Furthest Distance Signed Within London

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jabbaboy
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Furthest Distance Signed Within London

Post by jabbaboy »

There's been threads in the past about the furthest distance where London is signed from but I was wondering what's the furthest distance sign posted the opposite way round, never seen it before and can't imagine it being particularly very far neither.

For the sake of what London is, it's anywhere within the M25, excluding the M25 itself.
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SouthWest Philip
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Re: Furthest Distance Signed Within London

Post by SouthWest Philip »

I'm going to take a punt at Dover because that's further from London than Portsmouth or Oxford. Beyond those destinations a lot of of the out of town signage is more vague along the lines of The North, The West etc.
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Big Nick
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Re: Furthest Distance Signed Within London

Post by Big Nick »

Elephant and Castle to Portsmouth, 74.6 miles.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/51.49 ... !3e0?hl=en

Bricklayers Arms to Dover, 73.8 miles.

Outside Tesco at https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.49421 ... 8192?hl=en
Bricklayers Arms to Channel Tunnel is 66 miles.
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TomJ
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Re: Furthest Distance Signed Within London

Post by TomJ »

I've been having a look at the route confirmation signs on the motorways and expressways which go into London further than the M25. Here's what I could find, going counter-clockwise from the M11. There may well be some signs and roads that I missed as this wasn't a hugely detailed search.

To start us off, the M11 has a RCS which has "(Newmarket) 52" on it.

The A1 only goes as far out as Hatfield, so only 10 miles away on the furthest I could find. A bit dissapointing considering this is the longest road in the UK!

The M1 seems to be missing a couple of RCS and the ones which it does have only go as far as Luton.

Not sure if this counts, as technically it is within the M25 circle, but the M25 Leavesden spur has "Gatwick Airport 54".

No RCS on the A40 as far as I could see (I only looked from Northolt however). The short part of the M40 before the junction with the M25 has no RCS other than one giving the distance to services. Furthest is "M25(N) 24" for South Mimms.

I can't find any RCS on the M4 which go further out than Slough - a measly 13 miles. The A312 junction and the junction off to the Heathrow spur don't appear to have any RCS. There are no RCS on the Heathrow spur itself.

The furthest distance any RCS on the A316 gives is Staines, 6 miles. Shortly after this, the M3 at its junction with the A308 lists "(M25) 6" as its only location.

A3 lists Portsmouth, 54 on this RCS which interestingly has the route name in white instead of yellow.

No junctions on the M23 before the M25, so no RCS can be found here. The A23 before this doesn't seem worth trawling through to find anything.

Again, I'm not really sure if this counts, but the Orpington M25 spur lists "Hastings 46" on this sign.

"Dover 65" can be found here on the A20.

Similarly, Dover can also be found on the A2. This RCS lists it as being 67 miles away.

"Tilbury 13" is the furthest distance I can find on the A13.

The A127 gives "Southend 24" at its furthest.

The A12 has a few examples of RCS with reasonably high distances all the way from the East Cross Route, but the furthest I could find is this one, giving 61 miles to Harwich.

TL,DR: the route confirmation sign with the furthest mileage to one of its locations within the M25 is on the A2. This sign lists Dover with a distance of 67 miles away.
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KeithW
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Re: Furthest Distance Signed Within London

Post by KeithW »

The problem for the A1 in London is that they tend to just use the all purpose destination of 'The North'

The A41 at Apex Corner has Aylesbury 30
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.62145 ... 6656?hl=en

The A10 at the A406 junction can only manage 16 to Hertford
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.61818 ... 8192?hl=en
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Re: Furthest Distance Signed Within London

Post by crb11 »

TomJ wrote: Thu Feb 13, 2020 18:24 No junctions on the M23 before the M25, so no RCS can be found here. The A23 before this doesn't seem worth trawling through to find anything.
The A23 has one in Thornton Heath for Gatwick 19 and Brighton 45. There's also one near the start of the A22 which gives distances to Kenley, Caterham, the M25 and East Grinstead (19) - I'm pretty sure the predecessor which was there around 1980 signed Caterham, East Grinstead and Eastbourne though.
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TomJ
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Re: Furthest Distance Signed Within London

Post by TomJ »

crb11 wrote: Thu Feb 13, 2020 22:05 The A23 has one in Thornton Heath for Gatwick 19 and Brighton 45. There's also one near the start of the A22 which gives distances to Kenley, Caterham, the M25 and East Grinstead (19) - I'm pretty sure the predecessor which was there around 1980 signed Caterham, East Grinstead and Eastbourne though.
Ah of course. I somehow forgot the A23 extends all the way into Brighton. That does make me wonder if there are any other single carriageway roads within London that also have some significant locations on any of their RCS. A5 perhaps?
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Re: Furthest Distance Signed Within London

Post by Bryn666 »

I think the A5 just goes for The NORTH (M1) up to Staples Corner then after that it's probably now considered local only.

Cricklewood and Kilburn get a mention I think.
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Re: Furthest Distance Signed Within London

Post by agc2070 »

There used to be route confirmation signage on the South Circular for Folkestone and Dover. I think Folkestone was replaced with Channel Tunnel on these signs. Are they still there?
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Re: Furthest Distance Signed Within London

Post by JohnnyMo »

TomJ wrote: Thu Feb 13, 2020 18:24 I've been having a look at the route confirmation signs on the motorways and expressways which go into London further than the M25. Here's what I could find, going counter-clockwise from the M11. There may well be some signs and roads that I missed as this wasn't a hugely detailed search.
...
The A1 only goes as far out as Hatfield, so only 10 miles away on the furthest I could find. A bit dissapointing considering this is the longest road in the UK!
Found one which had Hatfield 11
I can't find any RCS on the M4 which go further out than Slough - a measly 13 miles...
Does this count M4 Reading (Services) 32 miles & South Mimms 33 Miles
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TomJ
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Re: Furthest Distance Signed Within London

Post by TomJ »

JohnnyMo wrote: Fri Feb 14, 2020 14:53
I can't find any RCS on the M4 which go further out than Slough - a measly 13 miles...
Does this count M4 Reading (Services) 32 miles & South Mimms 33 Miles
I'll allow it! :wink:
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Re: Furthest Distance Signed Within London

Post by crb11 »

I also checked the A24 in a couple of places. It has one in Morden for M25 and Dorking, but nothing further.

I have a memory of the A217 may have an RCS including Brighton, somewhere between Sutton and the M25, but if so I can't find it. (It would be 10-15 years ago given the circumstances for the trip.)
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Re: Furthest Distance Signed Within London

Post by crb11 »

agc2070 wrote: Fri Feb 14, 2020 12:53 There used to be route confirmation signage on the South Circular for Folkestone and Dover. I think Folkestone was replaced with Channel Tunnel on these signs. Are they still there?
Good memory! I found this one just east of the A23 junction, which gives Folkestone 69, Dover 71 - which I think is now the record. Oddly there are two RCSs here, with the first giving local destinations (up to Bromley 8) and the second the longer distances ones.

I checked the A205 east of the A3, but there's only a short-distance one, and east of the A24, but no RCS there. (Also no RCS I could find between Catford and the A2 junction.)
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Re: Furthest Distance Signed Within London

Post by trickstat »

TomJ wrote: Thu Feb 13, 2020 22:07
crb11 wrote: Thu Feb 13, 2020 22:05 The A23 has one in Thornton Heath for Gatwick 19 and Brighton 45. There's also one near the start of the A22 which gives distances to Kenley, Caterham, the M25 and East Grinstead (19) - I'm pretty sure the predecessor which was there around 1980 signed Caterham, East Grinstead and Eastbourne though.
Ah of course. I somehow forgot the A23 extends all the way into Brighton.
Odd way of talking about the London to Brighton road.
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Re: Furthest Distance Signed Within London

Post by agc2070 »

crb11 wrote: Fri Feb 14, 2020 17:17
agc2070 wrote: Fri Feb 14, 2020 12:53 There used to be route confirmation signage on the South Circular for Folkestone and Dover. I think Folkestone was replaced with Channel Tunnel on these signs. Are they still there?
Good memory! I found this one just east of the A23 junction, which gives Folkestone 69, Dover 71 - which I think is now the record.
I'm guessing this dates from the era when Dover was signed down the A2 and Folkestone down the A20 as it's definitely more than 2 miles from Folkestone to Dover!
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Re: Furthest Distance Signed Within London

Post by calbar »

Interesting someone mentioned Newmarket, until recently before they changed the Stratford one way system, the road markings still had “N’mkt A11’ by the Golden Grove, although very faded and I only noticed when I was walking past.

Satnav in my car (got it new in 2017) has the road through Stratford and up through Leytonstone as the A11, and I’m guessing it’s not been this since the ECR was built?
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Re: Furthest Distance Signed Within London

Post by Bryn666 »

The A11 still runs up to the Green Man I believe.

It should all have been renumbered years ago.
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Re: Furthest Distance Signed Within London

Post by Ritchie333 »

The A11 has been discontinuous between the Bow flyover and Stump Cross since the A12 (erstwhile M11 Link Road) opened in 1998. High Road, Leytonstone was traffic calmed extensively after the A12 opened; I remember driving to the V festivals in Chelmsford from London a few times in the mid-late 1990s and the difference was obvious.

I remember travelling around East London c. 1985 after the first bit of downgrading had happened a few years earlier, and recall a large trunk directions sign at the Green Man, with a big patch over the A11 to simply read "Epping".
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