The guide
London to Manchester, Birmingham and Scotland: What the Route Actually Costs in full
Why the day count matters more than the mileage
A driver may not simply keep going. Drivers' hours rules cap daily driving, and a long-distance move is not just driving — it is two or more hours of loading before the engine starts and the same again at the other end.
That is why 250 miles is the practical line. Below it, a normal-sized load leaves London in the morning and is unloaded the same evening. Above it, forcing a same-day finish means either an unsafe day or a rushed unload in the dark, and we will not quote for either.
The Midlands: Birmingham, Nottingham, Bristol
The easiest long runs out of London. Birmingham and Bristol are both about 120 road miles, Nottingham 130, and all three are comfortable same-day jobs — loaded by late morning, unloaded by mid-afternoon.
A 2-bed to Birmingham is £440, to Nottingham £455. A 3-bed to Birmingham is £570 — six crew hours plus the mileage.
- Birmingham — 120 miles, 2 hrs 30, same day, 2-bed £440
- Bristol — 120 miles, 2 hrs 30, same day, 2-bed £440
- Nottingham — 130 miles, 2 hrs 45, same day, 2-bed £455
- Cardiff — 150 miles, 3 hrs 15, same day, 2-bed £485
The North: Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Sheffield
Two hundred miles either side. These are still same-day runs for anything up to a 3-bed, provided the load starts early — which means confirming parking the week before rather than the night before.
A 2-bed to Manchester is £560, to Leeds £555 and to Liverpool £585. A 4-bed to Manchester is £820 — eight crew hours, three movers and an 18-tonne lorry.
- Sheffield — 165 miles, 3 hrs 30, same day, 2-bed £510
- Leeds — 195 miles, 4 hrs, same day, 2-bed £555
- Manchester — 200 miles, 4 hrs, same day, 2-bed £560
- Liverpool — 215 miles, 4 hrs 15, same day, 2-bed £585
The long ones: Newcastle, Edinburgh, Glasgow
Beyond 250 miles the job becomes a two-day run with an overnight stop, and the overnight is a published add-on rather than a surprise. Your load stays sealed on the lorry, which is alarmed and insured overnight.
A 2-bed to Newcastle is £690, to Edinburgh £860 and to Glasgow £875. The mileage half dominates on these routes, which is why a small load going to Scotland is better value per mile than almost any other move we run.
- Newcastle — 285 miles, 5 hrs 30, two days, 2-bed £690
- Edinburgh — 400 miles, 7 hrs 30, two days, 2-bed £860
- Glasgow — 410 miles, 7 hrs 45, two days, 2-bed £875
Where in London you start changes the mileage
North London joins the M1 or A1(M) almost immediately, so Leeds and Newcastle runs start cleanly. West London sits on the M4 and M40, which is why Bristol, Cardiff and Birmingham are quick. South London crosses the M25 first, adding genuine miles to any northbound run, and east London adds orbital distance via the M11 or A12.
We measure from your postcode rather than from a notional centre, so those differences show up in your price instead of being averaged into someone else's.
Booking the right day
Long-distance lorries are committed for a whole day or two, so the diary fills differently from local work. Midweek in the middle of the month is the easiest to book and the least likely to be disrupted by a chain.
If your completion is a Friday, book earlier than feels necessary. Friday is the single most contended day in UK removals and there is no way to conjure a lorry the week before.