Took a Breach to the beach and got beached!

[kpttnuts-beach]

We took our California Beach to the beach near Buckie - our original parking spot wasn’t where my wife wanted to have the van parked once she saw a better spot…. So I reversed back the way we’d come. However, this is a parking area with a mixture of hard ground/grass/pebbles. We avoided the pebbles…apart from when I didn’t reverse exactly the way we’d got to our first spot. You’ve guessed based on the title of the post. I beached the van. Despite gently trying to coax the van forward or backwards, we could not get the van out of the pebbles (including some passers-by that offered to push assist!). When at one point the van was “firing” pebbles from under the wheels, we finally called for help. We had breakdown cover and within a couple of hours we were winched out by a friendly chap named “John” - we all saw the funny side of things. John asked how that happened and my wife just pointed at me “it was him!” - I can always rely on her. I said, “we were parked over there, but someone decided we should be over there! I thought I’d gone back the way we got in, but clearly I didn’t!”
Apart from some damage to the alloys we got the van out and carefully parked it where we should have been from the start.

The lesson is - be careful if you use this parking area to avoid the pebbled areas.



(Sort of post script)
We’ve parked here before several times and always parked in the same area…apart from this time when my wife wanted to be away from everyone else that was there…we ended up where we’ve parked every other time!

 

[kpttnuts-beach]

Annoyed that I didn't spot the mistake in the title before posting!...thank you auto-correct feature!! NOT.

 

[Deskman]

You should have asked me...
This was last year on a silent Sunday. The problem is not the pebbles but their depth. It looks flat, but it is maybe half a meter deep in some spots.

Same beach, same story.



I was towed out by a farmer who returned with a 4x4 after passing with his Polo on his way home and saw me struggling to get out.

 

[kpttnuts-beach]

View attachment 124285
You should have asked me...
This was last year on a silent Sunday. The problem is not the pebbles but their depth. It looks flat, but it is maybe half a meter deep in some spots.

Same beach, same story.

I was towed out by a farmer who returned with a 4x4 after passing with his Polo on his way home and saw me struggling to get out.

We knew to avoid the pebbles - I just misjudged the route when in reverse. A local farmer phone call would have been our next step if our breakdown cover option didn't work!

 

[Deskman]

You will meet Isuzu and Toyota Hilux 4x4s everywhere and all day long; this Sunday, there were only small cars passing, driven by elderly ladies, so that is not the kind of help you are looking for.

I asked a lady walking along the road if she knew a garage I could call. She was kind enough to contact five people for me with 4x4s with no luck (ill, car broke down, not in the neighbourhood, not picking up the phone).

Until a Polo passed with a guy who was shouting something at me. When I walked up, he drove off. I thought he was maybe joking and shouting 'You can't park there, can you?' but he actually shouted: 'Don't leave, I'll be back!' to get his Isuzu to the rescue.

 

[Corradobrit]

You would think with how the Scots like signs they would have erected some actually useful ones at that location. Must be a common occurance.

 

[kpttnuts-beach]

You would think with how the Scots like signs they would have erected some actually useful ones at that location. Must be a common occurance.

It's private property...owner's risk I suppose.

 

[Deskman]

You would think with how the Scots like signs they would have erected some actually useful ones at that location. Must be a common occurance.

The guy who pulled me out said: nice to see I'm not the only **** who got stuck here. So even locals get their share of sinking in the sea of pebbles.

And if you want to try: 4motion is useless when your engine hits the pebbles. And it will...

 

[Corradobrit]

The guy who pulled me out said: nice to see I'm not the only **** who got stuck here. So even locals get their share of sinking in the sea of pebbles.

And if you want to try: 4motion is useless when your engine hits the pebbles. And it will...

Wonder how traction boards would cope. Instead of an emergency flotation device, stick a couple of those at the entrance to the beach.

 

[Deskman]

I tried my lightweight Fiamma Grip system boards, which are fairly useless under any circumstances, and I tried my front mat (it's in the picture)—also useless. I think for many people, the heavier (real stuff) boards they use will damage their car or wound the user—or both.

 

[hirsty]

I've got stuck on flat damp grass before, so these pebbles are giving me the heebie-jeebies ...