|
Author |
Message |
stinkwheel |
This post is not being displayed .
|
stinkwheel Bovine Proctologist
Joined: 12 Jul 2004 Karma :
|
Posted: 22:31 - 27 Aug 2019 Post subject: Camper vans in the North of Scotland |
|
|
Things are starting to get rediculous. It's like some sort of zombie apocalypse. with the North Coast 500 as the epicentre of the infection.
I was up North at the weekend and even on the Ardnamurchan peninsula, the roads were swarming with rental camper vans being piloted by people who had no idea how to drive them. I've never seen so many of them out and about.
Being stuck behind one for mile after mile of single track road with passing places is bad enough. However on two occasions there was a "Mexican stand off" between our group of bikes and an oncoming camper van.
Having had to get off the bike to explain to them that a luggaged up sports tourer weighs 300kg and has no reverse gear, they then displayed that they were incapable fo reversing the thing 10metres in a straight line to get to a wider bit of the road so we could pass. A straight line mind, not uphill or round a corner or anything.
I think it's past time the rental companies started taking some responsability for the competancy of the people they let drive these things or at least for providing some training on how single track roads work. I'm going to start complaining on the rental companies reviews if I experience much more of this.
Either that or there need to be some high profile prosecutions for inconsiderate driving. Especially for the not pulling in to let vehicles pass thing. Being unable to reverse is just plain run-of-the-mill incompetant. Driving at 25-30mph and not pulling across to allow following trasffic to clear for 10, 15 or even 20 miles is plain criminal (legally as well as morally). ____________________ “Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles. |
|
Back to top |
|
You must be logged in to rate posts |
|
|
kgm |
This post is not being displayed .
|
kgm World Chat Champion
Joined: 04 Jun 2015 Karma :
|
|
Back to top |
|
You must be logged in to rate posts |
|
|
stinkwheel |
This post is not being displayed .
|
stinkwheel Bovine Proctologist
Joined: 12 Jul 2004 Karma :
|
Posted: 08:57 - 28 Aug 2019 Post subject: |
|
|
Guys in our bike club have pretty much decided to upload any dashcam footage of "white elephants" being driven in an inconsiderate matter then link them to the social media feeds of the rental companies. ____________________ “Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles. |
|
Back to top |
|
You must be logged in to rate posts |
|
|
True Blue |
This post is not being displayed .
|
True Blue World Chat Champion
Joined: 10 Feb 2003 Karma :
|
Posted: 13:45 - 31 Aug 2019 Post subject: |
|
|
I done the NC500 the other week there and was saying the same thing. Never seen so many VWs.
I got in a standoff just the 2 times, but mainly found that they thought that I would just be able to squeeze by them on the single track; rather than pulling in for me. I just made sure to make myself big, by staying in the centre of the road. They generally took the hint. ____________________ Past >>>> Honda NSR 125 >>>> Suzuki GSXR 600 K1 >>>> Suzuki GSXR 600 K4 >>>>Kawasaki Z1000 DAF >>>>Suzuki RMZ 250 >>>> Current >>>> KTM Superduke R 1290 >>>> |
|
Back to top |
|
You must be logged in to rate posts |
|
|
Omega |
This post is not being displayed .
|
Omega Crazy Courier
Joined: 07 May 2009 Karma :
|
|
Back to top |
|
You must be logged in to rate posts |
|
|
linuxyeti |
This post is not being displayed .
|
linuxyeti World Chat Champion
Joined: 06 Oct 2006 Karma :
|
Posted: 08:32 - 01 Sep 2019 Post subject: |
|
|
Well, I drive my campervan/motorhome, granted haven't been to the north of Scotland in it yet, but, I don't really recognise any of the issues you mention, just finished touring around Devon, Cornwall and the Forest of Dean in ours. It easily keeps to the nsl, and, most of my hold ups were being stuck behind other cars, trucks or farm vehicles. As for overtaking them, for the most part, the aren't appreciably wider than a car, and, not much longer than an estate, so, I can't see what the issue there is. I've overtaken plenty before in both the car and on the bike. I've even been up to the Ponderosa in the camper, and, again, didn't seem to cause much if any issue with any of the bikes around.
I don't want to make it political, however, 'staycations' are becoming increasingly common, since the whole brexit saga kicked off, not blaming brexit directly, it may be a coincidence, but there does appear to be some correlation. My biggest problem with the increase in staycations, is pitch prices are going up as well ____________________ Beware what photos you upload, or link to on here, especially if you have family members on them |
|
Back to top |
|
You must be logged in to rate posts |
|
|
kgm |
This post is not being displayed .
|
kgm World Chat Champion
Joined: 04 Jun 2015 Karma :
|
Posted: 16:55 - 01 Sep 2019 Post subject: |
|
|
linuxyeti wrote: | Well, I drive my campervan/motorhome, granted haven't been to the north of Scotland in it yet, but, I don't really recognise any of the issues you mention, just finished touring around Devon, Cornwall and the Forest of Dean in ours. It easily keeps to the nsl, and, most of my hold ups were being stuck behind other cars, trucks or farm vehicles. As for overtaking them, for the most part, the aren't appreciably wider than a car, and, not much longer than an estate, so, I can't see what the issue there is. I've overtaken plenty before in both the car and on the bike. I've even been up to the Ponderosa in the camper, and, again, didn't seem to cause much if any issue with any of the bikes around.
I don't want to make it political, however, 'staycations' are becoming increasingly common, since the whole brexit saga kicked off, not blaming brexit directly, it may be a coincidence, but there does appear to be some correlation. My biggest problem with the increase in staycations, is pitch prices are going up as well :-( |
The problem is the bulk of the roads in that area of Scotland are proper single track. These are not normal roads. There is not enough space for a bike to pass a car in many areas due to the narrow width of the road. Add lots of drivers who are not experienced on that sort of road, particularly when they are driving larger vehicles than they are not used to and you end up with lots of slow moving vehicles which you cannot pass. This is then compounded by the fact that these drivers do not stop in passing places to allow you to pass and do not stop in passing places when other vehicles are oncoming, nor are they able to reverse the camper vans they are not used to driving. It's not just little transporter sized vans either, there are lots of proper motorhomes up there.
Camper vans themselves aren't the problem. It's inexperienced drivers driving in a discourteous manner on roads their vehicle often isn't suited to. And there are lots of them. Also the roads there are not designed for the level of traffic now running over them and are becoming damaged. |
|
Back to top |
|
You must be logged in to rate posts |
|
|
True Blue |
This post is not being displayed .
|
True Blue World Chat Champion
Joined: 10 Feb 2003 Karma :
|
|
Back to top |
|
You must be logged in to rate posts |
|
|
linuxyeti |
This post is not being displayed .
|
linuxyeti World Chat Champion
Joined: 06 Oct 2006 Karma :
|
|
Back to top |
|
You must be logged in to rate posts |
|
|
kgm |
This post is not being displayed .
|
kgm World Chat Champion
Joined: 04 Jun 2015 Karma :
|
|
Back to top |
|
You must be logged in to rate posts |
|
|
kgm |
This post is not being displayed .
|
kgm World Chat Champion
Joined: 04 Jun 2015 Karma :
|
|
Back to top |
|
You must be logged in to rate posts |
|
|
Old Thread Alert!
The last post was made 4 years, 235 days ago. Instead of replying here, would creating a new thread be more useful? |
|
|
|