Stevenage to MK

[T5GRF]

My wife may need to travel to Milton Keynes for the next 3 months. Looking at google maps, she has a choice of 2 routes, the first being A1 to the black cat roundabout then onto the A603 before picking up the A421. Alternatively heading out to Toddington via Harlington and picking up the M1 there. The second route is roughly ten miles shorter but both seem to have the same journey time. Does anyone do this journey here? Any advice on the route or journey times would be appreciated!

[StonetheCrows]

Did same route for 3 months earlier this year and my advice would be the latter route, its a more demanding drive but will be consistantly quicker. The Black Cat roundabout can be a real bottleneck adding 15 mins to journey both ways.

[Flying Toilet]

Avoid the black cat if you can...

[andrew]

T5GRF said:

My wife may need to travel to Milton Keynes for the next 3 months. Looking at google maps, she has a choice of 2 routes, the first being A1 to the black cat roundabout then onto the A603 before picking up the A421. Alternatively heading out to Toddington via Harlington and picking up the M1 there. The second route is roughly ten miles shorter but both seem to have the same journey time. Does anyone do this journey here? Any advice on the route or journey times would be appreciated!

which side of mk ?

[JB052]

A1 Black Cat is most straightforward and you would be going the opposite way to most of the traffic but still potential problems at the Black Cat roundabout depending on time of day.

I would head North on the A1, then pick up the A507 at Baldock and follow it through to MK, or cut through Woburn if you need the A5 side of MK.

[T5GRF]

Thanks for the replies, she needs to get to the Kingston side of MK. What is a realistic journey time assuming a 9 am start?

[Flying Toilet]

T5GRF said:

Thanks for the replies, she needs to get to the Kingston side of MK. What is a realistic journey time assuming a 9 am start?

I pretty much do the reverse of this daily and leave about 7.45....

[Grandad Gaz]

JB052 said:

I would head North on the A1, then pick up the A507 at Baldock and follow it through to MK, or cut through Woburn if you need the A5 side of MK.

I do this a fair bit, but I leave early!

Ridgemont is now bypassed, so that helps a lot. Not sure what time you would have to leave to get to MK by 9am, though. Normal journey time for me (from Letchworth) is about 40 mins.

I would allow at least hour and a quarter to start with and see how it goes from there.

I would avoid the Black Cat roundabout, as already mentioned. Although you will be heading in the opposite direction to most commuters, the fact they are all approaching that roundabout and heading towards Bedford, stops you from joining it!

[T5GRF]

Thanks Gaz, looks like the 507 it is!

[Zippee]

Grandad Gaz said:

JB052 said:

I would head North on the A1, then pick up the A507 at Baldock and follow it through to MK, or cut through Woburn if you need the A5 side of MK.

I do this a fair bit, but I leave early!

Ridgemont is now bypassed, so that helps a lot. Not sure what time you would have to leave to get to MK by 9am, though. Normal journey time for me (from Letchworth) is about 40 mins.

I would allow at least hour and a quarter to start with and see how it goes from there.

I would avoid the Black Cat roundabout, as already mentioned. Although you will be heading in the opposite direction to most commuters, the fact they are all approaching that roundabout and heading towards Bedford, stops you from joining it!

Plus 1 for this - added benefit is that when you come into MK you're pretty much straight into Kingston.

[mini95]

If you are heading up the A1 and across to Bedford via the A603 from Sandy then along the A421 you do not go up as far as the Black Cat roundabout which cuts some of the traffic there.

The A603 is not the fastest of routes, but now the 421 is dual carriageway all the way to J13 it is now quite quick to get to MK when you get to Bedford.

[Flying Toilet]

mini95 said:

If you are heading up the A1 and across to Bedford via the A603 from Sandy then along the A421 you do not go up as far as the Black Cat roundabout which cuts some of the traffic there.

The A603 is not the fastest of routes, but now the 421 is dual carriageway all the way to J13 it is now quite quick to get to MK when you get to Bedford.

This is the exact route I take from MK to Sandy each day, a603 is a lot quicker, even when you get stuck behinf the odd lorry in the way to the quarry.