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London to Edinburgh drive weather

403 miles, about 6½ hours of driving via M1 and A1. The route stays below 200 m the whole way.

Distance
403 mi
Drive time
~6½ hours
High point
109 m
Countries
England · Scotland

Next 7 departures

Leaving London at 7 AM each day · Updated · Forecast: MET Norway

  1. FriNov 13

    CautionFreezing, -1°C near Milton Keynes around 8 AM GMT.

    Along the way
    Checkpoint · arrivalWeather · temperature
    London7 AM GMTSunny0°C
    Milton Keynes8 AM GMTSunny-1°C
    Leicester8:45 AM GMTSunny1°C
    Doncaster9:45 AM GMTSunny4°C
    Bedale10:45 AM GMTSunny5°C
    Newcastle upon Tyne11:30 AM GMTSunny5°C
    England–Scotland border12:45 PM GMTMostly sunny7°C
    Edinburgh1:30 PM GMTMostly sunny6°C
  2. SatNov 14

    CautionFreezing, -1°C near London around 7 AM GMT. Also at 1 other checkpoint.

    Along the way
    Checkpoint · arrivalWeather · temperature
    London7 AM GMTFog-1°C
    Milton Keynes8 AM GMTMostly sunny-1°C
    Leicester8:45 AM GMTPartly sunny1°C
    Doncaster9:45 AM GMTPartly sunny3°C
    Bedale10:45 AM GMTPartly sunny6°C
    Newcastle upon Tyne11:30 AM GMTCloudy7°C
    England–Scotland border12:45 PM GMTPartly sunny8°C
    Edinburgh1:30 PM GMTCloudy8°C
  3. SunNov 15

    CautionLight rain near Bedale around 10:45 AM GMT.

    Along the way
    Checkpoint · arrivalWeather · temperature
    London7 AM GMTCloudy8°C
    Milton Keynes8 AM GMTLight rain7°C
    Leicester8:45 AM GMTHeavy rain7°C
    Doncaster9:45 AM GMTCloudy6°C
    Bedale10:45 AM GMTLight rain4°C
    Newcastle upon Tyne11:30 AM GMTRain4°C
    England–Scotland border12:45 PM GMTHeavy rain6°C
    Edinburgh1:30 PM GMTHeavy rain6°C
  4. MonNov 16

    CautionLight snow showers near Bedale around 10:45 AM GMT.

    Along the way
    Checkpoint · arrivalWeather · temperature
    London7 AM GMTMostly sunny4°C
    Milton Keynes8 AM GMTSunny3°C
    Leicester8:45 AM GMTSunny3°C
    Doncaster9:45 AM GMTMostly sunny4°C
    Bedale10:45 AM GMTLight snow showers3°C
    Newcastle upon Tyne11:30 AM GMTSunny4°C
    England–Scotland border12:45 PM GMTSunny5°C
    Edinburgh1:30 PM GMTMostly sunny3°C
  5. TueNov 17

    CautionRain near London around 7 AM GMT. Also at 2 other checkpoints.

    Along the way
    Checkpoint · arrivalWeather · temperature
    London7 AM GMTRain4°C
    Milton Keynes8 AM GMTHeavy rain2°C
    Leicester8:45 AM GMTSleet1°C
    Doncaster9:45 AM GMTCloudy1°C
    Bedale10:45 AM GMTCloudy0°C
    Newcastle upon Tyne11:30 AM GMTPartly sunny3°C
    England–Scotland border12:45 PM GMTCloudy4°C
    Edinburgh1:30 PM GMTCloudy1°C
  6. WedNov 18

    ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 1–4°C along the way.

    Along the way
    Checkpoint · arrivalWeather · temperature
    London7 AM GMTLight rain4°C
    Milton Keynes8 AM GMTCloudy4°C
    Leicester8:45 AM GMTCloudy3°C
    Doncaster9:45 AM GMTCloudy4°C
    Bedale10:45 AM GMTSunny3°C
    Newcastle upon Tyne11:30 AM GMTSunny4°C
    England–Scotland border12:45 PM GMTSunny4°C
    Edinburgh1:30 PM GMTMostly sunny1°C
  7. ThuNov 19

    CautionFreezing, -1°C near Milton Keynes around 8 AM GMT.

    Along the way
    Checkpoint · arrivalWeather · temperature
    London7 AM GMTPartly sunny0°C
    Milton Keynes8 AM GMTSunny-1°C
    Leicester8:45 AM GMTSunny0°C
    Doncaster9:45 AM GMTSunny3°C
    Bedale10:45 AM GMTSunny4°C
    Newcastle upon Tyne11:30 AM GMTSunny4°C
    England–Scotland border12:45 PM GMTMostly sunny5°C
    Edinburgh1:30 PM GMTMostly sunny1°C

The worst conditions expected at any checkpoint, timed to when you would reach it driving without stops. Levels use Road Travel’s driving-risk scale.

The route, stop by stop

Checkpoints in order, with driving time from London (no stops) and elevation. The forecast above is timed to these.

Milton Keynes · 109 m 0 mi 403 mi
Elevation along the route (Terrain Tiles, sampled every 5 miles).
  1. London, EnglandStart 8 melevation
  2. Milton Keynes, EnglandMile 51 · 1 h 1 min 109 melevation
  3. Leicester, EnglandMile 98 · 1 h 43 min 61 melevation
  4. Doncaster, EnglandMile 169 · 2 h 46 min 14 melevation
  5. Bedale, EnglandMile 228 · 3 h 40 min 41 melevation
  6. Newcastle upon Tyne, EnglandMile 280 · 4 h 28 min 44 melevation
  7. England–Scotland borderState line · Mile 349 · 5 h 38 min 88 melevation
  8. Edinburgh, ScotlandMile 403 · 6 h 35 min 71 melevation

Typical weather by month

Average daily highs and lows, and monthly rain, at London, Bedale and Edinburgh.

MonthLondon
London Heathrow station · 25 m		Bedale
Leeming station · 40 m		Edinburgh
Edinburgh (Royal Botanic Garden) station · 26 m
High / low °CPrecip (mm)High / low °CPrecip (mm)High / low °CPrecip (mm)
Jan8° / 3°617° / 0°507° / 1°65
Feb9° / 2°518° / 0°418° / 2°53
Mar12° / 4°4410° / 1°4510° / 3°49
Apr15° / 5°3413° / 2°3712° / 5°41
May18° / 9°4816° / 5°4715° / 7°48
Jun21° / 12°4619° / 8°6417° / 10°67
Jul24° / 14°4821° / 11°5919° / 12°72
Aug23° / 14°5821° / 10°7119° / 12°72
Sep20° / 11°4318° / 7°6017° / 10°55
Oct16° / 6°5814° / 4°5813° / 7°75
Nov12° / 4°6610° / 2°6510° / 4°65
Dec8° / 2°597° / 0°568° / 1°67

1991–2020 averages computed from NOAA NCEI daily station records (GHCN-Daily): HEATHROW, UK (UKM00003772, 25 m); LEEMING, UK (UKM00003257, 40 m); EDINBURGH ROYAL BOTANIC GARDE, UK (UKE00105888, 26 m). Precipitation is the monthly total of rain and melted snow, in millimetres. “—” means the station does not publish that normal.

Road conditions

Closures and chain rules change by the hour, so we link to the official reports for England and Scotland rather than repeat them.

Check the official forecast from Met Office and each road report before you leave.

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Questions about this drive

How long is the drive from London to Edinburgh?

403 miles, about 6½ hours of driving without stops, by way of M1 and A1. Fuel, food and rest stops add to that.

What is the wettest month in Edinburgh?

October. The nearest long-term NOAA station, Edinburgh (Royal Botanic Garden) (26 m), averages 75 mm of rain and melted snow that month (1991–2020 averages).

How cold is Edinburgh in January?

The nearest long-term NOAA station, Edinburgh (Royal Botanic Garden) (26 m), averages a high of 7°C and a low of 1°C in January (1991–2020 averages).

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