M25 turns 40. Why Brits in Spain still can’t escape its ‘cruel mistress’

Four decades, countless traffic jams and more than a few choice words from drivers have given Britain’s most notorious motorway a character all of its own.

Fans of Gavin & Stacey may remember Nessa summing up the relationship perfectly: “She can be a cruel mistress, the M25.” Anyone who has sat frustrated watching the minutes tick away while crawling towards Heathrow will understand the sentiment completely.

October 29 is the M25’s 40th birthday, bringing back memories for generations of British drivers, including those who have since swapped UK commutes for life in Spain.

M25 reaches its 40th birthday

Margaret Thatcher officially opened the final section on October 29, 1986, completing the 117-mile orbital motorway around London. Around 100,000 vehicles a day were originally expected to use the road, compared with roughly 200,000 today.

Four decades of heavy use have also made the M25 synonymous with congestion, something British residents in Spain can quickly rediscover when flying home.

Heathrow puts expats back on familiar territory

Heathrow sits beside some of the motorway’s busiest sections, making the M25 particularly relevant for travellers arriving from Spain and continuing their journey by road.

Recent analysis by vehicle data company Geotab found all eight of the most congested stretches it identified were between junctions 10 and 20, covering the western M25 around the M3, M4 and M40 interchanges and close to Heathrow.

One clockwise journey between junctions 14 and 15 took an average of 9.2 minutes at 4pm, compared with just three minutes at 7pm. Those extra minutes are crucial when there is a flight to catch and airport security to contend with.

From The Road to Hell to sightseeing tours

Britain’s best-known orbital motorway has gathered plenty of stories during its 40 years. Despite appearing as a circle on maps, the M25 is not technically a complete ring. Drivers crossing the Thames at Dartford travel on the A282 rather than the M25.

Music has also played a part in its history, National Highways says Chris Rea wrote The Road to Hell in 1988 after spending more than an hour stuck in M25 traffic.

Remarkably, some people have actually even paid to spend more time on the road. A four-hour sightseeing coach trip around the M25 sold out in 2012, with extra tours added following demand.

A flight home, an airport pick-up or a family visit can quickly bring back memories of watching red lines appear on the sat-nav and wondering whether the traffic will ever move. Mediterranean life may put hundreds of miles between you and London’s orbital motorway, but one journey home can be enough to renew an old acquaintance.

Nessa, it seems, knew exactly what she was talking about.