best route from London to Holyhead in car

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LouisCribben

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I've got Microsoft Autoroute recommending the quickest way is continue on the M6 and get the M56...

My car GPS recommends I leave the M6 and join the M54 and cut across Wales

Has anyone tried both routes,and which one is best ?

I've also got Garmin Mapsource on my PC which recommends I drive to Liverpool, get the boat from Liverpool to Dublin, and then get the boat from Dublin to Holyhead !!!!!


I tried the M54 way at Christmas, it wasn't fantastic, most of the last 180km were scenic but narrow and winding
 
It's further but quicker by going on to the M56.

If travelling at night there would be very little difference tome wise, but during the day the motorway route is quickest. ( Barring any pile-ups )
 
Stick to motorways as much as possible.

I did this about 2 years ago and was seriously held up going through wales
 
dont even contemplate cutting across Wales (unless you have loads of time) The drive through Snowdonia is pretty but interminably slow with not so many places to pass tourists...
anon473
 
Dont know the road names, but always thought the quickest way was driving to Chester by motorway and then along the main road along the north coast of Wales.
 
csirl said:
Dont know the road names, but always thought the quickest way was driving to Chester by motorway and then along the main road along the north coast of Wales.
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It's the route one of the coaches used to take anyway.
 
This is pretty much what my in-car Garmin (2009 maps) recommends, but I know there are on-going road-works on the A55 and on various bits of the M1 and not all junctions / roundabouts are known to the digital maps.

I've verified this route as best I can and here is the Google Earth version -

Head south on A5/Victoria Rd toward Station St Continue to follow Victoria Rd 0.2 mi
Continue on A55 Go through 3 roundabouts 74.3 mi
Continue on A494 (signs for Manchester/Queensferry/M56/A494) 2.1 mi
Continue on A550 (Entering England) 3.0 mi
Continue on A5117 1.7 mi
Continue on M56 19.8 mi
At junction 9, exit onto M6 toward Birmingham 104 mi
Merge onto M1 74.9 m

hth (sorry I just realised I've given you Holyhead / London rather than the reverse, but you get the idea).
 
I used to use the A5 a fair bit and it's handy to avoid some of the worst bits of the motorway, but this is the favoured route of truck drivers and this can slow down your journey as there are very few safe passing points. Plus the road isn't really suitable for trucks: villages, sharp bends etc. Basically like trying to drive here before a lot of the new bipasses.

If it's a good time of the day, I'd stick to the motorways and the head across at Chester. Longer but probably quicker.
 
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We did the A5, M6 toll, M6, M56 and A55 route two weeks ago and it took 3.5 hours from our house in Leicestershire (we live about 3 miles from the A5).
 
A word of caution for the return journey. Roadworks on the A55 are a nighmare. I was delayed for nearly 90 minutes and missed the ferry by five minutes - had to wait nine hours for the next one so be warned!
 
staples, dont like the sound of that. what time of day were you on the A55 ? going over to Ireland for month of August and I always dread the journey but just too expensive to hire a car for a month.
 
mosstown said:
staples, dont like the sound of that. what time of day were you on the A55 ? going over to Ireland for month of August and I always dread the journey but just too expensive to hire a car for a month.
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I left London at 9.30am to get the 5.15pm sailing from Hollyhead. Took it handy all the way up and took a couple of lengthy breaks. Had the sat nav which gave me an extimated time of arrival in Holyhead and this proved spot on. All was going well until the roadworks on the A55 about an hour from Holyhead. It's very dispiriting to see the estimated arrival time move out to the eventual pont where you know you're going to be too late.:(

This was about eight weeks ago and they may have finished since. But another poster has alluded to the problem as well so it might stilll be ongoing. It's not worth hiring a car - just give yourself plenty of time. Perhaps take a break in one of the towns (e.g. Bangor) on the far side of the roadworks. Holyhead is a dump and the less time spent there the better.
 
thanks staples, i think i will check up on the A55 works progress before we leave London the end of July, just in case.
 
We were over recently and had no trouble at the roadworks on the A55. I assume that these are the works at the St Asaph/Rhyl junction?
 
BillK said:
We were over recently and had no trouble at the roadworks on the A55. I assume that these are the works at the St Asaph/Rhyl junction?
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I don't know the area well, having only done the journey once but the problem was on hte dual carraigeway. Some work was being done on the outside lane and all the traffic was being filtered into one. There was a tailback for miles. I got the sense that the roadworks were ongoing i.e. that the whole of the carriageway was being done in sections, one at a time.

But if you've come back recently without noticing it, they must have finsihed.
 
I'm planning to drive to London soon. I've used the Dublin Holyhead route before but found the drive long and difficult to find route at times. I'm thinking this time of driving to Rosslare and getting ferry to Fishguard. Looking at the AA routefinder the drive is about 50 miles shorter (though of course I realise I'm not factoring in the 100 miles from Dublin to Rosslare). However driving from Fishguard you get out onto motorway- the M4- a lot sooner so it seems like an easier drive. The ferry is also cheaper from Rosslare.
Has anyone tried this?
 
Yes - many times. I've used both Rosslare / Fishguard when headed to Southern or Western SouthWestern England and Dublin / Holyhead for Northern or Northwestern England. For the Midlands its an either or depending on sailing times etc.

Rosslare / Fishguard seems less prone to delays and cancellations and loading and unloading seem quicker, but maybe the ships are smaller. :) Rosslare is also more convenient for me than Dublin. You don't have a Swift option from Rosslare though.
 
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