I'll be driving from Sheffield to the Isle of Mull over the Easter weekend. According to the AA website the route is A57, M60, M6, M74, A82.
1. Does this look like the best route?
2. Does anyone have any advice on the best day/time to make the journey? I can travel any time on Good Friday, Saturday or Sunday and am keen to avoid Easter Weekend congestion.
3. Any suggestions as to good stopping points (transport cafes etc)?
4. Any well known speed camera areas?
Thanks very much in advance
Pete
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Assume your mainland destination is Oban for the ferry to Craignure. The route looks OK but a bit simplified. In practice you leave the M74 SE of Glasgow and follow City Centre then airport/Erskine Bridge, mostly on the M8, before taking A82 along Lomondside to Crianlarich then Tyndrum aftr which it?s the A85 for Oban.
An alternative is to follow M80/A80/M9 towards Stirling then via A84/5 through Callender to Crianlarich. More picturesque through the Trossachs, but road has been subject to flooding/landslides in recent months.
Timewise Good Friday on the M6 is probably best avoided.
The best services in England are at Tebay on the M6. Further north the ?Green Welly? just past Tyndrum is pretty good. And if you like Scots catering as it was 30 years ago there?s a timewarp café in the car park of a pub in Luss!
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I depends which side of Sheffield you are on. If you are near the M1, I would go M1, M62, M60, M61, M6, M74 then A82. Even if you go over the Snake Pass (A57) or Woodhead Pass (A616/A628)(preferrable) to the M67, I would still then go M67, M60, M61, M6.......it cuts off the corner at Warrington.
Once north of Preston (just after junction of M61 and M6), traffic should be light. Coming home on a bank holiday weekend will be a nightmare for about ten miles north of the M6 junction with the M55 (Blackpool).
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Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
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Is it still CalMac operating the ferry? Last time I was in Mull and the OuterHebrides (as a foot passenger and walking or hitching around the islands) in the late 1980's there was virtually no service on Sundays, worth checking service availablilty as there is bound to be a reduction on some days.
I seem to remember that this mostly affected Lewis/Harris but probably worth checking.
I would probably drive on the saturday, miss the rush on the thursday night/friday, avoid sunday issues and avoid the rush back on the monday.
StarGazer
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Still no Sunday service to Harris/Lewis, but Uig Lochmaddy now year round on a Sunday. Details at www.calmac.co.uk
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A very good, free, route planner can be found at
www.viamichelin.com. Despite being a French (obviously!) the UK routing is very good and will take you from one sepcific address to another, or at least one postcode to another.
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Thanks to everyone who answered my request. I think I'll go early Saturday am and I'll make sure I book a ferry place.
Thanks again
Pete
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