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i'm going to woolacombe at the end of next week.
Having suffered some nightmare saturday journeys in the past we're considering travelling on the friday night.
How hideous is the m5 southbound on a friday? We'd be stopping overnight at tiverton so would need to be there by 11pm. It'll take 4/5 hours so we'd need to leave about 6pm.
So, friday or saturday travel?
Depends if/when/where someone overturns a caravan.
It's certainly horrible at least until 1900, which is as late as i head north. Pinch points are gordano, WSM, bridgwater. After 2000 it might be ok/better.
Jam bo has nailed it. Caravans are the blight of the west country in the summer. It was much better that year they had to stay on the inside lane.
jam bo, I know what you're saying.
you don't want to be near bristol before about 7 from my experience. past bristol is ok, it is just the m4/roadworks/cribbs that screw it up.
Id agree, Bristol after 7pm and then ok. This year we'll be leaving Derbyshire about 6/7pm fri night and travel south of Bristol to stay in hotel or similar.
wrightyson, that was our plan, but, the wife says travelodge at taunton/tiverton requires pre 11pm arrivals.
There is more than one hotel south of Bristol. Me - for saturday to Saturday trips to west country in summer when coming down from Yorkshire we've always enjoyed the delights of Bristol until about 2pm on a Saturday and then cruised down the m5 and a3x with very little traffic.
As above, it's normally alright other than between approx 5:00 and 8:00om. Having Said that, it once took me 11 hours to get from Shropshire to Salcombe 👿
Days inn just off the m5 at sedgemoore is fine. Also has a private road into Weston if you fancy a wander round there sat morning. If not you're literally up and away. Will need booking now tho as a lot of people use it as a mid way stop.
Also various prem inns within Weston. We've done this for every Devon/Cornwall trip over the last 4 yrs.
Having Said that, it once took me 11 hours to get from Shropshire to Salcombe
It once took me two hours to get out of Taunton onto the m5...
Ouch. Fingers crossed for a nice journey next friday.
Woolacombe is an hour from Tiverton/ J27.
Keep driving, don't stop at Travelodge J27..
Set off at a normal time, knowing that there will be slow traffic. Stop for a coffee every so often and before you know it you'll be in the Red Barn sipping a beer.
My motorway journey home is the M5 bridgewater to the M4 bath junction.
I'd rather stick wasps up my arse than try that on a Friday!
So I guess I'm saying good luck!!
last year it took 11 hours to get from nw leics to woolacombe. I said i'd never do it again . The rest of the family could go and i'd camp in the peaks, but, i'm a sucker.
Woolacombe is an hour from Tiverton/ J27.Keep driving, don't stop at Travelodge J27
^^^This^^^
The North Devon link road isn't actually that long, just make sure you get past Bristol before 4pm on a Friday and you may avoid the stop start traffic that can take until Bridgwater to clear.
My beloved employers have booked me into a training course in Oxfordshire on the Friday that marks the start of the school summer holiday period. It finishes at 12.30 and at 12.31 there will be a cloud of tyre smoke and the sound of a car disappearing down the A34 at speed as I attempt to drive home to North Devon before the M5 gets clogged with the remains of somebodies caravan.
Good luck guys.
You bugger. We're leaving Stafford (M6 J13) at 7pm on Friday heading down to south Wales. So it's you that's going to cause all that congestion we hit.
I used to drive from Loughborough down to J27 and beyond all the time, hitting Bristol after 20:00 and you should have a clear run of it.
That said if you don't have a clear run the final stretch to Woolacombe is not a straight blast rather its about as far from straight as you can get and I'd suggest not driving it if you're tired.
We live halfway between Tiverton & Dulverton and have a converted loft which you and the wife could kip over in if you've had a crappy drive.
We have a teething 8mth old daughter so there's a high likelihood that we'll be up late. Oh we also have a bengal cat but don't mind him. Email in profile, drop me a line if we can help. 🙂
See, if you had a caravan like ours you could just pull up, legs down & off to bed. 😉
Honest advice, Just head off earlier on the Sat morning, as in 3am early. You'll have a great journey down & arrive for breakfast...
We'll not be clogging the M5 this time, but will be clogging up Northern France instead. 😆