http://www.car4play.com/forum Car4play forum en-gb Wed, 27 May 2026 08:44:25 +0100 Copyright: Car4play webmaster@car4play.com (Technical) 5 car4play689148 Wed, 27 May 2026 08:44:25 +0100 yeah when kids were wee, travelling through the night was often our choice as well - although it made sense for a peaceful journey it fair screwed the old body clock when you arrived at the destination. http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=689148&v=e car4play689146 Wed, 27 May 2026 06:49:52 +0100 I have never done South Wales from Scotland with a quick return. I have gone down for at least a couple of days usually a lot longer. We used to leave around 2am - wife + 3 kids in the back seat (sleeping). 6 hours we were south of Birmingham, pop into friends in Worcester for breakfast. Cooler (no AC in 1970s- 1990s, faster, Kids were silent (No are we nearly there, extra stops for food/toilets etc etc) Our Kids are now 50 ish http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=689146&v=e car4play689140 Tue, 26 May 2026 17:02:02 +0100 I love driving in the early morning. Sunrise will be about 5am in Glasgow. Early start and Google Maps. Plan a rough route and enjoy it. M56 then via A483 mid Wales won't add much time. And will avoid the caravan accident on the M5. It would still be a bit far for me in one hit. http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=689140&v=e car4play689118 Tue, 26 May 2026 08:20:56 +0100 ... and I remember ignoring my satnav (well, TrafficMaster, a forerunner to the new-fangled ones with displays) and ending up in a three hour tailback. I have sometimes ignored it since but usually at my peril. http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=689118&v=e car4play689116 Tue, 26 May 2026 07:52:26 +0100 Cheers for the suggestions and info - will be travelling on my own as need the full car space for his stuff to bring back! I must remember before I set off to put my trust in Google maps over the BMW satnav (which I get live traffic updates for). I prefer the BMW as it appears on my heads up display and also obviously on the car screen (I dont have apple car play) , whereas the google maps is obviously on my phone in its holder. They both have different processes - I remember once going down to my brother's in Bishop's Stortford and leaving Scotch Corner, BMW was telling me delays of 3 hours whereas google maps saying nothing. Carried on all this way till just before the A14 (I think) when BMW came up with a detour suggestion that chopped that 3 hours off (by going the same route as google maps was suggesting). There is nothing worse than having two different sat navs shouting at you to go two different directions! http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=689116&v=e car4play689104 Mon, 25 May 2026 20:41:12 +0100 Due to family “geography” I have often had to travel from Edinburgh early morning start via Leeds to Wiltshire. Several of these trips have been on days like term ends, when the tabloids and RAC were forecasting gridlock and I’ve sailed right through. On other occasions, on normal days, it’s been a nightmare. Even then it’s unusual to face more than an hour of total delays on a 7-8 hour journey. Not the same journey as here but subject to similar issues. Prepare to be held up and get a nice surprise if it turns out OK. In addition to advice above about Google etc it’s handy if you have a navigator who is prepared to watch the traffic feeds and advise on creative early diversions via a good old fashioned road map. You probably won’t actually beat the jams but keeping moving gives you the illusion of progress. http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=689104&v=e car4play689103 Mon, 25 May 2026 20:02:09 +0100 Based on simple observation the first weekend of the school holidays = horrible traffic. Many will set off 9-11 am in the hope of reaching their destination mid or late afternoon - the south west and Wales generates a lot of holiday makers. Were I doing your journey I would : - use google or similar to find best route - on a long journey traffic and accidents will happen so be prepared to change route - if you can plan travel outside the likely peak - set off before 7.00 or start after 2 pm http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=689103&v=e car4play689102 Mon, 25 May 2026 19:43:07 +0100 If I'm doing any journey at a holiday time, I find it very quiet on a Saturday afternoon, returning on a Sunday. http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=689102&v=e car4play689099 Mon, 25 May 2026 16:53:52 +0100 Personally, M6 then M5 and then M50 (Pit stopMonmouth? ) then Heads of the valleys to Abergavenny and down to Cardiff from there.(A4042) Heads of the valleys is all dual carriageway now and it's plenty of dual A4042 and avoids the bottleneck M4 newport and (Pit stop Monmouth) http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=689099&v=e car4play689097 Mon, 25 May 2026 15:26:42 +0100 The A66 can be a 'mare as, like the A9, dualling is ad hoc and there are long chunks of single carriageway. Friday might be OK southbound if you're off early. There's a reasonable A road down the Welsh Marches which avoids the M5. Personally I'd play it by ear making full use of G Maps and a radio station (Fiv Live?) to drive my route. http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=689097&v=e car4play689084 Mon, 25 May 2026 12:54:35 +0100 The School Holiday start dates vary by local authority. Some actually finish earlier in the week (though an inset day on the Monday might mean a full week off), and some the following Tuesday (inset day caution still applies). Whatever, it is going to be one of the main holiday getaway weekends, and the roads (particularly the M6 and M5) are likely to be "manic". You can choose one of the quieter (overnight?) periods, but increasingly these are getting busy, and it doesn't really fit with your idea of an overnight in digs. If it were me, I'd consider using the A66, A1(M), and M1, then choosing the M42 or M69 (preferred*) to get back to the M5. It's a bit counter-intuitive (and a bit longer) but my experience is that it has generally been more fluid (apart from the long-term A1 roadworks at Darriington, which are now complete). I think I'm a bit biased as I know most of the alternatives on that route, and can pick and choose depending on Google traffic data. (* in reality, to get to the M5 I would/do favour the M69 from the M1, then take the A46 from Coventry all the way to Tewkesbury and the M5. It gives a rest from the motorway, is largely fluid (except sometimes the Evesham Ring Road, and misses some of the less-pleasant M5 at Birmingham). http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=689084&v=e car4play689082 Mon, 25 May 2026 12:14:05 +0100 All of the above :-) Re route, I'd plan in advance but def be prepared to heed any traffic delays announced by the sat nav en route. It never seemed to take that much to clog up the southbound M6 between Manchester and Birmingham at any time in my non-recent experience. I find these days whenever I opt to travel I feel it would likely have been better at one of the alternative times :-) http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=689082&v=e car4play689079 Mon, 25 May 2026 11:02:03 +0100 Long story short, I will be driving from Glasgow to Cardiff to pick up a student from Cardiff Uni and returning him and his belonging back to Glasgow. He has to be out his digs by Mon 27 Jul so I was thinking driving down the Sat, find digs somewhere for an overnight and then back up on the Sunday. But a quick google suggests the English schools finish up on Fri 24 July. So will the roads be carnage at this point or will a Glasgow - Cardiff route M6 / M5 etc be relatively ok? And should I instead suggest a pick up earlier in week , say Tue / Wed or will normal daytime commuting traffic be worse? http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?m=689079&v=e