I loathe heading south, dawdling through Wandsworth, but shall be heading to Pulborough tomorrow. Which of the congested A roads do people think would be best?
(Starting from Dog's primary school at SE1 4TR.)
Return tomorrow afternoon. IME this can take several hours.
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Only two roads required.
A3 to Milford (just south of Guildford) and A283.
The 283 is a nice run.
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>> A3 to Milford (just south of Guildford) and A283.
>>
I never go through Milford either southbound or northbound.
Going south I stay on the A3 beyond Milford and take a left to Brook. A short sprint through the woods ( beware of the dogleg). Especially good on the Chichester route.
Coming North I use the same road but recent safety changes mean a short divert south on the A3 then over the top and back north.
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I spent a few years commuting from Arundel to Guildford and sometimes used that route - I'm not sure I ever found it to be quicker, but it's a good alternative. Agreed if you're heading further west then it's better
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I always use the A3, off at Milford on the A283 (I think...), though Petworth and then to Pulborough. I like the drive from the A3 to Petworth , it always seems much nicer than the A24 option :-)
Peter
Oops...too slow :-)
Last edited by: PeterS on Fri 1 Apr 11 at 12:13
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I would go for the A3 to Oxshott, south on the A224 to Leatherhead and then the A24 south.
This makes most use of the fast A3. In rush hour there is a queue approaching the M25 junction and probably a short queue going south beyond the junction but enjoy the trip.
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Well, I don't know your route out of London. I travel from close to Pulborough to Croydon every day. Route honed from years of experience as the least likely to get congested. Croydon to Belmont via back streets to pick up A217 to Kingswood, Pebble Hill Road down to A25. A25 to Dorking. A24 through to Kingsfold, to pick up A29. Straight on from there.
Easy.
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Alternatively just go to Clapham or Victoria and get on the train to Pulborough - no changes required, and about an hour and a half from Victoria...
Peter
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I used to live in Wandsworth and now am just north of Pulborough. Drop in for tea if you like! I would take:
A3 to Hook roundabout
A243 to Chessington/Leatherhead (M25). From here it is about 1/2 hour to Pulborough.
A24 to just north of Ockley
A29 to Pulborough - the start of this road is a bit windey, but then it has chunks where it is the main straight Roman road to Bognor.
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To avoid the windey bit at the start of the A29, stay on the A24 (single carriageway section) to Kingsfold. Turn right, sorry I don't have the road name, but it is signposted, and it is a a straightish 1.5 miles across to the the A29 south of Ockley. By the way, do you have children at The Weald? Just curious, don't answer if you don't want to.
Last edited by: Servelan on Fri 1 Apr 11 at 12:57
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Like the idea of missing the windey bit. Will have to try it. And yes, loads at the Weald - just guess you have too.
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>> loads at the Weald
Billingshurst?
One of my grandchildren goes there. It doesn't seem too bad but I doubt that it's as good as her London school. She likes it which is a positive sign.
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Well, yes just the one but my better half works there too.
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>> A243 to Chessington/Leatherhead (M25). From here it is about 1/2 hour to Pulborough.
If you can get from Leatherhead to Pulborough in 30 minutes, I shall be selling tickets along the route. It should be spectacular.
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Google maps suggests leaving London via Clapham Common South Side, then through Tooting, Colliers Wood, Morden, Cheam, Banstead, and across the M25 at Walton.
What a drag of a journey, but I don't see much of an alternative.
I hope Mapmaker has a very good reason for going.
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As they said above, escape London via the A3, and then break left anytime at or between hook and Milford, avoiding the roadworks on the M25 9/10
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>> If you can get from Leatherhead to Pulborough in 30 minutes, I shall be selling
>> tickets along the route. It should be spectacular.
You keep missing me.
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Thanks for comments.
What I was really hoping for was a sensible taxi driver route that avoids the A3 as far as Wandsworth.
I would go by train if it were possible.
I reckon Wandsworth to Tower Bridge Road can take 2 hours, but maybe I'm under optimistic.
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I live near Pulborough and have been doing this trip (but from North Kensington, not as it were Bermondsey) for, good God, 40 years near enough. C4P's route is the one I use, out of habit. There are two major variants which others say they prefer. One is to cut out the A29 and stay on the A24 to Washington, then turn right through Storrington. The other is to stay on the A3 and peel off through Petworth.
These days it takes 2 hours plus in the daytime. Late at night an hour and a half or a bit less if you are lucky.
In all that time I've only done the 54 miles door to door in under an hour twice. But that was in the small hours of the morning and before speed cameras, let alone silly modern mimser-lover's speed limits (there's a new 30mph limit through Ockley, damn). Once in a Renault 18 GTX, once in a Dyane... those things can go quicker than people used to think.
If you think the South Bank will be stupidly congested, as it can be these days, cross the river and drive down the North Bank. Follow the road up (Agar Grove is it?) to Cromwell Rd/A4 and peel off across Hammersmith Bridge down Castelnau. It should be quicker that way although further.
Last edited by: Armel Coussine on Fri 1 Apr 11 at 14:17
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I used to live in the area and I know the roads, I find it very hard to believe that A3 > A243 > A24 > A29 is quicker than A3 > A283.
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You agree with my niece-in-law then Cheddar.
I did say I use that route out of habit. I didn't claim it was the quickest.
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>> What I was really hoping for was a sensible taxi driver route that avoids the
>> A3 as far as Wandsworth.>>
Where are you starting? Or at least where are you crossing the river?
>> I reckon Wandsworth to Tower Bridge Road can take 2 hours, but maybe I'm under optimistic. >>
Never that long IME.
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Mapmaker,
You've mentioned Wandsworth a couple of times.
Does that mean you intend to leave London on the A3 towards Kingston?
The more direct route from SE1 is further south - Clapham Common Southside, Tooting, etc.
Or even along the A23 to Brixton, then Streatham and on to Mitcham.
Pig of a journey whichever way you do it.
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Iffy's talking sense. But depending on day ant time all those routes that feed into the A3 via Wandsworth, Clapham, Tooting and so on can be hideously snarled up these days.
In the past, when there have been irksome road closures with resulting local and not-so-local congestion, I have even gone straight out to the M25 on the M40 and taken the 25 round to Leatherhead. It may be 30 miles further but far more relaxed and doesn't use much more petrol. There may well be some similar way out to the M25 from Bermondsey.
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...I have even gone straight out to the M25 on the M40 and taken the 25 round to Leatherhead...
Funny you should say that AC....
Mapmaker is effectively starting his journey from the Elephant and Castle.
The M4 is due west of the Elephant, so that could be an option.
I think Mapmaker knows the way out to the M4 better than we do.
The obvious is Kennington, nip over Vauxhall Bridge, left along Chelsea Embankment, up Finborough Road/Warwick Road, left onto Cromwell Road and hope for a clear run through Hammersmith, Chiswick and out past Heathrow.
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As a reasonably frequent visitor to St Georges in Tooting from the Arundel area I find that the quickest, and most predictable, route is to to leave Tooting on the A24, but then bear left through Merton and on to Bushey Road then the A3/A283 as above.
Unless actually done in rush hour (quite a broad time scale I know, as you need to miss rush hour round Guildford as well as further up) it's done in just over an hour and half.
Sat Nav always tries to take me via the A24 when heading south or north, but every time I try it it takes longer...
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Central London to Pulborough - Hard Cheese
