Journey to Loved One?

[Planty]

Just about to set off on the weekly pilgrimage to Ocean Village, Southampton from lovely Sutton Coldfield, West Mids. 143miles of pure hell, M42 (roadworks), M40 (junc9 for A34, Hell), A34 (roadworks at M4Junc and more around Whitchurch, already 3mile tailback according radio2), M3 (chocka)M27 (only just touch it, usually insane). How long to endure this lot? 3-4hours tonight I suppose, normally about 2.25hours, same coming back.

Anybody else put in this sort of commitment, or am I just getting totally besotted?? I think there are probably some on here that are even worse, would love to hear.

ps. coming back 6am Sunday morning to Silverstone, as Grand Prix tickets won out over Brighton Trip. Paul




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[derekh]

You make my 55 mile, one hour trip sound like a doddle. But I do commute to work each day at least 75 feet each way, Hell isn't it !!!

<hr width=100% size=1>Work ? don't be daft , the suns out.

 

[jfm]

I know the bit from junc 9 m40 onwards. We live nr Junc 8 so used to get on at 8 to drive to Lymington. You have to stay in middle lane of M40 and cut into the sliproad at junc 9 right at the last minute. Then get right across to the left lane even tho you are turning right at the roundabout to head towards oxford.

Dont have any solutions for the m4 chievely intersection. Has been going on a couple of years now... Once I cut around it, using some side roads but it didn't save any time and there are only limited bridge crossings of M4. There are some workarounds for the M3, coming off and on where there's a parallel A road, but dont know the names, you need satnav for this and if possible a decent copilot navigator.

It might help if you didn't tune to radio 2

You could take boat to Med, Thompson airways from Coventry to Nice, you would do it in 3hrs45 from your front door to boat

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[steverow]

Paul,

We do Warwick to Swansea religously every weekend, winter and summer.
About same amount of miles as you, but a much easier journey.
A46 - Tewksbury - 2 miles north on the M5 - M50 - A40 and then a choice of the A465 heads of the valley road or stay on the A40 to Newport and Join the M4 for Swansea.
A fast run will be 2 1/4 hours but more likely 2 1/2.

hows that for commitment.

Steve.

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[Deleted User YDKXO]

We once met a couple who commuted from Harrogate, Yorkshire to Lymington every weekend. Thats love for you
We used to commute from S Bucks and we got so fed up with the Friday evening traffic on the M25/M3 that, instead of leaving straight after work, we'd have a leisurely dinner at home and set out at about 10 - 11pm. Much less traffic then

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[Planty]

Amazing, I bought an office 2 doors up from my house too!! About 100 feet, the pensioners on the path in the morning are a pain, aren't they? Had one with a blow out in his walking stick the other day, hell of a mess. And as for mothers walking children to school, well, I think we need CCTV or even a "Safety Camera"!!

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[Peppermint]

Re: Until last year

we used to do Aylesbury to Salcombe twice a month.

Current trip to Southampton takes sub two hours which is much better. Be nice when the A34/M4 junction is sorted.

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[duncan]

snap from N.Kent - used to try and beat the traffic but now either avoid Friday/Sunday by taking on a Friday/Monday in the summer or follow down later on.

147miles to Poole - 2 hours 5 minutes without snarls/3 hours 30 has been seen!

I have to say Paul that heading down for just the Saturday knowing both the weather (wet) and that you are heading back Saturday night is really pushing that 'love'!

<hr width=100% size=1>madesco madidum ..../forums/images/icons/smile.gif

 

[jhr]

A34/M4

There used to be signs announcing that the new A34/M4 interchange would be open in Autumn 2004. These have now disappeared and, looking at the current state of play, I'd say we'll be lucky /forums/images/icons/frown.gif.

Winchester -> Beaulieu River normally takes me 35 - 40 minutes, but has occasionally taken 2 hours when I've made the wrong call as to whether to take the motorway or head across country. Always a gamble.......

<hr width=100% size=1>Je suis Marxiste - tendance Groucho

 

[Mike21]

Re: A34/M4

Signs were there on Thursday morning saying M4/34 junction opening Autumn 2004. Didn't notice today though.

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[Planty]

Forgot to add theres a possibility of a bit of business to be done with another boater on Saturday, more news on that if it happens! So its not all love perhaps. Paul

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[Mike21]

No problem when I came down this afternoon, except for roadworks at Whitchurch on A34, went through Whitchurch instead of queueing comes out at end of roadworks, absolute doddle doing that./forums/images/icons/cool.gif

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[jhr]

Re: A34/M4

P'raps I wasn't looking in the right place - I go through there a couple of times a week on average and am pretty much on autopilot, so tend not to notice anything except the traffic around me. I still reckon we'll be lucky if it's finished by the autumn but I'd love to be proved wrong.... /forums/images/icons/laugh.gif

<hr width=100% size=1>Je suis Marxiste - tendance Groucho

 

[Roy]

Living in rural Perthshire with our boat currently at Loch lomond means a 65 mile, hour and a half country drive there. Apart from mad bikers and crawling caravans it is hassle free and scenery well worth each trip. We will move to the Clyde in a year or two but even then going to Kip or Largs will be further but still only 90 minutes or so. However, my business takes me down to Portsmouth,Plymouth, Bristol, Kent and nearing Manchester and Stoke always depresses me when I see the volume of traffic. 15 years ago it was bad. Now it is bad, bad, bad at times and i sympathise with you and the millions that choose or have to use these routes daily. We tend to fly more often for business meetings now as it is cheap as chips to get down to the south coast compared with the several hundred pounds return fare of only a few years back. The feeling of freedom and space is unbeatable when we near home from one of these trips in the 'traffic'. A pal of mine just bought a helicopter for less money than a good boat and he travels all over from his home near Sheffield - the same guy would be terrified to go out into the Solent on a boat mind you!!! Funny old life is it not!?? Cheers. Roy

<hr width=100% size=1>What does this mean then?

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

You obviously travel business class and have chauffeur at either end 'coz our Med trips go something like this

Drive to Airport 1 hour (or more Friday night)
Park car in Long Term 1/2 hr
Check in 1 1/2hr before flight
Flight 2 - 2 1/2hrs
Wait for luggage/get rental car 1/2 hr
Drive to boat (via supermarket) 1 - 1 1/2hrs
Arrive exhausted wondering why we do this

Door to Door 6 1/2 - 7 1/2hrs (without flight delays)




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[nicho]

Daventry to Hythe, around 130 miles. The A34/M4 junction tunnel should be good once it's complete, so it's worth the current hassle hopefully. Luckily, we usually go and return mid week - 2.0 hours is a good one, 2.5 hours is a bad one. Not too bad, 'cos we are usually there for 2 or three weeks at a time.

There are times though, on nice, warm summer evenings (remember those?), when I would love to be close enough just pop down to the boat to sit there for a couple of hours, or have a pleasant evening sail. We have been considering relocating to Brixham/Dartmouth area, lock, stock and barrel. However, currently we do enjoy having the boat as a separate home, used right through the winter, with a completely different set of friends in the Southampton area, so all that would then change.

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[PhilF]

London to OV, we leave late and miss the traffic a bit,
See you there,
PhilF

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[jfm]

UK- Med commuting

Eek. Our trip is nearly the same flight time, but we cut out time at each end:

Home to Luton Airport max 30mins (18-20 mins if early morning)
Always short stay carpark no matter how long holiday, becos only £9/day at luton (after tax-deduction)
50mins check in, never check baggage into hold. (Easyjet will allow you 30mins if no bags)
2hours flying, including taxiing etc
Literally 5mins from plane door opening in Nice, to taxi rank, praps 10 mins if passport queue. Never rent car, takes too long, especially at Nice where car rental is offsite at some portacabin
20mins taxi to boat. Taxi drives onto quay, right up to our transom
No shopping as our "Emma" has already provisioned the boat based on email shopping list sent a few days before. Also "Emma" has boat lights are on, beds all made and turned back, flowers on cockpit table, plate of sandwiches made, toilet paper folded into a V, etc

That's a bit under 4 hours max. Sorry Mike, all this sounds like gloating, not meant that way. We're just lucky that we live near Luton and boat is near Nice - that's the kind of formula you need to make the trip easy. Oherwise it is tough. Imho you simply must keep your boat right by an airport. I often go just for the day, did so the Sunday before last. Easyjet have been very punctual so far this year, often arrive 10mins early

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[tome]

Home to office 20 mins
Home to boat 20 mins
Office to boat, ahem, 5 mins...

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[Mike21]

Re: A34/M4

You never know,one can live in hope/forums/images/icons/crazy.gif

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