We will shortly be heading over to the Suffolk area, using the A14. We need to get to the A12 near Yoxford and the main route looks to be down the A14 and south round Ipswich before heading north up the A12 (like the one I have marked in red). Does anyone know what the A1120 is like for towing? (Marked in blue).
Thanks everyone. I’m always really nervous about towing in an area that I have never been to before so any route advice and personal experience from others is always helpful.
Not a road I know, so no experience, but doesn't look too bad on Streetview.
TomTom will route a caravan that way if 'forced' (set a via point) and it's quicker and shorter than A14/A12 route, but that makes me suspicious, sat navs LOVE the shortest/quickest route normally, but not picking this one automatically! I guess it only takes one bad section, junction, or bridge to make it a less than ideal route!
We have used the A1120 many times most recently towing an 8ft wide twin axle Coachman. It is called the tourist route, very pretty country side and villages. No problems towing wise, fewer by far HGVs. A really nice route.
The A1120 is a nightmare during the harvest season, but if you are going before mid-July you should be OK. If you go later, you will become familiar with the rear of tractors and trailers etc. The crossroads of the A1120 and A140 can be a dangerous location, and you need to be very careful, especially when turning eastbound off the A140 onto the A1120 if travelling from the south. Unless the A14 has delays, I would always take the A14 A12 to Southwold area when towing. If going north of Southwold, I would probably consider the A143 and cutting back towards Lowestoft.
------------- 'A sure cure for sea-sickness is to sit under a tree'
Still better A14 across the Orwell Bridge. Lots of round a bouts going from the A14 past Woodbridge but a lot of it I'd dual. I travel up there lots of times solo and towing to one of my favourite sites, The Eels foot.
Quote: Originally posted by birder99 on 11/6/2024
The A1120 is a nightmare during the harvest season, but if you are going before mid-July you should be OK. If you go later, you will become familiar with the rear of tractors and trailers etc. The crossroads of the A1120 and A140 can be a dangerous location, and you need to be very careful, especially when turning eastbound off the A140 onto the A1120 if travelling from the south. Unless the A14 has delays, I would always take the A14 A12 to Southwold area when towing. If going north of Southwold, I would probably consider the A143 and cutting back towards Lowestoft.
The value of local knowledge, over remote research!
For information for anyone else looking in this area. After the advice on this post, we planned to use the red route that I marked in my original post, but on the day of our journey, the A14 south of Ipswich was closed due to the movement of some sort of massively oversized component from the Ipswich port to wherever it needed to go. We decided to take a chance on the route I had marked in blue, along the A1120, and it was absolutely fine. There were a few villages with parked cars lining the road to navigate, but for the most part, the route was fine and towing was easy.