London Orbital: The M25: Classic or Dud

Is it ever clear? even late at night?

Also, I am reading the Iain Sinclair book of the same name, and it is great. Though he seems to have gone on half the same walks as the Rolling London Walking Psychogeographical Association without us even knowing!

It's not as bad as people say it is!

For the record:

My soundtrack for the trip home last night:
Rolling Stones "Their Satanic Maj"
Blur "Chemical World" single from the boxset (37 mins)
Libertines "What became of the Likely Lads" with the live tracks and a frankly rubbish version of "Don't look back into the sun" recorded by Mick Jones.
Beth Orton : "Comfort of Strangers"

three hours to get home! AAAGRRRGH!

Usually, it's OK, but the worst journeys I have had :
1) This exact time last year (OK, evening time not now(ish)
2) Last Night
3) The Night Before.

Glad to be back in the normal office, the restoftheweek.

I've never actually driven on it. How does it say, when you get on it, which way you're going? Because North/South/East/West doesn't really apply.

I would like to drive all the way around it some time. Very late at night when no one is on it.

I never had too many problems with it apart from the usual rush hour car park around the M3/M4/Heathrow junctions. I hate the bit around Sevenoaks clockwise where you have to 'leave' the motorway to stay on it (i.e. if you stay in the fast lane you end up leaving the M25 and heading south on the A21).

I don't know if things have changed but IIRC late at night is the worst time coz of all the mentalists coming out post 1am to exercise their WRX-STIs, Evo8s etc.

I think it's a shame that you don't get "Clockwise" and "Counterclockwise" given as directions, but they're fairly long words. Coming on to it from the M11 - I think you just get ordinary directions like "Thurrock, Dartford M25 (E)" and "Watford, Heathrow M25 (W)".

The missus and I tend to avoid it but we really should give it a go at some point; the prospect of North Circ/South Circ to get home from the M1 or M40 is never pleasant - how much worse could 30-40 miles around the orbital with a little bit of Croydon-negotiation at the end be?

Playing "Satanic Maj" at top vol in a car is better.

Once a week I go from 12-9 to get to band rehearsals and that stretch is utter hell at least 50% of the time.

Apparently Bill Drummond was on teh first of Sinclaire's M25 walks.

the River Lee or Lea one, the BASTARD.