What was your first long distance solo trip?

[Eyersey1234]

5 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

Having passed my test in April 1998, I only managed to drive my dad's Sierra estate on local jaunts as far as Belfast (9 miles) since I couldn't scrape enough cash together to insure my 1973 Viva HC.

But after quitting my job in the model shop and putting away some of my Halfords wages, I was able to finally tax and insure it in February 1999. I was now fully mobile.

A few weeks later, in April, I headed up to Portrush on the North Coast with three other chums, to visit some ex-school friends who were now at the University of Ulster - about 70 miles distant.

It was one of those weekends that could have been scripted by a diabolic mashup of John Hughes, Kevin Smith and Danny Boyle, containing as it did vast amounts of beer (and, unwisely, Baileys), unexpected Happy Hardcore clubbing, indiscreet casual sex (not me), heartbreaking revelations (again, not me), and wandering through a derelict Bishop's palace on a clifftop while desperately hungover and trying to find somewhere selling Coco Pops (yes, that one was me).

That was also the weekend I came off my R-plates as by then I'd held my full licence for a year - so while I had to crawl up to the North Coast at the legally-mandated 45mph limit, on the way back I was able to peel the hated orange plates off the front and rear glass, cut loose and blast down the M2 at 70mph. Yeehaw.

Later that week, after a few pints with some pals, I ventured that since the Portrush trip had gone so well, it would be a cracking idea to drive the Viva from Belfast to the south of France...

...so we did.

But that's a whole nuther story...

Sounds interesting, I'd like to hear it please 

[Asimo]

From  Hemel Hempstead to a "pre-booked MOT" in  Herefordshire in my newly acquired Autobianchi Bianchina van. (It failed, badly)

Highlight of the trip was seeing over 70mph, in neutral, down Birdlip hill. 

[castros_bro]

Before I took/passed  a car test but had bike license for my Honda 90 which employer mis-understood.   .  Arrived Tripoli (Libya) - met at airport by departing engineer and handed vehicle keys - 500+Km  12  hour drive - R type Bedford,

[Tadhg Tiogar]

London to Corris, Audi 90CD, September 1996.

[DVee8]

Myself and a couple of mates went a couple of quid up each for petrol,to go from Sunderland to Gulliver's kingdom in Matlock Bath then onto Alton towers. this was around 1987.

In a 1977 Ford Capri 2.0ltr auto with a fucked gearbox that had to be rocked backwards and forwards to get it to start.

[rusty_vw_man]

Shortly after passing my test did Watford to Exeter in my very tired 1300cc Beetle, took a full day and required some fixing on the way!

First proper long distance was a couple of years later when I did Le Mans 24, then a loop of France, Italy, Austria, Lichtenstein, Switzerland, Germany and Belgium in my Mk2 Golf - couple of thousand miles in two weeks, just me and my little tent. Great fun, apart from when the Swiss border police decided to strip my car! 

[tommotech]

After I passed my test I would drive from Tamworth to Bristol or up to Bridlington for training courses, but not what I would really class as long distance. Shortly after changing jobs, in my early twenties, an emergency job came up in Vienna. The ‘special’ components needed for the job were in Lille and the displaced components had to be dropped in to Paris, on the way home. 
I had a ZX 1.9D as a new company car but was given a ZX Aura TD to use, which went particularly well on the German autobahns. A trip of 3500 miles in 4 days and I was absolutely f*cked when I got home.  Fog on arrival in Austria didn’t help matters and I arrived at the hotel at 3am, needing to be up at 8am. Torrential rain and aqua planing were a feature of the Parisian part of the trip, with my hotel room having been sold to someone else. 
The whole experience did teach me a few things about travelling and looking after yourself and well-being during such journeys, definitely listen to your body and don’t be getting over tired. Mistakes can be costly. 

[4wheeledstool]

Knutsford to Aberystwyth on a Vespa PK50 - took 5 hours and used 6 litres of pez. No one else wanted to ride with me as mine was the only 50 in the group, but I still beat them there due to the shit-state of one of their Lambrettas. (Which I bought not long afterwards!)  

[xtriple]

Bodo in some God forsaken Scandinavian place in the depths of winter in a hired 7 tonne truck with no licence! I liked Norway lots but spent the entire journey fretting a tad about the whole lack of legality aspect!

 

[thatsmacar]

22 hours ago, Spottedlaurel said:

1981 Datsun Cherry

 

That would have been my first car if I had my way.

My first car didn't have much of a life buzzing around central Scotland.  It wasn't until I got the C reg Cav that I took it from Mid Wales to Inverness.

Many cars after that went from Mid Wales to central Scotland and Milton Keynes.

[The_Equalizer]

Interesting thread which has highlighted the fact that once you reach a certain number of years the previous ones become a bit of a blur. I think mine must have been the summer of either 1991 or 1992 when I drove my 1964 Beetle from South East London to Fishguard to see my parent who were holidaying there. I think it is a whisker over 260 miles. I have a picture of the Beetle by Strumble Head light house, but cannot remember anything about what would have been a very slow journey there and back.

I did also do the same journey in my Dad's MGB in 1994 albeit via was the stupid route. The A40 runs from central London (Oxford Street or thereabouts) all the way to Fishguard. I thought it a great idea to take the then girlfriend on this daft adventure. It took eight hours and it was pitch black by the time we got to the interesting scenery (the Brecon Beacons and the like). I was completely knackered and God knows how many times I changed gear! 

[mat_the_cat]

September 1997. A month after passing my test I had to go on a week long training course near Worcester, when I lived in Sheffield. With quite a bit of excitement I jumped in my 12 year old Hyundai Stellar and set off on the 150 mile trip. (Equivalent to doing it in an '07 plate car now, which hardly seems like anything to write home about!)

[Tadhg Tiogar]

12 hours ago, Tadhg Tiogar said:

London to Corris, Audi 90CD, September 1996.

Hang on,  there was an earlier round trip I've remembered. 

August 1991, Ford Transit n/a diesel minibus, London to Dover to Limpley Stoke and back to London. All in a day.

[michael t]

Mine was about 2 weeks after passing my test in '15. Drove 240 miles return trip from Co. Louth to Letterkenny in Co. Donegal in my 2002 Mk4/5 Fiesta. Absolutely loved it, the excitement of finally having autonomy and freedom. No journey has ever really excited me to the same level since sadly...

[Rave]

4 1/2 months after passing my test I drove my mum's 2CV from SE London to Newquay for a post-A-Levels week of camping, surfing and drinking. Things got off to a great start when I left the fuel cap on the roof after brimming it for the trip. An hour's delay to buy a universal replacement resulted.

Not long after setting off I got into a tankslapper on the M25 trying to read the map while driving. Survived, and never did that again. I ended up slipstreaming a pug 205 down the A30 for miles at up to 75mph with the engine screaming, which was good fun.

My mate hadn't fancied the drive all the way down so had got a train to Bodmin Parkway. Thanks to the fuel cap fiasco I was over 2 hours late picking him up, this was in 1997 so neither of us had a mobile phone, and he was jolly cheesed off about it, had nearly turned around and gone home again in disgust. To get a surfboard in the 2CV I'd removed all but the driver's seat, so he had to sit in the back on a sofa cushion, you wouldn't get away with it now. Anyway we had a pretty decent week, though I never managed to actually stand up on my surfboard (and still haven't, to this day), and gave myself a minor dose of food poisoning with some undercooked barbecue sausages. Had a couple of cracking nights in Tall Trees and I got off with a gorgeous lass from Brizzle.