alexist

Today we're driving down to Neil's sister near Basingstoke. This is going to be fun--NOT. We can take either the M3 or M4. However, getting to either one involves going down the North Circular Road past Brent Cross, the retail parks, and IKEA (Brent Park IKEA is the busiest in the world--the new Edmonton one has helped a little, but Brent Park is still closest for everyone in West London, Berks, Bucks, etc. Although I see that they're opening a Milton Keynes store this month...) This is not someplace you want to be 2 weeks before Christmas.

We're leaving around 10, so hopefully we'll miss the worst of the queues heading into Hanger Lane. I hope. The AA says to take the M4 rather than the M3, but I fear the queues from Hanger Lane through the Chiswick roundabout.

The alternative is, of course, the M25 (we're not that far from the M1/M25 junction) but it adds quite a bit of mileage!

I must be becoming British...

(ETA: Oh arse, explosion near Hemel, the M1 is closed....)