View Full Version : Is it me.......?
Humerous Vegetable
25-Jul-07, 08:59
I took some visitors to Assynt yesterday, down to Lochinver and back to Thurso via Durness. Quite a few miles of single track then. Along the whole length, there were people parked up in the passing places - one family was having a picnic! I'm sure in years gone by there used to be signs up telling people not to park in them, but they seem to have disappeared entirely.
What with that, and the ones who drive right past the passing place by about 2 yards and won't go back, but expect you to reverse back about half a mile and the others who do draw in but dive into the opposite side of the road...I'm going to stay at home till the holidaymakers leave. I got so angry I nearly forced one german car into the ditch.
sorry but :lol: being brought up in a tourist area this was a regular bugbear of ours for many years - we used to dread the holidaymakers coming because of stupid things like this. i'm sure all common sense goes out the window once they go on holiday [evil]
some of us holiday makers know the rules of the road - its just a shame we're not in the majority!!![lol]
We get just as angry at these people as you do.
living 6 miles along a single track road from nearest village, this is a daily occurence for me. and what is it with people who just cant reverse. and others who dont wave when you have pulled into passing place to allow them to pass.
living 6 miles along a single track road from nearest village, this is a daily occurence for me. and what is it with people who just cant reverse. and others who dont wave when you have pulled into passing place to allow them to pass.
Maybe reversing is no longer a requirement of the driving test; I believe that reversing into a parking space has been dropped and that means new drivers cannot execute this manouver.
If someone has gone just past a passing place, and yours is much further back, and they refuse to move try getting out of your car, take their registration number, make a show of locking your car door and then walk off a ways. Make it clear that they are in the wrong.... unless they are built like Mike Tyson, of course!:lol:
Lolabelle
25-Jul-07, 12:40
We live in a tourist area too, and before all the iran carryon, we used to call them terrorists. They stop in the middle of the highway to look at maps. Causing traffic travelling at 100km an hour to come to a screeching halt while they work out where they are and where they want to go. Why they cant pull over and work it out, I don't know.
But, look out, cause i could be one of them over your way one day, and I am sure I will make silly mistakes and cause havok. [lol]
helenwyler
25-Jul-07, 13:01
I won't be there Lolabelle, but just attach a huge blue rose to your bumper and I'm sure our venerable orgers will excuse everything!![lol]
Maybe reversing is no longer a requirement of the driving test; I believe that reversing into a parking space has been dropped and that means new drivers cannot execute this manouver.
Must admit reversing is NOT my forte. ;)
Back in 1984 when I passed my test...um...at my third attempt :o.... parallel parking wasn't part of the test (could explain why I'm so bad at it) but reversing round the corner off a main road was one of the manoeuvres you had to do. Not sure what's included now?
When I first lived in the country, I found narrow, winding roads quite a challenge after many years of mainly city driving and motorways...probably the local drivers found ME a challenge as well...
Back in 1984 when I passed my test...um...at my third attempt .
Hi Angela,
My OH took 7 tests and 3 long years to pass.
In fact his instructor is about to retire to Spain on the proceeds. True!
However all those lessons have resulted in him being a really good driver.....
.....if not quite a 'natural'!:lol:
And yes, you do still have to reverse around corners,...or he might have passed on number 5!;)
Karia
I took some visitors to Assynt yesterday, down to Lochinver and back to Thurso via Durness. Quite a few miles of single track then. Along the whole length, there were people parked up in the passing places - one family was having a picnic! I'm sure in years gone by there used to be signs up telling people not to park in them, but they seem to have disappeared entirely.
What with that, and the ones who drive right past the passing place by about 2 yards and won't go back, but expect you to reverse back about half a mile and the others who do draw in but dive into the opposite side of the road...I'm going to stay at home till the holidaymakers leave. I got so angry I nearly forced one german car into the ditch.
kinda agree with you on the passing places, passing places are for passing & not for picknicking or sight seeing. to use them for anything other than passing is plain ignorance & selfish. what if a fire engine or an ambulance was held up through this . aught to be a fine for it. but i s,pose those country roads arn,et policed all that well [mad]
Lolabelle
25-Jul-07, 14:11
Must admit reversing is NOT my forte. ;)
but reversing round the corner off a main road was one of the manoeuvres you had to do. Not sure what's included now?
And yes, you do still have to reverse around corners,
Karia
What on earth is the point of reversing around a corner???
Aside from a good way to have an accident. [lol]
What on earth is the point of reversing around a corner???
Aside from a good way to have an accident. [lol]
Don't you guys do that? You need to remember to look over your shoulder, of course! ;)
changilass
25-Jul-07, 15:07
A number of years ago I was coming back with the caravan in tow, we decided to turn of at Helmsdale and come up on the passing places road.
At one point a german tourist had gone about 5yrds past his passing place and was refusing to back up, although reversing with the caravan was not a problem I didn't see why I should reverse back so got out of the car with 2 cups in hand and opened the door of the caravan as if to make a brew, he soon reversed to let me pass :lol:
A number of years ago I was coming back with the caravan in tow, we decided to turn of at Helmsdale and come up on the passing places road.
At one point a german tourist had gone about 5yrds past his passing place and was refusing to back up, although reversing with the caravan was not a problem I didn't see why I should reverse back so got out of the car with 2 cups in hand and opened the door of the caravan as if to make a brew, he soon reversed to let me pass :lol:
That's the idea, Changi. :lol:
I won't be there Lolabelle, but just attach a huge blue rose to your bumper and I'm sure our venerable orgers will excuse everything!![lol]
Well said Helen - we will probably stop to help her too! ;)
A number of years ago I was coming back with the caravan in tow, we decided to turn of at Helmsdale and come up on the passing places road.
At one point a german tourist had gone about 5yrds past his passing place and was refusing to back up, although reversing with the caravan was not a problem I didn't see why I should reverse back so got out of the car with 2 cups in hand and opened the door of the caravan as if to make a brew, he soon reversed to let me pass
:lol: ve have vays of making you reverse ...... :lol:
We are go up to Durness for two weeks this saterday,we know the score on passing places too, had lot of practice, its the swines that dont give you a wave that gets on my goat.
The dumbest tourist I ever met on a single track road what the one that crossed over the road right in front of me to nip into a passing place on MY side of the road!
I was so stunned I didn't get out and tell him how to use the passing places properly. I have regretted that ever since as goodness knows how many other motorists he frightened that way!
One of my bugbears about this is when the car-to-car impasse is on a steep slope, the car going downhill is obliged to give way to the car going uphill regardless of how close the passing place is.
As for not waving, it doesn't bother me anymore as I now realise that the slightest distraction can prevent a wave which can give the other driver the wrong impression of oneself, a little bit of understanding can go a long way.
As for not waving, it doesn't bother me anymore as I now realise that the slightest distraction can prevent a wave, a little bit of understanding can go a long way.
Hi Rheghead,
Totally agree!
As passenger or driver's 'sidekick' however, I spend a lot of time doing the 'nodding, waving, smiling' on behalf of us both and get most peeved if my equivalent in the oncoming vehicle looks at me in ill-disguised contempt.
We are all on a journey and a touch of civility makes it so much more pleasant.:D
Karia, Navigator
As passenger or driver's 'sidekick' however, I spend a lot of time doing the 'nodding, waving, smiling' on behalf of us both and get most peeved if my equivalent in the oncoming vehicle looks at me in ill-disguised contempt.
Could be thinking to himself "awful friendly people up here":) or "where have I met her before?".:eek:
Could be thinking to himself "awful friendly people up here"or "where have I met her before?".
Hi Tony,
I just think,...fellow traveller,..rubbish stopovers, bad loos, overpriced everything,...hail fellow well met! :D
Karia
TBH, the most common reason why I don't wave is because I am still in momentary shell shock because of the speed and aggressive road positioning that they go down the strath, then they think I'm the one who is the ignorant driver:eek: And to be more honest, it is speed on both sides that provides the real reason why we don't have enough reaction time to pull in.
DeHaviLand
25-Jul-07, 21:33
The dumbest tourist I ever met on a single track road what the one that crossed over the road right in front of me to nip into a passing place on MY side of the road!
I was so stunned I didn't get out and tell him how to use the passing places properly. I have regretted that ever since as goodness knows how many other motorists he frightened that way!
Foreign tourist Torvaig? Chances are he thought it was his side of the road!!!
Foreign tourist Torvaig? Chances are he thought it was his side of the road!!!
:roll: Aha!
oldmarine
26-Jul-07, 01:12
I took some visitors to Assynt yesterday, down to Lochinver and back to Thurso via Durness. Quite a few miles of single track then. Along the whole length, there were people parked up in the passing places - one family was having a picnic! I'm sure in years gone by there used to be signs up telling people not to park in them, but they seem to have disappeared entirely.
What with that, and the ones who drive right past the passing place by about 2 yards and won't go back, but expect you to reverse back about half a mile and the others who do draw in but dive into the opposite side of the road...I'm going to stay at home till the holidaymakers leave. I got so angry I nearly forced one german car into the ditch.
I've driven that route a few times while I was working in Thurso, but never had that problem. Even with my family we had a fun trip driving that route, but never experienced the problem you had. I can understand your frustration and am happy it never happened to me.
What else bugs me with the passing place issue is when you are following a slow driver and they will not pull in to let you pass. Also the many Fishermen or women who insist on stopping in the middle to catch up on what luck they are having and blocking the road entirely!
Humerous Vegetable
26-Jul-07, 15:29
We are go up to Durness for two weeks this saterday,we know the score on passing places too, had lot of practice, its the swines that dont give you a wave that gets on my goat.
I was doing quite a lot of waving at the end......mostly with my middle finger, admittedly. Don't get me wrong, I love the fact that we've still got some single track in Scotland. When I was a bairn growing up in the Borders, we used to go to Lochaber for most of our holidays and the whole road up from Crianlarach was single track, right up to Mallaig. And it was the ferry at Ballachulich, no bridge then. I hope they don't get rid of all the single track with their road improvements, maybe have trunk roads for the tourists and single track for the locals............
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