Best drive route from Southhamton to Holyhead port?

baggytrousers

Hello there, I'm traveling by car from Southampton to Holyhead Port and I'm not sure what would be the quickest route back in the car. I'll be flying over, picking up a car and driving back. Google maps say 5hrs to 6hrs 20mins. However when you check the comments online about the M6 and Birmingham, it's pretty scary reading. We'll be traveling on a Saturday so hope that will help (not as bad as rush hour during the week). Just wondering if anyone has any advice? thanks

n97 mini

Google usually gets the best route for the time of day. So if you're online in the UK and put it into your phone you'll be fine. The M6 can get congested depending on what time you're using it, and it may suggest the M6 Toll instead, a toll road built alongside the congestion prone but free M6.

ballsymchugh

m3 to m25 to m40 to m42 to m6 to m56 and straight on to holyhead.

don't go via the m1, it's a pain in the tits. the m40 is a lot quieter and will mean you spend a few less minutes on the m25.
if you're getting the night ferry, you should be grand all the way, unless there's roadworks.

baggytrousers

Thanks a million n97 mini, didn't realise the M6 toll was separate to the actual M6, cool...there is hope! Nice re google..good to know it's pretty accurate if you check it out at the time you're setting off.

And thanks ballsymchugh gonna check the route you suggested, we're starting out about 11am so no middle of the night journey, but yes, your'e right re the roadworks, looking at the route last night even some motorways were showing as closed for works...now that'd be a pain in the arse!

afatbollix

Download a app called Waze. They work out the best route by the traffic. Its updated every few minutes and has brought me around huge delays .

The best thing is that most people use it in the UK so its updated very fast.

baggytrousers

Very feckin useful afatbollix - I'll go download that now...thanks!

Dodge

FWIW used google maps while driving in the UK recently (From Holyhead to Northwest and the from there to the midlands (and back)) and it was brilliant for getting fastest routes and informing of potential roadworks

I'm on Three here so there were no roaming charges

theteal

M6 Toll is fine but the M6 after that has been a disaster since late last year (roadworks) - so much so that I've chosen to do it at night time only when there's little to no traffic. Leave yourself plenty of time.

Allinall

Personally if I was doing the trip I would take a ferry from Pembroke or Fishguard in South Wales to Rosslare and then drive from there. (Assuming your final destination is close to Dublin)

Total mileage would be be roughly the same, but the ferry will split the journey nicely.

baggytrousers

Thanks for the feedback.

Dodge: a thumps up again for google maps..cool, might use that and waze, see how they fair - roaming charges...mmmmm, not with three so gonna have to figure that one out!

theteal: M6 after toll crap...nooooo, spoke to someone else there who said just cause it's the weekend doesn't mean it'll be any better....wonderful

Allinall: yeap, hingdsight is a great thing...except I've gone and booked everything and left myself with a very tight time window.

From the offline feedback i've got so far most say you'll be lucky to make it in the time google maps say. Pardon the pun but time will tell. :-)

lucernarian

baggytrousers wrote: »

Thanks for the feedback.

Dodge: a thumps up again for google maps..cool, might use that and waze, see how they fair - roaming charges...mmmmm, not with three so gonna have to figure that one out!

theteal: M6 after toll crap...nooooo, spoke to someone else there who said just cause it's the weekend doesn't mean it'll be any better....wonderful

Allinall: yeap, hingdsight is a great thing...except I've gone and booked everything and left myself with a very tight time window.

From the offline feedback i've got so far most say you'll be lucky to make it in the time google maps say. Pardon the pun but time will tell. :-)

I think going by the A34 to Oxford would be a better bet than heading to the M25... Its dualled for at least much of the journey

baggytrousers

Thanks lucernarian, that seems to be the way googlemaps would send you, Oxford looks like it gets a bit congested though, and maybe on a Saturday afternoon it could be worse. But yeah, A34 itself looks like a good road. Figure I could take the advice from above and see what the actual google maps say on the morning and take it from there. good to have options though, especially from people in the know.

Chris_5339762

ballsymchugh wrote: »

m3 to m25 to m40 to m42 to m6 to m56 and straight on to holyhead.

don't go via the m1, it's a pain in the tits. the m40 is a lot quieter and will mean you spend a few less minutes on the m25.
if you're getting the night ferry, you should be grand all the way, unless there's roadworks.

I'd avoid the M25 like the plague if I was doing this, especially the busy section near Heathrow.

I'd do M3 - A34 - M40 - M42 - M6 - M54 - A5 - A483 - A55.

https://www.google.ie/maps/dir/Southampton,+United+Kingdom/Holyhead,+UK/@52.3392331,-2.2156179,9z/data=!4m19!4m18!1m10!1m1!1s0x48738957be152909:0xa78c5a6a4cda71f0!2m2!1d-1.4043509!2d50.9097004!3m4!1m2!1d-3.0394839!2d52.878881!3s0x487aba86c8171279:0xc8d0d2aac6926a56!1m5!1m1!1s0x486434b66c1c0fed:0x248e9cd08cfb236f!2m2!1d-4.633038!2d53.309441!3e0?hl=en

Edit: Leave an hour or two earlier than planned and explore Holy Island. Ignore the town of Holyhead completely, but the rest of the island is absolutely lovely.

IE 222

Be careful coming up to the A55 section. It's easy to believe you are put on it in the right direction form the M56. Ignore the first signed A55 slip road.

A wrong turn will bring you on 1.5hr lap of Chester.

Holyhead is not sign posted until the last 20 miles or so. But is a straight run once on the A55

anonanymore

I agree avoid the M25.

My route would be slightly different to Chris's.

M3 - A34 - M40 - M42 - M6 toll - M6 - M56 - A55.

I've driven that route in reverse from Holyhead to Newbury.

https://goo.gl/maps/zDgNkD9Zbn42

munchkin_utd

Chris_5339762 wrote: »

I'd avoid the M25 like the plague if I was doing this, especially the busy section near Heathrow.
<snip>

+1.
I've only driven that part of the M25 3 or 4 times and every time it was bad, once we took over an hour to do a couple of junctions and the last time we just had to go back roads to avoid it altogether.

Better go up that A road and whatever congestion you hit will be minor compared to what you may see at Heathrow.