One Day Driving Distance?
Discussion
SilverShamrock said:
Next week I shall be undertaking my longest trip in one day. Yeovil to Münster, Germany. Just over 500 miles not including the channel crossing (dover to calais ferry). Will also be the first time I've driven outside the UK. I'm quite excited to be honest!
Because I have nothing better to do and I didn't know where Munster is ,I looked up the route from Calais.It turns out to be a route I have done 90% of ,to Essen .
The Antwerp ring road is a bit crap and congested and there appears to be a few roadworks at Duisberg but overall looks quite straightforward .
Just remember they drive on the other side ....
Dieci said:
Because I have nothing better to do and I didn't know where Munster is ,I looked up the route from Calais.
It turns out to be a route I have done 90% of ,to Essen .
The Antwerp ring road is a bit crap and congested and there appears to be a few roadworks at Duisberg but overall looks quite straightforward .
Just remember they drive on the other side ....
Yes hopefully it will be a steady drive all the way but am expecting some traffic around those bigger cities/towns on route. I'm in no rush though. The driving on the wrong side is the only thing I'm a little apprehensive about. I bought a sticker for the windscreen to remind me to keep right as a reminder. I will stay alert to it regardless. It turns out to be a route I have done 90% of ,to Essen .
The Antwerp ring road is a bit crap and congested and there appears to be a few roadworks at Duisberg but overall looks quite straightforward .
Just remember they drive on the other side ....
SilverShamrock said:
The driving on the wrong side is the only thing I'm a little apprehensive about.
I find the motorway bits easy. I think the tricky bit is when I am a few hundred milesinto Europe and I get off the motorway network onto local roads. Then I have to think a bit.
Also, make sure your front seat passenger isn't rummaging in her handbag on the floor,
when you are looking left into your rear view mirror for an overtaking gap.
I've got mine trained to sit up straight when I say "Vision" at her. It makes all the difference
when we are tanking along at 200 + kmh and I need to find a gap in traffic quickly.
In other news, obviously, the continentals are much better quality drivers than the Brits.
Anywhere within an hour's drive of Calais, if there's a car driver doing something stupid,
90+% chance it will have a Brit plate on it.
EdmondDantes said:
Are you still required to have winter tyres fitted your car this time of year in Germany?
Heard a few mates got stopped and the plod checked the car had winter tyres.
You are required to have winter or all season tyres when driving on ice, snow, slush or if the road is 'slippery' due to by ice or frost. There is a fine if you are stopped. the tyes must have the snowflake symbol on them.Heard a few mates got stopped and the plod checked the car had winter tyres.
However, if you have tyres manufactured before 1st Jan 2018 which have the M&S symbol [not the snowflake] then this is allowable up to Sept 2024.
Fine is 60euros for non compliance, or 80 if you have inconvenienced other road users as a result. if you have an accident this will be taken into account re: culpability at the scene, but 50:50 is prob best case.
Chains are only needed in mountainous regions.
I used to be a mobile air con engineer, many long day trips in Escort and Astra vans involved. Longest was Bristol to Kilmarnock (pre M74) which is 750 miles round trip. Left home about 4, arrived about 10. Few hours work then home again
This was before the A74(M) and M74 improvements so most of Scotland was lower quality dual carriageway (although I don't recall it slowing me down much)
This was before the A74(M) and M74 improvements so most of Scotland was lower quality dual carriageway (although I don't recall it slowing me down much)
dcb said:
SilverShamrock said:
The driving on the wrong side is the only thing I'm a little apprehensive about.
I find the motorway bits easy. I think the tricky bit is when I am a few hundred milesinto Europe and I get off the motorway network onto local roads. Then I have to think a bit.
Also, make sure your front seat passenger isn't rummaging in her handbag on the floor,
when you are looking left into your rear view mirror for an overtaking gap.
I've got mine trained to sit up straight when I say "Vision" at her. It makes all the difference
when we are tanking along at 200 + kmh and I need to find a gap in traffic quickly.
In other news, obviously, the continentals are much better quality drivers than the Brits.
Anywhere within an hour's drive of Calais, if there's a car driver doing something stupid,
90+% chance it will have a Brit plate on it.
As for furthest driven in one day, then would be from Liverpool to Mils bei Imst on the way to Peschiera del Garda. Just stopped for the ferry from Dover to Calais and two petrol/coffee stops. I'm not sure of the exact route that I took, but when you put it on Google, then it ranges from 950 to 1,000 miles. This was avoiding the toll roads in France and Switzerland.
Edited by NSNO on Thursday 15th December 16:03
NSNO said:
I take it that you haven't driven through Belgium then. They are a law upon themself.
Also the Dutch, although they do have good lane discipline, just pull out regardless if it is safe to do so. They will literally indicate and pull out at the same time into the tiniest gap.
I think the Dutch 100kph limit has numbed their sense of vulnerability. I sense its something to do with everyone tootling along at the same speed, I noticed the same in the US where they do much the same albeit often much quicker than 100kph.Also the Dutch, although they do have good lane discipline, just pull out regardless if it is safe to do so. They will literally indicate and pull out at the same time into the tiniest gap.
Edited by NSNO on Thursday 15th December 16:03
The Belgians are jus sh!t drivers, one cut me up on the M11 today.
NSNO said:
I take it that you haven't driven through Belgium then. They are a law upon themself. Also the Dutch, although they do have good lane discipline, just pull out regardless if it is safe to do so. They will literally indicate and pull out at the same time into the tiniest gap.
The Belgian drivers get a regular slagging off here. I don't have a problem with Belgian drivers - I find them far superior to the Brits, who tend to drive like Americans and children (TM my old
Bavarian mate Dieter).
Perhaps the Belgian drivers are slagged off by Brit drivers who never get far into Europe, or whose
only experience of Euro driving is in France ?
Some Dutch caravanners in Germany are a problem - they drive too slow and only check their mirrors once.
180-200 kmh is a perfectly ordinary speed in Germany and mixing that with low skilled caravanners
is asking for trouble.
dcb said:
The Belgian drivers get a regular slagging off here. I don't have a problem with Belgian drivers
- I find them far superior to the Brits, who tend to drive like Americans and children (TM my old
Bavarian mate Dieter).
Perhaps the Belgian drivers are slagged off by Brit drivers who never get far into Europe, or whose
only experience of Euro driving is in France ?
Belgian drivers are genuinely bad and I've driven cross country to Morocco, Scandinavia and Turkey and beyond etc.- I find them far superior to the Brits, who tend to drive like Americans and children (TM my old
Bavarian mate Dieter).
Perhaps the Belgian drivers are slagged off by Brit drivers who never get far into Europe, or whose
only experience of Euro driving is in France ?
My most recent few trips have involved coming from Holland across Belgium to get the ferry from Dunkirk. Even in a gutless diesel Hilux their dithering and loitering in the overtaking lane well below thr limit is infuriating. I'm not sure whether they're incompetent or just don't care but getting off the Ferry in Dover and onto the M20 has been a relief each time - not perfect but at least the drivers actually try and make progress and do generally have some lane discipline.
Snow and Rocks said:
getting off the Ferry in Dover and onto the M20 has been a relief each time.
Wow. I've always felt a huge sinking feeling getting onto the the M20 thanks to its scarred surface, ridiculous speed limit and dawdling drivers. Especially after France with their silky smooth tarmac with drivers who know how to change lanes. Belgians aren't as good as the French, but they are certainly no worse than the Brits.shirt said:
EdmondDantes said:
Are you still required to have winter tyres fitted your car this time of year in Germany?
Heard a few mates got stopped and the plod checked the car had winter tyres.
You are required to have winter or all season tyres when driving on ice, snow, slush or if the road is 'slippery' due to by ice or frost. There is a fine if you are stopped. the tyes must have the snowflake symbol on them.Heard a few mates got stopped and the plod checked the car had winter tyres.
However, if you have tyres manufactured before 1st Jan 2018 which have the M&S symbol [not the snowflake] then this is allowable up to Sept 2024.
Fine is 60euros for non compliance, or 80 if you have inconvenienced other road users as a result. if you have an accident this will be taken into account re: culpability at the scene, but 50:50 is prob best case.
Chains are only needed in mountainous regions.
https://uk.diplo.de/uk-en/winter-tyres/2487800
LunarOne said:
Snow and Rocks said:
getting off the Ferry in Dover and onto the M20 has been a relief each time.
Wow. I've always felt a huge sinking feeling getting onto the the M20 thanks to its scarred surface, ridiculous speed limit and dawdling drivers. Especially after France with their silky smooth tarmac with drivers who know how to change lanes. Belgians aren't as good as the French, but they are certainly no worse than the Brits.
tty driving plus cones…..I think the M20 has had roadworks / cones ever since I can remember (mid 70’s)I’ll be hitting it this Monday after a 300km schlep across northern France.
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