When's the best time to drive Liverpool to (Below) London?

[camgear]

Supposed to be driving down at some point (probably a Friday)

Every time I've done the journey (M62/M6/M40/M42/M25/M23 IIRC) I've done it on the bike so I've not been too bothered about traffic, is there a specific time to leave so that I'd hit minimal traffic or is it always going to be a ramfest around the M6/M25 area? Is it worth taking the M6 toll?

I guess it's a trade off between going at daytime and hitting traffic or going in the middle of the night and hitting ice...

[Iain328]

camgear said:

Supposed to be driving down at some point (probably a Friday)

Every time I've done the journey (M62/M6/M40/M42/M25/M23 IIRC) I've done it on the bike so I've not been too bothered about traffic, is there a specific time to leave so that I'd hit minimal traffic or is it always going to be a ramfest around the M6/M25 area? Is it worth taking the M6 toll?

I guess it's a trade off between going at daytime and hitting traffic or going in the middle of the night and hitting ice...

Avoid the M25 between 7:30 and 9 am and between 4:30 & 6pm on weekdays. I would imagine you'd be well advised to avoid Brum at the same sort of times. If you set off at around 10am then that should see you where you need to be at a sensible time avaoiding most of the traffic I'd have thought. For the lightest traffic leave after 8pm or travel on a Sunday.

Edited by Iain328 on Wednesday 7th January 08:43

[dwilkie]

I've driven Portsmouth - Liverpool quite a few times (and at various times of day) - both the times I took the M6 toll it shaved quite a lot of time off the journey compared to the times I used the M6. However time of day didn't seem to make much difference, twice I left Portsmouth at 11 at night, and still got stuck for 2 hours on the M6 (~1am) - but maybe I was just unlucky.

Just allow plenty of time for the journey and if you aren't booked in a hotel at the other end take a sleeping bag so you can get some shuteye when you get there

[Taita]

Morning poppet.

Yes take the Toll. Worth it if you get stuck near the M6 at rush hour. Don't give it too much beans though, plenty of BiB.

ETA: Why the feck are you going there!

Edited by Taita on Wednesday 7th January 08:47

[trimbo]

The best time to leave Liverpool and come to London?

As soon as possible.

[camgear]

Taita said:

Morning poppet.

Yes take the Toll. Worth it if you get stuck near the M6 at rush hour. Don't give it too much beans though, plenty of BiB.

ETA: Why the feck are you going there!

To visit folks :> Good old East Grinstead

[bigmac146]

I do this journey quite often

Take the toll if you dont mind paying the £4.75. It will probably be worth it

Not sure what time you have to be in London for but i would leave in the morning or early afternoon just to miss traffic on the M6, there will be a lot of traffic heading away from london and if you need the M25 then avoid at all cost from around 4pm to 7pm

[heebeegeetee]

Between 2300 and 0500 should see you sweep through. It'll be murder at any other time.

[mmm-five]

I leave Liverpool at 6am on Monday morning and hit the M25 at 9am. I use the M6 Toll as it's expensed, but probably would anyway at peak times.

I get to my destination in Brentford at 9:30am.

[camgear]

Nice, thanks, I've got a Garmin Zumo with a traffic unit so I might be testing how good it is!

[AndrewTait]

I regularly travel Manchester to Croydon to visit my brother, leaving Manchester at about 7pm on a Friday night. The only place I tend to hit any traffic is getting to the M6, and occationally on the M6 itself, but only as far as staffordshire.

As for the toll road, I always use it, as there is less traffic, and have often been the only car on the road.

[wobert]

I regularly drive to my folks on the Sussex coast from Chester.

We usually leave at 8pm ish and usually arrive before midnight.

Fastest I've ever done it was 3hrs 35 mins!

[camgear]

Nice, now I just need to work out how much petrols going to cost :O

[Dkta2989]

I do the Journey twice a week, although, I travel to and from Essex.
Always try and leave either 11am or 7.30pm. If you can use the Toll.
The route I use is M62/M6/Toll/M6/M1/M25.

[richardxjr]

Friday's the worst day by far.

Get clear of the M25 before 2pm and you'll be OK. So set off about 9am.

I did 580 miles to Scotland, from Sussex, over Christmas, overnight the way up. Murder on the eyes that was. Much easier in daylight on the way back down.