Best route home

[G4Z]

Ok, so I just arrived in a rural spot near reading for a weeks training. Drove all the way down from Geordieland and came in via A1 and then swapped for M1 near Milton Keynes.

Hit the roadworks at that point so started to think about when I go home (hopefully Friday afternoon, possibly friday evening...), then I thought maybe some hexites could offer some sound advice so I can beat my 6 hours it took me to get here and you know you all love to give an opinion on directions

Was thinking maybe going by the M40 could work....

[GoNz0]

find something to do until 7pm then head home.

[G4Z]

Oh come on, surely we can do better than that.

What if I got out of here at 11:30am?

[finlay666]

Whenever I came up (I used to to the trip twice a month while I worked in Reading to go see my girlfriend) I usually went:

(From Reading, near Thames Valley Park)
M329 from the start of it onto the M4
M4 East to High Wicombe
A404 to M40 towards Birmingham (There is a Tesco petrol station just off the roundabout heading into High Wicombe that is pretty cheap for filling up at)
M40 to A43 past Silverstone to the M1
M1 up to A1 around Leeds
Follow the A1M to scotch corner and back up to town

It's pretty direct and if you get caught in traffic (the A1 is usually pretty dire being dual carriageway and a lot of lorries using it being direct) you can skip onto the A1 fairly easily, you can also take the A19 if you are that way inclined depending on the area of NEwcastle you are heading to (and if you want to take the srubbishrubbishrubbishrubbishy new Tyne Tunnel)

Don't forget from the Bowes Incline to the Metro Centre is all 40mph limits now (usually 50... like anyone pays attention), I have spotted a few police cars held up there on my way to/from work in the morning and in the evening (usually around the burger van on the layby after the Metro Centre heading south)

It usually took me about 6 hours including comfort breaks and a short walk to stretch my legs

[G4Z]

Sounds like a plan, pretty much what I was thinking.

Not too worried about when I get near home, as I am going to Gateshead so will certainly be A1 more or less to my doorstep

[finlay666]

Sounds like a plan, pretty much what I was thinking.

Not too worried about when I get near home, as I am going to Gateshead so will certainly be A1 more or less to my doorstep

Yeah I end up taking the A184 towards the redheugh on my way in in the morning then instead of heading towards the tyne bridge (which would be the most direct way) heading towards bensham bank then back in again near the bus station, it's silly but it saves me a 20 minute wait in the morning

[G4Z]

Yep, Askew road is a nightmare. Seemingly at any time of day.

[G4Z]

Well, I decided in the end to go left on the M4 and hitting the A34 which worked out really well.

Left at 4:45pm yesterday, was in my house at 9:15. Which I think is a pretty stonking time

[listy]

fly