It makes you wonder how we all got anywhere before motorways, I remember as a kid going on holidays to Cornwall ( from Liverpool pre M6/M5) and it taking forever to get there.
I’ve often wondered which way we went and what roads existed then, I know we went through the Mersey Tunnel and remember going through Whitchurch but that’s about it. Any old timers out there care to hazard a guess
Big Roy:
It makes you wonder how we all got anywhere before motorways, I remember as a kid going on holidays to Cornwall ( from Liverpool pre M6/M5) and it taking forever to get there.
I’ve often wondered which way we went and what roads existed then, I know we went through the Mersey Tunnel and remember going through Whitchurch but that’s about it. Any old timers out there care to hazard a guess
Without looking at a map(seriously).
I would imagine you carried on to Wolverhampton on the A41,then onto Kidderminster then picked up the A38 - Tewkesbury Gloucester -Brissle - Bridgewater- Taunton - Exeter…
Then carry on the A38 to Plymouth or take the A30 depending on what part of Cornwall you were heading for.
Old road from soton When I started driving in the late 70,s we used to leave the docks at 20 gate and go up Winchester rd onto the avenue to chilworth roundabout then chandlers ford bypass and Winchester bypass ( a bit hairy! ) past the old pit cafe and onto the m3 at popham . The motorway finished at bagshot so it was through ascot, Virginia water, sunningdale, egham, colnbrook onto the a4 into london straight through the city for spittalfields or Stratford markets then to barking to get rid of the empty box up to chobham farm ICD for another box to take back to soton average day ho hum!!
Suedehead:
Big Roy:
It makes you wonder how we all got anywhere before motorways, I remember as a kid going on holidays to Cornwall ( from Liverpool pre M6/M5) and it taking forever to get there.
I’ve often wondered which way we went and what roads existed then, I know we went through the Mersey Tunnel and remember going through Whitchurch but that’s about it. Any old timers out there care to hazard a guessWithout looking at a map(seriously).
I would imagine you carried on to Wolverhampton on the A41,then onto Kidderminster then picked up the A38 - Tewkesbury Gloucester -Brissle - Bridgewater- Taunton - Exeter…
Then carry on the A38 to Plymouth or take the A30 depending on what part of Cornwall you were heading for.
Getting through Bristol was not easy as you had to come down under the Suspension bridge and cross the river .
If the bridge was open to let a ship through there was what in its day was a big queue.
The same at Exeter if the bridge was open for a ship. The queue here was even worse with traffic that had come down the A303.
If you left Exeter via Telegraph Hill that was a winding single lane road with another queue if there was an overloaded old banger up front. The old road is still there . Heading towards Exeter fork off left at the top of the hill for Kenford and imagine old the old tackle struggling up there. It comes back out on the main A38 opposite the shell garage.
The first bit of good road was when the Collumpton by pass opened , now part of the M5. I can not remember what the speed limit was on it but it was a favourite place for a speed trap under the road bridge. The new road ended with a sharp left hand turn into a short link road leading to the adjacent A38.
Thanks lads that’s jogged my memory, I remember going through Bristol, it’s interesting to learn how much roads have changed and which old roads have been incorporated into motorways and by-passes.
It must have been a right pain doing distance work back then, having to head for major towns and cities then finding your way through and out the other side instead of passing them in minutes on motorways (most of the time) 
The A41 must have been a busy route, it seems that it must have been the route of choice to head south from the north west, or was there a better way back then?
Big Roy:
It makes you wonder how we all got anywhere before motorways, I remember as a kid going on holidays to Cornwall ( from Liverpool pre M6/M5) and it taking forever to get there.
I’ve often wondered which way we went and what roads existed then, I know we went through the Mersey Tunnel and remember going through Whitchurch but that’s about it. Any old timers out there care to hazard a guess
… Queensway,… Birkenhead… Now 13’…? height & 7.5… ?