IS THE motorway we love to hate an undiscovered tourist hotspot? Reporter ALAN WOODS joins the queue to get on board a unique sight-seeing tour of the M25.
ONE tour operator may be alone in thinking the experience of travelling on the M25 and across the Dartford Crossing as ‘magnificent'.
BBC Radio 4 listeners even voted the motorway as their most-hated place in Britain and thousands of motorists curse the queues getting in and out of Kent daily.
But for Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company, the slowest stretch of road in Kent is the pinnacle of an exclusive sight-seeing coach trip.
Already offering days out to popular tourist attractions such as Woburn safari park and Chatham Historic Dockyard, the firm’s latest venture will take in the sights scattered around the embankments of the 117-mile motorway.
Crazy as it sounds, demand for the tour - initially a one-off excursion in October this year - was so high a second outing was fast-tracked into the diary for March.
Now, only 19 tickets remain for the £15 a head tour, which bosses optimistically advertise as a four-hour journey.
The mastermind behind the seemingly bizarre idea is the firm's days out co-ordinator, Simon Ashcroft.
He said: “I was listing the 100 things to do before I die and one of them was to go completely round the M25 orbital.
“I don’t think we should be so negative about something we take advantage of - I would love to see how London would survive without it.”
Mr Ashcroft explained the most exciting part of the tour - which only stops once to admire the splendour of South Mimms service station in Hertfordshire - is the Dartford Crossing.
He said: “Something actually happens at Dartford - a lot of people don’t see the view when they are driving and they will be able to sit back and enjoy that on the coach.”
Dartford Council leader Councillor Jeremy Kite said: “A crossing over the Dartford Bridge is more like a short-stay holiday or a long-weekend than a coach tour.
“It might not be as funny as it seems - there is a market for people who are interested in travel, traffic and roads.”
Commentary on board the coach will inform motorway fanatics about the scenery and road’s history.
Arriving on the motorway soon after 11am, the coach is hoping to avoid rush hour and will skip sections of the road if an accident causes delays.
Mr Ashcroft added: “I want to have a sense of continual movement as I don’t think deep vein thrombosis is a good idea.”
For more information, visit buses.co.uk
M25 tour highlights
1. Dartford Crossing.
2. Heathrow Airport’s terminal five, Middlesex.
3. Epping Forest, Essex. The largest public open space in London.
4. Lakeside Shopping Centre, Essex.
5. Waltham Abbey.
Lowlights of the M25
1. Darenth Interchange, Dartford. Regular tailbacks on all roads leading into this junction at peak times.
2. On-going roadworks and 50mph restrictions, Essex. Five miles of roadworks on the lead-up to the QE2 Bridge, causing delays until September.
3. Clacket Lane services, Surrey. Traffic joins the M25 from the busy M26 motorway, causing delays.
4. Chalfont Viaduct, Middlesex. The slogan ‘Give Peas a Chance’ is scrawled across the top of a bridge.
5. M4 interchange, Slough. Comprising of 11 bridges and three viaducts, this interchange causes havoc for those heading towards the West Country.
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