Who else is braving the roads today or tomorrow?
We have no choice but to brave the A303 this evening ☹️ not going too far, but I'm hoping as we're going East most people will be going West.
Safe travels 😁
Isn’t that just a stock article they change the dates on every bank holiday?
A Friday night trip on the 303,what could possibly go wrong 😆 🤣 😂
I predict ...
1 car fire.
3 cars overheating
10 campervans badly parked near Stonehenge trying to get photos
14 tractors
100 Amazon/DPD sprinter vans trying to overtake on blind bends.
Nope. I don’t go anywhere on a bank holiday unless absolutely necessary.
The A9 was busy last night - both a queue at Kier at 5pm and a dose more traffic noise on our garden last night until later. I guess a good few extend the weekend even more.
Only to FoD and back for riding, but it's a long way from being a busy route apart from the odd section.
Heading back up from Norwich to Edinburgh. Have downloaded the Lord of the Rings audiobooks narrated by Andy Serkis so actually quite looking forward to it
lakes pmba, 8am tomorrow west yorks to southern lakes, home sunday, so hoping everyone stays till monday and roads are clear
Already at out caravan in North Wales, came Wednesday night.
Did a hilly 37 road miles yesterday. Lovely quiet roads, which probably were more suitable for my CX bike but 25c was just about OK.
Meh. As long as our riding club gets into the cafe on Saturday lunchtime it'll be fine.
I do have a supermarket shop to do this afternoon though. That'll likely be a bit more stressful with all the tourists arriving.
Coventry to Crawley Saturday morning for sons football tournament. Then home again in the afternoon.
Then the same again on Sunday morning / afternoon.
Was going to stay the night but hotels are very expensive.
Hopefully roads will be quiet going as it will be early morning.
Leaving Worthing at 2pm, heading to the Chunnel. Ugg.
Do it weekly back up North today, driven into office not sure what time I will leave but should be before 4pm.
The A5 will have a few more caravans/super cars on than usual, I doubt I will see much other difference. If anything bank holidays appear to be quieter round here as everyone heads up Snowdon.
Ah yes await the Snowdon parking in the newspapers
Just heard that the A9 is closed in both directions near Tomatin. That'll be a massive detour on roads that are partly singletrack and the last time that happened they then had closures too.
But hey, it's not like it's the Central Belt and worth investing in a bit of decent infrastructure. (Yes, that's frustration creeping in).
We have no choice but to brave the A303 this evening ☹️ not going too far, but I’m hoping as we’re going East most people will be going West
All those holiday lets and campsites weren't all empty last week you know...
Tbh you should be fine as long as you're avoiding where the dual goes single carriageway.
lakes pmba, 8am tomorrow west yorks to southern lakes, home sunday, so hoping everyone stays till monday and roads are clear
You’ll be fine. We're doing Leics. to Southern Scotland again. M1,M18,A1,A66,M6. Never had any noteworthy traffic problems over the last year (15+ times). Breakfast at Wetherby at 8.15 - 8.30, then clear all the way North. Sunday after 4pm gets a little busy on the A1 south, but nothing to worry about, and this weekend, it’ll be quieter on the Sunday due to the BH.
Already at out caravan in North Wales, came Wednesday night.
Sensible chap!
I came to our place in N Wales a week ago and decided not to go back!
Saved me £60 in fuel! 😛
All those holiday lets and campsites weren’t all empty last week you know…
Unfortunately when you're both teachers that's no use ☹️
Light traffic this morning innmy bit of Surrey. I upped my average speed into work by 1mph on the single speed purely down to hitting a couple of major interchanges with no traffic.
I'm going to Shropshire tomorrow with the caravan. Muhahaha.
I'm taking an MTB too cos we are staying in the middle of a forest jammed with trails and singletrack.
Unfortunately when you’re both teachers that’s no use
My sympathies but I was trying to rein in your optimism a bit about eastbound traffic being any lighter.
Now I feel slightly guilty - thanks for your service, it's a dirty job but someone's got to do it!
If you are heading to dover Operation Brock started on the M20 last week. It will probable be mad trafic there, so take some extra food and water.
Dorset to M6 Burton services tonight. Yay! Leaving at 17:00 as well.
Thanks to Calmac, we have fewer ferries running so making one of the busiest weeks of the year somewhat less busy, particularly limiting the number of tour buses and vital footfall in local shops - takings are 20-30% down for most. We do however have 2 cruise ships full of rich pensioners who spend comparatively f-all.
We also have Superyacht Piparked here, owned by Mr Starbucks and not even giving away free coffee 🤣
Surrey to Suffolk this afternoon along the bottom of the M25......should be nice and quiet. 👍
Milton Keynes to liverpool, leaving straight after kids have finished school, have a cocktail party on a T45 destroyer!, staying at the in-laws, hopefully get a cheeky blast round llandegla early on Sunday
1 car fire.
3 cars overheating
10 campervans badly parked near Stonehenge trying to get photos
14 tractors
100 Amazon/DPD sprinter vans trying to overtake on blind bends.
Why do all the air cooled campers congregate at the seaside?
Because its at the bottom, and none of the them can get back up the hill to get out.
Thanks to Calmac, we have fewer ferries running so making one of the busiest weeks of the year somewhat less busy
I note that Calmac yesterday suggested that the Ardrossan - Campbeltown ferry may not run all summer.
I also note that the main Highand council ferry at Corran is still waiting parts, and the second smaller ferry is due to start running again in mid-June.
I also see that the Pentaland Ferries cat return is delayed at least one more week, everyone diverted to Northlink and a lack of capacity now causing some issues.
(There is a running theme here)
Meh. Used to do the 303 to the south east every other Friday night for 2 or 3 years. Looking at the traffic I was glad I wasn't going west but rarely had any difficulties myself.
We're heading up the M5 for Cardiff at ~5:30 tonight...
@matt_outandabout A decades long running theme- lack of investment. I'll be going south on the A82 today and coming back north on Sunday, hoping there's no road closures.
Just arrived in Carnac, Brittany and traffic was fine all the way from Northern England. 22deg and cracking the flags here.
I note that Calmac yesterday suggested that the Ardrossan – Campbeltown ferry may not run all summer.
It’s terrible. We cancelled our Arran visit this week in part because of that. Still made Glen Scotia malt festival though.
I’m going to Shropshire tomorrow with the caravan. Muhahaha.
See my comment re the A5 !
forest jammed with trails and singletrack
Not sure I know where that is in Shropshire? Not at least ones that take carvans too ?!?
We cancelled our Arran visit this week in part because of that.
As in you were returning via Campbeltown?
Down visiting the folks in Hampshire this week so back up to Scotland tomorrow. Unsure whether to go A34/M40/M42/M6 or jump across via Swindon and M5 up. Doubt it makes any difference, stuff-ups can happen anywhere.
9 hours later and the A9 is still closed north of Tomatin
In the past even on a sunny bank holiday Monday we've made it to the coast for 9-10am with very little traffic, leave at 2pm wave at the hoards queuing to get to where we've just been. I'm not naturally a morning person but if you get out early you miss the worst of it.
We cancelled our Arran visit this week in part because of that.
As in you were returning via Campbeltown?
I know you are being sarcistic but it does have a bearing on making future plans. We usually go to Orkney but we are giving it a miss this year. We will still have a great time in the Highlands but we will give the islands a miss. Actually I am looking forward to taking the bike on the main holiday this year for a change. We can just do with limiting an area of risk when we have other great options. I say that as someone who spends 4-5 weeks of the year in the highlands and Islands and has done for over twenty years
We usually go to Orkney but we are giving it a miss this year.
Excellent, fewer people to avoid when I am there. 😉
Enjoy, hopefully you are going with Northlink more expensive but they don't play bumper cars with boats
Easy lunchtime trundle back from Northumberland to sunny south Lanarkshire earlier. Roads were busy, though it is as holiday today so not abnormal I guess.
I'm on the overnight ferry from Belfast to Birkenhead tomorrow, then hopefully a smooth drive down to Coventry early on Sunday morning, the boat docks at 06.30am!
With everyone on the roads it means the pub & garden is quiet!
https://flic.kr/p/2oD5wre
Trains were grim today. My alloted seat back down from Glasgow this evening was smack bang in the middle of a fat, orange hen party. Couldn't get out of the carriage fast enough.
I'm working all weekend driving bags and bikes around Suffolk. Hopefully the Monday Sportive won't hold things up too much.
A303 update - Honiton to Mere was pretty clear. So we're now camped by a stream near Bradford on Avon. Lovely 👍
Wouldn't have wanted to have been going West though 😬 that was heaving.
As in you were returning via Campbeltown?
No, Brodrick. Outward we looked at Campbeltown but that was going to be awkward too so plan was Clainog. In the end we just stayed on Gigha for some extra nights.
Was working in London for a few days. Left NW1 (just edge of Regents Park) at 1545. Got back to Bristol just before 9. 😂
Loads of folk visibly off on their holidays for a week. I just wanted to get home. 😭
Amazingly good journey for us. M1 south, M69 to Coventry then M40 down south. Only delays were M1/M69 junction. Took 2h 40m and a clear run is normally 2h 30m. Amazingly we also set off at 5pm
Home (near Swansea) to Church Stretton in just under two hours via Brecon. Roads clear but all the local pubs booked up for food. Fish and Chips in the Cardingmill Valley was lovely in the sunshine.
Molgrips, whereabouts are you? We're at Mynd View Pods. Only one pod here mind you. It turns that we are the first booking.
No hate for Birmingham or its inhabitants, but driving by it in either direction makes me feel like a bolus of chewed food trying to force its way past a giant esophageal tumour.
Left Glasgow at 10:30 yesterday, dropped wife and wean at Tory Butlins in Penrith at 14:00, then finally made it to Merthyr Tydfil for BPW at 22:45.
Just down here at Abbeville near Dieppe for an event tomorrow. Easy trip round the M25/M20 (although the other way was a car park) to the Chunnel and then breezed through. Basically the terminal and trains were empty. Then an hour on lovely empty French roads. Zero sign of travel chaos.
South to North through the whole country today. Bit of a nightmare and slow all the way...but north to south looked terrible, with many jams at a full stop.
Seem to be many more breakdowns than there were a few years ago. Is this the consequence of many years of austerity influencing decisions on maintenance (both vehicle and road)?
Even HGVs have stopped using the inside lane of the M1 in Leicestershire because you can lose an articulated lorry down the potholes.
Even HGVs have stopped using the inside lane of the M1 in Leicestershire because you can lose an articulated lorry down the potholes.
I'm working on the RideLondon Women's race this weekend - the 3-day UCI event, not the mass participation ride.
*Everyone* has been saying about the potholes. I don't know if it's worse in Essex but the roads are in pieces in spite of the (fairly limited!) attempts at patchwork repairs that the council have done in advance of the race.
Oh and back to traffic, London and some of Essex is basically shut down today for the Freecycle (central London), the RideLondon mass participation ride and then the final stage of the Women's race.
I'll be driving along the Mall and Embankment ignoring all speed limits and with no traffic. 😂
We drove from Sheffield ish to Llanberis yesterday afternoon for an evening ride up Snowdon. A 2hr50min drive took us 4hr, fortunately we left with plenty of time to spare. Booked the YHA etc. without realising it was a bank holiday 🤦
Midlands back to Scottish Borders yesterday avo took us six hours instead of the usual four.
Didn't even realise it was a bank holiday when we arranged to go.
A few accidents and lots of broken down cars on the hard shoulder.
I’ll be driving along the Mall and Embankment ignoring all speed limits and with no traffic. 😂
Can confirm that doing 40mph along the empty streets of the Mall, Strand and Embankment is amazing! 🤣
The drive out to Heathrow (to return the sponsor vehicle) was less amazing. An hour to go about 12 miles... 🤔
coming through sandringham yesterday (sunday( about 6pm, traffic was dead slow for about 4miles, heading for kings lynn
Return trip on the A303 today... 😬
My wife booked this camping trip btw. I would've avoided travelling on the Friday and Monday of a Bank Holiday personally!
The drive out to Heathrow (to return the sponsor vehicle) was less amazing. An hour to go about 12 miles…
That's normal or even quicker than normal
Crawling down the m6 just north of the Blackpool spur. Might get home today 😒
Drove from Sheffield to Penrith this morning. No drama whatsoever. Even the A66 was uneventful.
Spoke too soon. Coming back last night. M20 from the tunnel closed - not sure why - and re-routed onto little a network of little lanes in Kent. The normal 1hr20min drive back became 2hrs45min. Still not terrible
Macc to West Wales and back yesterday. Almost no traffic.
traffic was dead slow for about 4miles, heading for kings lynn
Isn't the traffic always dead slow/at a standstill around King's Lynn?? Its been a hold-up for us for years getting down to Norfolk on holiday. Usually that big roundabout near the Sainsburys.
Follow up questions: will traffic be a nightmare on Saturday? How about Sunday?
