Does anyone know where the mysterious 'Works Exit' junction lead to that's situated between J14 & J13 east bound on the M4? I've heard that it's some sort of secret nuclear bunker or even a missile storage site. The fact that the sign is permanent - and not a temporary flimsy ?works traffic? type only adds to the mystery.
The other day my curiosity got the better of me so I decided to take the exit. But I was quickly met with a large locked gate (not exactly 'works' traffic friendly!) and just an 'End of Motorway' sign. There was a police car near the gate also who was very keen on watching me, although he didn't actually talk to me.
Anyone in the know care to spill the beans?!
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Isn't it the driveway to the HJ mansion?
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A quick google found this:-
From site www.cbrd.co.uk/roadsfaq.shtml
"West of junction 13 on the westbound carriageway there are a set of sliproads signposted "Works Access Only". The signs have red borders, implying a military exit. It is a back entrance to RAF Welford, a WW2 airfield and now an RAF/USAF military installment mainly used for storing munitions. The M4 entrance allows easier access for the large vehicles used to carry the munitions. Some rumours also claim that it was here that the nuclear weapons were stored instead of Greenham Common, though this cannot be confirmed. Conventional munitions from here were used during the Gulf War."
And from site www.sabrearchive.plus.com/YourBESTmotorwayservices...l:-
"The "Military" signs you refer to on the M4 are between Hungerford and Newbury and lead to RAF Welford. When all the protesters were busy at Greenham air base a few years ago, I believe it was rumoured that cruise missiles were kept here."
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It's the entrance to RAF Welford, the largest US ammo dump in Europe.
You can tell it's military because the sign for the exit has a red MoD border.
Mike
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Thanks guys - now I know!
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For anyone sufficiently interested the multimap aerail photo of what I think is the area in question is linked below;- tinyurl.com/uu31
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Blimey - being an international terrorist is bobby's job now we've got multimap!
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Don't know if this post will stay or get censored but....some years ago I used to work in Swindon and regularly travel the M4. I was told the story by a former colleague who went hot-air ballooning, and the balloon came down on this site - for the last few minutes prior to landing, they were observed by a number of military personnel (with guns) who, on landing mmediately seized all cameras on the balloon and confiscated all the film from them. From memory, they were then escorted off-site including balloon to wait for their "rescue and pick-up" transport.
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Many sensitive sites are not even shown on OS maps.
Other well-documented sites are not all they seem......
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The other day my curiosity got the better of me so I decided to take the exit. But I was quickly met with a large locked gate (not exactly 'works' traffic friendly!) and just an 'End of Motorway' sign. There was a police car near the gate also who was very keen on watching me, although he didn't actually talk to me.
How did you get back on the motorway then?
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I thought this was an open secret.
Does anyone know what happened to junction 31 (between 30 and 32 there are no exits in either direction) around Cardiff? Or why there appears to be a slip road that used to be a junction but is no more somewhere in Wiltshire (I think)?
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Anyone ever been to Roswell?
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i think you mean the slip roads between Bath and Bristol (junctions 18 and 19). This should one day be junction 18a linking the M4 to the Avon Ring Road. Should have been completed about 8 years ago i think, and is needed to relieve the congestion at M4 / M32
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Hello King Arthur (great name!),
The 'exit' is a kind of short exit / entrance slip road. If you imagine a 'T' shape with a bowed top part - the top part forms short exit / entry roads to the M4. The upright body of the T is the short road to the locked gate.
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Ah I see. I think there's a similar one on the M40, south bound towards Stokenchurch - I noticed locked gates at the end of the slip road on that one but didn't notice any obvious exit route.
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Another candidate - Junction 45 of the M1 east of Leeds. This has been barriered off ever since the Motorway opened about 4 or 5 years ago. I made some enquiries and was told that it would be opened when a Leeds outer relief road was completed but I have no knowledge of such a road.
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This is the East Leeds Link Road junction
www.cbrd.co.uk/futures/pet/index.shtml
Mike
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That's for access to the replacement for Leeds Utd's ground, but given the state of their finances, we'll have flying cars by then. Sorry Tykes!
PS the law rather like to tuck themselves up there though!
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