M25 ... Advice Please

[wiltsman]

Tomorrow evening I need to drive clockwise from junction 5 of the M25, Sevenoaks, then via the M4 to Swindon.

I don't want to be too late back, but are there times I should hold back from using the M25? I don't want to be caught up in heavy rush hour traffic.

Thank you in advance for any good advice you can give me.

[sunny-dave]

I'd want to be off the M25 and onto the M4 by about 4:30pm at the very latest - preferably a bit earlier - so leave Sevenoaks by 3pm at the latest.

Failing that I'd wait until about 6:30ish to leave Sevenoaks 7pm might be better.

[mikey4444]

The M25, although very busy, should keep flowing, unless there is a serious accident.

Variable speed limits were introduced a few years ago, especially between Gatwick and Heathrow and seem to work very well, as it discourages bunching. If you keep to one lane, and don't keep changing, it should work.

I wish that the M4 or M5 were as well-ordered as the M25.

[Buenchico]

Things start easing a bit after 6pm
http://www.itv.com/news/meridian/2017-03-20/rush-hour-now-lasts-12-hours-a-day-on-the-m25/
but, if I was doing it, I'd prefer to wait until around 7.30pm before joining the M25.

[237SJ]

You should be fine from J5 but make sure you get past the Heathrow area before rush hour as that bit can be busy.

[wiltsman]

What do you think of leaving the M25 at junction 12, then go down the M3, leaving at junction 3, to get back to the M4 via the A322 Bracknell, and A329(M) to junction 10 of the M4 near Reading?

[mikey4444]

NO !....stay on the M25, unless you are really fond of roundabouts !

Trust the M25 !

[237SJ]

That's a bit fiddly. I do know the roads that you are talking about but I`d just stay on the M25. It depends what time you want to leave

[sunny-dave]

According to the 'real time traffic' on Google Maps, at this time of day that would save you 8 miles and the time would be identical.

[sunny-dave]

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/51.4194589,-0.9954631/Sevenoaks/@51.1678518,-0.8343618,9.56z/data=!4m10!4m9!1m0!1m5!1m1!1s0x47d8ad4c5d5bdfc1:0x2c9c51426386fe62!2m2!1d0.190898!2d51.27241!3e0!5i1?hl=en

[bhg481]

It's ONLY worth using the M3 route if you KNOW there is a blockage on the other route. As Mikey and 237 have said, it's fiddly, particularly around Bracknell.

[sunny-dave]

I agree - Bracknell and its roundabouts are not to be taken lightly (or indeed at all, if there is an alternative)

[wiltsman]

Mikey, living near Swindon, you have to love roundabouts, especially the Magic Roundabout!

Thank you all for the good advice I'm receiving.

[mikey4444]

When Bracknell, and places like it, were first built and expanded, the Planners kept putting their coffee mugs down on the Plans.

Unfortunately, they were interpreted by the builders as roundabouts, and the rest is history !

[sunny-dave]

I was in Hemel Hempstead when its Magic Roundabout opened and I still remember the chaos/fun it caused :+)

Apparently both roundabouts have excellent safety records - because traffic is too slow/confused to do much damage.

[Old_Geezer]

Check here at regular intervals before making a break for it. http://www.trafficengland.com/