Route planning: who knows Lincs/Cambs?

Bookworm55

Massively off-topic, but whatever...

I'm on my way from Norwich to the Derby area on Friday, on a camping trip. Not going to the Download festival, but I'll be in that area (Ashbourne, Staffordshire, to be precise). I thought I'd pick your collective brains over something, because I bet a lot of you have random knowledge.

My plan is to take the A47 to Kings Lynn, then the A17 towards Boston until it reaches the A52, and then follow the A52 through Grantham and Derby to Ashbourne.

My partner has suggested we break the journey halfway for a pub lunch, and I think she has an excellent idea. My question is this; does anyone know of a decent (but not too expensive) pub on our route somewhere near Grantham? We don't consider ourselves above going to the Wetherspoons in Grantham itself!

Failing that, does anyone know how I'd identify such a pub online? Or would I just have to be spontaneous and think "that looks nice" as we drive by? I'm not good at spontaneous.

AdamR

Eeek that's a little closer to Boston than I'd want to go!

Try this for finding a pub in Grantham or anywhere else on your route. Off the top of my head, I can only think of the McDonalds that you'll pass in Grantham town centre but your route will take you down the High Street so there will be other places available.

Have you thought about taking the A47 at King's Lynn and going via Peterborough and the M1 instead? The A17 is a notoriously bad road and the A52 to Grantham has its shortcomings too...

However, you'd trade a trip round Nottingham for one round Peterborough & Leicester so there might not be much gained!

Esme

http://www.themarquisofgranby.net/

Not sure how close to actual Grantham it is but my boyfriend has done some work there and says it is very nice.

Bookworm55

Have you thought about taking the A47 at King's Lynn and going via Peterborough and the M1 instead? The A17 is a notoriously bad road and the A52 to Grantham has its shortcomings too...

I'd been thinking about it. I would have to basically go through Leicester to get to the M1 though. I'm not sure. Usually when I go up to this place it's from Hertfordshire: this time last year I was working in St Albans and basically went straight on the M1 all the way up to Derby.

So I don't really know the roads themselves. A-roads in the East can cover a multitude of things. I've followed the A10 from North London to Kings Lynn before and could hardly believe it was the same road.

I'm not too worried about the Peterborough proximity, but trying to go through Leicester at what will be lunchtimeish doesn't sound like much fun. The third alternative would be to take the A11/A14 all the way to Cambridge, then across to meet the M1 near Rugby. But I suspect that's even worse and would involve more driving south when I want to go northwest.

marknotgeorge

It's strange. When I went on holiday to Norfolk when I was a kid, my dad, who's been a driver of various vehicles all his life, drove along the A47. Google maps seems to want to send me via Cambridge (and one alternative goes via Milton Keynes?!). Ovi (Nokia Maps) seems to like your original A17/A52 route.

Thing is, because the country's two major road hubs (London and Edinburgh) are roughly North-South, there's not that many decent east-west routes, at least, not in this neck of the woods.

AdamR

The A17 is not good if you get stuck behind anything going at less than 55mph - it's a Red Route for a reason! Lots of frustrated drivers overtaking when they shouldn't etc. Although lunchtime shouldn't be so bad and you'll only have the Hunstanton caravans if you go back the same way...

Six of one and half a dozen of the other I suppose - you'll have to go out one way and come back the other!:laugh:

Bookworm55

For anyone who happens to be interested:

On the way there we took the A47 to Leicester, then the M1 up to Derby.
On the way back, we took the M1 south to the A14, then east past Cambridge and up the A11 to Norwich. Which was slightly quicker and the way I'd go next time, despite it being further.

Where did we end up for lunch? Burger King...

AdamR

= a complete avoidance of Lincolnshire - well done!:thumbup1:

Yeh, that was always the downside of a motorway journey. Still, at least you knew what you were getting! How long did it actually take each way?