Road(s) that you wish you had never discovered.

Road(s) that you wish you had never discovered.

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rayny

Original Poster:

1,402 posts

208 months

Wednesday 7th June 2023
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We all have some roads that we do not enjoy driving on but, roads such as the M25, are a necessary evil as a driver:

The other day I discovered Swannaton Road which takes you into Dartmouth - It is a road that was 'challenging' but I shall certainly avoid it the next time that I am in the area.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@50.3416375,-3.57700...

Are there any roads that you actively avoid...

Chris944

338 posts

237 months

Monday 12th June 2023
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The M1 and M4 London to Bristol.

soad

33,453 posts

183 months

Tuesday 13th June 2023
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Narrow single lane country roads, as visibility is generally poor due to the sweeping bends and stone walls/trees. Plus it’s hilly.
On the upside, tend not to meet many cars/tractors.

Even got stuck in winter months once, had to borrow a shovel and dig my way out. hehe

rayny

Original Poster:

1,402 posts

208 months

Tuesday 13th June 2023
quotequote all
Chris944 said:
The M1 and M4 London to Bristol.
Motorways are a necessary evil - The M1 and M4 (usually) make for a quicker journey than taking the old A1 or A4.

rayny

Original Poster:

1,402 posts

208 months

Tuesday 13th June 2023
quotequote all
soad said:
Narrow single lane country roads, as visibility is generally poor due to the sweeping bends and stone walls/trees. Plus it’s hilly.
On the upside, tend not to meet many cars/tractors.

Even got stuck in winter months once, had to borrow a shovel and dig my way out. hehe
Swannaton Road is one such road - I only met 3 or 4 vehicles, but they seem to be building new houses along the road - It will be 'intersesting' trying to get up/down that road in a couple of years.

Riley Blue

21,632 posts

233 months

Tuesday 13th June 2023
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rayny said:
Chris944 said:
The M1 and M4 London to Bristol.
Motorways are a necessary evil - The M1 and M4 (usually) make for a quicker journey than taking the old A1 or A4.
They're an avoidable evil if you decide not to use them - speed may not always matter.

TameRacingDriver

18,550 posts

279 months

Tuesday 13th June 2023
quotequote all
soad said:
Narrow single lane country roads, as visibility is generally poor due to the sweeping bends and stone walls/trees. Plus it’s hilly.
On the upside, tend not to meet many cars/tractors.

Even got stuck in winter months once, had to borrow a shovel and dig my way out. hehe
There's quite a few single track roads here in the north east that are two way and only realistically wide enough for one vehicle, badly sighted, full of pot holes, and on the occasions something comes the other way, can be a massive pain (luckily rare). Sometimes they seem to go on forever too. When I'm out for a little hoon I sometimes take roads I don't know, and quickly regret it laugh

brisel

884 posts

215 months

Tuesday 13th June 2023
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B6270 Reeth to Thwaite. Miles of sharply undulating roads through tiny villages.

There are so many good roads in the North Pennines, just not this one!

TameRacingDriver

18,550 posts

279 months

Tuesday 13th June 2023
quotequote all
brisel said:
B6270 Reeth to Thwaite. Miles of sharply undulating roads through tiny villages.

There are so many good roads in the North Pennines, just not this one!
I kinda enjoy that one, although definitely not a hooning road!

Riley Blue

21,632 posts

233 months

Wednesday 14th June 2023
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brisel said:
B6270 Reeth to Thwaite. Miles of sharply undulating roads through tiny villages.

There are so many good roads in the North Pennines, just not this one!
I think the OP is writing about exactly the opposite: very narrow single track roads with few, if any, passing places.

IIRC the B6270 is wide enough for two-way traffic and has a white centre line for most of its length.

TameRacingDriver

18,550 posts

279 months

Wednesday 14th June 2023
quotequote all
Riley Blue said:
brisel said:
B6270 Reeth to Thwaite. Miles of sharply undulating roads through tiny villages.

There are so many good roads in the North Pennines, just not this one!
I think the OP is writing about exactly the opposite: very narrow single track roads with few, if any, passing places.

IIRC the B6270 is wide enough for two-way traffic and has a white centre line for most of its length.
yes

TikTak

1,820 posts

26 months

Wednesday 14th June 2023
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Riley Blue said:
rayny said:
Chris944 said:
The M1 and M4 London to Bristol.
Motorways are a necessary evil - The M1 and M4 (usually) make for a quicker journey than taking the old A1 or A4.
They're an avoidable evil if you decide not to use them - speed may not always matter.
M4 isn't even that bad.

A406 north circular, especially once you get past Wembley heading clockwise. Ugh.

The south circular (A205) isn't much better tbh.

rayny

Original Poster:

1,402 posts

208 months

Wednesday 14th June 2023
quotequote all
Riley Blue said:
rayny said:
Chris944 said:
The M1 and M4 London to Bristol.
Motorways are a necessary evil - The M1 and M4 (usually) make for a quicker journey than taking the old A1 or A4.
They're an avoidable evil if you decide not to use them - speed may not always matter.
If I can avoid motorways where practical - But time constraints mean that I have to use them sometimes.

boyse7en

7,115 posts

172 months

Wednesday 14th June 2023
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Nowt wrong with single track roads. The problem is all the tourist townies who panic when they have to reverse up a hill.

OvalOwl

928 posts

138 months

Wednesday 14th June 2023
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rayny said:
Motorways are a necessary evil - The M1 and M4 (usually) make for a quicker journey than taking the old A1 or A4.
Mum and Dad lived in Sheffield and I simply hated the M1, even more since they made it a dumb motorway. Coming up to Nottingham and having a 40 mph limit sprung on you is no fun when everyone carries on regardless at 70+!

I much preferred the A1 despite it being dual carriageway, folk seemed to drive far more sensibly.

Riley Blue

21,632 posts

233 months

Wednesday 14th June 2023
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boyse7en said:
Nowt wrong with single track roads. The problem is all the tourist townies who panic when they have to reverse up a hill.
Agreed, here's one I drove earlier.

It's somewhere in south Wales and is a still from the screen cam in our Riley. You can just see one of the wing mirrors we use as a width gauge smile



rayny

Original Poster:

1,402 posts

208 months

Thursday 15th June 2023
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boyse7en said:
Nowt wrong with single track roads. The problem is all the tourist townies who panic when they have to reverse up a hill.
Another trouble is with the locals who know the road is usually empty so they do not expect to meet a townie.
Another trouble is both locals and townies who drive modern oversized vehicles.
Another trouble is the roads can be challenging, and therefore fun to drive.

Yes, I am talking about single track roads with poor visibility.

TameRacingDriver

18,550 posts

279 months

Thursday 15th June 2023
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rayny said:
Another trouble is with the locals who know the road is usually empty so they do not expect to meet a townie.
Another trouble is both locals and townies who drive modern oversized vehicles.
Another trouble is the roads can be challenging, and therefore fun to drive.

Yes, I am talking about single track roads with poor visibility.
I think my issue with single track roads is the fact they have to be navigated slowly due to poor visibility, pot holes, or oncoming vehicles, which doesn't make them much fun in my book.

If I could guarantee I wouldn't kill the car on a pot hole or that nobody would be coming the other way then they could be an absolute riot! biggrin

StuMiller

2 posts

17 months

Monday 19th June 2023
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A17. Single carriageway with long snaking S curves so you can’t see to safety overtake the numerous tratters and trucks, whilst constantly checking mirrors for nutters 5 cars back that will have a go whatever the risks.

Harji

2,217 posts

168 months

Tuesday 20th June 2023
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I cant remember the name of the road or the exact location, it was in Romania and we were heading towards Poenari Castle. It was winter and our hire car had no sat nav only a road map, we came to a fork in the road and inital look one road was smooth, the other a farm track. We took the smoother road.
After a while it turned into a forest road, no phone signal and I looked at my watch which had a compass and realised we were heading west instead of North, this was in winter and there were snow clouds.

We were now in a forest valley , the car got stuck in deep ice that had collapsed and put the right front wheel wedged against a rock face and rear left in the air.

Long story short, friends made a long walk back in opposte direction to the last village, I stayed with a car, found a hut on a hill ( trying to get a phone signal) padlocked from the outside as I approached it, I saw cutting instruments and animal bones in a pit, I decided not to knock. I also met two men with axes a bit later, with help we freed the car with a truck that appeared from the woods, took a native villager back with me to his village as he never had been in a new car and picked up my walking friends on the way . It's a very long story which I like to tell over a pint.

The other road we didn't take because of its apperance turned out to be smooth tar mac after a 100m's.