I left Klazienaveen last Tuesday late afternoon for the overnight ferry from the Hoek of Holland to Harwich. The builders told me that due to the snow that morning there had been 650kms of traffic jams in Amsterdam that morning and that they did not fancy my drive and had I left plenty of time.
I set the sat nav as usual and several times it dinged up a warning of traffic delays and did I want it to divert round, for once I said yes. Got there about 10minutes later than usual but still in time to catch 'Holby City" on the cabin Tv on BBC in Holland on a ferry! Never saw any jams. Did have a rare sighting of 3 snow ploughs, one in each of the three three lanes in echelon on the one road, impressive, I was able to dodge round them however. The first one ahead in the fast lane pushing the snow to the middle lane who was in turn pushing to the slow lane who was filling up the hard shoulder.
Left Harwich next morning to sat nav warnings of snow and traffic jams, never saw anything!
Hit the M1 and the gantry said 'Gritting in Progress" Never saw them.
Thursday up the M1 and A50 for Stafford and Manchester show - gantry says "Gritting in Progress" never saw them in an hours drive.
Friday mid-day, down the M1 in falling snow - gantry says "Gritting in Progress" round the M25 towards Gatwick still the signs are saying "Gritting in Progress - never saw them in 2 hours drive.
Watched the snow fall Friday and Saturday and Sunday in south London, stayed in the warm by the kettle and Tv.....
Monday evening off down the A3 - M25 - A12 for Harwich- you guessed it signs as usual but no sightings. It started snowing quite hard around 15 miles short of Harwich --but no signs of the elusive gritters.
A lot of snow on the ground when I got off the ferry but no signs of action---150 miles later about 5 miles short of my destination I saw two snow ploughs one behind the other - on the opposite carriageway though.
Now the strange thing is that in all this driving and snow the roads were always clear, incredible--until the last 500yards before home, just like Sweden the road was white packed snow, seems the clearing locally was restricted to the bus routes and we are not on one.
Now where were the gritters, I figure they must have been just in front of me travelling fast for I never caught sight of them.
Answers on a postcard to someone you want to annoy (not me of course).
Happy new year.
Copied from the 'personal blog' as nobody seemed to see it there
« Jan 21 2013
| 62 Posts
reply
| 124 Posts
Visitors
Board Statistics
