Route to Dover by Car

[tring]

We need to travel to Dover from the NW and will go via the M6 toll, then would previously have travelled via Cambridge and the M11, or the M1.  I was looking at the map yesterday and am now thinking it would be a lot better to use the M40 and then go anti clockwise round the M25, hence avoiding the Dartford crossing as we always arrive there late afternoon or early evening and have had a lot of delays previously.  Another thought is that we could use the M40 and stay overnight, perhaps near Windsor, before continuing our journey to our pre-cruise hotel near Dover.

 

Also we sail on a Tuesday, so our first travel day would be a Sunday if we take two days to travel, which would hopefully be better (in mid September), or we could travel straight down and spend two nights near Dover pre-cruise.

 

Comments from those who know those routes well, would be very much appreciated.

 

[Thejuggler]

I've travelled Yorkshire to Gatwick on numerous occasions and always use M40, rather than M1 or M11 and then travel anti clockwise as it minimises the time on the M25 and no Dartford crossing.

 

If you are staying over it probably makes little difference if you use M40 or M11.

[tring]

1 hour ago, Thejuggler said:

I've travelled Yorkshire to Gatwick on numerous occasions and always use M40, rather than M1 or M11 and then travel anti clockwise as it minimises the time on the M25 and no Dartford crossing.

 

If you are staying over it probably makes little difference if you use M40 or M11.

 

Thanks a lot for the reply.  Does seem to make sense, we are now thinking of doing the whole journey on the Sunday, but good opportunity to try the M 40 route. 

 

We had booked two nights on our Dover hotel previously, but on two different bookings, so we could cancel the first night if we wanted to, and leave the other on place at the price of time of booking.  Bit complicated, but we did that as it was a late booking and we were packing to go off elsewhere, so had little time to think about it properly.

[Harters]

Without doubt, the best route is as the OP has suggested. taking the M40 and then the M25 anticlockwise

 

We've often travelled to Dover for the ferry and find this a quicker and less stressful drive, even though the sat nav says it's a bit longer than the M6/M1/M25 clockwise route.

 

We've always found it's been fine to do the journey (from near Manchester) in one go, with no need to stop over