Viabale alternatives to the dammed M25?

[AshVanguard]

hi all
i have to drive down to folkstone (going to the Dour festival in Belgium woohoo!) i'll be going from leicester to folkstone thereby taking in a hefty chunk of the m25 (top to bottom clockwise) and this will be at rush hour in the morning, are there any viable alternatives? i hate the m25 and dont want to risk missing the train because of a crash/congestion/roadworks etc. i will be leaving extra early but still i dont like the possibility of anything like that.
thanks
Ash

[Gruber]

Leave earlier and miss the rush hour.

[ian_touring]

I find the M60 in Manchester works for me.

HTH.

[AshVanguard]

what time does the rush hour generally start?

[Gruber]

I think you'd want to be clear of the M25 by 7.30 at the very very latest.

[va1o]

Just leave early, it's not that bad. If your that worried set your sat nav to avoid motorways, simples.

[zaphod42]

Bed early, get up early, clear m25 by 7.20/7.40, time for slap up brekky and paper before ferry?

[DIW35]

There isn't a viable alternative. Even if you could avoid the M25 from the bottom of the M1, you still need to use the Dartford crossing, which can be a nightmare. If you don't use the M25/Dartford crossing, you will need to head in to London to cross the river at either the Woolwich ferry or Blackwall tunnel, neither of which can be recommended during rush hour.

[OdramaSwimLaden]

Yep, clear it by 0715hrs latest of join the getting to your destination on time lottery.

[B16JUS]

FYI reduced speed and roadworks at J29 clockwise ( adding a extra lane ) which could add delays

[silver surfer]

Book into a travellodge for £20 the night before.....you'll save that in petrol by being not stuck in traffic.

SS

[jayfish]

No alternative but to leave a little earlier and tbh the clockwise crossing using the QEII bridge isn't generally as bad as the northbound tunnel, any time you loose can often be made up on the lovely 4 lane sweeping M20 pre Maidstone...

[Busa_Rush]

silver surfer said:

Book into a travellodge for £20 the night before.....you'll save that in petrol by being not stuck in traffic.

SS

That's what I do these days, they're clean enough and there are several to chose from in the area. Costs less than a tank of fuel including a meal.

[mybrainhurts]

AshVanguard said:

what time does the rush hour generally start?

If I'm doing Sheffield > Heathrow, the best time is depart at 03.00. It's a real treat to be on the M1 sans traffic and the M25 before 06.00 is fine.

I assume you're getting across to the A1, then M11...?

[NiceCupOfTea]

As said, there _is_ no alternative, otherwise people would be using it. If there is a problem then you're fked (as anybody who was in East London last Friday evening rushhour will know - 1 idiot in a lorry closed the Blackwall Tunnel for the whole rush hour and literally brought the area to a complete standstill ).

If it is important (ie ferry)

- leave silly early and kip in the car when you get there / have a nice breakfast
- book a hotel

[Talksteer]

OP: You didn't say when the crossing was:

The last time I did this journey I went around the M25 anti clockwise from the M1 at about 9:00 am on a Friday. Traffic was fairly light, everyone destined for work within the M25 had already gone past.

[nouze]

travel up to Hull and take the ferry to Zeebrugge?

[OwenK]

I swear the M25 has gotten significantly worse in the last 3-odd years.

We live in Hertfordshire and have parents near Gatwick airport so frequently did the half-lap run - in the past, 2008 ish, I often managed it in 55 minutes (in a Cinquecento, at that!). Now doing the same trip it rarely takes less than 90 minutes and not at all uncommon to take over two hours.

It seems to me that rush hour is now starting at about 3pm! I left Gatwick at 3.30 in order to beat the traffic but didn't get home until 7, FFS.
Then yesterday I left Hertfordshire at 10.15 so the rush hour would be well and truly over, yet at one point it took me half an hour to reach the end of a slip road.

There's no real viable parallel route to take instead of the M25 wholesale, and any chunks you can cut out are also crammed with people doing the same thing. It's ridiculous.


I am forced to conclude from this development that England is now simply full, completely at capacity!