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Original poster

Driving to Cornwall on Saturday

58 replies

beresh · 20/07/2017 13:41

A German friend's flying into Luton on Saturday 1pm with her 3 kids, youngest is 5. She saw on google maps it is 5 and half hours to St Ives. I thought it took hours to get to Cornwall in the summer, but I've been out of the uk for years. She has already paid for a mobile home in St Ives for Saturday night so she doesn't want to stopover, but I'm imagining nightmare jam scenarios - should I strongly encourage her to stop off overnight eg near Bristol? Any tips for last minute rooms if it all goes wrong? Thanks for any help!

OP posts:
daylilies · 20/07/2017 13:50

I have done it from London in 5 or so hours but no traffic at all. Saturday is the first day of the school hols too.....
The trouble with trying to plan a journey is Google just tells what the traffic is like now? Not on a busy day. I would suggest a contingency plan, ours was always be at Bristol by 9 am! Which is no good for your friend. Sorry.

Purplemac · 20/07/2017 13:51

The longest it has taken us from London to St Ives is 8.5 hours with lots of traffic. It's a shit drive, but she will probably be able to get there by 9pm so I don't see what the problem is?

AnathemaPulsifer · 20/07/2017 13:51

It will be hell but traffic probably better later in the day. Tell her to take lots of breaks. Burnham on Sea is a handy town just off the M5 where they could get out and have a proper leg stretch on the sea front - the services can get jam packed.

PoppyPopcorn · 20/07/2017 13:52

It will take longer. Traffic will be awful on the m4, around Bristol and after Exeter. Depends how relaxed she is about making it to st Ives late in the evening rather than at 7pm.

SingaporeSlander · 20/07/2017 13:52

She will get there late, but IMHO it's not normally too bad traffic further down. I'd be more worried about getting out of Luton...

SingaporeSlander · 20/07/2017 13:53

And second yes it will definitely take longer than maps says!

carrielou2007 · 20/07/2017 13:55

We live 20 miles south of Bristol, we go to St Ives for most of our holidays. It should take about 2 hours 50 mins from where we live, always leave by 8am (struggle to leave earlier just me and 3dc) never ever done it in that time! We are also tied to school holidays, Easter it took 4.5 hours, Whitsun 6.5 though the a30 dual Carriageway is now open at Temple (that part has taken use over 2 hours before). Last August we left St Ives at 9am and got home at almost 6pm it was hideous yet we still do it and we're not that far away!!

ShotsFired · 20/07/2017 13:58

I just checked. Google maps is clearly not taking school holidays into account.

Your poor friend!

megletthesecond · 20/07/2017 13:59

It'll be very busy. Certainly far longer than what Google maps thinks.

Dumbledoresgirl · 20/07/2017 14:00

I live just north of Bristol and go on the M5 and to Cornwall regularly. It will take longer than 5 and a half hours, but may not so long as to warrant an overnight stay anywhere. Unless she has to pick up keys during office hours?

FWIW, although Saturday is bad, Friday afternoon is always worse on the M5 near Bristol. She might be lucky.

OhForCodsHake · 20/07/2017 14:11

It'll be horrendous, I'm afraid, particularly passing Stonehenge and going over Bodmin Moor. Saturday is changeover day in most of the h

OhForCodsHake · 20/07/2017 14:12

Hadn't finished! Saturday is changeover day in most of the holiday homes too, so lots of people setting off/leaving at once.

steppemum · 20/07/2017 14:13

passing stonehenge?????

which route are you taking??

M4 and M5 surely?

Floralnomad · 20/07/2017 14:16

I live in Kent and do Exeter and back in a day a few times a year . The traffic will be bad on Saturday but there's no way I'd expect to stopover half way it's easily doable in an afternoon / evening .

Original poster
beresh · 20/07/2017 14:18

Thanks everyone for all the helpful advice, they are a lovely family and I want them to have a great holiday England!

I will advise her that there is no chance she will be there by 7pm, (I'd forgotten to warn her about passport control/car hire at Luton!), but that so long as the family and the campsite are ok with late arrivals, it should be doable but in the worst case scenario a stopover might be necessary. Also will remind her to take the M4/M5, even though it looks longer on the map!

OP posts:
ChessieFL · 20/07/2017 14:19

This Saturday will be especially bad I think as it's the first Saturday of the school holidays.

LoniceraJaponica · 20/07/2017 14:25

I would have thought that by the time they have gone through passport control and collected their baggage, then picked up their hire car it will be nearer 3 o'clock. By that time they will have missed the worst of the traffic.

I can't see them getting to their destination any time before 9 pm.

We refuse to drive to Cornwall while DD is still at school because the drive is so hideous. It took us an hour to leave the car park at Michaelwood services on the M5 one year.

LaurieFairyCake · 20/07/2017 14:33

I drove back from Cornwall to London last half term - 10 hours. Total hell.

Huge accident at Bath with 4 hour delays on the motorway so went the other route past Stonehenge - as did everyone else.

It's better going there as you can choose what time you leave - I always leave home at 5am but when you come back you can't usually check out til 10am - and that's when everyone else does

And I'm too old and tired to stay in Cornwall all day and set off in the evening

Dumbledoresgirl · 20/07/2017 14:36

Definitely tell her not to go via Stonehenge! Unless she wants to stop over, in the traffic jam there! The M4 and M5 looks longer but is much easier. The worst bit is negotiating the M4/M5 junction and then passing Bristol. It tends to be quieter from Somerset onwards. There is no avoiding the bad bit of the M5 past Bristol as the only alternative is going via Bristol city centre itself (DON'T!)

If she doesn't leave Luton until about 3, that might actually be in her favour. As I said, we live just north of Bristol (think roughly the MichaelWood services) and we always aim to leave home about 6ish in the evening and arrive (in North Cornwall mind, not St Ives) 3 hours later. It can take longer, but most times we do it in 3 hours. So if your friend left Luton at 3, she wouldn't get to Bristol until about 5.30ish? I would think she could be in St Ives by 9ish.

Witsender · 20/07/2017 14:41

It's the bit down through Cornwall that is the killer. Road widening works and shed loads of caravans.

revolution909 · 20/07/2017 14:48

I do Cornwall to London/Birmingham on a regular basis. The worst times have been 8hrs once to Bham and to London I think around 6. I speed though (my record is Falmouth to Bham in 3.5 hrs ...)

RiverTam · 20/07/2017 14:52

On average it takes us between 7-8 hours to get from London to Falmouth, and that's with leaving at 5 in the morning. The motorway ends at Exeter and it's a loooong slog after that. Though I think they've finished the work on the A30?

SantasLittleMonkeyButler · 20/07/2017 14:53

The M5 will be busy - yes, but the route through to the end of the M5 will be easier than the A30 into/through Cornwall I suspect.

Having said that, they shouldn't need an overnight stop on the way. They will arrive same day - just later than anticipated.

AtHomeDadGlos · 20/07/2017 14:57

A30 is open two lanes both ways now so that will help. Takes us 3h20 with a fair wind and no traffic from Gloucestershire. Over 6hours on first day of hols though.

RiverTam · 20/07/2017 14:58

I don't think you'd get the M5 from Luton to Cornwall, would you? M25 then M4, surely? Which will be an utter bitch on a Saturday afternoon.