Some flights and ferries have been cancelled amid a “perfect storm” of the Christmas getaway and bad weather.

The disruption has been caused by strong gusts after the Met Office announced yellow warnings for parts of the country.

Heathrow Airport confirmed a “small number of flights” had been cancelled on Saturday due to “strong winds and airspace restrictions”.

A spokesperson said: “This will ensure the vast majority of passengers can still safely travel as planned.

“We know how important travel at this time of year is and have extra colleagues on hand in our terminals to support people on their journeys. We encourage passengers to check in with their airlines for the latest information about their flights.”

British Airways said it had been forced to make a “small number of cancellations” due to the restrictions at Heathrow.

A spokesperson for the airline said: “Due to adverse weather this weekend, restrictions have been put on the number of flights able to take off and land at Heathrow and therefore we’ve had to make a small number of cancellations.

“We’re offering free flight changes for those customers booked on short-haul services who don’t wish to travel this weekend, and we will be offering rebooking and refund options as always to those whose journeys are disrupted as a result of the restrictions.

“While the vast majority of our customers will travel as planned, our teams are working hard to help those who have been affected get their travel plans back on track at this important time of year.”

P&O Ferries also confirmed journeys between Larne and Cairnryan have been cancelled for at least 24 hours.

A spokesperson said: “Due to adverse weather conditions, all P&O Ferries sailings between Larne and Cairnryan have been cancelled from 2000 tonight (21st December) until at least 2000 tomorrow night (22nd December). We ask our customers please not to travel to either of the ports if their sailing has been cancelled, to avoid causing traffic congestion.”

The AA predicted 23.7 million drivers would hit the road on Friday, making it the busiest day on the roads since the group’s records began in 2010.

It projected that Saturday would see 22.7 million drivers and Sunday 21.3 million.

A spokesperson for the group said: “With more than 20 million car journeys expected on both Saturday and Sunday if the congestion wasn’t enough of a headache, the inclement weather could create the perfect storm.

“We advise those heading out to allow extra time to travel and increase the distance between themselves and other road users.”

The RAC has estimated seven million leisure trips will be made on major roads during the weekend, which excludes everyday traffic.

It predicted that congestion hotspots will be on both directions of the M1 to Gatwick via the M25 and the M23; Liverpool to Chester on the M53; Oxford to the south coast via the A34 and the M3; the M25 to the south coast along the M3; and at the Taunton to Almondsbury Interchange in Bristol heading down the M5.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Saturday morning, RAC senior policy officer Rod Dennis urged drivers to be patient: “What we’re saying to people is just be patient. These are journeys that matter to us this time of year. Just don’t expect to get there the minute your sat-nav says it will. Allow yourself a bit of time to make it easy and get there safely.”

Sunday’s warning also includes London, the South East, the South West, the East Midlands, the West Midlands, Yorkshire and all of Wales and Northern Ireland.

Westerly winds are forecast to pick up over Saturday with 50-60mph gusts expected, with a small chance of some reaching 80mph.

The Met Office said: “The strongest winds are expected across the far north of Scotland on Saturday afternoon and evening, with the potential for gusts in excess of 80mph in coastal districts including Orkney.

“Dangerous coastal conditions can be expected too, with large waves an additional hazard, especially with respect to causeways. This period of strong winds may lead to some transport disruption, including ferry delays or cancellations.

“Frequent blustery showers will also be a feature on Saturday and may merge into a longer spell of rain for a time in the far north and north west.”

Showers could turn to several centimetres of snow on the hills in the north west of Scotland from Saturday evening into Sunday.

Some sleet, snow and hail may fall at lower levels and produce icy conditions by Sunday morning.

The strong winds will be more widespread on Sunday, meteorologists said.

Ferries have been cancelled and train services impacted as high winds hit Scotland’s Christmas getaway.

By noon on Saturday, CalMac, which operates ferry services on Scotland’s west coast, reported that sailings on 21 of its routes were cancelled for the day, with other services facing disruption.

Meanwhile, Northlink Ferries, which runs services between Aberdeen and the Orkney and Shetland isles, also reported disruption.

It said “adverse weather conditions” meant a sailing between Kirkwall on Orkney and Lerwick in the Shetland Isles was cancelled, along with sailings between Aberdeen and Lerwick, which were scheduled for Saturday evening.

Rail operator ScotRail announced that speed restrictions would be in place for part of the route between Glasgow and Oban/Mallaig, and the Inverness service to Kyle/Wick.