Fastest way to drive out of London

[spooniferous]

Mrs Spooniferous, baby spoons and I will be trying to extricate ourselves from the clutches of London for the weekend. Everytime we try and leave ED by car it is a nightmare unless we leave late at night.

Mad fools that we are we are going to leave on a Friday night.

For this specific trip we are going to try and get to the M4. Anyone have a preferred route that avoids the major conjestion areas?

[Mogs]

When I drive home to Wales I tend to avoid the south circular and go left of VBR - down grosvenor along the river all the way to cromwell road etc.

On a good run it takes me 45 mins to the start of the M4 from ED.

[cookie]

The only 2 ways I know are a nightmare on a Friday.

Either south of the river along the South Circular to Kew Bridge etc. or through Vauxhall turn left along the north bank of the Thames, Earls Court, left onto the A4/M4. Both very slow.

I'd love to hear of a quicker route.

[Ladygooner]

Same here - down to Vauxhall, over Chelsea bridge, up through Earls court, left onto M4

[Mogs]

I would think the VBR along the river to be quicker as people generally don't like driving in Central London and tend to skirt around the outside than deal with big roundabouts etc.

[Mark]

Yep, Camberwell, Vauxhall, embankment Earls Court, M4 or

Brixton, Cl****m Common, over Battersea Bridge, Earls Court, M4 or

Brixton, Cl****m Common, over Wandsworth Bridge, Fulham, Cromwell Road, M4

First option's usually the best

[jim_the_chin]

I go across wandsworth bridge and head for hammersmith, but 45-60 mins is the minimum for any of these routes.

There's no easy way out!

[spooniferous]

Thank you all. I think we'll go for the Vauxhall Bridge route tonight.

Another way we find ourselves needing to get to sometimes is to A3/M3. Any suggestions on this one? We usually go round the south circular but always get stuck in Wandsworth.

[ClareC]

I asked a friend who lives in Wandsworth how to avoid this traffic and she said to cut through Southfields - I havent tried it but its probably worth a look at the A-Z

[Ted Max]

You can get onto the A3 at Raynes Park if you follow a route out through West Norwood, Streatham Vale, Mitcham Common, Morden. It doesn't sound the quickest (and it isn't) but at heavy traffic times on the south circ it avoids all the Wandsworth malarkey.

Another slightly easier way might be to go C*****m South, down through Wandsworth Common through Earlsfield and Wimbledon and pick the A3 up there. Sounds a bit like the Southfields idea. Wandsworth Common can be busy too, though.

Have you thought about a helicopter?

[Mogs]

I went to Guildford last night down the A3 and I left Victoria at 4pm and got to Guildford at 5:30, but was only doing 60 mph most of the way.

Battersea and Wandsworth are the two nightmare bottlenecks on that route

[Brendan]

I go through Brixton - Clapham - Wandsworth - Putney - Barnes - Over Hammersmith Bridge - Pick up the A4 - Through Chiswick becomes M4.

Don't know if this is the quickest way though.

[LostThePlot]

Ted Max Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> You can get onto the A3 at Raynes Park if you

> follow a route out through West Norwood, Streatham

> Vale, Mitcham Common, Morden. It doesn't sound the

> quickest..

NAH!! SOuth circ and peel off at Lancsaster Ave, then over at X-road and chuck rigtiin to KNollys road.. Straight on-ish into valley road, the right into Sunnyhill, then arounf the one way to Tooting beck road. Left down Fransiscan, and keep going into Mellison, then right left onto Colliers Wood Road, and stright out to the A3.

Bets tip has to be though go about 3:30, and use the bus lanes whereever you can, as london has the dosiest drivers who just automatilly stay out of the buslanes. Number of times I've had a clear route between Camberwell and the Oval as everyoine is sitting in the RH lane is unbelievable!

[Tom]

CAMBERWELL, BRIXTON, ABBEVILLE RD TO CLAPHAM SOUTH, BACK STRREETS TO WANDSWORTH COMMON, WANDSWORTH BRIDGE, FULHAM BROADWAY, DAWES RD, FULHAM PALACE RD, HAMMERSMITH, M4.

35MINS ON A GOOD DAY

[Incitatus]

Tom, on a good day that route works, bad one and it's hell Ful Pal Rd end. Otherwise it's to Vauxhall Bridge the back route via Loughborough Junction then front it out thru Marble Arch & Gloucester Terrace to the A40, he/she who dares ...

[Asset]

If it's not too late for my pennorth, out through Beckenham on the (i think) A21, out of London in no time. Past Biggin Hill etc

[Incitatus]

Asset,

oh and on the way home on your route you can stop for proper tea and cake in Westerham on the village green, mmmmmmmmmmm.

[Asset]

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[Michael Palaeologus]

I get up at 5am and

If going North - drive to Hillingdon tube on the A40 and park for ?3. Get the tube into town - work and pick the car up later that day. 2 hours to the Midlands.

If going West - drive to Hounslow West - park for ?2.50 and do the same.

To avoid central London traffic get up early.

[Parker's Folly]

A3 to the M25, link to M4 that way.

[Asset]

just noticed Spooniferous wants to get to M4 - my route will not help there then! I must pay attention.

[Keef]

Bloody hell, my sister and I did the A3 thing this weekend, and got totally bloody lost! Have done that route more times than I care to remember, but not for a good 3 or 4 years. Took a wrong turn somewhere, and the complete lack of signage in that entire part of London meant rather a roundabout route! Ended up taking nearly 3 hours to do a 90 minute journey! EVIL :(

[TillieTrotter]

We use A3 all the time, some nightmare spots as mentioned, but the only solution as Mr Mike says is to leave dead early.

[ed_pete]

Resurrecting an old thread here but I'm driving out to the A3 on a Friday afternoon in a couple weeks and I want to avoid South Circular route. Any advice updates on the two suggestions above:

1: You can get onto the A3 at Raynes Park if you follow a route out through West Norwood, Streatham Vale, Mitcham Common, Morden.

2: South circ and peel off at Lancaster Ave, then over at X-road and chuck right into Knollys road.. Straight on-ish into Valley Road, the right into Sunnyhill, then around the one way to Tooting Bec road. Left down Fransiscan, and keep going into Mellison, then right left onto Colliers Wood Road, and stright out to the A3.

TIA

[AcedOut]

To go west, I go Herne Hill, Brixton, Clapham Common, A3. Have done all the different routes going west and this is always the fastest. Personally, I'd avoid the Streatham route at all costs.