I have to drive from Leics to Whitehaven, Cumbria tomorrow morning (leaving about 5.30 - 6am)
Have as usual when I have not done a journey before, looked up viaMichelin route planner and :-
1 Recommended route is M1, A50, M6 to Penrith then A66 to Whitehaven. Estimated time 4hrs 1 min.
2. Quickest (!) route M1, M18, A1 to Scotch Corner then A66 to Whitehaven - estimated time 3hrs 59 mins (a whole 2 minutes quicker than route 1!!
Any opinions as to best route?? (I know you will have!)
It's business not pleasure so scenery (and driving "fun" will have to wait for another time.
Thanks in advance
Phil
|
I'd definately use route 1, but i'd make that departure no later than 5.30 maybe 5.00 so you get past the Thelwall viaduct and M62 turn offs before the commuters have their statutory morning prang there.
Safe journey.
|
|
Another vote for route one. As GB says, get past the M62 junction early. After that it's a very pleasant drive.
|
Thanks chaps - good advice re M62 junction - was just saying to missus that that would be worst part of journey.
5-5.30 it is - better get to bed!!
Phil
|
|
|
|
That's a tricky one - might be worth checking for roadworks as a tie breaker. The A50 can be slow, as can the M6 north of the A50. Not much in it distance-wise. Other things being equal, I'd probably take the western route up, but if returning on Friday afternoon/evening I'd use the eastern one.
If you can do it in 4 hours without speeding, you're a better man than I am Gunga Din. 4.5 + a break, say 5 hours would be my allowance.
|
Still too much single carriageway on the A66 for my taste.
I've always found the A50 a very good road without too much slow traffic - depends no doubt on what time you're there. And it reminds me nostalgically of my first car!
|
If the weather's bad, avoid the A66.
I've always found the A50 to be a straightforward and very fast road to use - all the problems arise, if there are any, on the M6 until you get past Preston.
|
|
|
|
I drive to Whitehaven (from London) more often than I'd like to.
I never use the M1/M6. Always A1 to Scotch Corner and then A66. On average, I have found fewer jams and a higher average speed via Scotch Corner than going via the 'obvious' M6 route.
The A66 used to be very slow between Scotch Corner and Penrith, but there is not much single carriage way on that section now. Three additional dual sections opened in 2008.
As others have said - don't use the A66 in severe weather (gales or snow).
As you are starting at 6am, either of your suggested routes should be fine.
The roadworks on the A595 at Distington (just east of Whitehaven) are finally just about done - a new dual section has opened there - so that should not hold you up either.
|
option 1.
on a saturday the m6 will be ok, watch out for the nasty lancashire police mobile van starting from the m65 turn off along the m6.
|
|
heavy winds predicted , watch your overtaking , dont get suckered in ... undertake high siders if nessecary depending on the wind direction
|
Just got home!!
Some good points/advice above but I think the timing made it easier than "usual"
Gunga Din woke up early so set off at 4.20am and with 2 stops for coffee was there for 8.30. Didn't "speed" too much either either - indicated 75 on cruise which was 70-71 on satnav. No hold-ups whatsoever, A50 very quiet and didn't even get stuck behind any overtaking trucks. Got past Thelwall by 5.45 (I think) and then it was very quiet. A66 virtually no traffic until near roadworks mentioned above (Dislington?) near Workington but there wasn't a queue/congestion.
Coming back left at 5.50 and home by 10.10. Bit slow behind a couple of trucks in heavy rain on A66 but M6 (even from south of Preston to Stoke) and A50 clear. Two breaks for food/coffee at Tebay and Knutsford.
Long day but had several hours break in middle of day and even managed a couple of hours kip and a walk along piers/beach at Whitehaven in wind and rain - and a good breakfast at Tesco!
Amazing how lack of traffic makes driving so much less tiring - enjoyed it except for heavy spray/rain on A66.
Thanks for advice.
Happy motoring
Phil
|
Well done Gunga ;-)
I should have mentioned I'm always early...
|
"I should have mentioned I'm always early..."
There is a witty reply somewhere to that M - ......
but not instantly from me - but give me half an hour..........
|
|
....after the last mod has gone to bed !
|
|
|
|
|
What were the wheels - something nice ?
|
Z4M going North, Mini Cooper coming home.
I think the Z4M is worth far more than the 2 stars HJ gives it in CBC (but then he knows much more than me and has moe cars to compare it with and I was just cruising and have no idea whether the steering does get too light at 120mph!!!) but it would be in my top-few desirables-money-no-object along with Maserati 4200, Jag XKR, M-B SL55 and, perhaps surprisingly(?) AudiS3.
Mini also good - great handling, good performance in town and on motorway - good fun.
Phil
|
|
So were you delivering and collecting cars? I thought if more than 100 miles it is normally done on a low loader. My car (Mazda6) came from Leicester to Stockport - it was not driven.
|
"delivering and collecting cars?"
Yes, but neither were new - both 2 years old (but relatively low mileage for age).
I think the limit del mileage for brand new ones to customer is 100 miles (otherwise classed as "second-hand"?) - but then there are always some people who would prefer immediate delivery and will accept higher mileage, especially since transporters are more expensive (either to you or dealer).
These are cars going from dealer to customer or dealer to dealer if new or used - they are not brand new cars going to first dealer if you see what I mean.
gordonbennett probably knows much more about this than me - he's a very experienced transporter driver by the sound of it - I'm a relative "newby" to the job and I just drive individual cars.
I suspect that lots of people are now also buying cars through the internet and it may be sourced from a dealer far away from where they live - someone has to deliver that one car - unless you want to receive it with very, very few miles on it and pay for a low-loader. Maybe if you have saved thousands on cost of a car you won't object to an extra 100 or two on the odometer? Company expects very sensible driving and no extra miles - otherwise instant dismissal - hence I don't know what a Z4M is like over 75mph!
It's all a new world to me......
|
My car was brand new in Oct 07 and delivered on a small transporter (two cars). My old one had to go back. Both company cars.
Also got a Mazda6 delivered as a 48 hour demo - he had to get somewhere else so dropped him at the station.
Edit: I still like driving so wonder how it pays... just in case. I work in IT services.
Edited by rtj70 on 17/01/2009 at 00:27
|
PW, i did my stint at 'plating' back in the late 80's or early 90, i'd just been made redundant from a very good night driving job, and went on the plates on a small car delivery company until a transporter became available.
(The job there taught me the trade, and gave me a good grounding before transferring to one of the top companies).
Thumbing lifts all over the country and walking untold miles which i hope you don't do.
It feels rather strange now, as i have to pass platers by, if i get caught with unauthorised passengers its goodbye job.
RTJ, if everything goes in your favour the plates can provide a reasonable living, but i'm sure PW will tell you thats a very big IF.
Thumbing home 200 miles in this weather is no fun either, most companies do not pay fares, and often only pay for the actual miles delivered, you can easily cover 300 miles and get paid for 125.
The plates were a lucrative job back in the 60's and 70's, the chaps made more money on fares than wages, as thumbing around was easy then.
|
PhilW could you email me please? Address in my profile. Thanks.
|
gb, (and rtj)
You have it spot on - some of the "old-timers" tell me of the good old days when they would regularly earn £700 a week. Now they say they are lucky to earn half that and work more hours.
Problem seems to be (because fewer cars needing shifting) that you may have to travel to collect your first job of the day and then having done that travel again to pick up another. Since you are only paid for miles driven, you may drive (say) 200 miles in total on the jobs (4-5 hours) but spend that time again on buses, trains or walking to the jobs (and hanging around at bus stops/railway stations/dealers ("the paperwork isn't ready/we can't find the car/the car isn't paid for/it's at our storage facility/it's at our other branch 20 miles away")/car auction places/airfields where cars are stored/peoples houses when they specify a time for delivery but are "out" for an hour or so. As gb says, fares are either not paid or only a proportion is paid so that reduces your "profit". I would say that if you worked out the pay per hour it's not a very attractive job (after one particularly bad 14 hour day where a job fell through and I was stranded 200 miles from home I wrote on the bottom of the job sheet "97p an hour for a 14 hour day!!!!") but on the other hand there are attractions that mean I really enjoy it - I get to drive some great cars (I mentioned a few above), I get all over the country, every day is different, every day presents new challenges, I am (in effect) my own boss - I get given a job, how I do it is up to me etc.. and, of course "tomorrow will be a really good day"
However, in the present economic climate if I had to support a family and pay mortgage etc with solely this money I think I would be really struggling - yet from other platers who work for other companies, I seem to work for a good company.
Regards
Phil
|
Phil,
Still nothing showing in my inbox - I'm not ignoring you :-)
Dave.
|
Should be there now - I'm a slow typer!!
|
Replied, thanks. No more of these, or the mods'll notice ;-)
|
|
Shhh ! I think you woke one.
|
|
|
|
|
|
