Up to what time to avoid M25 to Heathrow

socks_uk

dacouch wrote: »

You have to allow a lot of time to get to Heathrow as the traffic can be bad around there all the time and if there is an accident etc it become gridlocked.

Our flight is 12.05pm on Saturday so we was going to leave the hotel at about 9am allowing us a total of 3 hours for travelling 4 miles, checking in & breakfast! If traffic is gridlocked we'll walk down Sipson road with a suitcase in each hand and skip breakfast!

Thanks to everyone... my husband is getting excited about seeing his mum & dad and the rest of his family. He's counting down the days on his Facebook! 22 days to go.

getmore4less

M40-Heathrow stretch is much better than the M1-M40 part.

If you drop off the M40 at J4 and head along the London road(A40) there is a good Indian just before J3. 20-40 mins to the hotel from there.

http://www.mrindia.net/

there are a couple of quite nice pubs near the junctions between Bicester and Wycombe not sure what there is closer to the Hotel.

IN the hotel there is a pub snacks type menu as well as the Asian and regular restaurants(assuming it is the M4 J4) one.

Heathrow hopper from the hotel is £4pp if leaving the car at the hotel.

worried_jim

getmore4less wrote: »

M40-Heathrow stretch is much better than the M1-M40 part.

If you drop off the M40 at J4 and head along the London road(A40) there is a good Indian just before J3. 20-40 mins to the hotel from there.

http://www.mrindia.net/

there are a couple of quite nice pubs near the junctions between Bicester and Wycombe not sure what there is closer to the Hotel.

IN the hotel there is a pub snacks type menu as well as the Asian and regular restaurants(assuming it is the M4 J4) one.

Heathrow hopper from the hotel is £4pp if leaving the car at the hotel.

I agree- I know coach drivers that take this route when going to Wembley and all say that it is easier !
I think this has been one of the best threads I've ever taken part in- restores your faith in human nature !

getmore4less

One other thing, I like to use http://maps.google.co.uk/ when planning routes, you can drag drop the route and get distances and rough timings to trade off the cost time.

Also when you want to do a stop you can zoom in and do a search for pubs petrol etc.

thelawnet

getmore4less wrote: »

M40-Heathrow stretch is much better than the M1-M40 part.

If you drop off the M40 at J4 and head along the London road(A40) there is a good Indian just before J3. 20-40 mins to the hotel from there.

http://www.mrindia.net/

Might as well take a (tiny) detour via Southall for some authentic Indian.

A walk/drive up Southall Broadway is an experience and the restaurants are pretty much all good.

I also like Moj Masti, on Featherstone Road, a little away from the Broadway, for excellent Pakistani cuisine. {Assuming it's still open}

socks_uk

Thanks for all the reccomendations for a place to eat but were thinking more of stopping about an hour and a half away from London so we can allow the traffic to ease off while we explore a place we've never been before. After looking on Google Maps at the M40 route and we like the look of Oxford. We've obviously heard of it but have never been there and it says it is only 55 minutes from the hotel and 3 and a half hours from home.

So, we'll leave home at about 2pm and drive for approx 3hrs 30mins, stop to discover Oxford, have tea, be back on the road about 7.30pm and arrive at hotel at about 9pm (allowing for the inevitable miss of slip road to the hotel and having to go to the next junction and turn around and try again!), take advantage of being alone in a hotel room and still be asleep reasonably early!

Thanks to all for the tips. Any reasonably priced places to eat near Oxford even though it is a very well known tourist place? We're not that keen on Indian food though. Chinese, Italian, steak (just going to search for a Sizzling Steak Pub, we love a good ribeye!) Thanks again all.

Debt_Free_Chick

Oxford is absolutely choked for traffic and the ring road is a complete nightmare. Parking is difficult too, which is why there are so many Park & Ride schemes.

If you want a stop-off on the way, suggest you leave the M40 at J10 and take the B430 then A4095 to Woodstock. To get back on the M40, head towards Oxford then take the A34 back to J9, which avoids the Ring Road.

Friday night is never a good time to travel, IMHO. The Oxford RR might be OK at 7.30pm, but I personally wouldn't risk it.

lily_the_pink

Hi

Be aware that the traffic in and around Oxford can be far far worse than the stretch of the M25 between M40 and Heathrow. (I have had a couple of nightmarish experiences :eek: ) Also there is very little parking in Oxford itself - a park and ride being strongly encourage by the authorities there. Saying that it is a lovely place to explore and I am sure you would find somewhere nice to eat.

You might though want to look at the option of a non-city centre pub - there are loads of lovely little villages dotted along that stretch of the M40 (check out a good pub guide) - Beaconsfield is a very pleasant village just off the M40 and just outside London.

I have hit this part of the M25 many many times after a journey from the midlands or up north and 95 times out of 100 it has been moving. I think the worst would be over by 7ish - though you can never control accidents that can bring everything to a stand still. Once you hit High Wycombe, tune in to Radio London (94.9) for traffic reports every half hour.

Southall can also be a bit of a nightmare trafficwise - Sunday morning first thing is the only time I would venture there in a car. (It can take an hour easily if you get stuck in traffic just to get down the high street - parking is again a nightmare).

getmore4less

Aanother alternative on route

There is an outlet place Bicester village and a pub that does steak next door.

Oxford is a nightmare in a car.

worried_jim

Don't go to Oxford in a car !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ever.