Route 38

In a moment of madness I decided that driving the A38 was a challenge I needed to undertake.  It's a local road to me, living in Devon, but I realised it headed far north, nearly to where my daughter is at university.  Driving it became irresistible.

So after visiting her in Sheffield the other Sunday, my friend and I drove to Mansfield to start the big drive south.  This is the first sign we saw.

It doesn't get much more exciting than that. 

I have since found out that I chose to drive the longest double figure A road in the UK.  It is a glorious 470 km plod from Nottinghamshire through the Midlands, the Severn reaches and down to Bodmin in Cornwall.

Sunday afternoon/evening must be one of the best times to drive this.  It trundles through all the big cities on the way south.  Birmingham was quiet, which was a relief, and familiar territory as my other daughter had lived there for 4 years, some of it on Bristol Road (the old A38 as it turns out).

Bristol was a fiddle and I think we lost it at one stage.  Once through this I was on home turf: Bridgwater, Taunton and Wellington.  And then it completely disappeared at Tiverton!  So it was a run down the M5 to Exeter.

Last weekend I finished if off driving from Exeter down to Bodmin.  I always love driving over the Tamar bridge.

And there's even a route 38 cafe to mark this iconic road.

I think next time I drive back from Sheffield, though, I'll stick to the motorways.