Northampton to Birmingham drive: Distance, time & best stops
The best road trip stops on the Northampton to Birmingham drive are Althorp Estate, Rugby School and Coventry. The distance from Northampton to Birmingham by car is 55 miles, with a 1h5m driving time.
Finding things to do between Northampton and Birmingham
The drive from Northampton to Birmingham takes you through some unsung stretches of the English Midlands.
Northampton has plenty of attractive parks, but the highlight is arguably the Abington Park Museum. The museum is standard local history fare, but the estate surrounding the manor house is lovely.
Top Birmingham experiences include historic gangs walking tours that lean heavily on Peaky Blinders, public art tours, learning new skills at the Bear Grylls Adventure and exploring the Jewellery Quarter.
Northampton to Birmingham distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Northampton to Birmingham is 55 miles. That makes for a driving time of around one hour and five minutes. The quickest route is usually along the M1 and M6.
The best road trip attractions between Northampton and Birmingham are Althorp Estate, Rugby School and Coventry.
Northampton to Birmingham road trip stops: Althorp Estate
A ten minute detour off the M1, the Althorp Estate is home to one of England’s finest and most lavishly decorated stately homes. The Spencer family still lives there and tours are seasonal.
However, most visitors are going for the Diana connection. Althorp was Princess Diana of Wales’ family home, and her grave is on the estate.
Things to do between Northampton and Birmingham: Rugby School
Rugby School is a private school in Rugby, Warwickshire. There are public tours every Saturday at 2pm, which would be mildly interesting if it was just a case of looking at the handsome, historic school buildings.
It’s the playing fields that are truly historic, though. This was where William Webb Ellis picked up the ball during a football match, giving birth to the sport of rugby union.
Northampton to Birmingham drive: Coventry
Coventry is a historic city that took an unfortunate battering in the World War II bombing raids. It has a lively pub scene thanks, in part to a sizable student population.
Cathedral is the top attraction in Coventry. Other Coventry experiences include Cathedral Quarter history walks, more in-depth guided walks that look at Coventry’s track record for invention and flying a jet simulator.
More Northampton road trips
Northampton to Cambridge | Northampton to Coventry | Northampton to Leicester | Luton to Northampton.
More Birmingham road trips
Chesterfield to Birmingham | Coventry to Birmingham | Derby to Birmingham | Doncaster to Birmingham | Loughborough to Birmingham | Milton Keynes to Birmingham | Nottingham to Birmingham | Birmingham to Oxford | Rugby to Birmingham | Sheffield to Birmingham | Birmingham to Shrewsbury | Tamworth to Birmingham | Worcester to Birmingham | Birmingham to York.