Famous road · 3 mi off the route
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Road trip route · United Kingdom
Bristol to St Ives drive time, distance, costs & the best stops
- Drive time
- 3 hr 39 min
- Distance
- 190 mi
- Fuel (est.)
- £32
- Tolls (est.)
- None
The Bristol to St Ives drive
The drive from Bristol to St Ives covers 190 miles (305 km) and takes about 3 hr 39 min without stops. That makes it a comfortable one-day drive. Leave in the morning and you'll arrive with the day ahead of you.
About 55% of it is on the A30, and most of the rest on the M5. On the way you go past Weston-super-Mare, Taunton and Bodmin, and you'll be near Exeter roughly 1 h 35 min in.
Expect gentle hills rather than climbs. The high point is around 285 m near Bodmin. The B3306 St Ives to Land's End is 3 mi off the route if you have time for a detour.
Expect fuel for a typical petrol car (~40 mpg) to cost around £32 one-way with no significant motorway tolls on the way. Prices shift monthly, so treat these as ballpark figures.
At 190 miles this is longer than 49% of the 144 routes covered here.
The road, mile by mile
Towns within a few miles of the fastest route, with the time it takes to reach them without stopping.
- StartBristol
- 21 miWeston-super-Mare24 min in
- 47 miTaunton55 min in
- 82 miExeter1 h 35 min ingood place to stop
- 142 miBodmin2 h 44 min in
- 173 miRedruth3 h 20 min in
- 190 miSt Ives
How high it goes
Roads you'll be on
- A30104 mi · 55%
- M573 mi · 39%
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.
Famous road · 6 mi off the route
Cheddar Gorge Road (B3135)
Famous road · 11 mi off the route
B3212 across Dartmoor
Famous road · 16 mi off the route
A466 Wye Valley (Chepstow to Monmouth)
Best stops between Bristol and St Ives
Within ~30 km of the driving route, worth the detour.
Landmarks
Eden Project
Spectacular complex of enormous biome domes nestled in a former clay pit, housing the world's largest indoor rainforest.
Landmarks
Glastonbury Tor
Mystical terraced hill crowned by St Michael's Tower, steeped in Arthurian and early Christian legends with panoramic Somerset views.
National Parks
Dartmoor National Park
Wild and ancient moorland dotted with granite tors, Bronze Age settlements and roaming Dartmoor ponies across 368 square miles of Devon.
Castles & Palaces
Tintagel Castle
Dramatic clifftop ruins steeped in Arthurian legend, connected to the mainland by a striking modern footbridge above the Atlantic.
Famous Roads
Atlantic Highway (A39)
Spectacular coastal road running through north Devon and Cornwall past dramatic cliffs, surfing beaches and picturesque harbour villages.
Cathedrals & Temples
Exeter Cathedral
Magnificent Gothic cathedral boasting the longest uninterrupted vaulted ceiling in England, dating back to the 12th century.
Cathedrals & Temples
Wells Cathedral
Exquisite Early English Gothic cathedral with a magnificent sculpted west front displaying nearly 300 medieval figures.
Waterfalls
St Nectan's Glen
A mystical 60-foot waterfall that bores through a holed rock in a fern-draped wooded glen near Tintagel.
Scenic Viewpoints
Bedruthan Steps
Giant rock stacks marching across a wild sandy beach below towering cliffs on the rugged north Cornwall coast.
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
Bristol to St Ives FAQs
How long is the drive from Bristol to St Ives?
Driving from Bristol to St Ives takes about 3 hr 39 min nonstop, covering 190 miles (305 km). Add time for breaks: most drivers stop every 2 hours.
How much does it cost to drive from Bristol to St Ives?
Fuel for a typical petrol car (~40 mpg) costs roughly £32 one-way. There are no significant motorway tolls on this route. Estimates are indicative: prices change monthly.
Can I drive from Bristol to St Ives in one day?
Yes, at about 3 hr 39 min of driving, Bristol to St Ives is a comfortable one-day drive with a couple of breaks.
Which roads do you take from Bristol to St Ives?
The fastest route uses the A30 (about 104 mi), the M5 (about 73 mi). It passes Weston-super-Mare, Taunton, Exeter, Bodmin.
Where should I stop on the way from Bristol to St Ives?
If you stop every couple of hours, Exeter comes up about 2 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 Bristol and St Ives?
Top-rated stops in the drive corridor include Eden Project, Glastonbury Tor, Dartmoor National Park: see the full list of 9 stops on this page.
More drives from Bristol & St Ives
Birmingham → BristolBristol → CardiffBristol → PlymouthLondon → BristolLondon → St IvesManchester → Bristol
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.