Cornwall traffic
Discussion
First holiday down there for years , I used to do it through the night , up / down from Nottingham , but I’m struggling to get any enthusiasm from the wife to do it now , or even get up 2/3 in the morning , is the traffic still bad on a Saturday if we left notts around 7 as the wife would like ? I’m tempted to do what she wants and see what she thinks of 9 hrs sat in the car to get down there , stuck at Bristol etc
I live 20 minutes up the M5 from the M4/M5 interchange and as long as you get through there by 8ish on a Saturday you should be fine. We set off for Devon around 7.30am and it's not been bad at all.
On the flip side, we have come home from a holiday up the M5 in the middle of a Saturday and it's been regrettable haha
On the flip side, we have come home from a holiday up the M5 in the middle of a Saturday and it's been regrettable haha
Went to Cornwall from Leeds in the May half term, set off Saturday morning at 8am and it took 10 hours total but that included 4 stops so about 8 hours total driving, traffic was bad around Bristol and ended up getting off the motorway for a bit.
Came home a week later on the Saturday evening setting off at 5pm and it only took 6 and a half hours with 2 stops so 5 and half hour driving
Came home a week later on the Saturday evening setting off at 5pm and it only took 6 and a half hours with 2 stops so 5 and half hour driving
Also do it multiple times a year from York.
We very rarely do it in one go anymore. If we're there Friday>Friday and I'm working we'll do it in one go after work and its usually ok (M18/M1 junction usually slow at rush hour and M42 its usual 50mph). If we're Saturday > Saturday especially during the summer, not a chance. We'll go down the night before after work/tea time'ish and get to a Travellodge/Premier Inn around Taunton/Tiverton for 11ish which means a short, traffic free hour or two on the Saturday.
Coming home we've found is worse these days. M5 from Tiverton up to Bristol is often stop/start so we'll either hang around or shoot the night before after tea.
We very rarely do it in one go anymore. If we're there Friday>Friday and I'm working we'll do it in one go after work and its usually ok (M18/M1 junction usually slow at rush hour and M42 its usual 50mph). If we're Saturday > Saturday especially during the summer, not a chance. We'll go down the night before after work/tea time'ish and get to a Travellodge/Premier Inn around Taunton/Tiverton for 11ish which means a short, traffic free hour or two on the Saturday.
Coming home we've found is worse these days. M5 from Tiverton up to Bristol is often stop/start so we'll either hang around or shoot the night before after tea.
I've been going to cornwall for 20 years from essex (twice a year), last time was in May this year, although we left on Bank Holiday monday and didn't hit a single jam, except a bit of slow moving traffic nr Stonehenge. Weather and waves were INSANE all week.
The way we've learnt is to never rush, look at it as a road trip down - stopping loads; whether that's Fonthill Bishop, Guy Richies Airfield Smokehouse, Teals, The Old Dairy, The Railway Carriage... all are great places and turn an arduous journey into a nice day out in a very beautiful part of the world.
Coming back we tend to swing by Studland Bay, hit the beach until the evening and then travel back when traffic is non existent.
Worst we've ever had was travelling back with two whinging toddlers, solid traffic for miles and miles on the A38, M5 and M4, non stop rain and a misses who "had to get back!!" Took 12 very painful hours.
Quickest was 5.5 hours at 6am on a Sunday.
Friday and Saturday are always the worst days.
The way we've learnt is to never rush, look at it as a road trip down - stopping loads; whether that's Fonthill Bishop, Guy Richies Airfield Smokehouse, Teals, The Old Dairy, The Railway Carriage... all are great places and turn an arduous journey into a nice day out in a very beautiful part of the world.
Coming back we tend to swing by Studland Bay, hit the beach until the evening and then travel back when traffic is non existent.
Worst we've ever had was travelling back with two whinging toddlers, solid traffic for miles and miles on the A38, M5 and M4, non stop rain and a misses who "had to get back!!" Took 12 very painful hours.
Quickest was 5.5 hours at 6am on a Sunday.
Friday and Saturday are always the worst days.
As a Cornishman, please stay at home and just send your money......LOL
But, on the radio etc its always slow in the same places....M5...around the Weston swuper Mare area and Tiverton....Bristol and above on the M5 is always a pain and always having roadworks. Once you heve left Exeter, its fine all the way past Bodmin....after that I dont know as I never go west of Bodmin from april-sept......go figure why!
A303. Always slow apart from early am/late pm. A30...why. Dorset is ALWAYS a PITA and the speed cops assholes.
Getting into Plymouth is always easy but slow across the bridge to Trerulefoot, then slow thru Glynn valley...then you pick up the A30 again...dont go that way.
Mizzle today, cafes will be rammed.
But, on the radio etc its always slow in the same places....M5...around the Weston swuper Mare area and Tiverton....Bristol and above on the M5 is always a pain and always having roadworks. Once you heve left Exeter, its fine all the way past Bodmin....after that I dont know as I never go west of Bodmin from april-sept......go figure why!
A303. Always slow apart from early am/late pm. A30...why. Dorset is ALWAYS a PITA and the speed cops assholes.
Getting into Plymouth is always easy but slow across the bridge to Trerulefoot, then slow thru Glynn valley...then you pick up the A30 again...dont go that way.
Mizzle today, cafes will be rammed.
Edited by DSMSMR on Wednesday 17th June 10:06
I wouldn't go on the Saturday morning unless your accommodation is time restricted on arrival. Either a late departure evening trip on the Friday (leave after 7pm) or later on Saturday is much better. From the midlands or further north it's not possible to "get ahead" of the traffic by leaving early unless you leave in the middle of the night.
Best time on a Saturday from the Midlands is to leave early/mid afternoon. It's only about a 5 hour trip on a clear run, so if you leave at 3pm, you're still arriving there at a fairly reasonable time.
If you leave before 3pm, you meet all the zombies who've been lumbering round Cribbs Causeway all day blocking up the M5 at Bristol, which can create about a half hour delay past Avonmouth, but leaving any time after about 1pm is normally fairly clear otherwise.
Best time on a Saturday from the Midlands is to leave early/mid afternoon. It's only about a 5 hour trip on a clear run, so if you leave at 3pm, you're still arriving there at a fairly reasonable time.
If you leave before 3pm, you meet all the zombies who've been lumbering round Cribbs Causeway all day blocking up the M5 at Bristol, which can create about a half hour delay past Avonmouth, but leaving any time after about 1pm is normally fairly clear otherwise.
I visit monthly and my routine is always leave Kent at 4:30am for a clear run arriving around 9-10am. I get moaned at by Mrs V and The Vikingettes, but in reality they are asleep in the car within 10 mins.
When I haven't been able to leave early, I've had journeys take up to 14 hours to reach the Hayle area.
When I haven't been able to leave early, I've had journeys take up to 14 hours to reach the Hayle area.
You can set a departure time in Google Maps which will predict the time it'll take, can make quite a difference and if nothing else you can take the longest estimate as an indicator of worse case scenario. Must be based on travel times experienced at similar times so would imagine it to be fairly accurate.
We've got family close to Lands End and travel from Bristol fairly regularly. The A30 has been dualled through to Hayle and is now pretty benign. We tend to travel down just after work and tend to avoid most of the holiday silliness. The M5 will be the limiting factor for you I'd have thought, rather than the A30 or other Cornish Roads.
I drove down to St. Austell yesterday and the A30 was a drag as it turned out we were following what looked like two wind turbine base sections on two huge lorries moving very slowly right down through Devon and Cornwall.
Luckily they turned off. Unluckily on the A391 to, yep, St. Austell….
Luckily they turned off. Unluckily on the A391 to, yep, St. Austell….
In Dorset at the moment, drove from South Yorkshire, set off at 4am, got to Weymouth at just before 10am, only delay was at junction 25 of the M5 at Taunton for an accident, last 3 miles of motorway took half an hour, apart from that nothing.
Setting off back on Friday evening around half 6 and all being well should arrive home at midnight, I've known the journey take over 8 hours in the past due to family not wanting to set off in until 9am.
Setting off back on Friday evening around half 6 and all being well should arrive home at midnight, I've known the journey take over 8 hours in the past due to family not wanting to set off in until 9am.
Timely thread for me: heading down to Botallack (near St Just) from Nottinghamshire on Friday.
Been driving down to Cornwall since the 1990s... normally takes about 7 hours with at least one decent stop (normally stop in Somerset near Burnham on Sea as that's where I'm originally from).
Last went down in 2024. Took 10 hours due to an accident an hour south of Taunton. IIRC, a loose lorry wheel went through some poor sods windscreen. Diversion via Exeter was bad, but someone else had a worse day.
Another epic was back in 2003. 30c plus heat, black 2.8 injection Capri with no air con, missus at the time and I black clad (goths) stuck in traffic for many hours... NOT a fun journey.
Hopefully the journey will be hassle free on Friday. I always think that as long as you are past Bristol (Brizzle) by 3pm, you'll probably be OK. We're leaving at 8am ish so we should be OK. XC70 tank is brimmed with diesel... going to keep it just under 70 for economy: £2.14.9 per litre for Texaco supreme so I want the fuel to last!
Been driving down to Cornwall since the 1990s... normally takes about 7 hours with at least one decent stop (normally stop in Somerset near Burnham on Sea as that's where I'm originally from).
Last went down in 2024. Took 10 hours due to an accident an hour south of Taunton. IIRC, a loose lorry wheel went through some poor sods windscreen. Diversion via Exeter was bad, but someone else had a worse day.
Another epic was back in 2003. 30c plus heat, black 2.8 injection Capri with no air con, missus at the time and I black clad (goths) stuck in traffic for many hours... NOT a fun journey.
Hopefully the journey will be hassle free on Friday. I always think that as long as you are past Bristol (Brizzle) by 3pm, you'll probably be OK. We're leaving at 8am ish so we should be OK. XC70 tank is brimmed with diesel... going to keep it just under 70 for economy: £2.14.9 per litre for Texaco supreme so I want the fuel to last!
I live near bristol and work in north somerset anything past mid day on a Friday or Saturday is a no go on the m5 south bound in the summer and the same again north bound on a sunday or bank holiday Monday. If I do have to travel on any of those days visiting family who live further south I just leave early or leave it till after 5ish. Main hold up areas for me is always avonmouth bridge clevedon to weston and around Tiverton.
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