The question is… do I stick to the motorways (and face the Birmingham roadworks), or cut cross country up the Welsh border on A roads?

I am due to leave about 4pm – 4:30pm so it is going to be rush hour hell.

Kinda feeling inclined to cross country, but wondering if anyone that does this journey (or parts of it) may have a better insight!

Even if we are going to Wales we’ll go as far up the m5 as we can before cutting across. Once you head west the roads get much slower. Best thing to do is use google maps as satnav with traffic and see what option it gives you once you get close to brum as there’s a few minor detours you can do

I am doing opposite journey at weekend, apparently slow roads on elevated section at Birmingham due to road works, toll road has been suggested!

Do yourself a favour and leave Briz at 8pm instead. You’ll get to the lakes at the same time as you will leaving at 4.30.

Hmmmm… you may have a point….

IF the sticky bit’s just around Brum, M42/M6 (toll) might save some time.
But the Stafford-Stoke -section can be just as awful.

Go to the Brecons instead!

I’ve just driven up the M6 tonight, there’s 50mph avg cams for 18 miles after junc 16 northbound, it was hell. I wouldn’t bother with Wales just get on with it shortest route possible.

I did that journey twice last month, albeit from Worcester rather than Bristol.

First time, the M5 and M6 weren’t too bad, but luckily there were no accidents causing additional delays.

The following week, I decided to go via Ludlow and Shrewsbury, which was really tedious, and took ages. Even when they’re very congested, motorways are generally faster than the alternatives.

Curto’s suggestion to leave later is a good idea!

I was thinking Shrewsbury – gone south that way a couple of times when the M6 has been bad so thought it may be worth a go.

Probably just going to stick the satnav on with detours enabled and see where it takes me… and maybe stop off for a bit enroute somewhere.

Motorway, no doubt.

Stoke to Manchester will be hellish.

Leave earlier (prob not possible, I guess) or later.

I like to travel in England on motorways after 7pm and before 5 am if at all possible.

Did this journey the other weekend, but the other way round.

M6 around Sandbach is shite slow. Bank holiday weekend sat nav took me off the motorway for both Sandbach roadworks and Stoke. Saved a lot of time.

M5 junction 2 Oldbury to M6 is 30mph, so it is quicker to go on A roads cross country and pick BLACK country route to spit you out at J10. Again saved a lot of time.

Unscheduled delays from Preston northwards have been big accidents every weekend on M6, and once you are at Preston your alternatives for going north are limited to A6 and the Trough of Bowland.

From Preston I am fine… it’s almost the north by the time you get there 😉

I was debating jumping off at Kidderminster and working up to the M56 across country, but it may well be a fools errand.

Whichever way I look at it this is going to be a long drive.

I was debating jumping off at Kidderminster and working up to the M56 across country, but it may well be a fools errand

I reckon you’re just going to have to slog it out on the motorway – maybe leave an hour later? Have done Lakes and a few trips to Manc this year from Brizzle and it’s juat a shite journey.

My alternative, I suppose, is get on the motorway straight off, drive until it gets too busy and then just have a bit of a time out in a service station and let things die down a bit…

I am soooo not looking forward to this!

Shame I can’t take a bike down and explore some riding in the south to kill some time…..

Drive to here and have nice chilled curry, post some shite on STW and let the traffic die down before motoring north.
The Vine West Bromwich

Get off at J2 and avoid 30mph road works hell

J2 and up through Wolverhampton?

Go through central Brum and out the A38 to the toll? Selly Oak can be a bit slow, but nothing compared to the m5 and around j10 of the m6

Just be thankful you didn’t try it early this morning.
I had to do a run from Royal Portbury Dock up to Bruntingthorpe in Leistershire, and at 7.00 there were solid red areas on my TomTom stretching right across the city and it’s surroundings. My satnav took me along the M49, M4 over the bridge then up the A40/M50 above Tewksbury. joining the M5 further up, and the traffic was flowing really well.
I’ve done the M5/M6 run a number of times up to Manchester and Birkenhead, and while the camera-controlled sections are a royal PITA, at least the traffic is generally flowing steadily, but it’s one place where adaptive cruise-control comes into its own, especially with an auto box. Shame more cars don’t have it.
Certainly checking for all the red bits on Google maps is sensible, and leaving as early in the morning as possible, to get through the slow Brum section before the traffic really starts to build up, maybe around 5.00-5.30, but really, the Motorway is the simplest route, unless your satnav has live traffic and takes you off the motorway, the A-roads are going to be a nightmare north of Stoke-on-Trent.
Oh, and set your satnav for fastest route, with emphasis on motorways and main roads ,and least emphasis on minor roads, if you haven’t already.
Safe travels. 😀

Are you nearly there yet?

Depends what time he left

If 4pm, he’s 12 minutes away

If 8pm, he’s 12 minutes away

Been home for an hour and a half 😉

Trains in were delayed so didn’t get away until 5pm from Bristol – somehow managed to cut straight to the motorway and had a clear run up to J6 on the M5. Came off for a cuppa and to see the outlaws, then back on the motorway behind all the traffic!

The slow sections were slow, but steady… so I got back from Hartlebury in 3 1/2 hours (plus the hour and a half from Bristol there).

Not bad I think!

The train journey down was 8 hours of hell mind!

I drive from Bristol to Lancashire several times a year: my journeys are usually like the one described by the captain, rather than the Eastern front described by some other posters.

Did Bristol to Glasgow yesterday, left 7.30am and arrived 2pm. A friend left at 11.30am and it took him 11 hours!

Standard

That drive one Friday in 2010 very nearly ended my marriage.