Worst Journey of One's Life?
Discussion
Burnley to Llandundno last Friday evening in a BMW E36 Touring 316i so close to max kerb weight with two passengers making up 50 stone of the mass. Torrential rain. Approaching Lymm services, I couldn't ignore the scraping noise any longer and unloaded the passengers and luggage.
Earlier the same trip, I'd hit a pothole/sinkhole which I believe started the following chain:
The rear hub nut had unscrewed leaving the n/s rear wheel close to hanging off. Lymm has the world's biggest B&Q with a footprint of 1.3x15 miles. And yet their stock of 1/2" drive sockets numbered about seven. Pioneering* Brierfield's B&Q easily has 300 single sockets to buy. About 57 full socket sets too. They also have hidden customer toilets too. Just behind the lawnmowers.
To cut a long story short, I lost my mind.
Tony Hadley would have remembered he needed a 30mm socket, yet I was sure the BM's flimsy 12-point nut was a 36. So instead I bought a Stanley vise-grip long-nosed type @ £17. This helped me limp from service station to service station. Tightening the nut as much as possible, aided by a bargain 30p tube of cyanoacrylate adhesive bought from Lymm's ace trucker's accessory store, which sold a range of tools, yet no hammers?
The rain had by now changed to fog.
Arriving in Wales five hours later, I found a decent rock and with a long M8 bolt - also found - I managed to stake the locking part of the nut to finally arrive to the holiday flat around midnight.
The following Sunday my 23 year old - to the day - partnership/marriage ended. My 59th Birthday too. Driving home in my now empty estate car suddenly I heard the familiar thunk/clunk/thump of a blowout...
Losing control, the minor accident, saw me leave the motorway and come to rest about 40 ft up the grassy knoll.
I limped to the very convenient Welsh BP garage.
My spare was the original alloy, but the previous owner had thoughtfully uprated the front brakes to M3 spec. By now, my brain had shut down. Eventually, I solved the puzzle: I took the rear wheel off and fitted it to the front and put the spare on the rear, using the flat tyred wheel as an axle-stand.
As I'd left with only £14.12 the fuel light now on, I used all of my economy driving knowledge to cover the remaining 79.6 miles. Which to my amazement I did, without the low fuel light coming back on!
I believe this trumps all of my other motoring adventures of the past 45 years.
Even the 28hr journey from Scotland in a nearly new and very valuable and borrowed Transit Luton van, 20yd visibility fog and a faulty alternator which would just about energise the diesel stop solenoid if I ran along side it spraying WD40 into the internals every few miles.
Even when the said alternator burst into flames, removing both eyebrows, no, yesterday's trip was far, far the worser one.
Any other sad journeys you wish to share, then please do. I believe I've broken my left wrist as a result of the blowout, so when I return from the X-ray at A&E, I will see if I can recall any other tall** motoring tales :-)
Earlier the same trip, I'd hit a pothole/sinkhole which I believe started the following chain:
The rear hub nut had unscrewed leaving the n/s rear wheel close to hanging off. Lymm has the world's biggest B&Q with a footprint of 1.3x15 miles. And yet their stock of 1/2" drive sockets numbered about seven. Pioneering* Brierfield's B&Q easily has 300 single sockets to buy. About 57 full socket sets too. They also have hidden customer toilets too. Just behind the lawnmowers.
To cut a long story short, I lost my mind.
Tony Hadley would have remembered he needed a 30mm socket, yet I was sure the BM's flimsy 12-point nut was a 36. So instead I bought a Stanley vise-grip long-nosed type @ £17. This helped me limp from service station to service station. Tightening the nut as much as possible, aided by a bargain 30p tube of cyanoacrylate adhesive bought from Lymm's ace trucker's accessory store, which sold a range of tools, yet no hammers?
The rain had by now changed to fog.
Arriving in Wales five hours later, I found a decent rock and with a long M8 bolt - also found - I managed to stake the locking part of the nut to finally arrive to the holiday flat around midnight.
The following Sunday my 23 year old - to the day - partnership/marriage ended. My 59th Birthday too. Driving home in my now empty estate car suddenly I heard the familiar thunk/clunk/thump of a blowout...
Losing control, the minor accident, saw me leave the motorway and come to rest about 40 ft up the grassy knoll.
I limped to the very convenient Welsh BP garage.
My spare was the original alloy, but the previous owner had thoughtfully uprated the front brakes to M3 spec. By now, my brain had shut down. Eventually, I solved the puzzle: I took the rear wheel off and fitted it to the front and put the spare on the rear, using the flat tyred wheel as an axle-stand.
As I'd left with only £14.12 the fuel light now on, I used all of my economy driving knowledge to cover the remaining 79.6 miles. Which to my amazement I did, without the low fuel light coming back on!
I believe this trumps all of my other motoring adventures of the past 45 years.
Even the 28hr journey from Scotland in a nearly new and very valuable and borrowed Transit Luton van, 20yd visibility fog and a faulty alternator which would just about energise the diesel stop solenoid if I ran along side it spraying WD40 into the internals every few miles.
Even when the said alternator burst into flames, removing both eyebrows, no, yesterday's trip was far, far the worser one.
Any other sad journeys you wish to share, then please do. I believe I've broken my left wrist as a result of the blowout, so when I return from the X-ray at A&E, I will see if I can recall any other tall** motoring tales :-)
- Brierfield was the site of the first B&Qs in 1969 and the doubters said it was an unwise location. The planned M65 disproved them and there's now a B&Q on every corner.
- If only it was a dream. Onwards and...
but as a way of making up to you, please have a beer on me 
tobytronicstereophonic said:
Burnley to Llandundno last Friday evening in a BMW E36 Touring 316i so close to max kerb weight with two passengers making up 50 stone of the mass. Torrential rain. Approaching Lymm services, I couldn't ignore the scraping noise any longer and unloaded the passengers and luggage.
Earlier the same trip, I'd hit a pothole/sinkhole which I believe started the following chain:
The rear hub nut had unscrewed leaving the n/s rear wheel close to hanging off. Lymm has the world's biggest B&Q with a footprint of 1.3x15 miles. And yet their stock of 1/2" drive sockets numbered about seven. Pioneering* Brierfield's B&Q easily has 300 single sockets to buy. About 57 full socket sets too. They also have hidden customer toilets too. Just behind the lawnmowers.
Why didn't you go to Halfords?Earlier the same trip, I'd hit a pothole/sinkhole which I believe started the following chain:
The rear hub nut had unscrewed leaving the n/s rear wheel close to hanging off. Lymm has the world's biggest B&Q with a footprint of 1.3x15 miles. And yet their stock of 1/2" drive sockets numbered about seven. Pioneering* Brierfield's B&Q easily has 300 single sockets to buy. About 57 full socket sets too. They also have hidden customer toilets too. Just behind the lawnmowers.
I think my worst was a journey from Folkestone along the M20 back to M25-land
in heavy rain.
Just about the only time I've used the windscreen wipers on maximum speed
and *still* not been able to see what I was doing.
40 mph along the M20 and still the only markings I could see was the solid line
marking the edge of the hard shoulder. Lane markings of dashed lines pretty much invisible.
I saw four cars crash that evening, so properly dangerous. My passengers
and I had an extended coffee break at Maidstone for an hour or so and continued
home happily.
In comparison, 130 mph in fog near Karlsruhe and 140 mph in rain near Salzburg,
and getting flashed for not going fast enough by a BMW 750, were a picnic.
I think I've mentioned before doing 130 mph near Baden-Baden and having a badly
driven 2CV pulling into my lane, requiring an 80 mph instant loss of speed.
Still, none of my driving has resulted in anyone having to go to hospital, much
less going brown bread, so I count myself pretty lucky so far.
in heavy rain.
Just about the only time I've used the windscreen wipers on maximum speed
and *still* not been able to see what I was doing.
40 mph along the M20 and still the only markings I could see was the solid line
marking the edge of the hard shoulder. Lane markings of dashed lines pretty much invisible.
I saw four cars crash that evening, so properly dangerous. My passengers
and I had an extended coffee break at Maidstone for an hour or so and continued
home happily.
In comparison, 130 mph in fog near Karlsruhe and 140 mph in rain near Salzburg,
and getting flashed for not going fast enough by a BMW 750, were a picnic.
I think I've mentioned before doing 130 mph near Baden-Baden and having a badly
driven 2CV pulling into my lane, requiring an 80 mph instant loss of speed.
Still, none of my driving has resulted in anyone having to go to hospital, much
less going brown bread, so I count myself pretty lucky so far.
Cornwall to Leicester in a Renault 19 with a blown headgasket.
Car blew it's head gasket in Cornwall. Was a leak between the fire ring and the water jacket so it was pressuring the coolent system and leaking out. Not something I can fix there so the best I could do was chuck a tub of radweld in and keep stopping for water.
We left loaded up with enough water to do most of the A30. Then on the M5 it was a water stop every 20 miles. Some petrol stations had water, others I had to buy bottled water and tip that in.
Somewhere on the M5 I was a bit impatient and opened the expansion tank a bit fast. The cap shot 20m in the air followed by a geyser of superheated water which scalded my left hand badly. (I still have the scars between my fingers 15 years later) The pain was off the chain.
The rest of the journey I had to get my passenger to do the gearchanges for me.
Car blew it's head gasket in Cornwall. Was a leak between the fire ring and the water jacket so it was pressuring the coolent system and leaking out. Not something I can fix there so the best I could do was chuck a tub of radweld in and keep stopping for water.
We left loaded up with enough water to do most of the A30. Then on the M5 it was a water stop every 20 miles. Some petrol stations had water, others I had to buy bottled water and tip that in.
Somewhere on the M5 I was a bit impatient and opened the expansion tank a bit fast. The cap shot 20m in the air followed by a geyser of superheated water which scalded my left hand badly. (I still have the scars between my fingers 15 years later) The pain was off the chain.
The rest of the journey I had to get my passenger to do the gearchanges for me.
The journey I started with on my 600 Kawasaki and ended getting a lift to my destination by a passing motorist after the biggest off I've ever had. Genuinely couldn't find the bike afterwards, it had gone so far off into the landscape.
Getting cut out of my XR3i by the fire brigade after a guy hit me head on when getting to work one morning. I worked for Ford then, once out of the car, I decided I was fine, got to work and recovered my own car later that day with our breakdown truck.
Having a guy pull out to overtake the car in front of him without a glance in the mirror or any indication, when I was already alongside him during what was, for me, a 2 car overtake. He swerved away at the last second and hit the car in front of him, ending up on his roof and writing off both other cars in the process. I stopped as a witness and raised the alarm. Cue road closure, all services attending and multiple statements. Incredibly, no serious injuries. This was early 2000s. I was a shaven headed rough geordie in a red Corrado VR6 in rural Hampshire, near where I lived at the time and expected to be given a hard time about this, but the attending police were outstandingly pleasant and broad minded.
Getting cut out of my XR3i by the fire brigade after a guy hit me head on when getting to work one morning. I worked for Ford then, once out of the car, I decided I was fine, got to work and recovered my own car later that day with our breakdown truck.
Having a guy pull out to overtake the car in front of him without a glance in the mirror or any indication, when I was already alongside him during what was, for me, a 2 car overtake. He swerved away at the last second and hit the car in front of him, ending up on his roof and writing off both other cars in the process. I stopped as a witness and raised the alarm. Cue road closure, all services attending and multiple statements. Incredibly, no serious injuries. This was early 2000s. I was a shaven headed rough geordie in a red Corrado VR6 in rural Hampshire, near where I lived at the time and expected to be given a hard time about this, but the attending police were outstandingly pleasant and broad minded.
donkmeister said:
I once drove 300 miles in a Peugeot 308 4-speed automatic...
Well it's ALMOST as bad as your worst journey
About 35 years ago I had to drive my lovely now deceased ex FiL to hospital in his Skoda Estelle with a paper bag over my head with two slits to look through.Well it's ALMOST as bad as your worst journey
Nothing could ever have prepared me for that.
I am still traumatised to this day.
Left Zermatt by train after getting the departure time wrong .
Flight cancelled due to snow , can’t blame Easy Jet for that but their customer care left a lot to be desired.
Booked three of us on BA the next day at nearly £1k
Slept on the floor in Geneva airport with no food or drink available.
Landed at LHR and couldn’t get to a gate to disembark, after about an hour sat there they let us off.
Then sat on the plane to Newcastle before we took off really late.
Got back to find my car covered in snow and ice , then the chap at the long term car park insisted I paid more because I was a day late , I didn’t pay and he didn’t get assaulted.
Got home 38 hours late .
Interesting to say the least.
Flight cancelled due to snow , can’t blame Easy Jet for that but their customer care left a lot to be desired.
Booked three of us on BA the next day at nearly £1k
Slept on the floor in Geneva airport with no food or drink available.
Landed at LHR and couldn’t get to a gate to disembark, after about an hour sat there they let us off.
Then sat on the plane to Newcastle before we took off really late.
Got back to find my car covered in snow and ice , then the chap at the long term car park insisted I paid more because I was a day late , I didn’t pay and he didn’t get assaulted.
Got home 38 hours late .
Interesting to say the least.
TwigtheWonderkid said:
I once arrived at the north side of Hammersmith Broadway at about 6pm, heading south and wanting to leave Hammersmith Broadway at the Fulham Palace Rd. I eventually got to the the Fulham Palace Road exit at 1am. That's 7 hours to get round Hammersmith Broadway.
How many miles is that in 7 hours?juice said:
georgeyboy12345 said:
Driving back from the hospital after watching my Dad die. That was f
king st.
Was just about to post the same. Took the family back from the Royal Marsden in 2010 after saying goodbye. He had TCC. 3 months from diagnosis to passing.king st. 
georgeyboy12345 said:
Driving back from the hospital after watching my Dad die. That was fking st.
Yep, 6 mile drive back from the hospital seemed to take 3 hours, bloody awful. king st. Once drove from Yorkshire to Dorset on a Bank holiday Saturday. We usually set off around 3am as by the time traffic builds you're in Somerset. This particular day nobody wanted to get up so we set off at 9am. Roads were busy but got to Worcester on the M5 OK and then ground to a halt. Stuck in a traffic jam from Worcester to Taunton. 300 mile trip to the Isle of Portland took 13 hours instead of 5 and a half.
Return trip I suggested that we set off around 6am on the Friday as there would be nothing on the roads, again nobody wanted to so we set off at 9am the next day. Return trip 14 hours, no sat nav so couldn't get off of the motorway to go another way, following year, as I do all the driving I got everybody up at 2am, got there for 8am, went to bed for a couple of hours feeling fresh.
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