A52 road

The A52 is a major road in England. It runs east from the junction with the A53 at Newcastle-under-Lyme near Stoke-on-Trent via Ashbourne, Derby, Stapleford, Nottingham, Grantham, Boston and Skegness before terminating on the east Lincolnshire coast at Mablethorpe. It is 147 miles of what some regard as speed-camera cluttered tarmac.

The stretch between Derby and Nottingham is now also known as Brian Clough Way in honour of the late Derby County and Nottingham Forest manager.

The road used to start at Nantwich in Cheshire, but was renumbered to become the A500.

Newcastle-under-Lyme - Derby

The road starts as Ryecroft from the roundabout with the A34 and B5367. It is dual carriageway until the next roundabout, forming part of the Newcastle ring road, with the A527 and A53. It passes the leisure centre on the right, then veers right at a junction with the B5045 (which continues on the main road), where it enters the borough of Stoke-on-Trent. As Hartshill Road, it passes the University Hospital of North Staffordshire and enters the town of Stoke-upon-Trent. It takes two possible routes around the town centre, meeting the A500 D Road. It goes under the West Coast Main Line near Stoke on Trent railway station and becomes Leek Road, passing one campus of Staffordshire University. It meets the A50 at a roundabout near Hanley. It meets the A5008 and A5009 (for Leek) at crossroads, where it turns right. There is a junction with the A5272 (for Berry Hill). As Werrington Road it passes the Mitchell High School and enters Staffordshire and the borough of the Staffordshire Moorlands. It passes through Ash Bank and Staffordshire, then meets the A520 (for Leek) at crossroads , then multiplexes with the A522 (for Cheadle). It passes through Kingsley, and meets the A521 and B5053 (for Ipstones). It passes through Whiston and meets the B5417 (for Oakamoor). It meets the A523 (for Leek) and passes through Swinscoe, then briefly enters East Staffordshire.

The road enters Derbyshire where it crosses the River Dove over the Hanging Bridge near the junction with the B5032 at Mayfield close to the Queens Arms Hotel. The £3m 1.5 mile Ashbourne Relief Road opened in October 1994. There is a roundabout for the exit to Ashbourne and one with the A515. The road climbs up the side of the Dove Valley, and there is a central overtaking/crawler lane. The roundabout with the eastern exit to Ashbourne is near an old airfield which is now an industrial estate. The area around the next section of road to Derby has links with Bonnie Prince Charlie. It passes through Brailsford and at Kirk Langley, there is a junction with the B5020 for Mickleover. Entering Derby as Ashbourne Road, it passes Mackworth and Markeaton Park. It passes a Shell garage.

Derby - Nottingham

It multiplexes with the A601 Derby Inner Ring Road, and from the Radio Derby building (to the west of the city centre) to Nottingham, it is dual-carriageway. It crosses the River Derwent, and there is a Grade Separated Junction (GSJ) with the A61 near Chaddesden. Near Spondon, there is a large GSJ with the A5111 Derby outer ring road, also near a large Asda. Further east, it is the main east-west route from Derby to Nottingham, connecting the two towns via the busy junction 25 of the M1 near Stapleford. It crosses the Nottingham section of the Midland Main Line, and the River Erewash, entering the borough of Broxtowe. It passes through Bramcote, and enters the City of Nottingham at the A6005 roundabout. From the Queen's Medical Centre and the University of Nottingham, it follows the Clifton Boulevard around the south of Nottingham. There is a junction for the A6005, then it crosses the Beeston Canal and Nottingham - Derby/Loughborough railway line. It multiplexes with the A453, then the A453 exits for the M1, then crosses the River Trent, and enters the borough of Rushcliffe. It meets the A60, then the A606 at a busy roundabouts. This £6m two mile section from Gamston to Lings Bar opened in September 1981. It passes close to Tollerton Airfield and a large Morrisons, and crosses the Grantham Canal. The section from the QMC to the A606 roundabout used to be the A614 until the Gamston section was opened. The former route of the A52 into Nottingham is now the A6200 and A6011.

Nottingham- Grantham

Heading east, the road is dual-carriageway until Radcliffe on Trent as Grantham Road. There is a BP garage next to a Little Chef just before the turn-off for Radcliffe on Trent. This stretch has SPECS cameras along it. Close by is the Holme Pierrepont National Watersports Centre. The road goes past Saxondale, then meets the A46 at a large roundabout, which has a Shell garage. The road runs parallel for many miles with the Nottingham-Grantham railway. The £2.6m two mile Bingham bypass opened in December 1986. The road passes a JET garage on the left, then a prison at Whatton. After Elton, it enters Leicestershire and the Vale of Belvoir. The road used to go through Bottesford in Leicestershire until bypassed in February 1989 with an extremely wide concrete £3m three mile two-way road. It passes by Muston and enters Lincolnshire at the crossing of Sewstern Lane (the Viking Way), passing through Sedgebrook. Belvoir Castle can be seen in the distance. The road climbs a steep hill near Barrowby, crosses the A1 and becomes Barrowby Road. The section of road from Radcliffe on Trent to Grantham was planned to become a dual-carriageway in the 1990s, but there are no plans at present.

Only until recently was this busy trunk road part of the High Street in Grantham; now it is diverted alongside the East Coast Main Line on Saint Augustin Way, passing an Asda. It meets Dysart Road at traffic lights and turns left at a roundabout onto Wharf Road, passing a large Morrisons store, then turning right at traffic lights onto London Road, passing Sainsburys. The most sensible route around Grantham is to follow the A1 from Barrowby and take the A607 exit into Grantham, although there is a low bridge on Springfield Road. There have been plans for an A52 bypass south of Grantham, which have many cycle-riding objectors.

Grantham - Boston

From Grantham, which was the A52's original eastern end, the road continues eastwards, rising up the valley of the River Witham to reach the ancient Ermine Street roman road at the B6403/B1176 roundabout, which it follows for about a half mile. Ermine Street continues as the B6403 northwards. It meets the A15 at a roundabout. It passes through Threekingham. There are crossroads with the B1394, and the road meets the B1177 from nearby Billingborough. It passes under the Sleaford-Spalding railway and at Donington there is a roundabout with the A152 (the former name of the A52 east of Grantham). There is a bypass around Bicker, then there is a roundabout with the A17. It passes through Drayton, meets the B1391, then there are crossroads with the B1192.Near Boston, you won't find a straighter or flatter road, as the road follows the New Hammond Beck, passing over the South Forty Foot Drain. It passes a Tesco superstore and the Alban Retail Park. There is a level crossing with the railway before an Asda and roundabouts with the A1121 and A16 (which it multiplexes with through Boston). Some residents want a bypass.

Boston - Mablethorpe

In Boston, it follows the inner relief road, named the John Adams Way, which crosses the River Witham (where it is tidal). The road has a junction with the A16, crosses the Hobhole Drain, goes through Haltoft End where it passes the Freiston Centre for Environmental Education. The road goes through Benington, Leverton, Old Leake, where it meets the B1184 near the The Giles School, and Wrangle.

The section between Boston and Skegness has had straighter sections since the late 1990s. It passes through Wainfleet St Mary (near the home of Batemans Brewery), and meets the B1195, then crosses the Steeping River and over a level crossing. Entering Skegness, it passes a retail park and Skegness Hospital. It meets the B1451 roundabout in the centre of Skegness near a Morrisons superstore and the train station. After the junction with the A158 (from Lincoln), it is no longer a trunk road. North of Skegness, it meets Seathorne near Skegness Water Leisure Park, Butlins and Fantasy Island. It passes through Ingoldmells, heading slightly westwards through Hogsthorpe, Mumby then meets the B1449. It passes through Huttoft, Sandilands and reaches Sutton-on-Sea and the A1111. At Trusthorpe it passes some radio masts. It reaches Mablethorpe, and ends at the junction of Victoria Road and the High Street (A1104).

According to the AA, Newcastle-under-Lyme to Derby takes 56 minutes, Derby to Boston takes 100 minutes, and Boston to Mablethorpe takes 62 minutes, taking two hours and thirty eight minutes to travel the whole distance.

External link

* SABRE page on the A52