Ampthill Bedfordshire

whitesatin

We are looking at Ampthill as a possible area to live. We don't have to go out to work but will need to travel from there to the St Albans area two days a week, early in the morning. I have looked at various routes one of which uses the M1, one goes through Luton but I was wondering does anyone know the area at all and is it feasible to do that journey on minor roads within one hour's drive.

Any comments on the pros and cons of living in the area would be welcome. We are currently comparing it to Leighton Buzzard as a possibility.

RobertoMoir

From Ampthill to St Albans, I'd go to Flitwick station and catch the train, personally. Quite do-able if you do that, it's about half an hour.

There's been a lot of roadworks around for quite a few years of road improvements now which are skewing things, sure, but it can quite easily take 40 mins plus to get from one side of Luton to the other in rush hour - That being what you'd have to do to drive from Ampthill to St Albans via Luton.

Ampthill's a nice enough place though. I'd take the train from there to St Albans, no worries.

whitesatin

Thanks for your reply, RobertoMoir. Unfortunately I need to have the car when I get there and, also, it is a village outside St Albans so I would have to get a taxi or something from there. It is the journey through Luton that worries me, I just wonder if there is another way. I have looked on Routeplanners and used a map, there appear to be minor roads but not sure how feasible they are.

RobertoMoir

Regardless of route, I reckon Ampthill to St Albans will probably be do-able, at a push, most of the time but it won't take much for the journey to turn to custard if you're going around rush-hour. If the M1 has a problem, as it often can do, all those minor roads are going to be dealing with the brunt of the traffic.

Wee_Willy_Harris

We don't know how/what you drive, the specific times/durations of your journey of even the specific destination. I think the best thing to do might be to try it yourself before you commit. Might cost you a tankfull of petrol, but worth it if it saves you spending a few hundred thousand on an unsuitable home.

GDB2222

The OP said 'early morning', which I guess means 4-5AM, so I don't see any problem with traffic.

lincroft1710

I have used various routes in the area but never early in the morning. Any road leading to the M1 is likely to be very busy, and going 15 minutes earlier or later can have a considerable impact on journey times. It is worth trying the journey at time you expect to travel.

Ampthill is smaller than LB and not such a variety of shops but is perhaps the more desirable of the two.

whitesatin

No, not THAT early. I can be flexible but I wouldn't want to travel much earlier than, say 6.30-7am.

I dislike driving although I have to do it to get to work etc. at the moment. Once I have done a journey a few times I am fine. I dislike motorway driving, especially the slip road onto the motorway so I always try to find another route. I am not a slow driver but I am cautious and always stick to the speed limit.

The specifics of my journey are from wherever I end up living (dictated purely on affordability but I would like somewhere picturesque and with facilities for my husband who doesn't drive at all and who has taken early retirement), to Wheathampstead, a village just outside St Albans, near Harpenden, Redbourn etc. Sadly I can't afford to buy in those places unless I seriously downsize my property.

Thanks for your ideas, I do need to do the journey to get a better idea.

silvercar

Try the reverse. From the side of St Albans you need to be, plan a journey outwards and see where it takes you.

It may be easier travelling against the traffic; if the morning rush hour heads towards London, you may be better off travelling away from London in the morning rush.

Wee_Willy_Harris

silvercar wrote: »

Try the reverse. From the side of St Albans you need to be, plan a journey outwards and see where it takes you.

It may be easier travelling against the traffic; if the morning rush hour heads towards London, you may be better off travelling away from London in the morning rush.

Ummm.... I'm I just reading this wrong???

whitesatin

Wee_Willy_Harris wrote: »

Ummm.... I'm I just reading this wrong???

I think I understand. I forget about Ampthill and Leighton Buzzard but explore places I might not have thought about, starting out from W'stead and I might find the journey easier, depending upon where the majority are heading.