How bad is it at rush hour? Reasonable? Same as all the other motorways? Got to go to Leeds from Farnborough tomorrow night, not sure if I should leave early or late.

M1 where it meets the M621 and the M62 is cluster F around rush hour, so don’t be there between 5 and 6:30 would be my advice.

Not so bad now that most of the 50 mph stuff has gone. Getting out of Leeds at rush our is rubbish though. Late would be my advice.

I’ll be up North late whenever I set off, so that should be ok. The Southern end doens’t look too bad on the map.

You should be fine – as you are heading into Leeds you won’t hit bad traffic. It is hell of a morning though.

If you aren’t going directly INTO Leeds, do look at the M18 option too, avoids the busier bit around Sheffield.

Never mind the traffic, are your vaccinations up to date?

That’s a good point flash. We don’t want no-one carrying nasty southerner diseases into God’s Own Country…

I’m in farnborough and used to drive up to Leeds/Bradford fairly regularly. The only way I could tollerate the journey was by leaving at about 9.30pm…..

We don’t want no-one bring nasty southerner diseases into God’s Own Country…

But the M1 doesn’t go to Wales, or Wiltshire. I’m all confused now.

😉

I’d be looking at the A1, I’ve given up travelling on the M1 – I use the A1 ever other week M25 to M62 past leeds and it almost always free from blockages

6 miles difference accouding to google maps

What Unklehomered said. After 6 is fine/Tolerable

I drive from Middlesborough to Wokingham Most weekends. Setting off arround 4:30, so hit Leeds at rush hour.

It’s fine, sometimes busy arround Leeds, but usualy only drops to 55-60mph, maybe adding 5-10 min to the sat nav.

I’ve used the A1 before after missing the junction for the M18 (don’t use the M1 past sheffield, that realy is bad, and longer than the A1/M18 route) and the roundabouts, tractors, scooters etc get annoying, much rather be on the motorway.

The worst trafic is usualy the M25, so you might be quicker going down the M42, A404, Ma, A329(M) whichis what I’ve generaly setteled on unless there’s a trafic report saying that routes going to be particularly bad.

Hmm.. this A1 idea.. Is it all DC?

No, is it chuf.

A1 is a lot of single carriage way, some dual, but only double lane. It is an option, but through some Google maps on it. Personally from where you are, I’d M1 it and take my chances.

EDIT Actually it might be that far up now. I take that back. north of newcastle it isn’t and going to Edinburgh its a ball ache (irrelevent for you) . But Still takes you quite far east and back again though…

The thing with the A1 is the dual carriageway bits and lorries overtaking each other at about 0.00001mph quicker.

And the damn roundabouts.

M1 was dreadful for road works the other week (23rd July, night) – highly regretted not using the A1.

M1 is fine going south on a Friday night, as most of the soft southerners migrate north to enjoy proper living at the weekends!

We tend to leave here (Derby) about 6-ish to get to the inlaws down near Eastbourne, only have problems if some numpty crashes, but you can get that on any piece of road.

I’m going North!

I drive from Staines to Leeds and back fairly regularly so its M1, M69, A46, M40, M404 FTW

Djglover, according to Google that’s 21 miles longer for me, assuming I come round the M25. Really quicker?

If I need to take the M40 out, then what about cutting across on the A43?

I’d avoid the M5. It goes nowhere near Yorkshire.

I drive from Guildford to Durham quite a bit
Pretty much always head up the M40 off the M25 and then pick up the A43 past Silverstone to get on the M1 at 15a
Nottingham to Sheffield is usually the worst bit

I used to drive from Bracknell to Wakefield every Friday, I found If I left at around midday then I’d be sat in my local at 16.00

Best route was M25 – M40 – A46 – M69 & finally M1 from Leicester Forrest Services

Right, so next question – through Bracknell to the A329M or M25?

Difficult one that, I’d probably go on the new bypass to the M3. A331 to Frimley

If I need to take the M40 out, then what about cutting across on the A43?

Yeah, sometimes do that, but there are loads of roundabouts.

Have done that trip plenty of times, the advice to avoid the M25 is good, follow it.

Personally, I’ve always found the best route is either Bracknell-warfield-maidenhead roundabout on the A3095 onto the A404 or Bracknell, past Macdonalds, through the trading estate past the waitrose depot and straight on at the roundabout through the new housing estate and onto the A329(M), then M4 and onto the A404 to High Wycombe,

then M40 up past the A43 turnoff, but carry on to the next junction (banbury) and cross country on the A361 to Daventry, past Leisure Lakes and up to join the M1 at DIRFT, then on up to the M18 and A1 as previously discussed.

M1 is a baw bag from 25 to 29 going north on various nights between 4.30 and 6.30, don’t know what causes it but it I really hit and miss. After that it’s usually fine tho coming up to the viaduct at meadowhell is busy due to it being a two laner.

Right, setting off now. Going for Z11’s route 🙂

M18 into Leeds, Jesus it’ll take 30 miles the wrong way

That was ok in the end, 4h10 min of driving. Still took 45 mins to get to the M40 though.

andydicko – Member
M18 into Leeds, Jesus it’ll take 30 miles the wrong way
POSTED 3 HOURS AGO # REPORT-POST

As I said , if not going directly INTO Leeds, it is an option.

To get home then, to Cardiff… M1 M42 M5 or M62 M6 M5?

M1, M42 unless you are going around Birmingham at 5pm on a Friday.

It’ll be early afternoon.

Where about should I fall asleep at the wheel and crash? M42 or M5/M50?

M1, A42, M42, M5 is my regular route from Leeds to Bristol. Generally OK going south – even M42 round Brum generally moves along at rush hour.

M62, M6, M5 route is both longer and slower on the occasions I have gone that way – particularly on the M62, round Manchester and the M6 / M5 junction near Walsall.

M1, A42, M42, M5 is my regular route from Leeds to Bristol

+1

I’d agree.

I’d avoid the M62 between Leeds and Manchester at the moment as there are roadworks from J30 to J25(ish) so on a friday afternoon that gets pretty busy. Also tends to be busy from J18-12 as its the Manchester ring road.

Finally M6 around knutsford is usually a pain on a friday and the general southbound M6 to Birmingham is statistically the most unreliable road in the UK for journey times (read traffic jams)!!

Ohh, and when you get on the M5, please note how many broken down cars there are. It is some kind of Burial Ground for cars.

’tis most odd.

I’m assuming the M50 is still borked….?

I’d better get cracking though, otherwise I’ll get snarled up at Birmingham.

Au revoir, West Yorkshire, it was brief but interesting.