Go (South) West...Yeovil trip routes

[Supermofo]

Hoping to visit my Uncle for a couple of nights next week. Last time I did this I had my Tom Tom set to medium twisty from Hertford and whilst it was pretty fun it was a long route, nearly 6 hrs on the sat nav but did it in just over 5 with a lunch and coffee stop. That time I did 1 night there so the ride was about the there and back. This time I'm thinking of something a bit more direct and have a days play on the South coast whilst I'm there.

The usual route from Hertford to Yeovil is M25, M3, A303 takes about 3hrs.

If I say avoid motorways I get this. Essentially West to Oxford and then down the A34 to the A303. But this looks a little out of direction to me and the A34 looks like it's dual carrageway so bit like a motorway so would it be any nicer?

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Alternative I wonder is the M4 to Newbury and then A34 for a short bit before the more interesting looking single carriageway A343 to the A303. Means 76 miles of motorway but that mean 79 miles of something a little more interesting. It should be about 40 mins faster too which is a breaky/coffee stop for free.

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Anyone know any niceish/not too slow methods of traversing the area?

Also whilst I'm down there any recommendations of roads to ride? Initial plan had been to head to Minehead and do the awesome A39 to Ilfracombe but from Yeovil that's still 50 miles/1.5 hrs before you get to the road so that's a min 180 mile round trip so probably a bit much for what I want.

My thoughts are something around this area - Weymouth, West Bay, Lyme Regis, Yeovil via Crewkerne. But I know pretty much nothing about the area other than 1 off visit's with the family to Weymouth and West Bay.

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Plan ideally is to go this Sunday so I have the Monday for the ride to the coast, return home Tuesday. But it's all gonna be a bit weather dependant and it's looking iffy for the foreseeable So it might be another 3 days but trying to avoid weekends.

[weeksy]

Coffee and cake just off a34

[Supermofo]

Coffee and cake just off a34

If that works with the route and you then

[The Spin Doctor]

The A34 south of Oxford is a ghastly road. Full of queues of trucks overtaking each other. The A343 Newbury to Andover is OK but busy since it carries a lot of traffic doing exactly what you're trying to do and cut the corner on the A34/A303 route.

Have you looked at Oxford to the A303 near Amesbury via Wantage and Hungerford? That's mostly the A338 - one of my old courier routes.

Personally, if I'm ambling I'd cross out anything with an A in front of it. Look for B roads. They're often much more fun and less trafficked than the single carriageway A roads.

[Taff]

From the M3 you can head for the M27 to the last junction, through the new forest, to Wilton past Salisbury race course onto the a30, Heading for Shaftesbury, sherborne, and onto Yeovil.

That's the route that I used to commute Yeovil-Portsmouth.

I'll draw a map of some of the routes that we used to ride later when I have a bit more time

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

When you get there, Yeovil - Taunton - Minehead - A39 to Barnstaple - A361 to Tiverton - Taunton - Yeovil

[Taff]

If you want to shorten this a bit, replace Compton Abbas with Cerne Abbas and head straight up to sherborne

[Supermofo]

The A34 south of Oxford is a ghastly road. Full of queues of trucks overtaking each other. The A343 Newbury to Andover is OK but busy since it carries a lot of traffic doing exactly what you're trying to do and cut the corner on the A34/A303 route.

Have you looked at Oxford to the A303 near Amesbury via Wantage and Hungerford? That's mostly the A338 - one of my old courier routes.

Personally, if I'm ambling I'd cross out anything with an A in front of it. Look for B roads. They're often much more fun and less trafficked than the single carriageway A roads.

I'll look to avoid the A34 then. I did my usual trick recently of taking a look at roads via Google Street view. It's aces for seeing general info about a road and it did look a bit dull hence my comment.

I'll look at the A338

I did all B roads last time using the TomTom twisty road feature and esp across the Chilterns I was on gravel covered goat tracks which was ok for a bit but a bit much when you need to cover a reasonable distance.

From the M3 you can head for the M27 to the last junction, through the new forest, to Wilton past Salisbury race course onto the a30, Heading for Shaftesbury, sherborne, and onto Yeovil.

That's the route that I used to commute Yeovil-Portsmouth.

I'll draw a map of some of the routes that we used to ride later when I have a bit more time

Ta. Will defo take a look. Was thinking of looking at Old Sarum on the way back if I get time.

If you want to shorten this a bit, replace Compton Abbas with Cerne Abbas and head straight up to sherborne

Ta muchly. That looks pretty awesome.

[Supermofo]

When you get there, Yeovil - Taunton - Minehead - A39 to Barnstaple - A361 to Tiverton - Taunton - Yeovil

That was my initial plan but wasn't sure if I was a bit too far. Would be bloody awesome though.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

When you get there, Yeovil - Taunton - Minehead - A39 to Barnstaple - A361 to Tiverton - Taunton - Yeovil

That was my initial plan but wasn't sure if I was a bit too far. Would be bloody awesome though.

It'd take about 4 hours, and the weather would need to be nice, the A39 in the wet would be really horrible.

[Supermofo]

When you get there, Yeovil - Taunton - Minehead - A39 to Barnstaple - A361 to Tiverton - Taunton - Yeovil

That was my initial plan but wasn't sure if I was a bit too far. Would be bloody awesome though.

It'd take about 4 hours, and the weather would need to be nice, the A39 in the wet would be really horrible.

Yes the weather isn't playing nice after the drought we've just had That's what's making it all up in the air date wise. My uncle's gonna call tonight with dates he can't do and then it'll be down to work/rain as to when I go between the 11th and 23rd Sep. I don't mind the odd shower but we've had some biblical thunderstorms last few days and forecast to stay the same.

I was reckoning the A39 would be 4 hrs riding with at least an hour for lunch and a bit more for leg stretching/coffee stops. So probably 6 hrs all in.

The Weymouth route I was thinking might be better for being able to actually see some things. I'm a bugger for riding for hours but not stopping to really see anything Weymouth has a D-Day museum I missed when I went with the family but might work this time, throw the lid/gloves in the topbox and have a mooch as some guns n' stuff.