Famous road · 7 mi off the route
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Road trip route · United Kingdom
Birmingham to Edinburgh drive time, distance, costs & the best stops
- Drive time
- 5 hr 38 min
- Distance
- 286 mi
- Fuel (est.)
- £48
- Tolls (est.)
- None
The Birmingham to Edinburgh drive
The drive from Birmingham to Edinburgh covers 286 miles (461 km) and takes about 5 hr 38 min without stops. That's a long day, but doable in one go with a couple of proper breaks. If you'd rather split it, Morecambe is about halfway.
Most of it is one road: the M6 carries 70% of the distance. On the way you go past Walsall, Stoke-on-Trent and Wigan, and you'll be near Morecambe roughly 2 h 32 min in.
Expect gentle hills rather than climbs. The high point is around 348 m. The Trough of Bowland is 7 mi off the route if you have time for a detour.
Expect fuel for a typical petrol car (~40 mpg) to cost around £48 one-way with no significant motorway tolls on the way. Prices shift monthly, so treat these as ballpark figures.
At 286 miles this is longer than 73% of the 144 routes covered here. Split across 2 days it works out at about 2.8 hours behind the wheel each day, which leaves most of the daylight for the places in between.
The road, mile by mile
Towns within a few miles of the fastest route, with the time it takes to reach them without stopping.
- StartBirmingham
- 11 miWalsall13 min in
- 42 miStoke-on-Trent49 min in
- 89 miWigan1 h 46 min in
- 109 miPreston2 h 9 min ingood place to stop
- 129 miMorecambe2 h 32 min in
- 175 miPenrith3 h 27 min in
- 194 miCarlisle3 h 49 min ingood place to stop
- 277 miPenicuik5 h 27 min in
- 286 miEdinburgh
How high it goes
Roads you'll be on
- M6201 mi · 70%
- A70143 mi · 15%
- A74(M)30 mi · 11%
Famous roads on or near the drive
From the 500-plus passes and driving roads drivers collect in the Plan Your Road Trips app. None are on the fastest route, but these are close enough for a detour.
Mountain pass · 11 mi off the route
Kirkstone Pass
- Summit
- 454 m summit
Famous road · 12 mi off the route
Hartside Pass (A686)
- Summit
- 580 m summit
Famous road · 13 mi off the route
A54 Congleton to Buxton
Best stops between Birmingham and Edinburgh
Within ~30 km of the driving route, worth the detour.
Racetracks
Oulton Park
A picturesque Cheshire circuit winding through parkland with dramatic elevation changes, a favourite of British club and national racing.
Racetracks
Aintree Motor Racing Circuit
Historic circuit inside Aintree Racecourse that hosted five British Grands Prix in the 1950s-60s, where Stirling Moss took his first home GP win. Club sprints still run on the old track.
Museums
Lakeland Motor Museum
Riverside museum at Backbarrow with 30,000 exhibits including 140 classic vehicles and a dedicated exhibition on the Campbells' Bluebird land and water speed record machines.
Natural Wonders
Lud's Church
Deep mossy chasm hidden in Back Forest above the Dane Valley, 18m deep and cool even in summer. Lollards held secret services here, and scholars identify it as the Green Chapel of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
Natural Wonders
Thor's Cave
Vast natural cavern with a 10m symmetrical arched mouth gaping from a limestone crag 80m above the Manifold Valley. The scramble up is short and the view through the arch is one of the Peak District's best.
Famous Roads
Trough of Bowland
Remote moorland pass through the Forest of Bowland linking Lancaster and Dunsop Bridge, following the route the Pendle witches were marched to trial in 1612. Sweeping single-carriageway bends with barely a building in sight.
Landmarks
Alton Towers
Major British theme park set in the grounds of a historic estate in Staffordshire with record-breaking coasters.
Landmarks
Bentley Factory Tour
Exclusive guided tours of Bentley's Crewe factory where master craftspeople build the world's finest luxury cars.
Mountain Passes
Hartside Pass
The A686's grand sweep over the North Pennines between Penrith and Alston, climbing to 580m through wide hairpins with views across the Eden Valley to the Lake District fells. A celebrated drivers' and bikers' road.
What you need for this drive
Rules for each country on the route, in the order you meet them.
United Kingdom
- Motorway
- 112 km/h · 48 in town
- Tolls
- Individual tolled crossings (Dart Charge, M6 Toll)
- Drives on
- the left
Low-emission zones: London ULEZ (Ultra Low Emission Zone).
Checked against national road authorities and the ECB reference rates. Rules change — confirm before you travel.
Famous drives in United Kingdom
Legendary routes you could bolt onto this trip, with real distances and stop counts.
Snake Pass + Peak District
Cobblestone villages, Bronte-novel moors, and the moodiest 14 miles of road in England
104 km · 2h driving · 7 stops · 3 days
Atlantic Highway A39: North Cornwall
Cornish surf beaches, smuggler's coves, and the Westcountry pasty trail
139 km · 2.5h driving · 7 stops · 4 days
Causeway Coastal Route
Belfast to Derry along Northern Ireland's cliff-edge coast, via Game of Thrones country
200 km · 3.3h driving · 7 stops · 3 days
NC500: North Coast 500
Scotland's answer to Route 66: 516 miles of mountains, single-track roads, and empty beaches
755 km · 11.4h driving · 9 stops · 7 days
Birmingham to Edinburgh FAQs
How long is the drive from Birmingham to Edinburgh?
Driving from Birmingham to Edinburgh takes about 5 hr 38 min nonstop, covering 286 miles (461 km). Add time for breaks: most drivers stop every 2 hours.
How much does it cost to drive from Birmingham to Edinburgh?
Fuel for a typical petrol car (~40 mpg) costs roughly £48 one-way. There are no significant motorway tolls on this route. Estimates are indicative: prices change monthly.
Can I drive from Birmingham to Edinburgh in one day?
Yes, though it's a long day: about 5 hr 38 min of driving. Plenty of people do it in one go with two or three proper breaks; if you'd rather split it, Morecambe is about halfway.
Which roads do you take from Birmingham to Edinburgh?
The fastest route uses the M6 (about 201 mi), the A701 (about 43 mi), the A74(M) (about 30 mi). It passes Walsall, Stoke-on-Trent, Wigan, Preston.
Where should I stop on the way from Birmingham to Edinburgh?
If you stop every couple of hours, Preston comes up about 2 h in, and Carlisle comes up about 4 h in. All are just off the main road.
What other drives can I plan on Plan Your Road Trips?
We publish drive times, distances and fuel estimates for 144 routes across Europe and beyond, including 57 other drives in the same country. Browse them all on the routes index.
What are the best stops between Birmingham and Edinburgh?
Top-rated stops in the drive corridor include Oulton Park, Aintree Motor Racing Circuit, Lakeland Motor Museum: see the full list of 9 stops on this page.
More drives from Birmingham & Edinburgh
Birmingham → BristolBirmingham → CardiffBirmingham → GlasgowBirmingham → YorkEdinburgh → AberdeenEdinburgh → Fort WilliamEdinburgh → GlasgowEdinburgh → InvernessEdinburgh → NewcastleEdinburgh → York
Planning a bigger trip? Try the free United Kingdom road trip planner, browse every destination we cover, take it with you on the road, or read the driving in United Kingdom guide.