Knackered and ranting.

[neil]

Hells bells - retired to Cornwall a few years ago ( now 56). Thought nothing of traffic until I had to go to London and Cambridge. M3 and M5 full of lorries and hordes of other wheelies.

Then up the M11 and more lorries. Talk about stressed out - phew. Drove back via A34 etc from Cambridge. Much better, more calming for me.

Actually I would not mind living around Cambridge even though I am a Cornish fella.

Coming home, and once over the Devon/Cornwall border, I thought the world and his dog was heading for Cornwall.

Yeah- maybe Cambridge might be a better home! Never saw a place so desparate for employees that even banks had jobs advertised in their windows !

Glass of wine or three, I feel better now.

 

[BBB]

I bet you'll miss the cream teas and pasty.

Not to mention Tinners Ale.


:cheesy: :cheesy:

 

[Trader333]

The A34 does not go to Cambridge so maybe this was your problem ? You were also lucky as the A34 is one of the worst roads in the UK but then so is the A14 near Cambridge.

In less than 2 years the traffic on the A14 increased by 40% and I guess things will only get worse not better.

I lived and worked in Cambridge for 2 years and it is a great place in my view although RR seems to want to leave for some reason.


Paul

 

[Skimbleshanks]

The other problem was driving along the M3 - London to Cornwall is the M4 and M5, so perhaps using the M3 to Southampton added to the stress. :cheesy:

 

[TheBramble]

The A34 does not go to Cambridge so maybe this was your problem ?

lol.

I live 10 miles north of the A14 and go nowhere near it - especially during rush hour.

I understand he deputy PM's office have decided to widen this to 4 lanes in order to accommodate the extra traffic the additional Stanstead terminal is going to bring.

Pity they didn't just open their eyes and look at the existing problem. It's never been adequate for the volume of traffic.

Still it's an ill wind. Restrictions on new residential building on anything expect in-fill has been lifted as well which will have a positive knock-on effect on property prices.

(Notwithstanding any property bust...)

 

[Salty Gibbon]

Improve your trading and buy a helipcopter.

 

[neil]

The other problem was driving along the M3 - London to Cornwall is the M4 and M5, so perhaps using the M3 to Southampton added to the stress. :cheesy:

I never used the M3 to Southampton ! - M4 and M5 is the long way around. If returning from Dartford kent I use the M25, M3 then A303, M5 and A38 or M5 and A30.

 

[neil]

The A34 does not go to Cambridge so maybe this was your problem ? You were also lucky as the A34 is one of the worst roads in the UK but then so is the A14 near Cambridge.

In less than 2 years the traffic on the A14 increased by 40% and I guess things will only get worse not better.

I lived and worked in Cambridge for 2 years and it is a great place in my view although RR seems to want to leave for some reason.


Paul

Paul - I picked up the A34 after driving from Cambridge and skirting Milton Keynes etc, then pick up the A34 and eventually connect to the A303, M5 at Exeter and A30

 

[neil]

lol.

I live 10 miles north of the A14 and go nowhere near it - especially during rush hour.

I understand he deputy PM's office have decided to widen this to 4 lanes in order to accommodate the extra traffic the additional Stanstead terminal is going to bring.

Pity they didn't just open their eyes and look at the existing problem. It's never been adequate for the volume of traffic.

Still it's an ill wind. Restrictions on new residential building on anything expect in-fill has been lifted as well which will have a positive knock-on effect on property prices.

(Notwithstanding any property bust...)

And they are planning to build a 10000 person town next door to Longstanton !

 

[neil]

I bet you'll miss the cream teas and pasty.

Not to mention Tinners Ale.


:cheesy: :cheesy:

Sadly cream teas make me feel ill but the emmets scoff them down like there is no tomorrow.

Pasties - well you have to be careful where you buy them.
Nice weather for the beach at present.

Avoid travelling on Saturdays because that is change over day when the hordes come into, or leave, Cornwall. Traffic jams all day.

 

[1kyle]

Often use the A14 -- especially coming out of Harwich docks.

The Stretch between the end of the M11 (Cambridge) and Huntingdon must be the Speed Camera Capital of the world -- I counted at least 7 of the new type to say nothing of those sneaky 'specs one's. Fortunately as is usual on that stretch there was so much traffic that even thinking about driving more than 25 MPH was not even in the realms of science fiction. Those cameras should be there to enforce a MINIMUM speed limit.

I'm thinking of retiring to the Basque part of S. France / N spain anyway. I can do my tradingg from there, property cheaper, weather lovely and food exquisite. This area fortunately has been missed by the "ex Pat" brits and is very cheap. Wonderful beaches at San Sebastian (spain) and Bayonne / Biarritz (France). cosmopolitan cities of Bilbao(spain) and Toulouse (France). great festivals (Bull run in Pamplona - spain) and wonderful skiing in the pyrennies and of course the duty and tax free haven of Andorra.

I can't wait to escape from the rat race the UK has become.

And if I want some self punishment -- there is always the Ferry from Bilbao to Portsmouth -- so I can tease my friends on visits back to 'blighty.

Hasta manana

 

[Skimbleshanks]

If returning from Dartford kent I use the M25, M3 then A303, M5 and A38 or M5 and A30.

You said you went to London and Cambridge, and obviously forgot to mention about going via Kent.

I bet you just didn't want to stop and ask directions. :cheesy:

 

[neil]

This area fortunately has been missed by the "ex Pat" brits and is very cheap. Wonderful beaches at San Sebastian (spain) and Bayonne / Biarritz

Cheap ?

Are you going for good, or simply to spend some time in France and the UK; perhaps 6 months in each country?

 

[TheBramble]

I bet you just didn't want to stop and ask directions. :cheesy:

Well Skim, 'the trend is your friend' and all that good stuff.

As long as the road carries on, I can see no point stopping unless I've arrived or I'm clearly wrong. Or is this just a bloke thing? :cheesy:

As for the right direction - who can tell?

Luckily, us chaps usually have women navigators along to help us.

Whereas we don't read maps - they can't , but they do tell us after we've gone wrong.

 

[chump]

LOL..male/female bun fight in the offing..my monies on skim ,but I have a sneaky feeling Bram might steal a knockout ...

 

[ChartMan]

The proof of a good map reader is being able to get it right travelling North to South. In the middle of the night, down country lanes..... and not missing your turning in the middle of nowhere....It's called Rallying :cheesy:

 

[Rognvald]

Realistically men suffer from this effect and it doesn't help lol

 

[oatman]

You said you went to London and Cambridge, and obviously forgot to mention about going via Kent.

The danger of having a female navigator is that you'd always go via Bluewater :cheesy:

 

[Bigbusiness]

I have friends that live in Ipswich. It is about 365 miles from here and I prefer the M3 to the M4. I think the worst bit is getting to Exeter.

Ryanair do cheap flights from Newquay to Stanstead but the free car park now cost £6 a night. So to park the car costs twice as much as the flight.

Must go now, I am off for a cream tea and pasty breakfast

 

[BBB]

The best thing (well, one of) about Cambridge imo is the Varsity restaurant. Steaks to die for.... Haven't been their for a few years, but hope it's still there. Near a bridge - one or two bridges down from THE bridge, by the centre.

HAve you guys never heard of Sat Nav - kinda makes women redundant!