Road works
 

Hi guys, This may be a bit cheeky as its not directly related to my car - Im just trying to tap into experienced knowledge of the M6 users as I have to drive by beloved ZT from London to Carlisle tomorrow! (to a funeral) I know theres a lot of regular professional drivers amongst us that might shed light on the nasty areas of the M6 to give a heads up. The RAC etc seem quite vague! :shrug:

Hi, I have used the pretty much all of the M6 at one point or another visiting friends / relatives etc: and each trip has been at various times of the day and night and tbh ... none of the M6 is a 'picnic'. From my own experience ... junction 10 at Walsall and 10A at Essington, along with M6 toll from junctions 1 & 2 at Sutton Coldfield have been the very worst I have encountered especially at the peak times of 06:00 - 10:00 and then 16:00 - 18:00.
Not really much you can do with the info tbh but it might make you aware of the problem areas I have personally encountered.
Good luck with the journey and hope it goes 'event free'.

I always go m6 , m6 toll , m42 , m40 , m25 when I go from Preston to s. London.
Nearly always traffic on m42(smart motorway) I then use the toll rhd, nice and quiet but costly , and just after the toll rd there are long term roadworks both directions which can be busy.
Depending on your luck , traffic can be bad around jncts 18-20 and again around 31-36 but normally not bad after that.

Recent trips have seen me leave home at 3am just to get past Birmingham and then stop around 8am for breakfast.

Times can be anything between 6 hrs and 10 hrs , pot luck really

Stan

Hi,
I'm a tramper and will use the M6 at least once a week.
The M6 between junctions 13 - 19 are predominantly roadworks and there is really no set pattern for holdups it really is down to luck. Once past Preston it gets easier with less traffic and delays are unusual.
If you do decide to set off early it is not unusual to find stretches of road closed, often with poorly signed diversions.

Just a thought, how about using the train. Probably more expensive but less driving and possibly quicker

The most stressful part of using the M6 is all the a******** who use it as a race track. Just toodle along in the inside lane at 70 mph and watch them all rocket past you, and when the traffic gets heavy watch them weave in and out ..... absolute madness.......:duh::mad:

If you are concerned about the M6, have you considered using the M1, A1, A66 then just the last few miles M6. Admittedly slightly longer predicted journey time and only a few miles extra. However from memory only two sections of roadworks at j13 and j24.

The train will be a lot easier , a 600 mile,10 hour plus round trip? save your sanity !

[QUOTE=cbr1100xx;2706192]I always go m6 , m6 toll , m42 , m40 , m25 when I go from Preston to s. London.
Nearly always traffic on m42(smart motorway) I then use the toll rhd, nice and quiet but costly , and just after the toll rd there are long term roadworks both directions which can be busy.
Depending on your luck , traffic can be bad around jncts 18-20 and again around 31-36 but normally not bad after that.

Recent trips have seen me leave home at 3am just to get past Birmingham and then stop around 8am for breakfast.

Times can be anything between 6 hrs and 10 hrs , pot luck really

Stan

Thanks Stan and the other responders, I like the idea of the M1 A1 quoted earlier but worry slightly about the A66 with tomorrows forecast, if I go up the east side I have to cross the Pennines somewhere I guess.

[QUOTE=myfirstrover;2706301]The train will be a lot easier , a 600 mile,10 hour plus round trip? save your sanity

You are right except there are 4 of us amounting to a lot less cost - i priced the train last week 4 x returns over £500. Shocking really!