyrail, buses, the ferry and a walkable center cover the main sights.

• Lundy

  Not yet assessed

  We have not yet assessed getting around Lundy.

• Manchester

  Good without a car

  Manchester is straightforward without a car: trams, buses and trains reach the center, the airport and the main districts.

• Newcastle and Gateshead

  Not yet assessed

  We have not yet assessed getting around Newcastle and Gateshead.

• Norfolk and the Broads

  Not yet assessed

  We have not yet assessed getting around Norfolk and the Broads.

• Nottingham

  Not yet assessed

  We have not yet assessed getting around Nottingham.

• Oxford

  Good without a car

  Oxford's center is compact and the city has a railway station and coach links.

  Driving zone to check.

• Portsmouth and Southampton

  Not yet assessed

  We have not yet assessed getting around Portsmouth and Southampton.

• Salisbury & Stonehenge

  Not yet assessed

  We have not yet assessed getting around Salisbury & Stonehenge.

• Sheffield

  Not yet assessed

  We have not yet assessed getting around Sheffield.

• Shrewsbury

  Not yet assessed

  We have not yet assessed getting around Shrewsbury.

• Stratford & Warwickshire

  Not yet assessed

  We have not yet assessed getting around Stratford & Warwickshire.

• The Cotswolds

  Mixed: depends where you go

  The towns with railway stations and the main bus routes are straightforward without a car, but many village services run only a few times a day or on certain weekdays.

• The Jurassic Coast

  Mixed: depends where you go

  The coast has no through railway, so most visitors arrive by train or car and finish the journey by bus, taxi or on foot.

• The Lake District

  Mixed: depends where you go

  The main valleys are served by buses, boats and trains, and several are well connected.

• The New Forest

  Not yet assessed

  We have not yet assessed getting around The New Forest.

• The Peak District

  Mixed: depends where you go

  Some bases can be reached by train and used on foot or by rail trail, and a summer open-top bus links several villages, but it runs only in season.

• The South Downs

  Not yet assessed

  We have not yet assessed getting around The South Downs.

• Windsor

  Not yet assessed

  We have not yet assessed getting around Windsor.

• Worcester

  Not yet assessed

  We have not yet assessed getting around Worcester.

• York

  Good without a car

  York's center is compact: Visit York says you can cross it on foot in about 20 minutes.

• Yorkshire

  Not yet assessed

  We have not yet assessed getting around Yorkshire.

Scotland

• Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire

  Not yet assessed

  We have not yet assessed getting around Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.

• Edinburgh

  Good without a car

  Edinburgh is built for visiting without a car.

  Driving zone to check.

• Glasgow

  Good without a car

  Glasgow can be done without a car: the center is walkable and the Subway, trains and buses cover the sights.

  Driving zone to check.

• Islay and Jura

  Not yet assessed

  We have not yet assessed getting around Islay and Jura.

• Isle of Arran

  Not yet assessed

  We have not yet assessed getting around Isle of Arran.

• Isle of Bute

  Not yet assessed

  We have not yet assessed getting around Isle of Bute.

• Mull and Iona

  Not yet assessed

  We have not yet assessed getting around Mull and Iona.

• North Coast 500

  Not yet assessed

  We have not yet assessed getting around North Coast 500.

• Orkney

  Not yet assessed

  We have not yet assessed getting around Orkney.

• Shetland

  Not yet assessed

  We have not yet assessed getting around Shetland.

• St Andrews and Fife

  Not yet assessed

  We have not yet assessed getting around St Andrews and Fife.

• Stirling and the Trossachs

  Not yet assessed

  We have not yet assessed getting around Stirling and the Trossachs.

• The Outer Hebrides

  Not yet assessed

  We have not yet assessed getting around The Outer Hebrides.

• The Scottish Highlands

  Thin: plan a car or careful routes

  Public transport in the Highlands is thin.

Wales

• Anglesey

  Not yet assessed

  We have not yet assessed getting around Anglesey.

• Cardiff

  Not yet assessed

  We have not yet assessed getting around Cardiff.

• Llangollen and Pontcysyllte

  Not yet assessed

  We have not yet assessed getting around Llangollen and Pontcysyllte.

• Wales

  Mixed: depends where you go

  The cities and the coast between them have trains and long-distance buses, but the national parks and the western coast are much harder without a car.

Northern Ireland

• Northern Ireland

  Mixed: depends where you go

  Belfast and Derry have bus and train links, and Translink covers the network, but the Causeway coast, the Mournes and the Fermanagh lakes are easier by car.

Where public transport is thin

Our reading of the sources: The Scottish Highlands is the hardest without a car. Within other destinations, the weak spots include Wasdale in the Lake District, the Cornish north coast, Pembrokeshire in winter, and villages in the Cotswolds. Each page gives the sourced options.

Driving, and between regions

• Driving in Britain: driving on the left, licenses, rental cars, speed limits in mph, zones, tolls and EV charging.
• Getting between regions: distances and fastest published train times for every pair.
• London transport planner and arrival.