Help needed for route planning in the UK

T_G

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If there are any professional drivers ín this forum, I need your help. It is a matter of almost life and death. we are talking football here :)

Basically, I need to start on a Saturday from London Stansted Airport around 13:00 hours to Old Trafford in Manchester by car. Time-wise it is touch and go, and I am taking a huge gamble...So now I am trying to find out what the best route would be.

The TomTom route planner shows a route going on the A14 to Kettering and then onto the M6 all the way past Birmingham to Manchester.

My question is: Is this the fastest way, or is there a better way? I am on a hired car, and I don't mind going a little bit faster on the motorway if posssible.

The Navi software thinks that on a saturday noon time it will take 3 hours 22 minutes. Is this realistic?

Thanks :)
 

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Yes M11, A14, M6 all the way. M6 toll might be slightly quicker.
 

PaulR

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Don't know about the M11 and A14 but sometimes when the M6 is congested above Birmingham (this is travelling southward) I will cut across on the A50 from Stoke-on-Trent to the M1 near Nottingham.

This takes about 10 mins more than the M6 on a good day but when it's poor...
 

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I agree Paul and when is it not busy on a Saturday, quite frankly the M6 is often murder on any day.

I am tending to do M1 to Sheffield (as daughter is at uni there) then through Glossop when it is quiet, but I would not recommend that route at peak times.
 

T_G

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Ok, so if I hear that there is congestion above Birmingham I will need to change to the A50. What's this toll on the M6? from where to where? I don't mind paying, as long as I will be there on time. Actually, I am a quite panicking at the thought of arriving late, considering the money I've spend booking planes, cars and tickets.
 

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T_G said:
What's this toll on the M6? from where to where?

Normally empty and takes you over the North part of B'ham. Have a browse at multimap.
 

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Avoid the M6 at all costs - its often stationary through the Birmingham Walsall Cannock section. Use the M6T if possible - that avoids the worst of the traffic.

Before the toll opened Ive known it to take 2 hours from Coventry to Cannock!
 

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BTW try the route planner on theaa.com site - its normally reasonably accurate (untill the traffic gets really heavy.....)

Cant you get a transfer from Stanstead to Manchester Airport??
 

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I have used the toll road many times in the past, it is great for cutting out the Birmingham section of the M6 around where the M5 merges which is always slow however the section after stafford where the toll road merges with the M6 is wide enough to take the combination of traffic, but it is that section from Stafford up to Stoke where the problems often are. and you can only avoid that by going the way I mentioned before through Glossop and the Peak District or the one above that A616/A628 and approach Manchester from the East. It would have been far simpler flying to Leeds or Bradford in all honesty or dare I say Liverpool or Blackpool.

Had it been the latter you could have come for a visit
 

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Topper said:
It would have been far simpler flying to Leeds or Bradford in all honesty or dare I say Liverpool

Leeds or Bradford?

Same Airport ..... called, somewhat ironically, Leeds/Bradford (LBA) :cool:

Manchester Airport itself might have been a useful target, too!
 

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TOP TIP : Great way from Chester/Stoke - but its getting there first! M6 get off J21 A57 Irlam - A57 through to M60 down 2 junctions (past Trafford Centre) and into Old Trafford. One of the hidden gems on the North West. Even on Champions League night where there are less season ticket holders I can guarantee getting home to Shropshire by midnight. But.. you are going at the worst time on a Sat!

Though you need to avoid M6 by Stoke really. Going A50 then M60 is not worth it - sometimes better just going on M6.

M1 is a pig, A38 is a pig so forget them
M6 is a pig
A1/M62 is too far

I have been going to Old Trafford for nearly 20 years. The bigger the stadium it gets the earlier you have to get there. Id avoid M60 North and since North Stand was rebuilt forget Altrincham exits.

It takes an hour to get to Bham M6 from Stanstead and now there are speed cameras - avoid the real M6 and go Toll but on a Saturday there are always LOTS of unmarked police cars- you just can not win!
 

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TOP TIP 2 - Hire a motorbike
 

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Tivù said:
Leeds or Bradford?

Same Airport ..... called, somewhat ironically, Leeds/Bradford (LBA) :cool:

Yes......my mistake I intended to type Blackpool too much to expect Yorkshire to have more than one:cool:

Tivù said:
Manchester Airport itself might have been a useful target, too!

Unfortunately low cost budget flights from the European provinces tend to go to the provincial airports like Liverpool, Blackpool Leeds/Bradford.
 

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Topper said:
Yes......my mistake I intended to type Blackpool too much to expect Yorkshire to have more than one:cool:

Excuse me, but we've also got .....................


...............oh I've got to breathe deeply now .....................



........................ Doncaster Airport :-rofl2
 

T_G

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Tivù said:
Manchester Airport itself might have been a useful target, too!

Channel Hopper said:
TOP TIP 2 - Hire a motorbike

Are you two taking the piss? :-peepee


I have entered the route into google, is this the agreed best way to Old Trafford on a Saturday?

_http://maps.google.de/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=london+stansted&daddr=A57%2FManchester+Rd+to:M60+to:Sir+Matt+Busby+Way,+Trafford,+Trafford,+M17+1,+United+Kingdom+(Old+Trafford)&geocode=FeLEFwMdi_0DACnZqEoVU47YRzElg6PtLaqsmA%3BFWHULgMdBeDZ_w%3BFf6_LwMdkD7c_w%3BFfHGLwMdARPd_yEhbxIwobH4sw&hl=de&mra=ls&sll=52.673745,-1.12592&sspn=1.995175,4.866943&ie=UTF8&ll=53.431628,-2.415619&spn=0.245044,0.608368&z=11
 

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I'd certainly opt for the M6 Toll road around Birmingham....costs £4 (I think). You get to it by taking the M42 off the M6 between Coventry and Birmingham.
 

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T_G said:
I have entered the route into google, is this the agreed best way to Old Trafford on a Saturday?

Yes apart from the Toll road section which your route is missing out, pick it up at junction 3a on the M6 (you have to zoom in more to get junction numbers to display) and re-join the M6 at J11a. You can display this by dragging the blue line to that road and it locks into place. The rates seem to vary depending on the day of the week and the time of day of travelling but IIRC it was £4.50 a few weeks ago when I last went on it.
 

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Ahh, yes, I forgot to add the toll road . I don't mind paying 50 just to be on time to be hones, and the odd speeding ticket. The whole deal is to be on time for the 17:30 kickoff. How do you pay it, by credit card?

_ttp://maps.google.de/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=london+stansted&daddr=M6+Toll+to:A5+7%2FManchester+Rd+to:M60+to:Sir+Matt+Busby+Way,+Tr+afford,+Trafford,+M17+1,+United+Kingdom+(Old+Traff+ord)&geocode=FeLEFwMdi_0DACnZqEoVU47YRzElg6PtLaqsmA%3BFRxeIwMdau7j_w%3BFWHULgMdBeDZ_w%3BFf6_LwMdkD7c_w%3BFfHGLwMdARPd_yEhbxIwobH4sw&hl=de&mra=ls&sll=52.673745,-1.12592&sspn=1.995175,4.866943&ie=UTF8&ll=52.819363,-1.378784&spn=1.988488,4.866943&z=8
 

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T_G said:
I have entered the route into google, is this the agreed best way to Old Trafford on a Saturday?

_http://maps.google.de/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=london+stansted&daddr=A57%2FManchester+Rd+to:M60+to:Sir+Matt+Busby+Way,+Trafford,+Trafford,+M17+1,+United+Kingdom+(Old+Trafford)&geocode=FeLEFwMdi_0DACnZqEoVU47YRzElg6PtLaqsmA%3BFWHULgMdBeDZ_w%3BFf6_LwMdkD7c_w%3BFfHGLwMdARPd_yEhbxIwobH4sw&hl=de&mra=ls&sll=52.673745,-1.12592&sspn=1.995175,4.866943&ie=UTF8&ll=53.431628,-2.415619&spn=0.245044,0.608368&z=11

go via toll road and Id almost guarantee you being there for a 17.30 kick off.

if you need help on the way back, head towards the adidas HQ nr OT and go the back roads past the Kellogs factory whilst all the other muppets queue on the main road :) ...and you will be on the M60 in no time - again go NORTH on the M60 - get off at Irlam and you will save yourself 1h30 if its a 75,000 sell out as per normal.


- just hope your plane is not late :-rofl2 I once paid £750 to fly to switzerland to see Simple Minds only for the plane to be late and only catching 5 songs!!

the alternative for you is going up the M1 and then taking the A50 at J24a then the A500 to J16 of the M6 (and you will be OK as Stoke are at Arsenal)

go M6Toll - the roadworks around Bham on the real M6 are a nightmare
 

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T_G said:
Are you two taking the piss? :-peepee


Well you started it ('we are talking football here') O-zzz
 
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