Advice on route to Manchester (and back)

I need to go up to Manchester in a few weeks. I’m going up in the day time to be there early evening, and then coming back as early as possible the next day.

Does anyone have any suggestions for the following?

  • a ‘fun’ route up there
  • a non motorway route back

Going up there I can take a bit more time so can take a good route if anyone knows of one. I’m in North London

Coming back I might have to default to the motorway in order to get back as early as possible but if there’s a good A road way then that might work well

Thanks

I guess something like the A5 up to Lichfield and then the A515 through the Peak District to Buxton and then the A6 into Manchester.

I’d probably use that route both ways, as it’s quite a ride, so anything more fun could take hours and hours. I know using the motorway to go there regularly used to take about 3 hours (M25, M40, M42, M6 Toll, M6) so A roads to go there will probably be 4/4.5 hours with food and fuel stops.

Should be a fun ride though!

Rich

Thanks, maybe something like this then (which comes off just before Lichfield but picks up the A515)- http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr=n200hb&daddr=53.16321,-1.77518+to:Manchester,+UK&hl=en&ll=52.57635,-1.478348&spn=0.272899,0.780029&sll=53.070102,-1.72142&sspn=0.269816,0.780029&geocode=FdnKEwMdeEj9_yn_O7zE2hl2SDHne_LpWp51Wg%3BFco0KwMdtOnk_ylbp2zm_yR6SDExLA-4qBwOEw%3BFVMHMAMdCrPd_ynb9SZSTE16SDGqa_4EOBS-2Q&gl=uk&dirflg=h&mra=dpe&mrsp=1&sz=11&via=1&t=m&z=11

The A5 looks surprisingly dull though, very straight. Might M1 it up for a few junctions (as its quicker), then peel off for some fun.

Just looking for inspiration…

The old A6 runs from Barnet in North London to Carlisle via Manchester or, if your looking for some hard core fun on some of the most challenging roads in the UK …

M1 up exit at junction 30
A6135 to Sheffield
A57 to Manchester via The Snake Pass and Glossop

A57 back to Glossop
A624/A6 towards Buxton
A5004 towards Whaley Bridge
B5470 towards Maccelsfield
A537 (Cat & Fiddle) towards Buxton, watch out for the rear facing average speed cameras
A54 to Congleton
M6 junction 17

Google maps is your friend you can thank me when you get back :wink:

I remember hearing somewhere that the Cat & Fiddle average speed cameras are useless because there’s a shortcut between them and so it can’t be proved how far you had travelled in between.

It was probably on here that it was mentioned.

That was so …

You could leave and rejoin the A537 between the average speed cameras. You didn’t have to actually leave the A537 but since you could and that the distance and speed limits varied over the two possible routes the camera evidence was useless and no FPN’s were issued.

Plan B, additional cameras have now been installed, so watch out for the rear facing speed cameras on the A537 :wink:

Thanks for the advice folks

Snake Pass would be good fun actually. Maybe I’ll leave in the morning sometime so I can have a fun route up there, and spend a bit blatting round the peak district area

Have been over snake pass and woodhead too many times , watch out for the large vehicles who use it as a short cut.