Britain's worst drives: The M25
 The scenery is actually quite pleasant for a motorway dubbed ‘the road to hell’. This isn’t what we were expecting. 05 November 2007 But is the experience really that bad? Andy Goodwin drove round the entire London orbital to find out. The plan was simple - with no need for sat-nav or even a map. Along with my co-driver Alex Eckford I would simply drive onto the M25 at the nearest junction and do an entire lap, to experience the highs and lows of a full 117-mile orbit of London. Driving a pristine Mini Clubman Cooper S away from Auto Trader towers in Wimbledon it was a quick run down the A3 to our rendezvous with the motorway at junction 10. Time: 1.32pm The weather is perfectly autumnal, the air is crisp, a few wisps of cloud hover in the bright blue sky. Perfect driving conditions. Sweeping along in a westerly direction we resist the considerable urge to pull off and enjoy Legoland, and cruise onwards at a steady 70mph. Junctions 14 - 16 Between junctions 15 and 16 the M25 is at its widest point, and spans a massive 12 lanes in total. The need for all this tarmac is hardly surprising as more than 200,000 vehicles chug along this section every day. Overhead a 747 climbs out of Heathrow. Junctions 17 - 22 What’s going on? We’re a fair way round the second largest ring road in the world (the largest encircles Berlin if you must know) and we haven’t even had to slow down yet, we’re cruising at between 60-70mph, there are tons of cars on the road but the traffic is flowing beautifully. Junctions 23 Our first stop is South Mimms services, with good reason. This is the spot where the M25 was officially opened by Margaret Thatcher in 1986. We hop out of the Mini Clubman and drink in its somewhat polarising looks. Passers by couldn’t get enough of it – people stop to look, and one van driver even beeps his horn and gives the car the thumbs up. When the M25 first opened drivers would meet at South Mimms long after sunset to race their cars illegally. Entire laps around the M25 are rumoured to have taken just under an hour, with speeds averaging 120mph. Junctions 24 – 30 We hit our first spot of traffic and slow down to a modest 50mph, easing our slight drop in mood by slipping a CD into the stereo. The band? Orbital, of course. Electronic signs enforce a temporary speed limit for several miles. The scenery is actually quite pleasant for a motorway dubbed ‘the road to hell’. This isn’t what we were expecting. Junction 30 On the horizon we see the uprights of the Dartford Bridge majestically spanning the Thames. As we start to climb its back the traffic slows, and as our Mini filters down towards the toll booth we flick a pound coin into the basket and drive past the raised barrier. Junctions 31 – 6 We spot a police car, pulling over a souped-up Range Rover and shortly afterwards, we turn into Clacket Lane services between J5 and J6, the largest and busiest rest-stop on the M25. Junctions 6 - 10 The circle is complete. We turn off the M25 after just over two-and-a-half hours, and an entirely worry-free trip. Happy 21st birthday M25. Overall Rating: 7 out of 10 – we were lucky this time – it can be 1 out of 10. Is the M25 one of Britain’s worst drives? Do you know where Britain’s worst drive is? Email us now. |
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