Famous road · 7 mi off the route
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Road trip route · United Kingdom
Liverpool to Edinburgh drive time, distance, costs & the best stops
- Drive time
- 4 hr 29 min
- Distance
- 217 mi
- Fuel (est.)
- £36
- Tolls (est.)
- None
The Liverpool to Edinburgh drive
The drive from Liverpool to Edinburgh covers 217 miles (349 km) and takes about 4 hr 29 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 52% of it is on the M6, and most of the rest on the A701 and the A74(M). On the way you go past Wigan, Preston and Morecambe, and you'll be near Penrith roughly 2 h 12 min in.
Expect gentle hills rather than climbs. The high point is around 420 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 £36 one-way with no significant motorway tolls on the way. Prices shift monthly, so treat these as ballpark figures.
At 217 miles this is longer than 63% 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.
- StartLiverpool
- 21 miWigan26 min in
- 39 miPreston49 min in
- 60 miMorecambe1 h 15 min in
- 106 miPenrith2 h 12 min ingood place to stop
- 125 miCarlisle2 h 35 min in
- 207 miPenicuik4 h 17 min in
- 217 miEdinburgh
How high it goes
Roads you'll be on
- M6114 mi · 52%
- A70143 mi · 20%
- A74(M)30 mi · 14%
- M5811 mi · 5%
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 · 15 mi off the route
A591 Windermere to Keswick
Best stops between Liverpool and Edinburgh
Within ~30 km of the driving route, worth the detour.
Waterfalls
Aira Force
A 65-foot waterfall plunging through a wooded gorge near Ullswater, with stone bridges framing the cascade.
Ancient Ruins
Castlerigg Stone Circle
A 5,000-year-old stone circle set on a fell with a 360-degree mountain panorama, free and roadside near Keswick.
Scenic Viewpoints
Ullswater
The Lake District's second-largest lake, with Wordsworth's daffodils at Glencoyne and 1930s steamers running its length.
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.
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.
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.
Famous Roads
Hartside Pass (A686)
Voted one of Britain's best drives - a sweeping climb to 580m out of the Eden Valley with a panorama to the Lake District and the Solway.
Natural Wonders
Ingleborough and Gaping Gill
One of the Yorkshire Three Peaks, riddled with caves including Gaping Gill, whose 98m shaft could hold York Minster.
Landmarks
Keswick
The main town of the northern Lake District, on the shore of Derwentwater beneath Skiddaw, with a Georgian Moot Hall at its centre.
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
Liverpool to Edinburgh FAQs
How long is the drive from Liverpool to Edinburgh?
Driving from Liverpool to Edinburgh takes about 4 hr 29 min nonstop, covering 217 miles (349 km). Add time for breaks: most drivers stop every 2 hours.
How much does it cost to drive from Liverpool to Edinburgh?
Fuel for a typical petrol car (~40 mpg) costs roughly £36 one-way. There are no significant motorway tolls on this route. Estimates are indicative: prices change monthly.
Can I drive from Liverpool to Edinburgh in one day?
Yes, at about 4 hr 29 min of driving, Liverpool to Edinburgh is a comfortable one-day drive with a couple of breaks.
Which roads do you take from Liverpool to Edinburgh?
The fastest route uses the M6 (about 114 mi), the A701 (about 43 mi), the A74(M) (about 30 mi), the M58 (about 11 mi). It passes Wigan, Preston, Morecambe, Penrith.
Where should I stop on the way from Liverpool to Edinburgh?
If you stop every couple of hours, Penrith 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 Liverpool and Edinburgh?
Top-rated stops in the drive corridor include Aira Force, Castlerigg Stone Circle, Ullswater: see the full list of 9 stops on this page.
More drives from Liverpool & Edinburgh
Birmingham → EdinburghEdinburgh → AberdeenEdinburgh → Fort WilliamEdinburgh → GlasgowEdinburgh → InvernessEdinburgh → NewcastleEdinburgh → YorkLeeds → EdinburghLiverpool → CardiffLiverpool → Glasgow
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.