Longest distance without stopping

[Elpenor]

Been wondering this for a week or so

What’s the furthest distance you can drive in this country without passing either a traffic light or a roundabout. Moving from one road to another at a motorway is permitted eg from the M5 to the M6 providing the road allows for this as one road is effectively a continuation of the next. But if it means exiting a motorway and the junction to the next road is controlled by traffic lights / roundabout that’s not allowed as there’s a point where the driver must stop.

So theoretically you would not have a reason to slow down or stop if there was no congestion or driver fatigue. Has to be a continuous journey with no repeated route so laps of the M25 don’t count!

I was thinking that the A38 from the Tamar bridge passes through Devon and then continues to join the M5, which then joins the M6, and then the A74 (M) and M74, M73 and M80 and then to the M9 where it hits a roundabout just before Dunblane. Thats just over 500 miles.

It’s just a few miles shorter if taking the M8 west of Glasgow then there’s a roundabout near somewhere called Langbank

I don’t know if it’s possible to drive through the central belt to get to the M90 over the forth bridge without hitting a roundabout or lights.

With that said I’ve not driven on the M6 north of the lakes and on none of the Scottish motorways so can’t be sure there isn’t an intersection not obvious on Google maps.

Any other ideas?

What about other countries? Must be some far longer options in Australia, Canada, maybe the states?

 

[Santino]

It was just me, a Japanese saloon car, and The Very Best of Deacon Blue.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

What’s the furthest distance you can drive in this country without passing either a traffic light or a roundabout.

Use one of those racetrack places and you could drive as long as you like, though the car would need refuelling from time to time.

 

[bellaozzydog]

About 5 miles going on todays 10 hours driving

 

[neonwilderness]

It’s just a few miles shorter if taking the M8 west of Glasgow then there’s a roundabout near somewhere called Langbank

It might be slightly further going over the Erskine Bridge?

Another possibility might be going onto the M62 at Warrington then onto the A1 at Ferrybridge

 

[Richard46]

Use one of those racetrack places and you could drive as long as you like, though the car would need refuelling from time to time.

Or just keep driving around the M25 until you run out of fuel..

 

[Silas Loom]

Or just keep driving around the M25.

That’s not possible. The Dartford Crossing isn’t part of the M25.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

That’s not possible. The Dartford Crossing isn’t part of the M25.

Well, you could do a u-turn when you get there and drive back the other way, and just repeat that each time.

 

[Richard46]

That’s not possible. The Dartford Crossing isn’t part of the M25.

Ok so you can just keep driving using the M25 and the Dartford Crossing.

 

[Elpenor]

It might be slightly further going over the Erskine Bridge?

Another possibility might be going onto the M62 at Warrington then onto the A1 at Ferrybridge

I think those routes are all around the same distance just over 500 miles

 

[SpookyFrank]

You could just do endless laps round Manchester on the M60.

 

[neonwilderness]

You could just do endless laps round Manchester on the M60.

You’d have to go onto the roundabout at junction 18 otherwise you’d end up on the M62 or M66

 

[Elpenor]

Laps are not permitted as it has to be a continuous route

 

[SpookyFrank]

You’d have to go onto the roundabout at junction 18 otherwise you’d end up on the M62 or M66

Not if you go anticlockwise.

 

[SpookyFrank]

Laps are not permitted as it has to be a continuous route

In that case Plymouth to Glasgow, but go across to the M1 via the M42/A42 before Birmingham, then back to the M6 via M62/M60/M61. Should waste an extra 100 miles or so.

 

[SpookyFrank]

Here's some bloke doing a whole Lap of Iceland:

 

[neonwilderness]

Not if you go anticlockwise.

Ah yeah, I was forgetting about the extra lanes that bypass the roundabout. In that case you could come off the M6 and loop round Manchester before continuing north.

 

[bluescreen]

Not long before you hit a pothole.

 

[Elpenor]

In that case Plymouth to Glasgow, but go across to the M1 via the M42/A42 before Birmingham, then back to the M6 via M62/M60/M61. Should waste an extra 100 miles or so.

Thats around 600 miles. Something to save for my annual leave perhaps

 

[T & P]

There are probably quite a few route combinations, just not very obvious ones and requiring a fair amount of research. One for UK motorway nerds or our new AI overlords to work out.

 

[SpookyFrank]

There are probably quite a few route combinations, just not very obvious ones and requiring a fair amount of research. One for UK motorway nerds or our new AI overlords to work out.

The alternative to motorways is little back roads. If you were up for pulling over and poring over the map every five miles or so you could keep going pretty much forever. I reckon I could do 200 miles without a traffic light or a roundabout without even leaving Devon.

 

[moochedit]

The m1 or m6 surely? (If you drove the whole route). (Fair enough in practice there would probably be jams or roadworks somewhere.)

 

[DownwardDog]

You can do over 1,000 miles from Norseman in Western Australia to Port Augusta in South Australia on the Eyre Highway.

 

[Elpenor]

You can do over 1,000 miles from Norseman in Western Australia to Port Augusta in South Australia on the Eyre Highway.

Sounds like one for the bucket list. Is it scenic?

 

[DownwardDog]

Sounds like one for the bucket list. Is it scenic?

Absolutely not.

https://www.westernaustralia.com/en/attraction/eyre-highway/56b267c4aeeeaaf773cfa929

 

[shifting gears]

Any other ideas?

What about other countries? Must be some far longer options in Australia, Canada, maybe the states?

Maybe get a job?

 

[dessiato]

Motorway from Dover, M20? Join the M25 junction, go round clockwise, join the M1 from the M25, and head north. Join the A1M and keep going north. The first roundabout I can recall is north of Sunderland.

Traffic might be the only issue.

 

[WouldBe]

You can do over 1,000 miles from Norseman in Western Australia to Port Augusta in South Australia on the Eyre Highway.

Not without stopping for fuel.

 

[T & P]

Might not qualify distance-wise, but if you were to set off on the South Circular in the morning rush hour, you'd probably run out of fuel before you hit the first traffic light or roundabout...

 

[stavros]

Take your shoes off, eat some Toblerone, and head towards Dundee.