John O’Groats To Land’s End: A Realistic Road Trip Planning Guide

The longest journey anyone can take in all of the UK, going from John O’Groats to Land’s End (or vice versa) is on many bucket lists. 

Some people want to walk it, and in doing so, take around 100 days to go from the North to the South. But you can also make a very good road trip out of the distance too – and it doesn’t take anywhere near as long! 

And if a road trip between these two points sounds like a good idea to you, we’ve put together a practical planning guide for you.

If you want to drive from the tip of Scotland (on the UK mainland) to the very end point down in the South West, here’s what you’ll need to think about.

The Distance You’re Covering

It’s going to differ depending on how you want to approach the journey. But overall, you’re likely to be travelling between 810 to 850 miles in all. 

Roads aren’t straight all the way down, which adds to your journey length. At the same time, if you make any detours, expect to add another 5 to 10 miles to the distance for each one.

How far actually is it from John O’Groats to Land’s End? 

You might have already looked up the distance and seen that it’s more like 600 to 620 miles altogether. And that’s true, but that’s only if you were going straight the whole time. 

There’s no way to actually keep the drive that short, what with the combination of twisty backroads and main motorways you’ll have to take. 

You may even need to go round London at one point, and that’ll add 10 to 20 extra miles even though you’re only covering a small radius of area.

How Much Time Will You Need?

Even with an idea of the maximum journey length, it might not have quite dawned on you yet how long you’re going to be on the road for. 

Here’s a quick lowdown for you:

If you’re driving without stopping

About 14 to 15 hours in total. 

Going at the national speed limit whenever it applies, as well as using main roads as much as possible, 15 hours is about the max time it’ll take to drive from John O’Groats to Land’s End. 

On the other hand, if you want to take ‘the scenic route’, you could easily double that time. 

If you want to stop

This is where the journey time starts to get interesting. If you want to stop off at certain points, your journey time will increase exponentially. And frankly, there’s no real way to say how long the journey will take you overall. 

At the minimum, we can refer to that 15 hour average above. But if you’re also planning to stay overnight in certain places, you could easily turn a 1 to 2 day road trip into something that takes a week or 10 days.

Where Should You Stop?

You’re going to be on the road for at least 14 hours, and that’s just pure driving time. No one can drive for 14 hours without needing to stop at some point! 

You need to be able to stretch your legs and back, stop off to eat and refuel, or simply just take a moment to not stare at the road in front of you.

But where should you stop along the way? It’s up to you, naturally. But here are the unmissable sights in our opinion: 

Cairngorms National Park 

You’re most likely to come to the Cairngorms within a couple of hours from your starting point at John O’Groats. That makes it a good place to make your first stop, as there’s plenty of natural activities to get involved with – a.k.a., some great chances to stretch your legs!

Loch Lomond & The Trossachs

About an hour and a half down from the Cairngorms, you’ve got Loch Lomond & The Trossachs. This is another national park worth your time, and it’s only about an hour away from both Glasgow and Edinburgh, if you wanted to stay overnight in either city.

The Lake District

Once you’re over the Scottish Border, the Lake District is the first natural region you’ll come to. Although, you’ll find Galloway Forest Park on one side and Northumberland National Park on the other, both of which are beautiful areas to stop at if you fancy it.

The Peak District

The Peak District will take you into central England, and is only about an hour and a half from any of the national parks in the stop above. Plenty of small, historic villages to explore around here!

Exmoor National Park

You’ll be passing through cities like Birmingham, Worcester, Gloucester, and Bristol to get to Exmoor, all of which are great to explore. And once you’re in the Exmoor landscape, you’ll have moorlands, forests, and plenty of open night sky to gaze at.

Devon & Cornwall

You’re going to be stopping in Cornwall to get to Land’s End anyone, and you’re near enough to the end of your journey to be able to spend more time just exploring. 

And because of that, we highly recommend going round as much of Devon and Cornwall as you can. Check out Cool Cornwall for great spots to stop off at, or for a few fun activities you can book in advance. 

From North to South: Plan a Practical Land’s End Road Trip

Going from John O’Groats to Land’s End is quite the hefty undertaking. You’re going to be driving 800+ miles from your starting point to the end of your journey, and that’s a tiring distance to try and cover. 

If you can, take more than one driver on the journey with you, and take plenty of stops wherever you can. After all, the journey is the experience! 

Take in the UK’s beautiful natural landscape as you go, so you can snap that perfect Land’s End marker pic knowing you’ve experienced the best of the UK along the way. 

See more UK adventures here

Becky

Meet the award-nominated UK lifestyle blogger behind Spirited Puddle Jumper – a mum of three living in South East London! Becky shares the real ups and downs of family life, parenting tips, and lifestyle inspiration, proving that being a mum doesn’t mean you stop being fun or having other interests! Follow along for honest insights into UK family life and opinions on a whole range of topics, from travel and food, to beauty reviews, home and DIY, business and health and wellness.