Famous road · 7 mi off the route
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Road trip route · United Kingdom
London to Glasgow drive time, distance, costs & the best stops
- Drive time
- 7 hr 34 min
- Distance
- 403 mi
- Fuel (est.)
- £67
- Tolls (est.)
- None
The London to Glasgow drive
The drive from London to Glasgow covers 403 miles (649 km) and takes about 7 hr 34 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, Wigan is about halfway.
About 58% of it is on the M6, and most of the rest on the M1 and the A74(M). On the way you go past Luton, Milton Keynes and Coventry, and you'll be near Wigan roughly 3 h 49 min in.
Expect gentle hills rather than climbs. The high point is around 292 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 £67 one-way with no significant motorway tolls on the way. Prices shift monthly, so treat these as ballpark figures.
At 403 miles this is longer than 92% of the 144 routes covered here, so it is worth treating as a trip in itself rather than a transfer. Split across 2 days it works out at about 3.8 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.
- StartLondon
- 32 miLuton36 min in
- 52 miMilton Keynes58 min in
- 96 miCoventry1 h 49 min in
- 115 miBirmingham2 h 10 min ingood place to stop
- 154 miStoke-on-Trent2 h 54 min in
- 170 miSandbach3 h 12 min in
- 203 miWigan3 h 49 min in
- 221 miPreston4 h 10 min ingood place to stop
- 242 miMorecambe4 h 33 min in
- 288 miPenrith5 h 25 min in
- 306 miCarlisle5 h 46 min ingood place to stop
- 388 miMeikle Earnock7 h 17 min in
- 403 miGlasgow
How high it goes
Roads you'll be on
- M6232 mi · 58%
- M176 mi · 19%
- A74(M)49 mi · 12%
- M7429 mi · 7%
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 London and Glasgow
Within ~30 km of the driving route, worth the detour.
Landmarks
Ribblehead Viaduct
Magnificent Victorian railway viaduct with 24 arches striding across the bleak moorland of the Yorkshire Dales, an engineering marvel of the 1870s.
Natural Wonders
Lake Windermere
England's largest natural lake, stretching over 10 miles through the heart of the Lake District with stunning mountain backdrops.
Cafes & Pit Stops
Tan Hill Inn
Britain's highest pub at 1,732 feet in the Yorkshire Dales, a remote and atmospheric destination for drivers and walkers braving the wild moorland roads.
Racetracks
Silverstone Circuit
The home of British motorsport, hosting the first ever F1 World Championship race in 1950
Museums
British Motor Museum
Home to the world's largest collection of historic British cars with over 400 vehicles at the Gaydon Heritage Centre.
Landmarks
Aston Martin Visitor Experience (Gaydon)
Guided tours of Aston Martin's state-of-the-art manufacturing facility where DB11 and Vantage models are hand-built.
Mountain Passes
Kirkstone Pass
The Lake District's highest motor road, topped by an ancient inn and sweeping views over Brothers Water.
Scenic Viewpoints
Ullswater
The Lake District's second-largest lake, with Wordsworth's daffodils at Glencoyne and 1930s steamers running its length.
Mountain Passes
Buttertubs Pass
A high, narrow Dales road over the moors, named for deep limestone potholes and ranked among Britain's best drives.
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
London to Glasgow FAQs
How long is the drive from London to Glasgow?
Driving from London to Glasgow takes about 7 hr 34 min nonstop, covering 403 miles (649 km). Add time for breaks: most drivers stop every 2 hours.
How much does it cost to drive from London to Glasgow?
Fuel for a typical petrol car (~40 mpg) costs roughly £67 one-way. There are no significant motorway tolls on this route. Estimates are indicative: prices change monthly.
Can I drive from London to Glasgow in one day?
Yes, though it's a long day: about 7 hr 34 min of driving. Plenty of people do it in one go with two or three proper breaks; if you'd rather split it, Wigan is about halfway.
Which roads do you take from London to Glasgow?
The fastest route uses the M6 (about 232 mi), the M1 (about 76 mi), the A74(M) (about 49 mi), the M74 (about 29 mi). It passes Luton, Milton Keynes, Coventry, Birmingham.
Where should I stop on the way from London to Glasgow?
If you stop every couple of hours, Birmingham comes up about 2 h in, and Preston comes up about 4 h in, and Carlisle comes up about 6 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 London and Glasgow?
Top-rated stops in the drive corridor include Ribblehead Viaduct, Lake Windermere, Tan Hill Inn: see the full list of 9 stops on this page.
More drives from London & Glasgow
Birmingham → GlasgowEdinburgh → GlasgowGlasgow → Fort WilliamGlasgow → InvernessLiverpool → GlasgowLondon → AberdeenLondon → AmsterdamLondon → BarcelonaLondon → BathLondon → Birmingham
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.