Road trip guide books for Britain: which one to buy
The guidebooks worth taking on a British road trip, from Lonely Planet's 36 drives to the North Coast 500 and routes for campervans and motorhomes, and how to choose between them.
A road-trip guidebook is built around a route rather than a list of sights: where to stop, how long each leg takes and what to do when you get out of the car. Which one you want depends mostly on how long you have, whether you are sleeping in the vehicle, and whether you are doing one famous route or choosing between several. These are the ones we would look at for Britain. Roads, ferries and opening times change, so check the edition before you buy. The full list is on our Road Trip Guide Books page.
If you have not chosen a route yet
Lonely Planet Best Road Trips Great Britain has 36 drives, from three-day escapes to three-week trips, taking in the Welsh mountains, Stonehenge and the Scottish moors. It mixes classic routes with lesser-known ones, with full-colour route maps and suggested detours. It is the one to buy if you want to pick a trip from a choice.
Britain's Best Drives by Richard Wilson and Nigel Richardson is a different kind of book: a BBC tie-in in which Wilson retraces six classic routes through the UK, from the Wye Valley to Rob Roy's Highlands, using a 1959 driving guide and period cars. As a TV tie-in it reads more as inspiration than as a set of directions.
If you are doing the North Coast 500
The North Coast 500, Scotland's coastal route round the north Highlands, has several guides on our shelves. Lonely Planet Journey North Coast 500 is written by experts who have driven every mile, with suggestions such as seafood in Ullapool, the subtropical gardens at Inverewe and sea kayaking on the lochs. The Rough Guide to the North Coast 500 is the practical one: structured lists of sights, itinerary suggestions and recommendations for every type of traveller, with a free eBook. North Coast 500: Where to Eat and Stay is the official guide to exactly that.
If you are sleeping in the vehicle
Camping Road Trips UK by Caroline Mills has 30 handpicked routes across the UK and Jersey for campervans, motorhomes, cyclists and tent campers. It won the British Guild of Travel Writers' Travel Guide Book of the Year for 2023. If you are new to van travel, The Vanlife Companion from Lonely Planet covers choosing and customising a van, staying safe, saving money and parking legally. Epic Van Trips of Europe is for the next trip: 200 van adventures across Europe, including the Scottish Highlands, in trips of five days to two weeks and longer.
How to choose
Start with the number of days. For a long trip you have not planned, buy the Lonely Planet book and choose a route. For a single famous route, buy the guide to that route. For a campervan, start with the camping routes and the van-life book. If you want to read about Britain by road before you set off, our British Travel shelf has the wider guidebooks and travel writing.
