Marlow
07. February 2014, 10:26 PM
I tend to do 2-3 road trips to the continent a year. I just hate wasting time in airports and I prefer to have my own bus with me. It gives independence.
Sometimes, things just don't work out .. or maybe they do .. just not as intended.
So, some time in June I hopped on the ferry from Dublin to Holyhead and headed straight over to Hull for the second ferry leg. It's the shortest stretch through the UK and avoids the M25 and London including all it's traffic entirely.
On the way across, you'll meet hit the highest motorway in the UK and you'll also meet this crazy house:
609
Yep. That farmhouse is in the middle of the motorway. One direction goes around the one side. The other direction goes around the other way.
The house is a historic building and hence couldn't be touched, when the motorway was build.
Anyhow .. about 50 km before Hull ... disaster. My cab steamed up, the engine was cooking and I was only 3 hours from ferry departure. Basically, a coolant pipe had split in the LT. After 20 years, stuff like that can happen. I ended up missing the ferry while waiting for the tow truck. The bus got recovered to the nearest exit and I found shelter on the parking lot of a local pub.
610
The pub owner let me camp out there and him and his mate even helped me trying to source a replacement part. No joy though. Another plan was cooked up.
Looey was leaving Ireland 2 days after me to go to Italy. So in the morning my coolant pipe was temporarily glued back together. As good as we could. And I headed towards Dover. A mate of mine pulled the needed replacement part out of my scrappy LT in the workshop and send it on the way with Looey. Filling up coolant regularly, taking it easy, I made it to Dover.
I set up in the Kingsdown International Camping Centre right on top of the white cliffs of Dover.
611
The view is amazing, but 3G is patchy as foook.
612
Below the campsite is the beach
613
Sometimes, things just don't work out .. or maybe they do .. just not as intended.
So, some time in June I hopped on the ferry from Dublin to Holyhead and headed straight over to Hull for the second ferry leg. It's the shortest stretch through the UK and avoids the M25 and London including all it's traffic entirely.
On the way across, you'll meet hit the highest motorway in the UK and you'll also meet this crazy house:
609
Yep. That farmhouse is in the middle of the motorway. One direction goes around the one side. The other direction goes around the other way.
The house is a historic building and hence couldn't be touched, when the motorway was build.
Anyhow .. about 50 km before Hull ... disaster. My cab steamed up, the engine was cooking and I was only 3 hours from ferry departure. Basically, a coolant pipe had split in the LT. After 20 years, stuff like that can happen. I ended up missing the ferry while waiting for the tow truck. The bus got recovered to the nearest exit and I found shelter on the parking lot of a local pub.
610
The pub owner let me camp out there and him and his mate even helped me trying to source a replacement part. No joy though. Another plan was cooked up.
Looey was leaving Ireland 2 days after me to go to Italy. So in the morning my coolant pipe was temporarily glued back together. As good as we could. And I headed towards Dover. A mate of mine pulled the needed replacement part out of my scrappy LT in the workshop and send it on the way with Looey. Filling up coolant regularly, taking it easy, I made it to Dover.
I set up in the Kingsdown International Camping Centre right on top of the white cliffs of Dover.
611
The view is amazing, but 3G is patchy as foook.
612
Below the campsite is the beach
613