Are the motorways really busy between Christmas & New Year?

[scampadoodle]

I'm weighing up whether it's better to endure having my mother to stay over Christmas, or drive up to her for a few days afterwards (we can control how long we stay then). We'd be going London - Newcastle & back. I've never driven long distances at that time of year before so have no idea whether the roads are heaving or deserted. We'd probably leave the day after Boxing Day & return the night before New Year's Eve.

Is it bonkers even to contemplate?

(BTW we've got 2 DCs of 6 & 3)

boxing day packed.....

Yeah, I thought that, with people doing their family visits, but what if we left it til the day after?
There must be some intrepid souls out there, who can report back from the front line...

We have never had a problem on A roads

Day aftr boxing should (!) be ok, and if you leave again before the rush to NewYears Parties on NYE you should be ok. Ad go into london is always easier than going out, I always find, but then we go down the M3 and A303 which is one of the Nine Circles of Hell. (two of them in fact)

scampadoddle - dont know where you are in London but it may be easier to do M40 then M69 (get of at J14 and use A46 for M69) and then M1.

Just because the M40 I find always less traffic than the M1 and there really isn't much in it.

I only know that boxing day was packed as we travelled to newcastle on Boxing day last year. We did make good time but the motorway was gridlocked twice between Nottingham and Sheffield - just heavy traffic the rest of the trip.

We left Newcastle on the Friday before NYE (NYE was Sunday night)and it was just normal heavy traffic - again.

We've never had a problem tbh.

The only thing that I am cautious of when driving on Boxing day is the amount of alcohol everyone has consumed the day before. I would travel very early to avoid the rush of Boxing day visits that everyone insists on doing to see auntie Jean and the like!

One thing you can't control is the weather and the possibility of snow delaying your plans.

We're in north London, about 20mins from M1/Brent Cross.
We definitely wouldn't travel on Boxing Day, but the day after, & then on the 30th (probably in the evening)coming back.

God, I never even thought of snow!!!