11.19pm: Sodding hell, I'm home. Six hours after setting off. This was the worst journey ever. And I'm the guy who once took 8 hours to get from Coventry to Bangor on my scooter because I got lost in Telford. Eurgh - Zoomy, you're right - thus is exactly why you shouldn't drive. I think I would actually have been quicker walking from London. Anyway, that's it for live blogging - join me next week for 'breakfast - live!'.
9.35pm: So. Still going. Wasn't helped by the fact I came out of the services and went the wrong way for 28 miles. Plus eight miles up the M11 when I got confused at the roadworks. Now there's gridlock on the M1. I'll never get home.
8.11pm: Yes, I expect to get off the M25 any hour now. The weather is holding up, incidentally. Aside from a spot of rain, a considerable amount of standing water at the Dartford Toll and the perky cold, the weather has been lovely.
7.31pm: I hear a senior cabinet minister has just said something to the BBC that has nothing to do with this live blog, but we do need some intrigue. Interesting fact: I spilled some petrol on my coat sleeve at Tesco earlier and it stank the car out.
7.23pm: As if a traffic jam wasn't quite bad enough, the soul-destroying glare of a service station. It always takes five goes before you find a habitable cubicle, and even then it looks like a Rolling Stone's hotel room. Shit smeared about and stuff hanging off the walks. Someone's had fun in here. Then they make you choose between a Burger King or a KFC. The thing about the lesser of two evils is they're still both evils.
7:14pm: I have travelled 46 miles. I am giving up for a little while because I really need the toilet.
5.31pm: The M25 is gridlocked.
5.16pm: Just filled up with petrol at Tesco. At 117.9p per litre, this is just 2p off 2008's record highs.
5.03pm: If the Guardian can live blog such dullness as "not quite the election 2010" then how can I possibly avoid charting the tempestuous exploits of my journey back to Coventry after a week in London? I am sat in the car at Foots Cray, which may or may not be in London as it happens - depends who you talk to. I am contemplating the 22 million cars said to be on the road today.
3 hours ago
This is a pretty good example of why you shouldn't drive anywhere, ever.
ReplyDeleteI don't know about that ZZ,sometimes you need to drive somewhere & some reason it just messes up, tho not long hauls I add. Why didn't you take train Sam?
ReplyDeleteI hate the train - expensive, slow, impractical. It would have taken me around four hours to get home without delays and it's terribly louche turning up at an office with all of your bags. I don't think the train is ever really going to take off as an idea, but then I might be biased as a motoring writer in training.
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