Best Route? (Manchester-Mitcham)

[Levanna]

Hi, we're travelling from East Manchester to Mitcham (nr Croydon). Can anyone suggest a good route? We haven't done this journey before and yes, we've managed to pick 'Good Friday' for our first time!
Any tips welcome .
(Except "don't bother", got to go I'm afraid!)

Have you checked on Thetrainline.com? They have a timetable facility which tells you how many changes there are.

Hi I use a reallly good website whenever I need to travel The AA Routefinder I find this is so good because it gives you the entire route start to finish, turn by turn and you can reverse it to find your way back! It also gives you distance and you can select non-motorway if you fancy it taking loads longer!!! Hope it helps

Thanks Soupdragon, but we're taking the car this time.
Pinewood, I've checked out the route on AA routefinder, but I was wondering whether it would be best to use the M25 or not. Sorry, I should have been more specific, I'm finding the thought of London driving daunting! (I've lived in Manchester for over 3 years, and still not got the hang of the one way system thingy....) Thanks though

Hi Levanna. Not too sure on the M25 situation. I live near Reading but try to avoid the London motorways unless I need to get somewhere in a hurry or am going to the airports! Mind you on a Good Friday it might be quicker on the non-motorway roads you never know? What I would do is print out the AA route both motorway and non-motorway then make a decision when you get down south... Sorry can't be of much help here !

I have no idea whatsoever why I thought you were taking the train!

Try Multimap as well. I think my BIL & SIL always use the M25 route. I'm not sure which junction you'd have to get off at for Mitcham but I'd advise that you don't pick the Croydon one (Jct 7/M23) as the traffic is always bad in Coulsdon. The M25 will be busy around Heathrow - always is when I go that way.

when i go to oldham i use the m23,m25 ( busy near heathrow there are roadworks on the way back near there too)m40,m42,m6,m62.

am going up there myself on good friday,am in a bit of a tiz as to what time to set off. i think i should set off about 8 am what do you think?

so for your journey the bleow post would be reversed!

Hey Levanna, we're going from very near Mitcham up to Manchester on Good Friday. Balancing up the country!

I think we're going to head up the M40 and somehow miraculously find the M6 from there.

There are roadworks on the M25, and I do know the route through London, and the M25 is a long way round, but I will nevertheless be taking the M25. It does flow (more or less) and you can't get lost.

Good luck!

Don't forget to check the travel news before you choose which way to go round Birmingham. We usually opt for whichever the western side is (M5?) unless the traffic news tells us there's a problem.

Thanks for all the tips . Your route sounds good (in reverse for us!) custardo, thanks. We'll head out from Manchester on the M56 to the M6 though, I think (I thiiink!) I'm not sure how long to leave for the journey either....we don't have to be there for any specific time, thankfully. fisil, I could get lost just about anywhere! But, to give ourselves a fighting chance, I think we too ought to stick with the M25, after all.
Thanks for the tips re roadworks, and checking the travel news.....I'll do that .