The Great North Road - Yorkshire
Discussion
I nearly put this in the 'roads 'sub forum but that might have triggered hordes of banging and parping RS Focuses so we will keep it classic . Since the A1 was upgraded to motorway status in W Yorkshire, more and more of the old A1/Gt North Road is available for those who like their roads less travelled, such as classic (you lot ) and drop top (me ) drivers . It is an extraordinary experience to waft along an often deserted and now mainly single carriageway road , much of which is familiar to me from my early days of driving in the the 70s. In my patch -N Yorkshire - the road is now the A6055 and A168 but takes various different identities further south.
So..if a gent is taking Alvis or MGA for a tour in Scotland ,say , but lives Down South. just come off A1M at Ferrybridge and then you don't need rejoin until North of Scots Corner, 50-odd miles later . Two villages to drive through - from Gt North Rd days- Micklefield (awful speed bumps )and Aberford , and a slight diversion at Dishforth , via Rainton, to cover the one missing link .
And watch out for safety vans - even in one's Alvis....
So..if a gent is taking Alvis or MGA for a tour in Scotland ,say , but lives Down South. just come off A1M at Ferrybridge and then you don't need rejoin until North of Scots Corner, 50-odd miles later . Two villages to drive through - from Gt North Rd days- Micklefield (awful speed bumps )and Aberford , and a slight diversion at Dishforth , via Rainton, to cover the one missing link .
And watch out for safety vans - even in one's Alvis....
A fascinating road with much history, I have maps of it dating back to 1925 and several books. I've travelled it from London to Edinburgh a few times in my Riley after first being driven along it in the 1950s when I rode on the front of my Dad's A40 Devon from the North Circular through Hatfield, Baldock, Biggleswade and onwards - never at more than 45mph - en route for Lincolnshire where he'd been posted.
The southern section as far as Doncaster is less appealing today with much of the original route being lost or 'upgraded' but it's still possible to follow sections of it through the home counties. Like all the old routes, explore it while you still can; after Land's End to John O'Groats next month (see the link in my profile) I think my next 'expedition' will be Watling Street.
The southern section as far as Doncaster is less appealing today with much of the original route being lost or 'upgraded' but it's still possible to follow sections of it through the home counties. Like all the old routes, explore it while you still can; after Land's End to John O'Groats next month (see the link in my profile) I think my next 'expedition' will be Watling Street.
coppice said:
I nearly put this in the 'roads 'sub forum but that might have triggered hordes of banging and parping RS Focuses so we will keep it classic . Since the A1 was upgraded to motorway status in W Yorkshire, more and more of the old A1/Gt North Road is available for those who like their roads less travelled, such as classic (you lot ) and drop top (me ) drivers . It is an extraordinary experience to waft along an often deserted and now mainly single carriageway road , much of which is familiar to me from my early days of driving in the the 70s. In my patch -N Yorkshire - the road is now the A6055 and A168 but takes various different identities further south.
So..if a gent is taking Alvis or MGA for a tour in Scotland ,say , but lives Down South. just come off A1M at Ferrybridge and then you don't need rejoin until North of Scots Corner, 50-odd miles later . Two villages to drive through - from Gt North Rd days- Micklefield (awful speed bumps )and Aberford , and a slight diversion at Dishforth , via Rainton, to cover the one missing link .
And watch out for safety vans - even in one's Alvis....
There's a great section of bypassed Great North Road in Nottinghamshire - about 12 miles from Bawtry to Markham Moor services, then a bit of the current A1, then another eight miles or so from Tuxford to Cromwell. If I'm taking a classic car up/down the A1 I nearly always take this route; like you say it's a 1960s trunk road that is now massively over-specced for the local traffic it gets now - very wide single-carriageway and it's nearly totally deserted. It also makes a good diversion if there's traffic on the 'proper' A1. So..if a gent is taking Alvis or MGA for a tour in Scotland ,say , but lives Down South. just come off A1M at Ferrybridge and then you don't need rejoin until North of Scots Corner, 50-odd miles later . Two villages to drive through - from Gt North Rd days- Micklefield (awful speed bumps )and Aberford , and a slight diversion at Dishforth , via Rainton, to cover the one missing link .
And watch out for safety vans - even in one's Alvis....
If I'm going cross-country in a classic car I'll often divert onto the old historic route that runs alongside the current road. It's better-suited to the car a lot of the time, more interesting to drive and rarely adds much, if anything, to the time. There's a huge section of Ermine Street/The Old North Road/A14 between Royston and Godmanchester (which feeds into the old GNR coaching route up to Norman Cross) which has a very classic 'feel' to it. Same with the old Great West Road/A4 between Newbury and Marlborough via Hungerford, the A33 between Dummer and Winchester (arrow-straight and nearly unused dual carriageway for about 10 miles from the days when the M3 used to stop at the junction with the A303) and the A40 between High Wycombe and Oxford via Aston Hill.
Don't forget you've got the A167 through Durham, running parallel with the A1(M).
Then North of Newcastle you have the A696 and A697 both joining on to the A68 to get to Edinburgh.
Quite a bit shorter than the A1 to Edinburgh, and usually much quieter/faster....
But again, watch out for fixed and mobile cameras.
Then North of Newcastle you have the A696 and A697 both joining on to the A68 to get to Edinburgh.
Quite a bit shorter than the A1 to Edinburgh, and usually much quieter/faster....
But again, watch out for fixed and mobile cameras.
coppice said:
Venisonpie said:
This is rather apt, I'll be driving from Melrose in the borders to Wentbridge (near Doncaster) tomorrow. Any pointers to use the old road greatly appreciated.
PM me with your contact and I will be in touch A68 to Nolan
B6275 to j56 A1M
A6055 to j50
Quick hop on A1 to j49
A168 to j45
Then unclassified W Woods Rd/Paradise Way etc to Knottingly.
Great thread and thanks for the heads up. I'm not in a classic (S3 Elise) but want a gentle cruise having spent 5 days burning round the Highlands.
Edited to add, fully appreciate the spirit this thread was started for and won't be tearing about.
Edited by Venisonpie on Tuesday 23 April 18:22
Excellent. And in Micklefield , do crawl (5mph ) over the last speed bumps going south - they are f
king lethal !
As it happens , I will be using that route today , so I will write up a little guide for anyone interested . No Google stuff , no sat nav - analogue roads deserve analogue routes in words , not algorithms.
Mind you, I am the man who prefers to abandon Waze etc when touring Scotland so that I can rely on my 1974 Shell Atlas ...
king lethal ! As it happens , I will be using that route today , so I will write up a little guide for anyone interested . No Google stuff , no sat nav - analogue roads deserve analogue routes in words , not algorithms.
Mind you, I am the man who prefers to abandon Waze etc when touring Scotland so that I can rely on my 1974 Shell Atlas ...
You'll probably all know of this footage but it's worth adding the link to the thread:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPhkZSWxt_I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPhkZSWxt_I
coppice said:
Excellent. And in Micklefield , do crawl (5mph ) over the last speed bumps going south - they are fking lethal !
As it happens , I will be using that route today , so I will write up a little guide for anyone interested . No Google stuff , no sat nav - analogue roads deserve analogue routes in words , not algorithms.
Mind you, I am the man who prefers to abandon Waze etc when touring Scotland so that I can rely on my 1974 Shell Atlas ...
I know the Micklefield bumps very well and will be returning home that way back from a LeJoG trip in a few weeks' time (see my profile for link). I'd would be interested in your guide as I too use proper maps.king lethal ! As it happens , I will be using that route today , so I will write up a little guide for anyone interested . No Google stuff , no sat nav - analogue roads deserve analogue routes in words , not algorithms.
Mind you, I am the man who prefers to abandon Waze etc when touring Scotland so that I can rely on my 1974 Shell Atlas ...
Great North Road books on my shelf are:
The Great North Road by Norman W Webster
The Great North Road by Frank Goddard
The Great North Road The and Now by Chris 'Wolfie' Cooper
On the Road - The Dunlop Pictorial Road Plans, London - Grantham - Doncaster - York - Durham - Edinburgh
The last is a particular favourite with a ribbon map of the GNR and delightful Wainright-esque thumb-nail drawings of key places en route.
Venisonpie said:
This is rather apt, I'll be driving from Melrose in the borders to Wentbridge (near Doncaster) tomorrow. Any pointers to use the old road greatly appreciated.
Wentbridge house is a lovely old hotel.other attractions on the old great north road near me would be Longstone Tyres in Bawtry. the Ye Olde Bell in Barnby Moor is a really historic coaching Inn
Shudder - when en route to the International Trophy , early one morning in 1974 , I was driving dad's Dolomite at 80 mph. as we dropped into the slight rh bend onto the very high viaduct , the nearside front suspension collapsed and the car tried to turn right . We didn't quite hit the barrier but trousers needed to be changed...
We even got to Silverstone eventually , I think in a borrowed Victor - and James Hunt won.
We even got to Silverstone eventually , I think in a borrowed Victor - and James Hunt won.
PigletGN said:
Wentbridge house is a lovely old hotel.
other attractions on the old great north road near me would be Longstone Tyres in Bawtry. the Ye Olde Bell in Barnby Moor is a really historic coaching Inn
A GN called 'Piglet' with a Bawtry connection - now who could that be? other attractions on the old great north road near me would be Longstone Tyres in Bawtry. the Ye Olde Bell in Barnby Moor is a really historic coaching Inn
Aha! Hi Dougal
PigletGN said:
Venisonpie said:
This is rather apt, I'll be driving from Melrose in the borders to Wentbridge (near Doncaster) tomorrow. Any pointers to use the old road greatly appreciated.
Wentbridge house is a lovely old hotel.other attractions on the old great north road near me would be Longstone Tyres in Bawtry. the Ye Olde Bell in Barnby Moor is a really historic coaching Inn
Venisonpie said:
PigletGN said:
Venisonpie said:
This is rather apt, I'll be driving from Melrose in the borders to Wentbridge (near Doncaster) tomorrow. Any pointers to use the old road greatly appreciated.
Wentbridge house is a lovely old hotel.other attractions on the old great north road near me would be Longstone Tyres in Bawtry. the Ye Olde Bell in Barnby Moor is a really historic coaching Inn
velocemitch said:
Really? The vast majority of the A1 north of Newcastle is still single carriageway on roughly its original alignment.
Sorry, I was misleading. You take the A68 in lieu of the A1 and head across the borders - a great road.This is the route I took albeit Southbound rather than Northbound.
A68 to Nolan
B6275 to j56 A1M
A6055 to j50
Quick hop on A1 to j49
A168 to j45
Then unclassified W Woods Rd/Paradise Way etc to Knottingly.
Edited by Venisonpie on Sunday 28th April 09:52
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