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AIBU?

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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:
Dumbledoresgirl · 20/07/2017 15:01

Maybe because we are relatively 'local' and mainly travel in the evening, but i have rarely found the A30 to be troublesome. With two notable exceptions, once (completely closed owing to an accident) necessitating an alternative route to Minehead down one track country lanes, and another time when a caravan had overturned (car going too fast down one of those long hill stretches) it is usually free flowing by about 7.30pm. I can't answer for beyond Bodmin though.

steppemum · 20/07/2017 15:05

Tam - and after the M4? that would be the M5 - goes down through Devon.

PestoSwimissimos · 20/07/2017 15:12

They should have got flights to Newquay and hired a car from there.

tumpymummy · 20/07/2017 15:16

I wouldn't recommend an overnight in Bristol. It's the harbour festival so lots of places will be already booked and city centre will be rammed. Don't advise her to drive in to Bristol at all! She's better off driving round Bristol and trying a travelodge if she can't do the journey in one day.

Figment1234 · 20/07/2017 15:29

I'd be more worried about getting out of Luton...

This. By the time they have got out of -hell- Luton airport, and got their hire car, it will probably be 4pm. It's the worst airport I have ever been to. Which is a shame given I live so close to it!

softkitty79 · 20/07/2017 15:31

We're heading to Cornwall on saturday from Manchester, our first forray into travelling in school holidays, we're leaving home 5am and mentally planning for the worst so anything better is a pleasant surprise!

RubyRoseRing · 20/07/2017 15:32

I drove into Cornwall on a Saturday afternoon in July. Never again!

ineedaholidaynow · 20/07/2017 15:38

Bodmin roadworks have now finished so that bit should be easier

Aworldofmyown · 20/07/2017 15:43

Tbh they may as well just go for it with the view its going to take a long time. If they stayed over somewhere it could just as likely take forever the following day.

The road works have indeed finished on the A30 so that will help, just advise them stop regularly and go with the flow - literally!!!!

redjoker · 20/07/2017 15:45

Please please whatever you do advise he not to stop at any of the services near Bristol. Least an hour getting out a few weekends ago!

newnamenewnamenewname · 20/07/2017 15:46

I do London to Cornwall every few months and I would never drive! Could she get a family railcard and go by train, then hire a car in Cornwall for the next day? It's not cheap by rail but so much less stressful. The trains have TV screens in one of the carriages to keep the kids entertained. They could even spend the afternoon in London then catch an evening train and possibly arrive sooner than if they drove!

InteriorLulu · 20/07/2017 15:48

We usually allow around 6 hours to get from just south of Oxford to Penzance on a Saturday during school holidays.

The worst we've ever experienced was coming back. We joined a traffic queue just outside Penzance and basically ended up sitting in it for ever 10.5 hours.

I remember journeys to/from Cornwall being much shorter when we didn't have kids.

iseenodust · 20/07/2017 15:51

She may be ok as setting off later. Everyone thinks go early. We drove to Cornwall Aug bank holiday weekend last summer but didn't set off from Yorkshire until 2pm. We went straight through not a jam in sight. Had a faster journey than the friends who set off at 5am.

MissSueFlay · 20/07/2017 15:51

I was going to suggest going by train to somewhere like Penzance and picking up a hire care that end. It would be a much more pleasant journey, especially for the children.

TheSnorkMaidenReturns · 20/07/2017 15:53

Agree with others that leaving Luton at c3pm will mean she's missed the worst of the A30 traffic. Best route usually M4/M5 not via Stonehenge. It's a nice route but not this Saturday.

As for motorway service stations suggest she stops at the one near J17 on M4 and then not again on M5 until Exeter. The ones in between are rank. Even these two will be pretty rancid by that time of day on Saturday.

She will not be there by 7pm. I would not do an overnight stop over. Even if she gets there at midnight that's better than a stop over and having to leave at 7am to avoid the queues.

We have lived in a variety of places much nearer Cornwall. We now choose Friday change-over days to avoid the worst of the dreaded traffic.

BarbarianMum · 20/07/2017 15:54

I agree that setting off later will be an advantage. Best run down we ever had was whwn we lost the car keys and ended up setting off 4 hours late. Everybody else sets of early and yes, crawls round Bristol.

ColdFeetAndHotCakes · 20/07/2017 15:56

Used to take us around 4 hours. My parents refused to leave unless it was super early in the morning, or super late at night to avoid any traffic. Longest journey either way was somewhere between 8 and 9 hours. I would never drive there. Get the train and hire a car in Cornwall somewhere.

Redsippycup · 20/07/2017 16:02

I live in Cornwall. I do not use the A30 on a saturday in the summer if i can help it.

The widening work has finished now so that will help, but it's still absolute hell.

andbabymakesthree · 20/07/2017 16:20

It'll be fine. Sit back and enjoy the scenery......
Temple has had dual carriage way now. You can always come off at bodmin and pick up a390 or go on a39 at Launceston?

FuzzyCustard · 20/07/2017 16:25

I used to do mid Kent to north Cornwall in 5 hrs but that meant starting at 4am to avoid the traffic on the M25 and A303, which was worth doing.

Sounds a lot longer from Luton, especially if you can't choose your timings.

PS To avoid this hell in the future we moved to Cornwall. Marvellous!

IfYouGoDownToTheWoodsToday · 20/07/2017 16:30

The train is very expensive though much nicer. You can actually get the train to St Ives with just one change, iirc. It's a lovely journey by train.

I do agree though that as they are leaving so late, they may be ok to drive.

spidey66 · 20/07/2017 16:40

We go there a lot from London, usually takes us about 5.5.hours, often on a Saturday (though normally early, late or even night,.) No kids though so not holidays and one loo break and one quick meal break.

The A30 has been widened though which should improve things between Exeter and St Ives.

andbabymakesthree · 20/07/2017 16:45

Think more about the return journey if they have a plane to catch

Original poster
beresh · 20/07/2017 17:08

Thanks very much, I've passed on the service station and stop off tips. They are spending a week in London after being in Cornwall so no time pressure going home. The train would be better but the car hire is fixed.

OP posts:
Groupie123 · 20/07/2017 19:11

The longest it's taken me was 12 hours but that's because there was a massive accidentZ