Putting the fun back into motoring

[warren t claim]

Here's the anti to Roadworks thread.

 

Even though most of us live in the relatively cramped United Kingdom it's still perfectly possible to have a great time behind the wheel. At certain times of the day our motorway network does become clear enough to stretch the legs of most cars in reasonable safety. The M6 toll is a fantastic stretch of road that's almost empty 24 hours a day and has little plod presence during quiet periods.

 

The Peak District has some of the most breathtaking scenery in the UK along with many miles of twisty tarmac with enough sharp bends to make you look for a cheap Chevette with a big engine to take with you on your next visit.

 

The centre of London in anything bigger than a 7.5 tonner. I'm being serious here! The centre of our capital city is a tremendous hoot in a truck, all you have to do is think like a Parisienne on holiday in Bombay and it all makes sense.

[Pete-M]

Shropshire towards the Wirral on the A5. Loads of fun to be had overtaking 20 cars at a time as they all meekly shuffle along nose to tail on a 70 mph limit doing 55-60. I don't know why they all seem to congregate, lemming-like on that stretch..

[warren t claim]

Nowadays it's perfectly possible to buy for under £500 a decent handling family saloon capable of 120mph+ that will be reasonably reliable and economical and when you finally kill it the scrap man will still give you £200 for it. We live in a golden era of cheap motoring. Lets all be happy while it lasts!

[Albert Ross]

The Fosse Way. A46, Bath to Grimsby..... Most stretches are still around, some have been swallowed into ring roads (Leicester, I'm looking at you) but I used to drive Lincoln to Pewsey, Wilts area every weekend, and it was always a joy. Especially in a Petrol Series Land Rover, a 1979 Kadett 1200S Estate, or a 1969 MB200 W115 Petrol. Such a good cruising road, less populated, no need to jam the brakes on because the knobhead in front isn't looking.....

[ChinaTom]

A838 equipped with a 4 spd 1.6 Peugeot 405 would be great, but just about any car couldn't fail to make you enjoy that road.

 

Also, for the East Anglians here, if you travel on the A1066 from Thetford to Diss, there is a junction on a slight right hand bend about 4 miles out of Thetford with a sign that says "Campsite 650yds and 2 miles". This road cuts through some forest, then carries on over the Garboldisham Road (B1111) until the B1114 (also known as Garboldisham Road), through the piggeries and ends in North Lopham. It's a great road that is the perfect antidote to the 5-ways roundabout mayhem and daily A11 jams if you carry on down to Bury and head north from there instead. Cuts up to half an hour off the time it takes to get from A14 to Norwich at "going home time" and a perfect opportunity to see how fast your car can actually go.

[scooters]

Any a road in rural area north of the pennines is a hoot. Especially the A68 north of chollerford to Edinburgh. All non tourist a roads in highlands are usually superb

[RoadworkUK]

The A137 from Ipswich, and then towards Tendring is one of my favourites around here. I had a shakedown in a Nissan GT-R on it, after a continuous trip from Glasgow, and did quite a few things that I really shouldn't have done on it.

 

But I just couldn't not do it.

 

Having said that, the same road is fun in any car. Especially a MK1 Ka with no power steering and the inevitable terminal rust problem.

[ashmicro]

Antrim Coast Road between Whitehead and Garron Tower (St MacNissi School). It was named by CAR Magazine as one of the UKs greatest driving roads. Also the Knockagh Road between Monkstown and Upper Road, Carrickfergus, which was once a stage on the Circuit of Ireland Rally. There's a load of good country back roads in Northern Ireland, so little wonder we produce so many great motorcycle road racers.

[Negative Creep]

New Zealand is full of them. The drive to Milford Sound in my Sunny was the single greatest drive of my life

 

[r.welfare]

B4009 from Hermitage, just outside Newbury, to Streatley.

 

B4494 from Newbury to Wantage.

[254575]

Nowadays it's perfectly possible to buy for under £500 a decent handling family saloon capable of 120mph+ that will be reasonably reliable and economical and when you finally kill it the scrap man will still give you £200 for it. We live in a golden era of cheap motoring. Lets all be happy while it lasts!

 

this, nothing beats buying a car that cost the price of a house new for £500.

 

they arent necessarily all snotters either! v6, v8, v12's all can be had for peanuts.

 

bollocks to the fuel economy, i'd rather be spending on fuel than deprecation and HP costs.

 

although I get the feeling im already preaching to the converted

[Shep Shepherd]

The A4 between Hungerford and Marlborough is good fun in the right conditions

[gtd2000]

New Zealand is full of them. The drive to Milford Sound in my Sunny was the single greatest drive of my life

 

 

Looks like Scotland during a heatwave!

[Justin Case]

nothing beats buying a car that cost the price of a house new for £500.

 

 

Not quite £500, but then this would have cost the price of a block of flats when new, now taxed and tested and looks in decent nick, drive away for £3,700

 

 

http://classiccars.brightwells.com/view ... hp?id=2619

 

For roads, then try the mountain road between Rhayader and Devil's Bridge, fantastic road and scenery; one to drive before you die

[Shep Shepherd]

That Rolls has a lot of appeal (the perfect motor for a "Supplied by Arthur Daley" sticker), but I'd expect to have to fork out at least its asking price again in parts and maintainence in pretty short order.

[chaseracer]

For roads, then try the mountain road between Rhayader and Devil's Bridge, fantastic road and scenery; one to drive before you die

Just mind the Dollywobbler hooning the 2CV!

[jonny69]

Nah, sorry. There's no fun to be had in the London area. That's why I cycle everywhere these days and only take the car out as an absolute last resort if I really really have no other option. Sad but true.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Mrs Bluejeans and I did 5 days in the Highlands in the N reg 318iS. 70-75 all the way up the A1, accross the A1 at Scotch Corner (what a lovely scenic road), then up the M6 to Glasgae....and then the paradise that is the A82 to Inverness. God I love that road. Bollocks to going fast. Stop at various places such as Bridge of Orchy to see Fishys darting along, around the Lochs - averaged 42 mpg and enjoyed the serenity of it all.

[dollywobbler]

For roads, then try the mountain road between Rhayader and Devil's Bridge, fantastic road and scenery; one to drive before you die

Just mind the Dollywobbler hooning the 2CV!

 

Aye. I can average over 40mph along that road in the 2CV. Not bad considering the hills and bends involved! I do have to wait for all the tourists to go home though and do be very wary of the sheep! They're not as scared of cars as you'd hope.

 

To be honest though, pretty much anywhere in rural Wales has the ability to put a smile on your face. Everchanging stunning views and challenging bends. I love it. Unless you actually do want to get somewhere in a hurry. That's not really possible.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

 

B4494 from Newbury to Wantage.

 

Oooooh yes. Back in the mid eighties when I was a Yoof, I'd pilot my Mini 1000 along that road at breakneck speed en route to Haynes scrapyard in Challow, toolbox in the front footwell and an Aiwa portable stereo on the back seat wearing out an Aha tape (and the batteries) or somesuch. The road from Upper Bucklebury to Cold Ash is a good one too, particularly the bendy bit just after the Tylers Lane turning.

[RobT]

Nah, sorry. There's no fun to be had in the London area. That's why I cycle everywhere these days and only take the car out as an absolute last resort if I really really have no other option. Sad but true.

 

I agree with you there, although I stopped cycling to work for the same reason, too many a holes trying to kill you.

 

If you get the A303 on a good day it's still a great road to travel, and you've got a nice destination at the end of it

[r.welfare]

The road from Upper Bucklebury to Cold Ash is a good one too, particularly the bendy bit just after the Tylers Lane turning.

 

Fairly poor condition (potholes) and speed-limited (40mph through the woods) these days, alas. The Bucklebury Straight is still quite good for measuring 30mph-X mph acceleration (and braking) times though.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

The road from Upper Bucklebury to Cold Ash is a good one too, particularly the bendy bit just after the Tylers Lane turning.

 

Fairly poor condition (potholes) and speed-limited (40mph through the woods) these days, alas. The Bucklebury Straight is still quite good for measuring 30mph-X mph acceleration (and braking) times though.

 

Pity, that used to be the Alfasud testing ground.

[Cavcraft]

Depending on traffic the A49 'twixt Whitchurch and Shrewsbury, and the A5/A483 near Oswestry can be a right laugh in an unrestricted 7.5 tonner.

Ditto the A481 from Oswestry to Welshpool in the same type of vehicle, though there used to be a very sneaky motorbike rozzer down that road.

 

Tell you what though, get a motorbike or scooter and almost any road can be utterly brilliant. You can have twenty times the fun on two wheels arsing about overtaking shit.

[chaseracer]

B5234 Abbots Bromley - Newborough...

[Jon]

The A168 from Whitby to Malton is still a lot of fun but best done at the crack of dawn. Driving anything on it when it's free from tourists is absolute bliss. My 'personal best' (along the A168 and then picking up the A64 at Malton) from Whitby mail centre to York mail centre was 57 minutes. In a Daf 7.5 tonne lorry...

[Pete-M]

B5234 Abbots Bromley - Newborough...

 

Staffordshite? My brother lives not far from Abbots Bromley. I get bored of the speed camera / ever changing speed limits in that neck of the woods.

[wuvvum]

+1 for the Derbyshire peaks - hooning a 1956 Sunbeam Talbot 90 along those roads still ranks as one of the greatest drives of my life.

[Cavcraft]

For roads, then try the mountain road between Rhayader and Devil's Bridge, fantastic road and scenery; one to drive before you die

Just mind the Dollywobbler hooning the 2CV!

 

Aye. I can average over 40mph along that road in the 2CV. Not bad considering the hills and bends involved! I do have to wait for all the tourists to go home though and do be very wary of the sheep! They're not as scared of cars as you'd hope.

 

To be honest though, pretty much anywhere in rural Wales has the ability to put a smile on your face. Everchanging stunning views and challenging bends. I love it. Unless you actually do want to get somewhere in a hurry. That's not really possible.

 

Have you tried Dinas Mawddwy (sp)? If you can't sell burning from the brakes on the descent you weren't going fast enough. also that road that sort of goes from Machynlleth to Llanidloes (past a reservoir from memory) is stunning.

Oh, getting from Chester to Carno (Laura Ashley) in a 7.5 tonner early one morning in 'less than 1.5 hours' took some doing and the road from Newtown to Llandiloes is a cracker.

[M'coli]

Dinas Mawddwy road is stunning, but didn't get the brakes stinking because (a) we were in the motorhome, and ( the doris would have complained.