European route E5
The European route E5 (or more correctly the E05) is part of the United Nations International E-road network.
It runs North-South, through the United Kingdom, France, and Spain.
United Kingdom
The road starts in the United Kingdom, however at no point in the UK, like all European routes, is it signed by the name E05. Also, the route does not follow one particular UK road but follows its own route.As the A8:
- The route begins at Greenock at the start of the A8, which eventually turns into the M8 motorway.
As the M8:
- On the M8 motorway the route goes through Glasgow before diverging to the M74, with the remainder of the M8 (which forms the UK section of the E16 route
- The M74 becomes the A74(M) at Abington and continues south passing through Gretna where the E18 route (the A75) joins, before turning into the A74 at the border for a short distance, subsequently turning into the M6 through England.
As the M6:
- At the start of the M6 motorway the route passes through Carlisle (where the E18 route leaves to follow the A69). It then runs through Lancaster, Preston, near Manchester and Liverpool. At Warrington it connects with the E20 European route.
- The M6 section ends at Birmingham with the remainder forming part of the E24 route.
As the M42:
- For a while around Birmingham parts of the M42 motorway form the route, connecting the M6 and M40 motorways.
As the M40:
- As the M40 motorway the route runs past Warwick and Banbury before leaving the M40 at the A34 junction.
As the A34:
- As the A34 Dual carriageway the road runs past Oxford and Newbury where it intersects with the west-east E30 European route (the M4 motorway).
- The route continues along the A34 until it reaches the M3 motorway.
- The final UK section of the European route is a short distance on the M3 motorway which ends at Southampton and the English Channel.
- From this point to the rest of the E05 road in France, a ferry must be used.