Several short motorways with a 50 in their name have a liberating quality. The M55 to Blackpool is a brief (12 miles only) beachbound classic, absolutely heaving when the sun comes out; it was recently enhanced by the Preston West Distributor Road.
The M53 is a secret highway through the Wirral, offering a back door into Liverpool via the tunnels.
The M54, following Roman Watling Street towards Shrewsbury and Wales, feels like a decompression chamber after the M6 and the airless, viewless West Midlands.
The M56, opened in 1981, is where Cheshire footballers open up their Overfinches. For most people, though, it’s the airport road. Along with all the other motorways in the North West it has made the region the Los Angeles of Europe – minus the sunshine, Hollywood, Malibu…
At the other extreme, Manchester’s M60 ringroad feels like a 36-mile speedway, largely built from one dead motorway (M63) and stolen sections of the M62 and M66. Much of it is buried inside cuttings, rising to reveal Oldham’s tower blocks or Stockport Viaduct. At its western extremity there is a glimpse of the Manchester Ship Canal – liable to prompt dreams of slow travel, serene times and car-free utopias.
This story was first published in October 2023 and has been revised and updated.
Source link : https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/united-kingdom/britains-best-and-worst-motorways-ranked-and-rated/
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Publish date : 2023-12-22 03:00:00
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