Manchester to York road trip: Distance, drive time & best stops
The best road trip stops on the Manchester to York drive are Marsden Moor, Leeds and Lotherton Hall. The distance from Manchester to York is 74 miles, with a 1h30m driving time.
Finding the best things to do between Manchester and York
The Manchester to York drive takes you between arguably the two greatest cities in northern England.
Manchester is the de facto capital of northern England, with a strong cultural scene and proud industrial history.
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.
The historic walled city of York is one of the best places in Britain for visitors. Top York experiences include ghost walks, history-based walking tours, hop-on, hop-off bus tickets and chocolate bar-making workshops. For attractions, try the York Dungeon, York Cocoa Works, the Yorkshire Museum, Clifford’s Tower, the York Castle Museum, Jorvik Viking Centre and York Minster.
Visitors planning to cram a lot in may be better off investing in a York City Pass, which covers entry to more than 25 attractions.
Manchester to York distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Manchester to York is 74 miles. That makes for a driving time of around one hour and 30 minutes.
The quickest route is largely along the M62, M621, M1 and A1(M) then the A64. The best stops to add to a Manchester to York road trip are Marsden Moor, Leeds and Lotherton Hall.
Manchester to York 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.
Manchester to York drive: Leeds
In Leeds, the Royal Armouries is the big hitter attraction, 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.
Best stops between Manchester and York: Lotherton Hall
Lotherton Hall is a grand country house in Aberford, West Yorkshire. The Edwardian Hall has a reasonable collection of art and other treasures inside, but the grounds are the real winner.
If you’re going for a walk, head to the deer park, where Bambi and co will be ambling by.
Lotherton Hall is also home to Wildlife World, a small and not especially fascinating zoo.
More Manchester road trips
Darlington to Manchester | Manchester to Durham | Huddersfield to Manchester | Manchester to Hull | Middlesbrough to Manchester | Manchester to Newcastle | Runcorn to Manchester | Wakefield to Manchester | Warrington to Manchester |
More York road trips
Birmingham to York | Bradford to York | Darlington to York | Derby to York | Doncaster to York | Leeds to York | Middlesbrough to York | Newcastle to York | Nottingham to York | Sheffield to York | Wakefield to York.