I was heading south on A350 to Blandford Forum at Shaftesbury, when an illuminated sign came up saying ‘‘HGV take B road to Blandford and Poole.’’
I was heading for a farm in Farnham village off A354, so after taking that diversion I discovered I had to turn back around again, and make another detour after being told there was an artic unfriendly hill on B3081 called Zigzag hill (believe it or not 
) so I made another detour back to Ludwell A30, to avoid it…bit of a ballache lost about an hour in total.
Anybody know what and where I am rabbitting on about? .
Any locals on here?’
Point I am asking is, what is/was the problem with the A350 south for trucks?.., I’m sure I’ve used it before.
Has it been weight limited since then or what?
And is it a compulsory or an advisory diversion.
Cheers.
The Melbury Abbas road is now open and hgvs are advised to head south on that road to Blandford but if heading north away from Blandford it’s advisory to take the he A350 so in theory no hgvs should meet.
No weight limit RR but there’s a few tight pinch points where if I’m honest I don’t want to meet anything bigger than an ■■■■■■ van !!
bald bloke:
The Melbury Abbas road is now open and hgvs are advised to head south on that road to Blandford but if heading north away from Blandford it’s advisory to take the he A350 so in theory no hgvs should meet.
No weight limit RR but there’s a few tight pinch points where if I’m honest I don’t want to meet anything bigger than an ■■■■■■ van !!
Ok thanks for that mate.
I was on that Melbury Abbas road, which is where the turn off for that hill is.
Btw…Is that hill on that B.road actually ok for an artic?.. (seeing as you know the area) it was just an old boy in a car who told me not to attempt it, so I took his word for it rather than chance it.
Should have asked a (former) local Rob, rather than following your satnav… 
The HGV route advice southbound via Melbury Abbas is because the A350 is a notoriously narrow road (better known as the boulevard of broken mirrors) with very tight unsighted corners, and many hedges. The County Council implemented an effective one way system for HGVs between Blandford and Shaftesbury. South bound via the (unnumbered ) B road through Melbury, and Northbound via the A350.
Google Melbury Abbas to get a flavour of what happens when Doris at the County Council gets involved in Traffic Regulation… 
Zigzag hill is tricky, is has some tight hairpins. I’ve come down it numerous times in an artic, but that was a (milk)tanker, with rear steer axle. I have done it up in a rigid tanker, but not with a n artic.
Couldn’t tell you about zig zag hill but you can get videos of it on YouTube and I’m guessing the old boy done you a favour.
robroy:
bald bloke:
The Melbury Abbas road is now open and hgvs are advised to head south on that road to Blandford but if heading north away from Blandford it’s advisory to take the he A350 so in theory no hgvs should meet.
No weight limit RR but there’s a few tight pinch points where if I’m honest I don’t want to meet anything bigger than an ■■■■■■ van !!
Ok thanks for that mate.
I was on that Melbury Abbas road, which is where the turn off for that hill is.
Btw…Is that hill on that B.road actually ok for an artic?.. (seeing as you know the area) it was just an old boy in a car who told me not to attempt it, so I took his word for it rather than chance it.
There are no actual restrictions on Zigzag hill, but it’s easy to get into trouble, and difficult to get out. Like Bald Bloke said, its other drivers that may get you stuck. Don’t try it in the wet.
To be honest though, the adviced route South when coming out of Melbury Abbas means you have to get up Spread Eagle hill, which is a bitxh , especially in the wet. Oh the fun we had with part loaded artic milk tankers in that area… 
I went down that hill last Wednesday in a Vauxhall Navara and thought wtf as I was following Google maps and seeing if it was a future route when solo in a tractor unit.
Thanks guys for all the answers.
To Dan and ND, …I was following my MAP backed up with my car sat nav as a guide, ( just to clarify)… like a REAL trucker does, the type who would not dream of paying 300 ■■■■ quid for one of those things. (You know what? I may have said this before on here but can’t be certain )
Now if I was blindingly following my sat nav it could have been an epic ‘Titsupday’
If I see that helpful friendly old guy again, I’ll buy him a pint, nice to see not everybody hates us.
My former wife once followed an Eastern European artic up zig-zag hill at night…she said it was a sight to behold, and the guy would have been able to see if his trailer lights were working!
Its good fun on a bike but in anything bigger than a van…NO
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I followed this route south once. Didn’t do zig zag hill and as I recall the signs didn’t direct HGVs that way but instead through Melbury Abbas. The A350 must be shocking for that to be what the council deem as a more suitable route.
Rowley010:
I followed this route south once. Didn’t do zig zag hill and as I recall the signs didn’t direct HGVs that way but instead through Melbury Abbas. The A350 must be shocking for that to be what the council deem as a more suitable route.
That aint the route to Poole and Blandford mate, (I was going to a farm in Farnham village like I said) that road turns off the Melbury road.
Rowley010:
I followed this route south once. Didn’t do zig zag hill and as I recall the signs didn’t direct HGVs that way but instead through Melbury Abbas. The A350 must be shocking for that to be what the council deem as a more suitable route.
It’s a different route south to keep trucks from meeting at pinch points a kind of HGV one way system, apart from the village of Melberry Abbas itself I prefer the south route as opposed to the A 350 route .
bald bloke:
Rowley010:
I followed this route south once. Didn’t do zig zag hill and as I recall the signs didn’t direct HGVs that way but instead through Melbury Abbas. The A350 must be shocking for that to be what the council deem as a more suitable route.
It’s a different route south to keep trucks from meeting at pinch points a kind of HGV one way system, apart from the village of Melberry Abbas itself I prefer the south route as opposed to the A 350 route .
When I was up and down that area on a daily basis, I used the top road when ever I could. If the weather was wet, I would bypass SpreadEagle hill and Melbury by going past the airfield and through Ludwell.
As you know now Rob, you should have followed the A30 to Luwell, done a right at the end of the village, and picked up the B3081 at to top of the road (bypassing Zigzag hill).
both the A350 and the C13 via melbury abbass are fine for artics and have been used for ever, the signs are to impose a one way system for lorrys, north being the A350, and south the C13, a good plan unless you want the other road for access, yes both roads have pinch points, but I would have chosen the C13 in either direction as the only pinch point is through the village where as the A350 has probably 7 along its route, one problem created in the C13 route is a couple of chicanes created when the sides fell into the road, and cars insist in blocking the road instead of waiting leaving the gap free so when vehicles come from the other direction which is traffic light controlled, the approaching traffic normally collects more vehicles in the queue than can fit between the narrowing and the lights, so the approaching traffic halts and the traffic in the other direction cannot continue as the lights are at another narrowing, and stalemate ensues, the drivers blocking the initial narrowing have no idea what they have caused but will get out of their cars blaming the other traffic approaching, I have used both roads in artics and yes its tight, but is possible, it needs a viaduct over the valley with the only long term structures are the leg foundations, job done, there is not a good route north through dorset even though millions were spent on a road from Dorchester to weymouth for the Olympics, which lasted months and is no longer a cross channel port, most local long distance hauliers now either use the Southampton, Newbury, M4 or Dorchester, Yeovil, Illminster, M5 . both longer in miles but shorter in time and a better drive,
bald bloke:
Rowley010:
I followed this route south once. Didn’t do zig zag hill and as I recall the signs didn’t direct HGVs that way but instead through Melbury Abbas. The A350 must be shocking for that to be what the council deem as a more suitable route.
It’s a different route south to keep trucks from meeting at pinch points a kind of HGV one way system, apart from the village of Melberry Abbas itself I prefer the south route as opposed to the A 350 route .
So where does zig zag hill come into as that’s not the signed route is it? And that’s worse still?
Rowley010:
bald bloke:
Rowley010:
I followed this route south once. Didn’t do zig zag hill and as I recall the signs didn’t direct HGVs that way but instead through Melbury Abbas. The A350 must be shocking for that to be what the council deem as a more suitable route.
It’s a different route south to keep trucks from meeting at pinch points a kind of HGV one way system, apart from the village of Melberry Abbas itself I prefer the south route as opposed to the A 350 route .
So where does zig zag hill come into as that’s not the signed route is it? And that’s worse still?
Again…It AINT on the diversion route!!
It’s on the B road going to Farnham village, which I detoured (to get around that hill) to join same B road at the other side of hill.
Wishing I hadn’t started this now.
