One Day Driving Distance?
Discussion
JuniorD said:
Riley Blue said:
I once drove 750 miles from Ostend to Austria stopping only for fuel, coffee/food and to have a pee. I wouldn't do it again, almost certainly couldn't in any case but it was fun then (40 years ago).
How long did it take. I’ve done that route by train countless times, think it took about 14-15 hoursThis was the longest journey successfully achieved in one hit, so to speak.
Solo drive in a Honda Integra DC5. Nice to Calais, over to Dover then back to Cheltenham.
To say I was a gibbering wreck at the end of it, would be accurate. A diet of Marlboro Lights, back to back Red Bull and very little food.
Fookin wired.
Solo drive in a Honda Integra DC5. Nice to Calais, over to Dover then back to Cheltenham.
To say I was a gibbering wreck at the end of it, would be accurate. A diet of Marlboro Lights, back to back Red Bull and very little food.
Fookin wired.
1,400 miles from Kent to John O'Groats and back in 23 hours.
Back in those days I was 21 (Hertz rented to 21 year olds then), and if I needed a car for work on the Monday, I would get the hire car on Friday - back then it wasn't 24/7/365 rentals like today, so needed a bit more organisation. The highest group car I could get was normally a Ford Escort 1.4LX and that's what we drove up in. Being youthful we could manage 6-8 hour toilet breaks no problem. We arrived in JOG, took a photo by the sign and drove back.
On the A9 southbound we stopped to lend the wheelbrace to someone with a flat tyre. He looked up at the numberplate on the Escort which said "Eastbourne Ford" on it and he said: "You've come a long way!" I replied: "Well, about 40 miles from there and we're going Maidstone to JOG and back in a day!"
I used to do that all the time with those hire cars and unlimited mileage - Lands End, Holyhead, wherever.
I used to love the reaction of the Hertz employees when I would return the car with 2-3,000 more miles on!
Back in those days I was 21 (Hertz rented to 21 year olds then), and if I needed a car for work on the Monday, I would get the hire car on Friday - back then it wasn't 24/7/365 rentals like today, so needed a bit more organisation. The highest group car I could get was normally a Ford Escort 1.4LX and that's what we drove up in. Being youthful we could manage 6-8 hour toilet breaks no problem. We arrived in JOG, took a photo by the sign and drove back.
On the A9 southbound we stopped to lend the wheelbrace to someone with a flat tyre. He looked up at the numberplate on the Escort which said "Eastbourne Ford" on it and he said: "You've come a long way!" I replied: "Well, about 40 miles from there and we're going Maidstone to JOG and back in a day!"
I used to do that all the time with those hire cars and unlimited mileage - Lands End, Holyhead, wherever.
I used to love the reaction of the Hertz employees when I would return the car with 2-3,000 more miles on!
Barcelona to South of Le Mans is about right. I gave myself a leisurely start of 10am and arrived by 7.30pm. It was raining a lot of the way. The key is a high average speed from the off and minimal drinking of fluids other than water as caffeine is a diuretic that'll have you stopping more frequently. Also, after a decent breakfast, snacks will keep you going until dinner, but nothing that'll make you needlessly thirsty = more loo breaks!
bolidemichael said:
Barcelona to South of Le Mans is about right. I gave myself a leisurely start of 10am and arrived by 7.30pm. It was raining a lot of the way. The key is a high average speed from the off and minimal drinking of fluids other than water as caffeine is a diuretic that'll have you stopping more frequently. Also, after a decent breakfast, snacks will keep you going until dinner, but nothing that'll make you needlessly thirsty = more loo breaks!
Maybe my bladder is different, but I find the binding factor isn't lavatory stops or the amount of caffeine but how much my back and thighs hurt without getting a stretch, even in a car with good ergonomics. That said, I have now given up smoking, but when I did smoke, I hated the smell in the car, so I'd stop every couple of hours for a fag outside while I was having a stretch anyway.
Ten minutes pause out of every 120 won't make a massive dent in distance travelled, I'd argue, given that the pauses will probably allow greater overall travel time.
psi310398 said:
Maybe my bladder is different, but I find the binding factor isn't lavatory stops or the amount of caffeine but how much my back and thighs hurt without getting a stretch, even in a car with good ergonomics.
I suffer in the same way. I used to do 400 mile plus trips quite often when I had the Monaro as the ‘work’ car. The seats in that were amazing , just perfect. The engine helped too, just burbling away up front at about 1900rpm. The A4 3.0 Tdi I have now is theoretically faster, and has about twice the range. But even the most expensive multi adjustable sports seats made by Audi still feel like church pews by comparison to the Monaro’s, so now I’m stopping to straighten out instead of refuelling.Maturity strikes when you realise the ‘fastest’ car is the one with longest range and most comfy seats.
Argeles sur mer, near Perpignan to Normandy in 10 hours. 680 miles fully loaded with roofbox too.
I was the only driver.
The alternator packed up with 300 miles to go just outside of Nantes. Everything got switched off, radio and AC etc for those last 3 or so hours, it was 32 deg !
The speed crept up so we could get to our destination before having to use the lights.
This all happened 2 weeks ago!
I was the only driver.
The alternator packed up with 300 miles to go just outside of Nantes. Everything got switched off, radio and AC etc for those last 3 or so hours, it was 32 deg !
The speed crept up so we could get to our destination before having to use the lights.
This all happened 2 weeks ago!
Edited by Simes205 on Sunday 1st September 13:52
I've done Liverpool to Mataró (just north of Barcelona) and back to combine a track day at Circuit de Catalunya and visit a friend. About 1100 miles each way in an e34 M5.
Spent a couple of days either side of the track day with my friend, so it wasn't a straight there & back trip, but took it easy, had plenty of stops and it took about 20 hours each.
Wouldn't do it again in one go by myself though, but it was a comfortable trip at the time.
Spent a couple of days either side of the track day with my friend, so it wasn't a straight there & back trip, but took it easy, had plenty of stops and it took about 20 hours each.
Wouldn't do it again in one go by myself though, but it was a comfortable trip at the time.
Worcester to Tardets-Sorholus in the French Pyrennees. Two of us drove a 1972 Range Rover towing a car trailer, loaded with a 100" Bowler Tomcat, to compete in the Rallye des Cimes.
An epic drive, maximum speed around 60mph but speed for maximum range was around 55mph. The autoroute from around La Rochelle to Biarritz seemed endless. I still have the route notes with estimated times for various turning points.
ETA:
Total trip distance 798 miles via Portsmouth to Caen ferry.
The previous year I was a passenger in a Land-Rover 101" making the same trip but that time towing a Simmbugghini. Another very long trip...
An epic drive, maximum speed around 60mph but speed for maximum range was around 55mph. The autoroute from around La Rochelle to Biarritz seemed endless. I still have the route notes with estimated times for various turning points.
ETA:
Total trip distance 798 miles via Portsmouth to Caen ferry.
The previous year I was a passenger in a Land-Rover 101" making the same trip but that time towing a Simmbugghini. Another very long trip...
Edited by 100SRV on Tuesday 3rd September 20:59
My longest single day run was not as far as some on here. 790 miles, the next longest was 666, which was actually the hardest, both only one up. The plan for both was set off after an early breakfast up in north Sweden and getting to an overnight halt in Kolding in Denmark. The 666 was a grueller, best laid plans and all that because the early breakfast went as plan, then an unexpected phone call meant I spent all morning in the nick sorting out an argument over a misunderstanding between our security service and local plod. Didn't get away until 1pm.
Though thinking about it, didn't log the miles for the ash cloud malarkey, that was from north of Arctic Circle Sweden to Hook of Holland, but not in a single day, and two drivers so it was easy.
Though thinking about it, didn't log the miles for the ash cloud malarkey, that was from north of Arctic Circle Sweden to Hook of Holland, but not in a single day, and two drivers so it was easy.
Another long day of mine was from Grand-Lancy in Geneva to Wimbledon. It was a Sunday morning and I left at 9am. The drive through the magnificently engineered A40 traversing the Jura mountains was so chilled and relaxing.
I just stick on the F1 coverage (unfortunately Abu Dhabi 2017 which was a bore) and listened to the Preview Show, FP1, FP2, FP3, Qualifying, and Race. That kept me company for hours, it was great.
I just stick on the F1 coverage (unfortunately Abu Dhabi 2017 which was a bore) and listened to the Preview Show, FP1, FP2, FP3, Qualifying, and Race. That kept me company for hours, it was great.
One of the longest drives i've done is with my father in our Elise S2 135R from Calais to Dijon, only about 570km, but motorway all the way with the roof off.
Our bodies felt numb and we were both quite deaf for a few days afterwards, the tinnitus was awful.
Safe to say when doing long motorway drives we always put ear plugs in now.
Our bodies felt numb and we were both quite deaf for a few days afterwards, the tinnitus was awful.
Safe to say when doing long motorway drives we always put ear plugs in now.
DrJAyres said:
One of the longest drives i've done is with my father in our Elise S2 135R from Calais to Dijon, only about 570km, but motorway all the way with the roof off.
Our bodies felt numb and we were both quite deaf for a few days afterwards, the tinnitus was awful.
Safe to say when doing long motorway drives we always put ear plugs in now.
I did similar with my wife from Rheims to Belgirate a couple of years ago in a high revving old Alfa Spider on one of the hottest days of the year. Tinnitus and a very red face. I needed to come off the Autoroute to buy eye drops at a small pharmacy in some one goat Savoyard town as well. Our bodies felt numb and we were both quite deaf for a few days afterwards, the tinnitus was awful.
Safe to say when doing long motorway drives we always put ear plugs in now.
psi310398 said:
DrJAyres said:
One of the longest drives i've done is with my father in our Elise S2 135R from Calais to Dijon, only about 570km, but motorway all the way with the roof off.
Our bodies felt numb and we were both quite deaf for a few days afterwards, the tinnitus was awful.
Safe to say when doing long motorway drives we always put ear plugs in now.
I did similar with my wife from Rheims to Belgirate a couple of years ago in a high revving old Alfa Spider on one of the hottest days of the year. Tinnitus and a very red face. I needed to come off the Autoroute to buy eye drops at a small pharmacy in some one goat Savoyard town as well. Our bodies felt numb and we were both quite deaf for a few days afterwards, the tinnitus was awful.
Safe to say when doing long motorway drives we always put ear plugs in now.
Two trips I don’t fancy repeating now given a bit more age/sense; col du turini to Chester in a mk1 golf gti, left after about 30 cars through and home for lunch via ferry and Shropshire to Elba, left after work got there by lunch via Chunnel and a ferry, only optional stops on both trips were fuel/caffeine/food
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