The road navigation thread.

[Brown, Jon Brow]

Following on from my parking ticket thread, you might have gathered I drove to London this weekend, but I was wondering what is the best route to London from North West England?

Your main options are:
M6 - M42 - M40
M6 - M1

or if you are north of Manchester:
M6 - M61- M60 - M62- M1 (as James May did in the Top Gear economy race)

or north Cumbria:
A66 - M1

Obviously a big factor is the area of London you are heading to and the time of day. The motorway signs advise using the M40 for west London, but as there were roadworks this weekend I took a chance on the M1 and used to North Circular, which was quiet at night but will be horrific at busier times...

So if you have a road journey coming up and are unsure what route to take, put your question to the great minds of this forum who will give your their input. :D

[D-Type]

Is there any way of avoiding the M6 around Brumm? I regularly go up to visit my son in Chester and haven't had a clear run yet.

[Brown, Jon Brow]

You could use the M5 on the west side of Birmingham?

[Rollo]

Best option is:
M1 - A50 - M6

The A50 is a surprisingly quiet road and skirts Derby and Stoke. Apart from a nonsense roundabout at Uttoxeter, a lot of it is grade separated intersections.
It also answers D-Type question of avoiding Brum.

The A50 even makes a passing mention on Pathetic Motorways in the article for the unbuilt M64, which it more or less de facto is.
http://pathetic.org.uk/unbuilt/m64/

[Brown, Jon Brow]

Is this just a theory or have you tried this route yourself?

[Mark]

All depends if you're prepared to spend on the M6 Toll but even then much of the M6 is best avoided.

I second the thought about the A50 otherwise use the A66. Long distance routing in the UK is fraught with bottlenecks and jams.

[Brown, Jon Brow]

All depends if you're prepared to spend on the M6 Toll but even then much of the M6 is best avoided.

I second the thought about the A50 otherwise use the A66. Long distance routing in the UK is fraught with bottlenecks and jams.

A66 from Preston would be a bit random.:p

But I've been to Silverstone with my brother from Carlisle and A66 - M1 is the preferred route.

[Rollo]

Is this just a theory or have you tried this route yourself?

I drove from either Blackpool or Liverpool down to London on a number of occasions. The whole run into London via Spag Junction is a nonsense and the M40 which is the other reasonable road was seemingly stuck in perpetual roadworks.
But it's been more than a decade since I was last in the UK; actual real world conditions will have changed by now.