Re: The all-new all things driving thread

[Fangirl Three]

I have carefully planned a route from Darlington to Glasgow for Wednesday, avoiding the A66 because of the Appleby Horse Fair.

Which I've just remembered is in June, not May.

[Nightjar]

[The Call of the Wendigo]

[SiberianPrincess’sMidriff]

I've done the '66 when that was on, I think, it was fine, and quite scenic.

[Insert borderline racist joke about hubcaps here]

[Fangirl Three]

I have thoroughly revised the 'useful stuff in the car' situation.

I've got rid of the plastic box in the middle of the back seat which contained the emergency toilet kit and the emergency oil refill kit. And moved those two kits each to their own sturdy paper bag in the well in front of the rear seats.

Thus leaving more space on the back seat for the boxes of books that have to be transported to Scotland. 3 on this trip, 23 more still lurking in my parents' loft.

Though there were 45 when I started this caper 18 months ago, so I'm not doing so badly.

[The Call of the Wendigo]

[Fangirl Three]

I'm off to Darlington again today. I can already see the A1(M) unrolling in my mind's eye. Those mysterious mounds at the junction with the M1 M62.

[SiberianPrincess’sMidriff]

Those mysterious mounds.

[Nightjar]

Lady lumps?

[SiberianPrincess’sMidriff]

Imma going check!!!

https://goo.gl/maps/ATMVhZzz6iwdW1qk7

[Fangirl Three]

'Something of ENORMOUS interest'

Actually I misremembered, they're at the M62 junction.

[Fangirl Three]

As it was, I went round on the M18/M62 to avoid the roadworks at Darrington, so I only caught a glimpse of the mysterious mounds lurking in my rear view mirrors as I joined the A1(M).

[Butterfield]

It seems I go past those mounds on occasion but have never noticed them before - I'll keep an eye out for them next time, especially now it's light when I'm travelling that way.

[Fangirl Three]

MoundWatch

I'm on my way to Scotland today. I'm going to go further up the A1(M), and then try avoiding the Durham bypass traffic by cutting across through Consett to the A68. Then go trans-Pennine on the A69.

[Fangirl Three]

Although I'm driving south today, I will not be passing the mounds, as I need to avoid those horrible roadworks on the A1 at Darrington. I'll venture out onto the eastern flatlands and take the M18.

[Fangirl Three]

Oh goodness, that journey was a nightmare.

Not only did I have to make the pre-planned detour above, but at Newark the signs were announcing the A1 was blocked after the A607. I had no idea where that was, so I had to stop and consult my road atlas and the live traffic on my mobile telephone. The blockage was at Colsterworth, so I had to come off at Grantham and negotiate its fiendish gyratory system to get onto the A52, from where I had fine 70s style cross-country motoring on to the A15 to Bourne and Peterborough.

I got to J9 of the M11, where the worst rush hour traffic is, well before 5pm, so that was a bonus, but the nightmare wasn't over. When I got to Sheering, the road through the village was closed by an accident! Some not-quite-sinister locals directed me round through Lower Sheering, which is an 'Except for access' road that I wouldn't normally dare use, and I was finally able to reach my destination.

[The Call of the Wendigo]

[Butterfield]

I got caught up in something resembling one of those "15 minute cities" today in a gentrified middle class area of south Birmingham where they've recently put giant plant pots on residential streets to stop cars going through them which are supposed to help with pollution and safety. My sat nav was going wild and I ended up getting lost in this maze of terraced housing and facing these giant plant pots at each turn.

I'd have used more fuel and had become frustrated and therefore a more unsafe driver as a result.

[Butterfield]

This is exactly how I felt.

[Fangirl Three]

I never venture into residential streets when on unfamiliar territory.

In other news, I had Fanmobile 3 serviced this week. Four months early because of all the journeys from Scotland to England I've been doing.

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