The Actual Trip: Day 1

Hello from Torquay! I'd like to claim it is "Sunny Torquay!" but that would be false. It's cloudy, has been most the day. I think it was sunny between Chichester and Portsmouth, but that was it. Started with a bit of a dissappointment: the thingy-ma-jig that attached my phone to my windscreen broke, so no "in-car" photos. I suppose you've got Google streetview which will give you a pretty good idea. I've also just realised I don't have the lead to charge my mp3 player, so come Monday it will be the radio keeping me company. Ok, disappointments out the way...

It's been pretty good so far! First bit this morning was somewhat routine; I've driven to Bognor before, though it appeared to be "walk into town in fancy dress day" at Chichester Uni. I was pleased not to get caught in traffic on the Chichester bypass and felt very relaxed pootling along the old-A27 now A259 through Fishbourne. Wasn't to last of course as I rejoined the A27, the obligatory tailgating BMW/Audis were out and there I was in lane 3 of 4 needing lane 1 of 4 to go to Portsmouth, but I survived. Portsmouth brought my first traffic jam thanks for a set of temporary traffic lights. Having re-consulted the route map I'm amazed I managed to stick to what I had planned as very few of the road numbers are signed in Portsmouth and I'd realized that it wasn't until doing the day 2 directions that I'd started checking what the signs actually say.

Southsea Seafront. Felt I should photograph something

My first stop came after about an hour when I parked alongside the seafront at Southsea. Got out the car, took some photos, decided it was cold and got back in the car again. Was really quiet down there save for a fair number of joggers. Heading back out the city I did some very good impressions of a driver who didn't really know where he was going (one sign said A3 and that was it!), but eventually made it back to the A27. There was a rather fun flyover just north of Gosport and then some  impressive scenery for the middle of an urban area. The Itchen Bridge managed to surprise me (in as much as a bridge can be surprising) as for some reason I thought it was the other side of Southampton city centre. I then took my first proper stop and parked at the West Quay shopping centre. Glamorous I know, but it was on the route.





By this point I was starting to get a little worried about how long it was taking me to get places. That was 2 hours to Southampton, about 60 miles. Was Bing severely wrong and did I have a big issue later in the week?

Arundel Gate, Southampton. I didn't go to Arundel though.

Having looked at some shops and taken some photographs from and of the Arundel Gate I headed out again. I know there's a lot of Portsmouth/Southampton rivalry, but when it comes to road signs Southampton beats Portsmouth, easily found my way. Into the New Forest and the traffic was still quite heavy. Really was becoming a drag by this point and it wasn't about to get any better. Lymington was slow, Christchurch was slower still and Boscombe was positively crawling. Was really getting worried about how long things were taking. I kept setting myself little targets (say other side of Bournemouth an hour after leaving Southampton) and missing them by a long way. Thankfully Bournemouth itself has a sort of bypass and then it was on to Poole.

Here was my first deviation from the planned route. You see, there was this roundabout, and two lanes were labelled "Poole" and one went one way and the other went the way I wanted to go. So I missed out a bit of the A35. I don't think I missed much, and found it again later. Feeling really down now about how long things were taking, I checked that it really was 260 miles I had to do today.

It was 206.

Somewhat better then, and as if noticing my brighter mood the roads got better! The A350 and A35 from Poole Harbour were lovely fast roads and it was almost a shame to leave the A35 to head towards Wareham. But I did, and made Wareham my next stop. About 4 hours to get to here. I had my lunch and had a wander round the town which was very nice. The next bit of the drive was brilliant. For the first time I actually got to drive, rather than follow the car in front. Blissful after all the jams before lunch. Lovely scenery too. Along the brand new Weymouth relief road I returned to the A35 once more, which was alright, but a bit slow in places with holiday traffic.

Could this view be any more English?
 (Wareham by the way)

I then had another minor "wrong way" moment when I turned off for Charminster too early, but nothing a 3 -point turn couldn't sort. The scenery along the A3025 was stunning and I got to practice my hill driving. Around the edge of Exeter was fine and then I was heading down through Dawlish. (Mum: I went past Brunel's Atmospheric Railway and saw an Intercity 125!)  The bridge at Teignmouth was very impressive and then eventually I found myself in Torquay. I then promptly got lost trying to find the Travelodge, returned to the seafront and was successful on my second attempt. All in all it took me about 6 hours 40 minutes (save for the getting lost in Torquay) which was only 10 minutes more than Bing said. Considering some of the traffic that's looking quite good for the rest of the trip. Extra bonus, Cicelia Le Citroen C3 (my car) managed to be very efficient on the way down here and I have at least 200 miles of petrol left. Thankfully things seem to have calmed down a bit on that front though.

Went for a wander down to the seafront earlier and took some pictures. Had my pre-paid meal in the bar, which apart from me was solely occupied by men about to go on a stag night. I'm now going to have a good look at those directions for tomorrow...

Torquay seafront. Some attempt at sunshine I think.

Plan for Days 12 and 13: Bringing it on home.

It all starts tomorrow! Of course, just my luck that the country seems to have lost track of it's senses regards buying petrol just as I'm going to need to buy petrol almost every day for 12 days, but hey ho, I'll cope. Pretty full up at the moment so at least I'll get to Torquay, which I hear is a lovely place and that it wouldn't be dreadful to get stuck there. It also looks like the weather's going to have enough of being gloriously sunny from about tomorrow. *rolls eyes*

The routes all planned, I've worked out where all the places I'm staying in actually are (the Ramsgate Travelodge was particularly tough to find on a map), the technology has been tested (so I can blog when I'm away), got an app so I can shout at my phone and it'll take pictures hands-free in the car, just got to print the directions, clean the car, and actually pack my suitcase. So that's it really! Will update you tomorrow from Torquay.








































What's that? Oh, I haven't done the plan for days 12 and 13. Well, I know where I'm going, but I should let you know too really shouldn't I?


Route for day 12: Great Yarmouth to Ramsgate
(215 miles, approx. 7 hours)


Day 12 starts by heading south out of Great Yarmouth towards Ipswich and across the epic Orwell Bridge. Through Colchester and bypassing Chelmsford there's then a lot of faffing around. In and out of Southend, through Thurrock and Grays and eventually onto the A282 to cross the Thames at Dartford. Yes, for the uneducated, the Dartford Crossing is not part of the M25, said motorway starts and finishes a little bit either side. It is tolled though, my last toll, bringing the total to 8. The total cost for them all is about £15. I've also realized that that Tamar bridge is free to get into Cornwall, which means I'm only paying 7 tolls. Which is enough really.


Through Gravesend, Rochester and Gillingham and then onto the A2, the final of the single-digit A-roads. This leads me through Sittingbourne and Faversham before heading north to Whitstable and Herne bay, through Margate and down to Ramsgate.


Route for day 13: Ramsgate to Worthing
(119.3 mi, approx. 4.5hours)

Easy day to end with. Down through Deal to Dover then Folkestone, then it's pretty much

A259


followed by

A259

the whole way back to Worthing. There's a little bit of A269 that is closer to the coast in Bexhill, but that's it.

Directions for day 12:

1. A149 onto A12, follow through Lowestoft
2. Follow A12 to Ipswich (A14)
3. A14 across Orwell Bridge
4. Junction after bridge, left onto A137
5. Follow A137 into Colchester
6. At double r/b, left A133 Clacton
7. At magic roundabout, follow "Hythe" (lorries)
8. Follow signs for A134, then A1124 Lexden
9. Follow A1124 to A12
10. A12 to Chelmsford
11. At junction take A130
12. At junction take A1245 Battlesbridge
13. Left at roundabout onto A129
14. Right then left at mrb for A1015
15. Left onto A127
16. Straight on at 2 r/b onto A1159
17. Right onto A13, follow towards Thurrock
18. At junction take A1089
19. Off at junction for Chadwell, then left onto A126, Grays
20. Follow A126, town centre then Purfleet
21. A126 back to A13
22. A282 across Thames
23. Off at next junction, A206 Swanscombe
24. Follow A226 to Gravesend
25. Follow A226 Highham
26. At roundabout, A289 Gillingham, follow, through tunnel
27. Follow A289 back to A2
28. A2 towards and through Sittingbourne
29. After Faversham, A229 towards Whitstable
30. Take A2290 through Whitstable, back to A229
31. At Roundabout, A28 to Margate
32. A255 Broadstairs
33. Follow to Broadstairs, right before 20 zone
34. Left at roundabout on to Ramsgate

Directions for Day 13:

1. Back to A253
2. Follow A253
3. A229, A256 towards Dover
4. At roundabout, A258 to Deal
5. Follow A258 through Deal and then to Dover
6. A2 to at Dover towards docks, then A20
7. At Folkestone off at junction for A260 towards t/c
8. Follow A260 and town centre
9. Follow one-way and signs for A259 Hastings
10. A259 to Worthing, A269 in and out of Bexhill

Maps:

Great Yarmouth to Thurrock

Thurrock to Ramsgate

Ramsgate to Worthing

Plan for Day 11: Easing down the East Coast

Plan for Day 11: Scarborough to Great Yarmouth
(268 miles, approx. 8.5 hours)


Only a few days to go now. The directions are pretty much done, just adding the bits to get from the route to the places I'm staying. Just hoping I won't get to Wick and find there's a shortage of petrol...


Day 11 will see much progress back towards home and after all that city driving on day 10 is thankfully mainly through rural countryside. The day starts unsurprisingly by heading south out of Scarborough and compared to a lot of this trip the route is actually somewhat direct. To Hull. The route goes through what looks like most of Hull before crossing the Humber Bridge (toll number 7). When it comes to "major sights of Day 11", that's it, the Humber Bridge. From there it's along to Grimsby, hugging the coast to reach Boston (still without a bypass) and round The Wash to Kings Lynn, which I shall go through and not around as the map suggests. I'll then head round the top of East Anglia and onto Great Yarmouth. 

The Fifth Longest Bridge in the World.
 © Copyright John Wardell and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

That's kinda it really! I'm sure the towns and villages on my route will be lovely, but there's not much to comment on them before I've been there.

Directions are:

1. A165 south to Filey
2. At r/b Left on to A1039 through Filey, back to A165
3. At double r/b follow signs for Bridlington/ town centre
4. Follow one-way, shared space section
5. Follow signs for A165 Hull back onto A165
6. In Hull follow signs for Humber Bridge
7. Cross Humber Bridge, A15
8. Junction after bridge, onto A1077
9. Follow A1077, left onto A160
10. Right at r/b onto A1173
11. Follow to A180 (Grimsby)
12. Follow A180 Cleethorpes
13. Follow t/c A1098
14. s/o, right, s/o at 3 r/bs
15. Follow A1098 to A1031 for Mablethorpe
16. A1031 to A1104, Mablethorpe
17. Right onto A52 at T/l in Mablethorpe
18. A52 to and through Skegness, then to Boston
19. A16 at Boston
20. At r/b left on to A17
21. A47 over Ouse, off at junction
22. A148 into Kings Lynn, follow straight through town, then left onto A149 at r/b
23. Follow A149, through Cromer and on to Great Yarmouth

Maps:
Scarborough to Cromer
Cromer to Great Yarmouth

The Plan Day 10: Edinburgh and North-East England.

Plan for Day 10: Rosyth to Scarborough

(249 miles, approx 8.5 hours)

I'll start with a bit of an update on the A890 situation: it is open some times when vehicles are being escorted along the railway line. Bit like a giant level-crossing. Still may be of no use to me depending when I'm likely to be there. Could use the ferry, but priority is given to local traffic and I don't know how long I would have to wait. Might get away with being local though if I wear a kilt and put on a Scottish accent... 

Day 10 will likely be all about returning back to England and then generally getting lost. If I tell you I will be driving through Edinburgh, Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland, Middlesbrough and Hartlepool you'll get the idea. The directions list for this one is looooooooooong.

To make up for not actually being on an A-road when I entered Scotland I'll leave via the A1.
© Copyright peter robinson and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence 

The day starts by trundling over the Forth Road Bridge and into Edinburgh, skirting past the port of Leith and the Royal Yacht Britannia. The A1 (single-digit A-road number 8) will be my friend for a long part of the morning, with various diversions to visit the places it bypasses. North of Berwick I will of course return to England having left 4 days before. I'll leave the A1 at Alnwick as it decides to head to more central parts and start the long slog through the towns and cities of the North-East. My first toll for a long time will be paid to use the new Tyne Tunnel. This will be toll number 5. I probably should be thankful that Scotland scrapped all it's road tolls and in turn has saved me some money! 

Looks fun.
© Copyright Alexander P Kapp and licensed for reuse under thisCreative Commons Licence

Through Gateshead, Sunderland and Hartlepool, yet another toll will occur in Middlesborough at the Middlesborough Transporter Bridge. I was debating whether or not this counted as a ferry, but thought the clue was in the name really. For those unfamiliar with what a transporter bridge is, basically the vehicles sit on a platform suspended from the actual bridge structure which is then hauled across. I checked it runs on Bank Holidays and even though the alternative isn't that far I thought it looked like fun! Next is Redcar and suddenly after all that city and town driving I'll be into the North Yorkshire Moors National Park for the run down to Scarborough. 


Epic list of directions:

1. A90 across Forth and into Edinburgh
2. Leftish at t/l, A902 to Leith
3. Straight on at r/b then left at traffic lights by church
4. Large r/b, last exit Lower Granton Road
5. Left at t/l A901 Leith
6. Follow road, becomes A199
7. Keep following A199, left at A1 traffic lights for A199 Musselburgh
8. Left at t/l after bridge in Musselburgh
9. Follow A199 to A1 for Berwick
10. Leave at next junction A198 North Berwick
11. Follow A198 to and through North Berwick
12. At end of A198, Left for Berwick (A1)
13. At roundabout, A1087 for Dunbar
14. Follow A1087 through Dunbar, right at mr/b in town centre
15. Left onto A1 for Berwick
16. Straight after restart of D/C, left onto A1107
17. Follow A1107 back to A1
18. A1167 through Berwick and back to A1
19. Lots of A1, then junction at Alnwick onto A1086, right at both r/bs
20. At roundabout, A189 to Newcastle
21. After 2nd river bridge, left at junciton, A193 Blyth
22. Follow A193 towards Whitley Bay
23. At A193 in Whitley Bay, follow one way towards town centre
24. Right then left at T/Ls
25. Follow A193 signs, right at stop sign in Tynemouth
26. Left onto A187 at t/l (town centre)
27. Follow signs for A187 and Tyne Tunnel
28. A19 Tyne Tunnel
29. After tunnel, immediately A185 then A194 to South Sheilds,
30. At traffic lights take A183 (straight on)
31. Follow signs for town centre then beach
32. Continue on A183
33. Road becomes A1018 at one-way, across Wearmouth Bridge
34. Left after bridge to stay on A1018
35. Follow A1018 to A19
36. Off at junction, A1086 Easington
37. Follow A1086 in to Hartlepool
38. Left at r/b A1049 Headland
39. Right at end of road (A1048)
40. Straight on at r/b A179
41. Left at t/l A178 Seaton Carew
42. Follow A178, across MTB
43. Right before low bridge
44. At A66, left towards Teesport
45. Follow A66 then right onto A1085 for Redcar
46. At stop, left across L/C then first right
47. Follow A1085 to A174
48. A174 to Whitby
49. At T/L in Whitby straight on for A171 Scarborough
50. Left at mrb, A165 to Scarborough

Maps are: 

Rosyth to Blyth

Blyth to Scarborough

The Plan Day 9: East Coast Scotland for Easter.

Plan for Day 9: Wick to Rosyth
(384 miles, really not the 11hours Bingmaps say, probably more like 8.)

I said in my last post that Day 9 now won the longest stint prize by a long way, because I had only looked at the hours it would take according to Bing Maps. In fact, it's only 2 miles further than day 2, and I have no idea why it is suggested that this should take 11 hours. The roads look similar in quality, if not better, than those of Day 2. From the links I will post at the end it is suggested that the last 95 miles will take 3 and a half hours! That's an average speed of 27mph, despite quite a lot of the route being on rural roads. Something strange going on there and it will be interesting to see how Bing's estimates match up with reality.

Scottish Roads: All about the bridges.
  © Copyright Toby Speight and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence 

Day 9 starts by heading south from Wick, down the A99 then A9 (single-digit A-road number 7) to Inverness and I will marvel at how quickly I will have gotten there considering how long will have taken to get anywhere up the Scottish west coast. The east coast journey is much quicker all around really as the whole of the east coast of Britain is somewhat flatter and straighter than the west coast. Eastward from Inverness, next up will be Fraserburgh before heading down to Aberdeen.


Appropriate place to be driving through at Easter.


The route continues through Abroath, Dundee and lots of other places known for having football teams. Across the Tay it will be down through St. Andrews, around to Kirkcaldy before reaching Rosyth. I then have the longest trip off my route to my accommodation, as the Travelodge for Day 9 is in Dunfermline, mainly due to all the Edinburgh ones being in the middle of the city and Edinburgh is not a car-friendly place. Day 9 will also happen to be Easter Sunday, which will bring hopefully nice quiet roads, but also slight logistical issues regards eating and possible getting petrol, though I think a lot of the major chains open on Easter Sunday anyway. 


Directions for the day are:

1. A99 then A9 to Inverness
2. At junction at Inverness, A96 to Nairn
3. Follow A96 through Elgin
4. At Fochabers, left onto A98
5. Left onto A990 Portgordon
6. Follow A990 along Buckie seafront
7. Left onto A942 to Portknockie
8. Follow A942 back to A98
9. Continue on A98 throgh Banff and Macduff and then to Fraserburgh
10. In Fraserburgh, follow A98 which becomes A90
11. A982 in and out of Peterhead, back to A90
12. Left onto A975, Crudden Bay
13. Follow A975 back to A90
14. At Aberdeen onto A956
15. Left at traffic lights at Arts Centre (looks like a church)
16. Follow signs for Dundee and Perth (A90) - still A956
17. A90 towards Dundee
18. At Stonehaven, junction for A92 to Montrose
19. Follow A92 through Montrose, then Arbroath
20. At junction, A930 to Carnostie
21. Follow A930 into Dundee
22. Straight on to A92 at traffic lights
23. Tay Bridge (keep left)
24. Second r/b after bridge, left, A914 Cupar
25. Road becomes A919, follow to A91
26. A91 towards St. Andrews
27. In St. Andrews, straight on at R/b, A917 Crail
28. Follow A917 signs, throug Crail and Anstruther
29. Road becomes A915 in Upper Largo
30. Left at r/b in Leven for A955
31. In Kirkcaldy, straight on at r/b, A921
32. Follow A921 to A90/M90 J1

Maps:
Wick to Montrose
Montrose to Rosyth