London to St Andrews - need a mid point half way(ish)
Discussion
Hi all,
I'm going to a wedding on a friday 2pm..St andrews.. weighed up all ways of getting there, train & flying involve taxis at each end, odd times etc etc.
So, thinking of leaving work (west end of London) about 4.30pm on thur & blasting as far as I can..
Looking for somewhere midway which lies on some good roads (as will have new toy hopefully)
stay there thur night, drive rest of way to bonnie scotland on the fri am then sat drive halfway back and again, stay somewhere good before heading back to the smoke on sunday.
Open to suggestions..
I'm going to a wedding on a friday 2pm..St andrews.. weighed up all ways of getting there, train & flying involve taxis at each end, odd times etc etc.
So, thinking of leaving work (west end of London) about 4.30pm on thur & blasting as far as I can..
Looking for somewhere midway which lies on some good roads (as will have new toy hopefully)
stay there thur night, drive rest of way to bonnie scotland on the fri am then sat drive halfway back and again, stay somewhere good before heading back to the smoke on sunday.
Open to suggestions..
up the a1 to grantham, then cross country on the a607 to lincoln, pick up the b1398 and then use to m180 / a15 to get over the humber. this should take 3-3.5hrs from london and is quite a fun drive. i used to do the reverse of this on a friday night and it was never that busy.
yorkshire's your oyster then, the yorkshire wolds/moors have some great roads and there'll be hardly anything on them of a thursday evening. aim north for whitby then take the coast road round to 'boro. depending on what time it is just find the A19 and overnight in newcastle. use the a1 the next morning for a casual but scenic drive up to edinburgh, or the a68 to go through the northumberland national park.
depending how you find it, either do the route back as a reverse of the above, or just get your kicks in scotland and have a steady drive down the motorway. if its a 'proper' reception then your sore head will probably dictate what you want to do anyway!
yorkshire's your oyster then, the yorkshire wolds/moors have some great roads and there'll be hardly anything on them of a thursday evening. aim north for whitby then take the coast road round to 'boro. depending on what time it is just find the A19 and overnight in newcastle. use the a1 the next morning for a casual but scenic drive up to edinburgh, or the a68 to go through the northumberland national park.
depending how you find it, either do the route back as a reverse of the above, or just get your kicks in scotland and have a steady drive down the motorway. if its a 'proper' reception then your sore head will probably dictate what you want to do anyway!
CraigW said:
Looking for somewhere midway which lies on some good roads (as will have new toy hopefully)
There's really only one realistic route to Scotland - the M6.Half way I would suggest the Trough of Bowland area.
A long time ago, TVR used this area as an unofficial test area.
The M6 Toll on the way is quite good too, especially since
lorries are still boycotting it.
If driving pleasure were my goal at the (slight) expense of time, this is the route I would take:
M1 or M40 out of London to suit your convenience.
M6 north to J37, Sedburgh.
A684 to Hawes.
Buttertubs pass to Thwaite.
Tan Hill Road to A66.
A66 to Brough.
B6276 to Middleton in Teesdale.
Potential overnighter at the Rose and Crown, Romaldkirk.
B6278 to Stanhope then Edmundbyers.
B6306 to Blanchland
I would overnight at the Lord Crewe Arms in Blanchland.
B6306 then 6307 to Corbridge.
Briefly east on A69 and at Mowden Hall school take the B6309 through Stamfordham to the A696 just north of Belsay.
A696 then A68 north to Edinburgh.
Then whatever is the fastest route to St Andrews.
I have a great deal of experience of all of the roads I have mentioned between the M6 and Edinburgh. They are among the best roads in the land. You will not be disappointed. They will be deserted. There certainly will not be any police cars. The A696 is worth the detour over the A68 for the fast, well-sighted and well constructed stretch between Knowesgate and Otterburn alone. This will add about 1.5 hours to a journey done entirely by motorway/trunk road.
The Rose and Crown is a very fine inn with an excellent restaurant. The Lord Crewe at Blanchland is oe of th emost characterful places I have ever stayed.
M1 or M40 out of London to suit your convenience.
M6 north to J37, Sedburgh.
A684 to Hawes.
Buttertubs pass to Thwaite.
Tan Hill Road to A66.
A66 to Brough.
B6276 to Middleton in Teesdale.
Potential overnighter at the Rose and Crown, Romaldkirk.
B6278 to Stanhope then Edmundbyers.
B6306 to Blanchland
I would overnight at the Lord Crewe Arms in Blanchland.
B6306 then 6307 to Corbridge.
Briefly east on A69 and at Mowden Hall school take the B6309 through Stamfordham to the A696 just north of Belsay.
A696 then A68 north to Edinburgh.
Then whatever is the fastest route to St Andrews.
I have a great deal of experience of all of the roads I have mentioned between the M6 and Edinburgh. They are among the best roads in the land. You will not be disappointed. They will be deserted. There certainly will not be any police cars. The A696 is worth the detour over the A68 for the fast, well-sighted and well constructed stretch between Knowesgate and Otterburn alone. This will add about 1.5 hours to a journey done entirely by motorway/trunk road.
The Rose and Crown is a very fine inn with an excellent restaurant. The Lord Crewe at Blanchland is oe of th emost characterful places I have ever stayed.
Edited by r129sl on Tuesday 11th August 16:07
If you can, try to incorporate some or all of the Moffat Loop into your route there and/or back. This is the roughly triangular-shaped route south of Edinburgh comprising the A72 to the north, A708 to the east and A701 to the west, from Blyth Bridge to Moffat and Selkirk. Absolutely epic.
Hi Craig.
I've done London-Edinburgh many-a-time. To be honest, in something like your Maserati, you could do it in one, and rather than leaving at 4.30pm on Thursday and hitting rush hour in London, Birmingham and the M6 up to Manchester (which I think you will do by leaving at that time; Birmingham at 6, M6 by 6.30/7 is still busy).
So, why not get to bed early, up v.early leaving at 3am, hit the M40, M42, M6toll, M6 north, stopping for coffee and fuel, then turn off the M6/M74 at Moffat and revel in the climbing, twisting, energetic A701 for an hour to Edinburgh. (Alternatively, and probably a bit quicker, is to continue up the A74 to Abington and take the A702 up to the west side of Edinburgh, though I suspect this road has some cameras and more lorries to get stuck behind. And the A701 is more fun.)
By now it's about 10am or so, depending upon your driving style. Pop along the A720 Edinburgh bypass to South Queensferry and stop under the bridges for a breakfast before finishing the last wee bit over the Forth and through Fife.
Just pack some good music and enjoy those empty roads. And coming up through the Borders in the early hours of the morning is beautiful. It's not for everyone and do stop for coffee/snooze/walk if you feel tired. You'll also get a kip in on Friday afternoon before some pre-wedding beers and cries of "nutter" when people that you've just driven up that morning.
Alternatively, the train to Edinburgh is really pretty good and stunning between Newcastle and Edinburgh. If it's a short trip, like yours, I'd think about getting the train so you can really enjoy the wedding properly....(sorry, know this is Pistonheads!).
Hope that helps,
Endorphin
PS Just noticed the wedding's at 2....blimey, the start-early-and-do-it-in-one may not be the best, but I'd be aiming to get as far north as early as possible so you're not rushing the final bit. Leave at 12noon on Thurs and get to Edinburgh?
I've done London-Edinburgh many-a-time. To be honest, in something like your Maserati, you could do it in one, and rather than leaving at 4.30pm on Thursday and hitting rush hour in London, Birmingham and the M6 up to Manchester (which I think you will do by leaving at that time; Birmingham at 6, M6 by 6.30/7 is still busy).
So, why not get to bed early, up v.early leaving at 3am, hit the M40, M42, M6toll, M6 north, stopping for coffee and fuel, then turn off the M6/M74 at Moffat and revel in the climbing, twisting, energetic A701 for an hour to Edinburgh. (Alternatively, and probably a bit quicker, is to continue up the A74 to Abington and take the A702 up to the west side of Edinburgh, though I suspect this road has some cameras and more lorries to get stuck behind. And the A701 is more fun.)
By now it's about 10am or so, depending upon your driving style. Pop along the A720 Edinburgh bypass to South Queensferry and stop under the bridges for a breakfast before finishing the last wee bit over the Forth and through Fife.
Just pack some good music and enjoy those empty roads. And coming up through the Borders in the early hours of the morning is beautiful. It's not for everyone and do stop for coffee/snooze/walk if you feel tired. You'll also get a kip in on Friday afternoon before some pre-wedding beers and cries of "nutter" when people that you've just driven up that morning.
Alternatively, the train to Edinburgh is really pretty good and stunning between Newcastle and Edinburgh. If it's a short trip, like yours, I'd think about getting the train so you can really enjoy the wedding properly....(sorry, know this is Pistonheads!).
Hope that helps,
Endorphin
PS Just noticed the wedding's at 2....blimey, the start-early-and-do-it-in-one may not be the best, but I'd be aiming to get as far north as early as possible so you're not rushing the final bit. Leave at 12noon on Thurs and get to Edinburgh?
Edited by Endorphin on Tuesday 11th August 21:24
If driving over great roads through fantastic scenery is your thing--not to mention good wining and dining--I really would urge you take my route or a variation on it. The A701 is a fine road (from Moffat up past the Devil's Beef Tub to the source of the Tweed) but that route affords you only about 25miles of fun in a journey of 450miles. The A702 is a bit dull. The Moffat triangle is great stuff, but it is a circuit, not a point-to-point route.
Whichever route you take, let us know how it went.
Whichever route you take, let us know how it went.
Gassing Station | Roads | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff