25/11/2025
Well, another epic tour completed.
I set off from home in Carlisle at 06.30 yesterday and travelled down a very busy M6 which was just about crawling along for what seemed like about 10 miles leading up to the Thirlwall Viaduct.
I was then in need of a caffeine input and pulled into Knutsford Services for a medium cup of Costa Cappuccino Coffee.
Then it was back onto the M6 to continue my journey, coping with idiot drivers who were travelling so close to me that couldn't even see the bonnet of their car.
I was in the outside lane doing the speed shown on the overhead gantries which are monitored by variable speed cameras, all lanes were solid with traffic and the white Mercedes, being driven by a very impatient female kept flashing her lights and getting very close to the rear of my vehicle. I exchanged some hand gestures, not shown in the Highway Code, with her and continued in the outside lane. I don't know where she thought I was going because all lanes were busy and had I tried to move out of her way she would have gained just one car length. At one stage she attempted to get past me by cutting through a narrow gap between two lorries who gave her a good blasting of their air horns and caused the driver to brake hard. She then did the same again and got onto the hard shoulder in an attempt to get ahead of me and again cutting across two lanes of moving traffic only to emerge alongside me but still unable to get ahead of me. She was now stuck in the centre lane and the space behind me had now been taken by the car that was originally behind her. She eventually left the motorway to turn onto the A50, toss pot.
My first call of the day was to collect another 'Mobo Horse' to restore for the owners in Pelsall, near Walsall arriving there at 10.30, it had taken me 4 hours to travel 185 miles.
From there I travelled on see my brother-in-law and his wife near Warwick. I had a restoration job for a lady in Oxford and left this with my brother-in-law for the lady to collect from him in a couple of weeks time.
I stayed and had a lovely gammon and chips, mushrooms and a fried egg and a good catch up with them before continuing on my travels at about 14.00 hrs.
Having left Warwick, I drove on towards Leicester on the M69, before joining up with the M1 heading north. I came off the motorway at Nottingham to fill up with fuel before rejoining The M1 again. I continued north until I reached the M18 and continued along there before joining up with the A1 northbound. before joining up with the A64 towards York.
I eventually left the A64 and travelled along various country lanes which took me through the 'Castle Howard' estate, this is where they filmed 'Brideshead Revisited'. The estate is all decorated up for the Christmas Season, with white fairy lights in the trees lining the road to the castle, very pretty.
I arrived at my final stop of the day to meet up with a model engineer in Oswaldkirk about 5 miles south of Helmsley at 17.40
I spent just over an hour there discussing a job I need doing to make a couple of new front axle bars for two 'Tri-ang' Gyro Cycle toys.
I left there at 18.45 and headed home, going down the notorious Sutton Bank in the rain and dark. From Thirsk I headed north to Northallerton. The buildings along the main street are covered with Christmas lights. Barkers store is covered in gold fairy lights and the whole street looks spectacular, well worth a visit to see it.
From there I travelled to Scotch Corner on the A1 and joined up with the A66 back to Penrith, Joining up with the M6 back to Carlisle, arriving back home at 21.35.
Total mileage clocked up, 539 miles.
I am beginning to think I must be going mad. 🫨😲😵💫
