driving to cornwall

[shoshntosh]

on the first saturday in august. to nearish polzeath. any idea how long it will really take me?

[SeanMacGabhann]

longer than you think. Once a consensus forms on here, add 2 hours to the figure arrived at.

My best guess having done the journey twice (albeit in stages) is about 9 hours (given that it's the first Saturday in August and the roads will be .. fully-utilised)

[Marmora Man]

We've made this journey at least 3 or 4 times a year for 10 years. Winter time we can be at friends outside Bodmin (roughly equivalent to Polzeath in distance) in 4.5 hours. In summer 8 - 10 hours is a more realistic assumption to aim for in one day's drive - including rest stops, traffic jams, cases falling of roof bars etc.

My recommendation, based on extensive trials, is to get out of London on the Friday evening drive as far and fast as you can (down M3 and A303 - or go motorway all the way M4 & M5), cram all the family into cheap B&B (Travel Lodge family room at ?39.00 isn't too bad) get up early next day (circa 6.30) and carry on the drive - aim to be beyond Exeter by 9.00am and you can be on the beach by 11.00am.

Best ever trip was 2005 when my wife and son no.1 drove off Friday am and met me and son no. 2 at Exeter railway station at 4.00pm - overnight stay in B&B at Drewsteington and a pint at the excellent Drewe Arms (tho' now a shadow of its former ale & cider house - it's a comfortable semi gastro pub - large helpings of honest food) watching the local Morris group strut their stuff. Went on to Watergate Bay next morning and were in the surf by midday.

[bob]

Watergate Bay first surf't by me in 1971 how about you MM

Bob S

[buggie]

Got to Fowey in 5hrs last year - was going on weekday but made sure I left ED by 7am, headed out through Bromley onto the M25 (missing worst of rush hour/school run) then M4/M5/A30 - think stopped for petrol/loo once but was in Fowey by 1230.

As when going on family hols from land of the Bugg's (suffolk) my dad would insist on us getting up at 3am and letting us sleep while he drove - would be in Penzance for about 9am and breakfast!!

[SteveT]

Start at dawn, arrive in four and a bit hours via A303 provided it is good weather.

[LostThePlot]

buggie Wrote:

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> Got to Fowey in 5hrs last year - , headed out

> through Bromley onto the M25 (missing worst of

> rush hour/school run) then M4/M5/A30

Long way 'round that! 30 miles, and 1:50 longer according to my autoroute that!

Vauxhall M4/M5...

> My dad would insist on us getting up at 3am and letting us sleep while he drove -

Wise man....better be tired at a hotel, than in a car with whinging kids...

Drive it overnight. Roads are empty, and it becomes an adventure...

[buggie]

LostThePlot Wrote:

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> Long way 'round that! 30 miles, and 1:50 longer

> according to my autoroute that!

hmmm - have impression that heading into town on a week day morning will always be busy and take much longer than journey planners say it will! Got caught out once on a saturday on the south circular - having added an hour to what the journey planner had said it would take, I was still late!

[SeanMacGabhann]

  Quote

I'm telling you...

If you can do it in the 4-5 hours mentioned I'll buy you the petrol myself. I forgot to mention by the way - it will all be worth it when you get there.... Cornwall is well lush

[ChavWivaLawDegree]

When we went last year we did the M4/M5 route, but I piled the estate car up with all the camping stuff just leaving enough room for my big daughter to help navigate, and the rest of my peeps went on the train. We left 3 hours before them and had enough time to unload, put up one of the tents and have a cup of tea, before I went to get them from the station. It was a lot quicker than I'd expected.

damn my spelling has gone to crap!

[kford]

Drive through the night, if you can. It's rather pleasant.

[jumpinjackflash]

Did it in about 7 hours last year

[shoshntosh]

okay, so based on all your kind and informative responses, we have two plans:

1. set the alarm for five am (saturday) and leave house by 5.05 am, hoping to arrive in chapel amble (nr polzeath) by tea time (probably hating every other punter on the road, not to mention each other)

2. set off friday evening, post-rush hour. drive till late and crash at a B&B/travelodge thingy somewhere in devon

and then finish the drive in the a.m.

as you can imagine, there are two plans because there are two adults. hubbie voting for #1 and i am voting for #2.

votes MOST welcome. (and of course this about far more than who is right in this instance)

TA.

[SeanMacGabhann]

#2

[lozzyloz]

Option 3. Leave at midnight. Arrive in time for a full english overlooking the sea, then check in and crash out for a couple of hours.

[mightyroar]

#2

[shoshntosh]

now a new thread has put a spanner in our plans...

next EDF drinks on friday the 1st?? do we leave friday (popular option 2 as above)

or do we/i come to the drink, get all messy, wake up extremely hungover at 5am

next morning (1st saturday in august) and climb into car with husband and two small,

tired "are we there yet"-loving spawn?

to pull in yet another thread... yes we will have a DVD player in the car. 'tis nothing compared

to the horrors of not having one. so all you smug "i would never have a TV/DVD in the bedroom,

car, house, etc" YOU can try driving the kids to cornwall or scotland or wherever else in the UK

we (in our smug Toyota Prius) decide to drive on "holiday" every summer.

hmmmmm.... what to do... what to do....

[Gerrard]

Sean - I managed ED to Newquay area in five hours the week before last. I do tend to drive relatively quickly, but I consider myself a safe driver and am certainly not a 'boy racer'. I only stopped for fuel and ate a sandwich whilst driving, which isnt ideal but fine if you are pressed for time. I would estimate you would need to add at least two hours to this time during the month of August, but your estimate of nine hours is way out unless perhaps you decide to stop for a three course meal to break the journey.

I have done this trip (generally via the A303 as it is a much more pleasant drive than the tedious M4 & M5 route) at least twelve times in the past fifteen years.

I always have a six hour journey time in my head, but this will deviate at least an hour each side depending on the time of year.

The other advice is all sound in my experience, leaving early or night driving are good ideas to beat the queues near Stonehenge and Exeter.

I was getting rather irritated by your boring and inaccurate repetition.

[shoshntosh]

so the M3/A303 is the better way to go?

[Gerrard]

I prefer it myself, but in August I imagine you will get held up a bit as it goes into single lane traffic on a number of occasions. It is a much more interesting drive over Salsbury Plain, past Stonehenge and through various villages with pub lunches available etc. But perhaps you might be better off with the rather monotonous M4 & M5, given that it will be in the middle of caravan and school holiday season.

Best of luck with your travels. Reaching Cornwall more than makes up for what can be a long old drive, its a great place to go and unwind from London life. If you plans are not dictated by school holidays, try going down in June or September as it is so much quieter in Cornwall generally and on the roads. The A303 is a decent road and is the more direct route, 5 - 6 hours can be easily achieved on a good day. Weather can be just as good as well (if you are lucky).

[SeanMacGabhann]

  Quote

was that aimed at me? sheesh

I'm not saying it can't be done - and if Shoshnttosh reports back that they did it in 5-6 hours I'll be made up for them. But I suspect that with kids, they will be stopping a bit more than you did. So make that an optimistic extra hour - 5+1 = 6

Add on 2 hours for August as per your calculations = 8. And given that at the time I didn't know which part of Cornwall was the final destination 9 hours seems reasonable

I used to live on the side of the A30 - in a house, not just, you know.. on the side of the road, for 3 years. Even visiting the in laws 3 miles away took an hour some days... But I would still favour going that way rather than the M4/M5 as you suggest

[TillieTrotter]

My husband (ish) drives down to Falmouth to visit his parents more or less monthly. Leaves at 5am on a Saturday, very rarely not there for 10am breaky. Does the A303 route.

[Gerrard]

Apologies Sean, I missed half this thread on first reading, and took your #2 to be something quite different.. Can we put this down to drinking countless pints of Guinness in Ireland over a long weekend, and seeing the dawn three times in three days.

- goes back to the Lurkers lair to scoff humble pie, dreaming of an alcohol free sleep tonight -

Oh, and #2 gets my vote too! (and go A303 if you choose this option for sure)

[jimbo1964]

I drove to Tintagel in about 5 hrs last month. Set off at 5pm on a Sunday with a one stop strategy at Popham on the 303. Nice drive.

[SeanMacGabhann]

no worries Gerrard - it's not like I haven't mis-read posts many a time!

The last time I did anything like that route was when I took the 303 to Larmer Tree Gardens in Dorset - no stops and that took 5 hours on a busy road day. And I had to put up a tent at the end... bah humbug! The memory still rankles - but it looks like I was unlucky

#2 is the better option but I want to change my vote to #1 now and have the tosh's come to the next forum drinks