somewhere nice for a couple of hours?

That’s one hell of a long drive Ton.
I do Garda fairly often and it’s just about doable in one go but I would want to be stopping overnight if I was driving any further than that.
Recommend going via Germany and Fern Pass to Austria; then Brenner to Italy. If going that way, Innsbruck is a reasonable stopover.

That’s one hell of a long drive Ton.
I do Garda fairly often

Isn’t the OP just going to Portsmouth?

yeah I’ve got him driving to Portsmouth

Ha, OK, I might have just revealed my total ignorance of wendyball 😳

6 hrs it takes me from Sotty to Harrogate, I expect you’ll be using the M1?

Leicester Forest East services it is then 😆

Leicester Forest East services it is then

err…nice I said.

ecky-thump….pompei would be nice I suppose. 😆

The newish services Junction 8 M25..

Going down the M40? Stratford or Oxford are both nice for an afternoon stroll round and not a million miles from the Motorway.

Cannock Chase?

M1, M69, A46, M40, A34 is my usual on that run to OH’s.
M1. A43, M40, A34 is an option IF the A46A45 is heavy.

The first puts me passing Forest East in 2-2.5hrs traffic dependent going up.
Gives lots of mid point options – Warwick, Kenilworth, Oxford, etc.

The Boot Inn near Oxford used to be nice (or at least was a few years ago when I was doing Liverpool to Portsmouth regularly).

Go M1, A43, M40. Come off motorway at High Wycombe and scoot 3 miles down the A404 to Marlow. Lovely riverside town, nice pub for lunch, then back on either to the M40 or M4 (left or right back on the A404).

It’s a bit more than halfway, I’d guess 2.5-3 hours from Leeds and maybe 2 more to Pompey afterwards

Or if you go half an hour or so further, A3, stop at Guildford, lots of nice placers to have a wander and a pint. I might even buy you one. Just as long as you don’t try to wrestle me in your pants.

Why the f… would you carry on down the M40 for another shed load of miles to High Wycombe?
Puts you miles away from the ideal route!
Seriously – unless you have a love of traffic jams and the M25 DO NOT go that way!

Just get here early and I’ll make you a brew 🙂

But somewhere around Northampton is the mid point… Towcester? Just off the A43 (I lived there for 7 years, there’s pubs and a waitrose)

Blisworth nearby has a canal to walk down, which is nice

Why the 4x would anyone want to go to Portsmouth?

If you like looking at old British cars, you could check out Gaydon British Motor Museum. It’s just off the M40 between Leamington and Banbury.
If you don’t like old British cars, avoid it, it’s full of them…

Looky

Why the f… would you carry on down the M40 for another shed load of miles to High Wycombe?

20 miles different by my reckoning, and every time I’ve taken the A34 it’s been shit. Including queueing for 10-20 minutes to even get off the M40 onto the A34 depending on time of day.

Why the 4x would anyone want to go to Portsmouth

To get on a ferry to France I’d imagine?

Brittany Tony?

Will you be getting off at Fratton ?

When you coming Ton? Is Ashton Under Lyme anything like on your way… (Thinking of making a purchase from someone there)