Nearly 19 million drivers are expected on UK roads this bank holiday weekend, with motoring organisations warning of one of the busiest late May getaways on record as temperatures are forecast to soar past 30°C.
Road travel
The RAC has forecast almost 19 million car journeys over the long weekend, an increase of 1 million compared with the same holiday period in 2025. Its polling found almost four in 10 drivers intend to take a leisure trip, with Friday and Saturday expected to see the heaviest traffic — approximately 3.8 million journeys planned for each day. Despite high fuel prices, the vast majority of motorists are undeterred, although about 5% of drivers said the cost would keep them at home, and another 5% plan shorter trips to save on fuel.
The average price of petrol across the UK stands at 158.52p per litre, the highest since December 2022, according to the RAC. Diesel prices are around 185.92p per litre. A fill-up of a family car now costs approximately £87, which is £14 more than the same weekend last year. The RAC has warned that unleaded prices could climb further, potentially reaching 160p per litre, and notes that motorists have already paid an additional £2.9 billion in fuel costs since the conflict in the Middle East began.
The AA said its polling suggests day trips to the coast will account for a bigger proportion of leisure journeys than overnight getaways, though shopping centres and retail parks are expected to draw more traffic overall. The AA warned of jams heading towards resorts on the east and north-west coasts of England and queues on roads leading to the south-east and Cornwall, including the A303, M5 and A38. The transport analytics company Inrix said the worst traffic this weekend would be on the M1, M25, M5 and M6, with the M25 anticlockwise between junction 10 and junction 6 around 4:45pm on Friday singled out as a particular hotspot. Traffic is also expected around major airports including Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham.
The parking company RingGo said its data across previous bank holidays suggests Saturday will be the busiest day of the long weekend for seaside day trips, with Bournemouth typically showing the biggest rise in visitors.
The Met Office has issued heat health yellow alerts for much of the Midlands, eastern England and the South East, warning of potential minor disruption to health and social care services. Temperatures are predicted to reach 33°C in southern England and the Midlands on Bank Holiday Monday, making it hotter than popular European holiday destinations. A heatwave — defined as at least three consecutive days meeting or exceeding a specific temperature threshold — is likely to be reached in parts of the UK from Sunday, particularly in southeastern England. The current UK May temperature record of 32.8°C, set in 1922, could be broken.
Ferry delays and the EU entry-exit system
Ferry passengers travelling through the Port of Dover face long delays as the implementation of the European Union’s entry-exit system (EES) continues to cause disruption at border checks. About 18,000 travellers are due between Friday and Sunday, with departures peaking on Saturday morning — expected to be the port’s busiest day of the year so far.
The EES software for the French borders is not yet fully operational, meaning French police are still conducting manual checks despite expensively installed kiosks at the port. Hour-long processing waits were reported at the border by 6am on Friday. The full biometric registration system — which requires non-EU citizens, including British passport holders, to provide fingerprints and a facial image — was initially delayed for tourist cars until early 2026, but interim EES procedures are in place, leading to longer processing times and queues at European entry points. The Port of Dover has warned holidaymakers to prepare for delays, with the busiest periods each day expected between 6am and 1pm.
Air travel
Despite concerns about EES delays at airports and uncertainty about jet fuel supplies because of the conflict in the Middle East, up to 2 million people are expected to fly abroad from the UK over the coming days. While airlines are reporting slow forward bookings for summer flights, demand appears to have held up for half-term breaks.
The travel association Abta said its members were reporting strong demand for half-term trips to the Mediterranean, particularly to Spain and its islands, Italy, Portugal, Croatia and Greece. Its chief executive, Mark Tanzer, said: “In the face of economic and geopolitical challenges, people are still getting away on their holidays this May and making the most of some excellent deals.”
According to the aviation analysts Cirium, more than 12,000 flights are scheduled to take off from UK airports over the weekend — offering more than 2 million seats — with Friday the busiest day for travel and Palma de Mallorca the biggest single destination after the Irish capital, Dublin.
The government has introduced temporary measures allowing airlines more flexibility to cancel or consolidate flights in order to conserve jet fuel and avoid last-minute disruptions. Airlines must provide at least two weeks’ notice for cancellations, meaning some flights could be cancelled in advance if they have not sold a significant proportion of tickets.
Rail disruption
Network Rail said most of Britain’s rail network would be open for passengers over the bank holiday weekend, despite £64 million worth of planned engineering work. However, several key routes will be disrupted, and strike action is adding to the problems.
On the East Coast Main Line, rebuilding of a junction at Tollerton in North Yorkshire means rail replacement buses will run between York and Darlington from Saturday to Monday. On the Great Western Main Line, work on the Severn Tunnel’s power supply and track near Patchway and Filton will result in bus replacements between Newport and Bristol Parkway. Thameslink trains will not run through central London between St Pancras International and Blackfriars from Saturday to Monday, affecting services to Gatwick and Luton airports. Engineering works are also scheduled on the Transpennine route between Manchester and Leeds, around Bath Spa, Huddersfield and Ely, and in East Anglia, where track and signalling replacements will affect services between Ipswich and Lowestoft, and work at Shelford station will impact services to and from Cambridge.
Strikes will cause further disruption on West Midlands and London North Western railways, where members of the TSSA union are walking out on Friday and Saturday. This will result in significantly reduced timetables, with no West Midlands Trains running after 7pm on Friday or before 7am on Saturday. Passengers are advised to travel only if necessary on these services.
While the Heathrow Express and Elizabeth line are expected to run a full normal service, disruption is noted for Stansted Airport, with buses replacing trains between Cambridge and Stansted Airport, and limited services between Stansted Airport and Audley End. Manchester Airport services are expected to be normal, though longer-distance journeys may see changes. Birmingham will be exceptionally busy due to Birmingham Pride celebrations coinciding with the bank holiday weekend and warm weather, leading to busier stations and trains.
