Keswick to dover on Sunday, what's the least difficult?

[Alex@POD]

A bit of a cryptic title I guess, but I'll be driving from Keswick to Dover on Sunday afternoon. If it snows, and there's a small chance it will, where is my best bet to avoid trouble? A1 or M6/M40?

The East route has more lanes, but probably more traffic too...

I guess it's impossible to predict, but maybe some councils are better prepared than others?

Edited by Alex@POD on Tuesday 10th January 19:48

Edited by Alex@POD on Tuesday 10th January 19:49

[nutsytvr]

Alex

The M40 southbound on Sunday afternoon from around 3.00pm is gridlocked from around J7/6 to the bottleneck at High Wycombe where it briefly goes to 2 lanes. Us Oxfordshire residents blame it on the City types returning to London from the weekend in their Cotswolds "place in the country".

Paul

[Alex@POD]

Thanks Paul, I would not have expected that. Is the M1 still a building site?

[anonymous-user]

From Keswick, if there are high winds and threat of snow, you probably want to avoid relying on Stainmoor and the A66 towards Scotch Corner.

M6 all the way down to the M1, then M25 clockwise and head down to Dover.

[nutsytvr]

janesmith1950 said:

From Keswick, if there are high winds and threat of snow, you probably want to avoid relying on Stainmoor and the A66 towards Scotch Corner.

M6 all the way down to the M1, then M25 clockwise and head down to Dover.

But that means the OP making arrangements to pay the Dartford crossing toll.

[Merc 450]

Alex@POD said:

A bit of a cryptic title I guess, but I'll be driving from Keswick to Dover on Sunday afternoon. If it snows, and there's a small chance it will, where is my best bet to avoid trouble? A1 or M6/M40?

The East route has more lanes, but probably more traffic too...

I guess it's impossible to predict, but maybe some councils are better prepared than others?

Edited by Alex@POD on Tuesday 10th January 19:48

Edited by Alex@POD on Tuesday 10th January 19:49

M6 M1 M25 A2 M2

[Red Devil]

The 3 options - https://goo.gl/maps/SUyUsnu5Gpz

Merc 450 said:

M6 M1 M25 A2 M2

Or M6/M42/M40/M25/M26/M20/A20
Longer distance but avoids the Dartford Crossing toll.
The M40 is much to be preferred over the M1 imo.
Ditto the M20 over the M2 beyond J4.

Not sure about the status of the A1 Scotch Corner to Leeming Bar works.
Last time I was there was about three and a half months ago.
The seemingly endless miles of 50mph convoy were not at all pleasant.

[Riley Blue]

nutsytvr said:

janesmith1950 said:

From Keswick, if there are high winds and threat of snow, you probably want to avoid relying on Stainmoor and the A66 towards Scotch Corner.

M6 all the way down to the M1, then M25 clockwise and head down to Dover.

But that means the OP making arrangements to pay the Dartford crossing toll.

What's so difficult about that?

[Alex@POD]

Thanks for the replies.

Dartford is very straight forward as I understand it now, I just need to go online and pay for the crossing before/after I have gone through.

My main concern is to work our where the mayhem is going to be the worst, there isn't much difference on paper, but like the poster above mentioned, some local experience may help! I guess the first step will be to check what the A66 is like on Sunday morning, after that decide between M40 and M1 once I get to Birmingham?

[Red Devil]

Alex@POD said:

Dartford is very straight forward as I understand it now, I just need to go online and pay for the crossing before/after I have gone through.

For a one-off journey I would always do so afterwards. Sod's law says if you pay up front you'll end up having to take an alternative route.
You have until midnight the folllowing day to pay - https://www.gov.uk/pay-dartford-crossing-charge

Alex@POD said:

My main concern is to work our where the mayhem is going to be the worst, there isn't much difference on paper, but like the poster above mentioned, some local experience may help! I guess the first step will be to check what the A66 is like on Sunday morning, after that decide between M40 and M1 once I get to Birmingham?

The A66 route means you won't have to make that decision.
Going that way I would leave the A1(M) at Alconbury then via the A14/M11.

If your mobile has a decent internet connection
http://www.trafficengland.com/traffic-alerts (click on the All alerts filter)
http://www.trafficengland.com/?evtID=772667 (zoom out for the bigger picture)

Decision time - https://goo.gl/maps/UKqDFnWvrWH2 -

[MorganP104]

I tend to put the route into Google Maps on the phone, and take the suggested quickest route.

On a long journey, it will often suggest a quicker alternative, as the traffic situation changes. I always take those suggestions, too.

Very dynamic, and could help steer you around an incident that's only recently happened.

[SmilerFTM]

Alex@POD said:

Thanks for the replies.

Dartford is very straight forward as I understand it now, I just need to go online and pay for the crossing before/after I have gone through.

My main concern is to work our where the mayhem is going to be the worst, there isn't much difference on paper, but like the poster above mentioned, some local experience may help! I guess the first step will be to check what the A66 is like on Sunday morning, after that decide between M40 and M1 once I get to Birmingham?

If you do head over to the A1 from the A66 stick on the A1 and join the M11 near Cambridge rather than go down the M1. I regularly drive to Essex from the North East and it's quicker than the M1 if you're heading towards he Dartford Crossing

[Alex@POD]

Thanks guys, yes I meant either A66/A1 or M6/M1. We'll soon find out!

[Wacky Racer]

janesmith1950 said:

From Keswick, if there are high winds and threat of snow, you probably want to avoid relying on Stainmoor and the A66 towards Scotch Corner.

M6 all the way down to the M1, then M25 clockwise and head down to Dover.

Definitely this.

High risk of snow though.

[leggly]

We head north on a fairly regular basis, timing is everything. Leave earlier and avoid the Sunday afternoon free for all or leave later and do the same. Mid afternoon on a Sunday is a bad idea no matter where you're going.