So - hands up who's reversed 2.5km back up a twisty road which is barely 2.3m wide in a 7.5m van?

[daventess]

My hand is up.

Lesson? Don't ignore a "no 3.5t or above vans" sign. Even though mine is only technically over 3.5t. Had I not had it increased, I would have been under 3.5t yet too big for the lane.

However, I still would not have made it past the blockade at the end. Which was not signposted until 2km down the lane.

Which is nothing to do with me being over 3.5t.

I had to reverse a twisty 2.5km narrow country lane with no turning points, a chasm one side and trees with 2ft thick branches on the other.

I did it though

I met a small van coming the other way which managed to duck down a tiny, tiny side pit. He watched open mouthed as I reversed past him. God I wish I had a picture of his face

Anyway, who else's hand is up?

 

[Fatmrsgeorge]

Not a motorhome story but still gives me the fear. Had just passed my test at age of 35 after 10 years of lessons. Had no.intention of being one of those women who only drive to the shops and back. Stuck the tent in the back and drove off to Yorkshire. Arrived in Berwick on Tweed on a market day. Road closed and in those days no satnav. Ended up in a cul de sac with lots of building and scaffolding going on. Attempted a 3 point turn. Just drove back and forward about 30 times. Hung, sobbing over the wheel. A very nice scaffolder tapped my window and kindly turned me round and drove me to the main road.
Only the first of many shitstorms on that holiday, but now I can drive anywhere...nearly.

 

[IDC]

Slightly different angle from me .I was going quite happily on a route in Wales that I knew reasonably well ,sat nav on just for timings ,distance etc ,when it said turn left , half brain thinks why ,unfortunately other half decides to turn left as ordered . Then we enter a world of single track pain. The first 10 miles I get away with it and are waiting for the promised (on the nav ) turn which will get us out of the stress but the turn is only a bend with another 8 miles to go to a main road . On we go and then we meet a Range Rover pulling a wacking great sheep trailer . So I can reverse our van pretty well but I am pulling a trailer which I can't see ,without hesitation the young guy in the Landy reverses about half a mile ,pushing back the vehicles behind him ,until we can pass and then waves us on with a smile ! I have to mention that this was not reversing in a straight line either but very windy and hilly .I was very ,very impressed and relieved ,the drivers behind him were very much less impressed or kindly in their attitude towards us, understandably . Nowadays ,I am much more cautious about directions from Sat Nav ,a map works pretty well . Finall y iI have to say that I am pretty impressed by the reversing feats of others !

 

[scotzsue]

I had to reverse 350m 2 weeks ago in Scotland when an idiot from England in a car did not stop at a passing point despite the fact I was almost past him , I had right of way ,, a local farmer behind him on a tractor was telling him to reverse back the 20m as he was in the wrong but he was an idiot and did not understand or was incapable of reversing ???, so I reversed the van 350m back it was a pain in the arse to do . but no problem ... Every one stuck in the traffic que was moaning at the car driver and congratulating me LOL

when a child similar happened but then the irate drivers got out, lifted the mini into the ditch and drove off, his female companion was berating him and telling him to reverse. dad and others relented after a bit and went and lifted him back out, female was still screaming at him as he drove off. One of my lasting childhood memories

 

[jess12]

The tightest place we ever went was Symonds Yat 7.5t my arse! it was tight to be avoided like the plauge

Trust me butty you can get a fire engine down there that was on our patch just need to pull the mirrors in down by the wall

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[Backlanes]

Our MBUX satnav pretty much dares us to take the narrowest, windiest streets through small villages in far flung places. So far we haven’t got into a mess that we couldn’t get out of with calm detachment (ahem!) though there has been a fair amount of reversing and shuggling, and overhanging branches have left our side panels less pristine than they once were.

 

[Cowpat]

I'd have told the car driver to move, gesticulating as much as necessary to get the point across regardless of his language ability, if not then I'd have done it for him! At work a student was once outside our office trying to park her car in a spot on the side of the road, she was pratting about for ages and getting no-where so in the end I went out and parked it for her!

I’ve reversed further than that when my wife has corrected me

 

[Jasz]

I had a similar stressy moment on a trip through Bolton Abbey (North Yorkshire) recently. Completely missed the low bridge (Ancient Arch) warning signs on the way, and only on arriving at said arch did I realise that my MH was at the limit of the aperture being 2.94 (10ft ish) with a satellite dish on top, and a width (with non foldable mirrors) just 2" less than the arch measurements. Like you I held my breath and squeezed through, because when thinking of reversing up I could see a long line of cars behind me who, in my imagination at least, were already fuming due to my sedate pace. This thread has reminded me to order vehicle dimension stickers, which i have just done
View attachment 1068112

I have no doubt that there are plenty of us that have been through there (with mirrors folded in!).

 

[PlacidoD]

Nothing like the same league as others but confession is good for the soul! - On my late April trip to Normandy I had never used French motorways before (I am used to toll-free Belgian, German and Dutch motorways) but my satnav directed me to a ferry across the River Sienne that was having a morning off (?!!!) and the nearest alternative was a bridge and autoroute across. No problem ... until I encountered the peage on the other side. Too late I realised I was in the only tag lane of six lanes with no facility to pay by card. By then there were 5 HGVs piled up behind me! I climb out of my drivers seat, waved by debit card and shrugged my shoulders to explain. No doubt there were some French cuss words aimed at me by the HGV drivers!! It took a couple of minutes before I could reverse across and out to the next lane. A kind HGV driver hovered between the two lanes to give me cover. Bless him!

Postscript: In my defence I knew I had to peel off to the right at the junction immediately after the bridge or get stuck on another peage section heading for Paris rather than the D-Day beaches. Oh and I checked the box saying "No ferries" as well as the existing one saying "No toll roads" on my SatNav that very evening when I arrive at the campsite!!

A couple of allied incidents:
1. When riding my Yamaha FJR1300 down a single track 10% hill (from High Bentham to Slaidburn for those that know the area) a car driving up the hill refused to reverse back maybe 50 yards to a passing place expecting me to reverse the bike uphill to let him pass!!! The impasse was only resolved when two motorists arrived behind me and started honking their horn at him. He then gave way to the weight of numbers and reversed.
2. The other time something similar happened to me was on a flat section of single track road near Plockton in the Highlands where a car would not budge. I tried to edge past his driver's side but lost momentum not wanting to scrape my handlebars down his offside and so touched the turf and the two of us spilled off the bike! We had a soft landing and there was no damage to us or the bike. The car driver just looked and then drove on without even checking!!!

 

[Northernraider]

I've had to do it lots of times ... in 8.5 metre vans . Once because of a 1.8m bridge that wasn't signposted till you got to the actual bridge .. it was out in the middle of nowhere and along a cliff edge on oneside and mountain on the other. Fortunately no traffic on the road but I had to reverse back a good few miles before I could hang the arse end of the van over the cliff to turn it around.

Has to be at least 6/8 times I've encountered bridges or the road has become too narrow or blocked . And it's a nightmare when you don't have a co pilot ..