Carmarthen to Birmingham. Which way would you go?

[Shotgun Rider]

We're driving to Birmingham in a few days from Newcasatle Emlyn and would mind a different route than the M4/M5 that we usually take.

Which route would you take? I seem to have a choice between Aberystwyth, Llangurig etc joining the M54 or go via Carmarthen, Llandyfri and Worcester before joining the M5.

If I was taking my MX5 I'd go via Aberystwyth but were taking a TD Focus. I'm just bored with long drives on motorways at the moment!

[hornetrider]

A40 to Brecon, then A438 to Leominster/Kidderminster

[TankRS]

Google maps takes you up to Aberystwyth along the coast and then acros Mid Wales into Brum.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr=newcastle+emly...



that was the way i was going to advise

or an iteresting one could be 'heads of teh valleys roads'

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr=newcastle+emly...

[huwdm]

I do that trip all the time for the Cross Hands area.
I would suggest down to Swansea and A465 heads of the valley then up to Ross and M50. M50 is motorway but its usually a quiet motorway.
Also that route is good if you want to 'avoid any imperial entanglement' as Obi Wan once said.

[Shotgun Rider]

huwdm said:

I do that trip all the time for the Cross Hands area.
I would suggest down to Swansea and A465 heads of the valley then up to Ross and M50. M50 is motorway but its usually a quiet motorway.
Also that route is good if you want to 'avoid any imperial entanglement' as Obi Wan once said.

I'm familiar with Heads of the Valleys as my girlfriend comes from Ebbw Vale and we've used that road to get to Birmingham before as an alternitive to the M4. Next time we go to Ebbw Vale I'm considering going via Llandovery to Brecon and then cutting down through the Beacons.

[Shotgun Rider]

hornetrider said:

A40 to Brecon, then A438 to Leominster/Kidderminster

This is the one I'm considering at the moment as I've never driven it before. What's it like for traffic?

Saying all this though, if the weather is as bad as it has been the past few days I may well be better off going via Heads fo the Valleys.

[matt-ITR]

hornetrider said:

A40 to Brecon, then A438 to Leominster/Kidderminster

I live in Llandovery and this is the way I usually go. Pretty good overall, although you can get held up around Kidderminster.

Usually the quickest, but not always but more interesting that M50/M5.
If you need to get to the M42 or South Brum, then maybe consider the M50 as a quicker route.

[SLKen]

Carmarthen - Brecon - Abergavenny - Raglan - M50 - M5

travelling between Brecon and Leominster is OK but gets a bit iffy between Hay-on Wye and Leominster otherwise OK

[Shotgun Rider]

SLKen said:

Carmarthen - Brecon - Abergavenny - Raglan - M50 - M5

travelling between Brecon and Leominster is OK but gets a bit iffy between Hay-on Wye and Leominster otherwise OK

That's the way we took in the end but only becuase I somehow took the junction for Abergavveny instead of Hereford off the roundabout!

It wasn't the best of journeys as we got held up quite a few times! It was a nice change from the motorway though.

[Trefy5]

For future ref (sorry am late to the party)
Head to Llandovery/Llandyfri - A483 to Beulah
Left on to B4358 >>> Newbridge On Wye (excellent MX5 road)
Right
Two hundred metres and then Left on to same number toward Llanyre joining A4081 and on to Llandrindod Wells. Join A483(again) up to Crossgates
Right on to A44 for less than 2 miles
Left on to A488 for Knighton
In Knighton turn on to A4113 (Ludlow Road) and head for Ludlow via Leintwardine.
Join A49 north of Ludlow... turn for Ludlow but continue along by-pass to 2nd Roundabout and LEFT along A4117 via Clee Hill and Cleobury Mortimer.
Before Bewdley LEFT on to A456 - join top of the by-pass and descend to roundabout
LEFT still on A456
Pass Safari park - thru Kiddy and on toward Brum entering via Hagley Road.

If it's foggy you may want to avoid Clee Hill. Some people never appear again if the fog's down

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alternative route from the A488 is
Presteigne - Mortimer's Cross - Wooferton - Tenbury Wells >>> Droitwich and up the M5