UK Bank Holiday Weekend Forecast to Bring Heavy Traffic and High Temperatures

Motoring organisations have warned that an especially hot late May bank holiday weekend will bring more traffic than usual to Britain’s roads. The RAC expects almost 19 million drivers to travel over the long weekend, one million more than the same period in 2025.

52p, the highest level since December 2022. The RAC’s polling found that almost four in 10 drivers plan leisure trips, though about 5% said high fuel prices would keep them at home.

The AA said day trips to the coast are likely to account for a larger share of journeys than overnight stays. Traffic jams are forecast toward resorts on the east and north-west coasts of England, as well as routes to the south-east and Cornwall including the A303, M5 and A38.

The transport analytics company Inrix identified the M1, M25, M5 and M6 as the roads most likely to experience the worst delays. Parking company RingGo data from previous bank holidays showed Saturday as the busiest day for seaside day trips, with Bournemouth typically recording the largest increase in visitors.

Ferry passengers at the Port of Dover have been warned of long queues for border checks under the EU’s entry-exit system. About 18,000 travellers are scheduled between Friday and Sunday, with departures peaking on Saturday morning. Manual checks are still in place because the EES software for French borders is not yet fully operational.

Network Rail said most of Britain’s rail network will remain open despite £64m in planned engineering work. Some services will be disrupted, including parts of the east coast mainline between London and Edinburgh and the Great Western mainline between Newport and Bristol Parkway.

Thameslink trains will not run through central London, and strikes by TSSA union members will affect services in the Midlands and between Birmingham, Liverpool and London. Up to 2 million people are expected to fly abroad from the UK in the coming days, with more than 12,000 flights scheduled over the weekend according to aviation analysts Cirium.