Must be getting old.

[Captain Birdseye]

I used to be able to do 5 to 6 hours if not more of driving when we wanted to get across country's fast. We are doing 3 hours a day driving across France and I'm bloody knackered.
We are still managing to do the local tourist bits when we pitch up but it just seems as its such an effort.
I can't wait till after the after dusseldorf salon to do a slow meander along the mosel.

I agree. I find it hard going from Austria to Calais in one hit these days (now age 72) but have had to do that twice in recent years. We normally stop halfway.

 

[MontyB]

Can’t see any rush to do mega miles just meander down 150-200 miles is enough rest up for a day then continue loads to take in and you’ll be surprised at how much more you take in.

 

[Captain Birdseye]

Can’t see any rush to do mega miles just meander down 150-200 miles is enough rest up for a day then continue loads to take in and you’ll be surprised at how much more you take in.

Couldn't agree more but if you are on day 90!!!

 

[Floridalil]

” I THOUGHT GETTING OLD WOULD TAKE LONGER “

 

[Barbie and Ken]

What is old you are going on about numbers and showing off about what you drive .Age is in the mind ,unless disabled then could be a strain .Carry on while you can and enjoy

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[Captain Birdseye]

” I THOUGHT GETTING OLD WOULD TAKE LONGER “

Me too

 

[Floridalil]

What is old you are going on about numbers and showing off about what you drive .Age is in the mind ,unless disabled then could be a strain .Carry on while you can and enjoy

It’s a joke. Showing off about what I drive.! Think you’ve lost the plot.

 

[Captain Birdseye]

It’s a joke. Showing off about what I drive.! Think you’ve lost the plot.

Agree

 

[Stuart]

Well...40 years as a bus driver, 6 days a week to earn enough, 9 hour days before Europe poked its nose in with the working time directive. Now...2 hours driving and I've had enough and looking for a pitch for the night. Yes, not much fun in getting older.

 

[Mr porky]

Well today we have done 3.5 miles as I'm ahead of myself for time.
We came to Toul last night but it was full so headed to the nearby village to sleep on a free aire, just in case checked this morning and a space was available €7 for 24 hours including electric with free servicing. Got some provisions from the local market (prices are getting silly for meat,salad and veg though). Leaves us with a 3.5 hour journey tomorrow.

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[FIDGET]

 

[Spriddler]

Back in the 70's I used to drive around 10 hours (c300 miles) usually overnight to Cornwall for our 2 weeks holiday - hardly any dual carriageways then.
This was in my 850 cc Mini with my wife plus two kids, a dog, pushchairs, kites, shrimp nets and all other clothes and holiday stuff.
The kids used to sleep most of the way lying head to tail across the back seat and were rarin' to go down the beach when we arrived but we were totally knackered.
I don't do such long drives since retiring because I don't have to.

 

[JockandRita]

In France though that becomes a tough ask as every 5 miles its 30km an hour

And roundabouts galore.

I averaged 6 to 10 miles a day on the Mosel, but your arm gets very tired with all the extra beer time you get

Which is what we hope to be doing again, a week today Simon. That'll be afyer doing Calais to Zell in one hit.
Are you and Marg going this year?

Complete opposite here. I'm totally bored with autos and steadily going back to manuals. I disagree with Mr porky I love driving through France, lots of wonderful good quality but quiet roads, but then I pick my own routes and only use GPS as a reference.

Totally agree with KiwiKampers about flying and cruises, how not to experiece places!

Me too Jon. I find that manual gear changing helps to keep me focused on the road and driving conditions/situations.

Cheers,

Jock.

 

[Lenny HB]

Me too Jon. I find that manual gear changing helps to keep me focused on the road and driving conditions/situations.

Sod that hate manuals these days.

 

[cyberyacht]

I generally find that it's my first day that's the long distance one. It is however split by the ferry journey and actual length depends on the ferry time. Mostly nowadays I try for around 100-150 max. Getting ominously close to my 'four score' years so I reckon I'm entitled to take it a bit easier.

I did 1500 miles on our month in France earlier in the summer, virtually all off autoroute and didn't find it onerous. It's motorways that are tedious.

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[steve69]

I used to be able to do 5 to 6 hours if not more of driving when we wanted to get across country's fast. We are doing 3 hours a day driving across France and I'm bloody knackered.
We are still managing to do the local tourist bits when we pitch up but it just seems as its such an effort.
I can't wait till after the after dusseldorf salon to do a slow meander along the mosel.

I don't wish to seem rude, but just how old are you?.....it might be a useful reference for the rest of us.

 

[Johnny Be Good]

Like you, Mr porky, I think nothing of driving 5 or 6 hours to get across countries. I would rather do that than queue at an airport, sit in a sardine can, arrive at another airport that can't find my luggage and pay a taxi to take me to a charmless hotel. All of which will take more than 5 or 6 hours and won't allow me to see anything out of the window, take photos, eat where and what I like, go for a walk, etc. I feel the same about cruises. Sitting for hours on a boat, making small talk with strangers, eating far more than is good for you and when you arrive in port only seeing a fraction of the country you're visiting.
I love driving. I hope they never take the keys off me. If I could I'd like to drive the hearse to my funeral.

Totally agree here, we are just planning our 6th trip this year and as winter is coming into mid to northern Norway we will head south. Our friends have just returned from a cruise and flights to the warmer climates, apart from a nice tan they look exhausted from their journeys, apparently cruising and airports are getting more stressful.
For us however, after a 3+ hour ferry to Denmark we can stop whenever for a cuppa and a look around, Denmark and Germany are "maybe" the next destinations, we actually don't know where we may end up this time. Plans forever changing, such is life.

 

[Waltontriumph]

I used to be able to do 5 to 6 hours if not more of driving when we wanted to get across country's fast. We are doing 3 hours a day driving across France and I'm bloody knackered.
We are still managing to do the local tourist bits when we pitch up but it just seems as its such an effort.
I can't wait till after the after dusseldorf salon to do a slow meander along the mosel.

 

[nicholsong]

My record for longest day driving was in a VW T5 Caravelle for the travel company when I did 15 hours Heathrow to Skipton with intermediate stops and traffic jams - and then back to London, my own choice because I wanted to be home for something the next day. That was in my late '60s and the Caravelle was very relaxing to drive.

At 70 I drove the MH the 1000 miles from Canterbury to Katowice in 36 hours including a 11-hour stop in Hannover to see friends.

Now 80 I found a 4-hour trip to SE Poland too long so return was broken half-way.

 

[Otter Spotter]

First time we went to Shetland we did Todmorden to Aberdeen in 6.5 hours with 2 stops in one day, then slept on the overnight ferry, now we break the journey down stopping overnight at least once on the way up.

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[Barbie and Ken]

It’s a joke. Showing off about what I drive.! Think you’ve lost the plot.

No way

 

[Feltwell]

With the kids we reckon on 250 miles a day as a comfortable target, and for drive time we tend to find the Google maps time + 50% is about right, by the time we've had breaks.

So much more relaxing driving on the Peage in France though - cruise control on and sit back. My car has adaptive cruise control, where it scans the vehicles in front and automatically slows down if they slow down - it's brilliant in typical heavy UK motorway traffic - I wish the MH had it!

Gearboxes - the latest twin clutch DSG type auto boxes are very good in cars - I switched from an Audi A6 with a traditional torque converter auto box to another newer A6 with a 7 speed DSG, it's very good, only downside is reverse takes a bit longer to select but it is only a momentary delay. My van is manual, not really fussed either way, but it would have to be a DSG or torque converter box if I do get one that is an auto in future.

Manual boxes are in my bad books at the moment - I've got to change one on my kit car (powered by a Rover V8 engine & box from an SD1). The original boxes on those were cr@p, I've managed to pick up a later (& reputedly better) box to fit, even though they are like rocking horse poo to find! I just hope it's OK once it's in - as far as I can tell it's good, but no way to fully test until it's in the car....

 

[Mr porky]

I don't wish to seem rude, but just how old are you?.....it might be a useful reference for the rest of us.

Just over 50

 

[JockandRita]

Sod that hate manuals these days.

I don't hate them Lenny, I just prefer manual boxes, allowing me to choose the gearing and revs for a descent, or for hazardous driving conditions. One of the advantages of the Alinson auto boxes we had on the Fire Appliances, was the ability to change up/down manually where required.
From all the stories I read of robotic gearboxes, I definitely don't want one of those.

I can be in 6th gear at 35 - 40 mph without labouring, so very happy with that.

Cheers,

Jock.

 

[Carpmart]

For me, the mileage I ‘want’ or ‘need’ to do in a day is directly linked to the speed I approach the journey at. If travelling at 60-65 mph (or KPH equivalent) then five hours a day is enough. If I’m cruising at 54mph I’m happing doing 9-10 hour drives and feel way less tired… yes I really do find the extra few MPH needs way more concentration that cruising with the wagons.

So, SE Spain is four days and three nights rolling at mid 80’s KPH and I find it quite relaxing TBH.

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[JockandRita]

So, SE Spain is four days and three nights rolling at mid 80’s KPH and I find it quite relaxing TBH.

Snap Harvey. That suits us fine too.

Cheers,

Jock.

 

[jumartoo]

When we were eventually able to leave our Murcian apartment, Martin drove over 1,100km in two days. We needed to get out of the heat. Travelling with the aircon blowing was bliss. Our first overnight was awful. Since then, 7 weeks, we've probably clocked up 400km.

The 1,100km was possibly easier, driving wise, than some of the narrow roads we've done in the 400km

 

[peterc10]

Why are so many of you in such a hurry to get somewhere? Especially if you are retired like us. You are driving a diesel motorhome not an Aston Martin.

To us motorhoming is all about the journey because we never have a definitive destination. Where we point the bonnet and how far we get each day will depend upon many things that happen during the journey. Sometimes we will stop for a bite of lunch and decide to stay, especially if the lunch is a nice menu del dia (or du jour) with a carafe of the local wine thrown in. Other times we decide the weather is not to our liking so eat up some miles on the Autoroute to get somewhere warmer or drier or both.

The only time we give ourselves a deadline is when we are catching the train back to blighty. And even then we have sometimes changed the train times.

 

[nicholsong]

For me, the mileage I ‘want’ or ‘need’ to do in a day is directly linked to the speed I approach the journey at. If travelling at 60-65 mph (or KPH equivalent) then five hours a day is enough. If I’m cruising at 54mph I’m happing doing 9-10 hour drives and feel way less tired… yes I really do find the extra few MPH needs way more concentration that cruising with the wagons.

So, SE Spain is four days and three nights rolling at mid 80’s KPH and I find it quite relaxing TBH.

I would do 'cruising with the wagons' but for two things -

- when it is busy there is always one lorry whose limiter is a couple of kph higher than the lorry that I am behind, so he comes right up my rear looking for his chance to overtake and then is roaring away alongside us for 1/2 km.

- also at 90kph when iy come to a hill my revs are too low to stay in 5th gear, so I have to change down or try to overtake before the hill, because sod's law I am behind the heaviest loaded lorry which is down to 70kph and the next lane is full.

So unless the M/Way is empty I prefer to cruise at 95-100kph and stay out of the inside lane, unless on a 2-lane section.

 

[JockandRita]

I would do 'cruising with the wagons' but for two things -

- when it is busy there is always one lorry whose limiter is a couple of kph higher than the lorry that I am behind, so he comes right up my rear looking for his chance to overtake and then is roaring away alongside us for 1/2 km.

- also at 90kph when iy come to a hill my revs are too low to stay in 5th gear, so I have to change down or try to overtake before the hill, because sod's law I am behind the heaviest loaded lorry which is down to 70kph and the next lane is full.

So unless the M/Way is empty I prefer to cruise at 95-100kph and stay out of the inside lane, unless on a 2-lane section.

I think that one comes under the term, "forward planning", Geoffrey old chap.

I tend to stick at 92kph, but if catching up with a line of HGVs, it's mirror, signal, manoeuvre, (making sure Herr BMW/Herr Audi isn't stonking up my nearside at 130kph plus), and I accelerate overtaking the lot, then back down to 92kph again.

It works every time for me, unless of course there is an overall 3.5t restriction, in lanes 2 & 3.

Cheers,

Jock.

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