A1(M) Southbound Traffic

The southbound A1(M) carries you towards London: from Birtley on Tyneside down through County Durham and Yorkshire, past Doncaster and Peterborough, to the M25 at South Mimms. This page shows reports affecting that direction.

Heading south from Tyneside

The motorway begins at Junction 65, Birtley, where the A1 from Newcastle becomes the A1(M). It passes Washington, Chester-le-Street and Durham. After Darlington and Scotch Corner the road runs through open North Yorkshire past Catterick, Ripon and Harrogate to Wetherby.

The choice at Junction 43

South of Wetherby comes the one decision most southbound drivers make: stay on the A1(M) or take the M1. At Junction 43 you can leave southbound for the M1 and Leeds — the M1 starts there and its own last junction is Junction 48. The M1 heads for Leeds, Sheffield, Leicester and London; the A1(M) and A1 go on by Doncaster, Newark, Peterborough and Stevenage. If one has a closure, the other is the usual way round — check M1 Traffic and our A1(M) and M1 link roads page before you commit.

Where the motorway stops going south

The A1(M) ends southbound at Junction 40, Darrington, and after a short plain-A1 gap starts again at Skellow, Junction 38. The Doncaster Bypass ends at Junction 34, Blyth; from there it is the A1 past Newark, Grantham and Stamford until Junction 17 at Peterborough. The Peterborough section ends at Junction 14, Alconbury, and the final motorway section begins at Junction 10, Stotfold. Reports for the gaps are on A1 traffic news.

Arriving at the M25

The last southbound junction is Junction 1 at South Mimms, which is also the M25’s Junction 23. If you are joining the orbital there, check M25 Traffic before you reach it. If you are going on into London, the road is the A1 again, through Apex Corner, Fiveways Corner and Henlys Corner.

How busy is the A1(M) southbound?

These are the busiest southbound stretches in the Department for Transport’s 2025 counts, one direction only. The southbound side is busier than the northbound on most of the list, and the order is different further down.

The Peterborough section appears only on the southbound list: 46,116 southbound against 38,168 northbound between Junctions 16 and 17. For both directions together see how busy the A1(M) is.

Where to stop southbound

From the north: Washington, Durham, Scotch Corner, Wetherby, Ferrybridge, Blyth, Peterborough, Sawtry, Baldock and South Mimms.

Heading the other way? A1(M) northbound traffic towards Tyneside

Traffic count figures on this page are from the Department for Transport road traffic statistics, 2025.