Driving down to Bath on Christmas Eve for about four days. Question is should we even bother trying it with the way the weather has been and looks like being. Got two kids, aged 7 and 2 to consider as well. If it was up to me I’d probably say no now but it’s my SO family so she is keen to go. Also to consider is that we have booked a place in Inners for New Year with friends and don’t want to get stuck in England and miss out on that. Know there’s still time to make up our minds and the weather could have changed by then, just interested to hear what folk think.

Nah.

I once travelled on Xmas Eve (and its a Friday this year too) – dreadful experience (ignoring the weather), and I was on my tod.

Can’t you get away a day earlier?

Both working up til the bitter end if the weather allows and school doesn’t finish until then either. Travelled on Christmas eve before and not found it too bad, it’s more the weather I’m worried about and the distance we are travelling.

I would let it depend on the weather at the time. Too early to predict

and school doesn’t finish until then either

Bloody hell, we finish up on Friday.

(Before we here the bloody teachers quips, its been a Shi’ite term, spent too many hours chasing parents, kids, teachers for reference stuff for their UCAS forms.)

Oh and yes we are lazy Bar-stewards who get far too many holidays 🙂

I’ll be going 2 days earlier, come hell or high snow. You should be OK, but it’ll take a while.

Problem is we(I) don’t want to get stuck down there and not be able to get back up or face the same decision about driving back up. My decision is slightly tainted by the fact that my brother in law couldn’t be bothered to pop over to his mums to see us in the summer when we were last down and here we are now facing over 800 miles in less than a week in the middle of the worst winter weather we’ve had for a long time.

You’ll have a tailwind, what’s the problem?

Check the weather forecast that week – they’ll have a better idea than STW 🙂

And it’s downhill all the way 😀 But on the way back it’s uphill and into a headwind 🙁

Sometimes I think it is a good idea to respect Mother Nature and realise that sometimes we do have limitations. I would say if it is not absolutely necessary then it seems a bit daft, but then I am not your family and I know how much pressure can be applied in these circumstances. I know my folks would rather I was safe and not risk it though.

I had to postpone my journey back up by only 1 day last year. Took an hour longer, but the problems usually clear out reasonably fast.

It’s only snow, you’re Scottish. You can do this.

Driving on christmas eve is miserable. Human beings are stripped of all consideration, charity and thought for others when it comes to getting home for christmas, and they don’t care if they kill you to get there.

Christmas day however – Driving across the country on Christmas day is the most pleasurable journey you can make. Its lovely, the only people you’ll pass or meet are lovely people. If I’m going away anywhere at Christmas its the only day I’ll travel on.

Have a look on this forum http://www.ukweatherworld.co.uk in the run up to when you are going.

We’re planning Pembroke to Rothbury on Christmas Day, that’ll be fun dontya think?

Fingers crossed for the weather to be good, there is whisky and beer and cake in Rothbury for me!

As an opposite to all the doom mongers I have travelled down south on crimbo eve plenty of times & once its gone 6pm its like “The day after tomorrow” by 8pm I was feeling lonely on the M5

Accurate forecast 10 days out? Sure, just hold on a minute whilst I dig out my crystal ball……

😉

Wiiiiiitch! She’s a wiiiitch!

Every other year we travel down to Exeter from the NE on the 24th & I haven’t really had any traffic nightmares, it’s a bit busy after lunch but as someone else said – come the evening, you’ll be dodging tumbleweed

Can’t see the weather stopping you getting back, we usually only get real bad snow either in the West or the East, not usually both so just use the other side of the country to home if the worst happens

ukweatherworld is a Geeks paradise, i think i understood only 10% of the words on that front page

rOcKeTdOg – Member
ukweatherworld is a Geeks paradise, i think i understood only 10% of the words on that front page

😆

We’re planning the same journey on the 23rd – Fort William to Bath. The plan is to do it overnight so the roads are empty and the kids are asleep (3 & 1). We’ll keep an eye on the weather and see what happens.

Not looking much better. 🙁

Which forecasts are you looking at Steven?

As far as I can see it will be cold, but not expecting any more snow, are you seeing anything different?

MMm we are in a similar position – but Bath to North Wales on Xmas eve… no idea at the moment whether it will be possible and we are just going to wait and see what the weather does. It is now snowing heavily here again – as predicted. But re. above have been considering travelling on Christmas day for clearer roads….

That’s pretty much the forcast I’m seeing too. I’d be happier if the daytime temp was going to be above freezing.

We’re planning the same journey on the 23rd – Fort William to Bath. The plan is to do it overnight so the roads are empty and the kids are asleep (3 & 1). We’ll keep an eye on the weather and see what happens.

Unless one of my kids or parents were on their death beds, I wouldn’t consider making that journey at night, this week.

Latest forecasts I have seen for the end of week suggest it will be mostly dry, but cold with a scattering of snow showers in the NE and E.

Which way would you go? M74/M6? They’re fine- reasonably quiet and clear of snow. It gets slow around Manchester but certainly not stationary- around 40-50mph.

Yeah, M74 from junction 14? Its a ten hour journey normally including toilet stops and I’m not looking forward to an even longer journey than normal. As has been said, I’m quite happy with my driving but don’t like the idea of being stuck in traffic because of somebody elses driving. Maybe there won’t be so many lorries, jack knived or otherwise, on Christmas eve.

MMm we are in a similar position – but Bath to North Wales on Xmas eve… no idea at the moment whether it will be possible and we are just going to wait and see what the weather does. It is now snowing heavily here again – as predicted. But re. above have been considering travelling on Christmas day for clearer roads….

same here.. i’m doing Bristol to Bangor ( 🙂 on the 23rd. Looking like i’ll take the long way round – chester > a55 rather than owestry, betws y coed

Yeah, will have to forsake the lovely scenic route and go M54, Welshpool and across – hoping that we can get over the pass on the A470 beyond Dinas Mawddwy eeek 😯 !