Bristol To Looe
Hello,
Towing a caravan, what time would you need to be on the M5 at Bristol on Saturday, to expect to arrive in the Looe area for 12ish?
I gather the M5 to Cornwall is busy at holiday time, but have never experienced it for myself
Thanks!
Ian
Comments
-
Where are you starting from?
Personally I wouldn't want to be anywhere near the M5 at Bristol on a Saturday in summer. Is it possible to amend your travel plans to a different day?
The alternative might be to find a CL on the Friday night which doesn't mind you making a very early start if it has to be Saturday.
Good luck!
1 -
The M5 only goes to Exeter. You will then need the A38.
I have no idea of your travelling speed or how much traffic will be on the M5 on Saturday but I expect it will be a lot. Your guess is as good as mine really but I would add at least an hour to your normal travelling time.
1 -
If you put your departure and arrival destinations into a travel app, it will give you a rough estimate and alternate routes, but to be honest, you simply won’t get any kind of accurate picture until you do a bit more research. Any road works, any events, might be bad weather, possibility of traffic accidents...........any of these could affect your journey on the day.
Saturday is always busy, particularly around Bristol, if you are going during school holidays, likely to be very, very busy. This year it will be even worse. Get to know where the various Service Stations are, carry drinks in the car if it’s a hot day, plus a few snacks in case you get stuck.
Finally, cross your fingers and hope for a good journey. We have used the M5 for 30 years, and still never know what we are going to get until on there. It used to be lovely, BACK in the days of the Cruise Missile convoys, now its horrendous.0 -
It's all guesswork, Ian. Do your own calculations and add a sizeable chunk. Better still, get clear of Bristol Friday evening if you can.
1 -
If you are going to a wedding in Looe and absolutely must be there on time then do as others have said and go the day before.
If you are simply going to a pre booked campsite then resign yourself to being late.
1 -
After a slow start, last Friday the M5 gave some indication of what we might expect as the staycation gets into full swing. It was horrendous, an accident at Avonmouth resulted in huge tailbacks that afternoon, traffic was backing up at Exeter well into the evening and southbound traffic was still heavy on the A30 after 9pm.
0 -
We are heading down in September. Our intention is to hop down over a couple of days, we shall check out M5 before setting off. We have a couple of non motorway options in mind if things are really bad. Only bit of M5 we might do is the very last junction to get over Exe.
0 -
Living in the area, yes 8/9 am is a good time to aim for. By late morning the traffic build up between the M4 and M5 junctions will be reaching a peak, factoring in other delays which can lead to huge tail backs between Taunton and Bristol. Have a safe journey.
0 -
Hi Ian, Nice line in “understatements”!
Over many years we have arrived at a planning assumption of 40MPH average speed, including short stops, but Saturday is likely to be very busy so I would be leaving at 0700 latest or early hours of Saturday then stop at Exeter services.
It may be busy, but you can just drive through if it is, but after there it is pretty hit and miss and nothing I would want to rely on till you get to Saltash Services.
0 -
Ian, it's entirely up to you but, like Brue, I would avoid Exeter services at all costs. The service area is on the northbound side of the M5 so, to reach it from the southbound carriageway, you need to navigate a big and busy roundabout twice.
Taunton Deane southbound, on the other hand, has caravan parking spaces (in with the HGVs) and is simple to enter/exit.
1
