Perfect weather for Ducks – a solitary journey…

by admin on November 04, 2012 in Reports with No Comments

I had a rough night’s sleep & decided I needed an adventure, so I set off about 06:20, would’ve been plenty of time on a “normal” day, but not being able to see the standing water in the dark kept speeds down to well-under the limit & the Satvav decided not to speak to me for a while, which resulted in a turn around or two – not easy in a 5 point harness with the roof up. Anyway, I got to Buck Barn about 07:20 & filled the tank. No-one else had arrived, so I decided you must’ve all left, a bit of rain wouldn’t keep the SKCC in doors surely?

I deleted all but the last couple of waypoints with the intention of intercepting you before the cafe. To say conditions were treacherous would be a triumph of understatement. The likelyhood of large ponds of standing water kept the speed well down, but there were still a few aquaplaning P.A.M.s (Puckered Ar5e Moments) & on one occasion the aquaplaning was coupled with cars coming the other way sending bow waves over the car, so for what felt like an age I couldn’t see, steer or brake – fortunatly the seat of my trousers was already wet.

In several places I could see the water spurting up round a drain cover – you’ve just got to trust that under all that water the drain cover is still in place! But I got there in the end after giving up all pretence of the route & heading straight for the cafe.

I realised I’d taken on quite a bit of water when just before the cafe I hit the brakes quite hard as a large pool came into view & for a few seconds the sound of water gurgling round the interior could be heard over the engine. The car park needed some careful negotiation, being just a series of gravel-bottomed ponds, but there was no graunching.

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The setting’s certainly nice – on a better day, though in spite of rain at 45deg hammering against the window, I still saw two joggers.

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The breakfast while expensive in SKCC terms at £8 ish (I really didn’t care by then) was certainly large, there’s three rashers under the toast, but the roast potatoes were a little under-done.

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Having collected as many paper towels as was seemly, I soaked up most of the water in the footwells, but if anything the journey home was even wetter as the rain had run off the fields & in several places there were rivers running across the road – there were “wakes” coming off the cat’s eyes – but becuse it was now light, or as light as it’s going to get today, I could now see the water coming in as I went through the deeper torrents & more worrying, great clouds of steam appearing to come from under the dash, actually coming up from the passenger footwell, so it’s coming in from the side pod somehow. This was the passenger footwell when I got home

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So, I achieved my aim of having an adventure, but I don’t blame those of you without roofs for staying in bed, on a few occasions 4x4s coming the other way sent torrents of muddy water over the car. I was very glad I’d fitted the sidescreens.



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