Member Since: 17 Aug 2012
Location: Somewhere out back
Posts: 1293
Have a good trip
Always love to follow your threads when your of out and about on your road trips MY24 Defender 90 X-Dynamic HSE
MY18 Disco 5 HSE Santorini Black Now Gone.
27th Jun 2017 6:32 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73132
My first frites stop on the trip. All was going to plan until wifey in cafe said no frites until 11am!!!
Never mind, baguette with Brie & ham will just have to do.
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28th Jun 2017 8:47 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73132
Well, just under 600 miles done today, a lot of it in heavy rain. The rest seems like an endless succession of Autobahns, with a combo of roadworks, traffic jams and, where's traffic was flowing freely, the usual kamikasi German drivers trying to use The Force to get me out of the way when I was overtaking trucks.
I had to divert south of the route I had planned due to a big delay around Kassel so Leipzig hotel got binned and it also meant I hadn't looked at any campsites along the A4. Now tucked up in a nice cheap Ibis Budget for not too much more than camping.
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Tomorrow off to hotel in Warsaw, might go via Stallagluft III (think Great Escape) but that adds 50 miles onto an existing 500 mile haul. Will decide at the very last moment, as usual.
Oh, and if anyone finds a RHS foglight surround somewhere between Coquelles and Dortmund, it's mine.
Del I don't want to be temping fate for you here but what do you have in place for breakdowns and such ? Do you have a set plan or does it depend on whats wrong and the country you are in ?The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything;
They just make the best of everything they have.
28th Jun 2017 6:13 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73132
Full all singing and all dancing AA annual cover through Eurotunnel. Never go across the Channel without it, it's a LR after all. Besides if I have it I won't need it, if I don't I surely will.
The only time I get a little nervious is when I see "No Service" on the iPhone, or I've just travelled up a track for a few miles that I know a recovery truck is not going to get down.
Whilst I was working in Poland I visited Stallag III and it is worth it for the experience, there are 2 places, the exhibition/recreated camp area and the original tunnels/camp which is about 300 meters further down the road also another place is Gross Rosen (hard labour camp) which is about 30-40 miles before Wroclaw, another one worth a visit. Very sobering but worth it if you have the time.Disco 5, it's not every man's desire, but a connoisseurs choice
28th Jun 2017 9:58 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73132
I might do those on next trip. It turns a 500 mile day into a 600 mile day, plus it's due to be crappy weather.
29th Jun 2017 5:05 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73132
Shhhhhhh, don't tell SWMBO.
Click image to enlarge
I think I deserve it after driving through more rain than I saw in all of last year.
29th Jun 2017 10:17 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73132
Well that was 2 days I don't want to repeat. From first night in Germany to Warsaw to here in Riga, most of it was in atrocious weather, i.e. torrential rain and strong winds. Hotel in Warsaw was good as it had decent fast Wi-Fi so I can download all the music that my iPhone I've managed to lose. I fiddled with the settings change and managed to lose every single piece of Apple Music. Luckily got it all back so bangin toonz are back in business.
Will I have this way again to Finland? No. Two days of a combination of brillant roads with appalling drivers and normal roads with lots of trucks and campervan convoys doing 35mph. 80% of those days was driving in torrential rain and it's made me realise the sensible option would've been to get the ferry from Stockholm to Helsinki. Two days drive to Stockholm and overnight ferry and I would have been in Finland this morning, and probably pitched up at a lake with a fire going and watching the fish jump.
I'm not sure who I want to insult more, German drivers on autobahns or Polish drivers on their motorways. They are both absolute lunatics and believe the only place you should be is out of the way, even if you're overtaking a lorry and doing 75 miles an hour the time. To those drivers that think the fast lane of a two lane motorway has enough room for me and them I have two words. It doesn't! How I didn't end up with somebody smashed into the back of me yesterday and the day before I have no idea.
Anyway, rant over. View from my boudoir is of a railway marshalling yard and dock cranes. Luckily good AC so window is shut.
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Heading off tomorrow at 7:30ish, 4 hour drive to Tallinn with plenty of time for the 14:30 ferry to Helsinki. Bit of a drive to get to the start of Via Karellia then trip starts proper with a spot of wild camping. And hopefully better weather!!!
Right, I know I said this was going to be a dry trip but somehow a couple of cheeky cans of Estella managed to stow away in my Engel, they are about to be found and severely punished/drunk (delete as appropriate).
30th Jun 2017 4:32 pm
James W
Member Since: 27 Mar 2008
Location: Riyadh, KSA
Posts: 3079
Well earned I think!
The road hogs sound like a nightmare but all part of the adventure
Keep the updates coming!D4 XS, gone, much loved, never forgotten
2018 FFRR SDV8 Autobiography - Gone to someone with less sense and more time to enjoy it
2016 Toyota Hilux Invincible - Liberating experience
30th Jun 2017 4:35 pm
jambo27
Member Since: 26 Oct 2010
Location: Staffordshire
Posts: 90
Ah the joys of Polish motorways - I sympathise with you. They are crazy enough in the dry but the weather here has been terrible last couple of days anf after 3 weeks of no rain and 25+ temps everywhere is dry and solid so water is just running off all the fields rather than soaking in. General rules/things you should know for driving in Poland -
1. Speed limit on motorway is 140kph which means average probably 160-170kph
2. Indicators are completely optional on Polish cars, as is chrckingbhe rear view and wing mirrors before pulling out to overtake a lorry.
3. On a normal road most drivers beleive in an invisible overtaking lane straddling the middle of the road.
4. All drivers believe when they use this "special" lane all on coming cars will automatically take avoiding action and drive up the grass verge to avoid you.
5. Red traffic lights mean accelerate as fast as you can towards the lights so you can be first in line when they go green.
6. Driving on the rear bumper of the car infront as it passes a lorry will magically make the car disappear and allow them to complete the overtake - flashing headlights and hand signals are optional extras in this manouvere.
7. Roundabouts are rare in Poland so lane discipline where they do occur is horrendous.
8 most drivers think the lines in car parks are just a guide as to where to park. Most drivers will ignore them completely.
There are many more but I don't want to bore you.
With regards ferries a cheaper option maybe to drive to Gdansk and take the ferry to Helsinki from there but that would mean braving the Polish roads again.
30th Jun 2017 5:49 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73132
^^^^^^ That about sums up my experiences!! And re weather, I should have gone a week earlier.
Will look at other options for next jolly, just got to get to Tallinn and my ferry then the trip begins properly. Well it will when I see my first reindeer.
30th Jun 2017 6:12 pm
spikekellyrm
Member Since: 23 Jul 2015
Location: Manchester
Posts: 662
Bring on the inspiration del D4.5 Facelift, Lazer ST4, Prospeed underbody and rack, IID BT, Compomotive/BFG KO2, Series MFlaps, RAI, Dog Gd+XBB, Alive Tuned, T-Max/YellowTop, RemoteFBH, GlassesMod, WheelWinchMod, Jack Mod, LED Mods, Seized Crank Mod....
30th Jun 2017 8:38 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73132
Well as you peeps can see, the weather's the same old same old. Last night SWMBO suggested keeping the window closed for train noise but didn't think ships docked at night. Well there are 2 of them there now.
PS and whoever thought having English only on the automated pumps was a good idea, I almost put mobile phone credit in the car. My Latvian was deffo not up to scratch!!!
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