UK Distance Facts: How Far Apart Are Major Cities?

Distances Between Major UK Cities

These are straight-line (as the crow flies) distances between city centres. Road distances are typically 20-40% longer, depending on the route and terrain.

• London to Birmingham - 101 miles (163 km). About 2 hours by car, 1 hour 20 minutes by train.
• London to Manchester - 163 miles (262 km). About 3.5 hours by car, 2 hours by train.
• London to Edinburgh - 332 miles (534 km). About 7 hours by car, 4 hours 20 minutes by train.
• London to Cardiff - 131 miles (211 km). About 3 hours by car, 2 hours by train.
• Manchester to Leeds - 35 miles (56 km). About 50 minutes by car, 55 minutes by train.
• Edinburgh to Glasgow - 42 miles (68 km). About 1 hour by car, 50 minutes by train.
• Birmingham to Bristol - 78 miles (126 km). About 1 hour 40 minutes by car.
• Newcastle to Liverpool - 128 miles (206 km). About 2 hours 40 minutes by car.

Why Straight-Line Distance Isn't Road Distance

The ratio between straight-line and road distance varies significantly across the UK. In flat areas with good motorway connections (like the M1 corridor), road distance might only be 15-20% longer than straight-line. In hilly or coastal areas, it can be 50% or more.

Some notable examples:

• London to Brighton - 47 miles straight-line, about 54 miles by road. A relatively direct route with a 15% difference.
• Fort William to Inverness - 53 miles straight-line, about 66 miles by road. The A82 has to wind along lochs and through glens, adding 25%.
• Aberystwyth to Shrewsbury - 57 miles straight-line, about 75 miles by road. Welsh mountain roads add significant distance.
• Plymouth to Exeter - 33 miles straight-line, about 44 miles by road. Dartmoor forces the motorway into a longer route.

The Longest Journeys in the UK

The furthest you can travel within mainland Great Britain is from Land's End (Cornwall) to John o'Groats (Caithness) - 603 miles as the crow flies, roughly 837 miles by road. Cyclists typically complete it in 10-14 days. The driving record is about 13 hours.

If you include islands, the furthest points in the UK are the Isles of Scilly (southwest) to Out Stack, Shetland (northeast) - about 810 miles straight-line.

How Wide Is the UK?

At its widest, mainland Great Britain is about 300 miles across (from the far west of Wales to the east coast of Norfolk). At its narrowest, the central belt of Scotland between the Firth of Clyde and the Firth of Forth is only about 25 miles wide.

England's narrowest point is between the Solway Firth and the River Tyne - roughly 67 miles. This is why Hadrian's Wall was built there. The Romans picked the most efficient line.

Distances That Catch People Out

Some journeys take much longer than the distance suggests:

• Anything involving the A303 past Stonehenge. It's only about 85 miles from London to Exeter as the crow flies, but the A303 bottleneck around Stonehenge can add an hour or more to what should be a 3-hour journey, especially on summer weekends.
• Crossing the Pennines. Manchester to Leeds is only 35 miles straight-line, but the M62 climbs to 1,221 feet - the highest motorway in England. In winter, it's regularly closed by snow and wind.
• The Scottish Highlands. Distances look modest on a map, but average speeds on single-track roads can drop to 25-30 mph. A 60-mile journey can easily take 2 hours.
• Cornwall in summer. Once you're past the M5, the A30 and A38 slow dramatically. Getting from Exeter to Penzance (75 miles straight-line) can take 2.5-3 hours in peak season.

When Straight-Line Distance Is What You Need

Most of the time, road distance is more useful for practical travel planning. But straight-line distance is the right measure when:

• Comparing property locations. Estate agents often quote "X miles from the station" as straight-line, which is the convention.
• Working out coverage areas. Insurance, delivery zones, and service areas are typically defined by straight-line radius.
• Planning walks and hikes. Off-road distances are closer to straight-line than road distance, though you still need to account for terrain.
• Regulatory distances. Planning restrictions (like proximity to a school or SSSI) use straight-line measurement.

Check Any Distance Instantly

Our Distance Between tool lets you check the straight-line distance between any two places in seconds. Type in two city names, towns, or postcodes and get the distance in miles and kilometres. For multi-point routes, try Measure Distance instead.