As the title.

Without traffic they are within 10 minutes and 5 miles of each other.

Which route would you take?

The A1 is only dual for bits. I’d check Google traffic and go the way it suggests

depends on time of day really. M40 is mostly OK, M6 north of junc 16 in the afternoon will be stop start.

Use the m6 toll to avoid Brum. £5.50 well spent

I always go M6 & M40 if I have to go from NW to SE. Only bit that varies is the Birmingham area, where M5 is sometimes a better option dependent on traffic.

M1 – A50 – M6 – A556

Not quite the same but when i go from Leeds to Channel Tunnel I always go A1(M), M11. but it can be slow if you’re driving through the day when theres loads of lorry’s on the road. In the evening it’s great and I can do the journey in less than 4 hours.

Personally always M40/M6 having tried A1(M) once – leaving from Surrey. May depend slightly on whereabouts in Kent you are coming from and hence which way round M25 you’ll go

M11, A14, M6

Avoid M62 at all costs

Won’t the M11 take you onto the A14 for a bit, until you join the A1?

If it’s a Friday evening, don’t bother.

Agreed about the M62. It’s screwed on a regular basis. It’s sometimes taken me as long to do Manchester to Leeds as Manchester to London. When it’s shut, all the alternatives lock up down to the A57.

The M6 is a hateful road, but then so is much of the A14.

As above, time will have an influence in your decision. A14 towards M1 will be ok in the morning, towards the M11 it’d be better in the evening IMO.

M6 is always a horrible road to drive in my experience.

There are roadworks around Knutsford which can be a huge nightmare.
I took on average about 3.5-4 hours from High Wycombe to Bolton setting off about 3ish and having a small break. Traffic would build on the M42 and clear on the M6 dragstrip toll road.

Are any of the road works and traffic mentioned worse than the Dartford crossing?

I wont even consider Dartford so its M40 for me.

I’d set off uber early or late and do M25, M1, M6 toll, M6.

Plan ahead and if M1 has reports go to M40 then M6.

A1…why on earth!

Setting off time is critical. Just as I wouldn’t leave the Lakes on a mid-late Sunday afternoon I wouldn’t set off pre-7pm Friday evening or after 1pm Sunday from London.

Do this journey quite often but to Liverpool, and have tried all of the above suggested routes.

On say a Saturday morning, I’d do M40 > M6. On a Friday evening, more likely M1 > M6 to avoid the Surrey/Heathrow hell on the M25. I generally find going via Dartford flows a bit better on average but it’s the M25 so anything can happen.

I used to do the M1 > A50 > M6 route as it swerved Brum and some of the M6 but now with the toll I don’t generally bother as its further and no quicker now I think.

It’s a shite journey though. Get the train if you can!

Depends on the time of day….and I’d keep an ear on the traffic reports….
M25 m1, m6.
M11 if m1 is buggered . A1m to a14/m6 ,if both m1 &m11 are clogged.
If the m6 is poor ,m1 up to a500 onto m6.

Did much of your route in reverse last week and used the M6 toll for the first time; #absolute #nobrainer. As above, timing is key

If it’s any help, last time I did maidstone – Merseyside (friday lunchtime before bank hol weekend) I did virgin 1st class for 57 quid one way.

Personally M25, M40, M5, M6 etc works well enough but soooo dependent on timing and luck.

As above, get an early night and get on the road bang on 5am, use Google maps for traffic reports.