What's the shortest route to drive ALL of Spaghetti?

[Matthew]

Living in the West Midlands, I've driven over the Gravelly Hill interchange, but I'm not entirely sure I've done every link road.

So, can you think of a way to do every motorway specification slip road within the smallest mileage? In Google Maps, I've drawn up an initial plan here https://goo.gl/maps/GxbY5xh1Bip which suggests 65 miles.

Things to consider:

1. I'm just looking at slip roads, not the main carriageway; so the M6 north and south within junction 6 can be disregarded.
2. All u-turns, etc. must be legal.
3. You can use a slip road more than once.
4. It has to cover all motorway standard link roads.
5. To "double back" you can use a road not on the interchange.
6. The measurements should start immediately from a slip road.

There's the added problem in Google, incidentally, that you can only have up to 11 way points.

I'm sure there are some questions I haven't thought of but this, hopefully, covers all eventualities.

[Big L]

I'm looking at a tiny image on my phone but I think you've missed the slips from A38M to A5127 towards Erdington.

[Matthew]

There's this bit here... https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/52.50 ... m0!1m0!3e0

But I haven't included the slips on to the A5127 from Salford as they're not motorway standard.

[Big L]

How so?

[Chris Bertram]

There's this bit here... https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/52.50 ... m0!1m0!3e0

But I haven't included the slips on to the A5127 from Salford as they're not motorway standard.

I think Big L is referring to the continuation of the motorway onto the mainline of Gravelly Hill, not the slips up from the roundabout. But is that included or excluded from the exercise?

[Big L]

Also, you can't U-turn at the Tyburn Road/Jarvis Way lights. You need to go up Jarvis way and U-turn after a couple of hundred yards.

[A9NWIL]

Also, you can't U-turn at the Tyburn Road/Jarvis Way lights. You need to go up Jarvis way and U-turn after a couple of hundred yards.

That increases the overall distance: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/52.50 ... m0!1m0!3e0

The interesting point with this junction is could they have got away with not connecting the motorways directly with the A5127.
They could have made the Tyburn Road/Jarvis Way junction a roundabout and that could have connected back to the A5127.
The A38/A38(M) could have been built fully freeflow in all directions with the M6 then.

[M4 Cardiff]

shouldnt your route also include going straight through on the M6, both ways?

[AndyB]

61.2 miles, omitting the mainline.

[A9NWIL]

61.2 miles, omitting the mainline.

You are still using the U turn at the point thats illegal at the Tyburn Road/Jarvis Way lights, so...

[Big L]

61.2 miles, omitting the mainline.

You are still using the U turn at the point thats illegal at the Tyburn Road/Jarvis Way lights, so...

I see no A38(M) to M6 (N).

[Stevie D]

Given that the biggest section of "dead" mileage is the unavoidable run along M6 to the east, you need to make sure you only do that once. Although you need to exit/enter the M6(E) twice to do both branches of the slip road, if you start from the westbound off-slip and finish on the eastbound on-slip then you are only doing the run out to J4 once. Even if it means a bit more doubling back in the vicinity of the junction, you've saved yourself 16 miles there so you can afford a bit more running around. Perry Barr is only half as far, so you can afford to go there twice.

[Stevie D]

Given that the biggest section of "dead" mileage is the unavoidable run along M6 to the east, you need to make sure you only do that once. Although you need to exit/enter the M6(E) twice to do both branches of the slip road, if you start from the westbound off-slip and finish on the eastbound on-slip then you are only doing the run out to J4 once. Even if it means a bit more doubling back in the vicinity of the junction, you've saved yourself 16 miles there so you can afford a bit more running around. Perry Barr is only half as far, so you can afford to go there twice.

47.5 miles although you'll need to add a little bit on to make a legal U-turn on Jarvis Way ... I don't think I've missed any required slip roads out!

[A9NWIL]

61.2 miles, omitting the mainline.

You are still using the U turn at the point thats illegal at the Tyburn Road/Jarvis Way lights, so...

I see no A38(M) to M6 (N).

I didnt spot that on AndyB's version very true! Fail and looks like its up the M6 north again to sort that out! Fixed again! but this time its longer than mine!

Im wondering if its partly to do with using temporary alteration points and they dont save on google?

[A9NWIL]

Given that the biggest section of "dead" mileage is the unavoidable run along M6 to the east, you need to make sure you only do that once. Although you need to exit/enter the M6(E) twice to do both branches of the slip road, if you start from the westbound off-slip and finish on the eastbound on-slip then you are only doing the run out to J4 once. Even if it means a bit more doubling back in the vicinity of the junction, you've saved yourself 16 miles there so you can afford a bit more running around. Perry Barr is only half as far, so you can afford to go there twice.

47.5 miles although you'll need to add a little bit on to make a legal U-turn on Jarvis Way ... I don't think I've missed any required slip roads out!

Like this?

The thing is you would have to come from somewhere you cant realistically start in the middle of a motorway!

I think we might need to add a rule that says starting and finishing in places where you can legally park, they can be different places though. Mine with parking in Copeley Hill, I had started and ended on the roundabout before so this only adds a few hundred metres to my overall distance both come up as 108km but my old one comes up 67 miles and my new one comes up 67.3 miles.

[Stevie D]

I think we might need to add a rule that says starting and finishing in places where you can legally park, they can be different places though.

Why? The original post included the rule:
6. The measurements should start immediately from a slip road.

[A9NWIL]

I think we might need to add a rule that says starting and finishing in places where you can legally park, they can be different places though.

Why? The original post included the rule:
6. The measurements should start immediately from a slip road.

It should be realistic enough to drive without adding extra distance to the route from a parking position.

[Matthew]

Sincere apologies I've not been keeping up to date with my own query.

I think we might need to add a rule that says starting and finishing in places where you can legally park, they can be different places though.

Why? The original post included the rule:
6. The measurements should start immediately from a slip road.

I thought it easier to mention from a decision point, rather than a previous exit. Whilst there's an argument that if you were using the M6 southbound you'd measure from J7, I thought it easier to look purely from a starting point where you can go more than one way.