Advice please, driving in high wind

[herald_400rl]

Morning all,
I've got to drive back (90 miles) this afternoon and it's forecast winds of 50+ MPH.
Last night was an experience stationary, never mind on the motorway with lorries, etc. passing.
I've downplayed to my wife but inside I'm quite nervous.

Tia.

 

[Verteuil Man]

Morning all,
I've got to drive back (90 miles) this afternoon and it's forecast winds of 50+ MPH.
Last night was an experience stationary, never mind on the motorway with lorries, etc. passing.
I've downplayed to my wife but inside I'm quite nervous.

Tia.

If you can try driving on roads other than motorways. They will have more protection. If it is too bad, sit it out.

 

[Peter and Julie]

Morning all,
I've got to drive back (90 miles) this afternoon and it's forecast winds of 50+ MPH.
Last night was an experience stationary, never mind on the motorway with lorries, etc. passing.
I've downplayed to my wife but inside I'm quite nervous.

Tia.

50mph wind? Park up and wait till tomorrow.

 

[The Coops]

Don't grip the steering wheel to tight it just sets up oscillations when you try and over correct hence the nervous feel, try and relax and let the wind take the van its only a few inches but feels massive!

 

[herald_400rl]

50mph wind? Park up and wait till tomorrow.

This would be the ideal, however, we both have work tomorrow. It's supposed to ease in the morning for a bit so I suppose we could do a 6am get up.
Ultimately if I feel like we are going to die we will have to take half a day.

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[Badknee]

Half a day of work or a possibility of trashing your moho and being injured, I know which one I’d pick.
Good luck whatever you decide.

 

[bigwood]

As others have said it won’t be comfortable so unless you really have to travel stay put until the wind eases.
I have driven our coach built that is slab sided in high winds on open roads in Lincolnshire. It didn’t seem too bad for most of the journey but we were nearly at our destination before the wind picked up. We stayed put for an extra day to let the storm calm down before driving home.

 

[Spriddler]

I'd set off and see how I feel, pulling over and parking if unhappy to continue. I doubt anyone would take offence at a safety stop regardless of where I'd parked.
It's coming out of a wind shadow (high building, bridge, an overtaking lorry etc) that tightens the sphincter.

 

[Lenny HB]

Avoid motorways and take it slower on A roads.

 

[Jim]

Motorhomes in High Winds -

Master the art of navigating a motorhome in high winds. Practical tips to prevent being blown over and ensure a safe journey.

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

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[Two on Tour]

If you can try driving on roads other than motorways. They will have more protection.

Avoid motorways and take it slower on A roads.

Less likelihood of fallen trees blocking the way on motorways.

As said, give it a try and pull over and wait it out if it feels unsafe, we did just that a few years ago.

 

[Peter and Julie]

This would be the ideal, however, we both have work tomorrow. It's supposed to ease in the morning for a bit so I suppose we could do a 6am get up.
Ultimately if I feel like we are going to die we will have to take half a day.

As Verteuil Man says, stay off motorways and slow down a bit in open spaces if you must travel. Good luck!

 

[Brian Thompson]

Morning all,
I've got to drive back (90 miles) this afternoon and it's forecast winds of 50+ MPH.
Last night was an experience stationary, never mind on the motorway with lorries, etc. passing.
I've downplayed to my wife but inside I'm quite nervous.

Tia.

Don't , but if you really have to go as slow as you can

 

[Tea Bag]

I'd set off and see how I feel, pulling over and parking if unhappy to continue. I doubt anyone would take offence at a safety stop regardless of where I'd parked.
It's coming out of a wind shadow (high building, bridge, an overtaking lorry etc) that tightens the sphincter.

Hi.
As said above,plus in side winds,watch out for exposed stretches between trees and hedgerows they as the above could just give you a " Moment " So forewarned is forearmed.
On a lighter note.. Your bottom muscles are a good guide, gripping the seat,as to the severity of the wind.
Tea Bag

 

[davidathomas42]

Fill water and waste and move heavy stuff from lockers lower...... Then sit it out. Not worth the risk.

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[LillyWales]

Morning all,
I've got to drive back (90 miles) this afternoon and it's forecast winds of 50+ MPH.
Last night was an experience stationary, never mind on the motorway with lorries, etc. passing.
I've downplayed to my wife but inside I'm quite nervous.

Tia.

Firstly safe travels. My hubby did the same, downplay the wind I mean on a recent trip back to Wales from Cambridge. Winds were 39mph and gusts up to 47. Overnight I was already worried but hubby said it will be fine. Shortly after we left for the A14 Madingley road a main city access road was closed because of an overturned vehicle. The A14 and M6 were completely horrendous experiences. Lorries pulled over into lay-bys along the route. Hubby explained it was because they had reached their maximum legal drive hours… big fibber! Hubby said he will never do this again. He was worried throughout. Next time I’m digging my heals in and staying put! It’s made me very cautious as we are new to owning driving a MH.

 

[Blofeld]

Morning all,
I've got to drive back (90 miles) this afternoon and it's forecast winds of 50+ MPH.
Last night was an experience stationary, never mind on the motorway with lorries, etc. passing.
I've downplayed to my wife but inside I'm quite nervous.

Tia.

I was staying overnight at Shap on the M6 when storm Babit was coming in. Hardly a breath of wind at midnight but I had my Transit Custom LWB unladen on a return journey from NI and needed to get to Cirencester. So I set off at 0100, stopped often for coffee and a kip and arrived at 0700 as the storm was really hitting without trouble.
If you’re going to go, get moving don’t wait. And stay in a lane with the trucks rather than overtaking.

 

[DavidG58]

Hope you got going early, sounds like it’s coming a bit later today, so much will depend on direction of your journey relative to the wind

Stay safe, hoping you are home already

 

[Mad dog]

Where are you going from to where? I hate cross winds, but straight into them isn't too bad (can tuck in behind an HGV!) & if they're behind you - we'll, happy days!! It's coming from the South West, so if you're going up the M5 you'll fly!!

Good luck & take care, you can always pull off & find somewhere else to stop enroute.

 

[antprice1970]

Morning all,
I've got to drive back (90 miles) this afternoon and it's forecast winds of 50+ MPH.
Last night was an experience stationary, never mind on the motorway with lorries, etc. passing.
I've downplayed to my wife but inside I'm quite nervous.

Tia.

I've got a Bessacarr E635 and in high winds it's quite frightening so I would park up and set off earlier tomorrow or make sure wind dies down and have half day off work.

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[CWH]

There is no "have to".
Sorry to say, but work will survive without you.

 

[HugoBNB]

Sage advice in post #1 from Jim.
The easiest way to avoid risk is to eliminate it. Sit it out somewhere safe.

 

[Andycap]

I have done it once got blown across into another lane just as well nothing was coming up beside me. I slowed right down and got off the motorway asap and spent afternoon in services. I wouldn’t Risk it, it could be very expensive and dangerous. Good luck what ever you’re decision

 

[herald_400rl]

We made it back. Spent an hour planning the route and rang a few sites along the way to male sure they could take us if needed (were currently bereft of heating without hookup).
Went through villages and only up a 12m stretch of motorway, took 3 hours to do a 1h50m trip but was uneventful.
Thanks for all the tips!

 

[StephandJohn]

Glad you got back safely.

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[dazandandrea]

Looking forward to driving home this evening up the M1.
Gonna he fun fun fun

 

[Brains]

First night ever in our motorhome.
I had booked a romantic lakeside pitch in Snowdonia with lovely sunset views to sit in our deckchairs watching the evening draw in.
We arrived in horizontal rain with 100m visibility and the tent campers frantically packing up.

The reception gave me all three lakeside pitches and advised parking 'head to wind'
So I parked diagonally across the three pitches, and with a bit of jockeying got the van exactly head into the wind.

By 2am, the wind had a clear 3 miles of open lake water before hitting us with full force of 70mph with gusts to 90mph.
We were fine, van rocked a tiny bit, but no worse than driving on a smooth European motorway at 70-80mph
The two remaining campers packed up at 2am, soaking wet and just shoved everything into their cars and headed off home.
It proved to us that we had bought the right van, and now I always consider wind direction (as well as sun direction) when arriving at a pitch.

The park 'head to wind' has been very good advice several times since.

 

[Katie'n'Debbie]

I remember driving up M6/M74 in our little Romahome, middle lane overtaking a few lorries but definitely only doing around 60mph due to the weather conditions (usually I'd be speeding 80/85mph). Suddenly a gust of wind transported us into the inside lane just missing the lorry I was in the process of passing. Talk about your life flashing by... We were booked into an hotel that night for work and the first thing I did was go to the bar for a strong cocktail to calm down which is most unlike me as I very rarely drink.

 

[bigwood]

My most scary trip in high winds was during my time doing recovery work. I had to front lift a double glazing van with a tall glass rack on one side across the Humber bridge on a breezy day.
The bridge wasn’t closed to high sided vehicles but I had a fight to keep in a straight line. Coming back they had put a high wind warning on the M62 at Google but the Humber bridge still had no warnings.

 

[Pausim]

Sit it out.

My daughter survived a tree falling in front of her on an A road in a high wind. Managed to pull up enough to avoid the main trunk but car written off by the side branches crushing the car. A car coming the other way was written off too. No serious injuries but if she had been a metre or two further down the road………………