One Day Driving Distance?
Discussion
I regularly travel 590 miles from my house in scotland to my girlfriend's house in Hampshire.
I usually manage it on a 1 stop strategy, normally gretna/carslile area.
I have however completed the whole journey on 2 occasions where I traveled through the night and didnt stop, did not get out the drivers seat between departing and arriving. Managed it on 1 tank of diesel, slept all afternoon and consumed minimal fluids so I didnt need to pee. Felt alert the whole way but went straight to bed when i got there. Still didnt get much sleep tho...
I usually manage it on a 1 stop strategy, normally gretna/carslile area.
I have however completed the whole journey on 2 occasions where I traveled through the night and didnt stop, did not get out the drivers seat between departing and arriving. Managed it on 1 tank of diesel, slept all afternoon and consumed minimal fluids so I didnt need to pee. Felt alert the whole way but went straight to bed when i got there. Still didnt get much sleep tho...
Pyrolysis said:
I regularly travel 590 miles from my house in scotland to my girlfriend's house in Hampshire.
I usually manage it on a 1 stop strategy, normally gretna/carslile area.
I have however completed the whole journey on 2 occasions where I traveled through the night and didnt stop, did not get out the drivers seat between departing and arriving. Managed it on 1 tank of diesel, slept all afternoon and consumed minimal fluids so I didnt need to pee. Felt alert the whole way but went straight to bed when i got there. Still didnt get much sleep tho...
Whereabouts in Scotland are you doing this from? I'm driving home from Aberfeldy to west Cornwall on Friday and wondering whether to try and do it without an overnight stop. I stopped in Bristol en route here, but going back the ideal (almost halfway) point is in the Midlands.I usually manage it on a 1 stop strategy, normally gretna/carslile area.
I have however completed the whole journey on 2 occasions where I traveled through the night and didnt stop, did not get out the drivers seat between departing and arriving. Managed it on 1 tank of diesel, slept all afternoon and consumed minimal fluids so I didnt need to pee. Felt alert the whole way but went straight to bed when i got there. Still didnt get much sleep tho...
Pericoloso said:
I didn't think I could drive that far anymore but on September 19th I drove from Calais to Stelvio pass and up and down it again
before it got dark again.
About 700 miles.
Then I drove to Bolzano for the night, not very far away.
Chapeau. That's some going! Not least as the Stelvio itself is normally so clogged up with chuffing cyclists going six abreast and German pensioners in camper vans that it takes a half the bloody afternoon to get up it, let alone descend again.before it got dark again.
About 700 miles.
Then I drove to Bolzano for the night, not very far away.
psi310398 said:
Pericoloso said:
I didn't think I could drive that far anymore but on September 19th I drove from Calais to Stelvio pass and up and down it again
before it got dark again.
About 700 miles.
Then I drove to Bolzano for the night, not very far away.
Chapeau. That's some going! Not least as the Stelvio itself is normally so clogged up with chuffing cyclists going six abreast and German pensioners in camper vans that it takes a half the bloody afternoon to get up it, let alone descend again.before it got dark again.
About 700 miles.
Then I drove to Bolzano for the night, not very far away.
It was almost empty ,a very slow camper van got dealt with safely enough on a straight bit and a few cars and bikes were coming back
down on my way up and after mooching round the top I came back down the same way as a sign said the road to Bormio was closed
3KM away.
That didn't stop a bunch of Swiss enthusiasts going that way.
Pericoloso said:
Further to the above.....
I got to a certain point in Austria and could have turned left or right onto the A12 as going up Stelvio wasn't a definite
part of the trip.
Left and go up to Brennero ,or right towards Switzerland and turning off onto the SS40 I think it is...
So I presume you came through Nauders from the A12 on to the SS38 IIRC?I got to a certain point in Austria and could have turned left or right onto the A12 as going up Stelvio wasn't a definite
part of the trip.
Left and go up to Brennero ,or right towards Switzerland and turning off onto the SS40 I think it is...
psi310398 said:
Pericoloso said:
Further to the above.....
I got to a certain point in Austria and could have turned left or right onto the A12 as going up Stelvio wasn't a definite
part of the trip.
Left and go up to Brennero ,or right towards Switzerland and turning off onto the SS40 I think it is...
So I presume you came through Nauders from the A12 on to the SS38 IIRC?I got to a certain point in Austria and could have turned left or right onto the A12 as going up Stelvio wasn't a definite
part of the trip.
Left and go up to Brennero ,or right towards Switzerland and turning off onto the SS40 I think it is...
Pericoloso said:
Looks like it and you're correct that Stelvio is the SS38.
I live for half the year by the SS33 (near Stresa) and drive over past Varese, Como, Lecco, Sondrio and Bormio regularly (when I get bored driving the direct way through the Simplon or Gotthard routes in Switzerland, I skirt round to nip through Austria and into Germany at Garmish Partenkirchen which gives me quite a bit more autobahn to hoon about on).In 2017 we went to see the Rugby European Championship final in Edinburgh. From the South Coast it was about 470 miles, took about 10 hours with a couple of breaks as it was on a Friday afternoon, then drove back on the Sunday after watching the match on the Saturday.
In a 12 year old Mazda Estate that was actually remarkably comfortable and it was an easy trip both ways, although scary when within 30 miles of Edinburgh and we hit dense fog, didn't stop the lunatics in the outside lane ploughing on through at 70 miles an hour though!
Most miles in a day was to North Wales and back last year, which was about 600 miles, in my GT86 in order to have the engine tuned, so the day was broken up with a 5 hour wait for the car to be done. Well worth the wait though.
Maximum is very much vehicle/road/conditions dependant but I wouldn't want to do more than maybe 800 miles in a day even under ideal conditions.
In a 12 year old Mazda Estate that was actually remarkably comfortable and it was an easy trip both ways, although scary when within 30 miles of Edinburgh and we hit dense fog, didn't stop the lunatics in the outside lane ploughing on through at 70 miles an hour though!
Most miles in a day was to North Wales and back last year, which was about 600 miles, in my GT86 in order to have the engine tuned, so the day was broken up with a 5 hour wait for the car to be done. Well worth the wait though.
Maximum is very much vehicle/road/conditions dependant but I wouldn't want to do more than maybe 800 miles in a day even under ideal conditions.
I'm not sure any of these responses answer the ops question TBH of what's a sensible daily distance.
Myself and a mate did Harrogate to John o' groat's taking turns behind the wheel. ~475 miles and even with 2 sharing the driving I'm not convinced it was a sensible distance.
To be fair on our journey it gets hard work after Edinburgh and we were carrying on driving everyday (and camping in Scotland) which is different to doing a one way journey or having a holiday before driving back.
Myself and a mate did Harrogate to John o' groat's taking turns behind the wheel. ~475 miles and even with 2 sharing the driving I'm not convinced it was a sensible distance.
To be fair on our journey it gets hard work after Edinburgh and we were carrying on driving everyday (and camping in Scotland) which is different to doing a one way journey or having a holiday before driving back.
I travel from Truro to Stonehaven and back once a month. It usually takes a bit over ten hours which includes two stops for coffee, petrol, dog and me pee breaks. Average speed always round about seventy mark and fuel cons., in the 350slk, about 37. Just over 9 hours behind the wheel. My niece is travelling with me this friday which is sure to add at least 30 mins to the overall time, ha ha
sammyboy77 said:
I travel from Truro to Stonehaven and back once a month. It usually takes a bit over ten hours which includes two stops for coffee, petrol, dog and me pee breaks. Average speed always round about seventy mark and fuel cons., in the 350slk, about 37. Just over 9 hours behind the wheel. My niece is travelling with me this friday which is sure to add at least 30 mins to the overall time, ha ha
Props to you if that is in a R171. I have the chore of driving my wife's one up from Italy to the UK and back again for its MOT and can't easily manage more than about five hours in it at a stretch. I find the seat truly awful and would be ricked for days if I did a ten hour drive.I went from Oxford to Auchenblae (few miles south of Edinburgh) for a weekends camping last year.
The drive there was OK, as I had stops in Tamworth, Derby and Manchester then a companion for the rest of the way, with a couple of stops here and there.
Arrived at our digs in East Kilbride feeling fine.
Coming back though, we left at 2pm. I waved goodbye to my mate at Carlisle and I went across to the A1. Got to Durham at about 1am, and passed out for a couple of hours. Then did Durham to my dad's near Spalding.
I felt dead at the end of it, were parts that I don't fully remember and it taught me that I don't drive long distances enough to be good at it (I know some ex Megabus drivers and they don't blink at doing glasgow to exeter in a day with 2 stops on the way etc). My dad said he thought I was unconscious, woke back up at 11am, spent an hour or so with him then drove back home
That was in my old 2001 Laguna. My current ZX makes me feet go numb after 2 hours so more frequent stops are needed.
The drive there was OK, as I had stops in Tamworth, Derby and Manchester then a companion for the rest of the way, with a couple of stops here and there.
Arrived at our digs in East Kilbride feeling fine.
Coming back though, we left at 2pm. I waved goodbye to my mate at Carlisle and I went across to the A1. Got to Durham at about 1am, and passed out for a couple of hours. Then did Durham to my dad's near Spalding.
I felt dead at the end of it, were parts that I don't fully remember and it taught me that I don't drive long distances enough to be good at it (I know some ex Megabus drivers and they don't blink at doing glasgow to exeter in a day with 2 stops on the way etc). My dad said he thought I was unconscious, woke back up at 11am, spent an hour or so with him then drove back home
That was in my old 2001 Laguna. My current ZX makes me feet go numb after 2 hours so more frequent stops are needed.
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