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M25.....


Mozman
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Yes...I know the M25 isn't in France. However, by far the worst part of our journey is on that road.

We live in Staffordshire in England, and Orbec, Calvados in Normandy. So we have a number of routes over to France which we use. Obviously the Dover Calais/Boulogne route is the cheapest. But its also the longest drive both sides the channel. And while the driving on the French side is hold-up free motorway all the way (tedious but efficient) that can't of course be said for the long trek round London and to the coast. We almost missed the Speedferry last time we crossed, and vowed never again to take Dartford way round the M25 to Dover. We only got on the craft because it was delayed. Horrendous tense journey....stuck in a queue for two hours.

Of course the alternatives are further west...we used to use P and O Portsmouth Le Havre. Trouble is of course that LD Lines don't have cabins on the overnight crossing and as a bad traveller I can't really cope with the arrangements (or lack thereof) very well. 

Brittany Ferries are of course rather expensive. Though it looks like we will use them this time because of the English Road system rather than anything else.

Transmanche is OK...not too big a drive on the French side, not too expensive either. But the dratted M25 looms large over this solution. What is it like these days going south past Heathrow round the M25? And is there a sensible alternative route for someone coming down from Oop North. (near Stoke-onTrent on the M6 is our point of departure.)

Would appreciate any advice....I do so wish someone would move London...its like a cork in a bottle stopping things getting through to the corner of England nearest France!

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Hi Mozman

Obvious answers are:

avoid weekday rush hour a.m. and p.m.

don't travel on a Friday if you can help it or on Sunday evening

pick your times carefully and I think you will find it is better around Heathrow now that they have widened the road and put in extra lanes

if you use the M1 (not sure you would[8-)]) and are heading for Portsmouth or Poole, come off the at the Silverstone exit and drive across to the M40, which is a much nicer motorway and cuts out the London end of the M1 and part of the M25

however, there are no guarantees [:(]

Bonne chance, bon courage et bon voyage [:)]

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I would agree with BN, I always cross Dover - Calais as its the cheapest and always early hours of the morning or very late at night, thus avoiding traffic in the UK.

I could never sleep on a boat, so may as well save the extra cash and get the journey done by car.

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Thanks for the replies....I wasn't sure if the work round Heathrow was finished so you have answered my question.

Problem is we are travelling on Friday so its probably a non-starter anyway. Bad planning...but then again work dictates things to a large extent.

I f we go to Portsmouth or Poole then we go down the A34 before joining the M3 at Winchester. It usually works OK.

I still have half a mind to go on Transmanche....but I'd heard their time-keeping was bad....and the ship docks quite late in England if its on time...so any big delay would mean us getting home at about 3 am!

 

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I can often get from Dijon to the Tunnel in a shorter time than from the Tunnel to Milton Keynes via M20, M25 and M1.

I have resorted, at times, to M20, M25, M11 to Cambridge, then cross country via Bedford to Milton Keynes.

Last visit, the trip from the Tunnel as far as the M1 was good but then an accident in the M1 roadworks forecast a 4 hour hold up, so off the M25 at J19 onto A41 towards Aylesbury then cross country to Milton Keynes.

Don't you just love English roads?

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Using the A14/M11 down to the Dartford crossing is the slowest route because it's mostly two lane and the Dartford bridge is usually busy.

Best route from Staffordshire would be M6 toll, M42, M40, M25 past Heathrow, M20 to ferry ports/tunnel.  Avoid rush hour and the M25 tends to be fluid, albeit slow.  We always allow an extra hour for unexpected delays, but we've never been held up.

Fridays are usually bad news everywhere in the UK. [:(]

 

 

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For regular users of UK Motorways including the M25 the Highways agency have introduced two very useful sites with upto date real time information. The first is a visual text based site and the second is a radio internet site.http://www.trafficmap.co.uk/  http://www.trafficradio.org.uk/map.htm 

A word of warning about long term roadworks on the M25 northern section due to road widening works between J25 Enfield and J26 Waltham Cross with 2 lanes closed and speed restrictions, the work will not be completed until December 2007. This area features on road reports every day with sometimes substantial delays.

Baz

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If there are jams near Heathrow you can come of the M40 at High Wycombe, follow signs for the M4 (the link is dual carriageway at least))join at Maidenhead then head toward London, come off at Windsor, follow signs for Staines and get on the M25 at Chertsey. Whether its worthwhile depends on the severity of the hold up. The AA give the detour as 28 miles and 44 minutes, where as the normal route is more like 30mins I think.

I think the route you were taking meant you would have come to a service station quicker,(comfort stops!) going the West side, its a long way- not sure if its Clacketts Lane or Sevenoaks that comes first.(Maps downstairs) Be prepared !

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Totally agree with Russethouse. I live in that "golden" triangle[+o(] and  always if coming back from up north use the Marlow bypass from High Wycombe down via the M4 to the M25. There are a number of detours and back roads which get you back onto the M25 at Chertsey, or even further down towards the A3 or Leatherhead if the traffic's really awful. I think the AA are being a bit pessimistic with their estimates of time. I've done the journey from the Wycombe turnoff of the M40 to the M25 J14 in anything from as little as 15 minutes early on a Sunday morning. Usually it's about 25 minutes or so (and I don't drive fast........). It will get worse at some point....read in our local free paper yesterday "Measures will be taken to tackle congestion....blah blah...most of the 3 lane sections on the M25 will be widened to 4 lanes in each direction...blah blah....On the M25, management will involve controlling motorway speeds and access onto the M25 at certain times of the day ....... Oh goody, I can hardly wait............[;-)]
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The M25 seems to be a daily "fall lucky".

The best advice here seems to be travel either very early or very late to cross London.  I choose the late option.  We cross on Speedferries about 20.30 so we are going through the Dartford tunnel about 22.00 when it is quiet.  Then I take the M11 and A1.

We have already done a fair few kilometres from Bretagne so we have started sleeping at Cambridge and travelling up to Yorkshire in style the next morning.

This next time, however, we sail about 10.00 in the morning.

I'm hoping they have adopted the French habit and are all à table....!

Last time we came back was the day the whole system ground to a halt because of a lorry on fire .......

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I'm hoping they have adopted the French habit and are all à table....!

 

LOL Alexis! it only takes a few minutes to stop at the services for a trip to the loo and to buy a sandwich.[B]

Last time we came back was the day the whole system ground to a halt because of a lorry on fire .......

Ah yes, a day etched on the memory of thousands of poor stranded drivers![:(]

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I use the M25 daily at all different times, joining at the junction with the M40 (J16) which would probably be the favourite route from Staffordshire.

On weekdays, provided you get on at J16 by 06:45 at the latest, I've found the anti-clockwise route fairly trouble-free.

Saturdays it comes alive an hour or so later and later still on Sundays. 

For reasons I've never understood, Friday morning traffic is significantly lighter,but of course Friday afternoon traffic is the opposite.

For the France trip, it's the Tunnel for us with frequent traveller 39pound ticket plus 20pounds supplement.

Would dread going go back to the boat/hovercraft.

Just my two-pennoth.

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Many thanks for the food for thought.....it will be a great help with planning. Also....I have saved those Traffic links to my favorites....very useful.

I think its clear that for many of us its the stretch to and from the ferry / tunnel in England that is the most stressful element of our journey. Its therefore useful and appropriate to keep updated on what's happening on British roads on this forum. People who live north of roads like the M25 don't tend to see the pattern of when the bottlenecks occur, or know the reality of roadworks....because they don't use the road regularly enough.  And national bulletins don't always tell the whole story.

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One warning about the anti clockwise route - as far as I know you would not pass a service station from the Silverstone turn off on the M40 until I think, Clacketts farm (or well round on the M25 anyway).....There a few sites on the internet that list places just 5 minutes away as well as service stations, might be worth googling before your trip.?

PS Yes I know - I'm obsessed !!! Nothing worse than needing the toilet and mile after mile of motorway ahead !!

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[quote user="Mozman"]

I think its clear that for many of us its the stretch to and from the ferry / tunnel in England that is the most stressful element of our journey. [/quote]

In fact I will go further than that - it is thestretch to the ferry that is worst as it has a deadline. I live slightly to the east of Staffs and the route to Dover can be xxx minutes + or minus an hour or two . 

The chunnel helps because if you miss one you can get on another, but it is still a stressful run. Which is why most of use use l-c airlines with such an impact on the environment. If only the trains joined up better than they do.

 

John

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