Day out

[Jcloughie]

We have ventured out and about so little recently, for obvious reasons. But we have decided to get a new dinning table and chairs. We chose one on line but wanted to confirm we like it and to choose the chairs from the options. Nearest showroom is Stow-on-the£Wold of all places. In a grade 1 listed hotel. We commented on the light traffic on the way. So difficult to find as they are not allowed to put signs on the building. Just freestanding boards outside. We chose them and made the order. They let us leave the car there while we wandered around the town. Just as well, no parking to be had. (Thats a parking tip for any one visiting, Just pop in the Unicorn Hotel, look at some furniture and ask for the barrier exit code).

Lunch prices were silly, so we decided to go to Bourton-on-the-Water as we know a reasonable pub there. Bourton have a good parking policy, lots available for £5 for all day with a short walk. But short walks are long for me so I tried my hand on the through road by the Windrush and make use of the blue badge. Got in with inches to spare.

Bourton was chokablock. Had a nice meal and a wander. Traffic heavy going home, particularly the M5 bit. We thought we had left early enough to miss any who commute. But we were wrong.

On the 8th we leave for a couple of weeks in Cornwall. We are hoping we would be missing the worst of the summer traffic, now not not so sure.

John

 

[Mel]

We have spent chunks of the summer at our seasonal pitch in North Wales with grown up children and young children in various combinations. Never seen the beaches/towns/tourist attractions so busy. Traffic chaos in Conwy. Roads all chocca. Whether it gets any better when the schools go back and us retirees go out without children, remains to be seen. Hopefully the borders will open next year and a chunk of those clogging up the country with Staycations will go to Spain.
On the up side a much needed boost for UK tourism industry so I also hope not everyone goes.
Mel

 

[otherclive]

We have ventured out and about so little recently, for obvious reasons. But we have decided to get a new dinning table and chairs. We chose one on line but wanted to confirm we like it and to choose the chairs from the options. Nearest showroom is Stow-on-the£Wold of all places. In a grade 1 listed hotel. We commented on the light traffic on the way. So difficult to find as they are not allowed to put signs on the building. Just freestanding boards outside. We chose them and made the order. They let us leave the car there while we wandered around the town. Just as well, no parking to be had. (Thats a parking tip for any one visiting, Just pop in the Unicorn Hotel, look at some furniture and ask for the barrier exit code).

Lunch prices were silly, so we decided to go to Bourton-on-the-Water as we know a reasonable pub there. Bourton have a good parking policy, lots available for £5 for all day with a short walk. But short walks are long for me so I tried my hand on the through road by the Windrush and make use of the blue badge. Got in with inches to spare.

Bourton was chokablock. Had a nice meal and a wander. Traffic heavy going home, particularly the M5 bit. We thought we had left early enough to miss any who commute. But we were wrong.

On the 8th we leave for a couple of weeks in Cornwall. We are hoping we would be missing the worst of the summer traffic, now not not so sure.

John

Two weeks ago we came back from Coventry and around 1530 hit heavy traffic leading south into Stow on the Fosse. Whoever approved the Tesco just north of the town want shooting. It took us nearly 30 minutes to get through.

 

[Jcloughie]

Two weeks ago we came back from Coventry and around 1530 hit heavy traffic leading south into Stow on the Fosse. Whoever approved the Tesco just north of the town want shooting. It took us nearly 30 minutes to get through.

Never had a problem with the Tesco, Just the lights in Stow, very bad today as Sheep Street heading to Chipping Camden is closed for resurfacing. It was probably closed when you went passed it causing the traffic to go back as far as Tesco. Stow and Moreton are always bottle necks, nevertheless, we often prefer to use the Fosse way as it is mostly a pleasant drive.


John

 

[Mel]

Is it National Resurfacing Month? All the roads around us in Derbyshire have had closures for resurfacing, ditto North Wales. Clearly going on in the South West too.
Mel

 

[otherclive]

Never had a problem with the Tesco, Just the lights in Stow, very bad today as Sheep Street heading to Chipping Camden is closed for resurfacing. It was probably closed when you went passed it causing the traffic to go back as far as Tesco. Stow and Moreton are always bottle necks, nevertheless, we often prefer to use the Fosse way as it is mostly a pleasant drive.


John

As you head south the lights near the Tesco change to red letting shoppers out to turn left. But the lights aren’t synced with the next set where an A road comes in from the right. Invariably the exiting supermarket traffic fills that section whilst the the traffic from the A road will fill the section through to the next lights. Those lights are in a narrow section and if two vehicles wish to turn right then south bound traffic goes no where. I travelled that route almost weekly from June 2018 for the next 12 months. And my journey was always mid to late afternoon. Even in winter Stow could be snarled up. So I found a country route that branched off before Stow and bought me in south of the Tesco lights on the A road that joined the Fosse.

 

[Buckman]

As you head south the lights near the Tesco change to red letting shoppers out to turn left. But the lights aren’t synced with the next set where an A road comes in from the right. Invariably the exiting supermarket traffic fills that section whilst the the traffic from the A road will fill the section through to the next lights. Those lights are in a narrow section and if two vehicles wish to turn right then south bound traffic goes no where. I travelled that route almost weekly from June 2018 for the next 12 months. And my journey was always mid to late afternoon. Even in winter Stow could be snarled up. So I found a country route that branched off before Stow and bought me in south of the Tesco lights on the A road that joined the Fosse.

Spot on and a right pain in the rear! Moreton was one of our favourite sites many years ago, but no longer. Probably easier and quicker to drive around London. Having said that we enjoy visiting Bourton on Water. There is a very nice shop there that sells leather jackets with wool lining. I want one, but at those prices I can only drool! Another shop has a fantastic range of beautiful clocks, but now that we are retired no clock watching. LOL!

 

[Jcloughie]

As you head south the lights near the Tesco change to red letting shoppers out to turn left. But the lights aren’t synced with the next set where an A road comes in from the right. Invariably the exiting supermarket traffic fills that section whilst the the traffic from the A road will fill the section through to the next lights. Those lights are in a narrow section and if two vehicles wish to turn right then south bound traffic goes no where. I travelled that route almost weekly from June 2018 for the next 12 months. And my journey was always mid to late afternoon. Even in winter Stow could be snarled up. So I found a country route that branched off before Stow and bought me in south of the Tesco lights on the A road that joined the Fosse.

As you said, the problem is that the traffic has backed up from the lights at Stow. The Tesco lights may well be poorly synced. Perhaps a box junction is needed. Whenever I have been through the traffic has not backed up that far so I have not seen the problem in the way you describe. But I suggest that the main problem stems from the bottle neck in Stow.

The Tesco lights don’t just serve Tesco. There is also a large busy visitor car park with a walkway through into Stow,

When we use that road we just expect hold ups at Stow and Moreton and accept the inevitable.

Spot on and a right pain in the rear! Moreton was one of our favourite sites many years ago, but no longer. Probably easier and quicker to drive around London. Having said that we enjoy visiting Bourton on Water. There is a very nice shop there that sells leather jackets with wool lining. I want one, but at those prices I can only drool! Another shop has a fantastic range of beautiful clocks, but now that we are retired no clock watching. LOL!

Unlike Stow and Bourton. Moreton have no real provision for visitor parking. The best day to visit is market day, but the market takes up 90% of the little parking available.

John

 

[otherclive]

As you said, the problem is that the traffic has backed up from the lights at Stow. The Tesco lights may well be poorly synced. Perhaps a box junction is needed. Whenever I have been through the traffic has not backed up that far so I have not seen the problem in the way you describe. But I suggest that the main problem stems from the bottle neck in Stow.

The Tesco lights don’t just serve Tesco. There is also a large busy visitor car park with a walkway through into Stow,

When we use that road we just expect hold ups at Stow and Moreton and accept the inevitable.



Unlike Stow and Bourton. Moreton have no real provision for visitor parking. The best day to visit is market day, but the market takes up 90% of the little parking available.

John

There is a box junction at the Tesco lights but that doesn’t stop outgoing traffic turning left and filling that section down to the next lights. That then stops southbound traffic on the Fosse going forwards into the box as they can’t readily see a way of exiting it due one or both of the next two sets of lights being at red and the road full of cars. I know the Tesco car park is long stay it notifies you as come south but I didn’t think the southbound Fosse was a part of it. 😀

 

[Buckman]

Unlike Stow and Bourton. Moreton have no real provision for visitor parking. The best day to visit is market day, but the market takes up 90% of the little parking available.
John

Went to Moreton once for the market and never again. Had to get Margaret to drop me off and then she had to drive back to CAMC site and walk in. Repeat when we need to return back to the site. Absolutely zero parking in Moreton anywhere on market day.