Stuck

[Cali Phillip]

Need a order sign " Caravans or vehicles over 6metres " except for deliveries, making it an offence.
It "might " deter most of the entitled people.

 

[Lightning]

Need a order sign " Caravans or vehicles over 6metres " except for deliveries, making it an offence.
It "might " deter most of the entitled people.

They really make it a ‘locals only’ facility. Keep the riff raff out.

 

[Cali Phillip]

They really make it a ‘locals only’ facility. Keep the riff raff out.

It only excluding the longer campervans and caravans only, those who are most likely to get stuck by vehicle length, locals included.
Every other vehicle under 6 metres are allowed including delivery drivers who have the skill and judgement to drive that road or choose not to. Yes they also are human and make mistakes granted.

We cannot ban everyone without the skills, we had to manhandle a tourist car out of the ditch up there one day and that was a small car not a Campervan.
We didn't grumble, it was an honest error, we are not anti tourist.
Its when you experience the near miss head on crashes just going to work, part of life up here, wondering if you will get taken out by a driver in the middle of the road or wrong side of the road being the worst, that not overtaking !
I don't travel to the office as much because of that I work from home more.

 

[Lightning]

It only excluding the longer campervans and caravans only, those who are most likely to get stuck by vehicle length, locals included.
Every other vehicle under 6 metres are allowed including delivery drivers who have the skill and judgement to drive that road or choose not to. Yes they also are human and make mistakes granted.

We cannot ban everyone without the skills, we had to manhandle a tourist car out of the ditch up there one day and that was a small car not a Campervan.
We didn't grumble, it was an honest error, we are not anti tourist.
Its when you experience the near miss head on crashes just going to work, part of life up here, wondering if you will get taken out by a driver in the middle of the road or wrong side of the road being the worst, that not overtaking !
I don't travel to the office as much because of that I work from home more.

So a small number of people are causing problems. The vast majority are responsible. The only solution must be to criminalise the activity and ban everybody except the locals from doing it.

 

[Joker 1299]

Maybe there just needs to be better signage.

The driver was probably following his sat nav and is thereby exempt from having to look at road signs

 

[Cali Phillip]

So a small number of people are causing problems. The vast majority are responsible. The only solution must be to criminalise the activity and ban everybody except the locals from doing it.

You seem very sensitive to "only local" being able to do things.
Locals cannot do it either with that sign, so no "non local discrimination"

Guess it depends on the frequency of the issue, warning might be enough to deter most I guess.
Most deliveries are from Inverness so they are not locals.

 

[Cali Phillip]

The driver was probably following his sat nav and is thereby exempt from having to look at road signs

very possible, I would hope they are observant too.

 

[Joker 1299]

very possible, I would hope they are observant too.

Obviously not! Probably too busy watching a movie on the dash mounted TV

 

[Lightning]

You seem very sensitive to "only local" being able to do things.
Locals cannot do it either with that sign, so no "non local discrimination"

Guess it depends on the frequency of the issue, warning might be enough to deter most I guess.
Most deliveries are from Inverness so they are not locals.

I don’t imagine the locals appreciate all that traffic impeding their journey to work and spoiling the view. They should just close the road so that only locals can benefit from it. Deliveries and visitors staying in hotels only. Perhaps a minimum spend in Applecross requirement, to traverse the road.

 

[Cali Phillip]

Obviously not! Probably too busy watching a movie on the dash mounted TV

or making a cuppa while the cruise control is on

 

[Joker 1299]

I don’t imagine the locals appreciate all that traffic impeding their journey to work and spoiling the view. They should just close the road so that only locals can benefit from it. Deliveries and visitors staying in hotels only. Perhaps a minimum spend in Applecross requirement, to traverse the road.

I think you are trying to steer this thread off track. Look out for the signs Lightning,and keep to the road

 

[Lightning]

I think you are trying to steer this thread off track. Look out for the signs Lightning,and keep to the road

Fair enough, although I have got myself in plenty of precarious situations by exploring mountain and Forest tracks in the middle of nowhere, all part of the fun. He got himself out of it, so it turns out he could make it down that road after all.

 

[Cali Phillip]

I don’t imagine the locals appreciate all that traffic impeding their journey to work and spoiling the view. They should just close the road so that only locals can benefit from it. Deliveries and visitors staying in hotels only. Perhaps a minimum spend in Applecross requirement, to traverse the road.

To be clear this was never a locals vs tourist / full time van dwellers thread, it was about who / why it occurred and a solution.
It's not about banning anyone but locals.

 

[Cali Phillip]

Fair enough, although I have got myself in plenty of precarious situations by exploring mountain and Forest tracks in the middle of nowhere, all part of the fun. He got himself out of it, so it turns out he could make it down that road after all.

Yes, agree, we all have near misses, adds to the wealth of experience we have and hopefully we get away with it.

 

[Lightning]

To be clear this was never a locals vs tourist / full time van dwellers thread, it was about who / why it occurred and a solution.
It's not about banning anyone but locals.

I know, however there appear to be striking parallels between this issue and another on a separate thread you have contributed to.

 

[Borris]

I've only recently joined the forum, so I'm taken aback to discover so many contributors are such prescient, if not infallible beings. Clearly, the concept "there, but for the grace of god" is redundant in these circles, and sympathy would only be wasted on lesser beings. As someone who was towed out of a ditch by a French farmer in his tractor (many years ago, when a borrowed Holdsworth Villa got into difficulties) perhaps I should get my coat now? For my own part, however ill advised those in the pictured 'van were, I hope they got away with it!

Yes we are all capable of doing silly things from time to time but I don't think that the "there but for the grace of god" maxim applies in this instance as nearly all sensibly minded people would almost certainly have concluded that a single track road over a steep mountain pass wasn't a suitable place to go with such an enormous outfit. It doesn't matter which direction you approach Applecross from the roads are wiggly narrow single track affairs with passing places. So even if you were unaware of the approaching pass and it's hairpin bends, you would still need to shut out those "is this wise" and " am I being a clot" voices from your mind. Yes, if it wasn't for the hairpin bends he/she could probably have managed, but it wouldn't have been a problem free drive for them or others on that route. At some point even they must have questioned whether they were driving an appropriate vehicle for that type of road.

Clearly to some size does matter!

 

[Amarillo]

Yes we are all capable of doing silly things from time to time but I don't think that the "there but for the grace of god" maxim applies in this instance as nearly all sensibly minded people would almost certainly have concluded that a single track road over a steep mountain pass wasn't a suitable place to go with such an enormous outfit. It doesn't matter which direction you approach Applecross from the roads are wiggly narrow single track affairs with passing places. So even if you were unaware of the approaching pass and it's hairpin bends, you would need to shut out those "is this wise" and " am I being a clot" voices in your mind. Yes, if it wasn't for the hairpin bends he/she could probably have managed, but it wouldn't have been a problem free drive for them or others on that route. At some point even they must have questioned whether they were driving an appropriate vehicle for that type of road.

Clearly to some size does matter!

Once on that road, they may have felt safer continuing than trying to reverse out - especially with a car on tow. It is like driving into flood water- once you have decided it is not a good idea to continue it is too late to reverse.

Having said that, I may reverse what I have said as I have only driven that pass once, and cannot recall the opportunities to turn around for a vehicle that size.

 

[GrannyJen]

I do have some sympathy.

By choice, so my sister can come with me, I tow her caravan. For me it is not a pleasant choice, I find the whole thing adds to the stress enormously, especially that risk of being shunted down the wrong road. Just this May for example I found myself in Norfolk, the main A143 closed and the diversions signs pointing down a single track road. Ok, common sense told me to ignore, instead make the diversion a 20 mile one not a 3 mile one and stick to big roads but who knows the circumstances in this persons case?

I would like to say easily done but with knowledge of that road, perhaps not. However, what a horrible place to find yourself in A couple of years ago in a French "historic centre" I read the signs saying "no large vehicles", I tried to avoid, sadly due to traffic, French driver obstinance and a confusing plethora of signs I found myself parading serenely down a one way street with my Cali wing mirrors touching both sides. I wonder how many vids and pics appeared on French social media with the meme of "Stupide cretin anglaise"?

 

[Borris]

Once on that road, they may have felt safer continuing than trying to reverse out - especially with a car on tow. It is like driving into flood water- once you have decided it is not a good idea to continue it is too late to reverse.

Having said that, I may reverse what I have said as I have only driven that pass once, and cannot recall the opportunities to turn around for a vehicle that size.

Oh I'm sure that if they had wanted to, there were ample opportunities to turn round in the very many miles before reaching Applecross itself. Having a car in tow shouldn't be an issue either. Just unhitch it. Having reached Applecross he/she/they could have easily turned around there. Even on the pass itself there's a huge pull off area at the view point shortly before the hairpin bend where he/she got stuck. Clearly they didn't take any of these opportunities so one can only conclude that either they were unaware of the tight bends or that they accepted the risks and were able to extricate themselves under such circumstances. Accordingly, I'm certain that they have since got themselves unstuck and have gone elsewhere to get stuck again.

I'm not questioning his/her skills as a driver. However, I'm sure you'll agree that taking that rig over those roads wasn't the brightest of ideas.

 

[Lightning]

Man unhitches tow car to get round a bend - national news story.

 

[WelshGas]

Now these are hairpins. One way down and same way up With a single track tunnel at the bottom.

 

[BeagleMum]

What you can't see is,it's also towing a small car.

View attachment 82669

 

[Timø]

Is that the land version of the Evergreen ?

 

[Lightning]

View attachment 82727

Nothing on that sign prohibits that vehicle from using the road.

No weight limit, no width limit, no length limit, no height limit, only an advisory against towing caravans, also no definition of ‘very large’ vehicle.

 

[Joker 1299]

Nothing on that sign prohibits that vehicle from using the road.

No weight limit, no width limit, no length limit, no height limit, only an advisory against towing caravans, also no definition of ‘very large’ vehicle.

So it’s a caravan, a very large caravan, towing a car - advisory against?