M4/M25/A41 - Rush hour - when worst?

no1catman

I may be going to a funeral in October - not passed yet but days rather than weeks!
Not certain I'll go, but if I do - anyone with experience of how bad the traffic could be - M4 Maidenhead to M4 junction to M25, then to unction 19?

Often travelled the route, but mainly on a Sunday, have done it during the week, but getting to the M25 was more like 12.00, more interested to know what it might be like at say 7.45, 8.15, 8.45 or 9.15?

Would the M25 traffic be crawling at 40 mph, or cruising at 60 mph?

DUTR

Why not get there the night before?
You'll have enough stress with the following day.

LilElvis

All it takes is one incident and you could be held up for hours. In theory the journey time to my parents (M1 & M25) is 1 hour 10, sisters (M1 & M3) 1 hour 15 off peak/ weekend - and we've had multiple journeys of 3 hours plus and a few crackers at over 5 hours. Taking over 50% extra is what we allow as a minimum - and that's what it usually is - doing the journey in one and a half hours is a cause for celebration. Another vote for travelling the night before.

silvercar

It can be slow, particularly the actual M25/ M4 junction, but it does keep moving.

Mercdriver

There are smart motorway installation road works from M4 J12 to J5, so that will slow things down also.

jk0

Another vote here for 'night before'.


I recently attended a funeral 200 miles away, and we booked two nights in a hotel. This made the funeral day itself calm & relaxing, and frankly I think we needed the time to talk.


Driving back, we were over the initial emotion, and it felt a very civilised way to do things. I recommend it.

giraffe69

Put the journey into google maps at the right time of day to get an idea but be aware that as said above things can get worse so allow a comfortable margin.

AdrianC

Where are you actually going from and to? There may be workable alternative routes.

But, otoh, you can guarantee that that stretch will be slow at best, and stationary at worst, at those times. And it's all down to what some other muppet did earlier...

Mercdriver

Waze can give you a rough idea of what the traffic is usually like. I would recommend what others have suggested and stay the night before at least, and perhaps the next night also if you will be 'partaking' at the wake.

MysteryMe

Before asking people to get their crystal balls out, surely the time of the actual funeral needs to be known? It might be mid afternoon in which case what happens during the morning rush hour could be irrelevant.

no1catman

AdrianC wrote: »

Where are you actually going from and to? There may be workable alternative routes.

Coming from Cardiff - hence M4/M25/A41 - have done the trip many times, but not one that would encounter the 'rush hour'.

Funeral time - is unknown as yet, as strictly speaking the person concerned hasn't passed away yet!! Doctor last week gave her 24/48 hours, no meds. Passed that, but just having liquids - so likely to be 'just a matter of time' - is it me, to me sounds like they are encouraging her to 'go'!? Is this normal?

Yet if the consensus is that traffic will be horrendous until ????, then if the funeral time is early I'm better able to make an informed decision whether to go or not!