Hi everyone,
On Friday 17th November my son and I are flying from Belfast to Gatwick then taking the train to Sturry near Canterbury. If all goes well he will be coming home with a nice low miles approved used Mazda MX5 RF with me as his co-driver. I have bought several vehicles from GB because I tend to have a very definite model, colour and spec in mind so there is a much bigger selection in GB than here in NI. My L322 was a great buy as was my X3 35d M Sport a number of years ago. I have bought in Scotland and several times in the Midlands area but my son has found this car about as far from us as it could possibly be, without it having French number plates on it.

Our plan is to drive from Canterbury to Chester or Liverpool and stay over somewhere (with good car parking) and take the Saturday morning sailing back to Belfast. I would welcome advice on a nice route back up from Canterbury including a good spots worth stopping on the way to stretch the legs and maybe have a bite to eat.

I thought it might be nice to see some pleasant and hopefully uncrowded B roads rather than just sitting doing motorway miles although i appreciate that some stretches might be best cover on motorway or dual carriageway.

Any thoughts or recommendations would be most welcome as I dont have extensive knowledge of the South East and I don't want to miss some lovely spots while relying on sat nav just to get us from A to B.

Thanks in advance.

I guess you have already booked your ferry from Liverpool but I'd have done the Holyhead to Dublin route and then driven the last part to Holyhead through North Wales / Snowdonia. As you are I'd go up the M1 and come off at the Chesterfield junction and drive across the Peak district. So many routes to choose from but most are very nice. As a native northerner there is nothing interesting south of Derby to drive on...... 2012 TDV8 Vogue (L322)

I'd agree with the above in terms of seeking out ace driving roads, as TBH the motorway alternatives for you like the A41 are okay but nothing to write home about, and will be full of HGVs

If you're getting the Birkenhead ferry, you might consider staying on the Wirral, particularly around the coast, e.g. West Kirby, New Brighton. You could get the ferry over to Liverpool for dinner at the Albert Dock etc. Lots to see. If you do head this way let me know and I can give you lots of ideas of what to see around Wirral, and also a few ideas in terms of sightseeing and parking for Liverpool and Chester  FFRR SDV8 Autobiography

Thanks to JayGee and James W for comments.

JayGee, I did the drive along the North Wales coast last January when we brought the Range Rover home. Sadly we were losing light pretty much from we crossed the border but I did think it would be a lovely drive in daylight. Lots of average speed cameras and unfortunately for us we had a fair bit of rain too but it was 4th January.

I actually have no boat booked yet and my son and I plan to take the opportunity to stay overnight and make the trip a bit of an experience. James please do send through any recommendations for the Wirral area.

This is off the top of my head, so worth checking on a map.

Go west from Canterbury, heading to Maidstone and from there take A20 to Wrotham, then A25 past Sevenoaks to Guilford. From there cross country towards Reading then pick up the A417 and head towards Wantage then Faringdon, Lechlade and eventually Cirencester then follow over towards Cheltenham over Birdlip. You then have a choice, pick up the M5 and head North, or head towards Hereford and pick up the A49; head north and you end up in Warrington.

Some interesting sections to drive there!

Thanks Andy, that was really helpful. We used part of your route, unfortunately it was dark so early so we didn't get to enjoy the view. Very impressed by our experience of Perry's in Canterbury. Big shout out to James who we dealt with and Chris who manages the dealership.

Been away for a few days, will PM you some ideas when I'm back in work on Monday  FFRR SDV8 Autobiography