Key Motorways In And Around Exeter

• M5 – major motorway which runs along the eastern outskirts of Exeter. It connects the Midlands to South West England and starts just outside Exeter, travelling north-east, past Bristol, towards Birmingham.

Main roads in Exeter

• A38 – also known as the Devon Expressway, branches off the M5 and runs south to Plymouth and into Cornwall.
• A30 – travels west, past Dartmoor National Park and onto the county of Cornwall. The road also heads north-east, becoming the A303 and winding towards commuter towns and cities on the outskirts of London.
• A377 – runs north-west away from Exeter through Crediton, Lapford, and Chulmeigh to Barnstaple, where the road becomes the A39 west and the A361 east.

How to get to…

Marsh Barton Trading Estate

You can find Exeter’s largest trading estate along Hennock Road Central, located in the Marsh Barton area, south of the city. It’s around a 10-minute drive from the centre, when you take the A377, and you can also find our Hertz van location on the estate, on Christow Road.

Exeter Airport

Situated just off Honiton Road, in East Devon, the city’s airport is less than a 30-minute drive out of the centre. Take the A377 and B3183 to reach the A3015/ Honiton Road. Continue no until you arrive at the B3174/B3184 exit and continue on to find the airport.

University of Exeter

The main campus of the university is easy to find. From the cathedral, simply take Market Street and Mary Arches Street to St David’s Hill, then turn right at Hele Road. Take a left at Bury Meadow Park on to New N Road, then a final right on Streatham Drive to continue to the university.

IKEA Exeter

The local IKEA is only 20 minutes from central Exeter. Simply follow Holloway Street and Topsham Road south-east, then take the first exit off the roundabout to Rydon Lane. The IKEA is just right off the A379.

Stone Lane Retail Park

You’ll find major stores at the city’s main retail park, just a 10-minute drive south from the cathedral. Take Western Way across River Exe and get on to A377. You’ll then turn left off Alphington Road and into the retail park.

Exeter boasts old city walls that tell of its Roman past, with a river that rolls through the city and breathes life into it. However, it’s also a thoroughly modern place, a successful business hub with renowned hotels and restaurants drawing in visitors from across the UK.

If you have time to combine leisure with work, you’re only a short distance from plenty of gorgeous Devon towns and villages, beaches and coves. While there are numerous secondary roads here, the main motorway serving Exeter and the region is the M5. Its southern tip is just to the south of the city (it runs to its east) and it will take you north, skirting the Blackdown Hills, to Taunton, Weston-Super-Mare and Bristol, before continuing on to Cheltenham, Worcester and Birmingham.

London lies to the east, and you can take the M4 and then join the M5 to get there, or the A303 and M3. Nearby towns are reached by A roads, take the A380 for the perennially popular seaside spots at Paignton and Torquay, or you can head to Barnstaple and North Devon on the A377.

To reach the far south-west you can take routes that hug the northern or southern side of the stunning Dartmoor National Park. For the former, take the A30 past Okehampton and you’ll eventually reach Penzance. Take the southern road, the A38, and you’ll find Portsmouth.

Exeter itself is split in two by its river, with several crossing points. Take the A377 and you’ll find both Exe Bridge North and South, within view of each other.

A hire van in Exeter will come in handy here as you’re close to many of the major shopping centres and retail parks, giving you the extra space to accommodate any large purchases or deliveries. Look out for the Princesshay (which has extensive parking), and the Stone Lane Retail Park. Rydon Lane in the east of the city is known for its bulky goods, with branches of DFS, Halfords and other major retailers.