Musings from the Merse
Sunday, January 04, 2009
Road Rage on the B6461
A fairly local bloggee is worth quoting:
I generally take the B6461 into Berwick. The stretch of road between Fishwick and the A1 appears to be a variant on the Bermuda triangle mystery. Low budget cars (with the exception of mine) appear to be prone to a malaise which only allows them to do less than 40 m.p.h. and also to turn off the road without signalling. Recent carriers of this plague include a Vauxhall Astra and a Ford Corsa. I am not known for my reckless driving and detest the local speed culture but nevertheless find the go-slows both dangerous and irritating, especially when there is a gas guzzler behind trying to put tyre marks on my roof. At least a third of the tractors on that road are gents who actually signal when the road ahead is clear, but not these ones. Neither do they seem to be flat cappers. The other scourge of that stretch of road are the folk at night who can’t work out that having headlights on full is not very kind to the person in front of them, usually me.
Right on. In my experience it is the slow faffers, not the Toads, who are the real menaces on the road and especially the stretch that leads from the entrance to Paxton House until the A1 as identified above. This stretch is undulating and twisty and only encourages the boy racer to have a go at overtaking when he really shouldn't and even a 40mph crawler is not a safe bet. I remember a voluble attender at Hutton and Paxton Community Council meetings complaining (at every opportunity) to the visiting fuzz about the dangerous drivers on this road-subsequently I found myself stuck behind the complainer who only exceeded 35 mph, once, when, perhaps, unexpectedly passing wind*. Two toads behind me could not bear to be thus stifled and both overtook us barely missing an oncoming tractor. The slowster in front indulged in a lot of angry gesticulation and would never have admitted being the main cause of such dangerous driving.
For a fun and challenging respite from the funereal B6461 try the Fishwick Bypass. If the late Jim Clark had ever taken on one of Farmer C' 4wd fisher folk friends he would have come
a very bad second
(* by the slow speed not the toxic emanation)
A fairly local bloggee is worth quoting:
I generally take the B6461 into Berwick. The stretch of road between Fishwick and the A1 appears to be a variant on the Bermuda triangle mystery. Low budget cars (with the exception of mine) appear to be prone to a malaise which only allows them to do less than 40 m.p.h. and also to turn off the road without signalling. Recent carriers of this plague include a Vauxhall Astra and a Ford Corsa. I am not known for my reckless driving and detest the local speed culture but nevertheless find the go-slows both dangerous and irritating, especially when there is a gas guzzler behind trying to put tyre marks on my roof. At least a third of the tractors on that road are gents who actually signal when the road ahead is clear, but not these ones. Neither do they seem to be flat cappers. The other scourge of that stretch of road are the folk at night who can’t work out that having headlights on full is not very kind to the person in front of them, usually me.
Right on. In my experience it is the slow faffers, not the Toads, who are the real menaces on the road and especially the stretch that leads from the entrance to Paxton House until the A1 as identified above. This stretch is undulating and twisty and only encourages the boy racer to have a go at overtaking when he really shouldn't and even a 40mph crawler is not a safe bet. I remember a voluble attender at Hutton and Paxton Community Council meetings complaining (at every opportunity) to the visiting fuzz about the dangerous drivers on this road-subsequently I found myself stuck behind the complainer who only exceeded 35 mph, once, when, perhaps, unexpectedly passing wind*. Two toads behind me could not bear to be thus stifled and both overtook us barely missing an oncoming tractor. The slowster in front indulged in a lot of angry gesticulation and would never have admitted being the main cause of such dangerous driving.
For a fun and challenging respite from the funereal B6461 try the Fishwick Bypass. If the late Jim Clark had ever taken on one of Farmer C' 4wd fisher folk friends he would have come
a very bad second
(* by the slow speed not the toxic emanation)
Labels: B6461, Borders Roads, Road Rage
Comments:
A little presumptive, and maybe something that should be kept quiet. After driving around most of the country, I have reached the conclusion that the Scottish Borders and North Northumberland offer the most enjoyable driving environment in the UK.
I am sure that you'll all be asking, WHY?
Well......
1. Varied terrain and scenery, miles of rugged coastline, rolling farmland and the hill country of the Cheviots and Lammermuirs.
2. Hugh and varied network of A, B and unclassified roads. (No motorways, however motorway driving is often boring and monotonous, and my argument is about "enjoyability").
3. Local government has yet to spoil the network by the imposition of silly speed limits. Apart from 30 through the town and villages it's nearly all NSL. (The 40 limit recently imposed on a mile of the A6105, at Foulden, is a sore point.)
4. Very quiet roads. During the 40 mile drive to work the number of cars I pass (in the opposite direction) can be counted on two hands (although sometimes I have to use my toes).
5. Very few speed cameras, apart from A1, A68 and A697. Which is a shame as they have slightly ruined these exceedingly enjoyable roads (especially the A697).
6. Corners, twisty and challenging.
North Northumberland and the Scottish Borders offer a complete packaged which represent the most enjoyable driving in mainland Britain (The Isle of Man, currently has a few advantages). While there maybe some individual roads which surpass anything that this area can offer, no other area, I believe, offers such a compelling package.
I am sure that you'll all be asking, WHY?
Well......
1. Varied terrain and scenery, miles of rugged coastline, rolling farmland and the hill country of the Cheviots and Lammermuirs.
2. Hugh and varied network of A, B and unclassified roads. (No motorways, however motorway driving is often boring and monotonous, and my argument is about "enjoyability").
3. Local government has yet to spoil the network by the imposition of silly speed limits. Apart from 30 through the town and villages it's nearly all NSL. (The 40 limit recently imposed on a mile of the A6105, at Foulden, is a sore point.)
4. Very quiet roads. During the 40 mile drive to work the number of cars I pass (in the opposite direction) can be counted on two hands (although sometimes I have to use my toes).
5. Very few speed cameras, apart from A1, A68 and A697. Which is a shame as they have slightly ruined these exceedingly enjoyable roads (especially the A697).
6. Corners, twisty and challenging.
North Northumberland and the Scottish Borders offer a complete packaged which represent the most enjoyable driving in mainland Britain (The Isle of Man, currently has a few advantages). While there maybe some individual roads which surpass anything that this area can offer, no other area, I believe, offers such a compelling package.
# posted by 
: 3:09 PM
: 3:09 PM
I agree but the experience can be ruined by the other drivers-avoid in the run up to the Jim Clarke Rally and by the faffers as described in blog. I know a lot of people claim there is no where worth going to in the Scottish Borders-Scotland's "Favourite (very) Short Break Destination" but if you are going, slightly quicker please.
And surely the muddiest roads outside outside eastern Rwanda in 'the rains'
And surely the muddiest roads outside outside eastern Rwanda in 'the rains'
Today I was headed over to Pailmerktoun (retail capital of the Borders) and there was a becapped & bespectacled gent driving along from Kelso to (Proper) St Boswells - not the straightest of roads with very limited passing opportunities - in the bends (and I include anything over 5 degrees in that) he slammed the brakes on and dropped to 25mph max, on the straights he was hard to keep in touch with - I stopped accelerating at 55 because I knew I risked shunting him from behind at the next curvelet. The same fool shot through Maxton at well over the 40mph limit. Where was PC McPlod & his Talevan camera army when he was actually needed?
Incidentally Anon may wish to note that HM Rozzers (Northumbria) are watching - they have a fleet of unmarked camera cars that they pootle about in (although not on the scale of the überpootler noted above)
Incidentally Anon may wish to note that HM Rozzers (Northumbria) are watching - they have a fleet of unmarked camera cars that they pootle about in (although not on the scale of the überpootler noted above)
Take his registration and e-mail it to the McPlods and have him nicked for driving with too much care and attention
I agree totally about the run-up to the Jim Clark event. During the event there are many dangers caused by wannabe rally drivers haring between stages. One neighbour rang the police about this 3 years ago, reporting their exact location. The person who answered the phone asked if they knew they were living on the route (no, they weren't) and had no available map of the rally route or the commonly used spectator shortcuts.
I disagree totally with Anonymous on all points. Excess in eithewr direction is unsafe, particularly when road features can include mud and goo in liberal dollops, badly sited roadworks (e.g. the recent ones on the Chirnside-Duns road)or else unsignposted hedge cutting.
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I disagree totally with Anonymous on all points. Excess in eithewr direction is unsafe, particularly when road features can include mud and goo in liberal dollops, badly sited roadworks (e.g. the recent ones on the Chirnside-Duns road)or else unsignposted hedge cutting.
# posted by : 6:39 PM
: 6:39 PM