THE UK’S BEST CHRISTMAS ROAD TRIPS FOR 2023 UNVEILED 

New data reveals the top Christmas road trip destinations in the UK, with Windsor taking the top spot. 

The study analyses multiple factors including most popular Christmas lights, Christmas market and restaurant options, traffic and weather. 

Findings aim to help family and friends choose the easiest and most festive Christmas adventures.

As the festive season approaches and the UK’s streets are decked with lights and decorations, families across the nation are setting off on road trips to see the festive scenes. But with so many festivities to choose from, it can be hard to know which area to visit first.

To make choosing the perfect Christmas adventure easy, data experts at car gap insurance providers, ALA Insurance, have compiled a list of the UK’s top 10 Christmas road trip destinations. 

Analysing locations throughout the UK that are celebrated for their Christmas lights, decorations, festive cheer and stress-free road routes, the study has crowned Windsor the best Christmas road trip destination, closely followed by Shrewsbury and Scarborough.

ALA’s study considered multiple factors ranging from Google searches for Christmas lights and the number of Christmas markets to restaurant availability, the likelihood of rainfall, and traffic volume. The top 10 locations were revealed as:

Windsor's Christmas lights emerged as the most-searched during last year's festive period, with an impressive 19,400 Google searches, followed closely by Mousehole. Windsor and Whitby shine as the Christmas market capitals, with three each, while Scarborough leads the culinary scene with a staggering 254 restaurants.

As for the ease of the journey, ALA’s weather analysis, using Met Office climate averages, indicates that Windsor stands as the least likely to see rain out of the top 10, while Mousehole claims the title for the most likely.

For those wary of traffic, traffic volume findings reveal that Canterbury is the area on the list that’s most likely to experience congestion, while Llandudno expects the least. 

Whether road trippers crave the city buzz of Canterbury or the coastal charm of Whitby , ALA’s findings allow families and friends to explore UK's most festive scenery with ease. For more detail, please see the methodology or ALA’s Best Christmas Road Trip Guide.