Bluesteel needs your route guidance...
 

I’m driving to Fremington, near Barnstaple from Vauxhall in London on Thursday afternoon.

Then, from there to Exeter on the Sunday.

And then back to London on the Monday/Tuesday

I would like some advice on the routes, because there are probably some other options to the ones I’ve sort of picked:

A3
M3
A303
A373 to Cullompton from Honiton
Random back roads from Cullompton to Tiverton
A361 to Barnstaple and then on to Fremington

A377 from Fremington to Exeter

A30 to Honiton, then reverse of first route.

Re: Bluesteel needs your route guidance...
 

I like the A30, but it's slower than the A303. The A303 is the shortest route to Exeter from London, but the M5/M4 is still faster - and safer. You can sometimes get bad traffic on the A303 too. Not so much of a problem on the bike but it still slows you down.

Either way take the A4 from the A416 to earls court and then take the embankment route to vauxhall bridge. Don't try to cut accross south of the river.

Around Exeter/Barnsatble I don't know. My folks live in Plymouth and I like taking the long route over Dartmoor through Mortenhamsted and Princetown.

Re: Bluesteel needs your route guidance...
 

A373 is a lot of fun on a bike as is the A377, A361 is mostly dual carriagway and it dull as ditchwater

Personally stay off the A303 as much as humanly possible. It'll be carnage this weekend as its Easter.

Re: Bluesteel needs your route guidance...
 

There is a really good road from Taunton to South Molton (about 10 miles before Barnstable) It's the B3227. So you could go A303, A372, A378, A358 into Taunton.

Who wants to do motorway on a bike. No fun at all.

Re: Bluesteel needs your route guidance...
 

A303 is fun if you do it before everyone else is awake :D

Re: Bluesteel needs your route guidance...
 

Oh yeah!

bank holidays + A303 = awful


Motorways are ok if you are just trying to get there. It's a long way after all.

Re: Bluesteel needs your route guidance...
 

Actually I do the Plymouth to ondon route every so often and wondered if anyone had any more tips? A373 looks like be a good alternative to the boredom of the A30 near exeter airport.

Re: Bluesteel needs your route guidance...
 

Ok ok. I've been soooo frikkin bored at work I have new constructed a new route, with a less speed more beauty mantra.

Take the A30 at the junction for the A34 as soon as I get onto the A303, then follow that down all the way to Honiton. Then go up on the A373 as before to Cullompton, taking the back roads from there to Tiverton. At Tiverton I locate the B3137 which takes me all the way to South Molton...

Whaddya think?

I'm aiming for 60mpg, as the last time I went up the A30 from Exeter to London I managed 65mpg on my old Yamaha 600-4.

Re: Bluesteel needs your route guidance...
 

I used to live in Cornwall and the M4/M5 combo was alwasy quicker than either the A30/A303. Not as interesting mind you, but definitely the quickest.

Re: Bluesteel needs your route guidance...
 

I think you'll be filtering along most of that...

You could come off the A303 at Amesbury, take the A345 into Sailsbury, then the A30 all the way to Shaftesbury, then Yeovil, Then Crewkerne, then Chard and the pop back on on the A303 for about 10 miles and then come off at Honiton and pick up your orginal route. Just depends how much of a hurry you are in...