logiclee

Hi All,

I'm looking at a transfer at work which will involve a 63 mile each way commute.

Will mostly be M1 and M42.

I'll be on the road at 5-6am and at 2-3pm, I think it will take just over an hour to drive to work and an hour and a half to get home if the traffics OK.

So anyone do this sort of commute?
Does it get easier or harder after a while? Are you burnt out after a few years?

Any comments would be welcome.

Cheers
Lee

OllyK

I used to work in Cambridge and live in Lougborough, 80 miles each way, set off at about 5am and get there for 6.30am, leave at 3pm and get back about 6pm.

I was on a job with that company for 6 months on client site in London, daily commute down on the train.

It becomes a ball ache if you do it everyday and it pushes the mileage up on the car at a scary rate. See if you can work from home at all, I arranged that in the end and only went in once a week or so.

Train isn't so bad as you can work on the train and so can get to work after 9am and leave early but still put in a full day without silly long days, assuming your emplyer will accept that.

I now live 8 miles from work, wouldn't be keen to do the big miles again, but that's me

ETA: "home" as the bloody sentence didn't make much sense without it

Account deleted by request

I've just been offered a job that involves a 83 mile round trip each day - can't make my mind up as I worry it is going to get very tedius.

They have offered to pay 2 nights b&b a week so that helps.

My commute would involve A roads appose to motorways - I can see me doing it for a year or 2. I tmust hurt after a while though

Interesting thread btw


Chopper


P.s - They have also offered to increase my salary by 90% so that may help my decision. I don't do too bad at the moment either.

OllyK

83 round trip or each way? As a round trip that's not bad at all.

Account deleted by request

Sorry misread original post it is 41/42 miles each way - I guess 1.15 - 1.30.

I live about 20 seconds walk from my current office so for me it would/will be a big shock. Money and nice company car will help though!!!


chopper

RussBoy

I do a 60 mile trip each way, each day - trip involves leaving at 6.45am and using country lanes, M25 and major A road crossing 3 counties. I finish work at 6pm and am normally at home by about 7.30pm, by which time I am knackered.

Would I change this if I could? I've been doing it three months and it can be a killer - especially in the dark and the wet or if you are tired anyway. Weekends are much more important to me now. Also, an accident on the motorway etc. can change the journey time - I had a 4.5 hour journey a few weeks ago due to a fire just off the M25!!

Personally, I wouldn't chose a job with a long commute again but what I do is pretty specialised (Internet Search Consultant) so have to go where the best money is.

Just make sure you have a radio and a sense of humour...(or live somewhere where you don't need to hit A roads or Motorways!)


Russ

OllyK

Just depends, before Xmas I was doing 25 miles each way at 30 mins or so per trip, I now do 8 miles each way and it takes 40 mins per trip - go figure!

Account deleted by request

Know what you mean distance isn't always the issue.

Think I am more worried that the local will be over an hours drive away after work

At the moment its only 10 seconds walk - between work and home

chopper

InvisibleMan

used to do an 80+ mile round trip down the M25 was very tedious after a while

MTR

Logiclee,
Some of my friends from work are now commuting to Broughton (Airbus) factory for the 6-2 or 2-10 shifts.
They have to get up at 4 O'clock, set off at 4:30am to do the 60 miles + pick ups and get in the factory for 6 o'clock.

The going isn't supposed to be as bad, but coming home is when it gets hard.
Especially the 2-10 shift, when they get home at gone 11:30pm.

One of the lads has a tendancy to fall asleep whilst driving, so now one of the passengers has to stay awake to keep their eye on him.
Previously the passengers always slept.

From all accounts its very boring, and very tiring.

If you cannot car share, then it will be very hard on you and the car.

I am actually trying to get a job their as well, and am extremely apprehensive about the traveling, re cost and time.

But I would do it rather than be on the dole, if I get the oppertunity.

Cheers
MTR

hades

Have done equivalent for a few months (68miles each way), whilst working 10-12 hours days, 1 day off in 10 or so (i.e. no weekends off ). It gets increasingly tedious IMHO, plus with the hours I was doing, you end up eat, sleep, drive and work, and a short dazed patch in between called a "day off". You don't half appreciate it when you go back to 10-15 minute journeys and 37 hour weeks.

Squadron-Leader

I do a 100 mile round trip Mon-Fri every other week. (the other week is on the train doing different hours)

West Sussex Storrington, up the A24, through Chessington, through Hook, onto the A3 London bound and off down Putney Hill into Putney.

I leave between 05:30 and 05:45 and get to the works car park normally within an hour. Start work at 07:00 and finish at 15:30. Return journey gets me home at 17:00ish.

I've been doing this since August 2004.... and yes by Friday I'm knackered. In the summer it was excellent. Lovely bright cool mornings.... in the winter it's been a f**ker. Dark when I leave for work, dark when I get home. Roll on the summer

Your body does get used to it but, have a late night (say 22:30!) a couple of nights a week, and I find it very hard to get up.

Plus points...

a) I get home at a decent time to feed, bath and put my daughter to bed

b) The roads are very quiet that time of the morning, so it's easy to get past lorries and slow moving cars safely

c) The Scoob gets a good blast every other week

Minus points...

a) I spend a lot on fuel. If I take it easy it'll cost me £65 for the 5 days... more like £75 if I boot it

b) You get very tired by the end of the week

c) All that mileage on the car

d) Have to put up with a few White Van men and Mr Rep in his Vectra, M3, Golf Tdi etc etc

Anyway.... must not grumble, just got to find a job on the South Coast paying the same as here in the 'Smoke'

J.

CTR

I used to do a 60 mile commute each way. I left the house at 6am, and used to arrive at work generally at 7-7:15. I left work at 4pm, and used to arrive home generally at 5:15-5:30. I did this for 5 years. It drove me ******* insane, in fact I nearly jumped for joy in front of the person who told me I was being made redundant, and I could go on gardening leave. Must have been the oddest reaction they ever got to telling someone they were being made redundant, I was ecstatic.

Why did I hate it. I hate getting up early, and find it very difficult. So I ended up so tired by the weekend, I just wanted to sleep and do nothing. So did.

Driving is tiring, especially in traffic. Neither direction was a clear run, and if I wasnt actually stoped in a traffic jam, it was still generally slow heavy traffic. This just compunded the tiredness from getting up early.

The roads I used to drive meant that even leaving 15 minutes later for the journey home could have a massive effect on the amount of time it would take me to get home. There were 5 hotspots of traffic(with no way round) on my journey. Get stuck in one, and I got stuck in the next one even worse, and so on.

Fridays were the worst, and it used to regulary take me over 3 hours to get home, even leaving at 4pm.

Unless you can do it on clear roads, then I would never ever want to commute that far again. My journey now takes 30minutes regardless of time, and I now have energy for doing other things especially at weekends, and feel soooooo much happier/better than I used to.

Oh, and cause of the costs of driving the Impreza that far, I sold it, which I was absolutely gutted about at the time.

King RA

I used to start work at my comapny at 7am...I could arrive in 15mins. Times changed and I had to start at 8:30....it now takes me 40 - 50mins to get in!!!!! This journey is about 8 miles at a guess, not far at all (hence the 15mins!!) I did shift work there too and getting to work for 23:00 took about 12/13 mins.....

12 mins -> 50 mins for the same journey

There are 3 schools on the worst road mind!!! - Long Lane in Hillingdon, absolute nightmare.

No matter what way I took traffic, traffic, traffic...drives me absolutely INSANE!!! ARRRGGGHH

bioforger

iTrader: (1)

You get paid to surf google all day long? geez easy life eh

andy1505

Live to work, work to live. Only knew what that meant after a year of one and a half hour drive each way on the M6. Took the pleasure out of driving. Nearer home now and Oh so happy. Jobs not as good but what the hey.

Vegescoob

This type of thread shows how messed up this country is! We have the Government and Greens prattling on about how the Environment is so important, global warming etc., yet many people face this sort of problem especially with the stupid house prices and the need for many to have two incomes to sustain any sort of lifestyle.
Do those in charge do anything to sort it? Do they ****.

Jye

Yeah Bob, the 'excitement' certainly keeps you on yer toes wae the bike at least

CooperS

I'm doing 31 each way at the moment, have been for 5 months, no motorway driving, over the peaks and down the hope valley into sheffield, as long as I've got Moylesy in the morning, I don't mind the drive, lovely scenery.

Takes me about 1:15 hrs

Geek Boy

have been doing 100 miles every day for over 4 years.

It's not hurt me yet.

Out the house for 12 hours a day spending up to 3 hours a day in the car.

mart360

44 miles a day .. more if i have to go on to customers.. then it goes up to 300, but then its a hire car....

its a bugger if you get involved with plant sweeps and rework..

went out one day last week for a quick customer visit, 6am start .. and arived home at midnight,, back in at 8 the next day, !!

its these occurances that really pee you off

Mart

Chris L

Lee

A lot will depend on the roads you will be travelling on and the times you are doing the journey. I live in Hertfordshire and my office is in Slough - that's about 55 miles - this involves some busy A roads and some of the M25. I'm lucky that I work at home for a couple of days a week and there is a good chance, I'll be out with customers for another day or so. Normally I'm doing this journey 2 or possibly 3 times a week. I couldn't do it everyday.

It can be tough and as Russ says - if there are problems on the motorway, the journey can become a nightmare (tonight for instance, crap weather and a couple of accidents and it took me 45 mins just to get from Slough to Heathrow). It does get tedious sometimes.

At Christmas, or very early in the morning, I know it is possible to do the journey in about 50 mins. It normally takes me about 1hr 20 - so I'm adding about 30 mins purely through congestion. I've done this for about 3 years - I can't see myself doing it for much longer. If I get an offer to go back into the City, I will do it. I'm about 35 mins from Liverpool St, so sitting on the train, reading the paper will be preferable to the M25 anyday (I commuted into London for 7 years, so I'm well used to it).

If you're happy driving and the route isn't too bad, then go for it.

Puff The Magic Wagon!

iTrader: (2)

75 Miles home to work & 75 miles back.

I live 5 mins off A14 & about 10-15 mins off A102(M) through Bow/Bethnal Green

I try and go so as to arrive 09:30-10:00 three times a week & 08:00 twice a week & leave 19:00 whatever time I get in earliest.

After 6 months of doing this particular journey I am not particualrly fazed by it as most of the road is dual/m-way & going home is easier than getting in.

I work on 90mins in & 70mins out


Prior to this I did 120 miles to Peterborough & back a day for 8 months & 140 to London & back for about 3 years.

I find the best way is to have a comfortable car as least tiredness at the end of the journey - that & being a chilled driver.

I justify the grief/mileage on the basis that there are people who live inside the M25 who take longer to get to work/home than I do

Chris L

Very true what Puff says about becoming a chilled driver. It is a lot easier when you don't try and fight it. I've learnt that much over the last couple of years. Other things I've learnt: there is no magic fast lane on the M25 - the outside lane doesn't move any quicker

scott8629

I have an 80 mile round trip from Hull to Selby, as I work shifts 1 week early (0515-1315), 1 week afternooons (1315-2115) and 1 week nights (2115-0515) then 2 weeks off.

I dont find it too bad as the roads are not very busy apart from going to work on my afternoon shift it can be a bit busy.

I have to go on the A63 out of Hull (v.fast A road DC), on to M62 then a SC A road to Selby.

Mornings and nights at a steady 70 all the way it will take me about 40 mins going to work, in the afternoon it can take between 40 mins and 1h15 mins dependent on traffic.

I would not really like to do this if I did not have my 2 weeks off as I only get my middle weekend off in the shift pattern.

Scott

tmo

I have a couple of regular runs,
Home to Altrincham (nice run over the woodhead ) but can take anything from 1 1/2 - 2 1/2 hours
home to Leicester M1 is a pain !! (junc 29/28 junc 25/24/23)
home to Leeds ok but once you get to junc 39
home to Rickmansworth M1 pain and M25 pain (M1 at luton
home to Newcastle not bad until you get to the metro centre

It basically depends what time you are able to travel CONSISTANTLY. Basically our motorway system is FUBAR. Peak times are a real pain but if you can travel outside these then you have a chance (slight chance!!)
As puff say's just chill out, stick some decent music on and watch the world go by
Rule of thumb is "you don't get a clock card with a shroud"

scoobimax

I 'travelled' to get to work for 6 years after which I'd had enough so I transferred to a job nearer home (12 miles each way).

As has been said before it very much depends on the roads you're travelling on. I did 3 years to Buxton (25 miles)and it was a steady 45 minutes each way no matter what time of day you travelled. Excellent roads and a joy to travel in winter or summer. Biggets pain was the tourists pointing at hill tops etc.

Either side of this I did 18 months each into Nottingham (35 miles) - city centre mostly. 1st stint not too bad. Motorway a ball ache in winter and Monday mornings/Friday nights. 2nd stint a bloody nightmare - hated every minute. Used to leave 6:45am, getting home about 6:30 pm for a 7.5 hour day. Luckily tiredness never kicked in whilst driving but as soon as got home falling asleep on the settee. Things we do for career progression! Happy now travelling is 30/40 minutes each way.

biggest piece of advice is you need to chill as has been stated before (essential or you'll end up killing your self with stress or crashing)

Max

SiDHEaD

80 mile round trip for me, 40% M5 - takes about 50 mins @ 60mph on the motorway (saving fuel). You really have to factor it into your wage as it takes a large chunk (not just fuel). Can get a bit tiresome if you have a bad journey - like when it rains and the usual ***** fill up the middle lane and don't move whatsoever - cos its raining

Mileage on the car rockets up so its worth nowhere near what it should be. For me this is a bit of a problem as my cars are on finance so they are never worth what the outstanding is and I always end up topping it up when I want to change car.