Best route with a motorhome

[Summertime]

I’m picking up a motorhome on the Monday before the festival from the Heathrow area and staying in a campsite near Wells on the Monday evening. 

I’m trying to decide on the best route to take to Wells after leaving the m4 so that I don’t end up on a tiny road that’s not great with a motorhome or have loads of people stuck behind me because I’m having to go slowly down windy roads. 

These are the routes google is suggesting to me. The blue one goes down a number of lanes (eg Freezinghill lane and Landsdown lane) so might not be great? And the other one main one goes through Bristol. 

Does anyone know these roads well enough to say which might be the better route? 

[BlueDaze]

I think that route that you have (A46/A39) looks as good as you will get... You want the directions to be as straightforward as possible  so that you are just focussed on driving..

and go as slow as you like.. you're in a hired van. Get there in one piece..

Then you can enjoy your festival

[parsonjack]

If it was me I'd avoid the M4 route altogether and from Heathrow take M25/M3/A303 as far as Stonehenge, then cut across Salisbury Plain via Shrewton and Chitterne to get to Frome.  Then head out of Frome on A361 towards Shepton then Wells.

That way you will avoid the hell that is getting through Bath altogether, and the latter half of the journey from A303 onwards is much more pleasant than the endless M4.

We live in Frome and always use this route to/from Heathrow.

[Summertime]

Thanks so much both! 
 

@BlueDaze you’re right about just taking my time and hopefully those behind me will be understanding! ☺️
 

Thanks for the local insight @parsonjack. I had looked at that option but discounted it because the handful of times I’ve been that way I’ve got stuck in bad traffic. But sounds like it might just have been bad luck! 

[clarkete]

I'd go m4, Bristol, a37, a39. 

Indeed I have done those last 3 steps twice in somebody else's van. 

All the roads are very easy that way. 

[Neil]

8 minutes ago, clarkete said:

I'd go m4, Bristol, a37, a39. 

Indeed I have done those last 3 steps twice in somebody else's van. 

All the roads are very easy that way. 

bristol is one big traffic jam.

[clarkete]

34 minutes ago, Neil said:

bristol is one big traffic jam.

Calm down fella, you've had your chance to vote Marvin out of a job 😁

[BlueDaze]

1 hour ago, Summertime said:

Thanks so much both! 
 

@BlueDaze you’re right about just taking my time and hopefully those behind me will be understanding! ☺️
 

Thanks for the local insight @parsonjack. I had looked at that option but discounted it because the handful of times I’ve been that way I’ve got stuck in bad traffic. But sounds like it might just have been bad luck! 

If you are travelling down on Monday, you shouldnt have any festival traffic.. and if you want to stay on main roads it may be worth the route suggested by @parsonjackand keep on the A303 right down to Sparkford and then go up the A37 to Shepton Mallet.. The bit from Shepton to Wells looks a bit wiggly, but Heathrow to Sparkford is virtually all dual carriageway

I have been towing a caravan since 2009 and take that route (not this year sadly) and towing always puts the fear of god in me.. so as i said, take your time..  

 

[Summertime]

46 minutes ago, BlueDaze said:

If you are travelling down on Monday, you shouldnt have any festival traffic.. and if you want to stay on main roads it may be worth the route suggested by @parsonjackand keep on the A303 right down to Sparkford and then go up the A37 to Shepton Mallet.. The bit from Shepton to Wells looks a bit wiggly, but Heathrow to Sparkford is virtually all dual carriageway

I have been towing a caravan since 2009 and take that route (not this year sadly) and towing always puts the fear of god in me.. so as i said, take your time..  

 

Yeah looking at it again I think this is a good option. I’m also good with adding a few miles to the journey if it means staying on the easier roads. And then if something happens on the day with traffic I think I’ll go with the M4/Bristol route as my back-up option. 
Thanks all - very helpful! 

[irnkrtn]

Done all those routes in the van and all were fine for us! I can't remember anything too wild. I'd definitely do the Stonehenge way but mainly so I could listen to Stonehenge on repeat for at least 30 minutes.

[parsonjack]

Just rereading this one note of caution although I don't think it will be a problem for you.....Monday night into Tuesday is Summer Solstice so there will be some traffic around the area if you were there late Monday/very early Tuesday....prob not an issue for you though.

Note also that the Solstice Festival is taking place a little past Stonehenge off the A303 at Berwick St James....it runs from Sat 18th to Tues 21st so again prob not a big consideration as you will be there on Monday and all the traffic will be parked up.

if you wanted to play safe there is an easy route to avoid Stonehenge altogether where you leave A303 at the Amesbury roundabout (there are services and a KFC there...) and head north via Bulford and Larkhill to rejoin my route at Shrewton.  Easy good roads all the way. 

[carlosj]

18 hours ago, parsonjack said:

If it was me I'd avoid the M4 route altogether and from Heathrow take M25/M3/A303 as far as Stonehenge, then cut across Salisbury Plain via Shrewton and Chitterne to get to Frome.  Then head out of Frome on A361 towards Shepton then Wells.

That way you will avoid the hell that is getting through Bath altogether, and the latter half of the journey from A303 onwards is much more pleasant than the endless M4.

We live in Frome and always use this route to/from Heathrow.

On our first time, we picked up my mate from Frome. It's a lovely route. Coming from near Leeds, it was refreshing to see adverts for French Polishing on the outskirts 😁.