Driving from Bath to St Andrews today, any advice?

[Vinstar]

Morning ph'ers,

In my 5 years of driving this will be by far my longest continuous drive, of which I am looking forward too it. What I was wondering is, are there any sections of motorways to avoid today and also are there any "nice" service stations without a McDonalds?

Thanks a lot,
Vince

[marshalla]

Avoid A1 between Dishforth and Darlington if possible - roadworks, 50mph limit and SPECS.

[bp1]

marshalla said:

Avoid A1 between Dishforth and Darlington if possible - roadworks, 50mph limit and SPECS.

Avoid the A1. M6/M74 would be the best way. From the M74 you have several choices, stay with the motorway network and M8 over the Forth Road bridge, or from the M74 take the A702 through Biggar to the Edinburgh bypass and then onto the Forth Road Bridge. Be aware that traffic over the bridge/around Edinburgh can be pretty bad at rush hour.

[jet_noise]

Dear Vinstar,

leave early, before 6 should do it...


...oh bugger,

regards,
Jet

[Superhoop]

bp1 said:

marshalla said:

Avoid A1 between Dishforth and Darlington if possible - roadworks, 50mph limit and SPECS.

Avoid the A1. M6/M74 would be the best way. From the M74 you have several choices, stay with the motorway network and M8 over the Forth Road bridge, or from the M74 take the A702 through Biggar to the Edinburgh bypass and then onto the Forth Road Bridge. Be aware that traffic over the bridge/around Edinburgh can be pretty bad at rush hour.

This - After hours on the dull as dishwater motorway, the road through Biggar into Eninburgh as a real treat

[LuS1fer]

Avoid service stations - rip-off establishments serving crap everything. Better to come off and find a pub doing all day food.

[cccscotland]

Superhoop said:

bp1 said:

marshalla said:

Avoid A1 between Dishforth and Darlington if possible - roadworks, 50mph limit and SPECS.

Avoid the A1. M6/M74 would be the best way. From the M74 you have several choices, stay with the motorway network and M8 over the Forth Road bridge, or from the M74 take the A702 through Biggar to the Edinburgh bypass and then onto the Forth Road Bridge. Be aware that traffic over the bridge/around Edinburgh can be pretty bad at rush hour.

This - After hours on the dull as dishwater motorway, the road through Biggar into Eninburgh as a real treat

Sorry guys, you got that wrong. The Biggar road is tedious and often full of lorries. You want the previous exit via Moffat (A701) signed as tourist route to edinburgh and known locally as the beef tub.

Services wise the Tebay (lake district) stop is lovely with a nice farm shop. However I'm always shocked by the price of food there. It is lovely though.

Whilst the ring road and FRB can be busy compared to traffic down south it's trivial. More of a rush half-hour as well.

By the time you get to Fife I suspect it will be dark, so there's no point going the pretty way. Just head past Kirkcaldy on the dual carriageway all the way to Glenrothes then follow the signs to St A.

Last month I did the trip in reverse - I left Edi at 1.30pm in the afternoon midweek, and was in Bath before 7.30pm. In a 40 year old car!

[Bonefish Blues]

LuS1fer said:

Avoid service stations - rip-off establishments serving crap everything. Better to come off and find a pub doing all day food.

With the honourable exception of Tebay on the M6 - which may well be on OP's route.

[alfa pint]

cccscotland said:

Superhoop said:

bp1 said:

marshalla said:

Avoid A1 between Dishforth and Darlington if possible - roadworks, 50mph limit and SPECS.

Avoid the A1. M6/M74 would be the best way. From the M74 you have several choices, stay with the motorway network and M8 over the Forth Road bridge, or from the M74 take the A702 through Biggar to the Edinburgh bypass and then onto the Forth Road Bridge. Be aware that traffic over the bridge/around Edinburgh can be pretty bad at rush hour.

This - After hours on the dull as dishwater motorway, the road through Biggar into Eninburgh as a real treat

Sorry guys, you got that wrong. The Biggar road is tedious and often full of lorries. You want the previous exit via Moffat (A701) signed as tourist route to edinburgh and known locally as the beef tub.

Services wise the Tebay (lake district) stop is lovely with a nice farm shop. However I'm always shocked by the price of food there. It is lovely though.

Whilst the ring road and FRB can be busy compared to traffic down south it's trivial. More of a rush half-hour as well.

By the time you get to Fife I suspect it will be dark, so there's no point going the pretty way. Just head past Kirkcaldy on the dual carriageway all the way to Glenrothes then follow the signs to St A.

Last month I did the trip in reverse - I left Edi at 1.30pm in the afternoon midweek, and was in Bath before 7.30pm. In a 40 year old car!

Seconded. The road to Peebles from Moffat is one of the best in the country. And the food in tebay is actually edible.

[Malcster]

[quote]Sorry guys, you got that wrong. The Biggar road is tedious and often full of lorries. You want the previous exit via Moffat (A701) signed as tourist route to edinburgh and known locally as the beef tub.
[/quote]

100% Correct, Moffat -> Edinburgh along the A702 is one of my favorite Mugs.

Stop in at Moffat and buy some of the famous toffee too.
Just what you need while enjoying the flowing bends, and challenging hairpins.

Tasty.

[Malcster]

cccscotland said:

Sorry guys, you got that wrong. The Biggar road is tedious and often full of lorries. You want the previous exit via Moffat (A701) signed as tourist route to edinburgh and known locally as the beef tub.

100% Correct, Moffat -> Edinburgh along the A702 is one of my favorite roads.

You can stop in at Moffat and buy some of the famous toffee too.
Just what you need while enjoying the flowing bends, and challenging hairpins.

Tasty.

Edited by Malcster on Friday 29th October 10:26

[rallycross]

i do this trip regularly, its a long old day and the last thing you want after 300 boring miles but still with 150 miles to go is to then fight your way up the slow roads to edinburgh its so much easier to just stay on the m74, then M8 and over the bridge.

If I only had to go from Carlisle to Edinburgh I'd take the fun roads, but not when its a long trip with a long way to go.

Edited by rallycross on Friday 29th October 11:08

[cccscotland]

Malcster said:

cccscotland said:

Sorry guys, you got that wrong. The Biggar road is tedious and often full of lorries. You want the previous exit via Moffat (A701) signed as tourist route to edinburgh and known locally as the beef tub.

100% Correct, Moffat -> Edinburgh along the A702 is one of my favorite roads.

You can stop in at Moffat and buy some of the famous toffee too.
Just what you need while enjoying the flowing bends, and challenging hairpins.

Tasty.

Edited by Malcster on Friday 29th October 10:26

Nope, it's still the A701 you want.

[2 Wycked]

Take plenty of fuel.

[jamieclueless]

Try to avoid the Moffat to Selkirk road between 4 and 5 today...Nothing wrong with it ,but I like to keep it for myself.

[matchmaker]

bp1 said:

marshalla said:

Avoid A1 between Dishforth and Darlington if possible - roadworks, 50mph limit and SPECS.

Avoid the A1. M6/M74 would be the best way. From the M74 you have several choices, stay with the motorway network and M8 over the Forth Road bridge, or from the M74 take the A702 through Biggar to the Edinburgh bypass and then onto the Forth Road Bridge. Be aware that traffic over the bridge/around Edinburgh can be pretty bad at rush hour.

Bugger me - the M8 has been extended without me knowing it!

[The fatboy]

pay more on using M42 and M6 toll avoid the always congested and roadworks between M5 J1 till M6 J12 despite that's longer route

if you need to fuel up and have some food you can have a stop in manchester where there are some places to eat in trafford centre(a big ASDA is nearby) or on the M602-A57 (Sainsburys, Shell, KFC, McDonalds).

[ewenm]

The fatboy said:

pay more on using M42 and M6 toll avoid the always congested and roadworks between M5 J1 till M6 J12 despite that's longer route

if you need to fuel up and have some food you can have a stop in manchester where there are some places to eat in trafford centre(a big ASDA is nearby) or on the M602-A57 (Sainsburys, Shell, KFC, McDonalds).

Why would you leave the motorway for a stop? It'll add far too much time to the journey.

I did Edinburgh to Bath in 7 hours on a Bank Holiday Monday, route was A701 (or 2 can never remember which)-M74-M6-M5-M4. As others have said, probably best to stay on the M74 and go M8 as you're heading north of Edinburgh.

Edited by ewenm on Friday 29th October 11:38

[MG511]

The fatboy said:

trafford centre.

It's half term, go nowhere near the Trafford centre unless you want to get stuck in some massive traffic jams.

[The fatboy]

MG511 said:

The fatboy said:

trafford centre.

It's half term, go nowhere near the Trafford centre unless you want to get stuck in some massive traffic jams.

depends on time