Leeds to Plymouth

[hemel07]

Hi, we have a 3pm ferry booked for a Saturday in August. Driving down from Leeds, am estimating a 5hr journey? Has anyone any experience of this? We are planning on leaving super early, about 6am. Will this give us more than enough time? Are the roads to Plymouth going to be horrendous? Should we be looking for somewhere to stay on the Friday night??? Obviously it would be awful to miss the ferry/sit in traffic panicking all the way down.

"Has anyone any experience of this? "

Oh yes. It took us nearly nine hours to drive from just outside Barnsley to just outside Padstow on a Saturday in August.

The M5 was horrendous. It took us an hour just to get out of Michaelwood services because of an accident on the M5, and Exeter services were unbelievably busy (the last service station on the M5).

We love Devon and Cornwall, but the drive from South Yorkshire is so awful we won't be doing it again while we have to stick to school holidays.

Yes, that would be my worst nightmare! I'll have a think about a stop off point I think. Thanks.

I think in reality it's a lot more than a 5 hour journey. Id be allowing at least double that tbh. One memorable year it too us 13 hours to get from Wakefield to Dover. That was thankfully pre dc but still hideous.

6am is not super early. Traffic will build. I'd probably go the night before

I suspected as much!!! Ok, need to find somewhere for the Friday night. Any suggestions? We are a family of 5 so usually end up having to pay for 2 rooms.

7 hours from just outside Bradford to Gatwick one day last year. Thought that was bad, the return journey took almost 9 hours. Def look for somewhere to stay the night before. Booking this far in advance you should be able to pickup a £29 Travelodge room and you could be a bit more flexibleon location, just closer than Leeds!

Would Bristol be ok do you think? Somewhere around Birmingham?

I wouldn't want to travel on a change over Saturday down the M5

I would travel down on the Friday night and stay in Plymouth

We went recently and stayed in the premier inn and had a meal in the Barbican, it was lively.

Much better than sitting on the motorway for hours on end..?

I'm not fat from Birmingham and if I was sailing from Plymouth on a Saturday at 3pm would leave either at 3am or the night before.

I have done Coventry Instow north devon, left at 3:30 got to services just past Bristol and couldn't get a car parking space at 5:00am as car park full...when I did park up services heaving, which reflected motorway traffic. I got to tiverton by 5:30 but only because I left early iyswim

I've had family not make a wedding in the summer as they were stuck on the motorway at Bristol

Yep, I'm convinced! I'll have a look. Thankyou everyone.

I would travel to Plymouth on the Friday. The M5 is hideous on summer Saturdays. I live just N of Barnsley, my mum's in Somerset and we leave the M5 at Bridgwater. It takes us 4 hours to Bridgwater on a normal day. it's also taken us 4 hours to get to Plymouth from Bridgwater.

Ok, holiday inn booked for the Friday night in Plymouth x

Good plan.