Driving From Bristol Aiport to Gloucester

Anyone familiar with roads around Bristol?

I'm travelling over to Gloucester for a day on Friday, getting into Bristol
Airport at 8:10 a.m., hand baggage only but picking up a hire car so should
be leaving the Airport just before 9:00 a.m.

Last time I did this trip, I just followed the signs from the Airport for M5
but that seemed to take me quite near city centre and was a difficult enough
route.

MS Autoroute recommends turning off from the A38 onto B3130 (Barrow Street)
2 miles from the aiport onto B3129 and A369, picking up the M5 at Junction
19.

Looking online, the AA and RAC routeplanners both suggest the route I took
last time.

Anyone familiar with the roads in this area like to make a recommendation,
taking into account that I will be driving about 9:00 - 9:30 a.m. which I
suspect is still within the peak time traffic?

"Martin Harran" writes:

Anyone familiar with roads around Bristol?

Sorry, no, I just live there. (Without a car.)

Des

On Tue, 31 Jan 2006 17:40:13 -0000, "Martin Harran"
wrote:

Anyone familiar with roads around Bristol?

I'm travelling over to Gloucester for a day on Friday, getting into Bristol
Airport at 8:10 a.m., hand baggage only but picking up a hire car so should
be leaving the Airport just before 9:00 a.m.

Last time I did this trip, I just followed the signs from the Airport for M5
but that seemed to take me quite near city centre and was a difficult enough
route.

(I assume this would have taken you via the A370 to the A 369 and yes,
this does take you pretty close to Bristol city centre) ?

MS Autoroute recommends turning off from the A38 onto B3130 (Barrow Street)
2 miles from the aiport onto B3129 and A369, picking up the M5 at Junction
19.

This route actually makes the most sense.

http://www.departures-arrivals.com/a...fo-BRS-MAP.htm

Looking online, the AA and RAC routeplanners both suggest the route I took
last time.

Anyone familiar with the roads in this area like to make a recommendation,
taking into account that I will be driving about 9:00 - 9:30 a.m. which I
suspect is still within the peak time traffic?





Keith, Bristol, UK

DE-MUNG for email replies

On Tue, 31 Jan 2006 18:12:57 +0000, Keith Anderson
wrote:


This route actually makes the most sense.

(By that I mean the MS Autoroute recommendation)

http://www.departures-arrivals.com/a...fo-BRS-MAP.htm




Keith, Bristol, UK

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"Keith Anderson" wrote in
message ...
On Tue, 31 Jan 2006 17:40:13 -0000, "Martin Harran"
wrote:

Anyone familiar with roads around Bristol?

I'm travelling over to Gloucester for a day on Friday, getting into
Bristol
Airport at 8:10 a.m., hand baggage only but picking up a hire car so
should
be leaving the Airport just before 9:00 a.m.

Last time I did this trip, I just followed the signs from the Airport for
M5
but that seemed to take me quite near city centre and was a difficult
enough
route.

(I assume this would have taken you via the A370 to the A 369 and yes,
this does take you pretty close to Bristol city centre) ?


The AA recommended route is A38 - A3029 - A4 -M5 which I *think* is the
route I took last time - I wasn't really noticing road numbers, just
following the signs.



MS Autoroute recommends turning off from the A38 onto B3130 (Barrow
Street)
2 miles from the aiport onto B3129 and A369, picking up the M5 at
Junction
19.

This route actually makes the most sense.

It looks that way, I usually find Autoroute to be very good. A few times I
have checked the AA routes in places I know well and they don't always come
up with the best route

On Tue, 31 Jan 2006 18:30:56 -0000, "Martin Harran"
wrote:


(I assume this would have taken you via the A370 to the A 369 and yes,
this does take you pretty close to Bristol city centre) ?


The AA recommended route is A38 - A3029 - A4 -M5 which I *think* is the
route I took last time - I wasn't really noticing road numbers, just
following the signs.

This is indeed well-signposted and keeps to "A" roads, but the
downside is that you have to cross the river Avon and Floating Harbour
entrance on the A3029 swing bridge at Cumberland Basin. There can be
queues here - and if by chance the main swing bridge is closed to let
a ship through (admittedly infrequent these days), the diversionary
route over a secondary swing bridge is awkward although well indicated
by illuminated signs.

You then have to join the M5 at Avonmouth, with traffic lights, huge
roundabouts, lane-changing etc.

If you take the MS Autoroute recommended route, the A369/M5 junction
near Portishead is much, much simpler - one straightforward
roundabout. You then cross the Avon on the M5 high-level bridge.



MS Autoroute recommends turning off from the A38 onto B3130 (Barrow
Street)
2 miles from the aiport onto B3129 and A369, picking up the M5 at
Junction
19.

This route actually makes the most sense.

It looks that way, I usually find Autoroute to be very good. A few times I
have checked the AA routes in places I know well and they don't always come
up with the best route





Keith, Bristol, UK

DE-MUNG for email replies

"Keith Anderson" wrote in
message news
Just a follow up to let you know that I took the B3130/B3129/A368 route from
the airport. It's a much easier route but badly signed, I took 2 worong
turns but they didn't really cost me much time.

Because of the bad signage and worries about going badly astray in the dark,
I just followed the airport signs through Bristol coming back.

That route to the airport is easily one of the worst I have ever seen from a
city