Would you drive from Kent to Southport tomorrow (Sunday)

[Flowersandforests]

Hi ladies - we are due to be going to a family party tomorrow in Southport and the plan was to drive up and then stay with family for a few nights. We would be driving through almost all of the Amber weather warning Sunday morning.

I think we should cancel especially as we have a 4 month old baby and I’m concerned about how dangerous the roads would be / if we got stuck on the motorway for hours and hours.

DH (whose family we are visiting) says it would be extremely rude to cancel this last minute and we should still go.

WWYD? I’ve looked at trains but it would involve lots of changes from our house and not sure they would be any better in the bad weather.

Personally, absolutely not.

If it's mostly Motorway I would say it will be fine as all will be gritted along with A roads.
Maybe allow extra time

Absolutely cancel. Not worth the risk.

I thought it was supposed to rain from 5am so any snow will wash away

Actually scrap that, maybe further north not so

I would check the roads nearer your departure time.

The baby makes a big difference here... you need to plan in stops etc and they have more urgent needs than couple of adults.

I would avoid going by train with the baby (I don’t drive any really only go by train, so am not public transport phobic) as Sunday trains are unreliable at all times, even more so when there’s the slightest mention of weather.

I think I’d assess the situation nearer the time, consider going early (probably now if you can) and also possibly send DH on his own with a hot drink/ blanket/ spade but with a small baby YANBU. They risk hypothermia in a car if you do get stuck. It’s also definitely not rude to cancel if there is a major weather event.

It’s a myth that motorways are fine, I’ve driven what I think would be the same stretch of the M6 and it was horrible in the snow- it went down to one lane really quickly, it’s quite high in places so the snow was pretty bad and some Lorrie’s/ other cars were still driving like idiots. It only takes one accident to shut the whole thing down for hours (I remember people having to sleep overnight on an motorway in Essex not long ago) and if the weather is extreme ambulances etc won’t be able to get through easily.

There has been plenty of warning, so the major routes will have been treated. It's probably safe to travel if the driver is competent.

If you don't want to go and don't mind upsetting your in-laws, it's a handy excuse.

How does your husband feel about it? Who will be driving?

No, not with 4 month old baby.
If there is a problem, (and that may well be caused by an ill-prepared third party blocking a motorway) it could be an absolute nightmare.

If it’s not an essential journey I wouldn’t be doing it. Especially with such a young baby.

Things can go wrong very unpredictably, even major roads can be closed for hours if there’s a significant accident or incident.

Your family should be more understanding of your very valid concerns.

I think your baby is the deciding factor here, just too risky imo.

if you can go today then do so. If not send DH on his own, adequately prepared. Fill a flask of hot tea/coffe/whatever and wrap it in a blanket to keep it warm for longer. A couple of those reusable hand warmers if you have any, snacks, a shovel and a change of socks and shoes, nothing worse than freezing cold wet feet if he has to get out of the car in snow.

I'm about 10 miles south of Southport, on the coast and roads are fine today. Cars weren't even frozen up this morning - could well be a different story tomorrow though. Weather app is saying sleet rather than snow and rain from noon onwards tomorrow.

I've done a similar journey to East Sussex many times so would say normal sensible precautions - blankets, full tank (refill at last petrol station prior to motorway), hot drinks, food, phone chargers etc, keep to motorways but also check which service stations have rooms / hotels just in case. Don't drive at night and check travel advice right before you leave.

However, if your car is old or not reliable, then cancel and check tire pressures, windscreen water and oil levels as well before you leave.

I know there's a warning on but the actual forecast for here (Kent), Southport itself and couple of places in between is just rain. So I'm not sure this snow is actually really a likely factor. I'd go.

Absolutely not. The M6 is a notoriously bad motorway for issues and accidents anyway. But add snow in and things get infinitely worse.

His family are being selfish.

The Amber warning discourages anything but essential journeys. A party is not an essential journey. Should you have an accident hiunmaybalsomfind your insurance doesn't cover you as the earnings have been in place for a number of days.

With a baby, no I wouldn't risk this. Also, people saying motorways will be fine - er no, this isn't always the case. In some cases, rapid snowfall has meant roads being shut with no warning and trapping people overnight. Doesn't happen that often, but why risk it?

Not sure about Southport as this is an hour away but in Wigan area of the northwest there has been huge flooding, areas are under water, Bridgewater canal burst its banks and collapsed in places. The north West isn't a good place to be, go on some local community pages or news sites to see if its the same in Southport. Met Office shows this pic.

Asking for trouble.

I would check Waze in the morning. When are you coming back?

Whilst I think cancelling would be the sensible idea - or head up ASAP, if you do go, then bring food and water, blankets, shovel, power banks etc, also fill up the car and figure out how youre gonna pee. There's a lot of snowfall forecast and if you end up stuck in a motorway standstill then you'll be glad that you have those items and it's not a bother taking extra items.

your in laws are ridiculous for putting pressure on you
it's hardly an essential journey

It’s not a vital journey.
If you could have gone first thing today then maybe. It’s unreasonable for anyone to expect you to travel through an amber weather warning for a party, doubly so with a baby. I wouldn’t be going and I wouldn’t want my partner to either.

No I would send your DH alone if he's that keen

DH can go by himself if he doesn't give a shit about anyone else's safety