M40 Motorway

Saturday, 15 December 2012

On the Oxford Express coach on the M40 motorway heading towards London, UK, 22nd October 2011

Bracknell to Solihull via A404(M) and M40

UK Motorways - M42 South at M40 junction

Jaguar E-Type - Seen on the M40 Motorway

Sprinter Stablemates - Friday on the M25 Motorway

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A167 road
The A167 is a road in North East England. Most of its route was formerly the A1 as most of it is the original route of the Great North Road until the A1 was re-routed with the opening of the A1(M) in the 1960s.
The route starts from the A168 at Topcliffe, North Yorkshire and runs to Cowgate, Tyne and Wear where the route splits in two. The northern fork continues to Kenton Bar, where it meets the A1 and the A696, while the southern fork heads west, again terminating at the A1, this time at Westerhope.
From the Topcliffe A168 Junction, the route runs north through Northallerton, and crosses the A66 road just east of the A66(M) section. It runs on through Darlington, across A1(M) junction 59, and on to Newton Aycliffe, Ferryhill, Durham and Chester-le-Street.
The A167 bypass at Chilton near Ferryhill was completed and opened to traffic on 20 June 2005. Construction had started in 2004, 65 years after first proposed when the route was still the A1.
Beyond Chester-le-Street the A167 continues to A1(M) junction 63 and through Birtley before crossing the A1 at the junction near the Angel of the North. (The first route of the Great North Road ran via Wrekenton on the present B1296. The second route ran via Low Fell on the A167. The third route ran from the A1(M) junction 65 via the A194(M) and the A19 Tyne Tunnel, to the Wideopen A1/A19 Junction.)

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A18 road (England)
The A18 is a road in England that links Doncaster in South Yorkshire with Ludborough in Lincolnshire, via Scunthorpe.
It begins as a dual-carriageway and trunk road at the Balby Flyover junction with the A630 in Balby in Doncaster, under which runs the East Coast Main Line. It meets the A638 (former Great North Road) at a the Sidings Roundabout then becomes Carr House Road, overlapping the A638. At the Racecourse Roundabout in Belle Vue, the A638 leaves to the right (former Great North Road), and the road becomes Leger Way, passing the Doncaster College for the Deaf on the left, and Doncaster Racecourse on the right. Near Intake, it becomes single carriageway, which it continues as for most of its length until it reaches Scunthorpe and also in Grimsby. On the right is Danum School Technology College (Danum is the Roman name for Doncaster) and Sandall Wood School, a special needs school. There is a roundabout with Armthorpe Road, with Wheatley Hills to the left and Wheatley Golf Club to the right. At the Sandall Park Roundabout the road meets its old route and becomes Thorne Road. At the Shaw Lane Roundabout it meets the A630, with exits for Shaw Lane Industrial Estate, and the road overlaps the A630 under a railway line. At the next roundabout, on the edge of Doncaster, the A630 leaves to the right, as a trunk road to the M18, with Edenthorpe Sainsbury's an exit to the south. The road, now without trunk (primary) status, passes Hungerhill School on the left near The Ridgewood pub and passes through Edenthorpe.

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A194 road
The A194 road is a road in Tyne and Wear, England. It runs northeast from its start at junction 65 of the A1/A1(M) near Washington, and the first 3 miles (4.8 km) are motorway standard, designated the A194(M). There are intermediate junctions with the A182 and the A195 before the motorway section ends at the A184 junction.
The A194 continues as a trunk road to its next major junction, the A19 which provides access to the Tyne Tunnel, Sunderland and Teesside. At this point, A194 ceases to be a trunk road and continues to its terminus in South Shields town centre.
Coordinates: 54°57′15″N 1°30′06″W / 54.9542°N 1.5017°W / 54.9542; -1.5017 (A194 road)

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A308(M) motorway
The A308(M) is a motorway in Berkshire, England. It is 0.6 miles (1 km) long and is possibly England's shortest motorway, although the westbound carriageway of the A64(M) is shorter. It runs from the M4 at junction 8/9 to the A308.
In 1961 the A4(M) was opened and ran from the existing junction 7, through a junction with the A308 and ending at a junction with the A4.
In 1963 the Slough bypass was opened to junction 7 and the A4(M) was renumbered M4, junction 8 being with the A308 and junction 9 with the A4.
The proposed route of the M4 was then changed to go south of Reading, instead of north of it. When the M4 was extended in 1971, a new junction was provided to connect with what would become a spur. This new interchange was built too close to the original junction 8, so this had to be closed. A new junction (numbered 8/9 so as not to confuse motorists) was built. The original M4 north of this was renumbered as the A423(M) and in the 1990s this was again reclassified as the A404(M). A new spur, the A308(M), was built to maintain access to the A308 and connected with the A404(M) and the M4 at the same grade separated roundabout.

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A329 road
The A329 is an east-west road in Southern England that runs from Wentworth in Surrey to Thame in Oxfordshire. The A329 starts at the A30 in Surrey and passes through the towns of Ascot, Bracknell, Wokingham, Earley, Reading, the village of Pangbourne, and Wallingford in Oxfordshire. It connects to junction 7 of the M40 before finally ending at a junction with the A418 at Thame.
The A329 originally (in 1922) terminated at Reading. In the 1930s it was extended to Shillingford on part of the route of the former A42. After the M40 motorway was opened in the 1970s it was extended to Thame on the former route of the B4013. In 1993, when the new Winterbrook Bridge enabled traffic to by-pass Wallingford, the section between Wallingford and Shillingford was downgraded to become an unclassified road.
Most of the road is single carriageway, apart from the section through Bracknell, and in central Reading. In Reading the road is dualled where it forms the Inner Distribution Road. In Bracknell the A329 originally ran along the High Street (now pedestrianised) and continued west along the Wokingham Road (now B3408). Today the original London Road is dualled for a short section approaching the Met Office Roundabout. The dual carriageway then by-passes north of the pedestrianised town centre to the Giroscope Roundabout, where it crosses the former route, heading south west to the Twin Bridges roundabout and along the dual Berkshire Way to meet the old route at Amen Corner. Here the A329 continues into Wokingham on the original route, while the A329(M) by-passes to the north.

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A329(M) motorway
The A329(M) is a motorway in Berkshire, England. It is 4 miles (6.4 km) long and runs from the north of Bracknell to the south east of Reading.
From south to north, the route starts to the north of Bracknell and runs directly from the A329. It passes east of Wokingham in countryside. It then crosses the M4, continues north and meets the A3290 at Winnersh Triangle where it now ends. As originally built, the A329(M) continued to the junction with the A4, but this section has been since renamed the A3290.
The first section of the road opened in 1973, and went from the Winnersh junction to a temporary terminus at the A321.
A further section to the North/West of Winnersh — due to open at the same time — took the road up to the junction with the A4 to the east of Reading, running to the north of the railway line and dividing the Earley area of Reading almost in two. However the opening of this section was delayed due to the collapse of the Loddon Viaduct on 24 October 1972, which killed three people and injured ten others. This section subsequently opened in 1974.

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A3400 road
The A3400 is a road in the Midlands of England, running from Hockley Heath (near Solihull) to a junction with the A44 near Chipping Norton. At its northern end it joins up with the A34, of which it was originally one section. At its southern end it joins the A44, passing through Woodstock and joining the A34 at the Pear Tree Roundabout. The road was renumbered in the early 1990s, after the newly completed M40 motorway took away most of its long-distance traffic, leaving the route with a lower traffic volume than its designed capacity.
The A3400 passes through a number of market towns in Warwickshire including Henley-in-Arden, Stratford-upon-Avon, and Shipston-on-Stour.
The number is out of zone, as it starts clockwise of the A4 it should have a 4 zone number.
Coordinates: 52°14′19″N 1°44′40″W / 52.23848°N 1.74449°W / 52.23848; -1.74449

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A4 road (England)
Coordinates: 51°31′03″N 0°06′28″W / 51.5176°N 0.1077°W / 51.5176; -0.1077
The A4 is a major road in England, portions of which are known as the Great West Road and Bath Road. It runs from London to Avonmouth, near Bristol. Historically the road was the main route from London to the west of England, and formed the second main western artery from London, after the A40. Much of the route is now paralleled by the M4 motorway, which carries the bulk of long distance traffic in this corridor, leaving the A4 primarily for local traffic.
The A4 has gone through many transformations through the ages from following pre-Roman Ley Lines, Roman road building and very basic wagon tracks. During the Middle Ages, most byways and tracks served to connect villages with their nearest market town. A survey of Savernake Forest near Hungerford in 1228 mentions “The King’s Street” running between the town and Marlborough. This street corresponded roughly with the route of the modern A4. In 1632, Thomas Witherings was appointed Postmaster of Foreign Mails by Charles I. Three years later, the king charged him with building six “Great Roads” to aid in the delivery of the post, of which the Great West Road was one. It was not until the 17th century that a distinct route between London and Bristol started to resemble today's road. During the 17th century, the A4 was known as the Great Road to Bristol. When Queen Anne started patronising the spa city of Bath, the road became more commonly known as Bath Road. Over the years, the direction of the road has taken many detours depending on such factors as changes in tolls or turnpike patronage. For example, in 1750 the toll road from London was altered to go through Melksham and in 1695 the map maker, John Ogilby, produced a map of the Hungerford area of the Great West Road showing two possible routes.

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A40 road
The A40 is a major trunk road connecting London to Fishguard, Wales and officially called The London to Fishguard Trunk Road (A40) in all legal documents and Acts. It is 256 miles (412 km) long.
It is one of the few remaining of the "old" trunk routes not to have been superseded by a direct motorway link, though some parts, such as the southern section from London to Oxford are now better served by the M40. Part of the A40 forms a section of the unsigned Euroroute E30, which the Welsh Assembly Government refers to as "one of the lowest standard sections of the Trans European Road Network in the United Kingdom"
The original (1923) route of the A40 was the City of London to Fishguard. The road still begins and ends in the same places, but a number of changes have been made to its route.
The first change dates from 1935, between Ross-on-Wye and Abergavenny. The original route of the A40 was via Skenfrith; this road was renumbered the B4521. The A40 was rerouted via Raglan; between Ross and Raglan it replaced part of the A48, between Raglan and Llanvihangel-nigh-Usk it replaced the B4234, and between Llanvihangel and Abergavenny it replaced part of the A471.

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A40 road (London)
The A40 in London is an A road in Central and West London. It runs from outside St. Paul's Cathedral to Fishguard. (For the road outside London, see the main A40 road article.) The London section passes through seven London Boroughs: the City of London, Camden, Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea, Hammersmith & Fulham, Ealing and Hillingdon. The road has been re-routed several times in the last 100 years. Much of the route of the A40 was laid out in the 1920s and 1930s when Western Avenue was built, although most of it is now grade-separated dual carriageway. In the 1960s the Westway was constructed, allowing traffic access to the centre of the city. The London section of the A40 is one of London's most important roads and the most important Western Radial from London, linking the City Centre, West London Suburbs (e.g. Northolt, Ealing and Ruislip) to the M40 motorway (and M25 motorway), and hence to Oxford, Birmingham and the North West of England and North Wales (via the M42 and M6).
The road officially starts at St. Martin's Le Grand, where it shares a terminus with the A1, the main north London Radial. The A40 then forms Newgate Street and Holborn Viaduct, crossing the A201 leading to Blackfriars Bridge.

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A4010 road
The A4010 is an important primary north-south road in Buckinghamshire, Southern England. It runs from High Wycombe at Junction 4 of the M40 motorway to Stoke Mandeville, near Aylesbury on the A413.
The A4010 begins at the major junction at Handy Cross where the A404 meets the M40 motorway. It travels through the High Wycombe suburbs of Cressex and Sands to West Wycombe Road where it meets the A40 road. The two roads then combine for 0.5 miles (0.80 km) to the Pedestal roundabout, where they split.
The A4010 then runs as Bradenham Road, crossing under the Chiltern Main Line by means of a distinctive brick skew bridge and closely following it through Bradenham and Saunderton to Princes Risborough. The road travels straight through the town centre, meeting the A4129 at a roundabout. It then turns north-east through Monks Risborough.
The A4010 then travels through The Kimbles, (the villages of Great Kimble and Little Kimble). The road then comes out of the Chiltern Hills and, at a roundabout, turns north. 1 mile (1.6 km) later, it enters Stoke Mandeville. After passing another roundabout and Stoke Mandeville railway station, the road terminates at a roundabout on the A413. The A413 then carries on north-west into central Aylesbury.

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A4012 road
The A4012 is a road in the United Kingdom. It starts in the village of Husborne Crawley to the south east of Milton Keynes and heads southwest to the village of Woburn. Here it meets the A5130 and changes direction, heading southeast past Milton Bryan before crossing the A5 at right angles in the village of Hockliffe. After this it continues west on into the town of Leighton Buzzard. It finishes on encountering the A4146, the last stretch from Leighton town centre to the A4146 having been taken over from the former route of the A4146, which bypassed the town in 2007.
Coordinates: 51°57′47″N 0°35′35″W / 51.96302°N 0.59292°W / 51.96302; -0.59292

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A4020 road
Uxbridge Road is the name of the A4020 road in London. It starts at Shepherd's Bush Green and goes west towards Uxbridge. It passes through Acton, Ealing Broadway and Hanwell.
Uxbridge Road is a major road in West London passing through many retail and large residential districts. It provides several transport connections for commuters with many London Underground stations situated either on it or within walking distance. A number of London buses also operate along the road, for varying distances. Bus routes 207, 427 and 607 are specifically designed to operate along this road, staying on it for their entire route. The road has become notorious for traffic jams, especially during rush hour and thus lots of drivers will do their best to avoid it. The road does not become a motorway at any stage, nor does it meet any motorways along its route.
In a 1912 book of verse Evelyn Underhill published a poem entitled "Uxbridge Road". In 1972, the thirty-third episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus featured a sketch about a team of mountaineers "climbing" Uxbridge Road.

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A404 road
The A404 is a road in the United Kingdom that starts at Paddington in London and terminates near Maidenhead in Berkshire.
The road initially follows a course through north-west London via Harlesden, Wembley, Harrow, Northwood and Rickmansworth. The M25 Junction 18 is at Chorleywood. The A404 crosses into Buckinghamshire and continues towards Little Chalfont and Amersham.
Between Paddington and Amersham, the road closely follows the route of the London/Harrow-on-the-Hill/Aylesbury railway lines, The Chiltern Line, from Marylebone, and runs near several stations along that line.
At Amersham Common, the road turns south-west and continues in that direction joining the Amersham by-pass (A413) for a short distance, and then proceeds towards High Wycombe. After passing through the town centre, and crossing the A40, it changes to a dual carriageway up the hill to the M40 Junction 4, and continues as a dual carriageway past Marlow and Bisham.
The road eventually becomes the A404(M) at Maidenhead Thicket. It then runs a short distance towards the M4 where the A404(M) finally terminates at Junction 8/9.

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A404(M) motorway
The A404(M) is a motorway in Berkshire, England and can be referred to as the Maidenhead West Bypass. It joins the M4 with the A404 dual carriageway to High Wycombe, Marlow and the M40. It was once known as the A423(M).
The A404(M) leaves the M4 at Junction 8/9, and heads north, passing Maidenhead and forming the town's western bypass before terminating at a junction with the A4 just outside Maidenhead. The road becomes the A404 which continues north passing Marlow before joining the M40 at the Handy Cross roundabout outside High Wycombe.
The road was originally opened in 1961 as part of the A4(M) Maidenhead Bypass which ran from the existing junction 7, through a junction with the A308 and ending at a junction with the A4.
In 1963 the Slough bypass was opened to junction 7 and the A4(M) was renumbered M4, junction 8 being with the A308 and junction 9 with the A4.
The proposed route of the M4 was then changed to go south of Reading, instead of north of it. When the M4 was extended in 1971, a new junction was provided to connect with what would become a spur. As this new interchange was built too close to the existing junction 8, this had to be closed. A new spur, the A308(M), was built to maintain access to the A308 and connected with the A404(M) and the M4 at the same grade separated roundabout. This new junction was numbered 8/9 so as not to confuse motorists and the interchange with the A4 became junction 9A. The old M4 was renumbered A423(M) as it was a direct continuation of the A423 to Oxford.

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A41 road
The A41 is a major trunk road in England that links London and Birkenhead, although it has now in parts been superseded by motorways. It passes through or near various towns and cities including Watford, Kings Langley, Hemel Hempstead, Aylesbury, Solihull, Birmingham, West Bromwich, Wolverhampton, Newport, Whitchurch, Chester and Ellesmere Port.
It follows part of the line of the old Roman road, Akeman Street and the eighteenth century Sparrows Herne turnpike.
With the opening of the M40 extension in 1990 linking with the M42 near Birmingham, much of the route was downgraded in importance - with the sections between Bicester and the M42 near Solihull being renumbered as the A4141, A4177 and B4100.
The route begins near Marble Arch in London, at the junction with Oxford Street (A40). Here, north-bound traffic uses Gloucester Place, the south-bound uses Baker Street. It becomes a dual-carriageway on Finchley Road, through Swiss Cottage, and along Hendon Way, and intersects with the North Circular Road near Brent Cross shopping centre. The road passes through Hendon and after the junction with the A5150, (close to the Metropolitan Police's police college and the RAF Museum), it runs directly next to the M1. The A41 overlaps the A1 at Five Ways Corner with the section known as Watford Way. It passes through Mill Hill, separating with the A1 at Apex Corner roundabout After crossing the M1, near Elstree, it links the M1 at Junction 4, and then meets the A5 at a roundabout (where the A5 becomes the A5183). The A41 continues next to the M1 into Hertfordshire. This section is known as Elton Way, as far as the roundabout with the B462. The next section is dual-carriageway.

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A412 road
The A412 is a road in England that links Slough and Watford. It was previously the main artery for this corridor, and continued to St Albans prior to the construction of the M25. It provides interchange to the A40/M40 at the Denham Roundabout, the M25 in Maple Cross, the A404 in Rickmansworth, and the A41 in Watford. The road links to the Watford Ring Road, and passes through the town centre, partially a grade separated dual carriageway.
Buckinghamshire
Hertfordshire
Coordinates: 51°39′12″N 0°25′08″W / 51.65328°N 0.4189°W / 51.65328; -0.4189

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A413 road
The A413 is a major road in England that links Gerrards Cross to Towcester. It passes through various towns and villages including Buckingham, Aylesbury, Wendover, Winslow, Great Missenden and Amersham.
It has been diverted a number of times over the last 50 years. In the 1960s, a by-pass was built around Great Missenden and re-routing has taken place through Aylesbury town centre. In the last 20 years^{[citation needed]}, by-passes have been built for Amersham and Wendover. In the early 21st century, the junction near Towcester where the A413 joins the A43 has also been redeveloped along with much-needed A43 redevelopment around Silverstone Circuit.
That part of the route which runs along the Misbourne Valley dates back into pre-history. In Medieval times, the Cartulary of Missenden Abbey simply recorded the road as "the Kings Highway". Also just north of Aylesbury the road crosses Holman's Bridge, the location in 1642 of the Battle of Aylesbury.
Aylesbury rockstar John Otway wrote a B-Side about the road on his Number 9 hit single "Bunsen Burner." The song was called "A413 Revisited" and is about John returning home no longer as a one hit wonder but as a two hit artist. The chorus is:

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A4146 road
The A4146 is an A-class road running through south-central England from M1 Junction 14 at Milton Keynes, around Linslade and Leighton Buzzard (as a new dual carriageway bypass), and via Dagnall to Hemel Hempstead, where it terminates at a roundabout with the A4251.
In Milton Keynes, the road briefly follows the H6 Childs Way from Junction 14 of the M1 Motorway before turning south onto the V11 Tongwell Street, west again onto the H10 Bletcham Way and once more to the south where it joins with the A5. It then separates again, continuing as the Milton Keynes southern bypass south of Fenny Stratford and Bletchley. At the end of the single carriageway bypass the road used to turn left and head south through the village of Stoke Hammond. However it now continues west onto a short stretch of dual carriageway bypass which was built in 2004.
From a point just south of Water Eaton, Milton Keynes, a brand new alignment has been built for the road, forming the Stoke Hammond and Linslade western bypass. The dual carriageway road hugs the route of the West Coast Main Line for most of the way south towards Leighton Buzzard. This route opened on 14 September 2007. The route is planned to tie in with a proposed A418 Wing bypass. The new road features five new roundabouts, including one on the 2004 section, four overbridges and three underpasses.The bypass was the focus on an anti-road protest. During the protest two women chained themselves to a digger. They were arrested and charged, but later acquitted.

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A4155 road
The A4155 is a road in the United Kingdom that starts at Bourne End in Buckinghamshire and leads westwards by way of Little Marlow, Marlow, Medmenham, Henley-on-Thames, Lower Shiplake and Caversham to terminate at Reading in Berkshire. Its route follows the north bank of the River Thames and thus it becomes very congested on the days of the various regattas and similar events in the towns it serves.^{[citation needed]}
Coordinates: 51°31′20″N 0°53′37″W / 51.52228°N 0.89371°W / 51.52228; -0.89371

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A418 road
The A418 road is a main trunk road in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, England. It begins at a roundabout with the A4146 just north of Ascott, near Leighton Buzzard. It then runs south as a single carriageway through Wing to Aylesbury. This stretch is proposed for a dual carriageway bypass. After diving through Aylesbury the road runs past Aylesbury College before heading out into Stone. From here it runs past Haddenham to the M40 near Thame. The road has been rerouted in two locations so that it no longer runs through Hulcott and Haddenham.
From the A505 in Buckinghamshire:
In Oxfordshire:
Coordinates: 51°48′11″N 0°50′38″W / 51.80317°N 0.84397°W / 51.80317; -0.84397

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A421 road
The A421 is an important road for east/west journeys across England. Together with the A428, the A43 and A34, it forms the route from Cambridge through Milton Keynes to Oxford. The section between the A1 near St Neots and the A5 in Milton Keynes is a primary route.
The road begins at the A1, just south of St Neots (and the junction with the A428 from Cambridge), at the Black Cat Roundabout. The road bypasses Great Barford (the bypass opening on August 24, 2006) and Bedford to the south to reach the M1 at junction 13. From there, it swings up through the southern part of Milton Keynes, doubling as the local grid road H8 Standing Way. During this time it crosses the A5 (and connects to it via a short spur which is part of the V6 Grafton Street). Continuing westwards, it forms the Buckingham by-pass before joining the A43 from Northampton on the outskirts of Brackley.
(From there, the westward route becomes the B4031 through Croughton, Aynho and Deddington to join the A361 to Chipping Norton).

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A422 road
The A422 is an "A" road for east-west journeys in south central England, connecting the county towns of Bedford and Worcester by way of Milton Keynes, Buckingham, Banbury and Stratford-upon-Avon. For most of its length, is a narrow single carriageway.
The eastern end of the road is at Bromham on the outskirts of Bedford, where it branches off the A428. Its route then crosses into the Borough of Milton Keynes (and Buckinghamshire). It briefly merges with the A509 to bypass Newport Pagnell. Entering Milton Keynes itself, it crosses the northern part of the city as a dual carriageway known locally as the H3 Monks Way. It has followed these routes since they were developed in the 1970s as part of the grid road system in Milton Keynes.
Upon meeting the A5 the A422 follows its route for 3 miles (4.8 km) before crossing briefly into Northamptonshire and regaining its identity (and single carriageway status).It then bypasses Deanshanger, goes through the centre of Buckingham, around Brackley in Northamptonshire, into Oxfordshire, just before crossing the M40 at Junction 11 and into Banbury. From the A422/B4525 roundabout, on the western edge of Middleton Cheney, Banbury (east of Junction 11), the Road is dualled until it meets the A423 and resumes as a single carriageway. From there to Stratford upon Avon, it is a minor road crossing into Warwickshire at the Battle of Edgehill site, from there it declines steeply down the Sunrising Hill escarpment and then across the Fosse Way.

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A425 road
The A425 road is an A road in England, which runs between Daventry in Northamptonshire and Warwick in Warwickshire via Staverton, Lower Shuckburgh and Southam.
At Southam it links with the A426 as well as the A423.
Coordinates: 52°15′14″N 1°25′15″W / 52.25397°N 1.42084°W / 52.25397; -1.42084

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A428 road
The A428 road is a major road in central and eastern England. It connects the cities of Coventry and Cambridge by way of the county towns of Northampton and Bedford.
The road starts on the A4600 Sky Blue Way in Coventry, heading Eastbound out of the city meeting the A444 and A4082 roads before crossing the A46 Eastern Bypass and into Warwickshire. The road then passes through the village of Binley Woods before becoming more rural in nature, meeting the Fosse Way and crossing the River Avon at Bretford. 3.8 miles (6.1 km) further along, the road enters Rugby where it meets the A4071 and A426 and passes Rugby School. It then continues out of the town to the east through the suburb of Hillmorton and crosses the A5 near Daventry International Railfreight Terminal (DIRFT). It meets the M1 at its original terminus, junction 18 and bypasses the towns of Crick and West Haddon. The road passes the Althorp family estate, eventually entering the Town of Northampton.
East of Northampton the road passes Little Houghton (the 2-mile (3.2 km) £1.4 million bypass opened in December 1979), Brafield-on-the-Green, Yardley Hastings. After here it enters Bedfordshire and the district of Bedford then meets the A509 at a roundabout. Continuing towards Bedford the road passes Lavendon, Cold Brayfield, Turvey, Bromham (the 2-mile (3.2 km) £4.8 million bypass opened in September 1986). It meets the A422 (for Milton Keynes north) at a roundabout entering Bedford.

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A429 road
The A429 is a main road in England that runs in a north-northeasterly direction from junction 17 of the M4 motorway (4 miles (6.4 km) north of Chippenham in Wiltshire) to Coventry in the West Midlands, by way of Malmesbury, Cirencester, Stow-on-the-Wold, Moreton-in-Marsh, east of Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick, and Kenilworth.
For much of its length the A429 follows the route of the Roman Fosse Way.
When first designated in 1922 the A429 ran from Chippenham to Warwick. In the 1970s the route was extended from Warwick to Coventry on the old route of the A46. More recently, the short section between Chippenham and the M4 motorway became part of the extended A350. The road currently disappears between the junction with the A46 north of Warwick and then reappears at a junction with the A452, in the north of Kenilworth, this is because the section between Warwick and Kenilworth was declassfied shortly after the opening of the A46 Kenilworth Bypass. This was in order to encourage traffic to use the A452 or A46 instead.

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A43 road
The A43 is a primary route in the English Midlands, that runs from the M40 motorway near Ardley in Oxfordshire to Stamford in Lincolnshire. Through Northamptonshire it bypasses the towns of Northampton, Kettering and Corby which are the three principal destinations on the A43 route. The A43 also links to the M1 motorway.
The section of the road between the M40 and M1 is designated a trunk road, managed and maintained by the Highways Agency. The remainder of the route is the responsibility of local authorities.
The A43 starts at M40 junction 10 (the location of Cherwell Valley Services) and is widely regarded as being one of the worst motorway junctions in the country despite improvements made in the early 2000s. There are often long tailbacks at the junction, even at off-peak times.
Following the junction with the M40, the A43 first meets a roundabout with the B4100 for traffic headed north west for the village of Aynho or south for the town of Bicester. Continuing north, the A43 passes many Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire rural villages and towns before meeting the A421 which spurs towards Buckingham and later, Milton Keynes.

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A452 road
The A452 is a road in England, which runs from Leamington Spa, Warwickshire to Brownhills in Staffordshire. It is the major link to the M6 motorway for both Leamington and Warwick in addition to serving as Leamington's link to the M40 motorway and to Coventry.
Between Brownhills and Kenilworth it follows the line of the ancient drover's road called the Welsh Road, which probably has pre-Roman origins.
The A452 starts south of Leamington Spa with two separate spurs running to junctions 13 (southbound) and 14 (northbound) of the M40 motorway. These meet and the road heads into Leamington along Europa Way, a road newly created at the same time as the M40 extension in that area. The road into Leamington is signed as a primary route but most maps show it as non-primary. After running up the western edge of the town centre, the road crosses the A425 and then heads north. Just before Kenilworth, the A452 crosses the A46, the major dual carriageway linking the M40 to Coventry. The A452/A46 is thus the principal route between Leamington and Coventry.

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A48(M) motorway
The A48(M) is a motorway in Wales between Cardiff and Newport. It is a spur off the M4 into eastern Cardiff. It is 2 miles (3.2 km) long and is a 2-lane motorway throughout its length. At St Mellons it runs continuously into a further 6 miles (9.7 km) of the dual-carriageway A48, which also features (albeit narrow) hard shoulders.
It opened in 1977, originally as an ending for the M4. The M4 was subsequently extended from junction 29 in 1980 and this section of road was renumbered A48(M). It has been suggested that its continuation westwards was projected to be from St Mellons.
The A48(M) has the unusual feature of having no junction options: at both ends it leads into limited-access junctions. It is also the only motorway to be entirely in Wales, as the other motorways, M4 and M48, cross into England.
Coordinates: 51°32′16″N 3°05′42″W / 51.5378°N 3.0949°W / 51.5378; -3.0949

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A508 road
The A508 is a short A-class road for north/south journeys in south central England, forming the route from Market Harborough in Leicestershire, via Northampton, to Old Stratford, north-west of Milton Keynes.
The road begins in the centre of Market Harborough and crosses into Northamptonshire just outside the town. Crossing the A14 at Kelmarsh, it continues on through the centre of Northampton, merging with the A5199 as it enters the town. Through Northampton the road repeatedly switches between being a dual carriageway and a single carriageway.
From there, it merges briefly with the A45 until it crosses the M1 at junction 15. Resuming its identity, it continues through Roade, Grafton Regis and rural south Northamptonshire, reaching the A5 and the A422 at Old Stratford, a small town which adjoins Milton Keynes.
Between Market Harborough and Northampton, travelling south, there are two fixed (Gatso) speed cameras. The first is on top of the A14 junction (40 mph (64 km/h) limit) and the second is approx 0.5 miles (0.80 km) from the village of Lamport (60 mph (97 km/h) limit). Both of these cameras are rotated, meaning that they face the opposite direction of travel every so often. There is a further speed camera just south of junction 15 and another in Roade. The majority of the stretch between Northampton and Milton Keynes is national speed limit (60 mph (97 km/h)), although there are 30 mph (48 km/h) limits in Roade and Grafton Regis.

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A509 road
The A509 is a short A-class road (around 30 miles (48 km) long) for north-south journeys in south central England, forming the route from Kettering in Northamptonshire to the M1 and A5 in Milton Keynes.
The road begins at Wicksteed Park in the outskirts of Kettering. It then crosses the A14 and goes through Isham and Great Harrowden. After this it goes on to form the Wellingborough western bypass before crossing into the Borough of Milton Keynes (ceremonial Buckinghamshire). From there, it crosses the A428 at a roundabout and cuts through the centre of Olney. South of Olney the road is 40 mph (64 km/h) for a distance before rising to 50 mph (80 km/h) as it passes Emberton, after which it regains the national speed limit (60 mph (97 km/h)). It then meets the A422 at a large roundabout and becomes a dual carriageway. It multiplexes with the A422 to form the Newport Pagnell Bypass. After passing Newport Pagnell the A509 turns left at a roundabout with the A422 continuing ahead. Here it becomes a single carriageway once more and crosses the M1 at Junction 14, where it enters Milton Keynes. Regaining the dual carriageway status it runs for a further 4 miles (6.4 km) past the edge of the centre and the National Hockey Stadium, to link up with the A5 at the National Badminton Centre in Loughton. Through Milton Keynes the road is known as the H5 Portway.

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A5130 road
The A5130 is a road in the United Kingdom. It starts on a roundabout with the A509 near Junction 14 of the M1 motorway and proceeds south round the eastern edge of the original Milton Keynes designated area. After crossing the A421 the 5130 continues past the village of Wavendon. It then crosses the Bedford-Bletchley railway by means of a level crossing and passes through Woburn Sands. It terminates a short distance to the south upon meeting the A4012 just inside the village of Woburn.
The road is de facto a part of the Milton Keynes Grid Road System, an unofficial V12, being absorbed as Broughton expands (see next).
With the eastern expansion of Milton Keynes now under construction, Milton Keynes Partnership are downgrading the road to what it calls "a High Street". This plan is controversial and is opposed locally, by local parish councils, residents and campaign group Urban Eden, but the Partnership says that it has completed due process and consultations and now has the authority to impose it. It is not yet clear whether or not this stretch will retain the A5130 number or if it will be deleted. A 40 mph (64 km/h) speed limit has been put in place along the stretch in question, and development has been built right up to the road's edge. MKP's eventual plan is to reduce the speed limit further to 30 mph (48 km/h).

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A57(M) motorway
The Mancunian Way, officially the A57(M), is a two mile long motorway in Manchester, England. It is part of the A57, which runs east-west through Greater Manchester and links the M602 and M67 motorways.
The road forms a major part of the Manchester-Salford Inner Ring Road and runs south of the city centre. Running eastbound, it starts as a 2 lane dual carriageway and passes underneath the A56. Following this, the road widens to 3 lanes. At the next junction which leads to the A5103, the road reduces to 2 lanes and becomes an elevated highway. This section runs atop link roads and two roundabouts before reaching the next junction with the A34. At this point the road passes through the centre of the campuses of UMIST (now part of the University of Manchester) and Manchester Metropolitan University. It then runs for around ¾ mile (1.2 km) before reaching its junction with the A6 which it crosses on a bridge before dropping down to ground level. It then finishes on the A635 and continues eastbound, and also continues to be called the Mancunian Way.

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A601(M) motorway
The A601(M) is a motorway in Lancashire, England. It is 1.1 miles (1.7 km) long, and meets the M6 at Junction 35. It is a unique motorway within the United Kingdom as it has a dual carriageway section leading north from Junction 35 of the M6, with a single carriageway section (the only single carriageway section with motorway status in the United Kingdom) leading south, where it terminates at a Give Way sign on a B road. The A601(M) is not the A601 under motorway restrictions, as is the usual explanation for such a classification in the UK. The A601 itself is the Derby inner ring road, over 100 mi (160 km) away.
The section between the M6 and Junction 35A was originally opened in 1960, as part of the Lancaster Bypass. This was a 2 lane motorway. In 1970, the M6 was extended north, and a short spur was left to the A6. The terminal roundabout was given the junction number 35A. Plans existed to extend this as part of an Arnside link road, which would have connected the Furness Peninsula with the M6, but they were scrapped for environmental reasons, but parts of this road exist today, along the A590.

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A6144(M) motorway
The A6144(M) was a motorway in Carrington, Greater Manchester, England. It was rare among motorways in that it was entirely single carriageway, the only motorway of its kind in the UK. The others are dual carriageway for at least some of their length.
About 1 mile (2 km) long, the road connected the A6144 road to the M60 at junction 8. It was the highest numbered A-road(M) motorway and was also one of only two four-digit, Axxxx(M) motorways, the other being the A6127(M) (now A167(M)). Also relatively rare was that the motorway was not a trunk road and therefore not the responsibility of the Highways Agency.
The road also had no hard shoulder; instead, two emergency lay-bys with SOS phones and lights were provided midway along the length of the road. Also, it was possible to go from the A6144 to the A56 without going on the mainline of the M60 or any other motorway. One of the main reasons for its needing motorway status was that the junction with the M60 used to have two small roundabouts. It would be very difficult physically for a driver of a long vehicle prohibited from motorways to perform a U-turn due to the small size of the roundabouts. They might be forced to drive onto the M60 slip roads.

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A627(M) motorway
The A627(M) is a motorway that runs between Oldham and Rochdale in Greater Manchester, England. It is 6 miles (9.7 km) long and connects these two towns to the M62. It opened in 1972.
Heading north, the road starts as a 2 lane dual carriageway on the A663 at Chadderton. It turns sharply left and passes west of Royton. It continues to its next junction, where it has a 1-mile (1.6 km) spur. Although signed as the A627(M), a map exists showing it as the A6138(M). After this junction it gains a third lane, before reaching a roundabout at the M62 junction 20. This junction has been designed to accommodate a future flyover. After crossing the roundabout the route continues as a dual 2 lane route, for another 1 mile (1.6 km) before turning sharp right to reach its terminal crossroads.
Coordinates: 53°34′44″N 2°09′36″W / 53.5790°N 2.1599°W / 53.5790; -2.1599

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A66 road
The A66 is a major road in northern England which in part follows the course of the Roman road from Scotch Corner to Penrith. It runs from east of Middlesbrough in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire to Workington in Cumbria. It is anomalously numbered since west of Penrith it trespasses into numbering zone 5; this is because it originally terminated at the A6 in Penrith, but was extended further west in order to create one continuous east–west route. Most of what is now the A66 west of Penrith was originally A594 – only a small stub of this road remains, from Maryport to Cockermouth.
From its eastern terminus between Redcar and Middlesbrough, it runs past Stockton-on-Tees and Darlington mainly as two to three lane dual-carriageway and single carriageway past Darlington, becoming motorway standard as the A66(M) shortly before meeting junction 57 of the A1(M). It follows the A1(M) south to Scotch Corner from where it continues west across the Pennines, past Brough, Appleby, Kirkby Thore, Temple Sowerby, Penrith, Keswick and Cockermouth, and on through the northern reaches of the Lake District, before arriving at the coastal town of Workington. There is a short stretch of two lane dual carriageway alongside the northern part of Bassenthwaite Lake between Keswick and Cockermouth. Whilst the eastbound section follows the straight line of the disused Cockermouth, Keswick and Penrith Railway, the westbound section has numerous bends with climbs and dips. The western end of the Bassenthwaite stretch has been permanently reduced to a single lane with a 50 miles per hour (80 km/h) limit monitored by average speed cameras.

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A823(M) motorway
The A823(M) is a motorway in Fife, Scotland. It is a 1 mile (1.6km) spur from the M90 into Dunfermline. It is the highest numbered Ax(M) motorway in the UK. The road provides a fast route for traffic from Dunfermline to the Forth Road Bridge. When opened in 1969 it was intended to be part of a longer motorway continuing eastbound along to the north coast of the Firth of Forth and a bridge was built for this extension. Following the upgrade of the A92 it is considered unlikely this route will be constructed.
Coordinates: 56°02′46″N 3°25′05″W / 56.0462°N 3.4181°W / 56.0462; -3.4181

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Akeman Street
Akeman Street was a major Roman road in England that linked Watling Street with the Fosse Way. Its junction with Watling Steet was just north of Verulamium (near modern St Albans) and that with the Fosse Way was at Corinium Dobunnorum (now Cirencester). Its course passes through towns and villages including Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted, Tring, Aylesbury, Alchester (outside modern Bicester), Chesterton, Kirtlington, Ramsden and Asthall.
Parts of the A41 road between Tring and Bicester use the course of the former Roman road. A minor road between Chesterton and Kirtlington also uses its course. Other parts are in use as public footpaths, including a 6-mile (9.7 km) stretch between Tackley and Stonesfield that is part of the Oxfordshire Way.
The origins of the road's name are uncertain but certainly date back to the Early Middle Ages. Some have suggested that "Akeman" derives from the Anglo-Saxon words for "oak-man". Others have suggested a connection with Bath, which the Anglo-Saxons called Acemannesceastre (Acemannes apparently being derived from the Roman name Aquae Sulis). It is unclear how this might have become associated with the road, but one possibility is that the name was originally used for the longer stretch of road from Bath.

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Amersham
Coordinates: 51°40′37″N 0°36′12″W / 51.6769°N 0.6034°W / 51.6769; -0.6034
Amersham is a market town and civil parish within Chiltern district in Buckinghamshire, England, 27 miles (43 km) north west of London, in the Chiltern Hills. It is part of the London commuter belt.
Amersham is split into two distinct areas: Old Amersham, set in the valley of the River Misbourne, which contains the 13th century parish church of St. Mary's and several old pubs and coaching inns; and Amersham-on-the-Hill, which grew rapidly around the railway station in the early part of the 20th century.
Records date back to pre-Anglo-Saxon times, when it was known as Egmondesham, and by the time that the Domesday Book was written around 1086 it had become known as Elmodesham. The Domesday entry is as follows:
Queen Edith was the wife of Edward the Confessor and sister of king Harold, and after her death in 1075 the land passed to William the Conqueror who granted it to Geoffrey de Mandeville.
In 1200 Geoffrey, Earl of Essex obtained a charter for Amersham allowing him to hold a Friday market and a fair on 7 and 8 September. In 1613 a new charter was granted to Edward, Earl of Bedford, changing the market day to Tuesday and establishing a statute fair on 19 September.

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Ardley
Coordinates: 51°56′N 1°13′W / 51.94°N 1.21°W / 51.94; -1.21
Ardley is a village in Ardley with Fewcott civil parish in Oxfordshire, England, about 4 miles (6.4 km) northwest of Bicester. The parish includes the village of Fewcott that is now contiguous with Ardley.
The limestone quarry at Ardley has yielded a significant find of dinosaur tracks (ichnites), discovered in 1997 and thought to have been left by Megalosaurus and possibly Cetiosaurus. There is a site of special scientific interest in the village with a colony of the great crested newts and an outcrop of Jurassic limestone.
Ardley Castle is a motte-and-bailey which is believed to have been built early in the 12th century during the civil war between Empress Matilda and King Stephen.
The Church of England parish church of Saint Mary dates from at least 1074. The original church was demolished and completely rebuilt, but both the chancel and the bell tower of the present building contain small amounts of re-used Norman stonework. The present Early English Gothic chancel was built late in the 12th or early in the 13th century. The tower, which has a saddleback roof, and may have been built in the 13th or 14th century. The present nave was built in 1792.

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Aylesbury
Coordinates: 51°49′00″N 0°48′45″W / 51.8168°N 0.8124°W / 51.8168; -0.8124
Aylesbury ( /ˈeɪlzbri/) is the county town of Buckinghamshire in South East England. However the town also falls into a notional geographical region known as the South Midlands an area that ecompasses the north of the South East, and the southern extremities of the East Midlands, and the western portion of the East of England. In the 2001 census the Aylesbury Urban Area, which includes Bierton, Fairford Leys, Stoke Mandeville and Watermead, had a population of 69,021, which included 56,392 for the Aylesbury civil parish.
The town name is of Old English origin. Its first recorded name Æglesburgh is thought to mean "Fort of Aegel", though who Aegel was is not recorded. Since earliest records there have been 57 variations of the name. Excavations in the town centre in 1985 found an Iron Age hillfort dating from the early 4th century BC. The town is sited on an outcrop of Portlandian limestone which accounts for its prominent position in the surrounding landscape, which is largely clay. Aylesbury was a major market town in Anglo-Saxon times, famous in addition as the burial place of Saint Osyth, whose shrine attracted pilgrims. The Early English parish church of St. Mary (which has many later additions) has a crypt beneath. Once thought to be Anglo-Saxon, it is now recognised as being of the same period as the medieval chapel above. At the Norman Conquest, the king took the manor of Aylesbury for himself, and it is listed as a royal manor in the Domesday Book, 1086.

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Banbury
Coordinates: 52°03′40″N 1°20′10″W / 52.061°N 1.336°W / 52.061; -1.336
Banbury ( /ˈbænbəri/) is a market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in the Cherwell District of Oxfordshire. It is 64 miles (103 km) northwest of London, 38 miles (61 km) southeast of Birmingham, 27 miles (43 km) south of Coventry and 21 miles (34 km) north northwest of the county town of Oxford. The urban area, including surrounding parishes, had a population of 43,867 at the 2001 census, though this figure has increased in recent years to approximately 45,000.
The Member of Parliament for Banbury is Tony Baldry.
Banbury is a significant commercial and retail centre for the surrounding area, which is predominantly rural. Banbury's main industries are car components, electrical goods, plastics, food processing, and printing. Banbury is home to the world's largest coffee-processing facility (Kraft Foods), built in 1964. The town is famed for Banbury cakes – similar to Eccles cakes but oval in shape. Since July 2000 Banbury has hosted a unique gathering of traditional mock animals, from around the UK, at the annual Banbury Hobby Horse Festival.

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Beaconsfield
Coordinates: 51°36′03″N 0°38′05″W / 51.600873°N 0.634682°W / 51.600873; -0.634682
Beaconsfield ⁱ/ˈbɛkənzfiːld/ is a market town and civil parish operating as a town council within the South Bucks district in Buckinghamshire, England. It lies 23.6 miles (38 km) northwest of Charing Cross in Central London, and 17 miles (27 km) south-east of the county town of Aylesbury. Other nearby towns include Amersham to the north northeast and High Wycombe to the west.
The town sits in the Chiltern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is part of the London commuter belt, thus the average cost of housing in the town is very high. It is in the South Bucks local government district, which was known as the Beaconsfield district from 1974 to 1980.
The parish comprises Beaconsfield town and land mainly given over arable land though some beech forest remains from that planted to supply the furniture industry of High Wycombe.
The first written reference to Beaconsfield dates from 1185 where it is spelt Bekenesfeld. Although this is mistakenly thought to mean "field by the beacon," actually it is derived from "clearing in the beeches" (beech trees).

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Bicester
Coordinates: 51°54′N 1°09′W / 51.90°N 1.15°W / 51.90; -1.15
Bicester (ⁱ/ˈbɪstər/ BIS-tər) is a town and civil parish in the Cherwell district of northeastern Oxfordshire in England.
This historic market centre is one of the fastest growing towns in Oxfordshire Development has been favoured by its proximity to junction 9 of the M40 motorway linking it to London, Birmingham and Banbury. It has good road links to Oxford, Kidlington, Brackley, Buckingham, Aylesbury and Witney, as well as rail service.
Bicester has a history going back to Saxon times. The name Bicester, which has been in use since the mid 17th century, derives from earlier forms including Berncestre, Burencestre, Burcester, Biciter and Bissiter (the John Speed map of 1610 shows four alternative spellings and Miss G. H. Dannatt^[who?] found 45 variants in wills of the 17th and 18th centuries). Theories advanced for the meaning of the name include "of Beorna" (a personal name), "The Fort of the Warriors" or literally from Latin Bi-cester to mean "The 2 forts". The ruins of the Roman settlement of Alchester are 2 miles (3.2 km) southwest of the town and remains of an Augustinian priory founded in 1180 survive in the town centre.

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Birmingham
Birmingham (ⁱ/ˈbɜrmɪŋəm/ BUR-ming-əm, locally /ˈbɜrmɪŋɡəm/ BUR-ming-gəm) is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 (2010 estimate), and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a population of 2,284,093 (2001 census). Birmingham's metropolitan area is also the United Kingdom's second most populous with a population of 3,683,000.
A medium-sized market town during the medieval period, Birmingham grew to international prominence in the 18th century at the heart of the Midlands Enlightenment and subsequent Industrial Revolution, which saw the town at the forefront of worldwide developments in science, technology and economic organisation, producing a series of innovations that laid many of the foundations of modern industrial society. By 1791 it was being hailed as "the first manufacturing town in the world". Birmingham's distinctive economic profile, with thousands of small workshops practising a wide variety of specialised and highly-skilled trades, encouraged exceptional levels of creativity and innovation and provided a diverse and resilient economic base for industrial prosperity that was to last into the final quarter of the 20th century. Its resulting high level of social mobility also fostered a culture of broad-based political radicalism, that under leaders from Thomas Attwood to Joseph Chamberlain was to give it a political influence unparalleled in Britain outside London and a pivotal role in the development of British democracy.

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Bletchley TMD
Bletchley TMD is a (limited service) railway traction maintenance depot situated in Bletchley, (ceremonial) Buckinghamshire to the north of Bletchley Station on the West Coast Main Line (and the Marston Vale Line). The depot is operated by London Midland. The depot code is now BY but, in steam days, the shed code was 1E.
Bletchley TMD was downgraded from a full service depot on 30 May 2008 and now undertakes limited workloads. Bletchley had won awards for the reliability of its trains as recently as March 2007.
The local press has expressed concern that diesel trains used on the Marston Vale Line, which were previously serviced here, now have to come from Tyseley TMD in Birmingham, with consequent long delays to service resumption in the event of train failure.
Coordinates: 52°00′03″N 0°43′53″W / 52.000828°N 0.731331°W / 52.000828; -0.731331

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British Grand Prix
The British Grand Prix is a race in the calendar of the FIA Formula One World Championship. It is currently held at the Silverstone Circuit near the village of Silverstone in Northamptonshire. The British and Italian Grands Prix are the oldest continuously staged Formula One World Championship Grands Prix.
Grand Prix motor racing was first established in Britain by Henry Segrave at Brooklands in 1926 after his winning of the 1923 French Grand Prix and the San Sebastián Grand Prix the following year, which raised interest in the sport. The first ever British Grand Prix was won by the French team of Louis Wagner and Robert Sénéchal driving a Delage 155B. The second British Grand Prix was held at Brooklands in 1927. It was designated the European Grand Prix five times between 1950 and 1977, when this title was an honorary designation given each year to one grand prix race in Europe.
Silverstone has hosted the race regularly since the start of the F1 championship in 1950 (in which it was the first race of the first ever official World Championship) and every year since 1987; it alternated with Brands Hatch between 1964 and 1986, and with Aintree (better known as a horse-racing course) between 1955 and 1962.

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Cambridge
The city of Cambridge (ⁱ/ˈkeɪmbrɪdʒ/ KAYM-brij) is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia, on the River Cam, about 50 miles (80 km) north of London. According to the United Kingdom Census 2001, its population was 108,863 (including 22,153 students), and was estimated to be 125,717 in mid-2010. There is archaeological evidence of settlement in the area in bronze age and Roman times, and under Viking rule Cambridge became an important trading centre. The first town charters were granted in the 12th century, although city status was not conferred until 1951.
Cambridge is most widely known as the home of the University of Cambridge, founded in 1209 and consistently ranked one of the top five universities in the world. The university includes the renowned Cavendish Laboratory, King's College Chapel, and the Cambridge University Library. The Cambridge skyline is dominated by the last two buildings, along with the chimney of Addenbrooke's Hospital in the far south of the city and St John's College Chapel tower.

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Chiltern Hills
The Chiltern Hills form a chalk escarpment in South East England. They are known locally as "the Chilterns". A large portion of the hills was designated officially as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1965.
The Chilterns cover an area of 833 km² (322 sq mi) and are 18 km (11 mi) at their widest and stretch 74 km (46 mi) in a southwest to northeast diagonal from Goring-on-Thames in Oxfordshire, through Buckinghamshire, via Dunstable Downs and Deacon Hill in Bedfordshire, to near Hitchin in Hertfordshire.
The boundary of the hills is clearly defined on the northwest side by the scarp slope. The dip slope, by its nature, merges with the landscape to the southeast. Similarly, the Thames provides a clear terminal to the southwest, whereas northeast of Luton the hills decline slowly in prominence.

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Chinnor
Coordinates: 51°42′07″N 0°54′40″W / 51.702°N 0.911°W / 51.702; -0.911
Chinnor is a village and civil parish in South Oxfordshire about 4 miles (6.4 km) southeast of Thame. The village is a Spring line settlement on the Icknield Way below the Chiltern escarpment. Since 1932 the civil parish has included the village of Emmington.
Chinnor formerly had a cement works and artisans supporting High Wycombe's furniture making industry, but in the 21st century is primarily a dormitory village for Thame, High Wycombe, Aylesbury and London.
The Icknield Way is a pre-Roman road. The site of an Iron Age settlement from perhaps the 4th century BC has been excavated on the Chiltern ridge in the southern part of the parish. Traces of Romano-British occupation have ben found both on the same high ground and below on Icknield Way.
A twin barrow on Icknield Way has been found to contain the weapons of a Saxon warrior that have been dated to the 6th century. Chinnor's toponym may originally have meant the ora ("slope") of a man called Ceonna. In subsequent centuries it was variously spelt Chennore and then Chynor.^{[citation needed]}

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Coventry
Coventry (ⁱ/ˈkɒvəntri/) is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although Stoke-on-Trent, Leicester and Nottingham have larger urban areas. The population of Coventry had risen to 315,800 as of 2010, according to the Office of National Statistics.
Historically within Warwickshire, Coventry is situated 95 miles (153 km) northwest of central London and 19 miles (31 km) east-southeast of Birmingham, and is further from the coast than any other city in Britain. Although harbouring a population of almost a third of a million inhabitants, Coventry is not amongst the English Core Cities Group due to its proximity to Birmingham.
Coventry was the world's first twin city when it formed a twinning relationship with the Russian city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) during World War II. The relationship developed through ordinary people in Coventry who wanted to show their support for the Soviet Red Army during the Battle of Stalingrad. The city is now also twinned with Dresden, Lidice and 23 other cities around the world.

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Daventry
Coordinates: 52°16′N 1°10′W / 52.26°N 1.16°W / 52.26; -1.16
Daventry /ˈdævəntri/ (historically /ˈdeɪntri/) is a market town in Northamptonshire, England, with a population of 22,367 (2001 census).
The town is also the administrative centre of the larger Daventry district, which has a population of 71,838. The town is 77 miles (124 km) north-northwest of London, 13.9 miles (22.4 km) west of Northampton and 10.2 miles (16.4 km) southeast of Rugby. Daventry is near the M1 motorway with access to two junctions to the northeast and southeast of the town. The town is also served by the A45 and the A361. The nearest railway station is at Long Buckby where access is gained to the London Midland services to Birmingham New Street and Northampton, on the Northampton loop of the West Coast Main Line. Inter-city services (Virgin Trains) can be accessed from Rugby railway station. The nearest major international airport is at Birmingham International.
Daventry now has a lot of estates, which include: Drayton, Middlemore Farm, Lang Farm, Ashby Fields, Royal Oak, Timken, Stefen Hill, The Grange, the Headlands and the Southbrook and Borough Hill.

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Denham Aerodrome
Denham Aerodrome (ICAO: EGLD) is an airfield located 1.5 NM (2.8 km; 1.7 mi) east of Gerrards Cross, near Denham, Buckinghamshire, England. It lies beneath London's Class A airspace. VFR entry/exit points are at Maple Cross (CHT) and St Giles Church. Entry lanes and circuit height are at 750 ft (230 m) AGL. It has one paved runway, aligned 06/24, a grass runway also aligned 06/24 which is referred to as the northside grass and one grass runway aligned 12/30. It also has plus substantial hangarage.
Denham Aerodrome has a CAA Ordinary Licence (Number P646) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee (Bickertons Aerodromes Limited).
There are a number of charter and flight instruction operators based at Denham Aerodrome. Those include the Denham School of Flying, (part of the Cabair Group) in partnership with Buckinghamshire New University (BNU), The Pilot Centre flying school, HeliAir, PremiAir, TAA UK, the London Air Ambulance unit, and other corporate and private firms. A restaurant near the control tower is named Biggles, after the fictional airman of that name.

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Denham Roundabout
The Denham Roundabout is a large road intersection to the west of London, at junction 1 (J1) on the M40 motorway.
When Western Avenue was originally built, it ended at a point west of Uxbridge at the intersection of the road from Uxbridge towards Gerrards Cross and High Wycombe (the old Oxford Road) with the road from Slough; a conventional roundabout was constructed to replace the former tee-junction where the older roads joined. When the M40 towards High Wycombe was built, Western Avenue was extended at high level to make an end-on join with the motorway, and a larger roundabout was built below the bridges carrying the motorway. When first laid out, the roundabout had the traffic going round it clockwise in the usual way, but as traffic volumes built up the layout was altered so that the traffic moved round the roundabout in both directions (so as to make the roundabout a kind of very small ring road) with mini-roundabouts at the points where other roads join the main roundabout.
More recently an access road to a golf club has had its own mini-roundabout created on the north side of the main roundabout.

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East Cross Route
East Cross Route (ECR) is a dual-carriageway road constructed in east London as part of the uncompleted Ringway 1 as part of the London Ringways plan drawn up the 1960s to create a series of high speed roads circling and radiating out from central London. The road was constructed in the late 1960s and early 1970s and runs from Hackney Wick in north-east London, through the Blackwall Tunnel, to Kidbrooke in south-east London. The ECR was initially designated as part of the A102 but has, subsequently, been partially renumbered so that sections of it are now the A2 and A12.
At its northern end, the ECR (A12) follows part of the route of the former North London Railway between the closed Victoria Park and Old Ford stations. The railway junction at Victoria Park, where the still open section of the North London Line to Stratford station diverged, was reconstructed to permit the construction of the junction with the non-dual carriageway section of the A102 and the A106 and A115 roads, above which the line passes. The branch track to the docks that ran alongside the ECR to Old Ford, which had been used only for freight since the 1940s, was subsequently closed and lifted in the early 1980s.

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Gaydon
Coordinates: 52°11′N 1°28′W / 52.18°N 1.46°W / 52.18; -1.46
Gaydon is a parish and village in Warwickshire, England, close to Leamington Spa. In the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 376.
The village is at the junction of the B4100 (former A41) and B4451 roads, a mile from Junction 12 of the M40 motorway, and is two miles north-east of Kineton.
Close by, on the site of former RAF V bomber base of RAF Gaydon, is the Jaguar Land Rover Gaydon Centre, one of the Jaguar Land Rover engineering centres (another being at the Whitley plant in Coventry) and the headquarters of Land Rover. Alongside is the Heritage Motor Centre, home to the largest collection of historic British cars in the world, charting the history of the British car industry from the turn of the 20th century to the present day. Adjacent to the site is the headquarters of Aston Martin.
A disused military base near Gaydon is also home to special vaults housing the highly flammable nitrate film elements of the British Film Institute's BFI National Archive, the world's largest archive of film and television.

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Gerrards Cross
Coordinates: 51°35′18″N 0°33′11″W / 51.5882°N 0.553°W / 51.5882; -0.553
Gerrards Cross is a village in Buckinghamshire, England. It is in the south of the county, near the border with Greater London, south of Chalfont St Peter. Gerrards Cross is also a civil parish within South Bucks district, which was known as the Beaconsfield district from 1974 to 1980. This had been formed on April 1, 1974 by the merger of part of Eton Rural District (including Gerrards Cross) with Beaconsfield Urban District.
The village name is fairly new, when compared with other villages that surround it. Gerrards Cross did not exist in any formal sense until 1859 when it was formed by taking pieces out of the five parishes of Chalfont St Peter, Fulmer, Iver, Langley Marish and Upton to form a new ecclesiastical parish. It is named after the Gerrard family who in the early 17th century owned a manor here. At that time it was a hamlet in the parish of Chalfont St Peter. It is the site of an Iron Age hillfort.
The large and distinctive parish church is dedicated to St. James [1]. It was built in 1861 as a memorial to General Reid who was MP for Windsor and designed by Sir William Tite in yellow brick with a Byzantine style dome, Chinese looking turrets and an Italianate Campanile. In 1969 the singer Lulu married Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees in the church. Originally named Jarrett's Cross before the times of the Gerrard family, after a highwayman and Jarrett's Hill is still there going up to WEC International off the A40 and Jarrett's Cottages are also still in existence. The actress Margaret Rutherford is buried in the St James Church graveyard. Gerrards Cross has its own well stocked library, a two screen cinema and various restaurants.

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Grand Union Canal
The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. Its main line starts in London and ends in Birmingham, stretching for 137 miles (220 km) with 166 locks. It has arms to places including Leicester, Slough, Aylesbury, Wendover and Northampton.
The Grand Union Canal was also the original name for part of what is now part of the Leicester Line of the modern Grand Union: this latter is now generally referred to as the Old Grand Union Canal in order to avoid ambiguity.
With competition from the railways having taken a large share of traffic in the second half of the 19th century, improvements in roads and vehicle technology in the early part of the 20th century meant that the lorry was also becoming a threat to the canals. Tolls had been reduced to compete with the railways, but there was little scope for further reduction. The Regent's Canal and the Grand Junction Canal agreed that amalgamation and modernisation were the only way to remain competitive.
The (present) Grand Union Canal came into being on 1 January 1929, extended in 1932. It was formed from the amalgamation of several different canals:

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Great Milton
Coordinates: 51°43′12″N 1°05′13″W / 51.720°N 1.087°W / 51.720; -1.087
Great Milton is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire, about 7 miles (11 km) east of Oxford.
The toponym appears to refer to the "Middle Town" of a group.
The Domesday Book of 1086 records that Remigius de Fécamp, Bishop of Lincoln held a large estate of 31 hides of land at Great Milton. The estate had presumably belonged to the Diocese of Dorchester, of which Remigius had been consecrated bishop in 1070. The see of Dorchester had been absorbed into that of Lincoln in 1072, and Remigius had been translated to Lincoln as bishop of the newly united diocese.
The Domesday Book lists two water mills in the parish. By the time of the Hundred Rolls in 1279 there was a third watermill and in about 1500 there was a fourth mill. There is no known subsequent record of the third and fourth mills, but both of the others seem to have survived until the 17th and in at least on case the 18th century. By the 19th century both mills were disused. In 1322 there was at least one windmill in the parish, and possibly two. The parish still had two windmills in 1838 and about 1900.

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H10 Bletcham Way
The H10 Bletcham Way is a major local road in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. Its formal name is simply "Bletcham Way": the "H10" designation is an urban planning name that indicates that it is the tenth east-west grid road in the Milton Keynes grid road system.
Bletcham Way starts as a dual carriageway at the three-way Granby Roundabout with the V6 Grafton Street and V4 Watling Street at Denbigh. A short distance after this point it reduces to single carriageway as it passes the industrial estates of Mount Farm and Fenny Lock. At the end of this one-kilometre stretch the road crosses the A5 at an unusual bi-graded triple roundabout. From here it reverts to being dual carriageway and takes on the designation of A4146. It remains like this for two grid stretches before the A4146 turns off onto the V11 Tongwell Street 1. The H10 then continues east, again as a single carriageway for a short distance before finishing as a local distributor in the district of Old Farm Park on the very south eastern edge of Milton Keynes.

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Heathrow Airport
London Heathrow Airport or Heathrow (IATA: LHR, ICAO: EGLL) is a major airport serving London, England, United Kingdom. Located in the London Borough of Hillingdon, in West London, Heathrow is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the third busiest airport in the world (as of 2011) in terms of total passenger traffic, handling more international passengers than any other airport around the globe. It is also the busiest airport in the EU by passenger traffic and the third busiest in Europe given the number of traffic movements, with a figure surpassed only by Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport and Frankfurt Airport. Heathrow is London's main airport, having replaced RAF Northolt, and together with Gatwick, Southend, Stansted, Luton and London City, London is the busiest city airport system in the world by passenger traffic (with 133,666,888 passengers travelling through the five airports); and second only to New York City in terms of traffic movements. The airport sustains 76,600 jobs directly and around 116,000 indirectly in the immediate area, and this, together with the large number of global corporations with offices close to the airport, makes Heathrow a modern aerotropolis which contributes an estimated 2.7% to London's total GVA.

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Henley-in-Arden
Coordinates: 52°17′28″N 1°46′41″W / 52.291°N 1.778°W / 52.291; -1.778
Henley-in-Arden (also known as simply Henley) is a small town in Warwickshire, England. The name is a reference to the former Forest of Arden. In the 2001 census the town had a population of 2,011.
Henley is known for its variety of historic buildings, some of which date back to medieval times and wide variety of preserved architectural styles. The one mile long (1.6 km) High Street of Henley is a conservation area.
Henley-in-Arden is approximately 9 miles west of the county town of Warwick, 15 miles southeast of Birmingham, 9 miles east of Redditch and 9 miles north of Stratford upon Avon (where the road between Stratford and Henley is named Henley Street).
It is located in a valley of the River Alne, which separates Henley from the adjacent settlement of Beaudesert. Henley and Beaudesert effectively form a single entity, and share a joint parish council, although Beaudesert is a separate civil parish.
The town lies at a crossroads between the A3400 and the A4189 roads and is the starting point for the circular Arden Way path. It also lies on the Heart of England Way.

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High Wycombe
Coordinates: 51°37′43″N 0°44′54″W / 51.628661°N 0.748238°W / 51.628661; -0.748238
High Wycombe ( /ˌhaɪ ˈwɪkəm/), commonly known as Wycombe and formally called Chepping Wycombe or Chipping Wycombe until 1946, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, England. It is 29 miles (47 km) west-north-west of Charing Cross in London; this information is also engraved on the Corn Market building in the centre of the town. According to the 2001 census High Wycombe had a population of 92,300, making it the largest town in the non-metropolitan county of Buckinghamshire now that the Borough of Milton Keynes is a unitary authority area, and the second largest in the ceremonial county. The High Wycombe Urban Area, the conurbation of which the town is the largest component has a population of 118,219.
High Wycombe is mostly an unparished area in the Wycombe district. Part of the urban area constitutes a civil parish of Chepping Wycombe, which had a population of 14,455 according to the 2001 census – this parish represents that part of the ancient parish of Chepping Wycombe which was outside the former municipal borough of Wycombe.

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Icknield Way
Coordinates: 51°50′40″N 0°36′12″W / 51.8445°N 0.6034°W / 51.8445; -0.6034
The Icknield Way is an ancient trackway in southern England. It follows the chalk escarpment that includes the Berkshire Downs and Chiltern Hills.
It is generally said to be one of the oldest roads in Great Britain, being one of the few long-distance trackways to have existed before the Romans occupied the country, of which the route can still be traced. However, this has been disputed, and the evidence for it being a prehistoric route has been questioned.
The name is Celto-British in derivation, and may be named after the Iceni tribe, who may have established this route to permit trade with other parts of the country from their base in East Anglia. It has also been suggested that the road has older prehistoric origins. However, the name is also said to have been initially used for the part to the west and south (i.e. south of the River Thames) but now refers usually to the track or traces north of the Thames.
From ancient times, at least early as the Iron Age period (before the Roman invasion of 43 AD) and through Anglo-Saxon times, it stretched from Berkshire through Oxfordshire and crossed the River Thames at Cholsey, near Wallingford.

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Leicester
Coordinates: 52°38′03″N 1°08′19″W / 52.63422°N 1.13852°W / 52.63422; -1.13852
Leicester (/lɛstər/ LESS-tər pronunciation (help·info)) is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest. In 2010, the population of the Leicester unitary authority was estimated at 306,600, the second highest in the region, whilst 441,213 people lived in the wider Leicester Urban Area in 2006, making Leicester the tenth most populous settlement in the United Kingdom and the UK's fourteenth largest urban area. It is the largest city in the East Midlands yet has the second largest urban area in the region behind Nottingham Urban Area. Eurostat's Larger Urban Zone listed the population of the area at 772,400 people as of 2004.
Ancient Roman pavements and baths remain in Leicester from its early settlement as Ratae Corieltauvorum, a Roman military outpost in a region inhabited by the Celtic Corieltauvi tribe. Following the demise of Roman society the early medieval Ratae Corieltauvorum is shrouded in obscurity, but when the settlement was captured by the Danes it became one of five fortified towns important to the Danelaw. The name "Leicester" is thought to derive from the words castra of the "Ligore", meaning camp of the dwellers on the (river) Legro. Leicester appears in the Domesday Book as "Ledecestre". Leicester continued to grow throughout the Early Modern period as a market town, although it was the Industrial Revolution that facilitated a process of rapid unplanned urbanisation in the area.

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Lewknor
Coordinates: 51°40′19″N 0°58′01″W / 51.672°N 0.967°W / 51.672; -0.967
Lewknor is a village and civil parish about 5 miles (8 km) south of Thame in Oxfordshire. The civil parish includes the village of Postcombe.
Two ancient roads pass through the parish: the ancient Icknield Way at the foot of the Chiltern Hills escarpment and the Ridgeway along the top. Both have been roads since at least the Iron Age.
Early in the 1970s archaeological investigations prior to building of the M40 motorway through the parish found traces of a Romano-British settlement near the village and a Romano-British cemetery near Icknield Way.
Lewknor is a Saxon spring line settlement near the foot of the Chilterns chalk escarpment.
The toponym is derived from the Old English name of its owner Leofeca, recorded in a lawsuit in AD 990. In the 11th century the manor of Luvechenora was held by Edith of Wessex, who in 1045 became queen consort of Edward the Confessor. The manor then passed to a Danish thegn of King Edward called Tovi, who bequeathed it to Abingdon Abbey. For most of the Middle Ages the abbey leased out Lewknor manor, until the abbey was suppressed in 1538 in the dissolution of the monasteries.All Souls College, Oxford had become a major landowner in the parish before the end of the 17th century and has remained so until modern times.

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London
London ⁱ/ˈlʌndən/ is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its founding by the Romans, who named it Londinium. London's ancient core, the City of London, largely retains its square-mile mediaeval boundaries. Since at least the 19th century, the name London has also referred to the metropolis developed around this core. The bulk of this conurbation forms the London region and the Greater London administrative area, governed by the elected Mayor of London and the London Assembly.
London is a leading global city, with strengths in the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media, professional services, research and development, tourism and transport all contributing to its prominence. It is the world's leading financial centre alongside New York City and has the fifth-largest city GDP in the world (and the largest in Europe). London has been described as a world cultural capital. It was the world's most visited city during 2011 and London Heathrow is the world's busiest airport by number of international passengers. London's 43 universities form the largest concentration of higher education in Europe. In 2012 London will become the first city to host the modern Summer Olympic Games three times.

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M13 motorway
Coordinates: 51°33′N 0°49′E / 51.55°N 0.817°E / 51.55; 0.817
The M13 was a planned radial motorway from London to a proposed new airport located at Maplin Sands near Southend-on-Sea, Essex. Only preliminary planning was carried out for the motorway before the proposals for the airport were dropped in favour of expanding Stansted Airport.
The route would have followed a similar route to the current A13 through Barking and Dagenham to Rainham before heading north-east towards South Ockendon then east towards Basildon. The M13 route would have continued eastwards between Basildon and Stanford-le-Hope before passing north of Canvey Island and south of Hadleigh, Leigh-on-Sea. The last section of motorway would have been constructed in the Thames Estuary passing south of Southend-on-Sea and Shoeburyness to reach the proposed site of the airport.

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M16 motorway
The M16 motorway was the designation planned in the late 1960s and early 1970s for use on Ringway 3, a new motorway planned as part of the London Ringways Plan to run a circular route around London.
Construction of the first section of the M16 began in 1973 between South Mimms and Potters Bar in Hertfordshire and opened in September 1975 with the temporary general purpose road designation A1178. During construction of the first section of the motorway, the majority of the Ringways plan was cancelled and, in 1975 the plans for Ringway 3 were modified to combine it with parts of another motorway, Ringway 4, the outermost Ringway.
The M16 designation was dropped and the combined motorway was given the designation M25 which had originally been intended for the southern and western part of Ringway 4. The section of Ringway 3 west of South Mimms anti-clockwise around London to Swanley in Kent was cancelled and the section clockwise from Potters Bar to the Dartford Tunnel was constructed between 1979 and 1982. The section of Ringway 3 south of the river between Dartford and Swanley was constructed between 1974 and 1977.

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M180 motorway
The M180 motorway is a short but major (25 miles (40 km)) motorway in England from junction 5 on the M18 motorway in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster to a point close to Humberside Airport some 5 miles (8 km) from the ports of Immingham and Grimsby and the east coast and provides access for major routes to Cleethorpes, Grimsby, Hull (via the Humber Bridge), Immingham, Lincoln, Scunthorpe and also provides major access for Humberside Airport and the Killingholme Oil Refineries. The road forms part of the unsigned Euroroute E22 and is the main route along the south bank of the Humber Estuary. It is the longest motorway in the United Kingdom to carry a three digit number.
The motorway bypass around Brigg was discussed for many years, but the Flixborough explosion gave it more importance, and was built three years later in 1977 as the second section of the motorway. At this time the A15 ran through Hibaldstow and Redbourne to Brigg, and the junction with the motorway was at Castlethorpe Corner, about 1 mile (1.6 km) east of the current A15 junction on the line of the Roman Ermine Street. The initial, and somewhat diminutive section of the motorway was the short-lived A18(M) also known as the Tudworth Link, which connected the roundabout junction with the M18 to the A18/A614. The easterly A18(M) sliproad is still used, though the original roundabout at junction 1 has now been replaced by a bridge close to Tudworth Hall Farm. The last section to be built was the Trent viaduct, opened in October 1979 by Kenneth Clarke, despite being 43 weeks late on account of strikes and bad weather.

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M181 motorway
The M181 motorway links the town of Scunthorpe, England, to the M180 motorway. A spur of the M180, the road is virtually straight through its entire 2-mile (3.2 km) length. It was opened in December 1978, at the same time as the section of M180 from junction 3 (A15) to the east side of the River Trent (the bridge was not opened until late 1979).
It begins just outside Scunthorpe, at the junction of the A1077 and A18. There is an out-of-town retail park, known locally as Gallagher Retail Park, which offers a wide variety of food and retail outlets, and Glanford Park, the home of Scunthorpe United Football Club at this junction. At the other end, the road has a junction for the M180 east, while the main carriageway merges with the M180 west. It has no intermediate junctions. It is built to typical British motorway standards, being two lanes in each direction, plus a hard shoulder for its entire length.
Coordinates: 53°34′24″N 0°42′04″W / 53.5734°N 0.7012°W / 53.5734; -0.7012 (M181, approximate mid-point)

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M20 motorway
The M20 is a motorway in Kent, England. It runs from the M25 motorway to Folkestone, providing a link to the Channel Tunnel and the ports at Dover. It is 50.6 miles (81.4 km) long. Although not signposted in England, this road is part of the European route E15.
The road starts at its junction with the M25 motorway and A20 road just east of Swanley, then continues south east across the River Darent, north of Farningham through the North Downs, past West Kingsdown and Wrotham to meet the M26. It then strikes east, running north of Addington. When it reaches junction 4 it passes south of New Hythe and runs parallel to the Medway Valley railway line before crossing it close to junction 5. This next section is the Maidstone bypass. High Speed 1 then runs parallel to the motorway as it continues to the north of Bearsted, crosses the Swanley to Ashford (via Maidstone East) Line then out into the countryside alongside Leeds Castle. Proceeding south of Lenham and Charing it is crossed by the Ashford and CTRL railway lines before becoming the Ashford bypass. Travelling past Brabourne Lees it is once again joined by the CTRL and the East Stour.

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M23 motorway
The M23 motorway is a motorway in the United Kingdom. The motorway runs from south of Hooley in Surrey, where it splits from the A23, to Pease Pottage, south of Crawley in West Sussex where it rejoins the A23. The northern end of the motorway starts at junction 7 on what is effectively a 2-mile (3.2 km) spur north from junction 7 of the M25 motorway (junction 8 on the M23). From Hooley it runs for 17 miles (27 km) past Redhill, Gatwick Airport and Crawley. A spur runs from junction 9 to Gatwick Airport.
The M23 was planned to relieve congestion on the A23 through Streatham, Thornton Heath, Purley and Coulsdon in south London and was originally intended to terminate in Streatham Vale at a junction with the controversial London Ringways Plan's Ringway 2 (the intended replacement of the South Circular Road (A205)).
In an earlier version of the Ringways Plan it would have continued into central London where it would have met the Balham Loop spur from Ringway 1 (the London Motorway Box) at Tooting. This was dropped in 1967 when the northern terminus was changed to Ringway 2.

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M25 motorway
The M25 motorway, London Ring Motorway, or London Orbital motorway is a 117-mile (188 km) motorway that almost encircles Greater London, England, in the United Kingdom. The motorway was first mooted early in the 20th century. A few sections, based on the now abandoned London Ringways plan, were constructed in the early 1970s and it was completed in 1986. The M25 is one of the world's longest orbital roads and one of the busiest and most congested parts of the British motorway network. 196,000 vehicles were recorded in a single day near London Heathrow Airport. Plans to widen additional sections to eight lanes (four each way) were scaled back in 2009 in response to rising costs.
Originally built mainly as a dual three-lane motorway, much of the motorway has subsequently been widened to dual four-lanes in places and to a dual five-lane section between junctions 12 and 14 and a dual six-lane between junctions 14 and 15. Further widening is in progress with plans for managed motorways on other sections.

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M26 motorway
The M26 is a motorway in Kent, England. It provides a short link between the M25/A21 at Sevenoaks and the M20 near Wrotham.
The motorway starts at junction 3 of the M20 and heads west, encountering almost immediately the single junction along its length where it has an interchange with the A20. This junction is numbered 2a to reflect its proximity to the M20's nearby junction 2 (also connecting with the A20) a short distance to the north-west.
8 miles (13 km) to the west the M26 merges with the M25 at junction 5. There is no exit from the M26 at junction 5 and all traffic must join the clockwise (westbound) M25. The next M25 junction, number 6, is 10 miles (16 km) west at Godstone, thus traffic joining the M26 at Junction 2a cannot leave the motorway for 18 miles (29 km) – the longest distance between motorway exits in Britain.
Travelling in the anti-clockwise direction from the M25, the main carriageway continues directly on to the M26 at junction 5. To remain on the M25, traffic must turn on to the slip road which connects to the M25 spur coming north from Sevenoaks (Which is the same with the A21). The awkwardness of junction 5 is a result of the history of the two motorways' planning and construction.

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M27 motorway
The M27 is a motorway in Hampshire, England. It is 25 miles (40 km) long and runs west-east from Cadnam to Portsmouth. It was opened in stages between 1975 and 1983. It is unfinished, as an extension to the east was planned. A number of smaller motorways were proposed, connecting the city centres of Southampton and Portsmouth to the motorway; of these only the M271 and M275 were built.
Two sections of the M27 near Southampton and Portsmouth have been widened to four lanes each way.
Running approximately parallel both to the coast of the Solent and to the A27, the M27 starts as an eastwards continuation of the A31 from Bournemouth and Poole, meets the A36 from Salisbury, crosses the Wessex Main Line railway, and then meets the M271 to central Southampton. After the M271, the road becomes a dual four lane motorway and passes Rownhams services, it then meets the M3, becoming a dual three lane motorway as it passes to the north of Southampton, passes Southampton Airport, meeting Junction 7 and becoming dual four lanes again, then becoming dual three lanes after Junction 8, it then runs alongside the West Coastway Line as it heads south-east towards Fareham. It then runs alongside the northern outskirts of Fareham, briefly with a fourth climbing lane in either direction, before its junction with the M275 to Portsmouth. At this point the motorway ends, becoming the A27.

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M271 motorway
The M271 is a motorway near Southampton in Hampshire, England. It is 3 miles (4.8 km) long. Construction began in 1973 and it opened in 1975. It provides part of the route to Southampton Docks from the M27.
The motorway begins at Redbridge near Totton at a grade separated roundabout with the A35, heading north, briefly as a dual 3 lane motorway. At its first junction, it reduces to 2 lanes and continues east of Hillyfields. After a further 1 mile (1.6 km) it reaches a junction with the M27 at a signal controlled roundabout. North of the M27 it enters the countryside and terminates after a further 1 mile (1.6 km) of dual 2 lane road at another roundabout, this time with the A3057 near Upton.
The route has several features that are inconsistent with UK motorway standards, including a sharp bend at its southern terminus, and an at-grade roundabout at its junction with the M27. Hampshire County Council's LTTP to 2026 (Long Term Transport Plan) identifies the need for an 'M271 Spur' at the southern end to connect it to the A33 towards the docks in a free-flow interchange.

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M275 motorway
The M275 is a 2-mile (3.2 km) long, dual three-lane motorway in Hampshire, southern England. It is the principal route for entering and leaving Portsmouth. It continues as the A3 into Portsmouth, and meets the M27 at its northern terminus. From the motorway, there are scenic views over Portsmouth harbour, and the Sails of the South between the two carriageways.
The M275 is one of few motorways in England which is not the responsibility of the Highways Agency. It is managed by Portsmouth City Council from the point where the slip roads to the M27 end. The M275 was not built with a full hard shoulder. For its entire length, a narrow verge is maintained, although there is space available for a full width shoulder. Instead, drivers are warned on entry from the A3 and M27 of the lack of hard shoulder, with signs saying "no hard shoulder for 2 miles".
The motorway was opened throughout its entire length in 1976. A junction was originally planned for a new development in the Tipner area of Portsmouth, known as the Gateway Project, which was shelved at the time. The junction's construction was abandoned primarily because planners realised that it would breach regulations that there must be a minimum of 1.25 miles (2.01 km) between motorway junctions. Before construction was halted, significant work had been carried out, including four incomplete slip roads with no road surfacing, two bridges above the site for the main roundabout, and realignment of Tipner Lane so that it served the roundabout. In 2001 the Sails of the South was unveiled close to the site of the missing junction.

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M31 motorway
The M31 motorway was planned as a Reading to M3 motorway which was dubbed the 'M3 – M4 link motorway'. It would have provided a direct high speed route between the two motorways. The motorway was planned at the same time as the largely unrealised London Ringways scheme and an additional section was planned that would have taken the M31 south and east from the M3 to connect to the scheme's Ringway 4 (now the M25) providing a shorter route for traffic travelling between the west and Surrey and Kent.
Only part of the planned route was built; it bears the designations A329(M) and A3290. Had the motorway been constructed it would have provided an alternative to the south-west section of the M25, reducing the motorway journey between Reading and Byfleet by approximately 10 miles (16 km) and alleviating traffic on what is the M25's busiest section.

Coordinates: 51°24′58″N 0°48′15″W / 51.41602°N 0.80423°W / 51.41602; -0.80423

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M32 motorway
The M32 is a motorway in South Gloucestershire and Bristol, England. It provides a link from Bristol city centre to the M4 and is part of the Bristol Parkway. At about 5 miles (8.0 km), it is one of Britain's shortest motorways. Most of the road has four lanes, though there is a climbing lane for 400 metres (440 yd) north of Junction 2, and the short section between Junction 1 and the M4 has six lanes.
The northern end of the M32 is at junction 19 of the M4, near Winterbourne Down. This was originally a grade separated roundabout junction, but has been modified in such a way that traffic joining the M4 need no longer give way at the roundabout. However any M4 traffic wishing to U-turn must now do so at junction 1, M32. The road then runs south between Filton in the west and Frenchay in the east. After meeting junction 1 it passes to the east of Horfield, Lockleaze and Easton. Junction 2 is located by Eastville Park. South of here, the road has a 60 mph (97 km/h) speed limit. It then continues further south and terminates at junction 3 north of St Pauls. The road continues as the A4032 into the centre of Bristol.

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M4 motorway
The M4 motorway links London with South Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places along the route include Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea. Originally referred to as the London-South Wales Motorway, the English section was constructed between 1965 and 1971, the Welsh section was completed in 1993 and the Second Severn Crossing opened in 1996.
The M4 runs close to the A4 from London to Bristol. After crossing the River Severn it follows the A48 through South Wales, using the Brynglas Tunnels at Junction 25a, Newport and terminates just north of Pontarddulais. The route of the M4 is known as the M4 corridor.
A new road from London to South Wales was first proposed in the 1930s, and the Ministry of Transport announced plans for the M4 as one of the first major post-war trunk road improvement projects in 1956.
The Chiswick Flyover opened in 1959. However it was not originally classed as a motorway. The Maidenhead bypass opened in 1961 whilst J1-J5 opened in 1965. From J18 to the west of Newport was opened in 1966 and included the Severn Bridge (now part of the M48). The Port Talbot by-pass, also built in the 1960s and now part of the M4, was originally the A48(M) motorway, a number now allocated to a short section of motorway near Cardiff. The Ministry of Transport originally intended that the M4 would terminate at Tredegar Park west of Newport, and it was only following the creation of the Welsh Office that the Government became committed to a high-standard dual carriageway to Pont Abraham in Carmarthenshire.

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M40 minibus crash
On 18 November 1993, just after midnight, a minibus was involved in a collision with a maintenance vehicle on the M40 motorway near Warwick, England.
The minibus was transporting 14 children home to Worcestershire from a school trip to London when it veered into the rear of the motorway maintenance lorry which was stationary on the hard shoulder. Twelve of the 14 children and the driver of the minibus, their teacher, were killed in the crash.
The driver of the minibus, 35-year-old teacher Eleanor Fry, had driven the 14 children to London during the afternoon of the previous day (Wednesday 17 November), then watched a concert of young musicians with them at the Royal Albert Hall, and was driving back afterward. Fry had driven the eight-year-old vehicle, which had passed its MOT test two weeks prior, several times before both in the United Kingdom and abroad, and was described as a competent and experienced driver by the education officer for Hereford and Worcester.
Shortly after midnight, the vehicle struck a 12.5-ton Bedford motorway maintenance truck parked on the hard shoulder of an unlit stretch of the M40 near junction 15. The truck's safety lights were flashing. The minibus, which was estimated to be travelling at 73 to 84 mph at the time of the collision, then caught fire and the bodies of several victims remained trapped in the burning wreckage.

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M48 motorway
The M48 is a motorway in Great Britain joining Gloucestershire, England and Monmouthshire, Wales over the original Severn Bridge. The M48 is anomalously numbered, as it is entirely to the west of the M5 motorway and its number should really therefore begin with 5.
Travelling east to west, after leaving the M4 near Olveston in England, the M48 heads north-west towards Junction 1 near Aust. It then passes through a toll booth westbound only and crosses the Severn Bridge. On the Wye Bridge it crosses into Wales immediately to the south of Chepstow. It then heads south-west after Junction 2 past Crick and to the north of Caldicot. The motorway merges into the M4 near Magor. Junction 2 also gives access to the Wye Valley. Junction 1 is home to Severn View services, and can be accessed by the A403, from Avonmouth. Junction 2 for Chepstow can be accessed by the A466, which leads to the A48.
For Chepstow, travelling both east and west on the M4, the M48 is the most direct route.
The M48 was opened as part of the M4 in 1966. Before this date traffic between South West England and South Wales was either taken through on a motorail service through the Severn Tunnel, used the Aust Ferry (which was unsuitable for large goods vehicles) or travelled through Gloucester to pass north of the Severn Estuary.

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M49 motorway
The M49 motorway is a 5-mile (8.05 km) motorway west of Bristol, England, that forms a shortcut between the M5 motorway and the Second Severn Crossing on the M4 motorway. It was constructed in 1996, at the same time as the bridge and is unique as it is only accessible from other motorways. The original plans provided for an intermediate junction with the A403 to serve an expanded industrial area, but neither this nor the junction came to fruition.
The M49 is anomalously numbered, as it is entirely to the south of the M4 and should therefore begin with a 3.
It begins at junction 18A of the M5 and then heads roughly north and north west before it reaches its terminal junction with the M4 at junction 22, just before the Second Severn Crossing. It cuts journey times for traffic to and from Avonmouth docks, Central and southern Bristol and South West England. Having a two-way grade separated roundabout junction with the M4, it also fulfils the dual role of providing a bypass for the busy stretch of the M5 between the Avonmouth Bridge and the M4 in case of that route being shut.

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M53 motorway
The M53 is a 18.9-mile (30.4 km) motorway in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral and Cheshire on the Wirral Peninsula in England. It can also be referred to as the Mid Wirral Motorway. It runs between the Kingsway Tunnel, at Wallasey in the north, and the A55 at Chester.
The main reason for the motorway was to provide a through route to the new Mersey Road Tunnel, Kingsway, which was built at the same time. Part of this motorway was originally the M531.
Starting at the northern end, the motorway starts in Wallasey at the exit slip roads from the Kingsway Tunnel from Liverpool. It loops round the north west of Birkenhead and then runs south as a dual 3-lane route between Upton, Woodchurch in the west and Prenton. From junctions 1 to 3 it runs parallel to the Borderlands railway line. It crosses this line south of junction 3. From this junction it proceeds south to the west of Bebington through junction 4 and then further south for 4 miles (6.4 km) (where it crosses the Wirral railway line), before narrowing to dual 2 lanes and turning sharply to the east. At junction 5, traffic for Wales can take the A41, A550 & A494 to join the A55 near Ewloe. The road passes north and then east of Hooton, then to the east of Overpool and Wolverham and with Ellesmere Port to the west.

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M55 motorway
The M55 is a motorway in Lancashire, England, which can also be referred to as the Preston Northern Bypass. It connects the seaside resort of Blackpool to the M6 at Preston. It is 11.4 miles (18.4 km) in length.
The M55 has three lanes in both directions for most of its length. After leaving the M6 at junction 32, the road immediately interchanges with the A6. It then crosses the West Coast Main Line and Lancaster Canal before passing north of Wesham to meet junction 3. It then continues west in a rural setting to meet junction 4, where the motorway ends and becomes the A5230. The western part of the M55, and the first few hundred metres of the A5230, occupy the route of the old Blackpool Branch railway line.
The first motorway constructed in Great Britain was the M6 Preston Bypass, opened in 1958. This ran from the current M6 junction 29 to the M55 junction 1. It was built as a 2 lane route. In 1965 the M6 was extended north from what is the current day junction 32 to meet the Lancaster Bypass, and the M6 junction was rebuilt to its current design to connect the A6 at the now M55 junction 1. Due to increasing traffic, it was decided to provide a motorway link to Blackpool and this road was opened in 1975.

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M56 motorway
The M56 motorway, also known as the North Cheshire motorway, is in Cheshire and Greater Manchester, England. It runs from junction 4 of the M60 to Dunkirk, Cheshire and is 33.3 miles (53.6 km) in length. It is often busy with long-distance commuter traffic towards North Wales. It serves commuters heading to Manchester particularly those from the wider Cheshire area and gives access to Manchester Airport from the national motorway network.
The road forms part of the unsigned Euroroute E22.
Although the main line of the motorway starts as a continuation of the A5103 Princess Parkway, the M56 begins on Sharston Spur. After passing through junctions 1 and 2, the spur joins the main line at junction 3, increasing from two lanes to four to accommodate Manchester Airport traffic.
The road then heads south to the west of Wythenshawe and Manchester Airport until it reaches junction 6, where it turns west. It runs to the south of Hale, reducing to three lanes. It passes junctions 7 and 8 which are part of the same complex. Junction 8 was planned to be used by the proposed A556(M)). The current proposals are to upgrade the A556 to a dual carriageway. Traffic for the southbound M6 leaves here and this junction can suffer from congestion. The motorway then enters a more rural setting between Broomedge and High Legh.

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M57 motorway
The M57 motorway, also known as the Liverpool Outer Ring Road, is a road in England. Designed as a bypass road for Liverpool, it is 14 miles (23 km) long and links various towns east of the city, as well as the M62 and M58 motorways.
Starting at the Tarbock Interchange in Tarbock, at the end of the A5300, the motorway heads north to the east of Huyton and west of Prescot and crosses the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. It then runs across the north east of Huyton before running west of Knowsley Village. After meeting the A580 at a split junction (numbered 4 & 5), it continues north west between Fazakerley and Kirkby, passes under the Kirkby and Ormskirk branches of the Merseyrail Northern Line before ending on Switch Island near Aintree. The motorway provides one of the main access routes to Aintree Racecourse.
The M57 was planned to be a complete bypass of Liverpool, meeting each of the main roads out of the city. As is normal in the United Kingdom, the M57 was to be built in stages. The first two opened were:

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M58 motorway
The M58 is a motorway passing through Merseyside and Lancashire, terminating in Greater Manchester, England. It is 12 miles (19 km) long and provides a link between the M6 motorway and the area north of Liverpool.
Apart from the approaches to its terminal roundabouts, the motorway is three lanes throughout. It starts at Switch Island in Merseyside and passes directly underneath the Merseyrail Northern Line. before striking out across open countryside and into Lancashire south of Maghull and Bickerstaffe. It then curves south westerly south of Skelmersdale before reaching the M6 at Orrell in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester.
Since 1949 an upgrade of the Wigan to Ormskirk route had been proposed to improve traffic flows, yet with the decision in 1961 to develop Skelmersdale as a new town, the proposals were revised to provide a link to the M6 at one end and Liverpool at the other.
The first part of the road was opened in March 1968 as the Skelmersdale Regional Road between what is now junctions 4 & 5. It was originally a two lane single carriageway road that was upgraded to 2 lane plus with hard shoulders in 1973.

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M60 motorway
Coordinates: 53°24′32″N 2°10′28″W / 53.40902°N 2.174349°W / 53.40902; -2.174349
The M60 motorway, Manchester Ring Motorway, or Manchester Orbital, is an orbital motorway circling Greater Manchester, a metropolitan county in North West England. It passes through all Greater Manchester's metropolitan boroughs except for Wigan and Bolton. Most of the City of Manchester is encompassed within the motorway, except for the southern-most part of the city (primarily the Wythenshawe area and Manchester Airport). The road forms part of the unsigned Euroroutes E20 and E22.
The M60 is 36.1 miles long and was renamed the M60 in 2000, with the M62 and M63 being amalgamated into the new route. During 2008, the M60 was proposed as a cordon for congestion charging in Greater Manchester, although this was rejected in a referendum relating to the Greater Manchester Transport Innovation Fund. The M60 the only orbital motorway in the United Kingdom, as the M25 motorway in London is not, due to the Dartford Crossing being designated the A282.

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M602 motorway
The M602 motorway is a relatively short motorway, leading traffic into Manchester and Salford by-passing the suburban town of Eccles.
The motorway itself was meant to be a part of a bigger scheme, the South Lancashire Motorway. To be designated M52, the route would link Liverpool and Manchester, and would be built to provide links to the growing UK motorway network.
However, at the same time, the M62 was being extended north and east of Worsley, around the north of Manchester, and on to Yorkshire, to form part of the Trans-Pennine Motorway route. This would be an upgraded version to the original plan of the East Lancashire Road, the A580, but would link onto the existing route at Worsley. It was decided that the Trans-Pennine Motorway be extended to Liverpool too, to provide a cross-country trunk route. The M62 was re-coursed to run via the route of the M52 between Worsley and Liverpool. This would leave a short stump of motorway between the M62 and Salford - this was first renumbered M64 then M602, whilst the southern end of the M62 between Worsley and Stretford became the M63.

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M61 motorway
The M61 motorway is a motorway in North West England. It runs from the M60 motorway northwest of Manchester and heads northwest past Bolton and Chorley to join the M6 just north of the junction between the M6 and M65 motorways to the south of Preston.
Perhaps the most distinguishing section of the M61 is to be found at the southern end at the Worsley Braided Interchange between junctions 1 and 3. This stretch of the road on the approach to the terminus with the M60 ring road is a collection of sliproads and overpass tunnels providing free-flowing access to and from the following:
This complicated junction earns a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the most traffic lanes side by side (17), spread across several parallel carriageways at Linnyshaw. The Google Maps location of this incidence is [1]
The M61 has one service station: Rivington services (formerly Bolton West services), located between Junctions 6 and 8 (as Junction 7 was never built). This motorway service area was used in the filming of The Services, a pilot episode for the Farnworth-born comedian Peter Kay series That Peter Kay Thing, a spoof documentary of a day in the life of the services staff.

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M62 motorway
The M62 motorway is a west–east trans-Pennine motorway in Northern England, connecting Liverpool and Hull via Manchester and Leeds. The road also forms part of the unsigned Euroroutes E20 (Shannon to Saint Petersburg) and E22 (Holyhead to Ishim). The road is 107 miles (172 km) long; for 7 miles (11 km), it shares its route with the M60 motorway around Manchester. The motorway, which was first proposed in the 1930s, and originally conceived as two separate routes, was built in stages between 1971 and 1976, with construction beginning at Pole Moor and finishing in Tarbock on the outskirts of Liverpool. The motorway also absorbed the northern end of the Stretford-Eccles bypass, which was built between 1957 and 1960. Adjusted for inflation to 2007, the motorway cost approximately £765 million to build. The motorway is relatively busy, with an average daily traffic flow of 100,000 cars in Yorkshire, and has several areas prone to gridlock, in particular, between Leeds and Huddersfield in West Yorkshire.

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M621 motorway
The M621 motorway is a short loop of motorway in England that takes traffic into central Leeds between the M1 and M62 motorways.
The first section of the M621 to open, known at the time as the 'South West Urban Motorway', extends from the M62 to Junction 3 in central Leeds where it used to terminate at a roundabout which was also the terminus of the M1 motorway. This section opened in stages, from the M62 to Junction 1 in 1971, and from Junction 1 to Junction 3 in 1973.
When the M1 was diverted away from Leeds when the 'M1 - A1 Lofthouse to Bramham' extension opened in 1999 adjustments were made to Junction 3 and the Leeds section of the M1 was re-designated as M621 (Junctions 3-7).
Coordinates: 53°46′42″N 1°34′36″W / 53.7783°N 1.5768°W / 53.7783; -1.5768 (M621, approximate mid-point)

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M64 motorway
The United Kingdom's M64 motorway was planned during the 1970s to link the M6 at Stoke-on-Trent with the M1 near Castle Donington, by way of Uttoxeter and Derby.
Its purpose would have been to allow traffic travelling from the south-east to the north-west to avoid the busy M6 around Birmingham. It was cancelled in 1976.
The A50 was built during the 1990s instead, following roughly the same route.
Meanwhile the traffic congestion north of Birmingham was relieved by the M6 toll motorway.
Coordinates: 52°53′49″N 1°47′16″W / 52.89701°N 1.78764°W / 52.89701; -1.78764

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M65 motorway
The M65 is a motorway in Lancashire, England. It runs from just south of Preston through the major junction of the M6 and M61 motorways, east past Darwen, Blackburn, Accrington, Burnley, Nelson and ends at Colne.
The M65 was opened in the following sections:
The first section of the motorway was opened in 1981, connecting Burnley to Brierfield. Over the years, several extensions were made, the largest being the link from Whitebirk to the M6 and M61 motorways in 1997. This extension was the scene of a standoff between construction security workers and protesters (often known as 'eco-warriors').
Junctions 1a to 6 were opened 18 December 1997 by Jack Straw, Home Secretary and Member of Parliament for Blackburn. The opening ceremony took place on the westbound carriageway beneath junction 5 at Guide with a heavy police presence as protesters threatened to bring a halt to the proceedings.
Much of the 1997 extension was relaid shortly after it opened with a new, quieter tarmac because the amount of road noise had been so great that it prevented birds of prey (mainly owls) from foraging effectively.

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M66 motorway
The M66 is a motorway in Lancashire and Greater Manchester, England. It is 8 miles (13 km) long and provides part of the route between the M62 and M60 motorways and the M65, with the rest being provided by the A56.
The M66 starts at the Simister Island, and heads north as a continuation of the M60 as a 3 lane dual carriageway. It passes the eastern edge of Whitefield, through junction 3, goes underneath the East Lancashire Railway and enters the suburbs of Bury. It reduces to 2 lanes at junction 2 and then climbs onto an elevated section, passing through a post war housing estate. At the end of the elevated road a third climbing lane is added to the summit of the hill. The road then runs to the east of Ramsbottom and the East Lancashire Railway and ends near Edenfield.
In 1949 a report, the Road Plan for Lancashire, proposed the construction of Route 9 which would link north east Manchester with Burnley and Blackburn via Route 8. Originally planned to be an all purpose road. the route was redesignated as a motorway prior to construction. The first section (the so called Middleton Link) was opened in 1971. Construction then began on the southern section of the Bury bypass (Junctions 4 to 3) in February 1973 with this opening in August 1975. Immediately after construction began on the northern section (junctions 3 to terminus) with this opening in 1978.

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M67 motorway
The M67 is a 5-mile (8.0 km) urban motorway in Greater Manchester, England which heads east from the M60 motorway passing through Denton and Hyde before ending near Mottram. It was originally conceived as the first part of a trans-Pennine motorway between Manchester and Sheffield connecting the A57(M) motorway to the M1 motorway. Plans for a £180m improvement to the route by bypassing Mottram and Tintwistle, the A57/A628 Mottram in Longdendale, Hollingworth and Tintwistle Bypass, and the 'Glossop spur' linking to the A57 road are currently at the public inquiry stage but were 'suspended indefinitely' in January 2008.
The M67 heads east from the M60 motorway, passing through Denton and Hyde before ending near Mottram. From the end of the motorway traffic can either follow the A628 road or the A57 road further east to the M1 motorway and Sheffield.
Before the motorway reaches its eastern terminal at Hattersley/Mottram roundabout (where traffic continues along the A57 into Longdendale), there are the stub 'ski ramps' where the motorway would have continued eastwards, as there are at the western end.

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M69 motorway
The M69 is a lightly used 15.7-mile (25.3 km) dual three lane dual carriageway motorway in Leicestershire and Warwickshire, England connecting Leicester and Coventry. It opened in 1977.
The motorway, also known at the time as the 'Coventry – Leicester Motorway' was completed in 1977 following a public inquiry in 1972. It replaced the A46 road, which was subsequently downgraded.
Starting at the northeastern suburbs of Coventry at junction 2 of the M6, the motorway crosses the Coventry Canal and then continues northeast past Bulkington and west of Wolvey before turning more easterly to run south of Hinckley. It then crosses the Birmingham to Peterborough railway line before ending on the southwestern edge of Leicester.
The motorway has no services.
There is an aspiration to construct a new slip road and road bridge for traffic travelling southbound on the M1 south to join the M69. The M1 would also be widened to dual 4 lane or dual 5 lane between junctions 21 and 21a.
Since the completion of the M69 motorway linking Coventry and Leicester, the motorway's number has given its name to the derby between the two football clubs playing in each city - Coventry City and Leicester City. These two clubs are rivals in the M69 derby.

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M73 motorway
The M73 is a motorway in Glasgow and North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is 7 miles (11 km) long and connects the M74 motorway with the M80 motorway, providing an eastern bypass for Glasgow. The short stretch between Junctions 1 and 2 is part of unsigned international E-road network E05, where it continues along the M8 through Glasgow. To the south, the M74 motorway is also part of the E05.
Starting at the M74 junction 4 (M73 junction 1) by the River Clyde, it proceeds north with Birkenshaw to the east and crosses the Whifflet railway line before meeting the M8 and A8 at a three-level interchange, west of Swinton. Immediately afterwards the North Clyde railway line and then passes alongside Woodend Loch before reaching junction 2A at Gartcosh. There is then a further 2 miles (3.2 km) of motorway, before traffic exits onto the M80 westbound.
The road is a dual 3 lane road between junctions 1 and 2, and a dual 2 lane road between junctions 2 and 3. It is subject to the national speed limit.
Construction began in 1969 with the motorway opening between May 1971 and April 1972. Junction 2A was added at a later date.

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M80 motorway
The M80 is a motorway in central Scotland, running through Glasgow, North Lanarkshire, Falkirk and Stirling and links the M8, the M73 and M9 motorways. Following completion in 2011, this road is 25 miles (40 km) long. From 1992 - 2011, the road was in two sections; the southern section, Glasgow to Stepps and the northern section Haggs to Stirling. A connecting Stepps to Haggs section was completed in September 2011. The new section partially opened in February 2011 when the Moodiesburn bypass opened to traffic, extending the southern section to Mollinsburn. The A80 between Mollinsburn and Auchenkilns was widened to three-lane carriageway in each direction, and the section from Auchenkilns to Haggs remains 2 lane, now with hard shoulders.
The M80 was constructed in 3 stages: M8 to Stepps (opened 1992), Stepps to Haggs (opened 2011), and Haggs to the Pirnhall (opened 1974).
This section of road was originally envisioned during the M8's construction in the 1960s, but was not realised until 1992), also known as the 'Stepps Bypass' begins at M8 Junction 13 in the Glasgow suburb of Blochairn. It runs to the north of Stepps, under the Cumbernauld Railway Line with exits for Bishopbriggs, Lenzie and Kirkintilloch, where it continues onto the new section, completed in 2011.

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M876 motorway
The M876 motorway is a motorway in Scotland. The motorway runs from Denny to Airth in the Falkirk council area, forming an approach road to the Kincardine Bridge. It was opened in 1980.
The road is 8 miles (13 km) long. It begins by turning off the M80 and bypasses Falkirk and Stenhousemuir. It is one of only three motorways in the UK which form a concurrency with another motorway, the M9 which it then leaves again and continues for 1 mile (1.6 km) before becoming the A876.
The original Kincardine Bridge was supplemented in 2008 by a second bridge, (the Clackmannanshire Bridge) for traffic towards Alloa. As part of the works, the terminal roundabout Bowtrees Roundabout was replaced with a grade separated junction, and the A876 beyond the junction has been upgraded to dual carriageway standard .
Coordinates: 56°02′17″N 3°49′55″W / 56.038°N 3.832°W / 56.038; -3.832

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M898 motorway
The M898 motorway is a ¹⁄₂-mile (0.80 km) motorway in Renfrewshire, Scotland. It is a spur route from the M8 motorway towards the Erskine Bridge. It is the highest numbered motorway in the United Kingdom, and one of the shortest. It lacks hard shoulders along its length. Its northern terminus comes at the junction with the A726 road, the former location of the toll booths for the Erskine Bridge, which were removed on 1 April 2006.
Coordinates: 55°54′14″N 4°28′35″W / 55.9040°N 4.4764°W / 55.9040; -4.4764

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M90 motorway
The M90 is a motorway in Scotland. It runs from Inverkeithing, at the north end of the Forth Road Bridge, to Perth, passing Dunfermline, Cowdenbeath and Kinross on the way. It is the most northerly motorway in the United Kingdom; the northernmost point being a spur into the western suburbs of Perth at Broxden.
The M90's most substantial engineering feature is the Friarton Bridge in Perth, a tall concrete pillared structure which traverses the River Tay. The bridge carries eastbound traffic from Broxden towards Dundee and along the Firth of Tay.
The road constitutes most of the southerly part of the A90 corridor from Edinburgh, through Perth, Dundee and Aberdeen to Peterhead along Scotland's North Sea coast.
The M90 is considered one of the UK's most sub-standard motorways of significant distance. Junctions 1 and 2 share a tiny common sliproad, forcing a conflict between entering and leaving traffic at the junction with the A823(M). It lacks hard shoulders for an 8-mile (13 km) section. In this section there are emergency lay-bys at ¹⁄₄-mile (400 m) intervals instead. The M90 also has one of the tightest corners on the UK motorway network, for which some traffic is forced to slow down. The corner cuts through the northern side of the Ochil Hills and has a curve radius of 694.5 m (a minimum of 914 m was standard practice at the time of construction). This corner also coincides with one of the steepest sections of the motorway, for which north-bound heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) are sign-posted to stay in a low gear and often brake continuously through the turn. South-bound HGVs are normally substantially reduced in speed as they make the incline.

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Maidenhead
Coordinates: 51°31′18″N 0°43′04″W / 51.5217°N 0.7177°W / 51.5217; -0.7177
Maidenhead is a town and unparished area within the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, in Berkshire, England. It lies on the River Thames and is situated 25.7 miles (41.4 km) west of Charing Cross in London.
Maidenhead's name, strictly speaking, refers to the busy riverside area where the "New wharf" or "Maiden Hythe" was built, perhaps as early as Saxon times. It has been suggested that the nearby Great Hill of Taplow was called the "Mai Dun" by the Iron Age Brythons. The area of the town centre was originally known as "South Ellington" and is recorded in the Domesday Book as Ellington in the hundred of Beynhurst.
In 1280, a bridge was erected across the river to replace a ferry in what was then the hamlet of South Ellington. The Great West Road to Reading, Gloucester and Bristol was diverted over the new bridge - previously it kept to the north bank crossed the Thames by ford at Cookham—and mediaeval Maidenhead grew up around it. Within a few years a wharf was constructed next to the bridge and the South Ellington name was dropped with the area becoming known as Maidenhythe (literally meaning "new wharf"). The earliest record of this name change is in the Bray Court manorial rolls of 1296. The bridge led to the growth of Maidenhead: a stopping point for coaches on the journeys between London and Bath and the High Street became populated with inns. The current Maidenhead Bridge, a local landmark, dates from 1777 and was built at a cost of £19,000.

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Marston Vale Line

The Marston Vale Line (Network Rail route MD 140) is the railway line from Bletchley to Bedford in England. It is one of two surviving passenger-carrying sections of the "Varsity Line" between Oxford and Cambridge.
It was designated by the Department for Transport as a community rail line in November 2006.
The line was opened in 1845 by the London and Birmingham Railway.
In 1977 the Parliamentary Select Committee on Nationalised Industries recommmended considering electrification of more of Britain's rail network. By 1979 BR presented a range of options to do so by 2000, some of which included the Marston Vale Line. Under the 1979–90 Conservative governments that succeeded the 1976–79 Labour government, the proposal was not implemented.
The line is part of the Network Rail Strategic Route 18, SRS 18.12 and is classified as a Rural line.
Silverlink operated the link from privatisation in 1996 until the franchise renewal in 2007. Services were initially in the hands of a mixture of heritage slam-door diesel multiple units formed of 2-car Class 117 and single-car Class 121 units until replacement with Class 150/1 trains inherited from Central Trains.

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Midshires Way
The Midshires Way is a long distance footpath and bridleway that runs for 230 miles (370 km) through Middle England from Bledlow in Buckinghamshire to Stockport, Greater Manchester.
Between Northampton and Market Harborough it follows the route of a disused railway line, passing through two tunnels. The Midshires Way starts from Pulpit Hill, near Little Kimble and runs to Stockport, a total length of 230 miles, with 46 miles in Northamptonshire. One section within Northampton runs closely to the Grand Union Canal at Blisworth Junction in Rothersthorpe, Northampton.
The route was opened in 1994 as a collaboration between numerous Local Authorities and user groups. It is intended as a multi-user trail but there are places where the recommended route for walkers differs from the route for horse riders and cyclists.
Media related to Midshires Way at Wikimedia Commons
Coordinates: 52°18′N 00°56′W / 52.3°N 0.933°W / 52.3; -0.933

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Milton Keynes
Coordinates: 52°02′10″N 0°46′12″W / 52.036°N 0.770°W / 52.036; -0.770
Milton Keynes (ⁱ/ˌmɪltən ˈkiːnz/ mil-tən-KEENZ), sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, about 45 miles (72 km) south-east of Leicester and 49 miles (79 km) north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes. It was formally designated as a new town on 23 January 1967, with the design brief to become a 'city' in scale.
At designation, its 89 km² (34 sq mi) area incorporated the existing towns of Bletchley, Wolverton and Stony Stratford along with another fifteen villages and farmland in between. It took its name from the existing village of Milton Keynes, a few miles east of the planned centre.
At the 2001 census the population of the Milton Keynes urban area, including the adjacent Newport Pagnell, was 184,506, and that of the wider borough, which has been a unitary authority independent of Buckinghamshire County Council since 1997, was 207,063 (compared with a population of around 53,000 for the same area in 1961). The Borough’s population in 2009 is estimated to be nearly 241,000, with almost all the increase arising in the urban area.

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Newbury, Berkshire
Coordinates: 51°24′03″N 1°19′25″W / 51.4009°N 1.3235°W / 51.4009; -1.3235
Newbury is a civil parish and the principal town in the west of the county of Berkshire in England. It is situated on the River Kennet and the Kennet and Avon Canal, and has a town centre containing many 17th century buildings. Newbury is best known for its racecourse and the adjoining former USAF airbase at Greenham Common.
There was a Mesolithic settlement at Newbury. Artefacts were recovered from the Greenham Dairy Farm in 1963, and the Faraday Road site in 2002. Additional material was found in excavations along the route of the Newbury Bypass.
Newbury was founded late in the eleventh century following the Norman invasion as a new borough, hence its name. Although there are references to the borough that predate the Domesday Survey it is not mentioned by name in the survey. However, its existence within the manor of Ulvritone is evident from the massive rise in value of that manor at a time when most manors were worth less than in Saxon times.

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Northampton
Northampton ⁱ/nɔrˈθæmptən/ is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about 67 miles (108 km) north-west of London and around 50 miles (80 km) south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is Northamptonian.
Original settlements in Northampton date back to the 6th century. Its modern development is largely due to its rapid population increase since the 1960s after a planned expansion occurred under the New Towns Commission in the early 1970s. In 2001, its urban area population was 197,199 while its town population was 189,474, making Northampton the 27th largest settlement in England, and the UK's 3rd largest town without official city status after Reading and Dudley. Northampton is the most populous district in England that is not a unitary authority, a status it failed to obtain in the 1990s local government reform.
Northampton has a history of the manufacture of boots and shoes yet engineering has taken over as a modern key industry; other industries include food processing, brewing, and the manufacture of shoe machinery, cosmetics, leather goods, and car accessories. At present, the major employers are public administration, financial services, and the distribution trade.

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Otmoor
Otmoor or Ot Moor is an area of wetland and wet grassland in Oxfordshire, England, located halfway between Oxford and Bicester. It is about 60 metres (200 ft) above sea level, and has an area of approximately 160 hectares (400 acres).
It is encircled by the "Seven Towns" of Otmoor: Beckley, Noke, Oddington, Charlton-on-Otmoor, Fencott, Murcott and Horton-cum-Studley.
Bisected north–south by the Roman Road between Alchester and Dorchester-on-Thames, its name is derived from the Old English for "Otta's Fen".
Watered by the River Ray, it was until the early 19th century unenclosed marshland, and regularly flooded in winter. An Enclosure Act was passed in 1815, under which the area was extensively drained. This disadvantaged the local farmers and led to civil disturbances known as the Otmoor Riots of 1829–30.
In 1920 the Royal Air Force acquired Otmoor for use as a bombing range. Part of the moor remains in military use as a rifle range.
The semi-wetland landscape provided habitat for many rare species of birds and butterflies. These were threatened in 1980 by a government proposal for the route of the M40 motorway to cross Otmoor. Opposition to the motorway was led by Friends of the Earth and included the "Alice's Meadow" campaign. The government eventually adopted an alternative route.

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Ouse Valley Way
The Ouse Valley Way is a 150-mile footpath in England, following the River Great Ouse from its source near Brackley in Northamptonshire to its mouth in The Wash near King's Lynn. The path begins outside the King's Head pub in Syresham (52°04′06″N 1°04′51″W / 52.0683°N 1.0807°W / 52.0683; -1.0807) and ends on the Green Quay in King's Lynn (52°45′04″N 0°23′37″E / 52.7512°N 0.3935°E / 52.7512; 0.3935).
There is a long-term plan to complete remaining gaps in the path, meanwhile it is possible to walk the entire route, although in places the footpath and river temporarily part company.
The route passes many interesting places and there is much to see, including attractive countryside, pretty villages, ancient English market towns, churches and a cathedral, and abundant wildlife.
Towns from source to mouth include Buckingham, Milton Keynes, Olney, Bedford, St Neots, Huntingdon, St Ives, Ely, Downham Market, and King's Lynn.

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Oxford
Oxford ⁱ/ˈɒksfəd/ is a city in central southern England, the home of the University of Oxford. The city is the county town of Oxfordshire, and forms a district within the county. It has a population of just under 165,000, of whom 153,900 live within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles (80 km) north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames (also sometimes known as the Isis locally) run through Oxford and meet south of the city centre.
Oxford has a diverse economic base. Its industries include motor manufacturing, education, publishing and a large number of information technology and science-based businesses.
Buildings in Oxford demonstrate an example of every English architectural period since the arrival of the Saxons, including the iconic, mid-18th century Radcliffe Camera. Oxford is known as the "city of dreaming spires", a term coined by poet Matthew Arnold in reference to the harmonious architecture of Oxford's university buildings. The University of Oxford is the oldest university in the English-speaking world.

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Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire ( /ˈɒksfərdʃər/ or /ˈɒksfərdʃɪər/; archaically the County of Oxford; abbreviated Oxon from the Latinised form of "Oxford", Oxonia) is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire (to the north/northeast), Buckinghamshire (to the east), Berkshire (to the south), Wiltshire (to the southwest) and Gloucestershire (to the west).
The county has major education and tourist industries. The area is noted for the concentration of performance motorsport companies and facilities. Oxford University Press is the largest firm among a concentration of print and publishing firms; the University of Oxford is also linked to the concentration of local biotechnology companies.
The main centre of population is the city of Oxford. Other significant settlements are Banbury, Bicester, Kidlington, and Chipping Norton to the north of Oxford; Witney to the west; Thame and Chinnor to the east; and Abingdon, Wantage, Didcot, Wallingford and Henley-on-Thames to the south. Future population growth in the county is hoped^{[clarification needed]} to be concentrated around Oxford, Banbury, Bicester, Didcot and Witney, near the South Midlands growth area.

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Princes Risborough
Coordinates: 51°43′26″N 0°50′04″W / 51.723978°N 0.834418°W / 51.723978; -0.834418
Princes Risborough is a small town in Buckinghamshire, England, about 9 miles south of Aylesbury and 8 miles north west of High Wycombe. Bledlow lies to the west and Monks Risborough to the east. It lies at the foot of the Chiltern Hills, at the north end of a gap or pass through the Chilterns, the south end of which is at West Wycombe. The A4010 road follows this route from West Wycombe through the town and then on to Aylesbury.
Historically it was both a Manor and an ecclesiastical parish, of the same extent as the Manor, which comprised the present ecclesiastical parish of Princes Risborough (excluding Ilmer) and also the present ecclesiastical parish of Lacey Green, which became a separate parish in the 19th century. It was long and narrow (a "strip parish"), taking in land below the Chiltern scarp, the slope of the scarp itself and also land above the scarp extending into the Chiltern hills. The manor and the parish extended from Longwick in the north through Alscot, the town of Princes Risborough, Loosley Row and Lacey Green to Speen and Walters Ash in the south.

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Reading, Berkshire
Reading (ⁱ/ˈrɛdɪŋ/ RED-ing) is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some 40 miles (64 km) west of London.
The Borough of Reading has a population of 145,700 (2008 estimate) and the town formed the largest part of the Reading/Wokingham Urban Area which had a population of 369,804 (2001 census). The town is currently represented in the UK parliament by two members, and has been continuously represented there since 1295. For ceremonial purposes the town is in the county of Berkshire and has served as its county town since 1867, previously sharing this status with Abingdon.
The first evidence for Reading as a settlement dates from the 8th century. Reading was an important centre in the medieval period, as the site of Reading Abbey, a monastery with strong royal connections. The town was seriously impacted by the Civil War, with a major siege and loss of trade, and played a pivotal role in the Revolution of 1688, with that revolution's only significant military action fought on the streets of the town. The 19th century saw the coming of the Great Western Railway and the development of the town's brewing, baking and seed growing businesses.

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Redditch
Redditch is a town and local government district in north-east Worcestershire, England, approximately 15 miles (24 km) south of Birmingham. The district had a population of 79,216 in 2005. In the 19th century it became the international centre for the needle and fishing tackle industry. At one point 90% of the world's needles were manufactured in the town and its neighbourhoods. In the 1960s it became a model for modern new town planning.
Redditch lies just south of the West Midlands urban area but is not part of it (being in Worcestershire), northwest of Studley on the A435, which skirts it to the east. The main route of access is the A441, a trunk road from Birmingham to Cookhill, via junction 2 of the M42 Motorway. The Roman Road known as Icknield Street is prominent, running north to south through the eastern side of the town.
Redditch experiences an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb) similar to almost all of the United Kingdom.
The first recorded mention of Redditch ("Red-Dych", thought to be a reference to the red clay of the nearby River Arrow) is in 1348, the year of the outbreak of the Black Death. During the Middle Ages it became a centre of needle-making and later prominent industries were fish-hooks, fishing tackle, motorcycles and springs, the latter notably by Herbert Terry and Sons. It was designated a new town in 1964 and the population increased dramatically from 32,000 to around 77,000. Housing developments such as Church Hill, Matchborough, Winyates, Lodge Park and Woodrow were created to accommodate the large overspill from an industrially expanding Birmingham. Redditch was built as a 'flagship' town using new methods and new town planning; all the main roads (mostly new dual carriageways as well as a ring road for the town centre) in Redditch were banked to reduce noise to the new housing estates and the whole of Redditch was landscaped.

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Silverstone
Coordinates: 52°05′24″N 1°01′26″W / 52.090°N 1.024°W / 52.090; -1.024
Silverstone is a village and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is about 4 miles (6.4 km) from Towcester on the former A43 main road, 10 miles (16 km) from the M1 motorway junction 15A and about 12 miles (19 km) from the M40 motorway junction 10, Northampton, Milton Keynes and Banbury. The A43 now bypasses to the south-east of the village, between the village and the race circuit.
The village is listed in the Domesday Book.
In the Middle Ages the village trade was primarily in timber from the surrounding Whittlewood forest, through the use of coppicing. Linnell Brothers still operate a woodyard to this day.
On the north side of the parish churchyard are the remains of mediaeval fish ponds.
Silverstone had a chapel by AD 1200. In about 1780 the mediaeval building was replaced by a Georgian one, which was enlarged by the addition of a chancel in 1841 and a north aisle and vestry in 1852. The entire church was demolished in the 1880's and replaced by the present Church of England parish church of Saint Michael, which is a Gothic Revival building designed by JP St Aubyn and completed in 1884.

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Silverstone Heliport
Silverstone Heliport (ICAO: EGBV) is located 5 NM (9.3 km; 5.8 mi) north of Buckingham,Buckinghamshire, England and within Silverstone Circuit, formerly RAF Silverstone.
Silverstone Northern Heliport has a CAA Ordinary Licence (Number P874) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee (Silverstone Circuits Limited). The aerodrome is not licensed for night use.
The world record for the worlds busiest airport for one day, was the heliport at the Silverstone during the 1999 British Grand Prix. There were 4,200 documented aircraft movements (1 movement being a landing or a takeoff) in one day from dawn till dusk. The airfield was fully licensed and used a sophisticated air traffic control service, using six full air traffic control radio frequencies and a continuous message broadcast (ATIS) service, operated by a team of 24 air traffic controllers. This achievement was even more remarkable as it was coordinated completely on a VFR (Visual Flight Rules) basis without the assistance of radar or any other electronic navigation aids.

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Slough
Coordinates: 51°30′36″N 0°35′35″W / 51.51°N 0.593056°W / 51.51; -0.593056
Slough ⁱ/ˈslaʊ/ is a borough and unitary authority within the ceremonial county of Royal Berkshire, England. The town straddles the A4 Bath Road (it becomes the Great West Road closer to London) and the Great Western Main Line, 22 miles (35 km) west of central London. At the 2001 census, the population of Slough was 119,070 (est. 122,000 in 2006) and the borough area was the most ethnically diverse local authority area outside London in the United Kingdom. Slough has the highest proportion of religious adherents in England.
Historically, the larger part of the present-day Slough area was formerly in Buckinghamshire with a small part of the borough originally in Middlesex. Slough is home to the Slough Trading Estate, which, coupled with extensive transport links, makes it an important business centre in South East England. It is the largest industrial estate in single private ownership in Europe.
Slough is at grid reference SU978797, just west of Greater London. Nearby towns are Windsor to the south, Maidenhead to the west, Uxbridge to the northeast and Beaconsfield to the north.

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Stokenchurch
Coordinates: 51°39′32″N 0°53′46″W / 51.659°N 0.896°W / 51.659; -0.896
Stokenchurch is a village and civil parish within Wycombe district in Buckinghamshire England. It is in the Chiltern Hills, about 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Chinnor in Oxfordshire and 6 miles (9.7 km) west of High Wycombe. The village is a popular place to live, due to its rural location and ease of access to London and Birmingham. Stokenchurch has its own junction of the M40 (junction 5).
The village name is Old English in origin, although there is a difference of opinion among scholars as to its original meaning. Patrick Hanks points out that 13th century manorial records describe the village as Stockenechurch, which would logically come from OE stoccen + cirice, literally "logs church". This therefore means, he argues, that the village's name originated from a description of a church made from logs. However Starey and Viccars, in their study of the village point to the geography of the local area and the fact that in 1086 Stokenchurch was a woodland in the chapelry of Aston Rowant. They present the Hanks opinion as a credible origin however argue that due to the geography the name is more likely to come from the alternative meaning for the Anglo Saxon word stocc, which is an outlying farm or secondary settlement.

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Stokenchurch Gap
The Stokenchurch Gap, also known as the Aston Rowant Cutting or Aston Hill cutting (from the nearby village of Aston Rowant), or locally "The Canyon" is a steep chalk cutting, constructed through the Chiltern Hills in Oxfordshire, England during the early 1970s for the M40 motorway. It is 1,200 metres long and a maximum of 47 metres deep, and is located approximately eight miles (13 km) from High Wycombe and close to the village of Stokenchurch. Despite the names, the cutting is in the parish of Lewknor rather than Aston Rowant or Stokenchurch.
The cutting is mainly through the Upper Chalk, with some Middle Chalk seen at its base. The cutting is a Site of Special Scientific Interest of geological importance. It provides the best Coniacian section in central England.
The curved route of the cutting was designed to mitigate impact on the skyline, and to fit the local topography.^{[citation needed]} The construction of this section of the M40 (junctions 5–8) was at the time extremely controversial, since the cutting through the Chiltern Hills was driven through the middle of the ecologically-important Aston Rowant NNR. Conservation groups were appalled at the unexpected decision of the Inspector at the Public Enquiry to reject their claims that the National Nature Reserve designation implied a fully protected landscape which should in no circumstances be damaged. Their alternative proposals for a tunnelled solution, or a route on-line with the existing A40, were rejected.

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Stratford-upon-Avon
Coordinates: 52°11′24″N 1°42′36″W / 52.19°N 1.710°W / 52.19; -1.710
Stratford-upon-Avon ( /ˌstrætfəd əpɒn ˈeɪvən/) is a market town and civil parish in south Warwickshire, England. It lies on the River Avon, 22 miles (35 km) south east of Birmingham and 8 miles (13 km) south west of Warwick. It is the largest and most populous town of the District of Stratford-on-Avon, which uses the term "on" to indicate that it covers a much larger area than the town itself. Four electoral wards make up the urban town of Stratford; Alveston, Avenue and New Town, Mount Pleasant and Guild and Hathaway. The estimated total population for those wards in 2007 was 25,505.
The town is a popular tourist destination owing to its status as birthplace of the playwright and poet William Shakespeare, receiving about three million visitors a year from all over the world. The Royal Shakespeare Company resides in Stratford's Royal Shakespeare Theatre, one of Britain's most important cultural venues.
Stratford has Anglo-Saxon origins, and grew up as a market town in medieval times. The original charters of the town were granted in 1196, making Stratford officially over 800 years old. The name is a fusion of the Old English strǣt, meaning "street", and ford, meaning that a Roman road forded the River Avon at the site of the town.

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Tetsworth
Coordinates: 51°42′36″N 1°00′32″W / 51.710°N 1.009°W / 51.710; -1.009
Tetsworth is a village and civil parish about 3 miles (5 km) south of Thame in Oxfordshire.
At the time of the Domesday Book in 1086 Tetsworth did not exist as a separate manor. In the 12th century, benefactors gave land in the area to the Cistercian Thame Abbey and these lands were brought together as an estate under the abbey's control. By about 1225 the abbey held 20 virgates of land at Tetsworth, initially called the Grange but from 1365 called a manor. In 1539 Thame Abbey was suppressed under the Dissolution of the Monasteries and surendered all its properties to the Crown.
In 1542 the Crown granted the manor of Thame to Robert King, Bishop of Oxford. In 1547 King leased Thame to Sir John Williams but the lease was terminated, and in 1558 or 1560 the Diocese sold Tetsworth. By 1589 the Crown held the manor again and was in the process of selling it to Christopher Petty of Tetsworth and his son Charnell. Tetsworth remained in the Petty family until Christopher's great-grandson, also called Christopher, inherited it in 1674. He was described as a man of "unthriftiness, folly, and extravagance" who dissipated his family fortune, sold parts of the estate in 1680 and the whole of the remaining manor to Thomas Phillips of Ickford in 1683. Thomas's grandson Henry Phillips sold Tetsworth to Willoughby Bertie, 4th Earl of Abingdon in 1756.Montagu Bertie, 5th Earl of Abingdon sold the manor again in 1810.

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Thame
Coordinates: 51°45′N 0°58′W / 51.75°N 0.97°W / 51.75; -0.97
Thame (pronounced "Tame", with a silent "h") is a town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, about 7 miles (11 km) southwest of the Buckinghamshire town of Aylesbury. It derives its toponym from the River Thame which flows past the north side of the town.
Thame was founded in the Anglo-Saxon era and lay within the territory of the kingdom of Wessex.
Thame Abbey was founded in 1138 for the Cistercian Order: the abbey church was consecrated in 1145. In the 16th century Dissolution of the Monasteries the abbey was suppressed and the church demolished. Thame Park (the house) was built on the site, incorporating parts of the abbey including the early 16th century abbot's house. Its interior is one of the earliest examples of the Italian Renaissance in England. A Georgian west wing was added in the 18th century. In about 1840 parts of the foundations of the abbey church were excavated: it was 77 yards (70 m) long and 23 yards (21 m) wide, with a Lady Chapel extending a further 15 yards (14 m) at the east end.

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Thames Path
The Thames Path is a National Trail, opened in 1996, following the length of the River Thames from its source near Kemble in Gloucestershire to the Thames Barrier at Charlton. It is about 184 miles (296 km) long.
The entire length of the path can be walked, and some parts cycled. Most of the path uses the original towpath but in some places this is not possible. The main reason for this is that towpath traffic used to cross the river at several points using ferries, but apart from Shepperton to Weybridge Ferry these no longer operate. This means that in several places such as Shiplake, Whitchurch-on-Thames and Moulsford, there are diversions away from the towpath. At other places, there are replacement connections. An example of this is at Hurley, where the Temple Footbridge was built in 1989.
Some parts of the Thames Path, particularly those west of Oxford, are subject to flooding during the winter months. The river is tidal downstream from Teddington Lock, and parts of the path may be underwater if there is a particularly high tide.

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The Ridgeway
The Ridgeway is a ridgeway or ancient trackway described as Britain's oldest road. The section clearly identified as an ancient trackway extends from Wiltshire along the chalk ridge of the Berkshire Downs to the River Thames at the Goring Gap, part of the Icknield Way which ran, not always on the ridge, from Salisbury Plain to East Anglia. The route was adapted and extended as a National Trail, created in 1972. The Ridgeway National Trail follows the ancient Ridgeway from Overton Hill, near Avebury, to Streatley, then follows footpaths and parts of the ancient Icknield Way through the Chiltern Hills to Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire. The National Trail is 87 miles (139km) long.
For at least 5000 years travellers have used the Ridgeway. Originally connected to the Dorset coast, the Ridgeway provided a reliable trading route to The Wash in Norfolk. The high dry ground made travel easy and provided a measure of protection by giving traders a commanding view, warning against potential attacks.

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Turweston Aerodrome
Turweston Aerodrome (ICAO: EGBT) located near the village of Turweston, on the Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire border, is a former Royal Air Force World War II bomber training facility, now a business park and airfield.
Turweston Aerodrome has a CAA Ordinary Licence (Number P750) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee (Turweston Flight Centre Limited). The aerodrome is not licensed for night use. The runway direction now commonly being used is 09/27.
Based on 220 acres (89 ha) of land on the Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire border, just off the A43 road and located 2 NM (3.7 km; 2.3 mi) east of the market town of Brackley, RAF Turweston served as a bomber training school during World War II. Opened on 23 November 1942 it had three concrete runways and one T1 hangar. The three runways were:
It initially housed the Vickers Wellingtons and Avro Ansons of 12 OTU until April 1943, when it began housing the B-25 Mitchells of 13 OTU. In May 1943 they were joined by the A-20 Bostons of No 307 FTU^{[disambiguation needed ]}, with both units remaining until closure. No 17 OTU Gunnery Flight began arriving in July 1943 with Wellingtons, and formed fully in November 1943 with a flight of Miles Martinets.

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Uxbridge
Coordinates: 51°32′25″N 0°28′40″W / 51.5404°N 0.4778°W / 51.5404; -0.4778
Uxbridge ( /ˈʌksbrɪdʒ/) is a large town located in west London, England and is the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon. It forms part of the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is located 15 miles (24.1 km) west-northwest of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It historically formed part of the parish of Hillingdon in the county of Middlesex and was a significant local commercial centre from an early time. As part of the suburban growth of London in the 20th century it expanded and increased in population, becoming a municipal borough in 1955 and has formed part of Greater London since 1965. Uxbridge is a significant retail and commercial centre, and is the location of Brunel University and the Uxbridge campus of Buckinghamshire New University. The town is close to the boundary with Buckinghamshire, which is locally the River Colne.

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Uxbridge, London
Coordinates: 51°32′25″N 0°28′40″W / 51.5404°N 0.4778°W / 51.5404; -0.4778
Uxbridge ( /ˈʌksbrɪdʒ/) is a large town located in west London, England and is the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon. It forms part of the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is located 15 miles (24.1 km) west-northwest of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It historically formed part of the parish of Hillingdon in the county of Middlesex and was a significant local commercial centre from an early time. As part of the suburban growth of London in the 20th century it expanded and increased in population, becoming a municipal borough in 1955 and has formed part of Greater London since 1965. Uxbridge is a significant retail and commercial centre, and is the location of Brunel University and the Uxbridge campus of Buckinghamshire New University. The town is close to the boundary with Buckinghamshire, which is locally the River Colne.

wn.com/Uxbridge,_London
V6 Grafton Street
The V6 Grafton Street is a major local road in Milton Keynes. Its formal name is simply "Grafton Street": the "V6" designation is an urban planning name that indicates that it is the sixth north-south grid road in the Milton Keynes grid road system.
It starts beside Wolverton railway station in the north of Milton Keynes (52°04′05″N 0°48′20″W / 52.0680°N 0.8056°W / 52.0680; -0.8056 (V6 Grafton Street (northern end))), between Wolverton and New Bradwell (and extends as an unnumbered local rural road to Haversham and Castlethorpe). Travelling south from here it passes the district and village of Bradwell before becoming a dual carriageway at the point that it crosses the A422. It remains a dual carriageway from here for approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) until it meets the A421. During this time it crosses the A509 and passes through the Central Milton Keynes grid square where, for this short distance, it is named 'V6 Grafton Gate'.
After crossing the A421, Grafton Street acts for one grid square as a spur of the A421, connecting it to the A5. After crossing the A5 at Redmoor Roundabout, Grafton Street until recently reverted to being a single carriageway, although it has been widened during 2005. Shortly after providing access to the stadium:mk, the V6 terminates at Granby in a three-direction roundabout with the H10 Bletcham Way and V4 Watling Street (52°00′24″N 0°44′08″W / 52.0067°N 0.7355°W / 52.0067; -0.7355 (V6 Grafton Street (southern end))).

wn.com/V6_Grafton_Street
Varsity Line
The Varsity Line (or Oxford to Cambridge Line) is an informal name for the railway route that formerly linked the English university cities of Oxford and Cambridge, operated successively by the London and North Western Railway, the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, and British Railways. A pun on the railway term main line was sometimes employed by describing the line as the "Brain Line".
Services were withdrawn from the Oxford - Bletchley section and the Bedford - Cambridge section at the end of 1967, even though the line had not been listed for closure as part of the Beeching Axe in 1963.
The only sections still in regular passenger use today are the Oxford to Bicester Line from Oxford to Bicester Town, and the Marston Vale Line operation from Bletchley to Bedford. The Bicester - Calvert section still carries freight traffic but the Calvert - Bletchley section, though still extant, is currently disused. There are well-developed plans to open a short section from Bicester Town to the Chiltern Main Line as part of Project Evergreen 3 and from Bicester to Bedford as part of the East West Rail Link.

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Warwick
Coordinates: 52°17′N 1°35′W / 52.28°N 1.59°W / 52.28; -1.59
Warwick (ⁱ/ˈwɒrɨk/ WORR-ik) is the county town of Warwickshire, England. The town lies upon the River Avon, 11 miles (18 km) south of Coventry and just west of Leamington Spa and Whitnash with which it is conjoined. As of the 2001 United Kingdom census, it had a population of 23,350.
There has been human activity at Warwick as early as the Neolithic, and constant habitation since the 6th century. A Saxon burh was created at Warwick in the 9th century and Warwick Castle was established on the site in 1068 as part of the Norman conquest of England. Warwick School claims to be the oldest boys' school in the country. The earldom of Warwick was created in 1088 and the earls controlled the town in the medieval period. During this time Warwick was given town walls; Eastgate and Westgate survive. The castle developed into a stone fortress and then a country house and is today a popular tourist attraction.
The Great Fire of Warwick in 1694 destroyed much of the medieval town and as a result most of the buildings post-date this period. Though Warwick did not become industrialised in the 19th century, it has experienced growth since 1801 when the population was 5,592. Racing Club Warwick F.C., founded in 1919, are based in the town. The town is administered by Warwick District Counil and Warwickshire County Council has its headquarters in Warwick.

wn.com/Warwick
Warwickshire
Warwickshire (ⁱ/ˈwɒrɨkʃər/ or /ˈwɒrɨkʃɪər/) is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare and George Elliot. Commonly used abbreviations for the county are Warks or Warwicks.
The five districts of North Warwickshire, Nuneaton & Bedworth, Rugby, Warwick and Stratford-on-Avon together form the Warwickshire County Council area, and are within the 1974 boundaries. The shape of the administrative area of Warwickshire differs considerably from that of the historic county, which also includes the now autonomous unitary authorities of Coventry and Solihull, as well as a small area around central and northeast Birmingham.
For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region (code UKG13) and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region.
Warwickshire is bounded to the north-west by the West Midlands metropolitan county and Staffordshire, by Leicestershire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the east, Worcestershire to the west, Oxfordshire to the south and Gloucestershire to the south-west. The northern tip of the county is only 3 miles (5 km) from the Derbyshire border. An average-sized English county covering an area of almost 2,000 km², it runs some 60 miles (97 km) north to south.

wn.com/Warwickshire
Watford
Watford ⁱ/ˈwɒtfərd/ is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, situated 18 miles (29 km) northwest of central London and within the bounds of the M25 motorway. The borough is separated from Greater London to the south by the urbanised parish of Watford Rural in the Three Rivers District.
Watford was created as an urban district under the Local Government Act 1894, and became a municipal borough by grant of a charter in 1922. The borough had 79,726 inhabitants at the time of the 2001 Census. The most recent official estimates put the population of Watford at 79,600 at mid-2006.
The nearby areas of Croxley Green, Bushey, Rickmansworth, Chorleywood, Kings Langley, Abbots Langley, Carpenders Park and South Oxhey, located in Three Rivers and Hertsmere districts, also form part of the Watford postcode area. The Watford subdivision of the Greater London Urban Area, which includes much of the neighbouring districts, had a total population of 120,960 in the 2001 census.
Watford stands on a low hill near the point at which the River Colne was forded by travellers between London and the Midlands. This route, originally a pre-Roman trackway, departed from the ancient Roman Watling Street at Stanmore, heading for the Gade valley and thence up the Bulbourne valley to a low and easily traversed section of the Chiltern Hills near Tring. The modern High Street follows the route of this road.

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West Cross Route
The West Cross Route (WCR) is a short, 0.75 miles (1.21 km) dual carriageway section of the A3220 route in central London in The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, with a small part being shared with borderlining borough Hammersmith and Fulham. It runs north-south between the northern elevated roundabout junction with the western end of the Westway (A40) and the southern Holland Park Roundabout. It opened in 1970, together with the Westway.
The West Cross Route was formerly the M41 motorway. Its status was downgraded to an A-road in 2000 when responsibility for trunk roads in Greater London was transferred from the Highways Agency to the Greater London Authority.
Approximately half-way along the road's length a new junction was built to serve the Westfield London shopping development.
WCR was originally the designation for the western section of Ringway 1, the innermost circuit of the London Ringways network, a complex and comprehensive plan for a network of high-speed roads circling central London designed to manage and control the flow of traffic within the capital. The road would have run from Battersea to Harlesden and would have paralleled the National Rail West London Line as an elevated road.

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Westway (London)
The Westway is a 2.5-mile (4.0 km) long elevated dual carriageway section of the A40 route in west London running from Paddington to North Kensington. The road was constructed between 1964 and 1970 to relieve congestion at Shepherd's Bush caused by traffic from Western Avenue struggling to enter central London on roads of insufficient capacity. The Westway opened in July 1970 as the A40(M) motorway but lost motorway status in 2000 when responsibility for trunk roads in Greater London was transferred from the Highways Agency to the Greater London Authority.
At its eastern end, the Westway starts to the west of the Marylebone Flyover (A501), which takes traffic over the junction of Edgware Road (A5) and Marylebone Road (A501). Between the elevated Westway and Flyover, a short (100 m) section of surface-level road allows westbound traffic from the Flyover to turn-off on to the Harrow Road (A404) or eastbound traffic from the Harrow Road to access the Flyover. Eastbound traffic from the Westway cannot exit here to reach the Edgware Road and continues on to the Flyover.

wn.com/Westway_(London)
Windsor, Berkshire
Coordinates: 51°28′45″N 0°36′34″W / 51.4791°N 0.6095°W / 51.4791; -0.6095
Windsor ( /ˈwɪndzər/) is an affluent^{[citation needed]} town and unparished area in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is widely known as the site of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the British Royal Family.
The town is situated 21 miles (34 km) west of Charing Cross, London. It is immediately south of the River Thames, which forms its boundary with Eton. Windsor and the surrounding areas contain some of the most expensive and desirable housing in the UK^{[citation needed]}. The village of Old Windsor, just over 2 miles (3 km) to the south, predates what is now called Windsor by around 300 years; in the past Windsor was formally referred to as New Windsor to distinguish the two.
The early history of the site is unknown, although the site was almost certainly settled many years before the medieval castle was built. Histories of the town note that the combination of the navigable river and the strategically placed hill point to the likelihood of continuous human settlement from early times. Evidence includes archaeological finds from Windsor, such as palaeolithic hand-axes, neolithic flint picks, Bronze Age swords and an Iron Age brooch. Although Roman remains are few, there is ample evidence of Anglo Saxon settlement in the area.

wn.com/Windsor,_Berkshire
Wycombe Air Park
Wycombe Air Park/Booker Airport (ICAO: EGTB) is located in Booker, Buckinghamshire, 2.4 NM (4.4 km; 2.8 mi) south-west of High Wycombe, England. It was formerly the Royal Air Force base, RAF Booker.
Wycombe Air Park (Booker) Aerodrome has a CAA Ordinary Licence (Number P523) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction as authorised by the licensee (Airways Aero Associations Limited).
The lease on the aerodrome is held by Airways Aero Associations, who run the Airways Flying Club from the airfield. They provide Air Traffic Control, Firefighting and other services to all the park users. The shareholding of AAA Ltd was sold in 2007 to Arora Family Trust, of which Surinder Arora, a well known entrepreneur and property developer, and his family are beneficiaries.
Wycombe Air Park is also home to a number of tenant companies, including flight training organisations, engineers and approved medical examiners.
Flight training organisations: Booker Gliding Centre, Wycombe Air Centre, Light Sport Flying Club and School, Helicopter Services and Heli Air Ltd.

wn.com/Wycombe_Air_Park

Lewis Carroll
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson ( /ˈtʃɑrlz ˈlʌtwɪdʒ ˈdɒdʒsən/ CHARLZ LUDT-wij DOJ-sən; 27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by the pseudonym Lewis Carroll (/ˈkærəl/ KARR-əl), was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer. His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, as well as the poems "The Hunting of the Snark" and "Jabberwocky", all examples of the genre of literary nonsense. He is noted for his facility at word play, logic, and fantasy, and there are societies dedicated to the enjoyment and promotion of his works and the investigation of his life in many parts of the world, including the United Kingdom, Japan, the United States, and New Zealand.
Dodgson's family was predominantly northern English, with Irish connections. Conservative and High Church Anglican, most of Dodgson's ancestors were army officers or Church of England clergy. His great-grandfather, also named Charles Dodgson, had risen through the ranks of the church to become the Bishop of Elphin. His grandfather, another Charles, had been an army captain, killed in action in Ireland in 1803 when his two sons were hardly more than babies. His mother's name was Frances Jane Lutwidge.

wn.com/Lewis_Carroll

On the Oxford Express coach on the M40 motorway heading towards London, UK, 22nd October 2011

On the Oxford Express coach on the M40 motorway heading towards London, UK, 22nd October 2...

published: 24 Oct 2011

author: mr07623445678

Bracknell to Solihull via A404(M) and M40

Driving from Bracknell to Solihull, Birmingham via A329(M), A4, A404(M) and M40 motorway o...

published: 27 Feb 2012

author: SimGibson

UK Motorways - M42 South at M40 junction

In this video, one of a series of UK Motorway vids, we go on the M42 Southbound round the ...

published: 12 Mar 2012

author: g4shf

SLEEPY DRIVER M40 MOTORWAY

THIS DRIVER SEEMS TO BE NODDING OFF....

published: 26 May 2007

author: obee36uk

Motorway Time Lapse

A journey to Oxford, St Anne's College via the M40, sped up 3X, equivalent speed around an...

published: 16 Jun 2012

author: TBBTQuotes

Jaguar E-Type - Seen on the M40 Motorway

Red E Type jaguar on a trailer heading south along the M40 Motorway - Banbury Oxford Area....

published: 03 Aug 2011

author: Bevoin1970

Massive car fire on M40 motorway

Massive car fire on M40 motorway...

published: 12 May 2009

author: jonesforward

keith m40 motorway

Keith Hollinshead Cherwell District Council - M40 Motorway...

published: 21 Jan 2007

author: itcsjh

MAG Protest Ride 2012 West Midlands M40

Motorcycle Action group eu demonstration! 24 June 2012 Sorry for the shaky camera... www.m...

published: 24 Jun 2012

author: R5P205

Burnt out Truck Trailer - Triumph TR4

A lorry fire on the M40 motorway, southbound, Warwickshire area, closing one lane causing ...

published: 04 Aug 2011

author: Bevoin1970

Driving Along The M40

Some footage of me driving along the M40! Nothing exciting happens I'm afraid lol!...

published: 20 Jun 2011

author: Fruit6969

Sprinter Stablemates - Friday on the M25 Motorway

My Sprinter meets his Stablemate brother from the dealership on the Queen Elizabeth 2 Brid...

published: 23 Oct 2011

author: Bevoin1970

Ex-Mil Mercedes Unimog with Canoe M40 North J11 06 May 2012

Mercedes Unimog M40 Heading North J11 Short Video Clip....

published: 06 May 2012

author: Paul Donovan

British Motorway M40

British Motorway...

published: 23 Aug 2010

author: msee98

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photo: AP / Nick Ut

File - Demonstrators are arrested by police after protesting outside a Walmart store Friday Nov. 23, 2012, in Paramount, Calif.

Walmart's horrific treatment of workers is too big to ignore

Al Jazeera

14 Dec 2012

Former President Bill Clinton, President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, and Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, meet 55-year-old Martha Sellers. For the past nine years, Sellers has worked as a Walmart cashier in Paramount, California ... More than 10,000 community members joined more than 30 striking employees who walked off the job to demand better working conditions. . "It was wonderful ... That's not too much to ask for." ... 1698 ... ....(size: 23.6Kb)

photo: AP / Jessica Hill

Parents leave a staging area after being reunited with their children following a shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., about 60 miles (96 kilometers) northeast of New York City, Friday, Dec. 14, 2012.

27 People Dead, Mostly Children, at Connecticut Elementary School Shooting

ABC News

14 Dec 2012

More than two dozen people, mostly elementary school children, were shot and killed at a Newtown, Conn., elementary school this morning, federal and state sources tell ABC News. The massacre involved two gunmen at a Connecticut school this morning, prompting the town of Newtown to lock down all of its schools and draw SWAT teams to the school, authorities said today. State Police confirm that one shooter is dead ... at ABCNews.com ... ....(size: 4.5Kb)

photo: AP / Newtown Bee, Shannon Hicks

In this photo provided by the Newtown Bee, a police officer leads two women and a child from Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., where a gunman opened fire, killing 26 people, including 20 children, Friday, Dec. 14, 2012.

20 Schoolchildren, 8 Others Dead in Connecticut Massacre

Jakarta Globe

15 Dec 2012

Newtown, Conn. Twenty schoolchildren were slaughtered by a heavily armed gunman who opened fire at a suburban elementary school in Connecticut on Friday, ultimately killing at least 27 people including himself in the one of the worst mass shootings in US history ... Authorities found 18 children and seven adults, including the gunman, dead at the school, and two children were pronounced dead later after being taken to a hospital ... Reuters ....(size: 7.5Kb)

photo: AP / Manu Brabo

In this Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2012 photo, a Free Syrian Army fighter poses as he carries his weapon in the northern province of Aleppo, Syria. Syria's civil war has killed more than 40,000 people.

Russia says Syrian rebels might win

CNTV

14 Dec 2012

One of Syria's key allies has admitted for the first time the Assad regime is losing the 20-month ground war. Russia’s deputy foreign minister’s comments are significant because Russia has blocked action to stem the violence, supplied weapons to the Assad regime, and vetoed three UN resolutions -- even as other countries called for Assad to step down. The comments are expected to put new pressure on the Syrian leader ... Reporter ...   ... ....(size: 6.6Kb)

photo: AP / Manu Brabo

A Free Syrian Army fighter takes position close to a military base, near Azaz, Syria, Monday, Dec. 10, 2012.

Syria Rebels Holding Reporter Threaten Attacks on Russians

Novosti

13 Dec 2012

MOSCOW, December 13 (RIA Novosti) – Syrian rebels behind the kidnapping of Ukrainian journalist Ankhar Kochneva have released a video threatening more attacks on Russians and Ukrainians, as a deadline for her execution approaches on Thursday. Kochneva, a 40-year-old Ukrainian citizen, was abducted in October by Syrian rebels as she traveled to the city of Homs, and has been held there by them since, they claim ... ....(size: 2.1Kb)

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Pilots jam mayday channel with insults

The Daily Telegraph Australia

07 Oct 2012

AIRLINE pilots are being investigated after emergency radio channels were jammed with expletive-ridden insults ... Another RAF source added ... 'This is London centre ... In one recent incident a novice female pilot who was in danger of crash-landing was assisted to a safe landing in Oxfordshire by the D&D, which used the M40 motorway to guide her to a runway ... ....(size: 1.8Kb)

M40: Buckinghamshire solar power noise barrier scheme

BBC News

25 Sep 2012

Special barriers to reduce noise and generate electricity along the M40 motorway in Buckinghamshire have moved a step closer ... M40 Chilterns Environmental Group (M40CEG) said barriers would improve the quality of life for 20,000 people ... along the motorway....(size: 1.3Kb)

Overturned lorry closes M40 motorway in Oxfordshire

BBC News

13 Aug 2012

A section of the M40 in Oxfordshire was closed for two hours after a lorry overturned....(size: 0.5Kb)

HS2 route should be moved to M40 corridor, says high speed rail expert

The Daily Telegraph

12 Aug 2012

Mr Bostock said that officials in charge of HS2 have ignored the way Britain’s first high-speed rail track laid in parallel with the M20 motorway to minimise disruption, land purchases and disruptive noise ... The alternative route would then surface above ground close to the M25 and run alongside the M40 motorway for nearly 100 miles to the outskirts of Birmingham....(size: 15.6Kb)

The News Matrix: Thursday 19 July 2012

The Independent

19 Jul 2012

Unemployment dropped in the three months to May despite a return to recession. Jobless numbers fell to 2.58 million, a drop of 65,000, taking the headline unemployment rate down to 8.1 per cent ... MORE. Cheese mogul held over mafia links ... MORE ... A female motorist, believed to be in her 60s has died after her car was rammed by a sports car, yesterday, after it had broken down in the middle of the M40 motorway between junctions two and three ... ....(size: 8.3Kb)

Woman driver in her sixties burns to death in M40 inferno sparked by Porsche which ...

The Daily Mail

18 Jul 2012

A female motorist has burned to death after a Porsche Cayenne rammed into her car and burst into flames on the M40 motorway ... She had broken down in the middle of the motorway when a silver Porsche Cayenne careered into the back of her car, unable to stop in time to avoid the collision ... The car was catapulted 50 metres along the M40 leaving a trail of debris before it burst into flames ... ‘Big big accident on the m40 back to London....(size: 8.7Kb)

M40 motorway shut after man falls from car

BBC News

10 Jul 2012

A man was airlifted to hospital after falling from a car on the M40 in Oxfordshire. The motorway was closed for two hours on ......(size: 0.7Kb)

Decision due on new country park at Banbury

BBC News

24 May 2012

A new country park could be created alongside the M40 motorway in Berkshire if councillors give the go-ahead later ... both sides of the motorway....(size: 0.7Kb)

Art project brings back memories of Latin America

The Guardian

08 May 2012

Hispanic people in Leamington Spa are working with a textile artist to create artwork that reminds them of home Deidre Nelson and members of Los Amigos making an embroidered tablecloth as part of the Making Moves project. Photograph. Becky Matthews ... Nelson has also engaged with Leamington Spa's Portuguese community, who came over to work in service stations along the M40 when the motorway was being built ... Traditional ... ....(size: 4.0Kb)

MOTORWAY CLOSURE WARNING FOR FANS

Sporting Life

05 May 2012

A motorway closure following a fatal accident is causing delays for football fans travelling to the FA Cup final. Liverpool supporters travelling to the match against Chelsea at Wembley are being advised to avoid the M40 motorway following the accident earlier today ... "The M40 has been closed in both ......(size: 1.5Kb)

Motorway closure causes delays

Belfast Telegraph

05 May 2012

A motorway closure following a fatal accident is causing delays for football fans travelling to the FA Cup final. Liverpool Football Club fans travelling to the match against Chelsea are being advised to avoid the M40 motorway following the accident earlier on Saturday ... "The M40 has been closed in both ......(size: 1.5Kb)

Man dies in M40 motorway taxi crash near Oxford

BBC News

05 May 2012

A man died and three people were seriously hurt when a taxi overturned on the M40 near Oxford ... ....(size: 0.6Kb)

Travel disruptions for fans

Sky Sports

05 May 2012

A motorway closure following a fatal accident is causing delays for football fans travelling to the FA Cup final. Liverpool supporters travelling to the match against Chelsea at Wembley are being advised to avoid the M40 motorway following the accident earlier on Saturday ... "The M40 has been closed in both directions between junction ......(size: 1.7Kb)

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M40 motorway

Route information
Part of E05
Length:	89.0 mi (143.2 km)
Existed:	1967 – present
History:	Constructed 1967–1990
Major junctions
From:	Denham, Buckinghamshire (J1, A40 Western Avenue)
	M25 Junction 16 M42 Junction 3A
To:	Earlswood, Warwickshire (J3A, M42 Birmingham Box)
Location
Primary destinations:	Uxbridge, Beaconsfield, High Wycombe, Oxford, Banbury, Warwick, Royal Leamington Spa, Stratford-upon-Avon, Birmingham
Road network
Roads in the United Kingdom Motorways • A and B road zones

The M40 motorway is a motorway in the British transport network that forms a major part of the connection between London and Birmingham. Part of this road forms a section of the unsigned European route E05. It provides an alternative route from Southern England to the West Midlands, besides the M1 and A34.

1 Description
2 History
3 Notable events
4 Junctions
5 Detailed routing
6 See also
7 References
8 External links

Description [link]

The motorway is dual 3 lanes except for the section from Junction 1A to Junction 3 which is dual 4 lane, a short section past Junction 4, where is it reduced to 2 lanes in both directions, and a short section past Junction 9, where it is reduced to 2 lanes southbound.

The M40 has four service areas. The Beaconsfield services (off junction 2) operated by Extra MSA are also accessible to traffic on the A355. Oxford services (off Junction 8A and accessible from Junction 8 and the A418) are operated by Welcome Break. Cherwell Valley services (off Junction 10, A43) are operated by Moto. Warwick services (between Junctions 12 and 13) are made up of two sites mirroring each other without a connection and are operated by Welcome Break. As of 2011 several of the company logos on the signs for these services are incorrect.

An Active Traffic Management system operates on the short section of motorway northbound from Junction 16 (A3440) to where it merges into the M42.

History [link]

M40 at Burtley Wood, Buckinghamshire

M40 at Warmington, Warwickshire

The M40 heading westbound towards Junction 3 (High Wycombe)

The motorway between London and Oxford was constructed in stages between 1967 and 1974. The first section from the High Wycombe Bypass from Handycross to Stokenchurch (junctions 4–5) opened in June 1967^[1] with a temporary junction (Junction 2*) opening in 1969 extending the route in a southerly direction to Holtspur just outside of Beaconsfield. The 'Beaconsfield bypass' to junction 2 was built in 1971 and then the 'Gerrards Cross Bypass' to junction 1 was completed in 1973. The section northbound from junction 5 to junction 8 (Pitmore to Chilworth Farm at Great Milton just outside Oxford) was completed in 1974.

Shortly after this, plans were unveiled for a service station at Abbey Barns near Beaconsfield, but this was never built.^[2]

At the design stage, a service area was originally planned for High Wycombe, between junctions 3 and 4, and the road has the beginnings of slip roads on both carriageways at this point.^[3] The plans never reached fruition.

In late the 1960s, not long after the first stretch of the M40 opened, the Ministry of Transport announced the possibility of building a motorway to link London with Birmingham as an alternative to the M1-M6 route, as well as improving road links to the South Coast ports for the midlands. However, it was not until 1983 that the decision to extend the M40 from Oxford to the south of Birmingham was made.

The planned route from Oxford to Birmingham was changed to avoid Otmoor after a vigorous road protests which included selling over 3,000 small squares of a field to people all over the world. The field had been renamed 'Alice's field' as a reference to Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll who lived in the area at the time he wrote the book.^[4]

Construction of the dual three-lane motorway began at Warwick in October 1987, with work on the section around Banbury starting in February 1988, and finally the section north of Oxford in July 1989. The section between the M42 and Warwick opened in December 1989, and the remainder of the motorway in January 1991.^[5]

It was also planned that the M42 between junctions 3A to the M5 would be renumbered as part of the M40 but this change did not take place.

By the time of the motorway's full opening, the remaining parts of the original M40 had been widened to dual three motorway creating a dual three lane motorway from start to finish.

M40's first service station opened as Cherwell Valley services in 1994 on the site of temporary toilet areas which had been created when the motorway was constructed.^[6]

The M40 had been expected to be the last major motorway constructed in the UK, but during the final stages of construction the Conservative government announced a major new road building scheme (Roads for Prosperity); much of which was later cancelled after major road protests.

Beginning in 1997, the motorway was widened to dual four lane between junctions 1A and 3 (High Wycombe East) under a Private Finance Initiative. It was completed by a Carillion-John Laing joint venture in October 1998, less than the original plan which would have included widening the section between Junctions 3 and 4. Oxford services and Warwick Services opened in 1998.

Work to separate local and long distance traffic at junction 4 was completed in 2007. The work included a new dedicated left turn slip lane between the A404 Marlow Bypass and the Oxford-bound M40; additional lanes to the M40 slip roads entering the roundabout; an additional lane between the A404 Marlow Hill and the London-bound M40; and a five lane cross link to assist traffic movements between the M40 and the A404(S).^[7]

In 2009 the Highways Agency extended the Active Traffic Management (ATM) system that was previously introduced on the M42 motorway onto the northbound carriageway of the M40 from junction 16 through to the junction with the M42. Beaconsfield services (near the site of the original proposed service station almost 40 years earlier) opened in 2009.

In August 2010, work started on junction 9, upgrading the M40 southbound exit sliproad to three lanes, as well as similar widening on the connecting A34 and A41 junctions. This was the first part of the work at this busy junction. If there is funding, a second part will commence, upgrading the M40 northbound entrance as well as the A41 southbound entrance.^[8]

Notable events [link]

Twelve school children and a teacher died when their minibus crashed into a parked motorway maintenance vehicle just after midnight on 18 November 1993. The inquest recorded a verdict of accidental death for all of the victims but noted that none of the children were wearing seatbelts and that the side-facing bench seating was dangerous.^{[citation needed]} Seatbelts were subsequently made compulsory equipment on all coaches and minibuses (more than 20 years after they had been compulsory on cars).^{[citation needed]} It has been compulsory for passengers to wear seatbelts on coaches and minibuses since 2006.^[9]

A motor cycle rider was shot dead between junctions 13 and 12 on 12 August 2007.^[10]^[11] The victim was a member of the Hells Angels on his way home from the Bulldog Bash.^[12] In October 2008, a man pleaded guilty to murder ahead of the trial of six other men on charges of murder and firearms offences.

Jimmy Davis, a 21-year-old Watford footballer on loan from Manchester United, died on a stretch of the M40 in Oxfordshire in the early hours of 9 August 2003 after his BMW collided with a lorry. The footballer was over the drink-drive limit and had been driving at speeds of up to 120 miles per hour (190 km/h).^[13]

In 2002 more than 100 vehicles were involved in a pile-up near High Wycombe that resulted in two deaths.^[14]^[15]

Junctions [link]

Data^[16] from driver location signs are used to provide distance and carriageway identifier information. Where a junction spans several hundred metres, both start and end locations are given.

M40 motorway
km	Southbound exits (B Carriageway)	Junction	Northbound exits (A Carriageway)
29.2	End of motorway Road continues as A40 to London	J1 ^{[coord 1]}	Start of motorway Road formed from main carriageways of A40 from London
29.2	Slough A412 Uxbridge A4020 Non motorway traffic	J1 ^{[coord 1]}
32.0 32.9	Watford (M1) Heathrow Airport (M4) (M3, M23, M11) M25	J1a	Watford &(M1) Stansted Airport (M11) Heathrow Airport (M4) Gatwick Airport (M23) M25
39.9 40.7	Beaconsfield, Amersham, Slough A355, Beaconsfield services	J2 Services	Beaconsfield, Amersham, Slough A355, Beaconsfield services
44.7 45.2	No access	J3	Loudwater and High Wycombe (East) A40
50.3 50.9	High Wycombe, Marlow, Maidenhead A404 (M4)+	J4	High Wycombe, Marlow A404 (M4)
62.6 63.2	High Wycombe (West), Stokenchurch A40	J5	Stokenchurch A40
66.7 67.2	Watlington, Princes Risborough B4009	J6	Thame, Watlington, Princes Risborough B4009
75.6 76.2	No access	J7	Thame, Wallingford, A329
77.3 77.9	No access	J8	Oxford, Cheltenham A40
78.9 79.2	Thame, Aylesbury A418 Oxford (A40), Oxford services	J8a Services	Thame, Aylesbury A418 Oxford (A40), Oxford services
97.1 97.6	Bicester, Aylesbury A41 Oxford, Newbury A34	J9	Bicester A41 Oxford, Newbury A34
106.0 106.6	Northampton A43 (M1) B430, Cherwell Valley services	J10 Services	Northampton A43 (M1) B430, Cherwell Valley services
122.7 123.4	Banbury A422 Daventry A361	J11	Banbury A422 Chipping Norton A361
139.7 140.0	Gaydon B4451	J12	Gaydon B4451
144.5	Warwick Services	Services	Warwick Services
148.2 148.6	No access	J13	Leamington, Warwick A452 B4100
151.1 151.6	Leamington A452	J14	No access
152.9 153.4	Warwick A429 Stratford, Coventry A46 Leicester (M69)	J15	Warwick A429 Stratford, Coventry A46 Leicester (M69)
167.1 167.6	Henley A3400	J16	No access
170.1 170.6	Start of motorway Motorway is formed by two sliproads from the M42	J17 (M42, J3a) ^{[coord 2]}	End of motorway Road continues as M42 The SOUTH WEST, Birmingham (South & West), Redditch & M5 The North, Birmingham (North, East) M1, M6
193.6 194.0	Birmingham	J18	No access

Detailed routing [link]

Original M40 [link]

The M40 begins at the Denham Roundabout near Uxbridge just east of the M25 and finishes at the M42 near Birmingham. The A40 is a dual carriageway from the Inner Ring Road in Central London, and is one of the two busiest western radials. Much of the traffic using the A40 joins the M40 to travel out of London. At junction 1 (the Denham Roundabout) on the outbound carriageway there is a lane drop to accommodate the non-motorway traffic. The mainline of the A40 carries on to become the M40 and it has 2 lanes and a hard shoulder on the outbound carriageway and 3 lanes and a hard shoulder on the London-bound carriageway. The motorway is carried over the top of the roundabout, which interchanges with the A40 (A413, A412)(outbound), the A4020 (original route of the A40) and the A412 southbound. The original line of the A40 can be seen going straight through the roundabout.

The motorway then carries on for another ¹⁄₂ miles (0.80 km) before it reaches junction 1A, the free-flow interchange with the M25 London Orbital. It is a partially unrolled cloverleaf, with the smoothest turns allocated to the flow of traffic from the London-bound M40, (traffic from Oxfordshire, Warwickshire and the wider West Midlands), to the anti-clockwise M25 (London Heathrow, Gatwick, The Channel Ports), and vice versa, since this is the largest exchange of traffic between the two motorways. The M40 passes over the interchange, with the M25 on the bottom. The clockwise M25 enters the junction with 4 lanes and there is a lane drop to accommodate the traffic heading for the M40 westbound, and leaves the junction with 3 lanes. In contrast, the anti-clockwise M25 enters the junction with 3 lanes, and gains a lane from the London-bound M40 to accommodate the extra traffic. The London-bound M40 enters with 4 lanes, with a lane drop for the M25 exit, and leaves with 3 lanes, and the westbound M40 enters with lanes and gains a lane from the anti-clockwise M25.

After junction 1A, the motorway is 4 lane, and carries on for another 3 miles (4.8 km) until it reaches junction 2 for the A355 to Slough, and the A40 to Beaconsfield and Gerrards Cross. Junction 2 is the standard roundabout interchange, with the mainline of the M40 running underneath. Beaconsfield motorway services are just off the junction.

Junction 3 is another 3 miles (4.8 km) further on, and serves the A40 for High Wycombe East and Loudwater. This is a restricted junction; the only flow of traffic at this junction is from the westbound M40 to the A40, and from the A40 to the London-bound M40. The westbound carriageway loses a lane here, remaining 3 lane for the rest of the route, and the London-bound carriageway gains a lane. The now 3 lane motorway then immediately crosses the valley (and Loudwater) over a large ramp-like bridge.

Junction 4 is the interchange with the A404 - A404 north for High Wycombe and A404 south for Marlow, Maidenhead, Reading, Windsor and the M4. The motorway through the junction was never widened from the original two lane when the rest of the motorway from junction 8 to London was, and so both carriageways experience a temporary lane drop. The junction used to be a straightforward roundabout interchange with exits for the M40 (west and east), High Wycombe (A404), the A4010, two local roads and the A404 dual carriageway to the south. During 2007, work was completed to improve the junction which included extra stacking space on the sliproads from the M40, provision for traffic from the A404 northbound to join the M40 westbound slip road without joining the roundabout and provision for the London-bound M40 to skip the section of the roundabout which serves the A4010, High Wycombe, and the A404 north.

The Stokenchurch Gap,"The Canyon" cutting in the Chiltern Hills.

Junction 5 is for the A40 and Stokenchurch. Junction 5 is the basic diamond interchange, and is also the fourth junction the M40 has had with the A40. 1 mile (1.6 km) farther on, the motorway passes through a large cutting (Stokenchurch Gap), known locally as "The Canyon" enters Oxfordshire and reaches junction 6 with the B4009 for Lewknor, Watlington, and Chinnor. The junction is a variant on the diamond interchange, with the slip roads from the M40 south having sharp bends — upon leaving the M40 from the westbound carriageway there is an immediate turn of almost 90° to the left and shortly after a sharp 90° turn to the right before a junction with the B4009, and similarly when entering the London-bound M40.

On its completion in 1967, the M40 finished at junction 5. The route was expanded a few years later to reach junction 7 and come within a few miles of Oxford. It was designated as a motorway to link London with one of the country's leading university cities. A similar scenario explained the construction of the M11 motorway linking London with Cambridge a few years later.^[17]

Just over 1 mile (1.6 km) after junction 6 the motorway passes to within 100 metres of St Giles Church, Tetsworth and 2 miles (3.2 km) farther on meets the first of three junctions in close succession. Junction 7 is a restricted junction with the A329 serving Thame and the A40. Access is limited allowing exit for only northbound traffic and entry only for southbound traffic. The exiting slip road on the southbound M40 at J7 is for "Works Traffic Only" to a depot. A slip road exists to allow traffic from the A329 to join the M40 north but is closed to traffic by a gate: this traffic must therefore follow the A40 to Junction 8, 2 miles (3.2 km) to the north.

Connection between old and new mainline of M40 [link]

At Junction 8 a spur off the M40 with two-lane carriageways leaves the mainline of the motorway and continues for a few miles before ending (motorway restrictions ending) at a trumpet junction for Wheatley and the A418(A40) (the old junction 8), with the road continuing as a two lane dual carriageway as the A40 towards Oxford and farther on to Cheltenham and Wales. The spur can be accessed only via the M40 northbound, and traffic heading towards the M40 can join only the southbound carriageway. This short spur is the end of the original M40, prior to the building of the current Junction 8 and extension to Birmingham.

After Junction 8, the M40 – the mainline – begin to head north and in less than 1 mile (1.6 km), reaches Junction 8A, for the A418, east to Thame and Aylesbury, as well as the single carriageway A40, south to London. It also serves Wheatley, via the A418(A40) via the dumbbell junction with the M40 spur. The junction allows traffic from the southbound M40 to enter Oxford, via the A40 dual-carriageway, and traffic from the A40 from Oxford to enter the northbound M40, via the linking road. The Oxford Services are also located on J8A, making the motorway accessible from the M40, A40 (Oxford), A418, A40 (London) and the A329. Leaving J8A, the M40 north has a sharp northerly turn, and prior to the extension of the motorway opening, local police patrol cars were used to check the turn could be safely navigated at and above the national speed limit, such was the abrupt change of direction.

"The Missing Link"[link]

The road travels for 12 miles (19 km) before reaching junction 9 for the A34 (E05) and the A41. The A34 dual carriageway serves Oxford and is a trunk route for Newbury, Winchester and Southampton (via the M3) as well as the rest of the South Coast — for this the reason it is part of the unsigned European route E05. The A41 dual carriageway serves Bicester and Aylesbury, and both roads meet the motorway at Wendelbury roundabout junction. This junction design is very inefficient and cannot cope with a very large volume of traffic using the junction. To try to alleviate this problem, there is a temporary lane drop for the London-bound carriageway. The largest exchange of traffic is between the A34 and the M40 north, and traffic on those roads backs up and causes congestion on both roads (going north and south), as well as on the interchange itself. North of the junction, the existing A34 becomes the A3400. This means the A34 is now technically in two halves (it regains status farther up the road at J16, although signs on the motorway do not mention this). Instead, the first signs for the A34 from a motorway are on the M42 at J4, as with the A41. The road also becomes part of the E5 north of J9.

The M40 follows a course of almost due north for 5 miles (8.0 km) before reaching Junction 10, which serves the village of Ardley, the A43 and the Cherwell Valley services. The A43 terminates at J10, although originally it carried on to Kidlington, the southern part of the old route now used by the re-routed A34. The A43 serves Brackley, Silverstone and its racing circuit, home to the British Grand Prix. Farther on, the A43 leads to Northampton and the M1. Junction 10 was originally a dumbbell junction. The capacity of both the junction and the single carriageway A43 proved too small when the road was used as a freight thoroughfare from the congested M1 to the M40 to London, and the A34 at J9 to the south coast — in fact the 5 miles (8.0 km) stretch between these junctions is the busiest on the motorway in both directions. When the A43 (between the M1 and M40) was upgraded to dual carriageway, the junction was redesigned and rebuilt by the Highways Agency to cope with the extra traffic. A third roundabout was added to the junction, to the north, with the slips for the Londonbound M40 and the A43, with the slip roads for the northbound M40 remodelled as well, and the roundabout in the middle now serving the services.

The slip road for the London-bound carriageway which used to be accessed from the roundabout is now reached only via the services. The design and execution of the revised design of new junction is greatly derided, mostly because of the three roundabouts giving no priority to the main flow of traffic, (A43-M40 London), and the slip roads off and onto the motorway (except the one accessed via the services) have sharp turns and adverse cambers, which results lorries frequently tipping over and spilling their loads especially on the roundabout at the end of the northern carriageway. The junction fails to perform its function as an effective traffic junction. As well, the slip roads onto the motorway give little manoeuvring space as both join the motorway under (the same) bridge built for the old junction.^[18]

The motorway then follows a winding route north for 10 miles (16 km) until Junction 11, the A422 and A361, serving Banbury. The motorway does not follow the straight route to the east of Middleton Cheney, meeting with the A422, as it had once been planned, due to a major landowner refusing his land to be cut in two. If built as planned, J11 would be east of Middleton Cheney, meeting with the A422, and probably would have fuelled major growth in the village as well as Banbury, the primary destination of the junction. As it is, the junction was built 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west along the A422, with the motorway skirting Banbury. The junction itself is a regular roundabout interchange, and has the single carriageway A361 from Daventry the dual-carriageway A422 from Brackley and the A43 from the west, and the dual-carriageway A422 (A361) toward Banbury feeding to/from it.

Another 12 miles (19 km) north-west along the motorway is Junction 12, serving Gaydon and the Heritage Motor Centre via the B4451. The junction is a box-standard diamond interchange. Farther along the motorway is Warwick Services, the last on the motorway, before it reaches the restricted access Junction 13. This serves Leamington Spa and Warwick via the A452, and Gaydon via the B4100. The junction is incomplete as a half-diamond interchange, with access only from the northbound carriageway and access to the southbound M40.

The junction is completed 2 miles (3.2 km) farther on at Junction 14, another restricted access junction, with access to the A452 from the southbound M40, and the access on to the motorway is in a northbound direction. The slip roads join at a roundabout and carry on as the single carriageway A452 to meet with the A452 to Leamington Spa, A425 to Warwick, and the A452 to J13. Farther north, Henley-in-Arden (J16) is again 'incomplete' to discourage local traffic.

The motorway joins the M42 in both directions, with northbound traffic taking the left lane to exit eastbound, eventually forming the outer lanes of the M42 via a tight-bending two lane connecting road, and the right lanes being taken eastbound. Similarly, southbound, eastbound traffic from the M42 splits off from the outer two lanes, whereas westbound traffic of the M42 has a single lane, widening to a two lane slip road, which merges with the middle lane and forms the outer lane of the southbound M40.

Coordinate list [link]

^ 51°33′41″N 0°29′35″W / 51.5615°N 0.4930°W / 51.5615; -0.4930 (Junction 1) South Eastern end of M40
^ 52°20′56″N 1°48′35″W / 52.3488°N 1.8097°W / 52.3488; -1.8097 (M42 J3a) North Western end of M40

Note: the M40 runs south-east/north-west between Junctions 16 and 8

References [link]

^ "News and Views: High Wycombe bypass". Autocar: page 360 date = 29 June 1967.
^ "Abbey Barns". Motorway Services Online. 24 December 2011. http://motorwayservicesonline.co.uk/Abbey_Barns. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
^ "Google map is location". http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=high+wycombe&ie=UTF8&ll=51.609955,-0.729775&spn=0.004611,0.013551&t=h&z=17.
^ Evans, Paul (1 April 2009). "Diversionary tactics - the imaginative campaigns protecting the countryside from developers". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/apr/01/conservation-developers-countryside-uk. Retrieved 26 March 2010.
^ [1]
^ "M40 Motorway". CBRD. http://www.cbrd.co.uk/motorway/m40/.
^ "Highways Agency". http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/3772.aspx. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
^ "M40 Junction 9 Improvement". Highways Agency. http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/3735.aspx. Retrieved 19 April 2011.
^ "Department for Transport Advisory Letter on Seatbelt Wearing". Department for Transport. http://www.dft.gov.uk/consultations/archive/2004/consbc/letteraboutseatbeltwearingin1241.
^ "Motorcyclist murdered on motorway: A motorcyclist has been shot dead while riding along the M40 in Warwickshire.". BBC News (British Broadcasting Corporation). 12 August 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/coventry_warwickshire/6943213.stm. Retrieved 13 August 2007.
^ Ffrench, Andrew (13 August 2007). "M40 remains closed after shooting". Oxford Mail (Newsquest Media Group). http://www.oxfordmail.net/display.var.1613018.0.m40_remains_closed_after_shooting.php. Retrieved 13 August 2007.
^ "M40 murder: CCTV released". thelondonpaper (News International Limited). 20 August 2007. http://www.thelondonpaper.com/cs/Satellite/london/news/article/1157148681266?packedargs=suffix%3DArticleController. Retrieved 20 August 2007. ^{[dead link]}
^ "Under-21 United star over limit". BBC News. 3 March 2004. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/3529553.stm. Retrieved 6 May 2010.
^ "Two die in 100-car pile-up". Daily Mail. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-107144/Two-die-100-car-pile-up.html. "Two people died today in a huge motorway pile-up involving more than 100 vehicles."
^ "100-car death crash on M40". London Evening Standard. http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-526210-100-car-death-crash-on-m40.do. "At least two people died in a 100-car pile-up on the London-bound section of the M40 today when fog cut visibility to 10 metres."
^ "Traffic England Live Traffic Condition Map (selected Popups)". Highways Agency. http://www.trafficengland.com/map.aspx. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
^ "Motorway Database » M40". CBRD. http://www.cbrd.co.uk/motorway/m40/. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
^ "Bad Junctions - M40-A43". CBRD. http://www.cbrd.co.uk/badjunctions/40-43.shtml. Retrieved 31 December 2011.

External links [link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: M40 motorway

The Motorway Archive
CBRD Motorway Database - M40
Pathetic Motorways - A40(M) High Wycombe bypass
Motorway Services Online - service stations on the M40.
Seven Natural Wonders of the South

Map of all coordinates from Google Map of first 200 coordinates from Bing
Export all coordinates as KML
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Motorways in the United Kingdom

Great Britain

M1 M2 M3 M4 M5 M6 M6 Toll M8 M9 M11 M18 M20 M23 M25 M26 M27 M32 M40 M42 M45 M48 M49 M50 M53 M54 M55 M56 M57 M58 M60 M61 M62 M65 M66 M67 M69 M73 M74 M77 M80 M90 M180 M181 M271 M275 M602 M606 M621 M876 M898

A1(M) A3(M) A38(M) A48(M) A57(M) A58(M) A64(M) A66(M) A74(M) A167(M) A194(M) A308(M) A329(M) A404(M) A601(M) A627(M) A823(M)

Northern Ireland

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Transport in Buckinghamshire

Road

Motorways	M1 · M4 · M25 · M40

A-Roads	A4 · A40 · A41 · A404 · A412 · A413 · A418 · A421 · A422 · A428 · A4010 · A4012 · A4146 · A4155 · A5 · A508 · A509 · A5130

Roman roads	Akeman Street · Watling Street

Notable Junctions	Handy Cross roundabout · Denham Roundabout · Magic Roundabout (High Wycombe)

Motorway service stations	Beaconsfield · Newport Pagnell

Rail

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Other lines	Marston Vale Line · London to Aylesbury Line · Metropolitan line · Princes Risborough to Aylesbury Line · Marlow Branch Line

Closed lines	Varsity Line · Great Central Main Line · Banbury to Verney Junction Branch Line · Brill Tramway · Wycombe Railway · Watlington and Princes Risborough Railway · Cheddington to Aylesbury Line · Aylesbury and Buckingham Railway · Wolverton to Newport Pagnell Line · Bedford to Northampton Line

Other	Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway · East West Rail Link · Buckinghamshire Railway Centre · Seer Green rail crash · List of railway stations

Air

Denham Aerodrome · Turweston Aerodrome · Silverstone Heliport · Wycombe Air Park · RAF Bases

Waterways

Rivers	River Thames · River Great Ouse

Canals	Bedford & Milton Keynes Waterway (under construction) · Grand Union Canal · Branches: Slough Arm · Wendover Arm · Aylesbury Arm

Footpaths

National Trails	Thames Path · The Ridgeway

Long-distance footpaths	Icknield Way (path) · Chiltern Way · Greater Ridgeway · Midshires Way · Ouse Valley Way · Shakespeare's Way · Swan's Way

Cycle Paths

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v t e Transport in Milton Keynes

Road	Milton Keynes grid road system · A421 · A422 · A4146 · A5 · A509 · A5130 · H6 Childs Way · H10 Bletcham Way · V6 Grafton Street · V8 Marlborough Street

Rail	Bletchley railway station · Bletchley TMD · Bow Brickhill railway station · East West Rail Link · Fenny Stratford railway station · Marston Vale Line · Milton Keynes Central railway station · Varsity Line · West Coast Main Line · Woburn Sands railway station · Wolverton railway station · Wolverton to Newport Pagnell Line

Bus	Buses in Milton Keynes · Arriva Shires & Essex · Milton Keynes Coachway · MK Metro · Stagecoach in Northants · United Counties Omnibus

Water	Bedford & Milton Keynes Waterway (under construction) · Cosgrove aqueduct · Grand Union Canal

Other transport	Milton Keynes redway system · Watling Street · Wolverton and Stony Stratford Tramway

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Contents

Description [link]

History [link]

Notable events [link]

Junctions [link]

Detailed routing [link]

Original M40 [link]

Connection between old and new mainline of M40 [link]

"The Missing Link"[link]

Coordinate list [link]

See also [link]

References [link]

External links [link]

http://wn.com/M40_motorway

Related pages:

http://nl.wn.com/M40 (Groot-Brittannië)

http://de.wn.com/M40 motorway