Big ego, unclassified roads combo (1 Viewer)

[Flymal]

This may help prevent someone make a similar sort of mistake as I did last year. I decided to take a drive up the Sma Glen and stop overnight by the wee bridge that crosses the river Almond. We used to picnic there when I was a kid and great for a dook in the pool below, when it was hot. All wonderfully nostalgic and so the next day I set off towards Amulree.

Now just before Amulree, I remembered an old unclassified road through Glen Quaich, up and over to Kenmore. I was sure it wasn't too steep on the bends as I recall and so no real problem. " Any way, I live here and I know all the roads around my gaff - I can handle it." Off I went. I ignored the long vehicle warning. "I mean, my van is not that long, it's only a very small LWB Merc." What a complete idiot. I passed the cattle grid and came to the first hairpin. Man it was steep !!! I was looking above my head at the road, on the apex of the bend. The van ( called "Angus" ) now in 1st gear, stalled. Heeeeelp !! No where to turn. I was lucky, I hadn't really started to turn the hairpin and so I managed to reverse. It's a long way back is a mile in reverse, especially on one of General Wades old roads. "I mean the cheek of the man to come up here and build lousy narrow roads."

My lesson learned here is, never trust your memory nor anyone else's, just in case theirs is as bad as your own. Double check your OS map for the chevrons. "Angus" is officially a long vehicle now.

Sorry. I can not figure out the photo addition yet.

Has anyone else had fun on a steep unclassified road ?

 

[TheBig1]

certainly a few villages and hamlets in Dorset are unsuited to anything wider than a panel van, and when people give directions they think "i get through with my car fine". leads to some interesting road blocks in the summer

my wifes father had a cottage litteraly up a mountain in wales. on one visit i was following the winding single track back down when a post office van came hurtling round a blind bend. I had nowhere to go and neither did he other than a field entrance which he shot into at about 40mph. the farmer then had to come pull him out backwards with his old landrover. funny how these things stick in your memory

 

[scotjimland]

Yes indeed.. as I said on the other thread... size does matter !:thumb:

if bigger than a car you cannot depend on sat navs .. not even so called truck models..

use a map and always check the route, especially if going off main roads.. and most sites are not accessed from A roads .. so check the last few miles.. it can save a lot of embarrassment.

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[mid4did]

Hardnot pass the lake district.
1974 we,d just done a tour of the scottish highlands in our bedford CA van,i,d put windows in her and we used a bed settee across the back.thought we,d have a mooch around the lake district on the way back home.Came round a corner and saw the warnings for this 1 in 3 hill ,a quick thought went through my head "cant be as bad as porlock"but it was too late to turn round by then ,like driving up the side of a house !,had the sliding doors open and in first all the way,did it ok though but never again,well not on purpose anyway..

 

[MichelleRyall]

Not an unclassified road more of a sat nav mess up. On our way to a campsite in Les Deux Alpes the sat nav said take a right.....which we did. Just as we turned up into this narrow mountain road we saw the width and height limit sign. Oh bum, impossible to reverse here as the road was at a tight angle so we had to go a little further up, at which point a local car approached shouting ....non Monsieur ( which by now we already knew) My lovely us and performed what can only be described as a an Italian job 3 point reversing turn into a tiny side road. Thank god for the camera and our daughter at the back giving signals!!!!!!! A little hair raising .....I have now treated myself to a map update

 

[pappajohn]

Not an unclassified road more of a sat nav mess up. On our way to a campsite in Les Deux Alpes the sat nav said take a right.....which we did. Just as we turned up into this narrow mountain road we saw the width and height limit sign. Oh bum, impossible to reverse here as the road was at a tight angle so we had to go a little further up, at which point a local car approached shouting ....non Monsieur ( which by now we already knew) My lovely us and performed what can only be described as a an Italian job 3 point reversing turn into a tiny side road. Thank god for the camera and our daughter at the back giving signals!!!!!!! A little hair raising ....[HI].I have now treated myself to a map update[/HI]

have you been back and tried the new map ?

I bet it still shows it as the last map did.

That road will have been there far longer than satnavs have been available so the mapping wont have changed if the road hasnt changed.

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[pappajohn]

first motorhome, a 1.9ltr ducato based Cariocca.
First trip to lake district in a motorhome....

[ame="http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=u5BL_AIOOMM"]The Struggle[/ame].....from Ambleside to Kirkstone pass.

Been over this road many times on motorbikes but never in a van.
Forgot just how steep and narrow, in places, it is. oh:

(Not my video)

 

[MichelleRyall]

Very true, however when we do the same journey next year I can do " via " and hopefully not make the same mistake again

have you been back and tried the new map ?

I bet it still shows it as the last map did.

That road will have been there far longer than satnavs have been available so the mapping wont have changed if the road hasnt changed.

 

[Flymal]

I think you guys down south have more severe roads in the Lakes and N Yorkshire etc than we do up here. The high road to Applecross, well I've never done that in any vehicle but I would like the experience at some point. I doubt I would try with my van though, after last years gross mis-judgement. Even using Google Earth to plan, well you cannot get the true perspective of gradient. Perhaps I'm being over cautious now, or just a big Jock CHICKEN !! Either way it beats the brown adrenalin.

Your Youtube video PJ has given me flashbacks and the cold sweats. As for the Hardnot pass, well that is just mad.

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[pappajohn]

I think you guys down south have more severe roads in the Lakes and N Yorkshire etc than we do up here. The high road to Applecross, well I've never done that in any vehicle but I would like the experience at some point. I doubt I would try with my van though, after last years gross mis-judgement. Even using Google Earth to plan, well you cannot get the true perspective of gradient. Perhaps I'm being over cautious now, or just a big Jock CHICKEN !! Either way it beats the brown adrenalin.

Your Youtube video PJ has given me flashbacks and the cold sweats. [HI]As for the Hardnot pass, well that is just mad.

[/HI]

not on a motorcycle it isnt !!!!!

Just have to be careful on the throttle or you could end up flipping it backwards

 

[sedge]

I remember thinking the Kirkstone Pass was horrifically narrow as we went up from Bowness end.

Bearing in mind we were travelling with a small flock of Blackbirds and I was pillion on one of em, that's err, pretty narrow then! LOL

Another day somewhere else in the Lakes with a drystone wall either side, an oncoming Landrover hogging the middle of the road very nearly had two of us into the wall on our left. It was one that got out of the factory without the brakes.

 

[dryad]

this thread has brought back memories of when i drove the kirkstone pass in my old van, didn't think it was 'too' bad, but then i wasn't sitting on the side with the drops right by my shoulder..
did get a little bit hairier though when the fog came down before we got to the top, gulp..
had to go and have a look for a video of the hardknott pass, stunning, stunning scenery, hoping that i can get up the courage to tackle it..

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6apbooDqFbY"]Driving Hardknott Pass in the Lake District - YouTube[/ame]

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[Flymal]

After seeing the Hardknott on the Youtube video, it does not look all that bad. Again though it's probably much steeper than it appears. There does not seem to be to very fierce hairpins and that is what ended my fun that day in Glen Quaich. I'm thinking about buying a Landrover and go "case" all these steep wonders. I wish there was a book or some reference for the steep wild roads in UK. I like this sort of motorhome adventures but I also understand why folks like the flat green stuff and a bottle of "collapso".:Cool:

 

[Reallyretired]

The wide angle lenses on the dash cams, always make the speed appear higher but do flatten out the slopes and bends. After driving a particularly exciting road in the MH, it always looks pretty tame on the video. The Hardknott video looks pretty mild, but having done it in a VW camper years ago I know it isn't.