Famous road · 3 mi off the route
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Road trip route · United Kingdom
London to St Ives drive time, distance, costs & the best stops
- Drive time
- 5 hr 40 min
- Distance
- 285 mi
- Fuel (est.)
- £47
- Tolls (est.)
- None
The London to St Ives drive
The drive from London to St Ives covers 285 miles (458 km) and takes about 5 hr 40 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, Exeter is about halfway.
Two roads do the work. Roughly 40% is on the A303 and another 36% on the A30. On the way you go past Hayes, Basingstoke and Andover, and you'll be near Exeter roughly 3 h 32 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 £47 one-way with no significant motorway tolls on the way. Prices shift monthly, so treat these as ballpark figures.
At 285 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.
- StartLondon
- 14 miHayes17 min in
- 50 miBasingstoke1 h in
- 71 miAndover1 h 25 min ingood place to stop
- 177 miExeter3 h 32 min ingood place to stop
- 236 miBodmin4 h 43 min in
- 267 miRedruth5 h 20 min in
- 285 miSt Ives
How high it goes
Roads you'll be on
- A303112 mi · 40%
- A30104 mi · 36%
- M333 mi · 12%
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 · 11 mi off the route
B3212 across Dartmoor
Best stops between London 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.
Landmarks
Stourhead
One of the world's finest landscape gardens with a magnificent lake, classical temples and a stunning Palladian mansion in Wiltshire.
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.
Racetracks
Thruxton Circuit
The fastest circuit in the UK, a former airfield in Hampshire with high-speed sweeping corners that test car and driver to the limit.
Museums
Brooklands Museum
The birthplace of British motorsport and aviation, featuring the world's first purpose-built motor racing circuit from 1907.
Museums
Haynes International Motor Museum
The UK's largest collection of classic and vintage cars and motorcycles, with over 400 vehicles on display.
Cathedrals & Temples
Exeter Cathedral
Magnificent Gothic cathedral boasting the longest uninterrupted vaulted ceiling in England, dating back to the 12th century.
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 St Ives FAQs
How long is the drive from London to St Ives?
Driving from London to St Ives takes about 5 hr 40 min nonstop, covering 285 miles (458 km). Add time for breaks: most drivers stop every 2 hours.
How much does it cost to drive from London to St Ives?
Fuel for a typical petrol car (~40 mpg) costs roughly £47 one-way. There are no significant motorway tolls on this route. Estimates are indicative: prices change monthly.
Can I drive from London to St Ives in one day?
Yes, though it's a long day: about 5 hr 40 min of driving. Plenty of people do it in one go with two or three proper breaks; if you'd rather split it, Exeter is about halfway.
Which roads do you take from London to St Ives?
The fastest route uses the A303 (about 112 mi), the A30 (about 104 mi), the M3 (about 33 mi). It passes Hayes, Basingstoke, Andover, Exeter.
Where should I stop on the way from London to St Ives?
If you stop every couple of hours, Andover comes up about 2 h in, and Exeter 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 London and St Ives?
Top-rated stops in the drive corridor include Eden Project, Glastonbury Tor, Stourhead: see the full list of 9 stops on this page.
More drives from London & St Ives
Bristol → St IvesLondon → AberdeenLondon → AmsterdamLondon → BarcelonaLondon → BathLondon → BirminghamLondon → BrightonLondon → BristolLondon → BrugesLondon → Brussels
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.