Driving to Devon Saturday...how bad is it going to be?

[Digestive28]

Driving from the north to south Devon. Any advice welcome. Is there peak times to avoid and anywhere for kids to run around when it all gets too much? Please don’t say don’t do it! We are, for lots of reasons so just need to make it possible

We’re driving from Cambridgeshire to Cornwall tomorrow and we’re leaving at 4am. Are you able to do similar?

Go as early as is humanly possible. We drove from the Midlands to Cornwall last Friday (dubbed “frantic Friday” by the press) and left at 7.30 am. It was busy but fine: we were ahead of the traffic queues all the way down and didn’t meet any delays.

Drove from the north to Devon last weekend, left at 5am(!) traffic was busy but not unbearable, made it in reasonable time. I'd advise as early as you can and Gloucester services on the M5 for a stop- much nicer (and more green) than all the others. Good luck

That’s our plan. Leave around 4.30/5 but wasn’t sure if that would make much difference or not?

Early start it is! We live not too far from Tebay services which is the same people that own Gloucester so have high expectiaons! Means somewhere to stop, eat, calm down etc

Thanks all. An early start it is...

Another alternative is to do it overnight although this only works if you can both take turns to drive and have a nap

Ooh! Didn't know about Tebay services, will have to check them out. Baby moorhens at Gloucester atm
Yep, early start sounds like the best thing for it!

Tebay is fab, but also Rghed is a similar type place just off the motorway (m6 junction40) with outdoor play and decent food. I can nail northern driving! It’s the south, with all the extra cars and people I’m nervous about!

Top tip I got on here was if you are planning to go to Exeter Services, there is a huge Tescos off the same roundabout, with cafe etc. First year we went, queue to get in services was ridiculous, we sailed by and went in Tescos instead, got in the cafe just as it opened.

That is some very useful info @flowery. Thank you!

I know! We’ve done it each year since. A services where you have to queue to park, queue to go to the loo and queue to eat and then can’t sit down because there’s no room is my idea of hell so I send thanks every year to whichever MNer it was who posted that on a thread like this a few years ago and saved my sanity!