The bank holiday weekend. Staying off the main roads

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multiraider2
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The bank holiday weekend. Staying off the main roads

Post by multiraider2 »

The bank holiday weekend approaches. I saw yesterday that the AA are predicting an x percentage increase in drivers on the road this weekend over last year. Something to do with Easter being early this year and people not travelling then. I plan to add the mix, but given how much queues on main roads seem to have extended over the last five years, I will be mostly avoiding them.

I might go to a National Trust property on one of the days.

Perhaps Nymans via this route http://binged.it/1WUPXdE

or

Bateman's via this route http://binged.it/21hsVOu

Anyone else? Or are you sticking to the main roads or not going out at all?
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Helvellyn
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Re: The bank holiday weekend. Staying off the main roads

Post by Helvellyn »

Not planning on going out, everything just seems too busy to make it worthwhile (other than on the bike, if it turns up in time). That said when I've headed Lakes-wise around Bank Holidays in the past the non-motorway route I often use has never been too busy.
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michael769
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Re: The bank holiday weekend. Staying off the main roads

Post by michael769 »

In Scotland the opposite seems to happen to E&W, on holidays our roads are typically much quieter than normal.

Great time for a wee run in fact!
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rhyds
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Re: The bank holiday weekend. Staying off the main roads

Post by rhyds »

Living in North Wales all our roads are busy over bank holidays, and are especially popular with two kinds of driver who don't get along

The first are the slowcoaches, who either spend too long admiring the view and not concentrating on driving, or are so scared of roads that aren't flat and wide they can't do over 40.

The second are the sports bikes with Manchester and Birmingham plates who seem to find no trouble doing three figure speeds down rural S2s.

The problem comes when the first and the second meet...
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Repmobile
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Re: The bank holiday weekend. Staying off the main roads

Post by Repmobile »

With the 'Tour de Yorkshire' cycle race around our neck of the woods on Sunday (and in other parts of Yorkshire today and tomorrow) I think it is a Bank Holiday weekend to miss on the roads around here. Not only the cyclists but no doubt the crowds coming to watch will make for a busier time on a lot of the roads as the Cyclists snake across North Yorkshire from Middlesbrough to the finish in Scarborough on Sunday. Although watching the cyclists climb Sutton Bank on the A170 could be interesting.

Tour de Yorkshire route details here: http://letour.yorkshire.com/2016

Also Northallerton has it's traditional 'May Fair' taking over the High Street this week until after the Bank Holiday means that is somewhere else to avoid as parking is a nightmare.

I think a wander to the village pub is about my lot this weekend.

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djw1981
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Re: The bank holiday weekend. Staying off the main roads

Post by djw1981 »

michael769 wrote:In Scotland the opposite seems to happen to E&W, on holidays our roads are typically much quieter than normal.

Great time for a wee run in fact!
A large % of public services will be open on Monday as well. At least round here - NHS even doing normal working day - clinics and appointments.
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ellandback
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Re: The bank holiday weekend. Staying off the main roads

Post by ellandback »

We may be heading to the Yorkshire coast. If so, I do not expect that the A64 will feature significantly in my choice of route.
michael769 wrote:
Great time for a wee run in fact!
Paula Radcliffe will be pleased. :wink:
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Duncan
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Re: The bank holiday weekend. Staying off the main roads

Post by Duncan »

multiraider2 wrote:The bank holiday weekend approaches. I saw yesterday that the AA are predicting an x percentage increase in drivers on the road this weekend over last year. Something to do with Easter being early this year and people not travelling then. I plan to add the mix, but given how much queues on main roads seem to have extended over the last five years, I will be mostly avoiding them.

I might go to a National Trust property on one of the days.

Perhaps Nymans via this route http://binged.it/1WUPXdE

or

Bateman's via this route http://binged.it/21hsVOu

Anyone else? Or are you sticking to the main roads or not going out at all?
If you're going to Nymans, I suggest that where you turn on to the A25 you don't, but carry on over the roundabout, through Tandridge Village. It's a 40 limit, but the countryside is very pleasant, and you'll enjoy it far more than the A22. At the next Give Way, turn right and carry on till you reach the second of two pubs (the Red Barn). You can then either turn right on to the B2029, then left on to the A22 and continue as before, or if you want to keep the back road thing going, turn left, into Lingfield, then right on to the B2028 and cross over the A22 at Newchapel and continue as before. Be warned, though, that you won't find the traffic on the B2028 much lighter than the A22. It is part of an unofficial bypass for East Grinstead from the Duke's Head Roundabout, where it meets the A264, through Turners Hill to Selsfield Common, where the traffic continues on to the A22 at Wych Cross. The official bypass was canned about 10 years ago.

As for me, I plan to take my parents to Pulborough if the weather's fine on Saturday, to look for nightingales, go to the church of some friends in Putney on Sunday (thanks to Network Rail I shall have to drive - hopefully the A244 at Oxshott will be okay, unless there's a cycle race), and then go and see if the Albion can keep up their promotion challenge against Derby on Monday, and take it into the last game at Middlesbrough on 7th May, which I'm also going to, but by train.
M19
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Re: The bank holiday weekend. Staying off the main roads

Post by M19 »

A couple of times I have travelled on a Friday night from the Midlands to the North East, tactically setting off at 7 pm. For the first hour or so traffic is quite busy, but soon tapers off to levels that make the Doncaster Bypass relatively quiet to travel on, although that's after 9pm by the time I reach it.
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Re: The bank holiday weekend. Staying off the main roads

Post by darkcape »

I had to travel back from work early for an appointment, thought leaving at 2pm would be enough to beat the traffic - forgot that it's bank holiday Friday and the M1 was as busy as it is at 5pm most Fridays, adding an hour on to my journey and making me late.

I have a few journeys over the weekend but only to the neighbouring counties and mainly avoiding the tourist routes.
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jgharston
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Re: The bank holiday weekend. Staying off the main roads

Post by jgharston »

ellandback wrote:We may be heading to the Yorkshire coast. If so, I do not expect that the A64 will feature significantly in my choice of route.
I think I'll use my usual off-route of the B1363 and Egton Moor Road.
QuietInRealLife
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Re: The bank holiday weekend. Staying off the main roads

Post by QuietInRealLife »

Day trip to Crawley from Fareham. Checked maps & thanks to the craptastic A27 during peak times, the more direct 60 mile route was only about 3-4 minutes quicker than a 90 mile detour up the A3, across the M25 & back down the M23.
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Johnathan404
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Re: The bank holiday weekend. Staying off the main roads

Post by Johnathan404 »

I'm not surprised. I've done Fareham to Gatwick many times and since Hindhead opened the A3/M25 is by far the fastest. However - if Hindhead is having problems, or if you can't risk getting stuck on the M25, the A27/A29/B2139/A283/A24/A272/A23 is the most reliable. By the standards we're used to across the UK, both those routes are pretty good for the places they serve.

Lucky you weren't going south though - very long delays following an accident on the A3. Heading south or west on days like this is, of course, ill-advised.

As for me, roads were quiet this morning. Going from Southampton to Portsmouth this evening was trouble free. Sticking to non-primary a-roads tomorrow. Easy life.
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Piatkow
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Re: The bank holiday weekend. Staying off the main roads

Post by Piatkow »

Bucks to east London this afternoon. First choice still the M25 / M11, alternative routes boil down to deciding where to cross the Lea and it has to be bad for any of the other crossings to be a better option.
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Hugo Nebula
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Re: The bank holiday weekend. Staying off the main roads

Post by Hugo Nebula »

I had to use the M6 between J20-J26, and northbound was busier than a normal Saturday, but southbound was virtually empty (almost M58-empty).

I've got to go to Carnforth tomorrow on the M6 north of J26, so I'm hoping everyone's got where they're going today and aren't planning to get back until Monday!
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multiraider2
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Re: The bank holiday weekend. Staying off the main roads

Post by multiraider2 »

The Monday weather is not looking good so I went Bateman's (Rudyard Kipling's house) today by the route suggested earlier. The journey was very pleasant and the only unexpected small hold ups were because of a craft fair at Penshurst Place. (How many people can be interested in crafts?) and because of a truck trying to navigate the narrow main road at Wadhust village centre. I went back via the A264/B2026 to avoid any trouble from people existing the event en-masse at Penshust. I also proved to myself again that the Roman Road through the centre of Edenbridge beats the ridiculous by-pass with two unnecessary traffic light junctions, because I emerged back onto the B2026 ahead of all the traffic I had been behind before the town.
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Re: The bank holiday weekend. Staying off the main roads

Post by brummie_rob »

Hugo Nebula wrote:I had to use the M6 between J20-J26, and northbound was busier than a normal Saturday, but southbound was virtually empty (almost M58-empty).

I've got to go to Carnforth tomorrow on the M6 north of J26, so I'm hoping everyone's got where they're going today and aren't planning to get back until Monday!
I've used the Southbound M6 from 15 to M42 the last few Saturdays and it has been very very quiet. It has felt busier late at night when the lorries are out.
avtur
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Re: The bank holiday weekend. Staying off the main roads

Post by avtur »

rhyds wrote:Living in North Wales all our roads are busy over bank holidays ...
I've been visiting North Wales (Lleyn Peninsula) for 40+ years and have seen some horrendous traffic over the years.

Strangely this weekend appears quieter than I was expecting. I'm staying just south of Caernarfon and the run down from Stockport on Friday afternoon was fine. Yesterday I was out to Pwllheli and Porthmadog, weather was bright and sunny but surprisingly few people and cars around.

This road https://goo.gl/maps/GYmg5BCayap provides some stunning views, it was busy yesterday ... we met one other car!
urbanfox
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Re: The bank holiday weekend. Staying off the main roads

Post by urbanfox »

The M40 was eerily quiet this morning going to Ruislip and not much busier coming back.

Left Tamworth at 7.40, got there, tipped and reloaded, and got back in the yard for 1.30. Not bad.
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Re: The bank holiday weekend. Staying off the main roads

Post by nowster »

Did Cwm Hirnant on Saturday. Was mixed weather but we had sunshine between the showers.

M6 might be a little difficult today around Thelwall: bread van fire.
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