We're driving from Midlothian to Wiltshire on Saturday. Hoping it's not going to be too busy and the traffic is spread out over five or six days. When is everyone else travelling? We are also driving back on Christmas eve, hoping most of you are getting stuck into the egg nog by then!
Peterborough to Chesterfield Friday Afternoon, back late Sunday, then Stanstead Airport in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Bristol to Skye, via a night in the NW England, Mon/Tues. Should be ok once we're past Manchester... I hope.
None really, other than a night away on 28th, in North Wales (only 75 miles away) catching up with some folks we go camping and swimming with.
Driving on Saturday 27th, a route which can be a variable journey at the best of times.
Planning on an absolute crack of dawn start. Guessing that'll be a day that a lot of people start heading home from Christmas Day / Boxing Day at the relatives.
Also suspect that all the big out of town shopping centres will be gridlocked!
We are also driving back on Christmas eve,
It's been a number of years since I've done Christmas travelling, but that's likely to be a bloody nightmare.
Seriously just consider leaving it until early Christmas day morning, roads are damn near empty. Suppose it depends what you have to be back for.
We have to leave on Christmas eve. We'll leave early and hopefully miss the worst.
We have to leave on Christmas eve. We'll leave early and hopefully miss the worst.
Up and down the country, there's another 30m people all going "we'll leave early, hopefully miss the worst"! 😉
Seriously just consider leaving it until early Christmas day morning, roads are damn near empty.
Up to a point. From about 10am, the roads just go insane. Harassed and stressed parents driving cars piled high with presents and a couple of hyper kids who've been up since 5am scoffing chocolate, driving off to relatives that they only visit a couple of times a year so they're not sure of the way, the car is steamed up, the presents limit the view out the back, the kids are shrieking...
Most people very rarely do long drives so you get all these very infrequent motorway drivers, people who rarely drive in the dark, cars that haven't been on a long run in months. It's like a whole sub-species of motorist. And they're all shit.
23rd, Fife to Norfolk but have half a mind to stop half way and leave on the 22nd (campervan). Peak district 3 day stop off on the way back.
Most people very rarely do long drives so you get all these very infrequent motorway drivers, people who rarely drive in the dark, cars that haven't been on a long run in months. It's like a whole sub-species of motorist. And they're all shit.
This!
Plus a family will take the Big Car, which inevitably gets driven by the person who doesn't usually drive it. And that person (I'm gonna say it - the wife) isn't used to the car, AND doesn't often drive distance. And when they do, it's middle lane all the way.
Since we had 3 kids, we've stayed put. The world can revolve around us and our overactive loins.
Might walk up to the high street for a pre-lunch pint in the pub. Haven't done long-distance Xmas driving in a long time. Chris Rea can F right off.
MiL comes to us after she has done the BiL in the AM and all is good.
24th has been fine for us from Dumfries to Leicester for two years, doing it again this year, not through choice.. In fact Xmas eve is always pretty quiet in the last few years when I’ve been working on that day, apart from around shopping centres and large supermarkets.
On the other hand , the return on the 27th has been deadly, but we did leave around 10am, it’ll be 7 am this year.
All local driving here, I'll go see the kids at their mum's in the morning then the afternoon I'll get my mum and we'll have a bit of lunch followed by the evening heading to the other half for the night. On the 26th I'll pick up the kids and take them to mine on the way home.
We once drove down on the 27th and I swore (a **** ton) that we'd never travel on the 27th again. That may also have been the year it was snowing when we left Scotland.
1000 mile drive starting on Boxing Day. Taking the back roads from Thredbo to the Sunshine Coast with a camping spot along the way. Traffic shouldn’t be an issue.
my driving home for Christmas days are over thankfully--it seems now there is no quiet time on the roads, especially the matorways, they always seem busy whatever day of the week or time of the day!
good luck to all those travelling, allow lots of time and take snacks 🙂
My Christmas travel will involve my stairs at home, and not much more 😀
last weekend I had to collect my son and his bike from York and drive back to NI, it was a windy and wet drive in a loaded Passat estate, him and his girlfriend, bike and gear, so I took it slowly, like 55mph to 65mph on the motorways, a bit less on single carriageways like A66, and it was a much less stressful drive, tootling along all the crazies come flying by, and in the 225 miles home there were no 'incidents'--aka noobs with horns blaring, lights flashing, tail-gating, brake checking, bunching etc--so it definitely pays to allow lots of time, go easy, and avoid the stress!
Leed to Leicester on Christmas day evening. Then boxing day set off for the Pyrenees, stopping in Orleans boxing day night.
good luck to all those travelling, allow lots of time and take snacks
Wise words.
A few years ago, driving down to London on Christmas Eve. It was middle of the night when I'd left mine; back then I'd leave at 2am, arrive about 6am, there'd be almost no traffic.
Going down the M1, got to a crash that had only just happened, motorway blocked. Traffic backed up, we all just turned the engines off and waited. We were there for 4hrs, eventually the police started turning people around but because I was right at the front of the queue, it took forever for everyone to turn around and drive the wrong way back up the motorway to then get off at the previous junction.
I was starving, freezing cold, absolutely shattered - I'd not been able to sleep much in the car cos it was so cold and the flashing lights and sirens had kept me awake.
So yes - pack food, water, blankets and a large "receptacle" bottle in the car...
Wise words.
I've just opted to stop overnight in Appleby in Westmoreland Monday night. Not in the mood for a drive that starts and finishes in darkness.
Does Madame Educator win the thread for doing 840km on winding main roads with some farmer blockaded autoroutes (just cause no reproach), starting at 9 last night and still underway having charged the Zoe five times (merci Elon) which did have the merit of providing nap stops.
Got a 900 mile 20 hour epic down to the Massif Central to do on the 28th. Hoping that as it's a Sunday it won't be too bad.
Had to come back to London for work this week and am now at Luton airport waiting for a flight back to Ireland. It's already showing a 40 minute delay 🙁
Luton airport is fairly busy but not rammed even though the dart shuttle was as I've ever seen it. Security wasn't too bad though.
Hangover is also abating
Does Madame Educator win the thread for doing 840km on winding main roads with some farmer blockaded autoroutes (just cause no reproach), starting at 9 last night and still underway having charged the Zoe five times
Chris Rea never sang about any of this stuff!
Whenever I drive home (Aberdeen to Manchester), I just drive through the night. Set off at 7pm or later and the roads are deserted. Very occasionally there will be an overnight motorway closure to deal with.
Normally I can stroll through check in and bag drop in a few minutes at this time in the morning but today it's really quite busy!
Ugh, van has a "doesn't even try to start" electrical fault. The omens are not looking good, really wished I hadn't booked accommodation now 😕
The radio was claiming yesterday to be the busiest day but the M1 southbound was pretty empty for us in the afternoon, certainly better than when I commute on it. Northbound looked a bit rubbish though.
It looks like big queues and IT problems relating to the Dover ferries.
We're well into flag land now, just onto the M5 and having lunch. Less than 100 miles to go.
Well that's half of it done. Bristol to North London on Saturday lunchtime-ish, and back again today. Both trips probably slightly easier than average.
Then Bristol to Shropshire on Christmas eve - if it exists, and we can find it on the map
Chris Rea can F right off.
Wow. Remind me to never piss you off!
Up to a point. From about 10am, the roads just go insane. Harassed and stressed parents driving cars piled high with presents and a couple of hyper kids who've been up since 5am scoffing chocolate, driving off to relatives that they only visit a couple of times a year so they're not sure of the way, the car is steamed up, the presents limit the view out the back, the kids are shrieking...
Not to mention the tradition of having a having a drink with breakfast on Xmas morning, and a drink at lunchtime, (just topping up the hangover from the bottle last night) and then doing the return trip. Any motorway around any city will have a significantly higher number of drink drivers on Xmas day.
We're driving from Midlothian to Wiltshire on Saturday.
I'm supposed to be going to Midlothian from England but Wiltshire is a lot closer to me. Do you fancy swapping families for a day. Mine don't like me very much so they'd be happy to see you. I'm very polite in person and would help with washing up.
I'm supposed to be going to Midlothian from England but Wiltshire is a lot closer to me. Do you fancy swapping families for a day. Mine don't like me very much so they'd be happy to see you. I'm very polite in person and would help with washing up.
We're driving back to Midlothian on Christmas Eve. Fingers crossed. I don't think there will be much washing up as we're then going down to the Borders on Christmas day. But if you're around for a few days you're more than welcome to join us for a ride.
Plus a family will take the Big Car, which inevitably gets driven by the person who doesn't usually drive it. And that person (I'm gonna say it - the wife) isn't used to the car, AND doesn't often drive distance. And when they do, it's middle lane all the way.
This is slightly at odds with my experience, which features my wife's apparent desire to meet the nice Gendarmes when driving my car across France on the way to Eurocamp. But we've always swapped drivers on long trips, and my Mum would never have driven my Dad's car.
We're heading to Fife from Manchester tomorrow. The first time we did it, we went from the in-laws in Bolton, in the pissing rain. The Forth Road Bridge was shut and as I didn't know what the signs meant we didn't realise until we got to the southern end, then had to go round and over the Kincardine Bridge...
I spent years driving from Swindon to Lancashire on Christmas mornings, and never had any bother with traffic.
I spent years driving from Swindon to Lancashire on Christmas mornings, and never had any bother with traffic.
What made it take years then - Google Maps suggests about 4 hours? Did you go through the fabled land of Shropshire where time runs differently?
😀
Drove down from Leeds to Heathrow last night. Motorways very quiet apart from the occasional prat doing 100+ and mixing with their opposite who’s nervously doing 45mph in lane 2. I’ve driven on Christmas Day quite a lot and provided you miss the drink-drivers from lunchtime onwards it’s deserted.
One Xmas Day before COVID we drove Yorkshire to Anglesey to see my folks as they were ill, then over to Derbyshire to my brothers for late afternoon dinner. Probably only saw 50 trucks and 20 cars in 5+ hrs of driving.
Also done Leeds to Kent a few times on Xmas Day. It always surprises me how spookily quiet the motorway network is.
M6/M74 weren’t too bad today. Here now in time for Duvet Know It’s Christmas on Bluesky.
I got my usual commute train home from london, it was full of people with kids and big cases as it goes on to crewe
some of my fellow passengers were particularly noisy
We made it back in good time today, little busy round Preston etc but good weather for it and got home before dark.
M6/M74 weren’t too bad today. Here now in time for Duvet Know It’s Christmas on Bluesky.
Left Fife around 3pm down to the Peak District, I think overall that's the quietest long distance drive I've done in a very long time. I guess most people headed out early.
What made it take years then - Google Maps suggests about 4 hours? Did you go through the fabled land of Shropshire where time runs differently?
The reason I wrote "Christmas mornings" instead of "Christmas morning" was in the hope of avoiding the obvious smart alec reply. 😉
For the past 20 years we’ve gone “home” to Edinburgh from London. Aside from occasional holiday period roadworks I’ve never found the traffic to be an issue - once you take the trucks and commuters off the road there’s all the space in the world for perceived nervous women in zafiras*
I suspect there’s some confirmation bias going on for some folks here
As I'm a sad git I looked at the traffic overlay on Google maps yesterday around 3pm and all major roads were green. Same this morning.
Not travelling, but feel like I should just for the novelty.
We'll generally travel up to the Highlands from Chesterfield once or twice a year. We find that heading off at 5am is great heading North, as we get to Westmorland services in time for breakfast then hit the outskirts of Glasgow after rush hour. After that it's generally plain sailing.
But heading South it's crap as the A1 is inveriably chocker in the day and is always awful round Leeds.
So far so good for me really. Pretty much a normal drive each way to and from my sister's house.
However it's forecast for snow early in the new year so maybe all the total chaos is being saved until then? The local press are already doing their clickbait headlines of "exact time SNOW BOMB is forecast to hit Derbyshire with 6 INCHES in places!"
Run back down the road yesterday was fine too, though temps of around 1deg C over Beattock were interesting.
Bourg Saint Maurice to Pau via the Massif Central with two of us in the Zoe this time. 12h driving and 5h charging. The temperature varied from -3 to +4, my humour varied from Zen to rage red when the only non-Tesla fast charger we tried to use wouldn't start which sent us off route to a Tesla. About half of the autoroutes/voies rapides we'd hoped to use were barricaded by farmers despite France Inter telling us they were open. I lost count of the number of radars crawled past on the slow roads - though the farmers had covered some with tyres or vandalised them. And to think I used to enjoy driving.