A Good holiday spoilt by the journey

[Orcs]

As I right this we have just got home after a weeks holiday in Devon, but we are exhausted rather than refreshed.  The place we rented was amazing , countryside was beautiful, We went out on the kayaks several times. Even the weather was excellent, but we are wondering if we will bother again.

The main reason is the Traffic. We have had two holidays this year in the UK. One in Wales near Techno Towers and one in South Devon.  Both holidays were marred by horrendous traffic o both the journey there and the journey home. On none of the journeys could we fin anty reason, such as aan accident, roadworks or similar.  It just seemed to be the sheer volume of traffic.

Both Wales and south Devon were journeys of some 220 miles and should have taken around 5 hours including a refreshment break of 45 mins.   Wales took over 7 hours each way, Devon took 11 hours on the trip there and 7 coming back.

The only thing we can find to explain the volume of traffic is the trend for holiday accommodation to book Friday to Friday. They do this so they can book short breaks Friday-Monday and Monday-Friday.  The result is that the holiday traffic is on the road on weekdays as well as the usual traffic. Mondays and Fridays Always have been the busiest days for traffic as people start and finish the working week.  

We think this has also been made worse by the fact that Holiday accommodation that used to be available from around 2PM is now only available from 5PM, thus pushing the holiday traffic into the evening rush hour period. As you have to be out of your accommodation by 9am this effectively reduces your holiday to 6 days

The time taken for the door to door on the trip to Devon 2 hours longer than it took on our last trip to Turkey.  To Devon the time was spent in traffic jams and stressful nose to tail traffic.   Going to Turkey was stress free and we spent the travel time relaxing reading books or watching films.

The other is the cost, due to the rental price of holiday accommodation in the UK  its now cheaper to go abroad to a villa with a private pool than to rent quality accommodation over here.  Some places we looked at were effectively single roomed  Studio apartments, that they wanted over £800 for a week outside of school holidays.  I say a week, but with restricted access it is only 6 days
The rental properties need to stop their flagrant overcharging "due to covid costs" - Often some 30-50% above last years prices which cannot be justified for the small amount of extra cleaning.  

Yes Turkey was a little more expensive for a week than the UK, but a fortnight Turkey would have been cheaper than a fortnight in the UK, we would have had our own pool and guaranteed the weather. (with the current exchange rate it would now be even cheaper as the £1 is worth 4 times what it was when we went a couple of years ago)

The USA has imposed a 2 day gap between all property rentals, but they have not added to the costs, as the US market will not pay it. They  are still half the price of UK accomodation. So again 2 weeks in the US is still nearly as cheap as the UK , and the weather is much better.

It is becoming harder and harder to justify holidaying in this country.

Rant Over

[Westmarcher]

Sounds horrendous, Orcs. Can't help thinking that COVID is playing a part here. I've not been down Cornwall/Devon way for years but remember never the best for traffic. Perhaps try elsewhere in the UK? We recently had a really good 4 day (3 night) break in Northumberland staying at an Airbnb, slightly better with a check in at 4.00 pm, check out 10.00 am.  Hopefully, things will improve.

[FierceKitty]

If only London didn't have so many theatres and art galleries!

[Heedless Horseman]

Not really a 'reply' just comment / rant. back in 70s / 80s, road traffic could be a 'nuisance'... but seldom a' problem'.
Now... so much more 'commuter' use... plus HGVs... plus 'school run'... I used to like driving... but not now.
NE probably better that 'South'... but still 'gripes'.
You see the 'motorway improvement ' projects... even NOW not really 'necessary'... and 'if' we believe that traffic will decline in future... WTF? But with signed projected completion dates of TWO YEARS!
Mount Pleasant Falklands Military Fast Jet airfield was built from scratch in 2 years... not just 'road widening'!
Strange, how little work seem to happen during day... ok, can impose more restrictions at night to allow construction usage... but think that construction firms .. and also some workers... will 'spin things out' to get most out of contracts.

A 'pet hate' has been the increasingly complicated 'Roundabouts'. You 'used' to get on to them...  with suitable 'gap'... (yes, sometimes had to wait!)... but that was it! just went round until you needed to exit.
Then, they started to introduce specific Lanes, Lights, etc. NO WAY you could watch for other traffic... lanes and lights... and negotiate lane changes... at same time without increased risk!
ABSOLUTE HATE!  
To planner's credit... there does seem to be a 'change' towards 'Light controlled  junctions' now... but sometimes complex... and sometimes so 'Big' to accommodate HGV turning, that other Traffic can 'wander'.

CITY driving... I don't.   You used to know how to get to a place... and you could!  Now... 'One Ways', 'Busses only', Cameras, possible speed restrictions... etc. Newxastle-u-T bad, but Sunderland... could SEE where I wanted to go... but 'redirected'... until lost... in SUNDELAND! lol.  

London, or other Big Cities... have not done it... only been driven around...but estimate MY survival in minutes.

Back to Holiday drives... even back in 70s... visit to Mousehole, Cormwall... ma turned back due to road traffic from 'lorries' on narrow lanes... and Wales, return from Morfa Nevyn' , took lot longer than we thought. Rural Northumberland... just take your time... especially  on the 'humpy' Roman Military roads... dangerous!

'Overseas Holidays'... well, I can't, anyway... but still think that, even with vacs... I would wait for a while. Def CAN understand the need to 'get away from everything' for a while, though.

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

The M6 - 200 miles of road works.

[Steve J]

When I been setting off for Scotland to take out daughter to Uni on a weekend, the traffic going North is fine, going South a nightmare. The reverse when coming back. We wouldn't holiday in the UK now due to the high prices for rental. As you say, once in Turkey it is sooo cheap out there, even when the exchange rate was not as good as today.

[Heedless Horseman]

200 Miles!  NOT Fun,,, now.
But... imagine 'two to three weeks' , 'road trip' in 'earlier years'... BUT with opportunity for 'Loot, Pillage, etc, and 'mayhem'?

Just to be VERY, VERY  silly... imagine a raiding party  of 'Gamers'... maybe not on foot, or horse., (lol!).. but 'charabanc.'.  going on a  'spree' / 'chevau che' along  200 miles of unsuspecting conventions and Model Shops? Nice Horrendous  thought! LOL!

[T13A]

Works for me! Where do I sign up? 

Cheers Paul

[Gwydion]

My sympathies Orcs. I share your thoughts about foreign v domestic holidays. There's something wrong when its cheaper and easier to holiday a thousand miles or more away from UK than to stay and enjoy or own country.

As for traffic jams etc, :

Vehicles registered in UK 1970 - 13.5 million

Vehicles registered in UK 2021 - 38.6 million

Don't have figures for average miles travelled per vehicle but I would put money on it being a massive increase as well. In the 70s people worked closer to home generally, there wasn't the reliance on small load just in time industry transport, nor the massive number of van deliveries of online purchases. Add that lot up and road construction has not (and we probably wouldn't want it to have) kept pace with traffic volumes.

On the Falklands, lets not keep to their construction timetables - HH did you ever travel the road from MPA to Stanley? I presume somebody must have got around to surfacing the missing bits by now?

[Ben Waterhouse]

Strange isn't it? I went to me Ma's in Yorkshire from the Isle of Wight a couple of weeks ago. M27, M3, A34, M40, A43 and M1; no problems there or back...

[Orcs]

The worst bit was around Bristol and the junction of the  M4 and M5. On the way there the motorways were so blocked  the sat nav diverted us through Bristol . On the way back we ended up cutting the corner and joining the M4 near Chippenham.


Going to wales the M4 was a virtual car park from Cardiff to the end of the Motorway. And the same for that section on the way home

[Steve J]

The M4/M5 junction is always a nightmare. Basically we live on the SE outskirts of Bristol and it takes us an hour cross country to join the M5 going Southbound, as it is not viable going via the M4/M5 junction. If we do journey out, we set off very, very early to get ahead of the traffic, as it's the only way to avoid the traffic jams, famous last words.

[kustenjaeger]

My son and daughter in law moved from Bristol to Plymouth in June and their one journey to see us (Hampshire/Surrey border) from Plymouth took 7 hours vs 3.5-3.75 expected (luckily their return trip was OK).

At some point we'll go to Plymouth to see them (our dog is now too old and frail to leave or to travel) and I am not looking forward to the drive. On Wednesday I am going to a colleague's funeral in Milton Keynes which will be the furthest I've driven in a year.

Edward

[Gwydion]

On the other hand ...
I spent the last three years driving up and down the M48/M4/M5 from S Wales to Birmingham (daughter at Birmingham Uni) and rarely experienced any serious difficulties. c90 miles, average time c 1hr 40mins.

One solid tailback, courtesy of escaped animals on carriageway was about it for serious delays. (Of course a year of this was Covid affected so reduced my travel and volume of traffic when I did). Going south at the M5/M4 interchange is another story, courtesy mostly of Cribbs.

[Heedless Horseman]

My sympathies Orcs. I share your thoughts about foreign v domestic holidays. There's something wrong when its cheaper and easier to holiday a thousand miles or more away from UK than to stay and enjoy or own country.

As for traffic jams etc, :

Vehicles registered in UK 1970 - 13.5 million

Vehicles registered in UK 2021 - 38.6 million

Don't have figures for average miles travelled per vehicle but I would put money on it being a massive increase as well. In the 70s people worked closer to home generally, there wasn't the reliance on small load just in time industry transport, nor the massive number of van deliveries of online purchases. Add that lot up and road construction has not (and we probably wouldn't want it to have) kept pace with traffic volumes.

On the Falklands, lets not keep to their construction timetables - HH did you ever travel the road from MPA to Stanley? I presume somebody must have got around to surfacing the missing bits by now?

All true.  1980s, UK, travel to work was 10 miles... car or bus. 95 on... 32-35 miles,,, and car was your 'smoking shelter'! Falklands... point was to build a Fast Jet runway plus airfield facilities.. Roads... no... never been, but would imagine some bits 'missing' from 'roads'... but rural UK not all that different! 'Potholes'...even in an 'affluent' area... still an issue! From very limited travel rural Spain or Yugoslavia... sometimes lucky if 'road' was there!
For Delivery vans for online... i would prefer Post Offfice delivery... others not as good in 'some' ways... though not bad...but up to seller. That is 'Privatisation'... proliferation of use by multiple users. If expecting multiple deliveries... was roughly 10am-3pm... now 8am -6.30 pm!... all different vans!