Manchester to Durham by car: Distance, drive time & best stops
The distance from Manchester to Durham by car is 132 miles, with a 2h24m driving time. The best road trip stops on the Manchester to Durham drive are Marsden Moor, Leeds and Mother Shipton’s Cave.
Finding the best things to do between Manchester and Durham
The Manchester to Durham drive connects the unofficial capital of northern England to one of its most attractive small cities.
The best ways of exploring Manchester are on a story-packed Rock and Goal walking tour, which pays particular attention to Manchester’s music scene and football heritage, or a river cruise.
Top Manchester experiences include the Manchester City stadium tour, treasure hunts, craft beer tours, Northern Quarter street art walks and cheese crawls.
Durham is a handsome little university city, made for amiable strolling. You can take a walking tour and food tour if you like. But its star attraction is Durham Cathedral.
The building, and the architecture, date back to the Norman era, although there have been a few stylised additions since. The ribbed vault of the nave was a truly audacious piece of design at the time.
Visitors can also tackle the 325 steps to the top of the central tower.
Manchester to Durham distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Manchester to Durham is 132 miles. That makes for a driving time of around two hours and 24 minutes.
The quickest route is mainly along the M62, M1 and A1(M).
The best stops to add to a Manchester to Durham road trip are Marsden Moor, Leeds and Mother Shipton’s Cave.
Manchester to Durham road trip attractions: Marsden Moor
The M62 crosses Marsden Moor, and there are several moody moorland walks available. The ten mile Standedge Circuit is the one for those want a vigorous workout, but the National Trust lists several alternatives.
If you just want a quick photo, however, pull over at the Buckstones car park on the A640. Sometimes known as Marsden View, you can see down to the Deanhead Reservoir from here.
Best stops between Manchester and Durham: Leeds
Yorkshire’s biggest city has several attractions worth a look. The Royal Armouries is the big hitter, with several floors of armour, weapons and warcraft. The Leeds City Museum is a thoughtfully presented all-rounder, and the expansive Roundhay Park offers a series of gorgeous gardens.
The best Leeds activities include food tours that visit top local restaurants and Emmerdale filming locations bus tours.
Manchester to Durham drive: Mother Shipton’s Cave
Mother Shipton’s Cave in Knaresborough claims to be Britain’s oldest tourist attraction. You can take that with a pinch of salt, of course.
The walk through the forest up to the cave is arguably more appealing than the cave itself, but Mother Shipton’s Cave is all about the stories. The tale goes that a prophetess was born in this cave in 1488. She supposedly went on to predict the Great Fire of London and Spanish Armada. Again, take all of this with a pinch of salt, but enjoy the hokum.
More Manchester road trips
Darlington to Manchester | Huddersfield to Manchester | Manchester to Hull | Middlesbrough to Manchester | Manchester to Newcastle | Runcorn to Manchester | Wakefield to Manchester | Warrington to Manchester | Manchester to York.