A1 Route Guide: London to the Scottish Border
Is the A1 a motorway? In places. The road from London to Edinburgh changes between the plain A1 and the A1(M) several times in England, and it matters: the motorway stretches have numbered junctions, motorway rules and their own reports, while the A-road stretches do not. This guide sets out which is which, south to north.
The A1, stretch by stretch
| Stretch | Road | Places and junctions on it |
|---|---|---|
| St Paul’s to South Mimms | A1 | Henlys Corner (A406 North Circular), Fiveways Corner (A41 and M1 Junction 2), Apex Corner |
| South Mimms to Stotfold | A1(M), Junctions 1 to 10, 24.14 miles | M25, Hatfield, Welwyn Garden City, Stevenage, Letchworth, Baldock |
| Stotfold to Alconbury | A1 | The Black Cat (A421), St Neots, Brampton (A14) |
| Alconbury to Peterborough | A1(M), Junctions 14 to 17, 12.84 miles | Sawtry, Stilton, Peterborough |
| Peterborough to Blyth | A1 | Wansford (A47), Stamford (A43), Grantham (A52), Newark, Apleyhead (A57), Markham Moor |
| Blyth to Skellow | A1(M), Junctions 34 to 38, 15.13 miles | The Doncaster Bypass, the M18 |
| Skellow to Darrington | A1 | The short gap between two motorway sections |
| Darrington to Birtley | A1(M), Junctions 40 to 65, 93.27 miles | Ferrybridge, the M1 at Junction 43, Wetherby, Scotch Corner, Darlington, Durham, Washington |
| Birtley to the Scottish border | A1 | Gateshead and Newcastle Western Bypass, Morpeth, Alnwick, Berwick |
| Marshall Meadows to Edinburgh | A1 (Scotland) | Not covered by this site |
Where the A1 starts
The A1 begins at St Paul’s in the City of London. Heading north it meets the North Circular, the A406, at Henlys Corner. Beyond there it is Great North Way — still the A1 — to Fiveways Corner, where it crosses the A41. Fiveways Corner is also where the A1 meets the M1 at its Junction 2, but only in part: the M1 slips there allow a southbound exit and a northbound entry only. Next is the Apex Corner roundabout, and then the road runs on to the M25 at South Mimms, where the motorway begins.
Where the A1 used to be different
The road has changed. Near Huntingdon the A14 used to meet the A1(M) at Alconbury; since the 2020 scheme it joins the plain A1 at Brampton, and the old stretch has become the A1307. Junction 14 at Alconbury is still signed “A1 to A14”. In North Yorkshire the motorway between Leeming and Barton was completed in March 2018, joining up the northern section into one continuous motorway from Darrington to Birtley.
North of Newcastle
From Birtley the A1 takes the Western Bypass round Gateshead and Newcastle, then runs by Morpeth, Alnwick and Berwick-upon-Tweed to the border. Our reports stop there.
Reports for the plain A1 are on A1 traffic news; the motorway sections are on the latest A1(M) traffic news.