The bank holiday weekend. Staying off the main roads

[SteveA30]

Part 375
5pm. Had a traditional roadside picnic at Brent Knoll, where a green Morris Minor Traveller loaded with luggage, passed slowly by, for the third time. Obviously determined to do their journey to the West Country in an authentic car, on authentic routes and with authentic congestion. Such dedication.

Most re-joined the M5 at Edithmead. Whether the A38 or A370 were quicker is debatable but, at least they offer various stopping places en route, from laybys to garage/coffee stops to pubs or cafes.

6pm, still slow on the M5 as far as the Bridgwater viaduct over the River Parrett, where it suddenly freed itself and normal service was resumed onwards. This is exactly the same spot that the s/bnd queue ended at 8am. Most strange.

[Norfolktolancashire]

Part 375
5pm. Had a traditional roadside picnic at Brent Knoll, where a green Morris Minor Traveller loaded with luggage, passed slowly by, for the third time. Obviously determined to do their journey to the West Country in an authentic car, on authentic routes and with authentic congestion. Such dedication.

Most re-joined the M5 at Edithmead. Whether the A38 or A370 were quicker is debatable but, at least they offer various stopping places en route, from laybys to garage/coffee stops to pubs or cafes.

6pm, still slow on the M5 as far as the Bridgwater viaduct over the River Parrett, where it suddenly freed itself and normal service was resumed onwards. This is exactly the same spot that the s/bnd queue ended at 8am. Most strange.

I drove along the A39 between Bridgewater and Minehead the other day for the first time in years and noted how much traffic uses it, a lot! And it is an awful road with lots of queues in the villages.
Therefore some of the M5 southbound traffic must leave at Bridgewater to travel west.

I don't know which is the quickest route southwest between the M5 Gloucester and Bridgewater on these days. I have tried all sorts of routes, including:-

M5 M4 M49 M5

M5 M4 M48 A403 M5

M5 M4 M32 A38 M5

M5 A38 A403 M5

M5 (very narrow minor road between J19 and J20) M5!

M5

As long as the M5 is not actually blocked/closed I think the best way is to remain on it southbound.

[RichardA35]

...Obviously determined to do their journey to the West Country in an authentic car, on authentic routes and with authentic congestion. Such dedication.

Revisiting journeys from the past, I travelled from Dorchester to Solihull yesterday completely on A roads and still took only 4 hours which is probably only 30-40 minutes longer than a clear run using motorways that couldn't be guaranteed on a bank holiday.
For the curious, I took A354 to Coombe Bissett, unnamed road to A3094 to Wilton on Salisbury western bypass, A36 then unnamed road to A360 across A303 queues to B3086 then unnamed road to Durrington via Larkhill. A345 to Upavon, unnamed road on Pewsey western bypass then A345, A4 into Marlborough, A346, A419 to Cirencester then A429 to M40 J15, across onto A46, then old A41 to Solihull and no jams or holdups in my direction for 155 miles.

[haymansafc]

I was down in Ipswich on Sunday and returned home yesterday afternoon. With regards to traffic? Well, heading down we ended up sitting stationary on the A14 between junctions 2 and 3 because of this. Luckily, it wasn't for long. 15/20 minutes maybe, as the accident was on the other carriageway... I should have footage on my dashcam of the helicopter sitting on the closed west/northbound carriageway but it's not been checked or uploaded as of yet.

The 40mph section now in place in and around Cambridge Services was moving fairly well but it's quite a long section to do 40mph along (thank heavens for cruise control).

Other than that, it was a decent run-down on Sunday and we made good time.

Yesterday? I had a quick pit stop at Cambridge Services for coffee (£1.75 for an Americano at KFC - not bad value given the amount you get and being at a service station... ) as I never stopped there on the way down (unusual for me to pass it). The rest of the A14 was fine. I hit what I can only describe as near-monsoon conditions on the M6 Toll. The heaviest of traffic, unusually, was once I pulled off the M6 onto the A5. That was busy and so was the A41 . A lot of it was done at 45/50mph due to slower vehicles in front. Luckily, most had turned off by the time I got to Whitchurch.

I will share the best bits of the footage of this drive over the coming days in the 'Roads Videos' thread, once everything is processed and edited correctly.

[SteveA30]

Yes, the Coombe Bissett road is a useful bypass for Salisbury from Blandford, popular with locals. Haven't done the Larkhill bit but, the A roads north from Durrington, are quiet all year round. Haven't been squashed by a tank yet!
There is a potential N-S bypass for Marlborough, along the old MSWJR rail line, now a cycle track I think. Leaving the A346 at Ogbourne Maizey (no rbt), passing under the A4 (possible north facing slips, if enough space in the cutting), re-joining the A346 at an existing rbt where a new road already uses the trackbed.

[SteveA30]

M5 A38 A403 M5

As for the M5 overspill, I had thought that the A403 may be the best option, avoiding Bristol altogether, although not Avonmouth. Many were escaping the M5 at Stonehouse J13, even though it was flowing well there when I took a look around the rbt. I can only assume that Satnavs warn of problems ahead. (I naturally, don't have one) The rail bridge rebuilding lights were just bad luck but, the 4 signalised junctions around Thornbury will always mess up their plans. Taking the B4061 and B4461 would go directly to Aust and the A403 to the A4. Trouble is, crossing the Avon. M5, Clifton Bridge or Cumberland Basin. You could try the M5 and, if it is still stuffed the other side, which it will be with the hills ahead, take the A369 to A370 or, to Portishead then, the B3124 to Clevedon, a busy rat run for locals, when I used it last August. Ironic, locals using B roads to avoid the M5, when they must have done the same in the past to avoid the A38.

Full frontal coverage in Roadhog, 45 pics in all. Queue here.

[Norfolktolancashire]

M5 A38 A403 M5

As for the M5 overspill, I had thought that the A403 may be the best option, avoiding Bristol altogether, although not Avonmouth. Many were escaping the M5 at Stonehouse J13, even though it was flowing well there when I took a look around the rbt. I can only assume that Satnavs warn of problems ahead. (I naturally, don't have one) The rail bridge rebuilding lights were just bad luck but, the 4 signalised junctions around Thornbury will always mess up their plans. Taking the B4061 and B4461 would go directly to Aust and the A403 to the A4. Trouble is, crossing the Avon. M5, Clifton Bridge or Cumberland Basin. You could try the M5 and, if it is still stuffed the other side, which it will be with the hills ahead, take the A369 to A370 or, to Portishead then, the B3124 to Clevedon, a busy rat run for locals, when I used it last August. Ironic, locals using B roads to avoid the M5, when they must have done the same in the past to avoid the A38.

Full frontal coverage in Roadhog, 45 pics in all. Queue here.

Last year on a bank holiday Saturday I came off the M5 at Stonehouse and used the A38 southbound but the traffic lights along this route do not take into account the extra traffic (understandably) so I did use the minor roads to reach Aust.

Of course it is always a good excuse to look at the two Severn Bridges along the way!

In the past I have used the minor roads through the Somerset Levels after crossing the Avonmouth Bridge and past Clevedon, however the time taken in these detours were not worth it, although it is pleasant scenery.

Maybe if the hydro electric barrage is built between South Wales and the Somerset North coast there will be another way to travel into the SW.

[SteveA30]

The last westbound pilgrimage of the high season, on Saturday and, the Exeter bypass is reborn.

A quiet homeward day today but, with a full week still to go, Friday and Saturday should be packed on the M5 and A303.

[multiraider2]

Not a bank holiday but half-term for most schools. I've taken this week off and had a long weekend in Somerset. I should have stayed off the A361 heading for Glastonbury as it is closed for nine days. I'll report more on that in another "Navigational Errors" thread.

Coming back from Bath, I thought I would head for the M4. I took the A36 and A4 to the A46 and thence to Junction 18 of the M4. Observations: It wasn't "rush hour" and before 4 pm leaving, but I guess late enough so that traffic had increased to make it a rubbish route. The A4 London Road was very congested but the first part of the A46, on the dual carriageway, suggested an escape. But that was an illusion. The roundabout junction with the A420 at Cold Ashton caused long queues (a few cars on the A420 waiting so this suggests the junction is not working as it should. I am aware that this was previously a traffic light junction, but was it worse then?) Latterly I waited about five light changes to get onto the M4 at Junction 18 because of traffic blocking the roundabout exit due to queing traffic on the A46 southbound. It needs a box junction here or somthing to stop this poor discipline.

The M4 itself was uneventful, but at Junction 4B it was clear that the M25 anti-clockwise was going nowhere very fast and I decided to continue to the end. Another mistake in hindsight. Why are so many people trying to get into Central London at 6.30 pm on an early day of the week? I would have thought the majority of the traffic would be heading out of town. But it seemed not. Perhaps others were also diverting like me. I managed to get from the A4 to the Thames relatively unscathed, but south of the river was another matter. I wanted to see some of these routes before as never experienced. But once tried, never again.

Today, I was much more comfortable on a familiar and mostly non A road route to Sussex, which I extended to the coast.

Shown here

[multiraider2]

It's bank holiday time again, the weather is warming up over the next couple of days and that surely means its time for jams on the road! Lovely. I've got a trip this Friday with my family to meet my sister and family, this time at Sissinghurst.

I know the A21 has been improved Tonbridge to Pembury, but Kipping's Cross to Lamberhurst has "potentially awful" still written all over it and so jamming back onto the dual carriageway. I would need to turn off at Lamberhurst for the A262. So I'm tempted to look at the new dualling for the first time, but not that tempted. I'll probably do this.

Edited. Kipping's Cross of course. Don't know why I was thinking about cakes.

[DB617]

I'm tripping from Cardiff to Sheffield for the Crucible (why in the name of all that is holy does World Snooker hold their first round over the bank holiday from Hell?) on Thursday with an overnight stop in Derby as I'm expecting the Birmingham Box to be a place of pain and bladder torture. Still, Thursday has got to be better than the actual bank holiday as most people cannot have bunked off work. Original plan was direct Sheffield on Friday M50-M5-A46-M69-M1 but that seemed like it was going to end in tears. Now going M50-M5-M42-A38.

[multiraider2]

The potentially worst spots for hold ups this Easter have been identified by the RAC

BBC news report

[Euan]

The potentially worst spots for hold ups this Easter have been identified by the RAC

BBC news report

With the good weather expected over the Easter weekend I don't know if I would want to be anywhere near a shopping centre or a retail park, so you can count on me being an unlikely contributor to the congestion around places like that.

I can understand why the roads are expected to be busy for a much shorter period on Easter Sunday when people tend to spend more time with each other rather than travelling.

I would be a bit wary about suggesting alternative routes to main roads absolutely anywhere, especially if it would involve S1 roads with only passing places and lots of blind summits and tight bends which might be tricky to negotiate if there are more than two cars on the road close to each other.

[SteveA30]

The good weather bodes well for a bumper (to bumper) day tomorrow. An earlier start than normal I think. Monday should be particularly concentrated as most of England except the West Midlands, apparently, return to school on the Tuesday. Wales has a further week as well.

[IAN]

I don't know if I would want to be anywhere near a shopping centre or a retail park

it's worth noting that in England large shops have to close on Easter Sunday so these areas and surrounding roads should be ok.

Ian (M5 Driver)

[Euan]

I don't know if I would want to be anywhere near a shopping centre or a retail park

it's worth noting that in England large shops have to close on Easter Sunday so these areas and surrounding roads should be ok.

Ian (M5 Driver)

Yes, as I've said before Easter Sunday itself shouldn't be too bad on the roads. It's tomorrow and Saturday that will be particularly busy.

[Norfolktolancashire]

I've got a trip to near Neston in the Wirral this afternoon, looks crowded on the M56 going towards North Wales already. Might try the Liverpool route as less commuter traffic today, now which tunnel do I use this time?

[Graham]

Why in the name of all that is holy does World Snooker hold their first round over the bank holiday from Hell?

I think that is just coincidence - the Snooker World Championships are timed to finish on the May Day bank holiday. It is only because Easter is so late this year that they are also starting on a bank holiday weekend!

[Robert Kilcoyne]

Why in the name of all that is holy does World Snooker hold their first round over the bank holiday from Hell?

I think that is just coincidence - the Snooker World Championships are timed to finish on the May Day bank holiday. It is only because Easter is so late this year that they are also starting on a bank holiday weekend!

The 2011 World Snooker Championships (16 April 2011 to 2 May 2011) started a week before Easter as Easter Sunday fell at almost the very latest date possible (24 April). As a result, there were two consecutive bank holiday Mondays (25 April and 2 May). To complicate matters further, Friday 29 April 2011 was the date of the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, and that was also designated as a bank holiday. As many workers also had Good Friday (22 April) as a day off, many workers decided to take the whole period between 22 April and 2 May as holidays, since they would only have needed to use three days of annual leave.

[multiraider2]

Back from my day out and I took the route indicated. Lovely, with no real hold-ups. (Very slight waiting for the narrow road to clear ahead in Goudhurst). My brother-in-law driving from Essex had to ditch the A21 and find another route. I had seen the traffic become near stationary back from Kipping's Cross before I left at 9,30 and it was petty much as expected.