Car-free trips to take across the UK in 2026

Get ready to embrace the spirit of sustainable and local travel as you plan your next adventure by train, bus, bike or foot across the UK.

Good Journey promotes sustainable visitor travel in the UK and shows you how to get to the UK's best attractions and enjoy great discounts when you arrive car-free!

They have selected their favourite car-free trips to add to your list and fuel your wander-lust for 2026. Make the journey part of your adventure!

1. The Lake District

The Lake District may not sound like an area that would be easy to explore by public transport, but in fact you can arrive on a speedy train (much faster than driving) and then get around on an excellent network of buses.

Even better, the buses are often double decker and open-topped, giving you unbeatable views over the lakes and mountains.

This year the Lake District will be buzzing with events and activities to mark Beatrix Potter’s 160th birthday on 28th July. You can visit the building where Potter met her husband William Heelis in Hawkshead with Good Journey.

2. Winnie the Pooh

It’s Winnie the Pooh’s centenary year! Celebrate in style with a pot of honey in Ashdown Forest and visit the free museum at Pooh Corner, which is in Hartfield, East Sussex (the village where A A. Milne wrote his stories) and easy to reach by train from London.

3. Hillsborough Castle and Gardens, Northern Ireland

Hillsborough Castle and Gardens is one of Northern Ireland’s most spectacular gardens. With 100 acres of ornamental gardens, meandering waterways, woodlands and peaceful glens, this is the perfect location for a tranquil walk.

Children will love running free on the play trail, and taking part in the family-friendly Easter hunt, Halloween adventures or festive magic.

Step inside the castle to discover Northern Ireland’s only royal residence that is still in use today. This elegant Georgian house has played host to significant moments in British and Irish history, including as the setting of the Good Friday Agreement.

You will soon be able to receieve 20% off when you travel their by bus. Use the journey planner on the Translink website or app, with the postcode BT26 6AG.

© Tatchie, Flickr

4. The Cotswolds

The picture-perfect Cotswolds offer historic villages, cosy pubs and cafes, and scenic walks. There is plenty to see when you travel by rail and lots of attractions and places to stay offer discounts and rewards when you go car-free thanks to a new partnership between Car-Free Cotswolds, Good Journey, Cotswolds Tourism, West Oxfordshire District Council and Cotswold District Council.

5. North East Combined Authority

The North East has loads of great days out on offer from a living museum and the award-winning Great North Museum, to Tynemouth Priory and Castle, plus Ad Gefrin Anglo-Saxon Museum and Whisky Distillery in the heart of Northumberland.

All these places and more are easy to reach by bus and offer car-free discounts, thanks to a partnership with Good Journey.

6. Norfolk

Famously flat Norfolk makes the ideal county for exploring by bike and foot. The coast path even has handy finger posts pointing to Coasthopper bus stops along the way.

Walkers can enjoy scenic bus rides, a linear stroll, and a pint at the end, with no need to worry about driving.

Enjoy discounts and rewards at attractions across Norfolk from a fishing museum to an epic coastal estate, and countless other car-free adventures all over the county.

7. Suffolk

Explore Suffolk by train, bus, bike and foot. Discover marshes, heaths, forests and long sand-and-shingle beaches. The railways link villages, market towns and seaside resorts. Buses take visitors out into peaceful countryside and there are nature trails near train stations.

With £3 bus fares in several areas, it’s a cheap way to travel, and ideal for walkers who want a linear stroll along the coast or through the woods. You can relax with a drink at the end in a country pub – with no need to worry about driving.

8. The Peak District

The Peak District was Britain’s first National Park, created in 1951. It’s a mix of craggy gritstone edges, chalky dales, wooded hills and flowering green fields. These are speckled with scone-tastic stately homes and varied visitor attractions.

With great public transport connections to Derby and Sheffield, Nottingham and Manchester, much of this beautiful area is just an easy bus ride away.

Here are some of the buses that roll through the Peaks and South Derbyshire, giving access to verdant countryside, picturesque villages and vibrant market towns. Take a cable car at Heights of Abraham, visit Chatsworth House and sip samples at White Peak Distillery.

Chatsworth House

By Good Journey / Edited by Eveline Vouillemin ©