Dear all
I have to drive from North Norfolk to just East of Reading next Tuesday, to arrive early evening (around 5.00 pm). I'm leaving at least 4 - 4 1/2 hours to get there.
Since it has been years since I did this journey, would I be better off trawling round the M25 from the M11 to the M4; or cutting across from the A11 at Cambridge to Baldock and onto the A1, then M25 - M4; or attempting what I used to do 15 years ago and cutting across via the back of Hemel / St Albans and finding my way down to Berks via High Wycombe / M40 / Marlow - or ??
Any advice appreciated!
Davros
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Ask www.Viamichelin.com It will give you some ideas and you can print out turn by turn directions if you like the riuye they offer.
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Coming off the M11 and aiming for Baldock and the A1, then M25, is I think marginally quicker than M11 right down to the M25, and it will be quite a lot quicker once they've finished the Baldock bypass, which has taken 50 years of faffing about to achieve. At least Royston is properly bypassed.
Also late last year the dictators were digging up the M25 between A1 and M11 - I haven't been that way since October so maybe that has finished? Someone will be along to tell us - one of the great benefits of this forum is that someone somewhere has 'been there'!
I live east of Reading and depending on exactly where you're going, turning off M25 at J16 for M40, then A404 Marlow bypass, then A4 towards Reading, is better then using the M4.
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Coming off the M11 and aiming for Baldock and the A1, then M25,....
Is the route I use and not found it a problem except Baldock.
As you approach the central cross roads you can turn left at the lights A507 Clothall Rd then a right at the first significant turning then left at Tesco roundabout. This cuts out the queue towards main street. Check it out on Michelin. I live east of Reading and depending on exactly where you're
going, turning off M25 at J16 for M40,then A404 Marlow bypass, then A4 towards Reading, is better then using the M4.
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Totaly agree. A much better route. Total avoidance of the M4 and a chunk of the M25 even thought the M25 widening is completed.
The queue on the A404 will be towards the M40 and I have not found any significant traffic on the A404 just a small back up at the Marlow roundabout.
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Latter is recommended (Baldock ->A1, M25, M4). I do this journey a couple of times every week (Norwich back to Watford). The time you have chosen makes the difference. M11 southbound to M25 will be busy (Cambridge to London commuters etc). However, southbound A1 will be fairly traffic free until you reach M25 junc. Expect some delays going West on M25 towards Heathrow. Once you come off to M4 (reaching M4 junctions would be the worst due to Terminal 5 road works on M25), you should be o.k.
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Thanks for the advice
As Avant says, the Baldock bypass is a fiasco - I remeber using a cross-country wiggle to avoid the queues back in 1980-something. Hope I can remember it next week!
Rgds
Davros
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Yes, you can turn right off the A505 if there's a huge queue even before the A507 turning. Double back and go for Ashwell, then Hinxworth, then out to the A1. Even with satnav, there are times when you can't beat the 1.5 inch Navigator atlas (or an Ordnance Survey map of course).
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Did the reverse journey and used motorways as far as possible (M4, M25, M11) - had a great run both ways, but it was a weekend and traffic was light to medium. Might not be the same mid week.
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