Drove down to East Midlands Airport today from Teesside,
usual route A19 - A1 - M18 - M1.
About 20 miles from the airport saw an accident on the
nortbound side and traffic beginning to tailback.
Got to airport and thought i know i,ll try a different
route going back.
Cut across to Nottingham then across to A46 to
Newark to join A1 north.
BIG MISTAKE.
Return journey took twice as long.
I never realised motorways could have roundabouts
50 limits and so on.
Never ever again.
Easier said than done. The A1 should be motorway from London to Edinburgh, IMHO, and should have been one for at least 20 years by now. Unfortunately it isn’t, most of it is 50mph dual, as you found out.
Ho-hum, here I have to disagree.
The A1 is a true drivers road. Roundabouts, junctions, Kates Cabin, Scotch Corner, the Ram Jam…
To me, it will be a sad day when The Great North Road is simply another anonymous three-lane motorway.
Just my opinion!
Vince
Vince:
The A1 is a true driver`s road.
Huh 
Have you been on medication in your absense Vince The A1 is one of the most boring roads in the country and has nothing challenging on it whatsoever. If you want a true driving road, take the A39 along the north Devon coast in an artic with a 45’ trailer . Mind, you’ve done truck driving in Russia so … 
You could have run south slightly then picked up the A5, giving you the option then of the M42 or the A38 but it’s too late now, sorry you had a bad run.
Rob K:
Vince:
If you want a true driving road, take the A39 along the north Devon coast in an artic with a 45’ trailer :
I deliver to Williton and Minehead around once a month but I would describe the A39 as difficult, rather than interesting.
In fact, I just got back from holiday at Doniford Bay yesterday, and while I was there, I decided to have a look at Porlock Hill and Dunster to see why artics aren`t allowed on them.
If youve ever been tempted to "■■■■ it and see", then my advice is DONT!!!
Vince
I like the A9, only north of Inverness tho’, for interest and a challenge. Again, only in a full size, fully frieghted artic. Anything much smaller makes it too easy .
Its got a challenging road with a couple of major climbs and drops (The Braes of Beridale) and the scenery is fantastic. A good little truckstop at Elvanton as well, what more could you ask.
It is a 40mph road for most of it, unlike Woodhead, which you could do 50 on, for a good bit of the time. If its your local, you would possibly disagree about it being a 40, but we all have local roads that we know like the back of our hands and can run a lot faster than an infrequent visitor can.
Simon:
I like the A9, only north of Inverness tho’, for interest and a challenge. Again, only in a full size, fully frieghted artic. Anything much smaller makes it too easyIts got a challenging road with a couple of major climbs and drops (The Braes of Beridale) and the scenery is fantastic. A good little truckstop at Elvanton as well, what more could you ask.
It is a 40mph road for most of it, unlike Woodhead, which you could do 50 on, for a good bit of the time. If its your local, you would possibly disagree about it being a 40, but we all have local roads that we know like the back of our hands and can run a lot faster than an infrequent visitor can.
Ah Si that’s enough to bring tears to a gless eye.Great road,fabulous area but don’t tell anybody or they’ll all want go there
P.S.The road south form 'Ness was “challenging” just after Christmas
TartanRaider:
The road south from 'Ness was “challenging” just after Christmas.
Been there, done that, got the T-Shirt 
.
I was doing a night trunk for Lynx, out of Loanhead to Inverness, leaving at 02:30, in January a few years ago (when they were running ERF EC8’s).
Climbing up some of those banks, on well packed snow/ice. Dif-lock in and still fishtailing all over the road . Challenging .
Rob K:
Vince:
The A1 is a true driver`s road.Huh
I’m with you Vince a true drivers road, punctuated with just enough to relieve the boredom.
Boring roads = M180 to Grimsby, M11 Cambridge - Harlow
Can only just stay awake on those.
I’m with Vince & robB, I like the A1.
It has places to stop, day, night & at weekends, & it’s not a brain sapping limiter journey.
Vince:
Rob K:
Vince:
If you want a true driving road, take the A39 along the north Devon coast in an artic with a 45’ trailer :I deliver to Williton and Minehead around once a month but I would describe the A39 as difficult, rather than interesting.
In fact, I just got back from holiday at Doniford Bay yesterday, and while I was there, I decided to have a look at Porlock Hill and Dunster to see why artics aren`t allowed on them.
If you
ve ever been tempted to "■■■■ it and see", then my advice is DONT!!!Vince
Been up that in a 2 axle rigid… great fun… apart from the cleaning of the trousers afterwards
Shunts on the hairpins, blind bends… 1 in 3 and 1 in 4 hills… up and down… no guard rails…
Yep, the A1 is better than any motorway. Just doesn’t seem the same without Norman Cross though.
As for boring roads. The M4 until you get the other side of the 8th bridge. Mile after mile after mile on the limiter. Then you get 20 minutes of up and downy roller coaster ride followed by some big drags before it returns to boringness again.
Vince:
Rob K:
Vince:
If you want a true driving road, take the A39 along the north Devon coast in an artic with a 45’ trailer :I deliver to Williton and Minehead around once a month but I would describe the A39 as difficult, rather than interesting.
In fact, I just got back from holiday at Doniford Bay yesterday, and while I was there, I decided to have a look at Porlock Hill and Dunster to see why artics aren`t allowed on them.
If you
ve ever been tempted to "■■■■ it and see", then my advice is DONT!!!Vince
Rode up Porlock Hill on a bike (pedal not Motor) hard work and the start of a 10 day cycle ride round Somerset, Devon and Cornwall. Coming down into Lynmouth was also great fun when you are young enough not to care about freewheeling down a 1in4. Never would have been able to stop though.
Always quite liked the run from Southampton to Exeter. Anybody taken a truck up or down the hill into Lostwithiel, I’ve been up it empty on the way to Par Harbour, but it has a 20 tonne limit on the way down. At Par Harbour they have pictures of a German tilt that lost control on the way down, sadly the driver lost his life, 
to remind to take the diversion.
Rob K:
If you want a true driving road, take the A39 along the north Devon coast in an artic with a 45’ trailer…
Easy ! You want to try some of the farms we collect produce from.
Sunday, I drive to a farm in a place called Kings Caple, Herefordshire. Tight lanes only just wide enough for an artic, some with signs saying “unsuitable for HGVs” ! You come face-to-face with a car and they expect you to reverse to allow them through - you can’t even see the back of your trailer because your mirrors are obscured by the hedges either side.
Anyway, I’ve just left this farm and I’ve stopped to allow this car through. I start off in second gear and I’m about to change to fourth, so I’m only doing about 5mph. This car comes hurtling around this bend towards me - you should have seen the look of horror on the driver’s face when confronted with an artic filling the lane ! She brakes hard and all her wheels lock up - the road surface is wet. She slid between me and the offside bank, writing her car off in the process. Amazingly, there wasn’t a scratch on the unit !
Bear in mind that:
- I can’t see anything behind me because my mirrors are obscured by the hedges,
- the trailer sides are just touching the hedges, and
- the car came speeding around a blind bend.
This bloke (who was in the car behind me) turns up saying he saw everything and would act as a witness for the woman in the car.
How the [zb] hell could he have seen anything through 44’ of Lamberet fridge and 15’ or so of Merc Axor ? It beggars belief ! If the Police or insurance company want to use his testimony, I’ll let him dig his own hole !!!
When I got back to the yard I pulled my card and examined it. From when I left the farm to the time of the accident, I hadn’t exceeded 20 kph (12 mph). Whoever gets involved will put two-and-two together and realise that the damage inflicted to the car would be the fault of the motorist - for once, thank heavens for tachographs !
Anyway, back to the main point. We often have to collect from these farms regularly. Mine wasn’t an isolated incident as it was the third vehicle that week to be involved in a head-on collision. I’ll take the A39 anytime !
By the way, the woman motorist was OK - no injuries, only shaken. She accepted total responsibility for the accident !
Sorry, but you don’t get away with that. K
I’d done the same kind of “tracks” on many an occasion where we load from nurseries in the middle of nowhere. Like you say, car drivers have absolutely no idea and come hurtling round blind bends at 50+ expecting to have the road to themselves. They deserve to end up in the ditch upside down.
For an English A-road though, you’ve got to agree that the middle and western parts of 39 is a challenge 
.
David There are very few roundabouts on motorways in fact i only know of 2 being the A1(m) jct 35 and the M25 jct 4 but there might be more.
Don,t forget the on A1 most of it is NOT motorway and the speed limit is 50mph for an LGV but i know where you mean at Elkesley but its not worth the risk going through there at 56 as the police are quite common there with hidden mobile cameras .
I would think the journey took twice as long is because you cut across country quite a bit to Newark if it happens again try Nottingham ringroad to the the A60 up to the A614 which should have you going North rather than East.
But for gods sake if you do obey all the speed limits in Nottingham as they have them cameras that recognise the vehicle and know if you,ve been speeding in between them.
A few years back I got into an argument with someone about a narrow road used by HGV’s. The conversation went along the lines of.
Her. Your not supposed to be using this road.
Why. ?.
Because it was not designed for artics.
True, but it was not designed for modern vehicles full stop.
Well. There are too many of you using this road & its dangerous.
How many HGV’s use this road ?, a few, or a lot ?.
A lot & were fed up with the accidents.
How many of the accidents involve HGV’s ?.
Too many.
How many involve only HGV’s ?.
What ?.
Well if a lot of HGV’s use this road & they are the causing the danger, how many involve only HGV’s ?.
Thats not what I meant & you know it.
Well every close call I’ve had on this road involved a local driving like a pratt, & despite our size I’ve never had any real problems meeting another HGV, says it all really does’nt it ?.
We used to get alot of that attitude when doing potatoes and Sugarbeet from farms. These people just can’t grasp the concept that to be able to buy food in a supermarket the food has to leave the farms.
Many have moved into the area and they seem to have the idea that farmer Jones plods round on his little tractor and then leans over a five bar gate with a straw in his mouth spouting words of wisdom like “red sky at night, haystack on fire” and are really surprised when autumn arrives and the beet and potatoes are harvested, the roads are muddy and full of big farm machinery and trucks.
muckles:
We used to get alot of that attitude when doing potatoes and Sugarbeet from farms. These people just can’t grasp the concept that to be able to buy food in a supermarket the food has to leave the farms.
.
Absolutely. A lot of people seem to hold the view that while trucks are just about acceptable when visiting factories, they should not be driving around the countryside.
Which seems to miss the point that the countryside is a factory.
It is a gigantic food factory. Nothing more, nothing less. The Higher Power did not create the countryside simply to be a visually pleasing backdrop for weekending City-dwellers.
Vince