Semi-strategic routes with long sections of unclassified road

[Graham]

I drove from Leicester to Grantham yesterday. Before setting out, I asked google what the best route was, as the shortest obvious route (A607) passes through the centre of Melton Mowbray, and I wondered whether it was better to take A46/A52.

To my surprise, google recommended a different route altogether - A46/B676, followed by a long stretch of unclassified road (over 10 miles) to join the A607 to the NE of Waltham-on-the-Wolds. I went this way, and it proved to be a decent route, even though the last couple of miles were S1 (and I could have avoided this by diverting via Waltham). Certainly better than slogging through the centre of Melton Mowbray, which I know from experience can get gridlocked.

It seems bizarre to me that the best driving route between two important regional centres only about 30 miles apart should involve over 10 miles of unclassified road. I guess this helps to demonstrate that the Melton Mowbray Distributor Road is needed rather badly.

But it did get me thinking - is there anything else comparable anywhere else in the UK?

Note - I have used the phrase "semi-strategic" in the title of this thread, as this is not simply a local route. My full journey was from Tewkesbury to Grantham - over 100 miles - and google still recommended the route via the B676.

I have come across something similar between Shaftesbury and Blandford Forum, where the classified road (the A350) passes through seemingly endless villages, but there is a decent higher-elevation unclassified alternative that avoids the villages (albeit with a bottleneck at Melbury Abbas).

[owen b]

Ely to Peterborough (let's say cathedral to cathedral). I've just checked it, and as I expected Google's top suggestion is A142 to Chatteris, mostly minor roads (just under ten miles of them) to Pondersbridge, then the B1095.

I love it when Google recommends routes I wouldn't have thought of, which happens occasionally, especially when I'm hill bagging in parts of Scotland I'm unfamiliar with. I recently drove from Tap o' Noth (a hill walked from the A941 west of Rhynie) to Aboyne. I assumed it would mainly use the A97, possibly cutting the corner using the shortcut through Towie where the A944 branches off west. It took me off the A97 at Kildrummy, left again through Elphhillock, then right to Milton of Cushnie, right again to the B9119 at Tillylodge, right briefly on the B9119, then left through Coull and left again onto the B9094 direct to Aboyne. It was only afterwards I reconstructed the route looking at the OS maps and figured out exactly where I'd been. Great places names too, cool even .

[ravenbluemoon]

To my surprise, google recommended a different route altogether - A46/B676, followed by a long stretch of unclassified road (over 10 miles) to join the A607 to the NE of Waltham-on-the-Wolds. I went this way, and it proved to be a decent route, even though the last couple of miles were S1 (and I could have avoided this by diverting via Waltham). Certainly better than slogging through the centre of Melton Mowbray, which I know from experience can get gridlocked.

The first stretch after the B676 (the C7301) is a well known road with the locals if you need to avoid Melton. Curiously, looking at the map for Leicestershire Google seems to have take taken you down some unclassifed bits at the end, hence the road being a bit more unsuitable.

As for your Dorset example, that's the C13, very useful for avoiding the slow caravans and trucks along the A350.

I've noticed that the C177 between Gate Helmsley and Norton/Malton has become a lot busier in the last 10 or 20 years. Presumably Google et al occasionally offer this as a route to avoid the regular mess on the A64.

[WHBM]

I have come across something similar between Shaftesbury and Blandford Forum, where the classified road (the A350) passes through seemingly endless villages, but there is a decent higher-elevation unclassified alternative that avoids the villages (albeit with a bottleneck at Melbury Abbas).

We have discussed these before; a number of unclassed routes on the south coast, from Sussex through to Devon, were improved very quickly, often with USA army labour, in WW2 to facilitate military transit to the various ports for D-Day (it's an appropriate point to mention this, as we are coming up to June 6th 2024, the 80th anniversary).

This, done well after roads were initially classified, gave some well-engineered unclassed roads, typically north-south, which have come through to present times.

[Vierwielen]

If one travels from Basingstoke to Farnham, joining the M3 at J6, one is directed to J4 (Camberly/Farnborough) and then down the Blackwater Valley Rad (A331), rather leaving at J5 and taking the A287 through Hale. The reason, I believe, is to take traffic away from the A3016 (formerly the A287) though Upper Hale or from Castle Street in Farnham. There are no low bridges on either of these roads nor are there any weight restrictions. Maybe the authorities should have imposed weight restrictions on these roads in order to justify the limits.

[Richard_Fairhurst]

Another (partly) Leicestershire example: the standard route between Leicester and Oakham follows an unclassified road via Tilton-on-the-Hill for 11 miles. It's possibly less "semi-strategic" but it is two adjacent county towns...

[wrinkly]

The A1500 is an example where road numbering eventually caught up with an important, previously unclassified (or class 3) cross-country road.

The A6006 is a bit similar but was previously a B road.

[owen b]

In Scotland there's a huge number of Google recommended routes which use minor roads linking the north east end of Loch Tay to the B846 to Tummel Bridge, then the minor road to the B847 then the minor road to the A9. This involves about 10 miles of minor roads in total. Recommended routes using this combination of minor roads include routes to / from the Cowal peninsula / Loch Lomond / Crianlarich / Loch Tay areas to / from the Spey valley (A9 / A95 area), Inverness, routes to the north west as far as Durness, the far north including John o'Groats, and as far along the A95 / A96 / A98 as Banff. I used the A9 to B847 minor road recently, and I see there's been all kinds of improvements to improve the road surface, improve signage, discourage heavy and wide vehicles and warn about winter conditions.

Another favourite is the semi-strategic (ok, that description is a stretch ) route from Ayr to Newton Stewart which uses excellent and mostly high quality minor roads (improved for timber lorries) over the hills and through the forestry of South Ayrshire and Galloway, either via North / South Balloch or Straiton.

[Chris5156]

If one travels from Basingstoke to Farnham, joining the M3 at J6, one is directed to J4 (Camberly/Farnborough) and then down the Blackwater Valley Rad (A331), rather leaving at J5 and taking the A287 through Hale. The reason, I believe, is to take traffic away from the A3016 (formerly the A287) though Upper Hale or from Castle Street in Farnham. There are no low bridges on either of these roads nor are there any weight restrictions. Maybe the authorities should have imposed weight restrictions on these roads in order to justify the limits.

Castle Street in Farnham has a ban on goods vehicles heavier than 7.5T, except for loading.

None of the above involves an unclassified road, though, does it?

[vlad]

This has been mentioned several times on SABRE, by me and others, but the direct route between Stoke and Sheffield follows the A53 as far as Royal Cottage, then an unclassified road via Longnor to pick up the B5055 to Bakewell. I've just asked Google Maps to find a route by car between the two cities' stations and that route is what was brought up.

You could go via the A50 and M1 but that's half as long again in distance and, at this time of day at least, takes longer to drive.

[jabbaboy]

Burtree Lane in Darlington effectively acts as a Northern Bypass.

There's also numerous routes involving Great Stainton which also act as a Darlington bypass from the Airport and East to Sedgefield, Newton Aycliffe or the A1(M). It's rather popular currently due to the J59 closure.

[thatapanydude]

The old B1043 from Tempsford to Little Barford, has been the default A1 to A428 cut through for many years (used even more these days as traffic looks to avoid Black Cat). Post the A428 dualling it will become redundant other than for traffic to the east of St Neots.

[Graham]

This has been mentioned several times on SABRE, by me and others, but the direct route between Stoke and Sheffield follows the A53 as far as Royal Cottage, then an unclassified road via Longnor to pick up the B5055 to Bakewell. I've just asked Google Maps to find a route by car between the two cities' stations and that route is what was brought up.

You could go via the A50 and M1 but that's half as long again in distance and, at this time of day at least, takes longer to drive.

Just catching up on this thread, and amongst several impressive suggestions this is the one that has really caught my eye. I have just put Stoke-Sheffield into google, and it gave me a route which incorporates a further stretch of unclassified road - at Monyash it turns off the B5055 and runs via a narrow road to Kirk Dale and Ashford, bypassing Bakewell to pick up the A625 at Calver.

[jgharston]

I had to go from somewhere near Blythe to Clarborough, and the recommended route was along Chainbridge Lane. Which is not only unclassified, it's nearly unsurfaced. But was quite navigable at a reasonable pace.

[jgharston]

I've noticed that the C177 between Gate Helmsley and Norton/Malton has become a lot busier in the last 10 or 20 years. Presumably Google et al occasionally offer this as a route to avoid the regular mess on the A64.

As long as your vehicle is less than 7 feet wide!

[NICK 647063]

If you’re travelling anywhere around Redcar, Skelton, Marske or Guisborough and wanting anything South like Malton, Beverley or Hull the route google always suggests is the shortest via the C20 through Castleton, Hutton le hole, Marton, Normanby, Great Barugh and Amotherby to pick up the B1257….. the fact Redcar to Hull and everything inbetween need to use a C class road is bizarre, I’ve believed the C20 should just become an extension of the B1248 right up to the A171. The image below shows the route, the other alternative is far longer miles via York using the congested A1237.

Redcar to Hull route

[Owain]

... it did get me thinking - is there anything else comparable anywhere else in the UK?

The best route between Frome and Bristol Airport consists of largely unclassified roads that are of very good quality.

Head out of town on the A361, and you can turn right onto the first unclassified road near Nunney. From there you can drive cross-country on a series of straight unclassified roads to meet the A37 north of Shepton Mallet. Follow that north for a mile or so, and you can then take the B3135 and B3134 across the Mendips to the A368. Cross straight over that and a further unclassified road will take you to the A38, just a short distance from the airport.

The route almost completely avoids urban areas, and - when I used to use it regularly - was almost entirely NSL, but I doubt any SatNav would ever recommend it

[Nicola_Jayne]

I drove from Leicester to Grantham yesterday. Before setting out, I asked google what the best route was, as the shortest obvious route (A607) passes through the centre of Melton Mowbray, and I wondered whether it was better to take A46/A52.

To my surprise, google recommended a different route altogether - A46/B676, followed by a long stretch of unclassified road (over 10 miles) to join the A607 to the NE of Waltham-on-the-Wolds. I went this way, and it proved to be a decent route, even though the last couple of miles were S1 (and I could have avoided this by diverting via Waltham). Certainly better than slogging through the centre of Melton Mowbray, which I know from experience can get gridlocked.

It seems bizarre to me that the best driving route between two important regional centres only about 30 miles apart should involve over 10 miles of unclassified road. I guess this helps to demonstrate that the Melton Mowbray Distributor Road is needed rather badly.

But it did get me thinking - is there anything else comparable anywhere else in the UK?

Note - I have used the phrase "semi-strategic" in the title of this thread, as this is not simply a local route. My full journey was from Tewkesbury to Grantham - over 100 miles - and google still recommended the route via the B676.

I have come across something similar between Shaftesbury and Blandford Forum, where the classified road (the A350) passes through seemingly endless villages, but there is a decent higher-elevation unclassified alternative that avoids the villages (albeit with a bottleneck at Melbury Abbas).

that bit of Leics / Notts / Lincs is full of gems like that

i live to the SE of Lincoln a bit in from the Lincoln edge ...

If i'm heading South on the A1 my preferred route is to go A15 to Cranwell , through the Camp , across Byards Leap onto the High Dike and take that Ancaster - Barkston Heath - and join the A1 at Easton ...

there are also some cross country "miss out Newark when it's been turned into an utter car park by someone messing up either the Cattle Market or Brownhills + friendly farmer roundabouts" by heading east from the A46 before Newark / North from the A52 and crossing the A1 around Long Bennington type area

[FleetlinePhil]

I'm not sure if these qualify as 'semi-strategic' but Google suggests using the Long Causeway between Hebden Bridge and Burnley rather than the A646 through Todmorden, and also the very minor road over Widdop for Hebden Bridge to Colne, which offers a considerable saving in mileage compared with going via Oxenhope. I've not looked to see if either would be incorporated as part of longer itineraries.

[WHBM]

Ilkley to Bradford, two major points in the same city, are connected by a long unclassed road over Ilkley Moor, notably quicker and shorter than the long way round through urban areas.