We are going for a long week end to Newcastle on Tyne leaving between 0100 and 0300 on Thursday morning. What can I expect in the way of night time closures or diversons from the Dartford Tunnel onwards Please? Planning to go M25 M11 A14 A1.
Not sure if you intend using it but there are some closures and diversions in the Tyne Tunnel, effective from 10.00 pm Friday 25th until 6.00am Monday 28th. Google TyneTunnel closures for full details. Hope this helps, enjoy your weekend!
Tyneside
a1 and m11 are messed up having said that it takes me an hour to get from newington (spade lane) to the m25/m11 junction (j27) so if you leave at the end of your window they might be over by the time you get up the m11
Also major long term works on A1 between The Angel and Team Valley. Ongoing until 2025. Reduced lanes in both directions and causing long tail backs at peak times. Depending on where you are going may be better going up A19 to just north of Nissan, pick up signs for Gateshead, along Felling By Pass and over Tyne Bridge(presume you are in car)
There are also nighttime works on A19 just North of Teeside, think 8.00pm till 6.00am.
Tyneside
Thanks yes car, heading for Quayside/Sandhill virtually under the bridge so planning last bit to head for the Tyne Bridge and at the foot of the bridge fork off and go over the swing bridge. Was thinking of taking the A167 Durham rd from The Angel junction?
Was going to mention that if out of peak hours you could come up A1M to the Angel and along A167 Durham Rd.
Another alternative is to turn right at the Eighton Lodge (Angel) junction, up the hill (Long Bank towards Wrekenton / Eighton Banks) past Ravensworth Golf Club on your left at the brow of the hill, carry straight on up another incline to mini r/bout at top (Farmfoods on your right) turn left at r/bout, another r/bout in about 50 yards turn right then left at traffic lights.
Now on Old Durham Road, which runs parallel to Durham Rd, keep going for about 3 miles and you will drop down the hill into Gateshead and straight on towards the Tyne Bridge.
This route takes you past the QE Hospital on the right, about 100 yards past the hospital the road drops down Sodhouse Bank, if it is a clear day the top of the bank offers the best view of the town, virtually up to the Cheviot Hills.
Tyneside
tyneside:
Another alternative is to turn right at the Eighton Lodge (Angel) junction, up the hill (Long Bank towards Wrekenton / Eighton Banks) past Ravensworth Golf Club on your left at the brow of the hill, carry straight on up another incline to mini r/bout at top (Farmfoods on your right) turn left at r/bout, another r/bout in about 50 yards turn right then left at traffic lights.
Once you get near 7am that route can be every bit as bad as the major routes, even worse towards 8am with the school run traffic.
Whatever OP does, I’d strongly suggest he needs to exit A1(M) no later than the Birtley turnoff once he get anywhere near the normal working day hours.
cav551:
We are going for a long week end to Newcastle on Tyne leaving between 0100 and 0300 on Thursday morning. What can I expect in the way of night time closures or diversons from the Dartford Tunnel onwards Please? Planning to go M25 M11 A14 A1.
Best of luck. Do a night trunk from East Yorks to Erith and back, set off back at 1am…4hrs to get there, almost 6 to get back and sometimes we’ve had to have drivers rescued from running out of hours.
Hardest part will be finding a route from Dartford to the Midlands as the Highways Agency basically cut the country in half with road closures.
Multiple closures on M25 between Dartford and M1, often a closure on the M11, not that you can even get on it some nights because they close one or more M25-M11 sliproads. Multiple closures on the A1/A1M typically from Peterborough up to Stamford, the odd one to Newark, J34-35 A1M closure then around J65-68 near Newcastle. M1 shafted anywhere from M25 to J16 with the odd night from J19-20.
Use this website. Check after around 2pm on Wednesday.
nationalhighways.co.uk/travel-u … re-report/
So it’s showing you’re a lucky boy tonight…
M25 a bit shafted depending on where you get on it…J1A northbound entry slip closed. J27 to 25 closed but J27 is for M11…looks like you’ve been lucky because…
M11 OK
A14 OK.
A1M is closed J16-17 at Peterborougb but that diversion isn’t a bad one and adds about 5-10 minutes at most.
A1 OK.
Thank you ver much everyone, off to bye byes now. Catch up in a few days.
Conor:
cav551:
We are going for a long week end to Newcastle on Tyne leaving between 0100 and 0300 on Thursday morning. What can I expect in the way of night time closures or diversons from the Dartford Tunnel onwards Please? Planning to go M25 M11 A14 A1.Best of luck. Do a night trunk from East Yorks to Erith and back, set off back at 1am…4hrs to get there, almost 6 to get back and sometimes we’ve had to have drivers rescued from running out of hours.
Hardest part will be finding a route from Dartford to the Midlands as the Highways Agency basically cut the country in half with road closures.
Multiple closures on M25 between Dartford and M1, often a closure on the M11, not that you can even get on it some nights because they close one or more M25-M11 sliproads. Multiple closures on the A1/A1M typically from Peterborough up to Stamford, the odd one to Newark, J34-35 A1M closure then around J65-68 near Newcastle. M1 shafted anywhere from M25 to J16 with the odd night from J19-20.
Use this website. Check after around 2pm on Wednesday.
nationalhighways.co.uk/travel-u … re-report/
So it’s showing you’re a lucky boy tonight…
M25 a bit shafted depending on where you get on it…J1A northbound entry slip closed. J27 to 25 closed but J27 is for M11…looks like you’ve been lucky because…M11 OK
A14 OK.
A1M is closed J16-17 at Peterborougb but that diversion isn’t a bad one and adds about 5-10 minutes at most.
A1 OK.
A1M was shut Northbound tonight 36-37 despite not being listed on the website. Granted not a difficult diversion through Doncaster but still.
I thought they were improving recently with the closure listings being more accurate but shows you still can’t rely on them. I’d send them some choice feedback but what’s the point.
Feedback:
Thank you gentlemen for your interest and help with this. Since you took the trouble to offer advice it is only fair to report how things went, otherwise we can all become detered for bothering if no one gives any feedback. I took a little bit of this and a little bit of that, and a gander at the map and Google Steet View and combined the lot.
We left just before 3am and it all worked out perfectly. I actually live in Maidstone so the issues around the Dartford Tunnel did not affect me. As luck would have it our timing was spot on, as we got to Peterborough the closure was just finishing and we went straight through, exactly the same happened at 36/37 at Doncaster. We stopped at Wetherby services for a toilet break and a drink from the flask while we waited for it to get light properly. I had forgotten what a horrible bit of road that is from Stamford through to Worksop in the dark. We then stopped again at Boroughbridge for the best part of an hour at around 8am for Breakfast £2.99 in Morrisons and filled up with petrol - 4 pence a litre cheaper than at home.
Taking note of the advice given about traffic jams south of Newcastle we took the A194M for one junction, turned off and doubled back through Springwell and joined the Old Durham rd to experience the view over the city from Sodhouse Bank. As planned we dropped down over the Swing Bridge and arrived on the Quayside around half 10.
The weekend was most enjoyable, what a lovely City Newcastle is and we really have to say it is made by the people, SO much more friendly and helpful than we are used to at home and when we do sometimes venture to London. The hotel staff were SO helpful resolving our problems with E tickets and getting them downloaded onto a mobile phone and reassuring us everything would be OK. My wife has Lupus and finds walking extremely tiring so it was taxis several times to get around; we were impressed by how cheap they are. We drove to the Angel on Friday morning and Friday night was the Utilita arena for a Westlife gig (not really my cup of tea but the trip was my wife’s xmas present from last year as a fan… and to be fair I must admit that they can sing very well.) I just wish that when people go to a gig or to Formula one and pay for seat that they would ■■■■■■■ SIT in it. My wife’s best view was on other people’s mobile phones!
Saturday was a walk around the immediate area and climbing all those stairs in the Castle! Sunday worked out exactly as I had hoped (My wife is a Newcastle supporter … me? Inverurie Loco Works). With the world cup on there are no Premiership games at present which had been a perceived dampener on my initially planned pesent, but we were surprised and delighted to find that the Magpie Ladies were playin, so for £8 one old git and his wife were admitted to watch the game. That was the highlight as far as Mrs Cav was concerned.
Return trip was back down Durham rd and A1 in reverse order in the fog which cleared around Peterborough. Left at 0945 home by 1700.
Overall not much impressed by the standard of lorry driving seen… too close, too much elephant racing, and needless overtaking the lorry in front which is moving at the same speed as the half dozen nose to tail in front of that one, and lastly the trend of indicating to pull out just as a car gets level with the offside blindspot alongside the cab - that is frightening! please do it earlier when I know I can be seen. I know it is for the benefit of the car behind me … or do I ?
Again Thanks everyone.
One last thing addressed to Newcastle City Council: Like all Local Authorities you are happy enough to extort business rates out of all your local businesses, has it not occurred to you that visitors spend money which supports those businesses who pay you those rates? So look after your icons and PAINT the Bridges.
Good to hear you enjoyed your weekend.
Went to Springwell infant / junior school MANY years ago and lived and worked in the area my whole life until 18 months ago.
Been a lot of discussion about the poor state of the Tyne Bridge recently. Newcastle and Gateshead councils have been criticised for allowing it to get that way.
Looks like repairs / repainting is going start next year, estimated to take four years and cost in excess of 20 million quid.
Did you notice the signs for the CAZ. Goes live in January, certain vehicles will be charged to access the city centre.
Tyneside
cav551:
Feedback:Thank you gentlemen for your interest and help with this. Since you took the trouble to offer advice it is only fair to report how things went, otherwise we can all become detered for bothering if no one gives any feedback. I took a little bit of this and a little bit of that, and a gander at the map and Google Steet View and combined the lot.
We left just before 3am and it all worked out perfectly. I actually live in Maidstone so the issues around the Dartford Tunnel did not affect me. As luck would have it our timing was spot on, as we got to Peterborough the closure was just finishing and we went straight through, exactly the same happened at 36/37 at Doncaster. We stopped at Wetherby services for a toilet break and a drink from the flask while we waited for it to get light properly. I had forgotten what a horrible bit of road that is from Stamford through to Worksop in the dark. We then stopped again at Boroughbridge for the best part of an hour at around 8am for Breakfast £2.99 in Morrisons and filled up with petrol - 4 pence a litre cheaper than at home.
Taking note of the advice given about traffic jams south of Newcastle we took the A194M for one junction, turned off and doubled back through Springwell and joined the Old Durham rd to experience the view over the city from Sodhouse Bank. As planned we dropped down over the Swing Bridge and arrived on the Quayside around half 10.
The weekend was most enjoyable, what a lovely City Newcastle is and we really have to say it is made by the people, SO much more friendly and helpful than we are used to at home and when we do sometimes venture to London. The hotel staff were SO helpful resolving our problems with E tickets and getting them downloaded onto a mobile phone and reassuring us everything would be OK. My wife has Lupus and finds walking extremely tiring so it was taxis several times to get around; we were impressed by how cheap they are. We drove to the Angel on Friday morning and Friday night was the Utilita arena for a Westlife gig (not really my cup of tea but the trip was my wife’s xmas present from last year as a fan… and to be fair I must admit that they can sing very well.) I just wish that when people go to a gig or to Formula one and pay for seat that they would [zb] SIT in it. My wife’s best view was on other people’s mobile phones!
Saturday was a walk around the immediate area and climbing all those stairs in the Castle! Sunday worked out exactly as I had hoped (My wife is a Newcastle supporter … me? Inverurie Loco Works). With the world cup on there are no Premiership games at present which had been a perceived dampener on my initially planned pesent, but we were surprised and delighted to find that the Magpie Ladies were playin, so for £8 one old git and his wife were admitted to watch the game. That was the highlight as far as Mrs Cav was concerned.
Return trip was back down Durham rd and A1 in reverse order in the fog which cleared around Peterborough. Left at 0945 home by 1700.
Overall not much impressed by the standard of lorry driving seen… too close, too much elephant racing, and needless overtaking the lorry in front which is moving at the same speed as the half dozen nose to tail in front of that one, and lastly the trend of indicating to pull out just as a car gets level with the offside blindspot alongside the cab - that is frightening! please do it earlier when I know I can be seen. I know it is for the benefit of the car behind me … or do I ?
Again Thanks everyone.
One last thing addressed to Newcastle City Council: Like all Local Authorities you are happy enough to extort business rates out of all your local businesses, has it not occurred to you that visitors spend money which supports those businesses who pay you those rates? So look after your icons and PAINT the Bridges.
Good weekend review that 
Glad it went well!
cav551:
Feedback:The weekend was most enjoyable, what a lovely City Newcastle is and we really have to say it is made by the people, SO much more friendly and helpful than we are used to at home and when we do sometimes venture to London.
Very true, we’re great up here 
We even talk to each other on public transport and it’s not considered weird
One last thing addressed to Newcastle City Council: Like all Local Authorities you are happy enough to extort business rates out of all your local businesses, has it not occurred to you that visitors spend money which supports those businesses who pay you those rates? So look after your icons and PAINT the Bridges.
Very topical, bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-63793960
^^^
Thanks for the link. Good to see something is going to happen, but I wouldn’t trust HMG not to renage on their funding contribution in favour of polishing a turd in London…
Sad to say that the Swing Bridge looked equally neglected : I noticed a 3/8 inch thick reinforcing plate, presumably a repair from the last renovation, rusted completely through. By the time we had come down from the roof of the Castle Mrs Cav was too tired to walk across the High Level Bridge so I didn’t see what state that is in.