Just spent a couple of days crawling nose to tail, when not forced to mimse despite empty roads, from here to Bath to Bristol to Corsham and up and down, 300 miles near enough and it took forever.
Herself wanted to take a look at Bath. It rained and the place was full of bovine tourists, standing about like smelly cattle and getting in the damn way. We were going to go on to South Devon but scrubbed it because it would have finished us off. It even took forever getting back here. Herself wanted to take a look at Winchester. After walking round the Cathedral, it took at least an hour escaping from the ghastly place.
I like driving. But not much at this time of year. Not at all in fact. I won't go into detail because I've said it all before. But I will add: tourist season brings out the fascist in me.
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Needed to go to the south west today myself coincidentally. No problem if timed right, go early and leave late. Avoids all the olds prattlng about in cathedrals and suchlike.
;-)
Last edited by: Runfer D'Hills on Tue 12 Aug 14 at 21:51
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>> No problem if timed right, go early and leave late.
Timing is a problem too when you're staying with people rather than working. I'm not an early bird at all but the last couple of days have braced me into more normal hours. I'll be going to bed two hours earlier than usual tonight, and I don't fear not being able to sleep.
But there are limits. You have to be polite. Takes a good hour or so to escape after breakfast. And so on.
It's nice to be at home. But we have to go to London day after tomorrow. That's going to be fun. Guh.
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>>Timing is a problem too when you're staying with people
That's not all. They make you help with the washing up or set you to clearing snow off the driveway. The food they give you is no good either and very few can offer an en suite bathroom. I gave up staying with people years ago, after a long sojourn in Asia, where setting tasks for a guest would be seen as an appalling insult.
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>> >>Timing is a problem too when you're staying with people
>> That's not all. They make you help with the washing up or set you to clearing snow
Well no, the people we were staying with in Corsham aren't like that at all. Generous to a fault. Any washing up done is voluntary.
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Living in a touristy area, I fully sympathise. Fortunately I walk to my part time job, and use the train or bus when normally travelling on leisure activities.
When I do have to use the car, the morning trip is slow and exasperating. Having the roof down, when conditions allow, is far more relaxing. Green fields, sheep and lovely views for the most part. Driving home one evening last week, 8pm ish, I followed a Golf on the dual carriageway, closely followed by a Focus keeping a respectful distance behind me. Once onto the single carriageway the Golf pulled away and I was red lining it in second & third! Then the Focus overtook me. Those STs really can move. Finally caught up after almost 20 miles on a near deserted road where I know every slight camber and cats eye. Now that was a fun, and potentially licence losing, drive.
Not a mimser in sight that evening.
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>After walking round the Cathedral, it took at least an hour escaping from the ghastly place.
An hour to get out of Winchester?
It's 10 minutes from the center of Winchester to the M3.
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>> An hour to get out of Winchester?
>>
>> It's 10 minutes from the center of Winchester to the M3.
>>
That could be 10 hours for a geriatric tourist with a sense of direction in a strange town. :)
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>>
>> That could be 10 hours for a geriatric tourist with a sense of direction in
>> a strange town. :)
>>
I must be getting senile, I am sure I put the word "failure" in that sentence.
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>> It's 10 minutes from the center of Winchester to the M3.
I don't doubt it. It's a small place. But if you don't know the way, believe me the road signs are less than helpful. And today's traffic was even less helpful. An hour is a low estimate of how long it took.
It was the same finding Corsham. The signposts around there are positively misleading, and there's a sort of endless, featureless, totally rural, obviously recent ring road around Chippenham.
The really annoying thing is that the whole area is known to me from childhood onward. One forgets things, and they change.
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I'm sure you've got your (geriatric) bus pass AC, I have!
Have you never tried 'park and ride'?
I wouldn't consider anything else when I go to Cambridge, Oxford and Milton Keynes.
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>> I'm sure you've got your (geriatric) bus pass AC, I have!
I used to have one. It worked in London. A nasty twit on the underground gave me some serious cheek about it once.
>> Have you never tried 'park and ride'?
Can't remember. But I got quite annoyed today by people telling me I could get a train from Paddington and it would only take two hours to get somewhere or other.
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>> >> I'm sure you've got your (geriatric) bus pass AC, I have!
>>
>> I used to have one. It worked in London. A nasty twit on the underground
>> gave me some serious cheek about it once.
>>
I use mine as ID when I am buying booze. :)
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>> I'm sure you've got your (geriatric) bus pass AC, I have!
>>
>> Have you never tried 'park and ride'?
>>
>> I wouldn't consider anything else when I go to Cambridge, Oxford and Milton Keynes.
Why do you need a park and ride for Milton Keynes? Every time I go there I just drive and park outside where I wanted to be.
Sure Oxford you need park and ride, because they have made the city inaccessible by car, but even in Cambridge if you know your way about there a bit using the car is ok.
Last edited by: Zero on Wed 13 Aug 14 at 09:03
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This is why I no longer try to park in central Milton Keynes: CMK Parking Map (PDF, 1.4MB) unless I'm going to the theatre in the evening.
I can get to all three towns for free with my bus pass.
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>> I can get to all three towns for free with my bus pass.
Well now you are retired I guess you have got time to spend all day getting there.
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>>
>> >> I can get to all three towns for free with my bus pass.
>>
>> Well now you are retired I guess you have got time to spend all day getting there.
>>
Mr Z, you seem to have trouble grasping the concept of a public bus service.
Please let me explain, the idea is that buses are for RIDING ON, not DRIVING INTO.
I think once you have got the hang of that, things will become much clearer!
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>> Mr Z, you seem to have trouble grasping the concept of a public bus service.
>>
>> Please let me explain, the idea is that buses are for RIDING ON, not DRIVING
>> INTO.
No wonder they are always late
Last edited by: Zero on Wed 13 Aug 14 at 14:00
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Cambridge Park and Rides are excellent. There are five around the outskirts of the City and one at St Ives which is very convenient if coming from the West. Bus passes work on all of them but they have just introduced a £1 parking charge which won't be covered, I imagine.
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>>>Have you never tried 'park and ride'? I wouldn't consider anything else when I go to Cambridge...
I like the Cambridge park and ride/guided bus. Keeps other cars out of the city so I can always find a space.
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Give or take a bit of cursing, you have to be patient with mimsers at this time of year, even the ridiculous 35 or 40mph waddlers on NSL roads. You can't always get past them, especially when they have acquired a queue.
I was very irritated by one lady - I think it was a lady - who was 'shunting' more than most, and veering about a lot too. In the end I saw why: she had her eyes fixed on the pratnav on top of her facia, stuck to the windscreen.
I'm sure they are useful things but I don't have one. I think they're a bit dangerous for some drivers.
To change the subject slightly, herself has just given me two ripe figs from the tree outside in a sunny corner. She gives me one most days when it's fine like this and the figs ripen properly. They make a nice little breakfast. Good for the gut too.
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>> It was the same finding Corsham. The signposts around there are positively misleading, and there's
>> a sort of endless, featureless, totally rural, obviously recent ring road around Chippenham.
I know that ring road well. I visit Corsham at least once a month. I love driving back to Reading using the A4 instead of the M4, the bit between Chippenham and Hungerford is pretty much deserted even at peak times, and the scenery is nice. Easy to maintain 60mph+ most of the way, nice wide carriageway for overtakes of the odd coach/tractor, never see a rozzer. I like to buy sandwiches in Calne and stop off at a picnic site just the other side for a rest. Lovely.
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>> I visit Corsham at least once a month. I love driving back to Reading using the A4 instead of the M4, the bit between Chippenham and Hungerford is pretty much deserted even at peak times, and the scenery is nice.
Of course I remember it well, from hitching and early driving days. I knew the whole A4 from London to Bristol like the back of my hand. The stretch between Reading and Hungerford was excellent, and had the Halfway Garage (Theale?) as a highlight.
Nowhere I went yesterday was much good for long though. The best bit was heading back here on the A272, a very nice road with sweeping bends and usually not much traffic.
When conditions are as they were yesterday, it can be easier and quicker to take longer motorway routes than to try to go by the shortest route. But that too can get choked when everyone else has the same idea.
West Country landscapes and domestic architecture make me feel at home. I love that honey-coloured Bath stone.
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>> Winchester. After walking round the Cathedral,
You could have done something
But you didn't try.
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Is AC the agent provocateur round here?
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You didn't do nothing
You let her walk by
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>> You could have done something
>> But you didn't try.
Have I been bringing you down Ian? Sorry man.
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South West, holiday season, mimser carp - Runfer D'Hills
