Christmas getaway to start early as AA reveals when roads will be busiest

11 December 2023 , 00:01

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The AA is expecting roads to be the busy because of how the Christmas dates have fallen (Image: PA)

The big festive getaway will come early this year because Christmas Day is on a Monday.

Though December 24 traditionally marks the main exodus, many motorists are expected to take advantage of the days immediately preceding this to travel to friends and family.

The AA predicts the Friday and Saturday before Christmas, December 22, and 23, will be the busiest on the roads and motorways this season.

It estimates there will be 16.1 million car journeys on the Friday and 16.4 million the following day.

The association issued an amber traffic warning for those dates, meaning lengthy jams are likely. It singled out the M25, M5 from Bristol to Weston-super-Mare and M6 near Birmingham as blackspots.

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An estimated five million Brits head abroad this Christmas (Getty Images)

Others include stretches of the M1 from Luton northwards, M62 and M60 in the North West and M4, which links London to South Wales.

Traffic queues are also likely at Dover as an estimated five million Brits head abroad this Christmas.

David Child, of travel agent Thomas Cook, said: “We can see a last-minute rush of bookings for families and couples who are opting to book a getaway over Christmas.

“And no doubt, people are keen to avoid the effort of all the gift-buying and fridge-stocking that’s needed for a Christmas at home.”

And if the bad weather continues into the next few weeks, travelers may find themselves further delayed on the roads.

This weekend both Storm Elin and Fergus left a trail of destruction, as Brits were left swamped with vehicles struggling to make headway in flood water.

Those looking to travel home via train may be in for a smoother journey this year, as no further train strikes are expected before Christmas. Travel expert Simon Calder said: 'When we are in this extraordinarily corrosive time, where basically you can't plan more than two weeks ahead, I can exclusively reveal to you that there will not be any more strikes before Christmas.'

Adam Aspinall