The whole journey took us 5 hours 15 minutes, but that's including 20 minutes from our house to the M25 (and 20 minutes back), about 60 minutes at the airport dropping off one of my grown up sons (plus about 5 or 10 minutes each way on the M23) and at least 45 minutes stuck in the queue for the Dartford Tunnel.
Most of the road widening works from 3 to 4 lanes seem to be nearly finished, especially in the southern half where it's 4 lanes for most of the way, and there weren't that many stretches where you can only do 50 miles an hour.
It's a once in a lifetime journey ("Never again!"). But one day no doubt I'll succumb to the temptation of trying it clockwise.
A grim document
8 hours ago
15 comments:
Clockwise should be quicker since you're in the northern hemisphere.
I did it clockwise in a Volvo Estate they gave me when my car lost its prop shaft [one end dropped on the road and tore off and then cartwheeled towards the cars behind me under the A110 flyover]. The car came to a halt right by an AA box, they came and got me, gave me the Volvo, I had to fill in some time and so did the clockwise.
Never again.
M, I suppose the only appropriate comment to such masochistic behaviour must be, 'You don't get out much, do you?'
J.H., Likewise, conducted a clockwise run in a Volvo Estate. If it must be endured, it's good way to do it. In my case, it wasn't necessary to shed a propshaft though, since it's true of all my journeys.
I used to road race it when it first opened. Meet at South Mimms, pick up a chit at Lakeside and another at Crooked billet at Staines. winner was first back to south mimms If you're not doing it in under 2.5 hrs you're not trying!
can't remember the best time but I've a fourth place mug somewhere. Used to do the Beaujolais too. And Rome - Paris which was great fun.
When M25 first opened it was a shock when you got to Watford and there were traffic lights! Right on the motorway, which was declared open by Mrs T, but still had miles and miles to be completed.
My business partner had worked building the wisley stretch as a labourer. Road camber is really, really rough there. {still! Even after 25 years. - went on it today.}
He claims its because at that point the government inspectors all went home at 4pm and from 4.01pm until 8.59am the crews worked flat out and filled the base with shopping carts, trees, landfill, old cars and so on.
After that bit the inspectors worked shifts so less went on. Whatever, between J9 + J11 the tyre noise is very loud, the road tilts and it has a slight bend for no apparent reason.
D, isn't counter-clockwise the natural way round in the northern hemisphere?
JH, well done, can you remember your overall lap time?
Ch, in my defence, I could have sent the lad on his own back to Gatwick or done the decent thing and spent a couple of quality hours in the car. Lap time?
BQ, my style of motorway driving is firmly in middle lane, a safe distance behind car in front and a comfortable distance in front of car behind, i.e. a million miles from "trying".
As to the funny curves and cambers, the whole thing is like that, isn't it? That's part of the fun.
Nah, I meant clockwise. On the other hand, I meant "slower".
M, Times were certainly shorter than yours, but really not comparable.
We were also travelling to Gatwick, collecting daughter rather than dropping, but it was July or so last year. We left at silly o'clock in the morning, so traffic was very light at first, and we were travelling from North Herts rather than Hillingdon, so the run to get to the M25 was considerably longer.
That said, the first half took somewhat longer than the second, probably due to lots of dark, and my more sedate driving pace. The return journey had daughter driving at her usual Ayrton Senna pace. ABout 4 1/2 hrs sounds about right, including the stop at Gatwick.
D, ta for clarification.
Ch, that's good going. I think the key factor is the queue for Dartford Toll Crossing. You can't Ayrton Senna your way through that.
I don't think Corioli's effect which makes moving things edge to right in Northern Hemisphere applies in case of M25.(In my short career in retail,I was told people liked to circulate round supermarkets clockwise keeping the heart close to wall for sense of security. Since that longer ago time all supermarkets have done the complete opposite with anti-clockwise circulation.)There is also the old chestnut that western people feel going from right to left looks difficult because we customarily scan pages from left to right.
DBC, I was told that supermarkets like to have people turn right after they enter, i.e. implied counter-clockwise direction.
"DBC, I was told that supermarkets like to have people turn right after they enter, i.e. implied counter-clockwise direction."
Mark, don't you mean clockwise? Of my local supermarkets, Tesco, Lidl and Coop are clockwise, but Asda for some reason is anti-clockwise.
B, no, that's what I read somewhere.
But even assuming this to be a basic rule of supermarket layouts, it only applies where there is no pre-set layout. Of the five big supermarkets nearest to me, you definitely enter in the bottom right hand corner and the checkouts are along the bottom edge (so to speak). So assuming that people stick to the outside wall to start with, the natural direction of travel is anti-clockwise.
What I meant was that, if you turn right on entry, you are starting to circulate in a clockwise, not an anti-clockwise direction, which would require you to turn left on entry.
B, one of us is confused here. If I walk onto a giant clock face in the bottom right hand corner (say at the number 5, with the checkouts between 6 and 7), and walk to my right, along the right hand edge, the next hour I hit is 4, and then 3 and so on. That strikes me as being anti-clockwise.
Ah, I see what you mean. Most supermarkets of my acquaintance have a layout where you carry straight on down the first aisle after entering and only turn when you hit the back wall. If the entrance is at the left hand end of the front of the shop, then you end up turning right at the back wall and circulating clockwise.
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