Member Since: 26 Oct 2010
Location: Staffordshire
Posts: 90
Lithuanian/Latvian Roads
So my girlfriend needs to go to Northern Latvia (Ventspils to be precise) and apparently some time ago I agreed that we should drive because it would be great - I know understand why she bought me a bottle of Johnnie Walker Platinum also some time ago !!!!
Anyway I have no problems driving (in fact I will enjoy it) but I as I am planning this trip I realise that my Eastern European driving experience is limited to Poland. My questions are (and I guess these will probably be answered by the forum's own Phileas Fogg)
How do the roads in Lithuania and Latvia compare to Poland's roads?
Will I be plagued with potholes and lunatic drivers or have the governments of those countries spent their EU grants wisely and invested in infrastructure?
Anything I should be aware of that the locals will expect you to know but you wouldn't automatically know unless someone told you?
How does fuel compare in cost to Poland (bearing in mind we have just reached the 1GBP per litre mark in Poland
I am based in Poland so it is a short hop to the border then through Lithuania with an overnight in Klaipeda before heading up the coast the Ventspils.
i'm trying to workout if DSL is the man to answer that โฆ
DSL signaturestrip wrote:
Old Dee ๐ฌ๐ง๐ซ๐ท๐น๐ณ๐ช๐ธ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ง๐ช๐ณ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐บ๐ฉ๐ช๐ฎ๐น๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ช๐ณ๐ด๐ซ๐ฎ๐ต๐ฑ๐ธ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐น๐ฑ๐ป๐ง๐ผ
New Dee ๐ฌ๐ง๐ซ๐ท๐ง๐ช๐ณ๐ฑ๐ฉ๐ช๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ช๐ฎ๐ธ๐ซ๐ฎ
19th Jul 2018 4:46 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73121
Yes Lithuania and Latvia are in there.
Done that way twice. Donโt know what the road is like from Riga but up to there the roads are fine. All normal, non d/cway or mway, but pretty good. It was the road from Warsaw up to Suwalki I hated. Fuel is about the same (well it was last summer) as Poland and headlights on all the time. Fair amount of truck traffic but they tend to move along quickly.
19th Jul 2018 5:43 am
bluebarchetta
Member Since: 25 Oct 2005
Location: Aylesbury
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Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73121
Reminded me more of driving in Poland so OP should be fine.
Saying that, off to Gdaลsk by D4 this Oct so will get to re-experience those joys.
19th Jul 2018 6:18 am
jambo27
Member Since: 26 Oct 2010
Location: Staffordshire
Posts: 90
Great thanks for the replies
That article about driving in Latvia could easily be applied to driving in Poland - although written as a joke it is incredibly accurate. It is quite normal here to treat single lane roads as dual carriageways.
19th Jul 2018 6:29 am
jambo27
Member Since: 26 Oct 2010
Location: Staffordshire
Posts: 90
DSL wrote:
Reminded me more of driving in Poland so OP should be fine.
Saying that, off to Gdaลsk by D4 this Oct so will get to re-experience those joys.
Haha once experienced you never forget Polish driving. If anything I would say the standard of driving is getting worse
19th Jul 2018 6:33 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73121
Will stick to โnormalโ roads as they are a bit less aggressive on those cf Mways. Kostryzn to S of Gdaลsk via Kolobrzeg & back same way direct.
i'm trying to workout if DSL is the man to answer that โฆ
DSL signaturestrip wrote:
Old Dee ๐ฌ๐ง๐ซ๐ท๐น๐ณ๐ช๐ธ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ง๐ช๐ณ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐บ๐ฉ๐ช๐ฎ๐น๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ช๐ณ๐ด๐ซ๐ฎ๐ต๐ฑ๐ธ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐น๐ฑ๐ป๐ง๐ผ
New Dee ๐ฌ๐ง๐ซ๐ท๐ง๐ช๐ณ๐ฑ๐ฉ๐ช๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ช๐ฎ๐ธ๐ซ๐ฎ
well me โฆ when I look at your signature on the PC, it's just a string of letters "GBFR..." etc. but when I see what I posted above on my phone it's the flags. never noticed before because phone view doesn't show signatures.
19th Jul 2018 7:30 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73121
And, as above, one more to add for New Dee in early Oct: ๐ต๐ฑ
19th Jul 2018 7:34 am
jambo27
Member Since: 26 Oct 2010
Location: Staffordshire
Posts: 90
DSL wrote:
Will stick to โnormalโ roads as they are a bit less aggressive on those cf Mways. Kostryzn to S of Gdaลsk via Kolobrzeg & back same way direct.
Nice route along the coast. That time of year traffic should be light as it is out of holiday season and everyone will be at work or school.
If speed of journey is a factor then A2 through Germany to Poznan and then cut across to south of Torun and up A1 to Gdansk is a quicker route but more miles and you won't drive past a Biedronka with their lovely pastries and cakes every 20km.
Unusual for people to have Poland as a destination most people are just passing through or calling for cheap beer and cigarettes
19th Jul 2018 10:21 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73121
Biedronka = half the reason I tend to stay off the Polish Mways. That and the Polish drivers on them.
In 2016 I used the normal roads, and swore I should have used the Mways. Last year I used the Mways and swore I should have used the normal roads. This October itโs back to normal roads then.
19th Jul 2018 7:09 pm
jambo27
Member Since: 26 Oct 2010
Location: Staffordshire
Posts: 90
Ah Polish drivers on motorways is an eye opening experience
Yes I can see you in my mirror, yes I know you are behind me, yes I know your Audi with one wing mirror, one working headlight and half an exhaust is faster than me but I am overtaking a lorry and have central reservation on my left - where exactly do you think I am going to move too when you flash your one light??
Oooh look the road changes from 2 lanes to one lane, I know I'll drive down the hard shoulder and cut in at the last minute
Hmm my junction is coming in the next 150m and I am doing 150 kph in the outside lane. How long can I leave it before i cut across the traffic in the other lanes to exit at this junction ?
It's boring driver my lorry at night, I'll just put my laptop on top of the wheel and watch a film as a trundle down this motorway.
Any of those familiar to you and your experiences ?
Hope you find the normal roads better this time. Hopefully he physical size of the D4 will make people think twice before any crazy overtaking moves as they won't be able to see so clearly although visibility of road ahead is not normally a barrier for overtaking here.
Is Gdansk your only destination or are you having a tour round ?
20th Jul 2018 8:46 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73121
All in my experiences apart from the truck one. They are bigger than me and avoided eye contact at any cost. I know, chicken but I had my hands full trying to avoid the cars. It was in that appalling weather last early summer but that didnโt make any difference.
Plan is Tunnel to Kostrzyn via Zossen & Halbe, few days there seeing Seelow Heights sites & general tromping over the battlefield. Then to Gdansk via Klomino (the town that didnโt exist until the rooskies left) and Borne Sulinowo. Couple of days in Gdansk for wedding, poss side trip to Hel to get a bit of space on the Sunday. Back via Kolobrzeg for a couple of museums and an army surplus place here 9F6Qโ5JG7+M2 that could sell you a not so small army, have a mooch at the pics on GoogMaps. Highlight of the museum is this Panzer IV dug up a few years ago & restored.
From this 21ft down
Click image to enlarge
To this
Click image to enlarge
Click image to enlarge
Well thatโs the plan.
Oh, and the Luftwaffe museum at Gatow http://mhm-gatow.de/en/ on the way back as will be virtually passing.
20th Jul 2018 9:07 am
jambo27
Member Since: 26 Oct 2010
Location: Staffordshire
Posts: 90
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
me โฆ when I look at your signature on the PC, it's just a string of letters "GBFR..." etc. but when I see what I posted above on my phone it's the flags. never noticed before because phone view doesn't show signatures.
