Now I know why we mostly go to France.

[maison]

We find that we can usually do the 410 miles from our place in Burgundy to Calais in between 1 and 2 hours less than the 250 miles from the Tunnel to our home in South Wales, and that’s on a good day.

Today we have to travel South Wales to Cumbria on the M5 and M6. Oh, joy!

 

[Odd-no-more]

I don't know what is happening to our country. We are supposed to be one of the richest countries in the world, yet, our roads are awful, our trains are awful, our health service is almost awful, our police service is worse than awful and on top of that they don't empty the bins enough.

What are "they" doing with OUR country and OUR money?

 

[Cheshirecat57]

If I was only left with the SE of England and France to go on holiday, I would sell my Motorhome

 

[Clarky]

I don't know what is happening to our country. We are supposed to be one of the richest countries in the world, yet, our roads are awful, our trains are awful, our health service is almost awful, our police service is worse than awful and on top of that they don't empty the bins enough.

What are "they" doing with OUR country and OUR money?

Wrong priorities by our political masters.

We are still sending enormous amounts of our hard earned to places like India, who can afford to have a space program, waste more on PC projects, plus all that money wasted by fraudulent benefit claims.
Also, can anyone name a local authority that doesn’t have a super smart and expensive HQ office building. When I was working for a successful national company many of our buildings were old and run on a shoestring to cut costs and keep the profits up. You won’t find that sort of motive in local authorities or government.

Sorry, well off topic, as usual.

Richard

 

[chaser]

If I was only left with the SE of England and France to go on holiday, I would sell my Motorhome

If I was just left with UK mine would be definitely gone

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[Ivory55]

You

Wrong priorities by our political masters.

We are still sending enormous amounts of our hard earned to places like India, who can afford to have a space program, waste more on PC projects, plus all that money wasted by fraudulent benefit claims.
Also, can anyone name a local authority that doesn’t have a super smart and expensive HQ office building. When I was working for a successful national company many of our buildings were old and run on a shoestring to cut costs and keep the profits up. You won’t find that sort of motive in local authorities or government.

Sorry, well off topic, as usual.

Richard

can not have a good thread unless it goes off topic. Haha

 

[gus-lopez]

What are "they" doing with OUR country and OUR money?

Yes it isn't being spent on the basic services first.

 

[Odd-no-more]

Unfortunately we are stuck with the south of England for the moment. Family circumstances do not allow us to go further.

 

[busby]

Just driven back home to Suffolk from Calshot, near Southampton and the traffic has been a nightmare.
I chose a route that would miss a lot of the dreaded M25 and A12 and left just before 10 this morning, thinking the traffic wouldn’t be too bad.
We crawled up the M3 until past Winchester, stopped and started around the M25 near Heathrow and sat in jams trying to get to the A1m.
Just to add to the merriment there was a car fire and some of the driving was pretty awful.
It took over 5 hours.

We drive thousands of km around France (other countries are also available) every year and I have never had a drive like that while there.

And folk wonder why we prefer going to the continent rather than staying in the UK.

Richard

My number one rule since I retired 19 years ago is Never travel in UK on a Friday ..BUSBY??

 

[Chris]

It’s no so bad if you time it carefully.

I did the 300 miles from London to Pembroke yesterday in just under 5 hours including stops.

Left at 05.30 to beat the M25 jams and then had a stop on the M4 services for some breakfast and then started driving again knowing that by the time we got there the Bristol, Newport and Cardiff hotspots would be clearing.

We had no hold ups at all except at Cross Hands and that was caused by rubberneckers looking at a crash on the other carriageway

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[Cheshirecat57]

If I was just left with UK mine would be definitely gone

Isn't that what makes our mutual hobby/interest so great

 

[SpeedyDux]

This:

https://www.constructionenquirer.com/2017/10/20/highways-england-delays-22-road-projects/

Looking at those lists, the "major road projects" consist mainly of junction improvements and "smart motorways" which really means making the hard shoulder into an extra running lane (not dangerous if you break down, of course ) with expensive gantries for variable speed limits and more speed cameras. Does not appear "major" to me.

As Clarky says the priorities are all wrong - the government sets targets for hundreds of thousands of new homes to be built, mostly in the overdeveloped South of England, and fails to invest anything like enough in much needed new road infrastructure. The M25 had barely enough capacity when it was completed in the 1980s. Now it is a stop-start nightmare.

The cause? Most likely too rapid population expansion after 1997 coupled with London as a centralised economic magnet. Public debate or discussion of the "I-word" has been suppressed because that is taboo, non-PC, you risk being labelled extreme right-wing, ray-cyst, [******]phobic, etc. In France, public discussion around migration is more acceptable, at least for now, even if their mainstream politicians prefer to ignore it.

Outside the big cities the social problems it causes are less obvious, and the French road system has benefitted from massive investment in entire new roads, by-passes and motorways. What a pleasure it was to drive over there with relatively little traffic, and what sheer hell the final leg of my journey home has become, starting from Folkestone. A total of 3 hours of delays.

 

[Khizzie]

I don't know what is happening to our country. We are supposed to be one of the richest countries in the world, yet, our roads are awful, our trains are awful, our health service is almost awful, our police service is worse than awful and on top of that they don't empty the bins enough.

What are "they" doing with OUR country and OUR money?

Just too many people. And because we are an affluent race. Most homes have a min of two cars, usually three. . Austerity ?

 

[Ivory55]

I

Just too many people. And because we are an affluent race. Most homes have a min of two cars, usually three. . Austerity ?

would not judge wealth by car ownership. It’s more to do with the fact you can not get to work without one.

 

[Lenny HB]

Most of my long trips in the UK are to the ports, Portsmouth, Plymouth and Newhaven

Same here 20 miles to Newhaven is far enough in a Motorhome in the UK, then on the other side of the channel we are in Motorhome heaven.

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[filopastry]

and then had a stop on the M4 services for some breakfast

I hope your breakfast was something you prepared yourself and not the over priced offal they dish up at GB motorway services

 

[thebriars]

Thing is though there are folks on here who have never been to France in a motorhome and swear blind they are not going to, you just have to despair for them never knowing any different.

Why worry? If they all went the ferries would be clogged too.

 

[Khizzie]

I

would not judge wealth by car ownership. It’s more to do with the fact you can not get to work without one.

Sorry to disagree. But certainly in the area where I live in the UK, almost all of the people could walk to work or catch a bus.. People are dramatically wealthier now than ever before.. Owning many things my parents would have given their right arms for. But we were just normal working class and only the rich could afford a lifestyle that is normal today, and that includes those who are unable to work and are in benefits.

 

[Rob and Val]

Haven't been to Europe for a couple of years due to health problems. We had planned a trip to Cadiz for June last year but I had a heart attack at the end of May and that meant everything got cancelled. What do you do regarding health insurance whilst away? Surely you don't all rely on EHIC? That might be OK for emergency treatment but doesn't provide cover for longer in-hospital stays or repatriation. And what will happen to EHIC after Brexit? Most insurance companies either won't insure me or want to charge exorbitant premiums when they find out about my health problems.

 

[Clarky]

It’s no so bad if you time it carefully.

I did the 300 miles from London to Pembroke yesterday in just under 5 hours including stops.

Left at 05.30 to beat the M25 jams and then had a stop on the M4 services for some breakfast and then started driving again knowing that by the time we got there the Bristol, Newport and Cardiff hotspots would be clearing.

We had no hold ups at all except at Cross Hands and that was caused by rubberneckers looking at a crash on the other carriageway

05.30???
That’s the middle of the blinking night.
Don’t do starts like that since we stopped working at airshows.
Us retired chaps need our sleep you know.

Richard

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[Odd-no-more]

Sorry to disagree. But certainly in the area where I live in the UK, almost all of the people could walk to work or catch a bus.. People are dramatically wealthier now than ever before.. Owning many things my parents would have given their right arms for. But we were just normal working class and only the rich could afford a lifestyle that is normal today, and that includes those who are unable to work and are in benefits.

I agree we are better off now than ever before but people want so much so they feel poor. As to public transport, it is part of the problem. My (ex) office is about 15 minutes drive but the bus takes over an hour not counting the wait at the bus stop.

The problem is lack of investment in everything over many years by many governments. And we cannot do anything about it because they won't let us have democracy.

 

[Ivory55]

Sorry to disagree. But certainly in the area where I live in the UK, almost all of the people could walk to work or catch a bus.. People are dramatically wealthier now than ever before.. Owning many things my parents would have given their right arms for. But we were just normal working class and only the rich could afford a lifestyle that is normal today, and that includes those who are unable to work and are in benefits.

But are you not in France

 

[Ivory55]

I agree we are better off now than ever before but people want so much so they feel poor. As to public transport, it is part of the problem. My (ex) office is about 15 minutes drive but the bus takes over an hour not counting the wait at the bus stop.

The problem is lack of investment in everything over many years by many governments. And we cannot do anything about it because they won't let us have democracy.

Public transport is a problem, they even run a project giving mopeds to unemployed so they can get to work

 

[marrod23]

Thing is though there are folks on here who have never been to France in a motorhome and swear blind they are not going to, you just have to despair for them never knowing any different.

Good job as that would be full as well

 

[Cheshirecat57]

Sorry to disagree. But certainly in the area where I live in the UK, almost all of the people could walk to work or catch a bus.. People are dramatically wealthier now than ever before.. Owning many things my parents would have given their right arms for. But we were just normal working class and only the rich could afford a lifestyle that is normal today, and that includes those who are unable to work and are in benefits.

Nonsense idea round here
I live MID WAY between Manchester and Chester
There is a train to either ONCE an hour except at weekends
Getting a bus is a joke
If you don't book a taxi well in advance you have no chance

That is reality for a huge section of the populus

Lets spend the HS2 money better on non-south-of-england projects ( including the roads) and organise/incentivise the haulage industry better

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[laneside]

The problem is over population, we need a huge cull, can me and Shiffty and Kesbruce be on the selection comittee. Well not sure regarding Shiifty because he has now crossed the great divide.

 

[Camping Gaza]

Each time I go to France, Usually every other month this year, I drive from central London, via Croydon, Caterham and then the M25, and eventually the M whatever it is to Dover.

I have been held up once on the motorways, due to an accident, what I find is if you drive mid morning to mid afternoon, traffic is light.

I think the 50mph speed limit on big stretches of the Mway to Dover also helps a lot, it seems to reduce bunching of traffic. I have noticed that people are acknowledging the advisory speed limits on the gantries that are there to introduce separation, I think this works too.

I am probably wrong of course and I am sure there will be an expert who knows traffic flow analysis, has a slide rule, a direct internet connection to the traffic monitoring supercomputers at the data centre of the AA and 70 years experience working as a Sous Chef, will quite rightly put me on the naughty step.

 

[Khizzie]

But are you not in France

I live in southern Britain for half the year..

 

[laneside]

Hey spend the HS2 money on decent internet and make the buggers stay at home and save their carbon footprint

 

[ambulancekidd]

Our Scottish roads in my area are deserted, no hang on I've worked out why, its the rain & the midges!!!
The scenery is splendid though but, France is prohibitive as we've got 450miles to go before we could pick up a ferry.

Our daughter lives in Essex & my other half is from Bucks, our last trip in either area shocked me, it took us over an hour to go through Aylesbury (a town which I know well) then to Hazel's brother who lives near Taplow had unbelievable traffic jams, even on a sunday.

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