Measuring distances in the UK
In Britain, geographic and road distances are primarily measured in statute miles. Straight-line distance gives the true geographic displacement between two locations.
Using the Haversine equation calibrated to the British Isles, coordinates produce exact crow-flies mileage, metric kilometre conversions, and compass directions.
For driving journeys, road mileage is typically 20% to 30% longer than crow-flies distance due to road routing.
Worked example: London to Edinburgh
London (51.5074° N, 0.1278° W) to Edinburgh (55.9533° N, 3.1883° W):
Straight-line crow-flies distance is approximately 332 miles (534 km). Driving distance via the A1/M1 is roughly 400 miles.
Inputs for the UK distance calculator
Latitudes and Longitudes
Enter decimal coordinates for any two locations in the UK (e.g. 51.5074 for London).
CALCULATOR QUESTIONS
UK crow-flies distance calculator questions
How far is London from Manchester as the crow flies?
The straight-line distance between central London and central Manchester is approximately 163 miles (262 km).
How do I convert UK postcodes to coordinates?
Ordnance Survey provides national grid and latitude/longitude lookups for all UK postcodes.