Cornwall lanes & satnav , hope its not a funster!!! (1 Viewer)

[FIDGET]

Some people won't listen !!
I was on my way back from the dentist , after having had a filling with double injections .
Following through the car wide size lanes near Polmassick in deepest Cornwall (check it out on google streetview) ,
I was 2nd car in a line of 5 cars , first car put brakes , on me likewise ,
coming face to face with a large Chausson motorhome overcab bed type ( heading north towards the B3287) ,
He pulled over so when I got level with him I lowered my window to speak to him , he did the same .
I tried to explain that it got a lot lot narrower just a bit further a long & it was best to turn around ,
unfortunely due to me having the numbing injections at the dentist , I presume he couldn't understand me , perhaps he thought I was a local yocal by my strange way of talking ,
He shrugged his shoulders & moved to let us all by.
Too my surprise !!!!
He was the lead vehicle of 3 similar motorhomes in convoy ,
I had to move on so as to let the three other cars behind me could get by them .

Don't know what happened after that unforetunely !!

I expect too see this on the local news , that the sat nav gets blamed , no mention of common sense !

 

[Figaro]

I'll bet there's a lot of congestion and frayed tempers on Cornish lanes atm.

 

[FIDGET]

I'll bet there's a lot of congestion and frayed tempers on Cornish lanes atm.

Funny enough the lanes are really no problem for cars small vans and most peoople very considerate to shunt backwards etc , several small passing places a long most lanes ,if you are carefull , but passing places not big enough for large motorhome (lenght & width wise), let alone 3 in convoy.
but most of the lanes are not designated as 6ft 6inch wide , so satnavs are unaware !!

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[pappajohn]

Almost as bad are Northumberlands back roads.
Just spent a week in the Alnwick area...... 20mph is enough most of the time, thought locals have a death wish, and why is there never a passing place when you meet an oncoming car?

 

[Bobby-gg]

Almost as bad are Northumberlands back roads.
Just spent a week in the Alnwick area...... 20mph is enough most of the time, thought locals have a death wish, and why is there never a passing place when you meet an oncoming car?

But at least in Northumberland we cut our hedges to a reasonably low height so you can see that something is coming around the next bend, in Cornwall couple of year's back the hedges were so high they blocked off the daylight, I didn't even see a double decker coming around a corner in one instance, and I was only in a VW T25!

 

[Spriddler]

Following through the car wide size lanes near Polmassick in deepest Cornwall (check it out on google streetview) ,

I know Polmassick well. Each summer for about five years in the late 70's when my lads were young we used to stay at Mill Cottage, the farmhouse at the crossroads by the stream. It was a thriving farm and B&B then, run by Mr & Mrs Johns ('Aunt Bessie') and their two huge sons. Alongside was a busy forge and the farrier came to work there every day. My lads spent hours watching the blacksmith and the farrier. We caught a couple of tiny trout in the stream and cooked them pushed on a stick over a small fire in the yard. I dropped by whilst on holiday about 20 years ago just for a bit of nostalgia. The forge was a tumbledown sorry sight as Mr & Mrs Johns had died and the forge sold. I wished I hadn't gone back. Today the forge seems to be garages and holiday flats beside the granite farmhouse.

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[Masman]

But at least in Northumberland we cut our hedges to a reasonably low height so you can see that something is coming around the next bend, in Cornwall couple of year's back the hedges were so high they blocked off the daylight, I didn't even see a double decker coming around a corner in one instance, and I was only in a VW T25!

And Cornish hedges have nice hidden Solid stone walls to catch out the unsuspecting.As I saw in St Agnes a couple of years ago. Wall 1 motorhome 0.

 

[Phileas Fogg]

But in Cornwall most of us locals don't drive like complete idiots, we know you can't see round the corner and that is granite not bleddy chalk in that bank you are about to scrape. We will randomly stop to let others out of a turning and not generally drive six inches from someone's backside.
Narrow lanes are normal to us but there comes a point where your brain tells you not to go any further down many of them and if a local politely says it gets very narrow up there best to listen to the advice and follow it.

 

[pappajohn]

But at least in Northumberland we cut our hedges to a reasonably low height so you can see that something is coming around the next bend

Not around Swarland, longframlington and Felton areas they aren't.
A lot of roads on the east of the A1 aren't a lot better.

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[BillyKontiki]

In rural communities I always check if it’s on the bus route it’s okay for me,
Even better follow the bus in and the last bus out.

 

[Steve and Denise]

I always take a look at a map before going somewhere new! But maybe a bit old school for the more intellectually challenged

 

[Nigel P]

But in Cornwall most of us locals don't drive like complete idiots, we know you can't see round the corner and that is granite not bleddy chalk in that bank you are about to scrape. We will randomly stop to let others out of a turning and not generally drive six inches from someone's backside.
Narrow lanes are normal to us but there comes a point where your brain tells you not to go any further down many of them and if a local politely says it gets very narrow up there best to listen to the advice and follow it.

Probably mostly true but personal perceptions can be misleading; recently flagged down by a nice old lady in a tiny village telling me the road ahead was too narrow and I would get stuck so better to take a different route. I didn't want to upset her by telling her I had recently driven in the opposite direction with no issues and my 42ft Scania was unscathed! She didn't have any suggestions for where I might turn 180 degrees in said Scania to follow her suggestion. Her idea of narrow was probably based upon her own ability to navigate the roads rather any factual dimensions. I thanked her for the advice and assured her things would probably be OK.

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