Route planning - advice for places to stop for a break

[Steve1962]

Hi all,

Having got home from Back of beyond a couple of hours ago after a great week long break, we are now planning for our next trip which is 2 weeks at the start of August and for this we are going to a site called Deers Mead, Erpingham in Norfolk.
We use a Garmin Sat nav that allows you to put in the dimensions of your outfit so it will only take you on roads that are suitable for that set up - so far it has been utterly reliable, including diversions and traffic updates, and the route it has planned for us is below.
We live in west Oxon and having never been to Norfolk I'm not familiar with the roads there so am after advice for suitable break stops along the way.
The route takes us:
Oxford A34 To M40
Off M40 onto A43, past the M1 and (onto the A5123, then A5076) to A45.
A45 to Thrapston, then A14 all the way to the A11,follow that round Norwich and onto A47 to Thorpe St Andrew, L onto A1270 and R onto A410 to Aylsham and the site is on that road just past the town.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Steve

 

[Dustydog]

Steve , we live near Cirencester, Two years ago I used this route to North Walsham.
Here it is a screen dump

Via A420 - 4 hours 29 mins - 208.9 miles (show in km)

---

• Start:
  High Street, Cricklade, Swindon, UK
• 0.0
  Head south on High St
• 0.0
  At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto Calcutt St/B4040
  Go through 1 roundabout
• 0.5
  At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit
• 0.7
  Take the slip road onto A419
• 7.4
  Take the slip road to Dorcan/Gablecross/S.Marston Village/Greenbridge
• 7.5
  At White Hart, take the 1st exit onto A420
• 7.7
  At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit
• 7.8
  Continue onto A420
• 11.3
  At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit and stay on A420
• 12.9
  Turn left towards Faringdon Rd/A420
• 12.9
  Merge onto Faringdon Rd/A420
• 24.7
  At Kingston Bagpuize Roundabout, take the 2nd exit and stay on A420
• 25.7
  Continue straight to stay on A420
• 27.9
  At the roundabout, take the 1st exit and stay on A420
• 32.7
  At Botley Interchange, take the 3rd exit onto the A34 slip road to London/Newbury/Wycombe/Reading/A4074/A40/M40
• 33.1
  Merge onto Southern By-Pass Rd/A34
• 35.1
  Take the exit towards Cowley/Henley
• 35.4
  At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto Southern By-Pass Rd/A423
  
  
  
  
  Ring Road
  A423
  London
  (A40)
  (M40)
  Reading
  (A4074)
  
  
  
  
  
• 35.5
  Turn left onto Old Abingdon Rd
• 35.9
  Turn left onto Abingdon Rd/A4144
• 37.0
  Slight left onto Thames St/A420
• 37.2
  Turn right onto Speedwell St
• 37.3
  Turn left onto St Aldate's/A420
• 37.6
  Arrive: Oxford, UK
• 
  Section time: 55 mins 59 s, Total time: 55 mins 59 s
• Start:
  Oxford, UK
• 37.6
  Head south on St Aldate's/A420 towards New Inn Yard
• 37.9
  Continue onto Abingdon Rd/Folly Brg/A4144
  Continue to follow Abingdon Rd/A4144
• 39.3
  Continue straight onto Kennington Roundabout
• 39.3
  Turn right to stay on Kennington Roundabout
• 39.4
  Slight left onto Southern By-Pass Rd/A423
• 39.8
  At Hinksey Hill Interchange, take the 3rd exit onto the A34 slip road to Midlands/M40/Swindon/A420/Botley
• 40.2
  Merge onto Southern By-Pass Rd/A34
  Continue to follow A34
• 51.9
  At Wendlebury Interchange, take the 1st exit onto the M40 slip road to The Midlands/Northampton/Banbury
• 52.1
  Slight right to merge onto M40
• 57.1
  At junction 10, take the A43/B430 exit to Northampton/Middleton Stoney
• 57.5
  At Ardley Roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto A43/B430
• 57.7
  At Cherwell Roundabout, take the 1st exit onto A43
  
  Silverstone
  
  
  
• 58.3
  At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit and stay on A43
  
  
  
  (M1)
  Northampton
  Brackley
  A43
  Milton Keynes
  (A421)
  
  
  
  
• 61.6
  At Barleymow Roundabout, take the 3rd exit onto A421
• 65.6
  At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit and stay on A421
  
  Buckingham
  Milton Keynes
  A421
  
  
• 67.4
  At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Tingewick Rd/A421
• 68.3
  At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto A421
• 68.6
  At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit and stay on A421
• 69.1
  At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit and stay on A421
• 69.5
  At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit and stay on A421
• 69.9
  At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit and stay on A421
• 70.5
  At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit and stay on A421
  
  Milton Keynes
  Bletchley
  A421
  
  
• 74.9
  At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit and stay on A421
• 76.6
  At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit and stay on A421
• 77.7
  At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto H8/Standing Wy/A421
• 78.5
  At Tattenhoe Roundabout, take the 2nd exit and stay on H8/Standing Wy/A421
• 79.3
  At Wind Mill Hill Roundabout, take the 2ndexit and stay on H8/Standing Wy/A421
• 79.8
  At Emerson Roundabout, take the 2nd exit and stay on H8/Standing Wy/A421
• 80.7
  At Elfield Park Roundabout, take the 2nd exit and stay on H8/Standing Wy/A421
• 81.1
  At Bleak Hall Roundabout, take the 2nd exit and stay on H8/Standing Wy/A421
  
  
  Milton Keynes East
  A421
  (M1)
  
  
  
• 81.5
  At Coffee Hall Roundabout, take the 2nd exit and stay on H8/Standing Wy/A421
• 81.7
  At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit and stay on H8/Standing Wy/A421
• 82.0
  At Marina Roundabout, take the 2nd exit and stay on H8/Standing Wy/A421
• 82.1
  At Netherfield Roundabout, continue straight to stay on H8/Standing Wy/A421
• 83.1
  At Kents Hill Roundabout, take the 2nd exit and stay on H8/Standing Wy/A421
• 83.8
  At Brinklow Roundabout, take the 2nd exit and stay on H8/Standing Wy/A421
  
  
  
  Bedford
  Luton
  A421
  (M1 South)
  (A5130)
  
  
  
  
• 84.4
  At Kingston Roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto A421
• 85.0
  At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit and stay on A421
  
  
  (M1 South)
  Bedford
  Luton
  A421
  
  
  
• 85.6
  At Eagle Farm Roundabout, take the 2nd exit and stay on A421
• 87.6
  At the roundabout, take the 1st exit and stay on A421
  
  Bedford
  Cambridge
  A421
  
  
• 105.4
  At Black Cat Roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Great N Rd/A1
• 106.5
  Take the exit towards Cambridge/A428
• 107.1
  Continue onto Great N Rd
• 107.2
  At Wyboston Roundabout, take the 3rd exit onto A428
  
  Cambridge
  A428
  
  
• 108.2
  At Barford Rd Roundabout, take the 2nd exit and stay on A428
• 110.2
  At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Cambridge Rd/A428
  Continue to follow A428
• 115.8
  At Caxton Gibbet, take the 2nd exit and stay on A428
  
  Cambridge
  A428
  
  
• 123.7
  Continue onto A14
• 135.3
  Slight right onto Newmarket Byp/A14
• 141.9
  Take the A11 slip road to Thetford/Norwich
• 142.3
  Continue onto A11
• 142.8
  Keep right to stay on A11
• 148.1
  At Fiveways Roundabout, take the 3rd exit onto London Rd/A11
  Continue to follow A11
• 157.4
  At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Thetford Byp/A11
• 158.3
  At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit and stay on Thetford Byp/A11
• 159.7
  At Mundford Rd Roundabout, take the 2ndexit and stay on Thetford Byp/A11
• 161.6
  At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto A11
  
  Norwich
  A11
  
  
• 171.4
  At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Attleborough Bypass/A11
  Continue to follow A11
• 184.6
  At the roundabout, take the 5th exit onto the Norwich Southern Bypass/A47 slip road to A140/A4146/Gt Yarmouth/Ipswich/Lowestoft
• 185.2
  Merge onto Norwich Southern Bypass/A47
• 191.3
  Keep right to stay on Norwich Southern Bypass/A47
• 192.5
  Take the exit towards Norwich N/Norwich E/Airport/A1042/Thorpe/St. Andrew/Postwick
• 192.6
  Keep right
• 192.8
  At Postwick Interchange, take the 1st exit onto Broadland Northway/A1270
• 193.0
  Keep right to stay on Broadland Northway/A1270
• 193.1
  At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit and stay on Broadland Northway/A1270
• 193.5
  Keep right to stay on Broadland Northway/A1270
• 194.5
  At the roundabout, take the 1st exit and stay on Broadland Northway/A1270
• 195.2
  At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit and stay on Broadland Northway/A1270
• 196.4
  At the roundabout, take the 3rd exit and stay on Broadland Northway/A1270
• 197.7
  At the roundabout, take the 3rd exit onto N Walsham Rd/B1150
• 208.4
  Continue onto Norwich Rd
• 208.4
  At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto King's Arms St
• 208.5
  King's Arms St turns left and becomes Park Ln
• 208.5
  Continue straight to stay on Park Ln
• 208.6
  Turn right onto Aylsham Rd
• 208.8
  Continue straight onto Mundesley Rd
• 208.8
  Turn right onto Vicarage St
• 208.9
  Turn left at Mitre Tavern Yard
• 208.9
  Arrive: North Walsham, UK
• 
  Section time: 3 hours 33 mins, Total time: 4 hours 29 mins

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Map options

 

[Steve1962]

Thanks for that route Dustydog - Google maps would take us basically the same way and I am familiar with the roads until we get to Northampton - our Garmin takes us north from N'Ton rather than across like your route does - did you stop on the way anywhere for a comfort break?

Steve

 

[Dustydog]

Thanks for that route Dustydog - Google maps would take us basically the same way and I am familiar with the roads until we get to Northampton - our Garmin takes us north from N'Ton rather than across like your route does - did you stop on the way anywhere for a comfort break?

Steve

Sad to say Steve we tend to go the distance unless the bladder chirps up. Then it’s a quickie in a lay-by using our own facilities. The route we used was vey quiet l easy towing and no bottle necks.

 

[Hutch]

I would think about the A34, M40 then A412 all the way across past Milton Keynes ( bypassing the roundabouts ) to the A1 up to St Neots A428 and then Cambridge bypass A428 , A11 to Norwich. And onto Aylsham.
The 421 from the M 40 bypasses Buckingham and bypasses Milton Keynes to the south. So nice and easy. Dual carriageway from Milton Keynes, to Cambridge.

 

[Steve1962]

I would think about the A34, M40 then A412 all the way across past Milton Keynes ( bypassing the roundabouts ) to the A1 up to St Neots A428 and then Cambridge bypass A428 , A11 to Norwich. And onto Aylsham.
The 421 from the M 40 bypasses Buckingham and bypasses Milton Keynes to the south. So nice and easy. Dual carriageway from Milton Keynes, to Cambridge.

I will have a good look at this route, thanks very much.👍
Steve

 

[GUMPY]

My comments as someone who does the journey with the van from Nth Devon to Thrapston 6-8 times a year .
We avoid the Northampton ring road as it's a pain when towing and use the M1 from junction 15A down to junction 15 and pick up the A45 there.
The other bit we avoid as it gets clogged is the M40, we use the B430 ( old A43 ) from the A34 to A43.
We find it less stressful doing that.

 

[GUMPY]

If you want an overnight stop on the way to Norfolk we like

https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/certificated-locations/england/cambridgeshire/Huntingdon/Manor-Farm/

A bit further off the A14 than it used to be but worth it.

 

[JRT]

@Steve1962 be wary of trusting your Garmin Sat nav avoiding roads 'unsuitable for towing', even with your outfit dimensions set.

Whilst it will usually avoid specific pinch points or height limits I can tell you from experience that if a road doesn't have any it may still choose a route that is unsuitable for towing.

Mine only did this to me on one one trip before I flogged it and went back to Google maps and street view and a truckers atlas.

Enjoy your trip.