Motoring Discussion > M25 - Bit of a Surprise Miscellaneous
Thread Author: Bromptonaut Replies: 53

 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - Bromptonaut
Northampton to Channel Tunnel/Dover - which way round M25?

Mrs B and took caravan out over weekend for first time this year. Club site at Densole near Folkestone. Walks on the White Cliffs and a day trip to France yesterday.

Out on Saturday via M1 >M25E and QE2 bridge. Standard route for channel since whenever.

Left for home today around 13:30 to drop 'van off at store and be home around 17:3, me driving Mrs B as nav. Got about halfway up M20 and the gantries were giving a tale of woe re M25 J3>Dartford - long delays, probably over an hour. Contemplated Blackwall Tunnel>A11 but then she looked at M26>M25W>M40>A43 and we took a punt on that.

Probably lucky on the M23>M4 bit bit apart from a crawl round Heathrow's western perimeter it was easy going. Dropped 'van maybe half an hour later then planned.

Google maps says it's 152 miles here to Densole via Dartford. Car's trip meter is on 198 having zeroed when we filled up at Cite Europe yesterday.

Allowing for miles in France, from tunnel to site and extra miles locally via storeage I reckon the west of London route is less than 30 miles longer than via Dartford.
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Tue 12 Apr 16 at 22:44
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - Runfer D'Hills
I always go west on that route
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - WillDeBeest
And without a caravan.
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - R.P.
I tend to go to travel south to the tunnel on the easterly route and come back the other way. No real reason for that - just "seems" quicker.
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - IJWS14
From north of Birmingham we generally use M1/M25E but M25W and M40 isn't much further or slower. Unless there is an incident we tend to use east but knowing the roads I have no issues with A2/Blackwall/M11 either.

We tend to travel out of rush hour.
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - Zero
I go whichever way round google traffic says is faster.
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - Focal Point
Z.'s answer is correct, of course - but it started me thinking: Northampton to Dover via M1, M25E, M2 - 149 miles. Northampton to Dover via M1, M25W, M 20 - 175 miles.

The western sector includes the notoriously busy intersections with the M40, M4, M3 (and Heathrow); the eastern sector has the not so busy M11 and the Thames crossing and probably has more HGVs.

Living as I do in scenic Hemel Hempstead, I would never ever consider using the longer (and busier?) western route. Or maybe I'm making too many assumptions.
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - R.P.
Heading north the westerly route provides more options - if I go east I get tempted by the M11 and A14 which is dreadfully boring but quicker on a bike to get to the M1...
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - Zero
My general rule of thumb is M1 go west, M11 go east, A1 either but west is best.
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - Runfer D'Hills
I agree with that Z.
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - WillDeBeest
So would the Village People.
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - Zero
>> So would the Village People.

For those who dont make the connection

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wc-AQJ2MYo&nohtml5=False
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - sherlock47
I would suggest that the choice is also time of day dependent. In the NorthEast sector the west bound traffic is heavier in the morning and east bound heavier in the evening. Not sure if this translate to q times at the bridge/tunnel. For me 'the Zero decision point of A1' shifts between M11 in the morning and M1 in the evening.
Last edited by: sherlock47 on Wed 13 Apr 16 at 11:58
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - Boxsterboy

>> Living as I do in scenic Hemel Hempstead, I would never ever consider using the
>> longer (and busier?) western route. Or maybe I'm making too many assumptions.
>>

I did the same when I used to live in Hemel. Traffic at Dartford would have to be pretty bad to make the 26-mile longer western option quicker!
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - Bromptonaut
>> Northampton to Dover
>> via M1, M25E, M2 - 149 miles. Northampton to Dover via M1, M25W, M 20
>> - 175 miles.
>>
>> Living as I do in scenic Hemel Hempstead, I would never ever consider using the
>> longer (and busier?) western route.

There is a slight difference in that I live southwest of the Northampton itself, between the M1 and A5 and close to Towcester. Going to Dover Ferry Terminal though there's no doubt that M1 (J15)>M25E>M2 is both shortest and most convenient.

Last weekend though I was closer to Folkestone/Chunnel so M20 felt better route south of M25. With that, the M26 link and fact that M40/A43 is a 'hypotenuse' to route continuing on M25 to M1 reduces the mileage difference.

Not saying I'd 'go west' every time either. Just that having done so faced with long delays at Dartford I was surprised how easy it was.
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - Alanovich
Outside of rush hours, I like the idea of going through London if travelling from one point of the compass to the opposite.

I used to enjoy travelling from Berkshire to visit relatives in Southend in the days before the M25. Obviously there's the congestion charge these days though.
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - Zero
>> I used to enjoy travelling from Berkshire to visit relatives in Southend

Yes I can see that to a Readingite, Southend would be an attraction. The desire to travel through London also explains why you never got further than Fulham.

Last edited by: Zero on Wed 13 Apr 16 at 12:04
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - Avant
When we lived near Reading, I would go to Essex round the north of the M25, and to Kent round the south. Anything to avoid the Dartford tunnel / bridge.

It may be better now that it has dawned on someone's thick skull that tolls can be collected electronically as with the London congestion charge.
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - Skip
>> It may be better now that it has dawned on someone's thick skull that tolls
>> can be collected electronically as with the London congestion charge.
>>

Heading North through the tunnels it is as bad if not worse than it was when you had to pay at the toll booths most of the time, however Southbound over the bridge is usually free flowing.
Last edited by: Skip on Thu 14 Apr 16 at 06:41
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - Bromptonaut
>> Heading North through the tunnels it is as bad if not worse than it was
>> when you had to pay at the toll booths most of the time, however Southbound
>> over the bridge is usually free flowing.

Exactly my experience. During the day the tunnels run at very close to 100% of capacity. One tunnel is closed at intervals to allow convoys of dangerous loads (fuel tankers etc) to be escorted through. Add in a breakdown or even minor accident so there is a longer closure and it takes hours to recover.

The process for getting dangerous loads to their holding area is another cause of bunching. Also, signage attempts to route traffic into east or west tunnel according to destination on arrival in Essex leading to more 'jousting' on the approach.

A relief tunnel is planned further to east but is subject to an aggressive 'anti' campaign in areas such as Chadwell St Mary which will be adveresely affected.
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - Bromptonaut
At risk of sounding like AC this thread is missing some posts. Z added something around 08:15 about the inadequate ventilation and I added a comment after that too, probably around 08:25.

Was there some subsequent silliness leading to them being hidden?
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Thu 14 Apr 16 at 11:43
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - Zero
no there wasn't any silliness. Either the site is loosing them or someone is pruning them, and its getting worse.
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - Focal Point
There was also some stuff that Z wrote - about which way round is his default depending on how he approached the M25 - M1, then clockwise; A1, then anti-clockwise etc.

I came back to reply, as I had no time when I saw it first - now it's gone.
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - Manatee
>> There was also some stuff that Z wrote - about which way round is his
>> default depending on how he approached the M25 - M1, then clockwise; A1, then anti-clockwise
>> etc.
>>
>> I came back to reply, as I had no time when I saw it first
>> - now it's gone.


You don't mean this one?

www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?t=22282&m=493187&v=e
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - tyrednemotional
...no, it was a comment about the paucity of ventilation in the tunnel, and the need to manage the North-bound traffict to take that into account.

As Z says, it also appears to have disappeared into a deep dark hole in the ground.
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - Focal Point
That's the one. I didn't look hard enough, obviously.
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - Focusless
>> There was also some stuff that Z wrote
>>
>> I came back to reply, as I had no time when I saw it first
>> - now it's gone.

Same happened to me yesterday (replying to a Z post), although I assumed that was because it included slightly dodgy language. Bit surprised though.

EDIT: actually I started replying, but I couldn't post it because by the time I finished typing (only a minute or 2) Z's post had gone.
Last edited by: Focusless on Thu 14 Apr 16 at 15:20
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - Alanovich
I posted a funny limerick a few weeks ago, with some suitably censored naughty bits, and that disappeared off to AC's woodshed.
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - Pat
Altogether now and say 'I'm sorry AC for thinking you were going doolally'!

Pat
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - Armel Coussine
>> I posted a funny limerick a few weeks ago, with some suitably censored naughty bits, and that disappeared off to AC's woodshed

I can't find it there Alanoviċ. Perhaps you will get away with posting it again?

Here's mine again:


An ogre-like man from Hong Kong
Had proportions both awkward and wrong;
You'd seen nothing more neat
Than his sweet little feet,
But he needed a sling for his schlong.


 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - Alanovich
Well at least you can find the woodshed. ;-)

It was a Robert Conquest creation, and is quoted by Christopher Hitchens here (I shan't post it again as it's rude and Nanny will not approve):

www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2009/aug/16/christopher-hitchens-my-week

Most people here seem to be at Age 5, with a few slipping towards 6 and 7. No names, no pack drill.

;-)
Last edited by: Alanović on Thu 14 Apr 16 at 15:46
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - Boxsterboy
There was a young man from Devizes
Whose balls were two different sizes.
One was small and was no use at all.
The other was huge and won prizes.

Of absolutely no relevance whatsoever to the M25!
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - tyrednemotional
There was a young fellow called Clyde,
Who fell down a sewer and died,
The next day his brother...
..fell down another,
and now they're interred, side-by-side.


Neither is this
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - Armel Coussine
There was a young lady from Ryde
Who ate eighty green apples and died.
The apples fermented
Inside the lamented
And made cider inside her inside.
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - Avant
There was an old person of Lyme,
Who married three wives at a time.
When they said 'Why the third?'
He replied 'One's absurd,
And bigamy, Sir, is a crime,'

Sorry Focusless, I managed a limerick when you were thinking of going to Devizes - but I challenge anyone to come up with a rhyme for Melksham.
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - Zero
There was a moder-a-tor on line
who snipped all the posts all the time
his eyesight was thin
and they went in the bin
so zero went round and slashed all his tyres and chucked a tree trunk through his vauxhall windscreen


I think the last line needs a little work.
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - Focusless
>> Sorry Focusless, I managed a limerick when you were thinking of going to Devizes -
>> but I challenge anyone to come up with a rhyme for Melksham.

Yeah, I spotted that - very good. Actually we're off to Whitley (subject to contract!) just outside Melksham. Should give you a bit more to work with? :)
Last edited by: Focusless on Thu 14 Apr 16 at 18:14
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - Runfer D'Hills
There's no rhyme for "Orange" apparently.

 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - Armel Coussine
Whelks (sham

Scampi or prawns)


Ordered prawn curry in an Indian resto in London once and they had the damn cheek to produce a plate of whelks.
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - Armel Coussine
There was a bon vivant of Melksham
Who died of a surfeit of whelks (sham
Scampi or prawns),
Sea-Horses with horns
And them insects they eats, down to Melksham.
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - Manatee
>> There's no rhyme for "Orange" apparently.

According to Ian McMillan, of Barnsley, door hinge is the nearest rhyme for orange.
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - Runfer D'Hills
Fab !
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - Armel Coussine
>> >> There's no rhyme for "Orange" apparently.

'Young Mr Gorringe?'

One used to go to a shop called Gorringe's for school uniforms and sports gear. There must have been Gorringes of various ages surely?
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - Runfer D'Hills
Again, only works in conjunction with a regional accent. Not sure that counts.
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - Avant
"Actually we're off to Whitley (subject to contract!) just outside Melksham."

Focusless - you'll never get that past Mrs F (for those who haven't had the pleasure of living near Reading, the Whitley near Reading is known for its smell of sewage).

Mr F "Whitley, subject to contract".
Mrs F once again does her entr'acte:
She loudly will sniff
"No more Whitley Whiff:
Royal Crescent, no less. My mind's one-tracked."

Dead heat with AC for the Dodgy Rhyme Prize?
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - Focusless
>> "Actually we're off to Whitley (subject to contract!) just outside Melksham."
>>
>> (for those who haven't had the
>> pleasure of living near Reading, the Whitley near Reading is known for its smell of
>> sewage).

Yes, the irony of moving somewhere 'nice' with the same name as the local place you couldn't pay us to move to hadn't escaped our notice :)
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - Alanovich
The Whitley Whiff has been eradicated by technology. It did used to be appalling in the summer particularly.
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - Runfer D'Hills
Some other places notorious for their smells include/d Kirkcaldy for its linoleum factories, the Fountainbridge area of Edinburgh for the hops from the breweries and Bridgwater in Somerset which smelled but I can't remember why.
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - tyrednemotional
...or anywhere with a sugar-beet factory (e.g. Peterborough and Newark)
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - Zero
>> ...or anywhere with a sugar-beet factory (e.g. Peterborough and Newark)

Newark also used to have the delights of a brewery and a vinegar distillery. In full blow on cattle market day it was indeed unique
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - Alanovich
In days gone by, when there were still large breweries in Reading, that smell used to mingle with the Whitley Whiff to produce something quite atrocious. Despite being an enthusiastic consumer of beer (few pints of delightful Upham Punter whilst watching the football with plastic Scouse mates last night), I've never enjoyed the smell of a brewery.

Similarly, in Slough, the smell of the Mars factory gently merges with the hum of the nearby sewage works next to the M4. Actually, passing by there the other day my sister and I
did remark on how the smell was less, er, astringent, than we remember from childhood. There, a bit of a motorway surprise to bring us back on topic.
Last edited by: Alanović on Fri 15 Apr 16 at 09:45
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - Runfer D'Hills
The smells of industry have become more regulated of course. Shoe factories used to smell overwhelmingly of glue. The guys ( mainly guys ) on the making lines which is the bit of the production process where the soles were stuck on used to get withdrawal symptoms from their permanent glue high when they were on holiday. This as recently as the early 80s.
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - Alanovich
This may explain my mother-in-law's demeanour, Runfer. She grew up next to a massive shoe factory in what was then Yugoslavia, Borovo Selo. Still going I think, you may know of it. They always made jolly good quality footwear, usually Italian cast off designs. A bit like the old Yugo cars I suppose.
 M25 - Bit of a Surprise - Focusless
>> In days gone by, when there were still large breweries in Reading

The band I used to play in rehearsed in the Courage brewery by J11 - conductor was a security guard there IIRC. That's where I met the future Mrs F, so she has a lot to thank them for :)
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