- UK braces for bank holiday travel rush as heatwave sendsmillions to roads and airports
- Temperatures could cross 30C by May 26, pushing more travellers towards beaches and seaside towns.
- Dover queues, rail disruptions and strike action may add further delays across the network.
Britain is heading into what could become one of its busiest bank holiday travel weekends in recent years, with soaring temperatures, half-term breaks and strong demand for short holidays expected to pile pressure on roads, airports and rail services across the country.
Travel and motoring groups are warning of heavy congestion through the late May bank holiday period as millions of people prepare for seaside trips, overseas holidays and family getaways. UK bank holiday traffic, half-term travel and Dover border delays are expected to dominate transport networks through May 26.
The RAC said nearly 19 million motorists are expected to travel on Britain’s roads over the long weekend, around one million more than the same holiday period in 2025. Polling by the organisation found almost four in 10 drivers are planning leisure journeys, with Friday and Saturday likely to see the heaviest traffic.
The expected surge comes as temperatures in parts of the UK are forecast to climb above 30C by May 26, pushing many travellers towards beaches and coastal resorts.
Motoring organisations believe roads leading to seaside towns could face some of the worst delays. The AA reportedly said in a news report that routes towards Cornwall, the south-east coast and resorts across eastern and north-west England are likely to become major bottlenecks.
The A303, M5 and A38 are among the roads expected to experience long queues, while transport analytics firm Inrix warned the M1, M25, M5 and M6 could see severe congestion throughout the weekend.
Dover delays and airports under pressure
The Port of Dover is also preparing for a busy few days, with around 18,000 ferry passengers expected between Friday and Sunday.
Travellers have been warned to expect lengthy border queues as manual passport checks continue under the European Union’s Entry Exit System (EES). The new border technology is not yet fully operational at the French frontier, despite the installation of new processing kiosks at Dover.
Reports of waits stretching beyond an hour had already emerged by early Friday morning as passengers queued for checks before crossing into Europe.
Despite concerns around border delays and rising aviation fuel costs linked to the Iran conflict, demand for overseas travel appears to be holding firm for the half-term period.
According to aviation analytics company Cirium, more than 12,000 flights are scheduled to depart from UK airports over the weekend, offering over two million seats. Friday is expected to be the busiest travel day.
Dublin remains the single largest destination overall, while Palma de Mallorca is expected to attract some of the strongest holiday demand among leisure travellers.
Travel association Abta reportedly said in a news report that Mediterranean destinations including Spain, Portugal, Italy, Croatia and Greece are continuing to see strong bookings despite wider economic uncertainty.
Mark Tanzer, chief executive of Abta, reportedly said people were still choosing to prioritise holidays and take advantage of competitive travel deals.
Rail passengers face engineering works and strikes
Rail travel is expected to remain largely operational through the bank holiday weekend, although disruption is still likely on several major routes because of planned engineering works and industrial action.
Network Rail said around £64m worth of upgrade work is being carried out across parts of the network.
Passengers travelling on the east coast mainline between London and Edinburgh are expected to face delays, with replacement buses running between York and Darlington from May 24 to May 26.
Services between Newport and Bristol Parkway will also be replaced by buses on parts of the Great Western route.
Meanwhile, Thameslink trains will not run through central London during the period, forcing passengers to begin or end journeys at either King’s Cross St Pancras or London Bridge.
Strike action by members of the TSSA union is also expected to reduce services on West Midlands and London North Western railways on Friday and Saturday, affecting some routes between Birmingham, Liverpool and London.
Even with petrol prices remaining high at 158.52p per litre, the highest level since December 2022 according to the RAC, travel demand appears to be holding up as households make the most of the warmer weather and school break.
