London to Edinburgh - west or central route?

[parabolica]

Need to do this at the weekend; I've always driven the M40/42/6/74 route to the A702 and then gone cross-country to the south of Edinburgh.

Is the M1/A1 route any quicker? One of those things I've always wondered but decided against as I know the other route better. The west coast route will take me around 6-7 hours allowing for traffic.

[parabolica]

I live just a few minutes from the A40, hence my preference for the M40 route. Getting to the M1 would be maybe 30 mins.

[parabolica]

That's my fear about the central route. Great thing about the west route is from Manchester to the A702 the road is usually pretty quiet and you can make progress.

[parabolica]

Unfortunately I don't have the luxury of time; need to make it to Edinburgh by late afternoon in time for sister's birthday celebrations. Might come back south (in a few weeks) via Newcastle etc when I don't have any deadlines to worry about.