Am I mad to consider a 90 minute each way commute by car?

[jimbobs]

For the last 7 years or so I've been fortunate to work less than 30 minutes (by public transport) from where I live.

However, that's all going to come to an end by Christmas so I've been looking for new opportunities. A potentially really interesting job has come up in Leeds (I'm in Nottingham). The job will mostly be based in Leeds, with some possibilities of working from a satellite office in Nottingham maybe 2 days a week, plus some time at client sites. Realistically, for the first few months I'm going to need to spend nearly all my time in Leeds. My wife's job is Nottingham so moving in the short-term is not really an option.

The idea of spending 3 hours a day in a car does fill me with a certain amount of trepidation. Do any of you guys have a similar commute and, if so, how do you get on with it?

I know I've been relatively pampered for the last few years. I've had other long commutes in the past, but they've always been by public transport which is a deal less stressful. I'm interested in whether this will be workable.

If "MTFU" is the necessary advice, I'm happy to take it on the chin!

Cheers all.

[Stablelad]

Do you have an option?

That will knock the st out of you if done for an extended period. Think about it...3 hours per day x 5 is 15 hours per week = almost 2 extra working days!

I did that for 3 years when I was 20 (in a fookin' Mini Metro!) and was completely clobbered.

No other alternatives?

Edited by Stablelad on Friday 12th November 11:20

[Kuroblack350]

I did something similar for 9 months, from Barrow in Furness to Preston daily. It does take it's toll, and the days are long with the weekends seeming a lot shorter. If you can wangle a few days per month from the Satellite office, or maybe working from home if it all possible, then it does make a bit of a difference.

I used to work from home on Fridays, and it made a huge difference.

[hornetrider]

Is the M1 quiet at commuting times? That 90 minutes may turn out to be 2 hours? I would suggest perhaps living away from home during the week - B+B or short term rented.

[Dave9]

jurys inn on late rooms can be £50 per night so the odd night you could stay there. depends on what you're earning though

[ShadownINja]

For £20k a year? No. For £100k a year, yes. How interesting is this job to you? And as above, I'd rent a room in a hotel thing.

[bogie]

have done it for months before on projects, but always with an end to look forward to

get a comfy car, listent to music/books etc

as with anything, if its a means to an end, and you want to get on, you have to put yourself out a bit

[bosshog]

I've recently been doing a commute that was 1 to 2 hours depending on traffic for a year.

Don't do it. Its horrible.

[-crookedtail-]

ShadownINja said:

For £20k a year? No. For £100k a year, yes. How interesting is this job to you? And as above, I'd rent a room in a hotel thing.

I did this in my student placement year for £10K. To he honest it does depend on the roads, mine was almost all B-road blasting, quite fun on a sunny friday summer evening but less so on a rainy Monday moning at this time of year!

[russ_a]

I regulary travel along J25 to J28 of the M1 and now there is an extra lane the journey time is about 25 mins. However, past J28 (North) it goes back down to three lanes and is almost always grid locked at peak times. Friday afternoon is a killer, I would add another 45 mins at least to your journey time.

I have considered Mansfield (J28) to Leeds before but always come to my senses. Leeds to Nottingham (especially Nottingham City Centre) would be a nightmare, unless you have a company 911 and a 100k a year job!

[pacman1]

An ex g/f of mine used to travel 80 miles to Oxford on a daily basis, she seemed really fine with it.
But we split up eventually, when I found out she actually was mad.
So, op, yes, I think you probably are, you just don't know it yet.
hth

[Jackleman]

I used to have to drive from one side of West Sussex to the other, no mean feat as we don't have roads here yet it would seem. More country tracks with tractors moving slowly down them. 44 miles used to regularly take over 1hr.30. It was a killer!

[shirt]

90mins to leeds sounds very optimistic imo, its a car park around leeds at rush hour.

[Myc]

Jimbobs, I understand your trepidation but I would suggest that in the current job market you should consider every opportunity.

Imagine if you end up out of work for 6 months or more after christmas, how many times will you be wishing you'd gone for that job in Leeds - Everyday is the answer.

After redundancy and chasing every opportuinity I could, I've ended up taking a job 3,000 miles away getting to fly home and see my family for a week or two every 2-3 months. I'd kill for a job 90 minutes from home right now.

If the travelling gets to much and the satellite office doesnt come to fruition then you can look for something else but at least you'll have money coming in whilst you do.

[jimbobs]

Myc said:

Jimbobs, I understand your trepidation but I would suggest that in the current job market you should consider every opportunity.

Imagine if you end up out of work for 6 months or more after christmas, how many times will you be wishing you'd gone for that job in Leeds - Everyday is the answer.

Thanks for all the input guys - it's the quote above that is most resonant. I don't have a ton of other options right now, other than London which would be an even worse journey.

I've got a second interview there next week & I think I'll drive up a bit early to see what it's like in rush hour.

The money will be pretty good & there will be a car allowance, which will help. Lots of thinking to do over the next week or so...

[snotrag]

hornetrider said:

Is the M1 quiet at commuting times?

Funniest thing I've seen on here all day.

Its not.

Nottingham to Leeds, is a HELL of a commute, no matter how quick you can do it on a Sunday Morning.

As you pass Sheffield it goes down to 2 lanes even at one point. After that, your into an almost relentless stretch past Barnsley and Wakefield with lots of busy junctions with high traffic volume.
Then you cross the M62, which is basicaly a nightmare.

Then when you get near Leeds, where-abouts is it?

I might be able to give you a clue on the best way to approach it too if its somewhere I know.

Edited by snotrag on Friday 12th November 13:55

[Stablelad]

All the best whatever you decide fella.

[BlueProp]

jimbobs said:

For the last 7 years or so I've been fortunate to work less than 30 minutes (by public transport) from where I live.

However, that's all going to come to an end by Christmas so I've been looking for new opportunities. A potentially really interesting job has come up in Leeds (I'm in Nottingham). The job will mostly be based in Leeds, with some possibilities of working from a satellite office in Nottingham maybe 2 days a week, plus some time at client sites. Realistically, for the first few months I'm going to need to spend nearly all my time in Leeds. My wife's job is Nottingham so moving in the short-term is not really an option.

The idea of spending 3 hours a day in a car does fill me with a certain amount of trepidation. Do any of you guys have a similar commute and, if so, how do you get on with it?

I know I've been relatively pampered for the last few years. I've had other long commutes in the past, but they've always been by public transport which is a deal less stressful. I'm interested in whether this will be workable.

If "MTFU" is the necessary advice, I'm happy to take it on the chin!

Cheers all.

I do 70 mins/60 miles each 3 days a week (A34/M4), wouldn't consider doing much more unless I had too - i.e. no other alternative ! My oppo does Solihull to Newbury 3 days a week, that's 1 hr 45 minutes on average - he's been doing that for 3 years, more often than not 4/5 days a week.

Also depends on what sort of money you're talking.

[worsy]

I do 2 hours each way from Swindon to Canary Wharf. It's a killer, especially this time of year, and I'm just sitting on a train reading the paper.

I'm considering moving back home and commuting down mon-thurs.

[jimbobs]

Thanks for all the input so far.

It's quite close to the M621. If you come off there onto the A653 towards the city, it's in one of the newish development bits just before you get to the cty centre - just as you cross over either a river or canal (not sure exactly what it is). Can't post pictures from work, but the postcode's LS1 4DW.

It's by no means a dream job but it will pay pretty well, move my CV forward and probably be quite interesting too. It's the kind of thing that, 10 years ago, when I was single and living in a rented flat I'd have probably just upped sticks for.

Realistically, working as a financial services specialist, Nottingham is very unlikely to throw something interesting my way these days. The only other stuff that seems to come up from time-to-time is in Birmingham which is a similarly unpleasant journey, although one I could do by train. I did a five month secondment in London at the beginning of the year and that's certainly not a journey I want to repeat!