Guide · 4 min read
October half-term 2026: traffic, dates and roads
Most of England and all of Wales break up for October half-term on Friday 23 October 2026, Northern Ireland has its Halloween break at the end of the same week, and most Scottish schools have already had theirs. Here is when the roads fill up, which routes carry the holiday traffic, and how to check what is closed before you go.
When is October half-term 2026?
| Where | Half-term |
|---|---|
| England (most councils) | Monday 26 to Friday 30 October |
| Wales (all councils) | Monday 26 to Friday 30 October |
| Northern Ireland | Thursday 29 and Friday 30 October (Halloween break) |
| Scotland | Mostly earlier: Glasgow 12 to 16 October, Edinburgh 12 to 19 October, Highland and Fife 12 to 23 October |
Academies, free schools and some councils set their own dates: Leicestershire, for example, breaks a week earlier. Check your school's calendar.
Because England and Wales share the same week, the getaway is concentrated: the same Friday evening, the same Saturday and the same Sunday back. In Scotland the October break is spread across the month, so the roads there see no single peak.
When the roads get busy
- Friday 23 October, from early afternoon: school pick-up, the evening commute and the first holiday departures on the same roads at the same time.
- Saturday 24 October, morning: the main getaway day for families heading to the coast, cottages and holiday parks.
- Sunday 1 November, afternoon and evening: the return, with the whole week's travellers heading home on the same day.
Midweek days inside the holiday are usually lighter than a normal school week, because the school run disappears. Days out to theme parks, cities and the coast still bring queues near the attractions themselves.
The clocks go back on the first Sunday
The clocks go back one hour at 2am on Sunday 25 October 2026, the first weekend of half-term. Sunset moves to before 5pm in most of the UK, so the drive home on Friday 30 October and Sunday 1 November will mostly be in the dark, at the end of a tiring week.
The holiday routes
| Heading to | Main roads |
|---|---|
| Devon and Cornwall | M5 south of Bristol, A30, A38, and the A303 past Stonehenge |
| South Wales and Pembrokeshire | M4 over the Prince of Wales Bridge, then the M4 and A48 west |
| The Lake District | M6, junctions 36 to 40 |
| Yorkshire and the North East | M1 and A1(M) |
| The South Coast and the New Forest | M3 and M27, M23 to Brighton |
| Airports and the Channel ports | M25, M20 to Dover and the Eurotunnel at Folkestone, M23 to Gatwick |
The live entries for these roads, incidents, roadworks and closures, are shown below, with the time of each update.
Roadworks and overnight closures
Planned closures carry on over half-term: it is not a bank holiday, and roadworks are not routinely lifted for it the way they are for Christmas and some bank holiday weekends. Most motorway closures are overnight, between about 8pm and 6am, so they mainly affect late departures and early-morning starts for the airport or the ferry.
Weekend full closures are rarer and are published in advance. Live Roads lists both, tonight's and this weekend's, from National Highways, Traffic Wales, Traffic Scotland and TrafficwatchNI.
Before you set off
- Check your route for closures tonight or this weekend.
- Look for weather warnings: late October can bring the first autumn storms, with high winds that close bridges such as the M48 Severn Bridge.
- Fill up before the motorway: fuel at motorway services costs noticeably more than the national average. Live Roads shows today's prices.
- Leave earlier or later than the peak: before 7am or after 7pm on the Friday and Saturday.
On the M5 and M4 and M6 and M1 and M25 and M3 and A303 and A30 and A38 and A1(M) now 272
- M25Accidentanticlockwise
M25 near J8 to J7, anticlockwise: Collision slow down
Since Wed 14 Oct, 17:10
Shown on National Highways signs (M25 anti-clockwise between J8 and J7): "COLLISION SLOW DOWN".
National Highways · updated 11 min ago
- M25Accidentanticlockwise
M25 near J8, anticlockwise: Collision slow down
Since Wed 14 Oct, 16:52
Shown on National Highways signs (M25 J8 anti-clockwise exit): "COLLISION SLOW DOWN".
National Highways · updated 11 min ago
- M5Accidentnorthbound
M5 near J8, northbound: Collision slow down
Since Wed 14 Oct, 17:06
Shown on National Highways signs (link road from M5 northbound to M6 J8 northbound): "COLLISION SLOW DOWN".
National Highways · updated 15 min ago
- M4Full closureeastbound
M4 J28 to J24, eastbound
Overnight 20:00–06:00, until Sat 17 Oct
M4 · Eastbound · J28 Tredegar Park to J24 Coldra · Roadworks · Road closed · Diversions in place · 11/10/26-17/10/26 2000-0600
Traffic Wales · updated 2 days ago
- M4Full closureeastbound
M4 J28 to J24, eastbound
Overnight 20:00–06:00, until Sat 17 Oct
M4 · Eastbound · J28 Tredegar Park to J24 Coldra · 11/10/26-17/10/26 2000-0600 · Clearance work · Closed · Diversions in place
Traffic Wales · updated 2 days ago
- A303Full closureeastbound
A303 between A3088 and A37, eastbound
Starts Wed 14 Oct, overnight 21:00–06:00
A303 eastbound Cartgate roundabout to Tintinhull carriageway closure
National Highways · updated 33 min ago
- A1(M)Full closuresouthbound
A1(M) J37 to J36, southbound
Starts Wed 14 Oct, overnight 20:00–06:00
Part of works on the A1: A1M southbound Jct 36 to Jct 35 carriageway closure
National Highways · updated 33 min ago
- A38Full closurenorthbound
A38 within the A5121 near Burton upon Trent (south) junction, northbound
Starts Wed 14 Oct, overnight 21:00–06:00
A38 northbound Branston between the entry and exit slip carriageway closure
National Highways · updated 34 min ago
- 264 less urgent entries not shown. All of them are on the live map.
Everything on the M5 →Everything on the M4 →Everything on the M6 →Everything on the M1 →Everything on the M25 →Everything on the M3 →Everything on the A303 →Everything on the A30 →Everything on the A38 →Everything on the A1(M) →
Questions
- When is October half-term 2026 in England?
- Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026 for most councils, so schools break up on Friday 23 October and go back on Monday 2 November. Some councils and academies use different dates.
- When is October half-term 2026 in Wales?
- Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026, in all 22 Welsh councils.
- When do the clocks go back in 2026?
- At 2am on Sunday 25 October 2026, the first weekend of the English and Welsh half-term. The clocks go back one hour.
- Are roadworks lifted for half-term?
- Not as a rule. Half-term is not a bank holiday, and overnight and weekend closures go ahead as planned. Check closures tonight and this weekend before you set off.
Live now
Sources
- School term dates 2026 to 2027· Welsh Government
- School holidays 2026/27· Department of Education (NI)
- October half-term 2026 dates by council· Wego
- When do the clocks change?· GOV.UK
- The Highway Code: rule 91, driving when tired· GOV.UK