M23 and A23

This is the road from London to Brighton, closely linked with motoring and the enjoyment of the open road since the early twentieth century.

For over a hundred years people have been tearing through the South Downs to the coast for the sheer thrill of hitting the road, and even today the annual classic car rally down to Brighton is just one of many events that trace the A23's route to the seaside.

The modern route really begins at the M25, with the A23 into London from there being not much fun at all. The M23 is the first part of the route, connecting to Gatwick Airport and bypassing Crawley before passing the baton back to the A23, which completes the run from there to the A27 at Brighton as a high-quality dual carriageway.

The motorway is intensely busy between the M25 and Gatwick Airport, for which it serves as the main access. South of Gatwick it is quieter, though still well used; north of the M25, though, it is really little more than a short connection to the A23. The route north from the motorway's northern terminus at Hooley is far from motorway standard and does not form part of this page.

The A23 is arguably the more enjoyable bit of the drive, with more interesting hills and corners and the iconic stone pillars framing the long straight road on the final approach to Brighton. Recent works mean that three lanes continue south from the end of the motorway most of the way to Brighton, and you could be forgiven for not noticing you'd left the motorway network at all.

The M23 is an important road in its own right but it's only a part of what it was meant to be, as evidenced by its first junction being numbered 7. It was supposed to continue further north, through South London, to reach the proposed motorway replacing the South Circular, Ringway 2. The horrific line it would have taken, ploughing through affluent suburbs and irreplaceable parkland, made sure the plan was well and truly buried. Unfortunately, this means there is no single obvious route to continue into London from the end of the M23, and the A23 itself is not much more than a local road north of the motorway and past Croydon.

You're not looking at the whole M23 and A23

This page is about the parts of the M23 and A23 that are designated a motorway or that have motorway characteristics. Other sections of this road will not be featured here and will not count towards the length of the road as shown below.

Start

Hooley

End

Brighton

Passes

Reigate, Gatwick Airport

Connects to
Length

32 miles

Click a section name to see its full details, or click a map symbol on the right to see all motorways opened in that year.

Completed Name Start End
Hooley - Pease Pottage J7 Hooley J11 Pease Pottage Chronology map for 1974
Gatwick Airport Link J9 Gatwick J9A Airport Way Chronology map for 1975

Exit list

Symbols and conventions are explained in the key to exit lists. You can click any junction to see its full details.

Junction   Northbound               Southbound  
7
27.7 km
Croydon
London
A23




A23
NORTH





A23
Brighton
Gatwick Airport
M23 (M25 Link)
Redhill
A23
LanesLanesLanesLanesLanes SignsSigns LanesLanesLanesLanes SignsSigns
2 miles, 3 lanes 2 miles, 4 lanes
8
30.8 km
Heathrow Airport (M4 Link)
Sutton (A217)
Watford (M1 Link)
Dartford (M11 Link)
Maidstone (M20 Link)
Westerham (A25)
M25 Link
M25
(M1)
(M4)
(A217)
M25
(M11)
(M20)
(A25)
Dartford (M11 Link)
Maidstone (M20 Link)
Westerham (A25)
Heathrow Airport (M4 Link)
Watford (M1 Link)
Reigate (A217)
M25 Link
LanesLanesLanesLanesLanesLanes Signs LanesLanesLanesLanesLanesLanes Signs
8 miles, 4 lanes 8 miles, 4 lanes
9
43 km
Gatwick Airport
(A23)
(A23) Gatwick Airport
(A23)
LanesLanesLanesLanesLanesLanes Signs LanesLanesLanesLanesLanesLanes Signs
2 miles, 4 lanes 2 miles, 4 lanes
10
46 km
Crawley
East Grinstead
A264
A2011 A264 Crawley
East Grinstead
A264
LanesLanesLanesLanesLanesLanes Signs LanesLanesLanesLanesLanesLanes Signs
5 miles, 3 lanes 2 miles, 3 lanes
10A
49 km
B2036 B2036 B2036
LanesLanesLanesLanesLanes
  3 miles, 3 lanes
11
53.5 km
Horsham
A264
Crawley
A23
Services Pease Pottage
A23 becomes M23
A23

A264





Brighton
A23
Horsham
A264
Services Pease Pottage
M23 becomes A23
LanesLanesLanesLanesLanes Signs LanesLanesLanesLanesLanes Signs
2.5 miles, 3 lanes 1 mile, 3 lanes
24.2 km

B2114
Handcross
(B2110)
LanesLanesLanesLanesLanes
   
22 km Handcross
Lower Beeding
B2110
B2110 B2114

B2114
LanesLanesLanesLanesLanes
2.4 miles, 3 lanes 3.9 miles, 3 lanes
18.4 km Warninglid
Slougham
B2115
Cuckfield
Staplefield
(B2114)
B2115 B2115 Warninglid
B2115
Cuckfield Village
LanesLanesLanesLanesLanes LanesLanesLanesLanesLanes
1.1 miles, 3 lanes 1.1 miles, 3 lanes
16.5 km Bolney Village Bolney Village
LanesLanesLanesLanesLanes LanesLanesLanesLanesLanes
1.1 miles, 3 lanes 1.1 miles, 3 lanes
14.7 km Petersfield
Haywards Heath
Cuckfield A272
Burgess Heath (A2300)
A272 A272 Haywards Heath
Petersfield
A272
LanesLanesLanesLanesLanes LanesLanesLanesLanesLanes
1.4 miles, 3 lanes 1.4 miles, 3 lanes
12.5 km Burgess Hill
Goddards Green
A2300
Twineham
Hickstead Village
Services Hickstead
A2300 Burgess Hill
Hickstead
Twineham
A2300

Services Hickstead
LanesLanesLanesLanesLanes LanesLanesLanesLanesLanes
3.25 miles, 2 lanes 0.75 miles, 2 lanes
11.3 km B2118 Hurstpierpoint
Albourne
Henfield
B2118
LanesLanesLanesLanes
   
6.9 km Albourne (B2118)
Hurstpierpoint
B2117
B2117
(B2118)
B2117
LanesLanesLanesLanes
1.5 miles, 2 lanes  
4.6 km Henfield
A281
Services Pyecombe
A281
LanesLanesLanesLanes
1.1 miles, 2 lanes 4.5 miles, 2 lanes
3.7 km

(A273)
Hassocks
(A273)
LanesLanesLanesLanes
  0.6 miles, 2 lanes
2.8 km Hassocks
A273
A273
LanesLanesLanesLanesLanes LanesLanesLanesLanesLanes
1.8 miles, 3 lanes 1.8 miles, 3 lanes
0.0 km N/A A27






A23
SOUTH
A27





Lewes
Newhaven A27
Worthing
A27
Brighton A23
LanesLanesLanesLanesLanes Signs LanesLanesLanesLanesLanes Signs
Routes

Picture credits

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