Longest gap between junctions - A Roads

[jonnyf90]

Everyone knows the longest gap between motorway junctions is on the M26, but what about A roads?
Heading south on the A42 from Donington Services, there’s no junction until Ashby at J13, a full 8.75 miles without an exit junction. (J14 is limited access).

Can anyone beat this?

Cheers

[ForestChav]

Could be possible on any long distance dual carriageway - A34, A30 and A38 in the SW, A50, A12 for example. I think Chris has some A-roads in the motorway exits part of his site too.

Without checking, that gap in the A42 doesn't seem too long - and it's a gap without an exit, as opposed to a junction.

[owen b]

Everyone knows the longest gap between motorway junctions is on the M26, but what about A roads?
Heading south on the A42 from Donington Services, there’s no junction until Ashby at J13, a full 8.75 miles without an exit junction. (J14 is limited access).

Can anyone beat this?

Cheers

There's not a lot in it, but a quick look at Google Maps suggests that A14 eastbound junction 35 to 37 (J36 has no eastbound exit) is marginally further.

[SouthWest Philip]

Most of my initial thoughts seem to be about 8 miles!

The A30 has about 8.5 miles between junctions Sourton Cross to Broadwoodwidger.
The A27 has 8 miles between Emsworth and Chichester.
The A40 has about 8 miles from Raglan to Abergavenny.
The A449, likewise, manages about 8 miles between the M4 and Usk but it does have the unused GSJ for Celtic Manor along that stretch.
I think the A50 west of Uttoxeter manages about 8 miles too.

[SouthWest Philip]

Everyone knows the longest gap between motorway junctions is on the M26, but what about A roads?
Heading south on the A42 from Donington Services, there’s no junction until Ashby at J13, a full 8.75 miles without an exit junction. (J14 is limited access).

Can anyone beat this?

Cheers

There's not a lot in it, but a quick look at Google Maps suggests that A14 eastbound junction 35 to 37 (J36 has no eastbound exit) is marginally further.

Join the A14 westbound at Cambridge Services and the next exit is 10 miles, but there is an intermediate access from the A1198.

[Was92now625]

Some of the A-roads in the far north could have a long distance between junctions. But then we get onto what we may define as a junction.

With another classified road ?

A track ?

A drive into a property ?

[jervi]

Initially I was going to say A27 Emsworth and Chichester as Philip said, which is about 8.2 miles
But the longest I found, technically an A road, is the A1(M) J50 - J51 at 10.1 miles

[trickstat]

Some of the A-roads in the far north could have a long distance between junctions. But then we get onto what we may define as a junction.

With another classified road ?

A track ?

A drive into a property ?

I would say with a 'public' road. I suspect there may be some examples, particularly in hilly areas, where the only exit is a no through road or a road that loops back onto the mainline.

[rileyrob]

I could believe that the 8.1 miles across Rannoch Moor from the driveway to Achallader Cottage to Glencoe Ski Centre might be an S2 Trunk Route record. The only options for escaping the carriageway are laybys and informal gravel parking areas.
If you extend it back to the public road at Bridge of Orchy it is 11.5 miles

It is 19.8 miles on the A86 from Tulloch Road end to the A889 at Drumgask. There are numerous driveways and side turnings, but I don't think any constitute a public road.

The A87 has 20.6 miles between public roads from Bun Loyne junction to Shiel Bridge. Again there are a handful of turnings en route, including the hydro road to the dam and at Cluanie Inn. Ignoring Forestry Roads it is 8.2 miles from Cluanie Inn to Achnagart Farm.

[roadtester]

Everyone knows the longest gap between motorway junctions is on the M26, but what about A roads?
Heading south on the A42 from Donington Services, there’s no junction until Ashby at J13, a full 8.75 miles without an exit junction. (J14 is limited access).

Can anyone beat this?

Cheers

There's not a lot in it, but a quick look at Google Maps suggests that A14 eastbound junction 35 to 37 (J36 has no eastbound exit) is marginally further.

Join the A14 westbound at Cambridge Services and the next exit is 10 miles, but there is an intermediate access from the A1198.

This one does feel unnaturally long, not least because the first western junction is a free-flowing link into the A1, another modern dual carriageway, and you can’t exit in order to access the local road network until you get to Brampton Hut.

[c2R]

Everyone knows the longest gap between motorway junctions is on the M26

To be pedantic, it's the longest distance between exits when heading westbound at approx 18 mi. The longest distance between actual junctions is the M11 J8-9 at 14 miles (with southbound J10-8 being 17 between exits)

[rileyrob]

There are numerous driveways, forestry and estate roads along the way, but it is 32.3 miles between the public road at Shinness and Laxford Bridge on the A838.

And, if we look at islands, it is 12.5 miles on the A859 between the minor road to Eisgein and that to Reinigeadal, although there are a couple of short dead ends which I think might be public roads en-route.

Not A roads, but the Kinloch Hourn Road is famously 21.6 miles long without any public road junctions since the A87 was re-routed in the 1950s, while the Loch Arkaig Road used to have a sign informing drivers that it was a no through road in 18 miles. This appears to have disappeared.

[Summers-lad]

I could believe that the 8.1 miles across Rannoch Moor from the driveway to Achallader Cottage to Glencoe Ski Centre might be an S2 Trunk Route record. The only options for escaping the carriageway are laybys and informal gravel parking areas.
If you extend it back to the public road at Bridge of Orchy it is 11.5 miles

It is 19.8 miles on the A86 from Tulloch Road end to the A889 at Drumgask. There are numerous driveways and side turnings, but I don't think any constitute a public road.

The A87 has 20.6 miles between public roads from Bun Loyne junction to Shiel Bridge. Again there are a handful of turnings en route, including the hydro road to the dam and at Cluanie Inn. Ignoring Forestry Roads it is 8.2 miles from Cluanie Inn to Achnagart Farm.

And it's 11.7 miles on the A9 between the Trinafour turn and the A889 junction. Again, a few private accesses in between.

[owen b]

If we're allowing junctions with farm tracks and access to nearby properties and the like (but not with public through roads) then the A66 westbound from Bowes (East) to the minor road to Barras has quite a high mileage, 8.8 miles according to Google Maps. It won't beat the A14 westbound J24-J22 but it's similar to the highest of the other examples so far found in England.