This dataset is free to download without registration. It is reviewed and updated twice annually, normally in March and September, with stable column names wherever possible.
SHA-256: b5989d19b34a309ffba164e6164e8ec6b7413eb126ef91e58c22c2554fa64b02
Data preview
| border pair | rank | start place | end place | distance miles | start place url |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England-Wales | 1 | Llanymynech | Pant | 1.388 | https://postcodesuk.com/wales/powys/llanymynech-powys |
| England-Wales | 2 | Dodleston | Rossett | 1.863 | https://postcodesuk.com/england/cheshire/dodleston-cheshire |
| England-Wales | 3 | St Arvans | Woodcroft | 1.96 | https://postcodesuk.com/wales/monmouthshire/st-arvans-monmouthshire |
| England-Wales | 4 | Llandogo | St Briavels | 2.478 | https://postcodesuk.com/wales/monmouthshire/llandogo-monmouthshire |
| England-Wales | 5 | Garden City | Saughall | 2.555 | https://postcodesuk.com/wales/flintshire/garden-city-flintshire |
Data dictionary
- border_pair
- England-Wales or England-Scotland ranking group.
- rank
- Rank within the border group.
- start_place
- First place.
- start_county
- First county.
- start_country
- First country.
- start_latitude
- First latitude.
- start_longitude
- First longitude.
- end_place
- Second place.
- end_county
- Second county.
- end_country
- Second country.
- end_latitude
- Second latitude.
- end_longitude
- Second longitude.
- distance_miles
- Great-circle distance in miles.
- distance_kilometres
- Great-circle distance in kilometres.
- distance_metres
- Great-circle distance in metres.
- distance_feet
- Great-circle distance in feet.
- initial_bearing_degrees
- Initial bearing from first to second.
- start_place_url
- Permanent first-place page.
- end_place_url
- Permanent second-place page.
Methodology and sources
Every built-up-place pair on opposite sides of the England–Wales or England–Scotland national boundary is compared by great-circle distance. The 500 shortest pairs for each border are published. This does not require the places themselves to touch the legal boundary.
- Postcodes UK towns and places directory
Source datasets change over time and can contain omissions or revisions. Verify operational, admissions, financial or safety-critical decisions with the responsible authority.
Licence and suggested attribution
You may use this compilation for research, analysis and publishing with attribution to Postcodes UK and compliance with the applicable underlying source licences. The download does not transfer or override third-party rights.
Suggested attribution:
Source: Postcodes UK (postcodesuk.com), “Closest Places Across Britain’s National Borders”, September 2026, https://postcodesuk.com/data-downloads/closest-places-across-national-borders. Derived from Postcodes UK location data and the named source datasets; underlying source rights and attribution statements apply.
Office for National Statistics and other public-sector information is used under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Postcode geography may contain Ordnance Survey and Royal Mail rights. HM Land Registry aggregates are derived from Price Paid Data. School fields derive from Department for Education and Ofsted sources.