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London to Inverness drive weather

560 miles, about 9 hours of driving via M6 and A9. The high point is Drumochter Summit at 462 m (1,516 ft), about 7 h 52 min in.

Distance
560 mi
Drive time
~9 hours
High point
462 m
Countries
England · Scotland

Next 7 departures

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

  1. TueOct 13

    ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 7–18°C along the way.

    Along the way
    Checkpoint · arrivalWeather · temperature
    London7 AM BSTPartly sunny18°C
    Milton Keynes8 AM BSTCloudy16°C
    Birmingham9 AM BSTHeavy rain16°C
    Stoke-on-Trent9:30 AM BSTCloudy15°C
    Warrington10 AM BSTLight rain showers15°C
    England–Scotland border12 PM BSTSunny14°C
    Glasgow1:15 PM BSTHeavy rain12°C
    Drumochter Summit2:45 PM BSTRain showers7°C
    Inverness4 PM BSTRain showers11°C
  2. WedOct 14

    ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 9–15°C along the way.

    Along the way
    Checkpoint · arrivalWeather · temperature
    London7 AM BSTPartly sunny10°C
    Milton Keynes8 AM BSTPartly sunny9°C
    Birmingham9 AM BSTPartly sunny10°C
    Stoke-on-Trent9:30 AM BSTPartly sunny10°C
    Warrington10 AM BSTPartly sunny12°C
    England–Scotland border12 PM BSTLight rain15°C
    Glasgow1:15 PM BSTCloudy14°C
    Drumochter Summit2:45 PM BSTLight rain11°C
    Inverness4 PM BSTCloudy15°C
  3. ThuOct 15

    ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 8–16°C along the way.

    Along the way
    Checkpoint · arrivalWeather · temperature
    London7 AM BSTPartly sunny14°C
    Milton Keynes8 AM BSTPartly sunny14°C
    Birmingham9 AM BSTCloudy14°C
    Stoke-on-Trent9:30 AM BSTCloudy15°C
    Warrington10 AM BSTCloudy16°C
    England–Scotland border12 PM BSTRain15°C
    Glasgow1:15 PM BSTCloudy11°C
    Drumochter Summit2:45 PM BSTCloudy8°C
    Inverness4 PM BSTCloudy12°C
  4. FriOct 16

    ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 6–16°C along the way.

    Along the way
    Checkpoint · arrivalWeather · temperature
    London7 AM BSTHeavy rain16°C
    Milton Keynes8 AM BSTRain13°C
    Birmingham9 AM BSTRain11°C
    Stoke-on-Trent9:30 AM BSTLight rain11°C
    Warrington10 AM BSTRain11°C
    England–Scotland border12 PM BSTSunny11°C
    Glasgow1:15 PM BSTSunny11°C
    Drumochter Summit2:45 PM BSTPartly sunny6°C
    Inverness4 PM BSTMostly sunny9°C
  5. SatOct 17

    ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 6–10°C along the way.

    Along the way
    Checkpoint · arrivalWeather · temperature
    London7 AM BSTSunny7°C
    Milton Keynes8 AM BSTSunny7°C
    Birmingham9 AM BSTSunny7°C
    Stoke-on-Trent9:30 AM BSTSunny7°C
    Warrington10 AM BSTSunny9°C
    England–Scotland border12 PM BSTSunny10°C
    Glasgow1:15 PM BSTSunny10°C
    Drumochter Summit2:45 PM BSTPartly sunny6°C
    Inverness4 PM BSTMostly sunny10°C
  6. SunOct 18

    ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 7–11°C along the way.

    Along the way
    Checkpoint · arrivalWeather · temperature
    London7 AM BSTCloudy10°C
    Milton Keynes8 AM BSTLight rain showers8°C
    Birmingham9 AM BSTSunny7°C
    Stoke-on-Trent9:30 AM BSTSunny7°C
    Warrington10 AM BSTMostly sunny9°C
    England–Scotland border12 PM BSTSunny11°C
    Glasgow1:15 PM BSTPartly sunny10°C
    Drumochter Summit2:45 PM BSTSunny7°C
    Inverness4 PM BSTSunny9°C
  7. MonOct 19

    ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 6–13°C along the way.

    Along the way
    Checkpoint · arrivalWeather · temperature
    London7 AM BSTCloudy13°C
    Milton Keynes8 AM BSTCloudy13°C
    Birmingham9 AM BSTCloudy13°C
    Stoke-on-Trent9:30 AM BSTPartly sunny13°C
    Warrington10 AM BSTCloudy13°C
    England–Scotland border12 PM BSTPartly sunny13°C
    Glasgow1:15 PM BSTMostly sunny10°C
    Drumochter Summit2:45 PM BSTPartly sunny6°C
    Inverness4 PM BSTPartly sunny8°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.

Drumochter Summit · 462 m 0 mi 560 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. Birmingham, EnglandMile 115 · 1 h 58 min 138 melevation
  4. Stoke-on-Trent, EnglandMile 154 · 2 h 34 min 134 melevation
  5. Warrington, EnglandMile 191 · 3 h 7 min 15 melevation
  6. England–Scotland borderState line · Mile 315 · 4 h 59 min 13 melevation
  7. Glasgow, ScotlandMile 394 · 6 h 10 min 24 melevation
  8. Drumochter Summit, ScotlandMountain pass · Mile 498 · 7 h 52 min 462 melevation
  9. Inverness, ScotlandMile 560 · 8 h 59 min 14 melevation

Typical weather by month

Average daily highs and lows, and days with 2.5 cm (an inch) or more of snow, at London, Birmingham and Inverness.

MonthLondon
London Heathrow station · 25 m		Birmingham
Halesowen station · 153 m		Inverness
4 m
High / low °CHigh / low °CHigh / low °C
Jan8° / 3°7° / 1°7° / 1°
Feb9° / 2°8° / 1°8° / 1°
Mar12° / 4°11° / 3°10° / 3°
Apr15° / 5°13° / 4°12° / 4°
May18° / 9°17° / 7°15° / 6°
Jun21° / 12°19° / 10°17° / 9°
Jul24° / 14°22° / 12°19° / 11°
Aug23° / 14°22° / 12°19° / 11°
Sep20° / 11°18° / 10°16° / 9°
Oct16° / 6°14° / 6°13° / 6°
Nov12° / 4°10° / 4°10° / 3°
Dec8° / 2°7° / 1°7° / 1°

1991–2020 averages computed from NOAA NCEI daily station records (GHCN-Daily): HEATHROW, UK (UKM00003772, 25 m); HALESOWEN, UK (UKE00105912, 153 m); INVERNESS, UK (UKE00105865, 4 m). Snow days are days with at least 2.5 cm (1 inch) of new snow. “—” 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 Inverness?

560 miles, about 9 hours of driving without stops, by way of M6 and A9. Fuel, food and rest stops add to that.

What is the highest point on the drive?

Drumochter Summit, at 462 m (1,516 ft). It comes at mile 498, about 7 h 52 min of driving after you leave London.

How cold is Inverness in January?

Inverness averages a high of 7°C and a low of 1°C in January (1991–2020 averages).

More drive weather

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London → GlasgowLondon → EdinburghLondon → NewcastleLondon → WindermereLondon → YorkLondon → LiverpoolLondon → Penzance