driving from SE london to Tolpuddle Dorset - what is the best route

[Mercedes]

I'm driving down to tolpuddle for a camping week-end. I should be leaving 10 - 12ish.
The route planners suggest going south to get on m25 or going to hammersmith and getting on m3 or going through clapham and twickenham to m3.

Does anyone have any clues what might be the best?

M3, M27 over the new forest, Ringwood, Wimborne, Bere Regis then pick up the dual carriageway from bere Regis to Dorchester and come off at the Tolpuddle exit.

Blimey do you even need a map for that?

We just got back from a week near Tolpuddle from Lancashire and it took us 7 hours each way and plenty of maps and sat nav

Do what dp does, set the sat nav to go the shortest route and avoiding motorways.. we found it gave us a very scenic and interesting route...

And also explains why it took us 7 hours

I think OP was concerned about the first part of journey through London, but she didn't say where she was starting from. I would suggest she just makes her way to the nearest M25 junction and go round from there.

Depends where you are in London.

I know, but I'm still getting over that drive with 2 preschoolers in the back of the car and needed to vent

You need to get on to the M3?

From SE London I go on south circ - clapham, wandsworth, A3 down to Wisley get on the M25 to where it joins the M3 (I think its at Junction 1, Sunbury, or mebbe junction 2 - anyway its only about 10 to 15 minutes on the M25, all being well).

I do this journey on to the M3 from East Dulwich very frequently and trust me this is the quickest way. Do not go through London out to M4 and on to M3 that way.

Minty i live fairly close to se23 so that would seem to be the best way. does this avoid going through richmond twickenham etc? i went out vis clapham once and spent hours going through sw london.

can i ask how do you find out if m25 is flowing freely and not jammed? i've only been on m25 once and it was hell.

I haven't had a car for 2 years so need tips - the route master says journey should take 3.5 hours but i so doubt this,

Minty i live fairly close to se23 so that would seem to be the best way. does this avoid going through richmond twickenham etc? i went out vis clapham once and spent hours going through sw london.

can i ask how do you find out if m25 is flowing freely and not jammed? i've only been on m25 once and it was hell.

I haven't had a car for 2 years so need tips - the route master says journey should take 3.5 hours but i so doubt this,

Do you have a map? Or sat nav?

I wouldn't go on such a long journey without one or the other tbh.

A3 is a fairly main road (once you get past Wandsworth) and you don't go through Richmond or Twickenham.

I rely on Radio 5 Live travel news re. M25 hold ups. Or Radio London.

i have a map and in past looked at it a lot. What's the alternative if m25 jammed? is it just grin and bear?

I don' know sw london so can get lost quite easily judging by my journey through richmond etc on way to dorset.

in your experience what's the best time to avoid going through wandsworth apart from school run at end of day?

If M25 jammed stay on A3. At some point it joins on to M3 iirc. Sorry, not got map in front of me!

Wandsworth always busy. Especially Saturday mornings. But you will get through it. As soon as you go up the hill after Wandsworth shopping centre, the traffic thins out and you get moving pretty quickly.

Am logging off now - so hope that helps .

Thanks Mintyy