Traveling to Gatwick Airport From Yorkshire M1 or A1?

mew

We are flying from Gatwick and are traveling down from Yorkshire, so have a choice of either M1 or A1. Last year and generally for London trips we use the M1, M25 anticlockwise.

Our problem is every time we hit the M25 we get stuck on the same stretch, what ever time of day and even on Boxing day last year. It's always (roughly) between junction 14/13 - junction 10 (Cobham services area) - both ways.

For anyone one who does similar trips would the A1 and clockwise around the M25 to Gatwick be better, we have never drove around that stretch of the M25?

Traveling down would be on a weekday afternoon, probably hitting M25 around 3-5pm (I know earlier would be better and traveling back would be on a weekday around lunch time.

alanrowell

I normally go via the M11 & Dartford Crossings. There wouldn't be much difference between M1 & A1 as their junctions with the M25 are only about 5 miles apart

Stooby2

I haven't been down that way for a while, but there are major roadworks between junctions 5 and 6 that can cause problems, so if you come around the east side that may be an issue. However, coming from the west, you'll be on the M23 before you get to them.

mrsjanebanbury2009

Have you got an Android phone? If so, you can download a real-time traffic app (e.g. the one from the R.A.C.) and you could choose the route when you set off depending on where the traffic is lightest. I do this often coming from the south coast to north London (so I could go either way around the M25) and it's really helpful.

WTFH

There's also the Highways Agency app (not sure if it's available on Android), and I'd suggest keeping your radio tuned in to BBC Radio 2 for their traffic reports.

The roadworks between 5 & 7 are not too bad as long as you aren't hitting them at 8am or 5pm, and I would definitely prefer to go through them than 16 to 9.

I live near Jn 8 and frequently travel round the M25.

mew

mrsjanebanbury2009 wrote: »

Have you got an Android phone? If so, you can download a real-time traffic app (e.g. the one from the R.A.C.) and you could choose the route when you set off depending on where the traffic is lightest. I do this often coming from the south coast to north London (so I could go either way around the M25) and it's really helpful.

I'll have a look at that, hopefully it's more accurate than Google Maps.

WTFH wrote: »

There's also the Highways Agency app (not sure if it's available on Android), and I'd suggest keeping your radio tuned in to BBC Radio 2 for their traffic reports.

The roadworks between 5 & 7 are not too bad as long as you aren't hitting them at 8am or 5pm, and I would definitely prefer to go through them than 16 to 9.

I live near Jn 8 and frequently travel round the M25.

I'll have a look at the Highways App too (of available on Android). I guess it's nice where you live (Surry?) but a nightmare if you wan to get anywhere, The M25 is just so busy, always.




I've just checked again on Google and it's later than I would want to be hitting the M25 but currently the M1/M25 is 2 minutes quicker but google is showing a lot more jams that way, in terms I understand Legoland exit (slough/M4) to Thorpe park & Chesington exits (jct 11/10). On the opposite way the Dartford crossing looks busy and at the roadwork's at 5/6 people have mentioned.


By some strange coincidence it's showing as 209 miles from my house to Gatwick for both the M1/M25 and the A1/M11/M25, so no mileage difference between the two routes.

daveyjp

Neither. M25 in the afternoon is a pain so least time spent on it the better.

I do M1, M42, M40, M25. That way you join the M25 near Heathrow and miss the stretch from the M1. It's 20 miles further on my route from Yorkshire, but only 10 minutes longer in drive time, which over 4 hours is nothing. You could use M69 rather than M42 to get to the M40.

InsideInsurance

Going anticlockwise on the M25 rather than going over the dartford crossing is certainly the shorter route and having driven down from York the other day and come off the M25 at the M3 there are no major roadworks on that section.

Ultimately with the M25 you are luck or your unlucky. Thankfully I've never had any significant holdups on it in all my years of going round but have seen very big holdups on the other side to me.

Personally, use a route planer with live traffic (I thought Google Maps used the RAC traffic feed now) and leave plenty of time.

WTFH

InsideInsurance wrote: »

Going anticlockwise on the M25 rather than going over the dartford crossing is certainly the shorter route

Maybe for you.

mew wrote: »

By some strange coincidence it's showing as 209 miles from my house to Gatwick for both the M1/M25 and the A1/M11/M25, so no mileage difference between the two routes.

Marmaduke123

daveyjp wrote: »

M25 in the afternoon is a pain so least time spent on it the better.

I do M1, M42, M40, M25. That way you join the M25 near Heathrow and miss the stretch from the M1. You could use M69 rather than M42 to get to the M40.

Both these are a long way round and subject to delays especially round Birmingham. Better is M1 to Junction 15a, A43 (all dual) via Brackley bypass to M40. The M25 will probably be very slow though from Heathrow to the M23.

mew

Marmaduke123 wrote: »

Both these are a long way round and subject to delays especially round Birmingham. Better is M1 to Junction 15a, A43 (all dual) via Brackley bypass to M40. The M25 will probably be very slow though from Heathrow to the M23.

That's a similar way I used get to Legoland (I get off Jct 4, M40). It used to be the quickest way with the endless roadwork's on the M1, but now those are mainly complete, I don't tend to have a problem the M1, Just M25, which I would still hit.




I think the overwhelming advice from this thread is to uses live traffic information, I should really invest in a RDA? adaptor for my TomTom. until then I'll download the apps for my phone and make sure I keep an eye on the live traffic info.