Wild but scared

[moonstone]

We bought our first motorhome a Winnebago Le Sharo, which we are very proud of about seven months ago. We consider ourselves to be careful, considerate road users but it seems that ordinary car drivers dont like us very much. We have had several remarks such as "You cant drive that down here!" (on our way to a public car-park in Matlock) "Thats a large vehicle for a small lane" and encountered quiet a few oncoming cars who were unwilling to let us pass. Monday this week having rare full day out we decided to head to the East coast. Leaving a parking area to go home we encountered two people of pensionable age driving towards us down a narrow lane. Our side was a river, theirs a grass bank, not much room but they kept coming. We pulled slowly over, but they still kept coming. We drove onto the verge but they slipped down a gear and pressed on. As I shrieked, "Theyre going to hit us!" we gradually slid to a forty-five degree angle,one front wheel off the ground. They proceeded to sit in the car park we had just vacated while we slowly and hardly daring to breathe got out and wondered if our beloved Winni was about to topple into the river. After a mile hike into a nearby village my husband found an understanding truck driver who hitched a tow line up and pulled us back onto the road.. This is what we consider WILD camping, but dont want to repeat it very often.

 

[guyd]

my - thats an ugly motorhome

Simple answer - smile, be nice, wave, drive slowly, and dont compromise YOUR safety for some idiot driving at you. Come to a complete halt, and let them hit you! Do a driving course for 7.5 tonners - it might teach you how to drive these big things.

 

[Deleted member 207]

Sorry for your scares - certainly not pleasant and obviously has affected your confidence.

BUT dont let a few one offs deter your enjoyment of a great past time.

My gut feel is that you meet numpties everywhere - whether they drive cars, trucks, campers.

I live on an island which has more than 50% of its inhabitants over retirement age and driving at any time can be an exciting experience - we have people driving around roundabouts the wrong way, turning right from the left hand lanes and vice versa, cyclists riding on the wrong side of the road, mini cars taking the same amount of space to turn as an artic, etc etc.

I've always felt that if you drive a larger vehicle its better to stop and remain on a firm surface and force the smaller lighter vehicle to use the verge/footpath or go off the road and let you pass safely. I'm inclined to stop and let anyone pass than risk ending up bogged or in a ditch/river.

 

[vwalan]

its quite common for people in small cars to act like that. its easy you have a big vehicle so must be able to squeeze through a gap that a small car cant. as a truck driver you meet this type of logic all the time . just as its easier to reverse a 40 ft artic than it is to reverse a mini metro. seen lots punch first the left rear light unit then pull forward and reverse to punch the righthand rear light unit.after several attempts its much better just to reverse the artic and let them get past . i cant drive a small car they must be so hard to drive i dont want to have one. nissan micra,s becoming the other hard car to reverse. but it is your fault if you drive off the road. never do that. even a grass verge can colapse . many trucks have over turned by putting one wheel on a verge . treat all car drivers as morons and then its ok. cheers alan.

 

[Kontiki]

I thought the Le Sharo wasn't that big & only about the same size as the average european coachbuilt. Personally I will always try to let the other driver if its a car pass me & I park as much out of the way as possible to give them room. If I don't consider there is enough space for them to pass I would make it impossible for them to get past by hogging the middle of the road. I would rather argue the point about backing up (them or me depending on who can reverse easiest) & be prepared to stand my ground. Never allow your safety to be compromised by an inconsiderate driver, in all my years I have only had a couple of times where the other driver was a complete a***ole & be unreasonable.

 

[caspar]

A horrible, but rare experience. Never compromise your safety. Before now I've had to get out of my motorhome and reverse somebody's car for them as they couldn't reverse.

At the end of the day you can live in the middle of the lane for as long as you want - they can't! Sometimes being big has its advantages. Having said that I often end up reversing as I find so many car drivers just cannot!

 

[stirlingb]

We have a Bessacar E495 which we sometimes use to tow a 10 ft box trailer to Moto x meetings down small country lanes - our set up is about 40ft long and we have never come across this attitude- of course being in convoy with all sorts of race cruisers, transits, converted minibuses, assorted old furniture trucks and caravans helpsNobody seems to want to take issue with a load of hairy arsed bikers bearing down on their Micras...... can't understand it we're all pussycats

 

[westbay]

"You can't drive that down here!"

"That's a large vehicle for a small lane"

. . . down a narrow lane.

Seems to me that a few of your remarks might hint at the reasons behind your troubles: ie Big Winne on small lanes might not be too good an idea. We regularly use small lanes to get to our favourite wild spots, but that's why we drive a little Sprinter

 

[Kontiki]

Not all Winabagos are big RV's see HERE They are based on the Renault Trafic not much bigger than your Sprinter

Always liked the look of those pity they stopped making them.

 

[stevereeve]

It is possible that the other driver was scared / disconcerted and simply decided to get through the situation as quickly as possible. Possibly also embarrassed when they had finally passed. Small country lanes are sometimes a problem - not always obvious just how narrow it will become - as I occasionally discover. My experience with oncoming traffic has invariably been positive / helpful - you were just unlucky so please do not let it put you off.

 

[Tbear]

We have a Bessacar E495 which we sometimes use to tow a 10 ft box trailer to Moto x meetings down small country lanes - our set up is about 40ft long and we have never come across this attitude- of course being in convoy with all sorts of race cruisers, transits, converted minibuses, assorted old furniture trucks and caravans helpsNobody seems to want to take issue with a load of hairy arsed bikers bearing down on their Micras...... can't understand it we're all pussycats

Why is it allways me heading in the opporsite direct to convoys Why can't the first van have a notice on saying "park up and have a cup of tea, there's two hundred of us coming".

 

[Yorkshirepudding]

Like another poster said, just park up and make a cuppa while they struggle past.

 

[Coolasluck]

We bought our first motorhome a Winnebago Le Sharo, which we are very proud of about seven months ago. We consider ourselves to be careful, considerate road users but it seems that ordinary car drivers dont like us very much. We have had several remarks such as "You cant drive that down here!" (on our way to a public car-park in Matlock) "Thats a large vehicle for a small lane" and encountered quiet a few oncoming cars who were unwilling to let us pass. Monday this week having rare full day out we decided to head to the East coast. Leaving a parking area to go home we encountered two people of pensionable age driving towards us down a narrow lane. Our side was a river, theirs a grass bank, not much room but they kept coming. We pulled slowly over, but they still kept coming. We drove onto the verge but they slipped down a gear and pressed on. As I shrieked, "Theyre going to hit us!" we gradually slid to a forty-five degree angle,one front wheel off the ground. They proceeded to sit in the car park we had just vacated while we slowly and hardly daring to breathe got out and wondered if our beloved Winni was about to topple into the river. After a mile hike into a nearby village my husband found an understanding truck driver who hitched a tow line up and pulled us back onto the road.. This is what we consider WILD camping, but dont want to repeat it very often.

Dont worry guys its all about learning.I almost toppled the van into a ditch on my first wild camping experiance,we were very very lucky.Last week i got the front wheel stuck in a rut on the beacons and did not have a shovel or toe rope,got pushed out the next morning and had used my fiama leveling ramp as a shovel.These things are sent to test you,dont be put off its worth it in the end.

 

[guyd]

I live down a tiny thin lane and reguarly tow big trailers down it. The grockels (sp?) aka holiday makers cant reverse, and I have been known to have to reverse a car transporter trailer, with both wheels in the hedge (its that narrow), round a blind corner, as numpty idiot cant reverse.

I have also dropped a sprinter into a ditch by misjudging that the edge was grass, not a hole - and took a massive tractor everything it had to drag me / it out. We snapped a large motorcycle lock chain (oxford monster) trying...

 

[syldale]

wild but scared

hi moonstone. like guyd said pull up and stop then they if they hit you they are hitting a parked vehicle and the blame in on there side we live on the fen's in lincoln and we do it all the time you have to because there is to many bone head's about and number one be safe when you park up for the night' happy camping

 

[The Truck]

Did the same in our Bedford TK, carried on driving down a narrow lane taking stones out of a drystone wall with the off side while numpty in Civic stopped 18 inches off the hedge on the other side
The noise of the stones hid the ripping noise of his car being opened by the other side of the truck, oops
Really sad thing is that the wife ( following behind in a car) noticed that it was a company car being driven by a learner driver and happened to mention it to our insurer who were very interested to hear that
Didnt seem to make any difference to our premiums

 

[Deleted member 12539]

Yes, we have had the same problem with small cars thinking that they have a tank.
I try to give them as much room as possible and then stop. As they drive by I give them a smile and a wave!
However, last month, whilst driving in south Wales, we encountered a woman who took it upon herself to try to squeeze past us when we were almost across a narrow bridge. I had to stop on the bridge with one side of the coachwork perilously close to the stone wall, whilst 'she' drove under my door mirror on the other side!!! This was too much for my wife who really let herself down and leaned out of the window as the woman went by and shouted obscenities at her!! Everybody looked at us who were walking nearby, I wanted the ground to open up and make us disappear!

 

[RG1]

To be fair the guy that struggled passed you probably didn't see you as "He was the only car on the road" I love that syndrome

 

[mitzimad]

micras

why is it that micra drivers are without a doubt the worlds worst?

 

[vipper]

Like another poster said, just park up and make a cuppa while they struggle past.

I know a Cornish farmer who has been known, when faced with a car not pulling over or backing up, to pop his feet on the dashboard and get his flask out. Nice guy.