Another "how long?" thread! (This particular question doesn't show up in a forum search)
I need to be at Stansted to collect a friend at 19:00 on Thursday.
Although I use Stansted several times a month to fly to Sweden and several times a year to fly to the Czech republic, my finely honed outbound journey of exactly one hour from Aylesbury is conducted in the wee small hours on cruise control. I have no idea what to expect on a typical Thursday evening rush hour during term time.
I can guesstimate how long it will take me to get from Aylesbury to M25 J20 (A41/Watford) but would appreciate some guesstimates from regular users for the remainder of the journey to Stansted, please (say in two segments; M25 J20(A41) to J27(M11) and then M11 to Stansted). Pressure of work is going to make time very tight on Thursday and I don't want to leave sooner than I have to. Equally, I don't want to be late.
TVM
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This really is "how long is a piece of string."
I'd allow a couple of hours. You'll be travelling through teh worst part of the rush hour.
The alternative is have whoever you're meeting get on the train at Gatwick and collect him at St Albans.
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I read often, only post occasionally
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Thanks, spikeyhead.
I guessed two hours as well but thought that a fellow BRer might do this journey every working day and therefore have an "average" to quote.
BTW Gatwick ?! I assume this was a typo! ;-)
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A friend who lives in Redbourne has just recommended A41 from Aylesbury to Hemel, then M1-M10-A414-M11 to Stansted.
Reckon I'll give it a go; TomTom predicts 2 hours and 4 minutes versus my 1 hour exactly via the M25 at the crack of dawn but matey reckons it will still be quicker than the M25 at the time of day that applies this time.
We'll see; TomTom waypoints are now programmed ready for Thursday.
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The A10 is now all dual carriageway from M25 to A120. The A120 can be a little slow at traffic lighted junctions (Hadhams & ?)
Always my route of choice as there are plenty of options on the way! Better than sitting stationary on the M11 feeling helpless.
If you are feeling creative use A414 route as above,but turn left thro Hertford to Bengeo, then fork right (turning to the NE) and join the old A10 as far as the A120.
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pmh (was peter)
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TVM pmh!
Now with the benefit of a map in front of me the A10-A120 option indeed looks better than A414-M11 so I've amended the waypoints from A413/A10 to suit.
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BTW Gatwick ?! I assume this was a typo! ;-)
No, it was me having brainfade. The train does run direct from Gatwick to St Albans, much changing in London form Stansted. Teribly out of the way place that really doesn't deserve to be called a London airport.
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I read often, only post occasionally
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Reality report pse?????
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pmh (was peter)
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As I always try to do when I have received assistance, here's a report to say "thank you" and close the loop.
Left Aylesbury at 17:32.
Arrived at Stansted short term car park at 19:16.
That makes the journey 1 hour and 44 minutes long.
Aylesbury to the Hemel exit of the Tring bypass; the breeze it always is.
Hemel exit of the Tring bypass to the magic roundabout; about five minute's worth of queuing. Could have been worse.
Magic roundabout to M1 along the St Albans road; easy, just a few short queues at roundabouts but moving at 30-40 most of the time.
M1 to M10; a doddle. On the M10 itself, where was everybody else? A deserted stretch of road.
M10 to A414 to A1(M); busyish. A lot of traffic but moving freely save for a few roundabout queues.
A1(M); on this road for one junction, but it was chocka, chocka, chocka! Now know I didn't need to queue under the Galeria and crawl up a half coned off slip road like TomTom took me.
A1(M) to A414 to A10; easy! Again, surprised by lack of traffic
A10; this lovely dual carriageway was empty! It must also be quite new as TomTom (latest maps) thought I was ploughing the fields!
A120 to Stansted; easy peasy lemon squeezy.
All in all a surprisingly pain free and easy journey.
The best bit though was coming back; I decided to take M11-M25-A41 as by then it was 19:40 and on the M11 at least I would be travelling in the opposite direction to the heavier traffic. I was glad I did, because it was very free running and stress free. I even ran on cruise control. This wasn't why it felt good though; the M25 clockwise was queued, stationary, all the way from the A10 tunnel (J25) to the A1(M) (J23) - where I came off to take my guests on a spur-of-the-moment tour of London by night - and beyond. Total, utter, gridlock. I felt sorry for those stuck in it, but smugly grateful for the advice that helped me avoid it.
Cheers!
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M10 - I've never seen anybody else on the M10. I always (OK that's not *that* often, but...) use it when travelling from Dartford up the M1 - the M25/M1 junction is invariably troublesome, the M10 dead.
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Gosh,
Contrast your journey back, with mine last night.
Depart Newark Notts 18:30, south A1.
not a single jam.
Arrive M25 j23 20:10
A/c round M25 - non stop no jams
Arrive home (just off j11 M25) 20:55
thats 150 miles in 2h:25m
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Yes, RF, you were running a/c round the M25 like me hence the identical free run without a single jam (okay, I came off at J23 and you joined at J23, but we were going in the same direction). Pity the poor souls going clockwise though.
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>Stansted. Teribly out of the way place that really doesn't deserve to be called a London airport.
Tosh! I live a few hundred yards south of Tower Bridge. I can be weighing my luggage in within 40-45 minutes (provided I don't have to park the car) of stepping out of my front door without ever breaking the speed limit. Alternatively, 10 minutes by cab to Liverpool St, and half an hour on the train that runs every 15 minutes.
Gatwick???? Heathrow??? Might as well be on the moon.
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The obvious problem with the M25 j25 (A10) is that whereas there are three lanes anti-clockwise, there are only two clockwise. This forces traffic in the inside lane to filter to the right if staying on the M25 at the same time as traffic in the middle lane is filtering left to turn off, causing the massive hold-ups. If you look as you pass through the tunnel, you will see that by removing the grass central reservation and replacing with a single concrete barrier as is being done between junctions 12-15 right now, and then removing the space behind the hard shoulder and pushing that back, a third lane could be provided relatively cheaply. It was done for the anti-clockwise carriageway, why not the clockwise one?
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