Ok,

My mom, sister and niece are flying out next week from California and I'm planning a road trip to Glasgow (mom's a Glaswegian). We will be staying a day or two near Calais where my cousin (mom's nephew) lives before we take the EuroTunnel to the UK.

I've looked at the EuroTunnel website but wow.. takes a lot more time to figure it all out than the trip takes..!! Do you recommend I reserve a time or should I just get in line and wait for the next available train?

How about the trip on the other side to Glasgow, can I do it in a day (with the train crossing) or is it asking to much of my 91 year "young" mother?

Congestion charges, does Glasgow have them? I googled it but only came up with information about the planning of such fees (unsure if already implemented).

Any tips about stretches of motorway one should avoid or best time for traveling will be greatly appreciated.

The trip from the South Coast to Glasgow would take 7 hours 50 min s according to AA but I would say plan more like 9 hours. There is always a roadworks somewhere. That much sounds a little brutal for a 91 year old.

Glasgow doesn't have a congestion charge - so that should not be a problem. I think London is still the only city in the UK that does, though you get tolls on bridges in England, and the M6 toll road.

They just finished a new bit of motorway too, which is not shown yet on Google Maps (the M74 now goes to the M8 across the city).

Generally, when asked where to avoid, I would say England...

We drove from near Edinburgh to the tunnel before, and it took about 8 hours - it was slowed down due to taking the A1 (west coast is much faster) and traffic around London.

Dover to Glasgow is a loooong trip that involves most traffic blackspots in the UK (esp. the M25 in general, the Dartford crossing, the M1 though Herts, the M6 around Birmingham, and so forth). The Channel tunnel is boring to the extreme - get on a ferry and save your money.

For a 91 year old, I'd take the Zeebrugge-Hull ferry (the Zeebrugge-Rosyth ferry is no more). Overnight on a ferry is much nicer than 9 hrs drive + traffic jams + channel crossing.

If I were you I'd skip 'the South' and fly into Manchester and drive up from there. Anything south of there is superfluous to be honest

you may want to check the news, eurotunnel are supposed to be on strike over the weekend

I am assuming you will take the M6. In which case the toll road Bypasses Birmingham and will save you some time, especially if you are due to hit Birmingham at rush hour(s). It costs approx £5.
I have regularly done the trip up to the Scottish border and never done it in less than 9 hours. Motorway traffic in UK is slow these days. After Preston the motorway up to Glasgow is a lot better, newer road and much less busy.

avoid m25 during 6am-9am and 4pm-7pm

M1 during rush hours is no fun either

and avoid glasgow all the time (sorry was there just before christmas, its horrible)

eta lets play spot the scotts

As above M6 can be a nightmare on the wrong day and a drag on a good one, if you travel at the weekend or plan your timings carefully to miss M25 madness things might be a little easier.

Try to hit the M25 before 6am, which will be hard on a 91 year old, unless they're sleeping 2-4 hrs a day and like being woken up at 4am. Which means a 5am crossing French side. Book a crossing as close as you can get it to the ideal time and you can rock up -2 or +2 crossings without trouble.

M40 is generally okay once off the M25 and usually I can make end to end in a hour <cough> wasn't me officer.

M42 is snarled up in rush hour. Through Central Birmingham it's a nightmare and again up to to the M62 it's hit and miss. Above that it's "generally" okay.

I second the Rotterdam - Hull option unless you can't afford to lose a day.

Nice Trip though.... I did Cardiff - Zug in one day on Monday, then again I'm a sadist....

Suggested Route, as I hate the M25/M1 option...

M20, M26, M25, M40, M42, M6 Toll, M6, M74 then cross into bonnie Scotland you can work out the rest..I assume more than one of you can drive as you'll be knackered trust me. A hour someone else driving makes a difference.

Zeebrugge-Hull, if they are in northern France. If Rotterdam were an option for the OP, he might look into Amsterdam-Newcastle as well.

Although it's 3hrs to Rotterdam from Calais I used to live nr The Hague, perhaps Rotterdam - Newcastle would be better? 3hrs to the Port, a overnight to Newcastle then 2hrs to Glasgow.

Minus a lot of the hassle.

I am with TT one this one.

It's a long trip and expect all the hold ups mentioned before - there are road works either side of the Dartford Crossing (it took me over an hour to get through them 3 weeks ago) as well as the M25 at Junction 25. Then you hit M1 where the Luton area always is slow, and then the M6 around Maanchester.

So either get a ferry as far north up the UK as possible, or even think about flying into Glasgow and hire a car.

How long to you plan on being in Glasgow? Does your Mum want a wander round her old haunts (not sure how many of them are still there) I'd give the Barras a miss, but maybe go to Scotland Street School Museum and the People's Palace.
If you are in the Buchanan Street/Argyll St area I would head to
http://breadandbutterglasgow.co.uk/

for lunch - it gets busy but is good food at a good price - don't be put off by the fact you go down an alley to get there - it really is good vfm.

http://www.fannytrollopes.co.uk/ is also good for an evening meal.

And if the weather is good maybe a trip to Loch Lomond - not so far from Glasgow (easily do-able in a half day) and nice to be in the countryside. Or if you want to go a little further, off to Aberfoyle, stop for a coffee or tea at the centre there ) and then off up the A821 across the Duke's pass and stop to take in the beautiful scenery. There is a tea/snack shop up there that used to be brilliant with fresh and homemade food but the council decided to get rid of the woman who used to run and pass on the concession to someone else and it has really gone down hill but for a cup of tea or refreshment it is okay just not good food but good photo opportunities if you Mum wants to bring back some reminders of great Scottish countryside. Then head from there to Callander and have a wander there - great fish cafe Mhor Fish and they also have a bakery on Callander.
http://www.incallander.co.uk/mhorfish.htm

This is doable in a leisurely day from Glasgow.

But your Mum may want to have a roll and slice, maybe some fruit pudding with her breakfast, a haggis supper

Hope this helps.....

It would be better, but unfortunately, the ferry to Newcastle leaves from Ijmuiden near Amsterdam.

40 mins further North then, still a possibility. (Correct that looked it up more like +1hr - 1.5hrs further North)

Probably better to drive Hull - Newcastle than Calais - Amsterdam...If that makes sense. Antwerp can be a pig.

I'll throw another one in Zeebrugge - Rosyth (Edinburgh)

20hrs though is a bit harsh!

http://www.norfolkline.com/EN/Ferry_...e/Ferry_times/

Yeah, I saw that as well..! A 20hrs ferry trip (each way) with nothing to see but water everywhere would not be the highlight of the trip.

I've done that trip a couple of times & it is not so bad. Lots to do on the ferry & as it is takes in an overnight you can be asleep for a good portion of it.

As I said before, that route has expired. It has ceased to be. It is an ex-route.

If you stick to the tunnel I would seriously consider breaking the car journey up. Dover to Glasgow is long in miles and hours, but even more taxing in terms of concentration because of the volume of traffic. There are some really nice B&B's and family hotels just off the M6 in Staffordshire and Cheshire that will leave you a 230 odd mile trip to Glasgow.

e.g. http://www.longviewhotel.com/

Safe journey.

Another vote for the Amsterdam / IJmuiden - Newcastle ferry option. I've done this trip multiple times (Glasgow <-> Munich) and have always enjoyed the trip.