One Day Driving Distance?

One Day Driving Distance?

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Discussion

itsnotarace

4,685 posts

208 months

Thursday 12th December 2019
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Done Oxford to Saint Raphael and vice versa in a single hit a few times ~900 miles give or take. Only stopping for tunnel, fuel and food. Usually travelled overnight with aim to arrive in the morning

Disliked giving up an extra days' holiday to make an overnight stop in each direction. Now I'm a bit older and wiser I tend to break the journey up and stop somewhere between Dijon and Lyon on the way down, and Dijon and Reims on the way back

Superchickenn

687 posts

169 months

Thursday 12th December 2019
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This year me and some buddies 6 of us 5 cars.

Left south wales and drove to Aosta in Italy in one go. Only stopping for fuel and ferry and toilet stops.

840 miles and around 17 hours.

Thankfully we all had walkie talkies to keep us entertained

AndyNetwork

1,831 posts

193 months

Thursday 12th December 2019
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Regularly used to do 500 mile round trips to Basingstoke from Manchester (Didn't want to have to stay over in Basingstoke!!) setting off at around about 4am, and getting back about 9 or 10pm depending how the traffic was. This included more or less a full days work in between the journeys.

I've also done, Manchester-Colchester-Manchester in a day before now.

Wouldn't even consider this these days though, would probably only do half of that in a day now, and would rather stop over and drive back the following day.

donkmeister

7,995 posts

99 months

Friday 3rd January 2020
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A sensible, comfortable distance for me is around 400-500 miles assuming mostly motorway/DC and not too much in the way of jams, roadworks, diversions etc. And, critically, a planned drive and not an "I must get there or the world will end" or a "Welp, I didn't plan to drive this in one go so didn't get enough sleep beforehand" drive.

One of the most tiresome journeys I've done was barely 200 miles from Luxembourg to Rotterdam... Flat, straight, virtually empty roads for much of it... Sounds like driving heaven but at one point was nearly squashed by a lorry driver who was watching TV at 90kph.

100SRV

2,125 posts

241 months

Tuesday 7th January 2020
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819 Miles
Worcestershire to Mauleon-Licharre in the French Pyrennees for the 2002 Rallye des Cimes via the route below.

I think the RH page is the first draft of the route and the LH one was my en-route notes to check progress. The UK leg was not closely planned or recorded (hence the notes only having total miles for French etape) because we'd used Portsmouth-LeHavre so often and the only deadline was to catch the night ferry.




In this:



Towing this on a trailer:



TravelerDude

4 posts

50 months

Wednesday 8th January 2020
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This really depends on what you are driving. I average 300mls a day during a 8hr shift. Lots of stops along the way.
But I have driven From Bristol to Exeter on an 18mph agricultural tractor A 135 fergusson with a caravan on tow. Took me 18hrs to get there with a 1/2hr break. No chance of it happening this day and age. too many cars and too much road rage. B4 everyone starts with the legalities of it. It was privately owned road taxed and even used White diesel ( After the tank of red ran out.) All this from a bet. Strange thing about this is the fact we sold the tractor to some guy near sidmouth left the caravan with a free to whoever sticker on it and got the train home. I miss the 80's

T1547

1,091 posts

133 months

Thursday 9th January 2020
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West Sussex to Bordeaux is my longest trip in one day I think at just over 600 driving miles. Felt additionally long as I thought it would be a good idea to avoid the tolls and have more interesting scenery by avoiding the Autoroute for the latter part of the journey. Can remember driving into central Bordeaux tired and discombobulated late in the evening and nearly driving the wrong way down a road at a junction. 4-500miles in a day is sensible maximum for me with lots of breaks (never been one to try and hammer it out in one go or with minimum possible stops - like to stretch the legs regularly and have a coffee/snack). My eyes are the first thing to get tired and biggest limiting factor.

hureciamirl1935

25 posts

52 months

Tuesday 21st January 2020
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ALTO77 said:
Approx 1200 miles, leaving at 9pm and arriving at around 11pm the next evening, including a quick ferry ride but no sleep, stopped several times at service stations for fuel and food. Did the same trip on the reverse leg two weeks later. I wouldn`t do it again without an overnight stop to break up the journey.
This was rather ambitious. Congrats.

db

724 posts

168 months

Tuesday 21st January 2020
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Glasgow to RAF Cranwell to pick up a friend to take him to a surprise 50th back in Glasgow. Around 600 miles all in, a couple of petrol stops and really only 5 mins at Cranwell. Party was great.
25 years ago on the old A1 and over the A66, wouldn't choose to do it again.

redback911

2,702 posts

265 months

Friday 24th January 2020
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A few years back I was at Liverpool airport attempting to fly to Nice, in order to attend/present at a conference. Trip was already problematic as I had a change of flights due to an Air France strike, and was rebooked onto EasyJet earlier in the day. At the airport I tried to board and was was told I was bumped off the fight due to overbooking.

I really needed to present at the conference the next day, so using my "man-logic" decided best option was to drive down! Popped home and picked up a more suitable vehicle. Drove though the night and took about 16hrs, and 1100 miles, from Lake District to Cannes.



Arrived with about 45 minutes to spare, so plenty of time to take an obligatory photo.

Other single-day trips have been Genoa back to The Lakes, and Berlin back to the Lakes.

bolidemichael

13,717 posts

200 months

Friday 24th January 2020
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You must possess a phenomenally strong bladder. I envy you.

redback911

2,702 posts

265 months

Friday 24th January 2020
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bolidemichael said:
You must possess a phenomenally strong bladder. I envy you.
Wifey does constantly complain I don't stop often enough on European driving tours. I don't tend to suffer too much from fatigue, I run and cycle a lot of ultra distance events (10-24hrs) which can often go through the night. I am sure that helps with concentration and endurance. I just love driving at night, when the roads are quiet, especially on long-distance trips.

bolidemichael

13,717 posts

200 months

Friday 24th January 2020
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redback911 said:
bolidemichael said:
You must possess a phenomenally strong bladder. I envy you.
Wifey does constantly complain I don't stop often enough on European driving tours. I don't tend to suffer too much from fatigue, I run and cycle a lot of ultra distance events (10-24hrs) which can often go through the night. I am sure that helps with concentration and endurance. I just love driving at night, when the roads are quiet, especially on long-distance trips.
Me too, brother. A couple of recent drives were London to Glasgow - north of Penrith at night is splendid isolation. Another was Caen to San Sebastien on a Sunday, having docked at 3pm. Arrived at 11.30pm and the whole family were totally zen.

It has occurred to me that roadtrips solo and with family are genuinely the only time we get to be together in one place and can think/talk. It's a bit part of being a petrolhead.

redback911

2,702 posts

265 months

Friday 24th January 2020
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bolidemichael said:
It has occurred to me that roadtrips solo and with family are genuinely the only time we get to be together in one place and can think/talk. It's a bit part of being a petrolhead.
Totally..! :-)

A bit sad maybe, but I also love putting together an eclectic Spotify playlist for the epic drives. Then years later you here a song from a playlist and it takes you back to that epic road (like the N260 or N621, etc.)

rjg48

2,671 posts

60 months

Friday 24th January 2020
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600 miles.

London to Royan.

Gnits

914 posts

200 months

Friday 24th January 2020
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Would not really care to repeat it but did this on a motorbicylce, just could not be bothered to stop, welcome to man-logic!

..loved the Porsche story above! More excellent man-logic, I salute you and shall buy you beer!

redback911

2,702 posts

265 months

Friday 24th January 2020
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Gnits said:

Would not really care to repeat it but did this on a motorbicylce, just could not be bothered to stop, welcome to man-logic!
Wow, what a distance. On a bike as well..!

Gnits said:
..loved the Porsche story above! More excellent man-logic, I salute you and shall buy you beer!
Great, would love to hear more about that motorcycle trip. Longest I have been on a bike is Belgium to South of France for a tour, and we took the auto-train one way. Clearly I am a 2-wheeled lightweight.

bolidemichael

13,717 posts

200 months

Friday 24th January 2020
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Did you do the trip to Romania in a single leg, or stop overnight?

Gnits

914 posts

200 months

Saturday 25th January 2020
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bolidemichael said:
Did you do the trip to Romania in a single leg, or stop overnight?
/ThreadhijackOn
I had gone to Moldova because I knew nothing about it, and who the hell has been there anyway? On the way back I stopped in a hotel in a small place called Rupea (they had 'fried crap' on the menu, I am still assuming it was a translation error) and left about 8 or 9 in the morning with the vague sort of intention of stopping close to Bratislava. Romania takes quite some time to get across and so time ticked on, it got late and by the time I got close I thought it would be difficult to try and find a place that late and a place to eat etc. I just kept filling up with petrol and then when it got to about 4 in the morning I would have a coffee when I filled up the bike again. In Germany travel is quicker so I made good progress but you have to pay to use the toilets which I do understand but also completely resent, as a result when I got to the chunnel in France I had needed a waz for about 5 countries! I booked the chunnel ticket from a petrol station so turned up, got on and went home. Did need a snooze when I got back though.

Short answer: Yeah, it was a single stint.


\ThreadhijackOff

caziques

2,567 posts

167 months

Sunday 26th January 2020
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This thread brings back memories of my youth (or at least the time before moving to NZ).

Surprised no one else has done the Round Britain Run, every two years in a Triumph. Leave London Friday evening - Saturday breakfast in John O'Groats, Sunday breakfast at Lands End, back to London for Sunday evening. 2000 miles - 48 hours (at least two drivers). Hard work in a Herald 948.

Did Coventry to Luxembourg in a Maestro diesel van as a day trip - 950 miles.

Then there was the epic Dhakla - (Morocco) to Coventry in four days - in a Triumph Herald 1500. I only did the first 1000 miles back to Casablanca - the other driver did the next 2000 miles on his own in three days to Coventry. Car was fitted with two fuel tanks, around 75 litres capacity.

Seem to recall Coventry to Elgin return in a day, Maestro van again. Clutch wouldn't release at some point - every time I had to stop - turn the engine off - engage gear, start engine and off.

Nowadays if I have to Christchurch - Queenstown - Christchurch in a day - I take Mrs Caziques as well. Nearly 600 miles, but all single carriageway - bit tedious in the dark.