What is a long drive?

bobnick said:
Too many long long drives over the years in many country's to mention.
Google map Dubai to Salalah Oman 1,200 ks through the desert (black top) in the summer. Did it plenty of times in my Land Crusier (Amazon V8, lots and lots of petrol used)
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Muscat to Thumrait many a time, with a map of petrol stations close to hand. :cool::cool::cool:
 
In October, I'm setting off from Cheshire and driving non stop (well a couple of naps) all the way to Porec Croatia. I'm then doing Ironman 70.3 putting my kit back in the van and returning home the same way..
 
I think the longest non stop (other than for fuel and Channel crossing) I've done is Romford to Lyon after work on a Friday to get to a colleague's wedding on the Saturday. I was in my 20's but it was still hard going especially as it was before sat nag.

Later in life I did a lot of work for Aberdeenshire CC and regularly did Aberdeen to Chester after a full days work.

These days around 7-8 hours on the first day when we head to Europe (Chester to a few hours into France on day one)

Cheers
Red

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Istanbul to Rotherham in 3 days in a 1973 vw type 2.
Starter motor packed up when we were disembarking the ferry Dover.
Got a few laughs until we told them where we had come from.
 
For me, in a car 30 mins is but in a MH or Van I'm happy 5hrs before I'm ready to exit ship
 
4 hours (after finishing work) or 400km's is about my limit now.
Used to be able to drive Wellington to Auckland (650km's)... was a doddle. Now my body says "screw that, I'm in charge now."

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Back in the day I did Turin in Piemonte to Oxford 1360km (851m) in a (long) day.
14.5 hrs excluding the tunnel and stops, about 18 with. In a Saab 95 ( the best of the high speed sofas) and I was thirty years younger.
 
starquake said:
Last weekend we done 210 miles each way to look at and inspect the motorhome we put offer in on (8 horus in total according to car).. In a day as had to be back the following day. Also in an Electric car, so anyone saying they can't do 450 miles in a day talks rubbish. Didn't even cause any additional stops beyond what we would have done in the old Diesel. (Stopped for toilet breaks, breakfast and charged during. We did plan stops with > 3 charge points to guarantee availability though). This for us wasn't a long drive. A long drive is 5 hours plus each way, ie, not really viable round trip in a day.
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Eight hours seems an awful long time to cover 210 miles, = 26.25 MPH. How long does the leccy car take to charge each time .
 
Back at the turn of the century, I hired a car in Orlando florida and drove to see a friend who was living in seattle. I drove 1000 miles a day for 4 1/2 days straight. Stayed in seattle for 3 or 4 days, then drove back, via San Francisco, Las Vegas and St Louis. Cost me hardly anything in petrol. The best part was when returning the hire car, they mistook the 10,000 miles I wrote on their form for 1,000 miles!

It's doing that that made me realise just how empty America is.
 
If we are all willy waggeling,
How about from High Wycombe to Kosice (Slovakia) towing a hot air balloon. Interesting on the Autobahn at 110mph! Non stop except for loo / food breaks. Also from Cape Town to Johannesburg in a truck to catch a plane!
 
Tim P said:
If we are all willy waggeling,
How about from High Wycombe to Kosice (Slovakia) towing a hot air balloon. Interesting on the Autobahn at 110mph! Non stop except for loo / food breaks. Also from Cape Town to Johannesburg in a truck to catch a plane!
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How did you get under bridges and through tunnels towing a hot air baloon...............just curious ;)

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Stupid boy Pike! It was in a trailer and we were flying at the Kosice International Hot Air Balloon meet, representing England!
 
I'm reminded of a family camping trip - 7 of us - in a Bedford Dormobile. My (much older) brother-in-law drove continuously, with a few natural breaks, from Oxford to Lido Di Jesolo in Italy. This was 1966 - not many dual carriageways/motorways around back then. I think the trip took exactly 24 hours.
 
Clivefog said:
I often read on here about long drives. I drove from Bristol to Doncaster to collect an e-bike from Scout (lovely couple). 180 miles each way. Due to a visit from the gas man we had to be back for the next day. With several stops, including refreshments at Scouts, all done in under 11 hours. All done under the national speed limit and any other imposed limit for road works/lane blockage/congestion. Both of us had no ill effects for being stuck in the seat for a long time. It was also a very hot day and cab A/C was only just working above 60 mph so I had to keep behind the lorries or melt.
The plan was to stop over but as gas man was due, and appointments are as rare as hospital ones and not to be missed. Already made arrangements to collect the bike so day trip it was.
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Went to Morocco last Winter, 6,500 miles all in.
Mitch
 
I’ve done Andermatt, Austria, to Snetterton in Norfolk in one ride on my BMW 1150 GS. Obviously stopping for fuel every 180 miles ish. Left the campsite in Andermatt in the morning and got home late evening. That was avoiding toll roads too. (y)

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Cheshire to Alpe d’Huez in a panel van towing a large trailer with approx 30 bikes, 18 hours door to door. Not big and not clever! I was 10 years younger and regularly driving long distances then.
 
Few years back (about 6 yrs ) in a Toyota Hiace van - Up to other side of Glasgow from Carmarthen to view a on-site towable welfare unit .
Did the deal , hitched it on pumped the tyres up drove back had a puncture on way back in Welshpool , local firm repaired and was home 10pm .
Just Over 800 miles in total
Few stops , bit of sleeping
Left 1am , home 10pm
Anything doable just will power !!! 😎
 
Earlier this year my stepson drove from Eastbourne to Bordeaux in one go. Non toll roads about 13 hours excluding stops. He was pretty shattered on arrival.
 
When COVID struck I was in Spain with my dog. Got to an aires near Santander then a message that my ferry was cancelled. Van was playing up so I got it fixed in Santander and slept on the forecourt. Decided to try the tunnel so set of at 3am and drove non stop cept to let Cassie dog out a couple of times. Drove till 7pm and slept near Rouen. So 16 hours non stop in my old Hymer bless it😀

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It is. Was like a dream. Even worse when we did get back to the U.K. took from 9 pm to 7am to get from the tunnel up to Cumbria! Was glad to get onto my daughters drive!Didn’t realise that they closed lots of motorways during the night for roadworks! so lots of diversions. Most of Spain had closed down due to COVID and France was the same. Got back to the U.K. and it was business as usual till they caught up!
 
Our drive from Istanbul to Rotherham came about when my dad was knocked over by a Turkish police van on a pedestrian crossing .
He was literally following me over , all we heard was a thud.
He spent 2 weeks in a naval hospital and had to be air lifted back to uk when he stabilised ( massive head Trauma)
Mom stayed with him all the time.
My self and brother stayed with the van on a campsite outside the city.
Was a crazy drive home.
 
Clivefog said:
I often read on here about long drives. I drove from Bristol to Doncaster to collect an e-bike from Scout (lovely couple). 180 miles each way. Due to a visit from the gas man we had to be back for the next day. With several stops, including refreshments at Scouts, all done in under 11 hours. All done under the national speed limit and any other imposed limit for road works/lane blockage/congestion. Both of us had no ill effects for being stuck in the seat for a long time. It was also a very hot day and cab A/C was only just working above 60 mph so I had to keep behind the lorries or melt.
The plan was to stop over but as gas man was due, and appointments are as rare as hospital ones and not to be missed. Already made arrangements to collect the bike so day trip it was.
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JockandRita said:
A few years ago, we drove all the way down from north of P/boro to Torquay, to view a Hymer, then drove back the same day, ie, 530 x miles.
May pal drove me down a fortnight later to collect it, then drove back the same day. I overnighted at a pub stop. ;)

Gravelines to Reil (Mosel), is about the furthest I drive these days if I need to do it in one hit.

Cheers,

Jock. :)
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Hi Jock,
Don’t know if this counts as a long drive but I do Manchester to Dumfries return ( 300 miles) five nights a week every week
I think the age thing is creeping in a little bit now as I do have a bathroom stop occasionally but having said that at the end of my shift I jump out the cab like a gazelle, ohhh is it cheating that I do it in a 44 tonne truck ! And at the weekends I go on a bus-man’s in the moho.
Happy travels and drive safely

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