Secrets of The Motorway - M65

#motorway #lancashire #preston
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Welcome along to another weekly instalment of motorway madness. I'm back oop Norf in Preston to look at the M65 motorway... what wonderous delights await... Confusing junctions, cancelled projects, bridges, protests... it's the usual thing really for UK motorways.
The M65 comes to an end in Colne.. I'd not heard of it either. But did you know there were talks of building a trans penine motorway much like the M62... yeah well.. You can probably guess what happened to that but I shall at least explain what was supposed to happen.
In this series we aim to explore what our motorway network is hiding. As we drive along at 70mph..ish...we simply just wouldn't be aware of what we're missing. This series aims to uncover some of the hidden secrets our motorways have to offer.

[@ethzero]

"It was supposed to...", is basically this channel's catchphrase ❤️

[@Sharpey187]

Slogan for a Auto Shenanigan T-shirt on the horizon I think 🤣

[@PSOL]

I think it’s mainly just the UK’s catchphrase at this point

[@Robintopia]

"It was supposed to..." "The idea was..." "This never happened..."

[@neonity4294]

Didn't know how much the motorways and german Autobahnen had in common until I found this channel. For example, the A1 isn't finished since 50 years and nobody knows when they will build a missing 25 km long connection.

[@neonity4294]

Didn't know how much the motorways and german Autobahnen had in common until I found this channel. For example, the A1 isn't finished since 50 years and nobody knows when they will build a missing 25 km long connection.

[@lordporcupine8767]

I can’t believe I’m obsessed with a motorway channel and I don’t even live in that country.

[@k.r.baylor8825]

Jon's vids are addicting, that is a fact. They are now a highlight of my Sunday evenings. It's better than network TV in the States.

[@TA_Plus_Hemi]

Same, this guy's damn funny. Roads and highways aren't normally a good enough topic to hold my attention.

[@realcanadian96]

Same here bud...

[@MrPeterhe]

Same here! I like to watch the videos on Monday morning. Makes the commute to work bearable.

[@chrismayhew3651]

Same here, from New Zealand, but you have to admit, Jon's vids are wicked sweat awesome :)

[@andrewhotston983]

Imagine that - a power station right next to a coal mine - how neat and reliable. No wonder they closed them.

[@Dan23_7]

Up around junction 8 (Altham and huncoat) there are miles of pit underground. As you drop down the hill from J8 you can see the brick vent shafts scattered across the fields. There’s a capped off mine at Altham with the concrete triangle things they used to commemorate the mines.

[@imSatnav]

Yeah, that seems to have happened rather a lot across Northern England.

[@hairyairey]

Even Bxxching was in favour of the MGR (Merry Go Round) trains because they were incredibly efficient at what they did.

[@mothmagic1]

Of course they did it was far too sensible

[@craigwilliams9110]

Another superb video Jon. There are so many odd road decisions in this country it’s never ending.

[@BibtheBoulder]

Thank god, or he might have run out of roads to video...lol

[@TheWonkyTripod]

This may be the Mandela effect kicking in after about 30 years. However.... I think I remember the stub of slip road on the exit at junction 6 being used for contraflow traffic when the original eastbound entrance was being re-modelled and the new section joined to the old. I think it's the remains of a temporary entry slip road that linked the eastbound entry from Whitebirk roundabout to the original section of the motorway. The new bridge had traffic in both directions for a time until the eastbound entry was re-opened in its current alignment.

[@nickh3533]

I remember them building the M65 as a kid. The motorway used to end at traffic lights at Junction 13 where Reedyford Hospital sat in woodland. The hospital was flattened and woodland chopped down to build junction 13 and extend the motorway through to Colne. All the bridges from junction 6 at Blackburn to Preston are built wide enough to accomodate 3 lanes.

[@PrograError]

well... will they ?

[@Scientist538]

You always know its going to be a riveting next 10 or 20 minutes when you hear "How the devil are you? Have you had a good week?". Cheers John, wicked sweet awesome.

[@myjrbs]

The original idea of bulldozing half of blackburn would've been the better solution but M65 works fine as is

[@mattd6085]

You forgot to consider than bulldozing half of Blackburn might dangerously raise land value

[@Hollaraedulioe]

What might be notable is that the M65 essentially follows the Leeds&Liverpool Canal - except for Blackburn where it was, as mentioned, rerouted around town :)

[@twocvbloke]

Missed a bit; Just before the M65 ends at Colne there's three bridges that pass over the canal; the motorway bridge, the old Colne Road bridge, and the New Colne Road bridge (142, 143 and 143a resectively on the L&L canal), under which are a section of Barrowford Locks in the canal for all the uppy-downy boaty stuff as cars do drivey over toppy stuff... (Source: Used to live in Colne and walked & cycled along there many, many times staring at it all)

[@MrRipsaw1]

Yorkshire and the 'Not Yorkshire' place next door settle their differences? Hmmmmm, never going to happen 😀 (Another great video by the way)

[@mattd6085]

Now listen here you jumpy little upstart, we LET you live there by the grace of our good nature, don't go getting big ideas or we'll be back for words

[@nervo6321]

The whole interchange between the M6 / M61 / M65 is confusing for anyone, and you are right the M65 is one of those motorways that is neither here nor there.enjoyed the video though, cheers.

[@ianhalsall-fox]

Yes! You have uncovered Burnley’s two bridges to nowhere! Indeed the one you were standing on was Barracks Road which used to meet up with Gannow Top in the decimated Whittlefield area and the other was a direct connection from Padiham Road to the barracks called Cavalry Street. The area was blighted for years before the Department of Transport approved the route. The public inquiry into the “Calder Valley Motorway” took place during 1973/74.

[@nicklowe536]

Great video I remember the extension being built. There was a farm house between 1and 1a that the protestors used. I remember driving round to them all being in the road protesting wouldn't normally be an issue but my car had the orange beacon and motorway contractor on the back . At nelson the slip road construction meant the loss of Nelson Stock Car track real shame it was one of the best tracks in the North West

[@KarrierBag]

Just what I needed a decent video to watch, am stuck in hospital after finding out land rovers don't like canals like my boat does was an informative bit of info I guess. Lucky a policeman was on hand to dive in and save me, it was cold and dark at the time.

[@amojak]

the military had amphibian land rovers i think, yours however is not, lesson learned in a scary way :o

[@KarrierBag]

@@amojak yes was a bit of a learning curve, juat had a roast dinner in hospital, was very nice too 😁

[@sydnorth5868]

Growing up as a kid in Blackburn in the 70's I remember there being a large white cross painted in the road outside our house, It was used as a reference point for those doing the aerial photo surveys that were done when they were trying to work out what alignment the M65 would take through Blackburn. Our house was directly on the alignment shown at 4:38

[@AutoShenanigans]

Just managed to escape the bulldozers then!

[@sydnorth5868]

@@AutoShenanigans If I recall, they disregarded that route fairly early (like about 20 years before construction started)! By the early 80's the most likely route was the one to the north shown at 4:43

[@rileyuktv6426]

“They ended up just dragging them out….still it’s quite a nice bridge”😂

[@DT100]

I rode along the M65 on my bike between J2 and J3 when they were building it through Brindle when I was a fair bit younger. Great video!

[@leadbomb5380]

In the sea of car reviews and mod channels. You've nailed it with this series of secrets of the motorway. Fun fresh and really interesting. I just wonder whats next when you run out of road. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@AutoShenanigans]

Car reviews and mods.

[@leadbomb5380]

@@AutoShenanigans 🤣 Arcane A Roads hopefully

[@grahamwoodier5066]

@@leadbomb5380 I'm look forward to the B road version. That could go on forever.

[@Assimilator1]

@@AutoShenanigans Roman roads!! Used and abandoned! 😁

[@Assimilator1]

@@grahamwoodier5066 C roads might be a bit quicker? 😉

[@shanefeather-lopez5935]

I used to travel the Burnley-Blackburn stretch of the M65 on a weekly basis as a schoolkid between 1995 and 1997, it was always fascinating to see the progression of the expansion work at the Blackburn end.

[@richard1313]

Despite growing up only about 15 miles from it, I don't think I've ever been on the M65. Just doesn't go anywhere I've ever needed to go!

[@TheWonkyTripod]

The section of road at the beginning of the video is the old alignment of the A49 Wigan Road. Just behind where the embankment is now was a farmhouse which was taken over by protesters. They painted the outside and there was a big police style badge on it with something like "Eco Police" written on it. One day, I was was driving past on my way home and there was just a big pile of rubble with an excavator parked on top of it. They also occupied the trees opposite for a time as well. Any hope of extending westwards is now over. Retail/residential/commercial development is planned for the land towards Stanifield Lane and, to the west of that, Lancashire County Cricket are going to build two new pitches and all the associated infrastructure.

[@Dan23_7]

My ex chained herself to a digger at that house 😂 I’m from Leyland.

[@vincentharriman3283]

​@@Dan23_7 was she your ex before or after she chained herself?😊

[@Adam88Robinson]

Literally couldn’t really give a shit about the road network but this channel is sensational.

[@AutoShenanigans]

Nice one, thanks for watching!

[@rwluk]

I love my strange little local motorway. Wish I knew you was up this way!

[@PeacefulSlumber]

Thank you for being a constant in a world that turned upside down this week. Really soothing to have your videos to watch. 🤗

[@chriswalford4161]

Hope you’re okay 🤔

[@PeacefulSlumber]

@@chriswalford4161 I will be, thank you 🤗 just one of life's unfortunately large potholes which has given me an emotional flat tyre.

[@neilwalsh4058]

I grew up in the shadow of the M65, remember every section being built /opened over a 16 year period and obviously it was the first motorway I drove on, about an hour after passing my test in Aug 1983. There's another high level crossing of the M65 by the Leeds Liverpool canal too , between junctions 6 and 7. Incidentally very close to that other canal over bridge , is the exact half way point of the canal , same distance to it's start and finish in Leeds and Liverpool. Brilliant video , learnt stuff from there even a motorway saddo like me didn't know about our local motorway 👍

[@oderbang]

John, I think you need to go on a rollercoaster... maybe something off Thorpark on the M3... we need to... re-asses your use of "Exciting" :P

[@geoffreycoan]

I’ve always thought the M65 was a crazy motorway, for years it started in the middle of nowhere and then stopped absolutely in the middle of nowhere. IThe start makes a bit more sense now with connections to the M6 and M61, but the end is quite bizarre. As you say, like the M62 except it got cancelled

[@davidjones332]

I think the road planners often worked on an opportunistic basis. If they could justify a bypass for somewhere like Preston, Burnley or Nelson, they'd stick in a bid for a bit of motorway, and keep their fingers crossed that they'd eventually be able to justify more short links to join these disjointed sections up. At one time you could see that through North Valley at Colne there was a broad swathe next to the road where no building was permitted as demolitions occurred, presumably in the expectation that the motorway would eventually be extended. It's since all disappeared under retail parks, except for the broad green in front of the retirment bungalows near the Morris Dancers pub.

[@paarker]

I used to do 50mph+ in the company van around junction 1a towards Preston and the same coming out. Good times. Never lost a race around that bend in the Vauxhall Vivaro. It’s amazing how much that van could stick and how fast I wanted to get in and out of that place.

[@Dan23_7]

When you head on and it says 30mph before the tighter left hand …… Ok 😂

[@Itsdectaylor]

Been waiting on this episode since the series began, nice to see you in and around Burnley John, hope your stay wasn’t too depressing

[@Gracievision]

I believe the building of the M65 chopped in half the old speedway and stock car venue Seedley Stadium in Nelson, and some of the old walls can still be seen.

[@isaacplaysbass8568]

Everyday, in every way, your series just gets" betterer and betterer"! Love in Jon, thank you. The admin building for the power station looked pretty cool, I guess it'll get bulldozed though :/

[@restojon1]

CLOUSEAU!!!

[@ljphoenix4341]

I think the building has already been demolished, back in 2016.

[@dimebarcocker]

I love your unique presenting/narrating style. We need you on real TV!

[@medler2110]

Alternatively get rid of your real TV, save the TV licence money and just watch You Tube,

[@brimstone260]

​@@medler2110 😂

[@djmrhill]

@@medler2110 exactly what I was thinking. When you do get rid of your "real TV" your bullshit filter becomes so much more refined and when you do accidentally catch some real TV it's just cringe-worthy to watch

[@leopold7562]

Oi! Don't blame us Lancastrians for not getting the M65 finished! We did our bit, hence the run out to Colne in the first place! It's them Yorkshire buggers who were being difficult. Just like they were with the M67!

[@pigeonpoo1823]

That 1a roundabout is my favourite corner in the world. Slight left, long right then ping it out hard and fast as it bears left again. Then hope nothing is coming and swing left really quickly at the roundabout (which has its own lane, so it's a real flyer). Good to see you in Preston!

[@mattd6085]

A fair few of the M65's junctions can be taken at speed, I wonder if planners knew that most drivers would be wanting to move as fast as possible to avoid the terrifying possibility of stopping anywhere near Blackburn

[@tasty_fish]

Havimg a shitty week at work so a video on the secrets of the M65 os exactly what I needed. Thank you John.

[@simonochana3189]

I used to work along the M65 corridor & you’ve confirmed a large number of theories that I had 👍🏿

[@kevinjohnlancaster8333]

Long ago, when I was chairman of the Yorkshire Dales NPA Planning Committee, circa 2000 we had a site visit to a quarry somewhere near Grassington. At those events you had to let the public make their five minute spiels. Well according to one member of the public this bloody great hole was not in fact a quarry but the end point of a mammoth hole which went back to Blackburn, or whereever and the intention of MI5, or was it MI6 was to have this long tunnel and extend the M65 through it, not just to Skipton, that was a piece of piss, but on to Grassington. MI5 / MI6 had lots of amazing technology to do this including flying bulldozers and revolutionary airships. I remember that as chairman I had to repremand the senior planner, who was taking the minutes at this public meeting because for some unaccountable reason he missed out the bits about the airships and the flying bulldozers. Of course when MI5 or MI6 come up you always miss them out of minutes. If this seems bizarre the stuff you learn about the police on public authorities makes what is going to be revealed in London this week seem believable.

[@themightyculsh]

I used to pass under Junction 4 on the bus to school. You could have also added that in addition to the protests that went on over it's construction, the residents of Darwen also protested the initial naming of the services that was built there. They wanted to call it Blackburn Services but it wasn't even in Blackburn so we kicked off about it. They eventually compromised by naming it Blackburn with Darwen Services

[@djmrhill]

I'm really enjoying your videos up towards my neck of the woods. These are roads I use all of the time and as much as I liked your videos about the pointless southern and midlands motorways it's great to see you venture into the proper part of the country where the motorway first started its life haha

[@AcornElectron]

7:00 it’s locally called Gannow Top. The top of Gannow Lane where it connected with Padiham road was demolished to make way for the motorway. Junction 10 sits squarely on the former location. The barracks were further off to the bottom left hand side if you’re looking at the image at my timestamp.

[@JoanneLorriman]

Yesssss been waiting for this! Thanks for another brilliant video! ❤

[@dreamcrusher112]

Roads served by turnpikes or tolls were actually paved with some intelligent and often patented road styles that were designed for heavy use :)

[@hoggmotorsport]

Great video Jon 👍 The amount of times I've used these motorways, never a thought for the back stories! Excellent!

[@badwolf1984]

Nice to see the video actually starts filming in Burnley when you say Preston, then end the video in Burnley at the hospital ruins up crown point, I will forgive you for this discrepancy's. Nice touch popping down to Barrowford though, you did miss a massive pop culture fact though, the power station admin buildings where used to film an episode of Red Drawf, and it was also referred to as Padiham B Power station.

[@caravaningincarathevan467]

Super sweet awsome vlog. X

[@philipread8733]

Brilliant video as always. Interesting for some of us coach drivers

[@tourobscure]

Another fantastic video! Huge respect for the time it takes to research all these weird and wonderful facts. 👏

[@ShalomBrother]

9:40 NEVER!!!! 🌹🌹🌹

[@knoxieman]

I stayed in Preston in the early 90s, stopped in a hotel full of Pro snooker players, shared the lift with Cliff Thorburn and leaned up against the bar with Stephen Hendry who smoked like a chimney, great video as ever mate, you need to Drag Lewis on screen, he's probably more famous than Stephen Hendry these days.

[@scotty555babe]

I remember watching the Huncoat power station get demolished from my Grandma's house.. I'm born and bred in Hapton so the M65 runs right by my House, very interesting to hear of all the things along the way that I pass regularly and never noticed or thought anything of it 😊

[@Jayneswoolandbuttons]

Great video, very informative.

[@jordanlewis3790]

its come to a point where im genuinely excited

[@tobyjackman3212]

This is the best video I've ever seen about anything

[@dennisphoenix1]

I like your Jerusalem ending , it's fitting that it's a brass band .

[@AutoShenanigans]

Grimethorpe Colliery band. Cos northern

[@scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain]

Brilliant video as always mate, really informative and full of Humour the way we like it.

[@DaveGardner64]

Great Video Jon loving it

[@circadianizzy]

Another banger as always. Had a good laugh when you looked at the toll price list!

[@bobspeller2225]

Brilliant. Highlights many odd planning decision as usual. Thanks for an interesting video John. Cheers Bob

[@jackscott8931]

I used to frequently travel between Preston and Burnley on the M65 a number of years ago both for work on the weekdays and a relationship I was in at the time on the weekends. I recall particularly steep hills throughout the duration of the motorway which required me to change down at least one gear to climb in my little Fiesta (or two if there were others in the car with me), especially if I wasn't able to get a significant run-up beforehand. Conversely, the same hills also resulted in the quickest speeds I had ever travelled in that car! This time in the opposite direction and usually in the early hours of the morning. Suffice to say it blew fords quoted top speed out of the water haha Another exelent episode Jon, it is always impressing seeing the legnths you go to in your research, and on location filming for this series.

[@madhatter61]

Fantastical stuff

[@tobeycat2007]

Great video again I use this road every week.

[@iandickinson6400]

Interesting for me as I lived for a time next to J5 and I still use the M65 a lot. I think that at one of the junctions there is still a sign remaining from when the M65 was first built with a slightly different typeface to the modern signs.

[@4N50N]

Informative as always 👌

[@DylanPurser]

My hometown local motorway, been waiting for this one! So weird to see you be right by J4, my high school was nearby and I did my driving lessons around that junction too! I never knew about the roman road and the realignment of it though!

[@seprishere]

I think it would have been economically better to extend the M66 to the M65 than to extend the M65 to Bamber Bridge, as useful as I find the link from the A6 to the M6 and M61.

[@coops1964]

That’s basically there already with the A56 Accrington easterly by pass.

[@SirStouk]

And the reward the councils got for successfully getting the motorway plans canceled is one of the worcet traffic jam spots in the north west of England. It's almost as bad as the traffic at Glossop between the woodhead pass and the M67

[@philiproszak1678]

Wonderful

[@marksmith1944]

“How the devil 👹are you Jon”? I’m good anyway, cheers 🍻. Love all the info you do around the country.👍👍 Love all the mystery slip roads and old deserted bridges. Keep safe🥃🥃 “ I hope you have a good week next week” 👌🏻🌟👍

[@PommelOpp]

"I hope you like the video, if you did there's a button specifically for that." Well, you've got me there. Just keep shoveling videos into my feed and I'll keep on ringing the bell. Great work. Love it, and I'm not even from England.

[@stevec1097]

Staggering amount of research and infotainment Jon 😎

[@minibus9]

awesome video

[@ianparker768]

Excellent video. Wicked, sweet, awesome in fact

[@charlottelarimore9261]

FINALLY THE M65 IS HERE thanks John

[@JardinFoto]

Nice choice of locations for all the to camera shots. First video I've seen on your channel but I'll be watching more I think.

[@AutoShenanigans]

Great to hear! welcome along

[@joeweston3252]

fantastic john l love the research you put into your episodes of the history the toll house ass made me chuckle lots of possible extra roads in the future by the looks of it.

[@AutoShenanigans]

Thanks a lot mate. The toll house was an unexpected discovery, I didnt know such things still existed!

[@saltbjorn]

Wicked sweet awesome ❤

[@darrenclose2853]

Love the A Team machine gun sound effects.

[@starlight5229]

Another more than excellent video 😊. Very familiar with this motorway and always been interested in finding out more. Well, I just did 👍🏻😁 Didn't know about those terraced houses that were squatted. Reminds me of the Westway protests back in London. The old Motorway Box scheme saw many houses near where I lived get bought up by CPO before the scheme was abandoned. Crazy dudes on power trips back then. Oh wait... some things never change 🙄 Thanks for a great vid 🙂👍🏻

[@PrograError]

well same stuff happened for the interstate in the US anyway. (tho it's mostly on racial lines and there's barely any protest I think about those construction earlier in the plan, only much later did anyone really protest and that's after the blight that's the intercity interstate concrete viaducts.)

[@petemulhearn7787]

Somehow John you have made a series which on the face of it should be mind blowingly boring but its not! I'll bet you could make a series about watching different colours of paint drying entertaining 😁

[@jamesabbott5242]

Awesome video

[@benjaminfield8353]

Great video!

[@richardsholl5977]

My local motorway! Took my wife on a top morning out to find the abandoned Burnley bridges featured. And we found them! And took pictures! Keep up the good work.

[@keithmander3177]

Well done John. Amusingly and clearly explained. Love it. -Regular user of the M65 both ways.

[@TheSadButMadLad]

2:50 The Stanworth Valley viaduct is a bit of an accident black spot for west bound traffic. I've used the M65 for about five years and if there was an accident on the M65 it was likely to be around here. Something to do with cars go fast down hill and meeting cars not going fast up the hill after the viaduct.

[@norfolkhall]

Three lanes to two on the crest of the hill don't help matters either !

[@cg_341]

@@norfolkhall I've only lived up this way for a year but I've never seen so many near misses, usually caused by cars moving out of lane 1 in to 2, just at the point that lane 3 disappears on the crest. A crazy bit of design, no chance it'd be allowed if they wanted to implement it nowadays.

[@matthewhudson3180]

I’ve had a good week John, thanks for asking (so regularly).

[@darrenraymond5334]

love your videos

[@ianstewartorr8455]

Another interesting video about the uk’s roads thanks greetings from Scotland 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧 your picture of the fuel crisis the blue star when the service station on the M 8 opened it was run by the blue star people too

[@ste2442]

I travel the 65 every morning en route from Liverpool to Brierfield, Blackburn services is pretty good and has a good greggs , the chopstix Chinese gaff is also very nice . And that’s about it .

[@fatlad5090]

brilliant

[@BeesWaxRacing]

I recall riding my bike over the little bridge on he original roman road many times. The first Manchester - Blackpool charity bike ride went that way. It's still a gruesome climb heading south....

[@HellenicJohn]

Excellent as usual and loving these outro's

[@harrysingh6577]

Hello Jon I am devilishly well, thank you. I have had a good week and am happy to see you again!

[@WilliamDavidKirbyUK]

Great locations Jon, I am always happy to see where you get to

[@AutoShenanigans]

Thanks a lot mate!

[@MarkLynskey]

I Love this channel, John you remind me of some sort of Johnny Lydon/Louie Theroux Hybrid.

[@philipmurphy2]

I do like this style, Great for a weekend.

[@bradhill3925]

Love the videos - your sarcasm is just perfect - Burnley Barracks

[@brokengirl248]

Watching your videos is now making my Sundays 😅

[@peter5486]

Been looking forward to this one! That jump scare got me though 😅

[@Dean256]

5:44 that made me jump lol. Great video 😊