“Rant”

This is from the Sun inn up to Panorama walk which is a few miles from where we live, If you watch this from 20:20 the first two cars timidly approach the parking space, and I did pause to check they reversed out ok.

The third car reverses so far back into a driveway I reckon they may have come from there and the fourth driver struggled a bit to align with the verge but there was room to squeeze past.

The end of the video shows where we were going and why, it’s always quite busy at this location even in January!

 
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mr brown said:
as a provisional biker , i could ride a massively heavy Norton 600 single with a crude sidecar chassis , weighed down with concrete blocks, amongst the town traffic , with one or two passengers and no helmet, quite legally
immediately on passing my car test , i could drive whatever i wanted , as long as it wasn't for reward. including artics, double deckers ,a lorry with two showman's wagons and Reliant Robins- and tanks of course !
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But in those days there wasn't the amount of traffic we have now. I learnt to drive in the late 60's in the West End of London and used to drive regularly from my parents in Surrey to my grandma's house in North London in 1/2 hour through the centre of London, it would now take at least 2 hours.
 
linkshouse said:
The ferry to Westray is a Ro-ro ferry so at one end of the journey the ferry moors bow first and at the other stern first, so that vehicles can just drive straight on, and then straight off.

Occasionally there is a problem and they can't do this, you should see the panic on some drivers faces when they come round telling them that they will have reverse onto the ferry!
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Good job they didn't have to use the Toulon to Corsica ferries. They are not ro ro so All lorries and vans have to reverse on.
 
Jann said:
Good job they didn't have to use the Toulon to Corsica ferries. They are not ro ro so All lorries and vans have to reverse on.
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People know in advance on that route. Here, it comes out of the blue. To see the panic on some peoples faces you have to imagine they have never used reverse since they passed their test!

Fortunately for them the ferry staff are very helpful :rolleyes:
 
mr brown said:
biggest problem i see with people is they can't grasp the width of their vehicle and overestimate badly
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Yeap, I'm driving with my wing mirror clipping the hedge and the oncoming car is about a meter from the edge of the road and don't think they can move over anymore 😡
 
Elder badger said:
Having a lot of experience including most of the other drivers, driving our campers around the uk. Now that we have a bit more freedom with the virus on the back foot, I have just come back from a week in the highlands & found an increasing number of incompetent camper/ Motorhome drivers who seem to have jumped out of the family car & off with the hired camper. Especially the guy I met on a single track road, who did not know about the use of passing places + could not use his mirrors to reverse, I must admit, it was a laugh to watch. When is the DVLA going to make it compulsory for drivers to have a certificate to show that they are capable of being in control of their vehicle. Also Camper/Motorhome hire company’s should also be held responsible as well. Rant over 🤬🤬
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Having the same experience myself, and even in normal roads where it seems the norm to run the white line. I have said this so many times. There NEEDS to be a test for driving these vehicles. Some of them are just incapable of size recognition and get hit with the 'fear' factor. Rental companies MUST be more responsible in renting these out. Just like the trailer and caravan / towing test now required for car drivers. It's like asking someone to jump into a 44ton try k or a coach and drive it! Most people could do it but safely?? I think not. So yes DVLA need to bring this into line ASAP alongside the towing part of a licence. As some of the driving I've seen I wouldn't let them loose wae a pram! Never mind a motorhome.

My rant over too! 🤬👍🤔😇😇
 
Not sure test would make a lot of difference, just look at folks in cars, it’s the same and they presumably passed that test 😩
 
Biggarmac said:
When I changed from the caravan to the motorhome I had great difficulty in reversing the M/H at first. I was so used to turning the steering the "wrong way" it was difficult to get out of the habit.
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I did the same the first time out in a motorhome after having a caravan. We went to a rally and I had to reverse into a really big gap and I kept on turning my steering wheel the wrong way as I was used to reversing a caravan, I don’t know why I kept doing it because I could reverse a car!
 
I've had so many laughs on the Bealech na Ba on Applecross watching them in hired vans coming down at the top hairpins when a local truck is going up and they have to reverse!!
 
I live in the HIghlands and it is obvious that many tourists have not come across single track roads before and have certainly not read the section of the Highway Code pertaining to their use! I have nothing against tourists visiting the NC500 with camper vans, but large hired motor homes in the hands of an inexperienced driver are an accident waiting to happen .
 
Not just the Highlands - I've just come back from a survey on the north Norfolk coast and the roads were awash with campers, motorhomes and caravans and we too have some narrow roads. I followed someone in a Bursner Freedom Range? 69 Reg. All they kept on doing was braking when anything, and I mean anything came from the opposite direction. Clearly they had no idea how wide it was as they sat at least 3 foot away from hedges forcing other vehicle literally onto the verge. My blood was starting to boil as I could see there were at least 8 vehicles behind me. Arriving in beautiful Blakeney they continued down the tiny street to the quay so I knew they were doomed - they obviously didn't read the sign saying the road narrows. I had parked and was walking to meet colleague and low and behold there it was stopped near the bottom as it could not get any further. The driver (who looked 90) was waving his arms around as a local barrated him for going down there................................oh and BTW I noticed a sticker on the side of a hire company.
 
Elder badger said:
Having a lot of experience including most of the other drivers, driving our campers around the uk. Now that we have a bit more freedom with the virus on the back foot, I have just come back from a week in the highlands & found an increasing number of incompetent camper/ Motorhome drivers who seem to have jumped out of the family car & off with the hired camper. Especially the guy I met on a single track road, who did not know about the use of passing places + could not use his mirrors to reverse, I must admit, it was a laugh to watch. When is the DVLA going to make it compulsory for drivers to have a certificate to show that they are capable of being in control of their vehicle. Also Camper/Motorhome hire company’s should also be held responsible as well. Rant over 🤬🤬
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I totally agree, hire companies need to inform individuals of the proper etiquette when driving in the highlands. Caravan and motorhome owners need take note as this applies to driving on single carriageways and single track roads:

Not everyone is on holiday, so try to travel outside of morning /afternoon commute - local people need to get to work too
Study the map before you set off so that you are aware of single track roads gradients and bends (obvious)
DO NOT drive your caravan or motorhome at night on a single track road
DO NOT drive in convoy on single track roads as this renders passing places useless
Keep your distance - a minimum of 2 passing places between vehicles on tricky roads will allow for an overshoot
Give way to vehicles coming uphill (see highway code)
Give way to larger vehicles such as buses and lorries who can't fit into passing places
Slow down and use your horn on blind corners (and turn the radio down)
Use your mirrors and let drivers BEHIND you pass at the earliest opportunity i.e. if there are vehicles behind you then pull the Fiat over!

Remember that selfish driving can cause frustration for other motorists which in turn will cause accidents

Mind you, I've met a few ignorant highland folk myself

Happy travels
 
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