Driving from Snowdonia to London

[Chris944]

For some months now I have had to drive back to London (Croydon) from Snowdonia and have settled on a route that is fast and very enjoyable to drive. See what you think;

Get on the B4391 from Blaenau Ffestiniog to Bala and head east to join A4212 before Lake Vyrnwy.

Stop for brunch/lunch at Caffi Frongoch at Fron Goch after the lake. It's a friendly and great cafe with locally-source bacon. And this avoids the crap cafes further on.

Head east on A4212 to Bala, cross A494 and take B4391 (again). Now head east up and over mountains and moor and down the Tanat valley; bliss with great scenery and fun driving; watch out for the three hairpin bends.

Continue on B4391 to Penbontfawr and take B4396 on left shortly afterwards. Blast along this enjoyably. It becomes the A495 around Porth-y-waen and goes east to Llynclys to cross the A483 - can be a queue here and revert to the B4391 again. More country road fun driving east to Knockin, through that and on to join the A5 at a roundabout with a dual carriageway heading east towards Shrewsbury. Lovely contrast to the country roads you've just been on. Then a single carriageway but a fast one to Shrewsbury and its multi-roundabout, dual-carriageway pass. The roundabouts have 2-lane A5 exits and can be fun but watch put for a couple with complicated lane structures if you try and overtake slower traffic using outside lanes!

Then its dual-carriageway A5 and fast to the M54 and Telford and on to the M6, M5, M42, M40 and M25. Two guaranteed slow sections are the M6 to M5 and the M40 entry on the M25 to the M4 junction and possibly/probably on to the M3. The M25 driving will be irritating with lots of traffic but the rest on a Saturday morning/afternoon is mostly clear and fast.

I enjoy the drive because of that. Driving in the reverse direction to get to Snowdonia also works very well, if I leave around 6.30am on a Saturday morning, when the M25 is quite fast-moving. Hope you enjoy this route as much as I do and have done.

[Merc 450]

Chris944 said:

For some months now I have had to drive back to London (Croydon) from Snowdonia and have settled on a route that is fast and very enjoyable to drive. See what you think;

Get on the B4391 from Blaenau Ffestiniog to Bala and head east to join A4212 before Lake Vyrnwy.

Stop for brunch/lunch at Caffi Frongoch at Fron Goch after the lake. It's a friendly and great cafe with locally-source bacon. And this avoids the crap cafes further on.

Head east on A4212 to Bala, cross A494 and take B4391 (again). Now head east up and over mountains and moor and down the Tanat valley; bliss with great scenery and fun driving; watch out for the three hairpin bends.

Continue on B4391 to Penbontfawr and take B4396 on left shortly afterwards. Blast along this enjoyably. It becomes the A495 around Porth-y-waen and goes east to Llynclys to cross the A483 - can be a queue here and revert to the B4391 again. More country road fun driving east to Knockin, through that and on to join the A5 at a roundabout with a dual carriageway heading east towards Shrewsbury. Lovely contrast to the country roads you've just been on. Then a single carriageway but a fast one to Shrewsbury and its multi-roundabout, dual-carriageway pass. The roundabouts have 2-lane A5 exits and can be fun but watch put for a couple with complicated lane structures if you try and overtake slower traffic using outside lanes!

Then its dual-carriageway A5 and fast to the M54 and Telford and on to the M6, M5, M42, M40 and M25. Two guaranteed slow sections are the M6 to M5 and the M40 entry on the M25 to the M4 junction and possibly/probably on to the M3. The M25 driving will be irritating with lots of traffic but the rest on a Saturday morning/afternoon is mostly clear and fast.

I enjoy the drive because of that. Driving in the reverse direction to get to Snowdonia also works very well, if I leave around 6.30am on a Saturday morning, when the M25 is quite fast-moving. Hope you enjoy this route as much as I do and have done.

Try avoiding the motorways, the A5 roman road runs from London to anglessey passing through snowdonia (betwsy coed) the drive around mount snowdon is a drivers drive and llangollen and betswy coed have nice cafe's. On your route there is also a nice cafe just through bala

[ARHarh]

I live alongside that route and you have it about right as far as enjoyment versus progress goes.

[Dblue]

Chris944 said:

For some months now I have had to drive back to London (Croydon) from Snowdonia and have settled on a route that is fast and very enjoyable to drive. See what you think;

Get on the B4391 from Blaenau Ffestiniog to Bala and head east to join A4212 before Lake Vyrnwy.

Stop for brunch/lunch at Caffi Frongoch at Fron Goch after the lake. It's a friendly and great cafe with locally-source bacon. And this avoids the crap cafes further on.

Head east on A4212 to Bala, cross A494 and take B4391 (again). Now head east up and over mountains and moor and down the Tanat valley; bliss with great scenery and fun driving; watch out for the three hairpin bends.

Continue on B4391 to Penbontfawr and take B4396 on left shortly afterwards. Blast along this enjoyably. It becomes the A495 around Porth-y-waen and goes east to Llynclys to cross the A483 - can be a queue here and revert to the B4391 again. More country road fun driving east to Knockin, through that and on to join the A5 at a roundabout with a dual carriageway heading east towards Shrewsbury. Lovely contrast to the country roads you've just been on. Then a single carriageway but a fast one to Shrewsbury and its multi-roundabout, dual-carriageway pass. The roundabouts have 2-lane A5 exits and can be fun but watch put for a couple with complicated lane structures if you try and overtake slower traffic using outside lanes!

Then its dual-carriageway A5 and fast to the M54 and Telford and on to the M6, M5, M42, M40 and M25. Two guaranteed slow sections are the M6 to M5 and the M40 entry on the M25 to the M4 junction and possibly/probably on to the M3. The M25 driving will be irritating with lots of traffic but the rest on a Saturday morning/afternoon is mostly clear and fast.

I enjoy the drive because of that. Driving in the reverse direction to get to Snowdonia also works very well, if I leave around 6.30am on a Saturday morning, when the M25 is quite fast-moving. Hope you enjoy this route as much as I do and have done.

Spot on. The perfect route through north Wales.
I've tried many alternatives , experimented with my run to and from Porthmadog but this is it nailed

[Frances The Mute]

The route sounds great up until you reach the A5. At that point, you should turn around.

[battered]

:-) Assuming turning around on the A5 is not an option, there's an alternative. A brief blat on the M6, pick up the A14, Cambridge, M11, Dartford. Yes, it's further, but the A14 through Northampton is a pleasant and easy drive when the M6/M40/whatever will be dull and busy.

[Dblue]

battered said:

:-) Assuming turning around on the A5 is not an option, there's an alternative. A brief blat on the M6, pick up the A14, Cambridge, M11, Dartford. Yes, it's further, but the A14 through Northampton is a pleasant and easy drive when the M6/M40/whatever will be dull and busy.

Marginal what you do in the English part to be honest, A14 doesn't prevent using the M6 or M6 toll from the route.
A14 is OK but the bit near Cambridge is a crowded SPEC camera infested nonsense. M42 is crap too but the M40 pretty much the best way to get down to the M25

[Red Devil]

This was the route I took recently from Shrewsbury to the M42 - https://goo.gl/maps/HgHtMv7qq3n
I wasn't in a big rush and I'm not a fan of the M6/M5 in the vicinity of Birmingham/Walsall/Wolverhampton.

[TWR]

EX HGV Driver

A5 to Cannock, M6 South via toll, M42>>>>>M40 making your way up to High Wycombe, A404 To Slough M4>>>>> M25 East>>>A23 Purley / Croyden, 5 hrs, 256 miles.