M25

Book excerpt: Have you ever wanted to know... Which junction to take for Gibraltar? How to save £35,040 a year on Dartford Crossing tolls? How many assassins were buried within the concrete of the M25? (at least one) Why it’s important that North Ockendon declares itself independent from Greater London at the earliest opportunity? This indispensable biography of a road profiles the 117 miles of Britain’s most infamous motorway, from its controversial origins to its present-day status as backdrop to the lives and commutes of millions. Told with Ray Hamilton’s trademark powers of observation and off-the-wall humour, it is an eye-opening account of the stuff you didn’t know about the M25 – including the action, sightseeing or nature-loving fun you can have coming off at any junction – and a very different view of the stuff you did know.