Hi,
Next Thursday I need to travel from Edinburgh to Stansted (driving, not flying!).
I haven't done that journey for years and I'm not sure if the A68 or A1 will be quicker/better for the first part of the journey.
Any local knowledge most welcome. I'll be leaving Edinburgh approx 4.30pm on a Thursday evening.
Thanks
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I drive this route every Friday and Sunday and I take the A1 every time. Much easier road to drive, easier to pass if needed and occasional dual carriageway to speed things up even more.
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A68 is more scenic but A1 is quicker.
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A1 quickest and safest, watch for the many speed cameras!
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A68/A696 is quicker and faster and nicer and more fun. The A1 is 60mph and single carriageway for most of the route anyway. And there's NOTHING more depressing than driving north out of Edinburgh as the A1 forces you to.
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Agree with Mapmaker, but if you've got plenty of time, take the A68 all the way down through the beautiful Northumberland countryside then by contrast the bleak moorland of Co. Durham. You join the A1 near Bishop Auckland.
You also avoid Newcastle - with Geordies on this forum I wouldn't dream of saying whether this is a good or bad thing.
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. And there's NOTHING more depressing than driving north out of Edinburgh as the A1 forces you to.
Into the Firth of Forth?
I always thought the A1 went E/SE out of Edinburgh, at least it did the last time I looked.
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I regretted posting that. E/SE as you leave Edinburgh. THEN you head north to Dunbar. I find that very depressing, as one travels away from ones destination.
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Does it have to be either of these routes ?
I would go cross country A702 and pick up the M74, M6 then onto the A14 south of Brum onto M11.
Leaving Edinburgh at 4:30pm should mean you miss all major centres at peak time.
Out of your choices I would go with Mapmaker A68/then A697 joins the A1 at Morpeth but you will probably get stuck around Newcastle whether you go A1 passed the Metrocentre and Team Valley or A19 Tyne Tunnel.
Edited by gmac on 07/10/2008 at 22:43
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I agree with you gmac with one slight deviation. I would use the A701 via Auchendinny to Moffat rather than the A702. Stunning scenery and often quicker due to lower incidence of HGV traffic. Great driving road too.
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A701 is a cracking road if you're in the mood for it and have the right car/bike.
The Volvo is an A702 road car with two nippers in the back these days :(
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I used to live just off the A701 and owned a Westfield so I do admit to some bias.....
;-)
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Actually, when I come to think of it......you know that thing you see bob sleigh drivers doing before a run ? When they sort of imagine every turn in their heads in advance ? I can't stop doing that about the stretch between Leadburn and Moffat now ! 40 or so miles of driving heaven. Must have done it for real a couple of thousand times over the years. Nothing like that round here where we are now.
:-(
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Actually when I come to think of it......:-(
I never got use to drive it often enough to get to the point where I knew every bend. Usually drove it on a Friday night after a long drive up from west London heading to Edinburgh. No real reference points in pitch dark.
To the OP, the A68 through Northumberland is no longer classed as a major arterial route (even though it is still designated A class) and the standard of road surface reflects this. Last time I drove this road I just managed to avoid a crater in the road between Rochester and Byrness.
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Ask a question like this and get as many answers as there possible routes. Anyway, my twopennywortn...
Our favoured route from N. Yorks to Edinburgh used always to be A1 to just north of Morpeth then A697 through Coldstream to join the A68 and then onto Edinburgh. Once we tried coming back on the A68 through Jedburgh and it just seemed to go on and on and on and on for ever. However, last trip we used the A1 all the way there and back and found it much better than any of the 2 other routes we have used in the past.
Edited by Robin on 07/10/2008 at 23:12
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Although I would prefer the A1 to A68, I believe the best escape route from Scotland is the M74. It takes the same time to travel from Edinburgh to Abingdon using the A702 or M8 / M74, the motorway route being slightly longer. It depends if you want to go with the "sports car wind in the hair wonderful experience mob" or get from A to B with minimum hassle.
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Having consulted my satnav (set for fastest route) it always gives the M74 route for anywhere in the east of UK south of the A66/A1 junction at Scotch corner.
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Out of interest I looked on Multimap and Google maps.
Multimap favours A1 all the way (then A14 / M11) - 378 miles, 7 hrs 51 mins.
Google maps go A68 / A69 / A1 (also then A14 / M11) - 364 miles, 6 hrs 56 mins.
Strange discrepancy in timing - Google must be set for a faster driving speed!
I'm a little surprised that neither went for the A74 / M6 /M1 route: I love the A68 but would never claim it was the quickest route, given that Edinburgh is west of Bristol.
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Well, if you go for the A74 route - which I did wonder about, but I guess it depends where in Edinburgh you are coming from - then don't go M6 all the way to the A14.
The best route is the A66 Penrith to Scotch Corner, where pick up the A1. Googlemaps has this as 16 miles and 3 minutes longer than the A68/A69.
The M6 adds another 30 miles and 15 minutes (again according to the marvellous Googlemaps drag-and-drop system).
By the time you get to Birmingham you'll be fine, but at any other time of day the A50 - Stoke to Derby - is better than the M6.
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I'm doing a reverse version of this next week (sort of) from Durham to Edinburgh and the A68 looks tempting. A1 around newcastle is a joke and the A1 is a 60mph populated by tractors and slow lorries!
At least if I'm stuck behind a lorry on the A68 the views are better....
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Aye - but there are far more speed cameras on the A68 than the A1 - and the police hide in little dark spots on the A68. A1 - especially since they opened the extended dual carriageway from Haddington to Dunbar - can be pretty good. Worst spot is Metro Centre at 8-9am, 4-6pm and all day Saturday!
But the A68 can be very frightening - especially when you get overtaken by jet fighters that travel lower - and just a little faster - than you are driving!
But you also haveto get out of the Edinburgh roadworks first - and that'll be your greatest challenge!
Edited by grumpyscot on 09/10/2008 at 07:54
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