The only journey on this site that runs from one Odyssey base to the other, with our own cars and our own chauffeurs at both ends. About 200 miles. Four hours in decent conditions. Often enough the train is the better answer, and we will tell you so.
The route
The two roads
From the West End the M40 is usually the better start: out through Oxfordshire and Warwickshire, onto the M42 around the south of Birmingham, then north on the M6. It is the more pleasant road and the more predictable one, and on a good day it is quicker.
From the City, from north London or from anywhere near the A1 the M1 makes more sense: up through Northamptonshire and Leicestershire to Catthorpe, where it meets the M6. The M1 is the faster road in theory and the more temperamental one in practice, with long managed-motorway stretches that can drop to fifty miles an hour for reasons nobody on board will ever discover.
Both routes converge on the M6 around Birmingham, which is where the journey is won or lost. The toll motorway that bypasses the worst of it is sometimes worth taking and sometimes not, and a chauffeur who drives this several times a month knows the difference between a queue that will clear and one that will not. Beyond Stoke the road opens up and the last hour is straightforward.
We usually plan one stop. Four hours is a long time to sit, and five minutes somewhere civilised is better than arriving stiff. If you would rather run it straight through, say so.
Compared
| Door to door | Good for | Less good for | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chauffeur | About 3 hours 45 to 4 hours 30 | Luggage, several people, calls the whole way, a working car, multiple stops, an evening return, and having a car at the other end for the next two days | A single traveller with a laptop and no bags who only needs to be in central Manchester |
| Train | About 3 hours all in | Exactly that traveller: Euston to Piccadilly takes a little over two hours on the fastest services, with around sixty trains a day, and both stations are central | Anyone with luggage, anyone going somewhere other than the city centre, and anyone whose day changes at short notice |
| Flight | About 3 hours 30 or more | Coming from abroad and connecting, or an early start from a private terminal near you | A London to Manchester day on its own. Two airports, two transfers and security rarely beat the train on time, and almost never on convenience |
This is the honest version. For one person going city centre to city centre, take the train, and let us handle the cars at both ends instead.
When the car is the right answer
It is rarely about speed. It is about what happens either side of the journey.
Leaving London
The first forty minutes out of London decide the shape of the day.
Leaving Manchester
The M6 south and the approach to London are the two variables.
Either end
Request a quote
Where you start, where you need to be and when, and whether you are coming back the same day. If the train is the better answer for part of it, we will say so and quote for the cars instead. Nothing is booked or charged online.
Prefer to talk? +44 2030 048300 or WhatsApp, at any hour.
Questions people ask
Three hours forty five to four and a half in normal conditions, door to door. Overnight it is quicker. On a Friday afternoon it can be considerably slower, and we will tell you that before you book rather than afterwards.
If you are one person going from central London to central Manchester with light luggage, probably yes. The fastest services take a little over two hours and there are trains all day. Let us put a car at each end instead.
Yes. London and Manchester are the two cities where Odyssey owns the fleet and employs the chauffeurs, which is why this route is a straightforward one for us.
Often, and it depends on the hours involved. Tell us the shape of the day and we will tell you honestly whether it should be one chauffeur or two.
Yes, we can arrange a private flight, though on this route we will usually tell you it is not worth it unless you are connecting from abroad. See private jet charter.
Yes, including tolls and central London charges.
