Mailwatch(ed) Forum

On my journey home last night I hit a section of Fenland road at the edge of what was once Whittlesea Mere that is marked with a 30mph limit and an "uneven surface" sign at 40mph. The surface is so badly deformed I genuinely though my little Fiat and I would be catapulted into one of the dykes alongside. It would also be nice if roadside vegetation could be cut back so that direction signs were more clearly visible.

The roller coaster road to Holme Fen nature reserve perhaps takes the award for Britain's worst road. Yet over the border in Lincs, the roads are better maintained. Whether that's down to geology, lower traffic volume or superior highway maintainence I don't know.

Not buying it. Britain's worst road is somewhere in Herefordshire or Shropshire. Though as I always say, the new Government have had our absolutely dire local road resurfaced.

No, it's Road Liddle.

Youngian wrote: ↑Thu Sep 04, 2025 2:01 pm The roller coaster road to Holme Fen nature reserve perhaps takes the award for Britain's worst road. Yet over the border in Lincs, the roads are better maintained. Whether that's down to geology, lower traffic volume or superior highway maintainence I don't know.

That's where I was. And I thought the road through Pondersbridge was bad...

It's the geology: it's the dried-out peat. That area was indeed once a bigger area of inland water than the Lake District but was drained to open up some of the richest arable farmland in England. When the railway originally struck south of Peterborough, the track was only made stable by the use of wooden faggots sunk to a depth where they reached solid ground. Later, when the line was electrified it had to be re-done because all the single catenary masts sunk out of alignment, so were replaced by gantries. The unstable nature of the ground is why the ECML is only two tracks between Yaxley and Conington.