Hitchhiking 1965 and on...........................

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
View Threaded
Fri 8 May 2009 20:38
Hitchhiking 1965 and on........................... - pmh2
Reading Luds contribution to the 'motoring memories' thread brought back memories, good and bad. I am sure others will have stories to tell - but for starters a selection of memorable lifts..................

1965 and stranded on the outskirts of Leicester, having just made in one go all the way up the M1. Picked up by a bunch of gypsies, ( or do I have to say 'travellers in this new PC world), in a heavily chromed pickup truck. They spent the whole journey to Loughborough telling me they hated students, with me trying to pretend I was not wearing the highly visible purple, yellow and grey University scarf. I had developed an escape strategy which involved removing the keys and making a run for it if necessary. The thought of outrunning anyone now seems a distant memory. Plan never implemented, they even went out of their way to drop me off. I can only think they were winding me up.

Once a hitcher, always a hitcher, and over the intervening time I have both given and received a variety of lifts without adverse incident.

Fast forward to 2007 and I hitched from Rodez to close to Montpellier with a sucession of lifts,starting with a Cambridge educated French lawyer, and finishing the last 5km on the back of a 16yr olds 50cc moto. No helmet, no speedo and loose gravel on some of the blind bends of the single track road. Maybe I should have refused it, but it was hot, I was knackered and there was very little traffic.

What stories do others have to tell?


p
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 8 May 2009 21:28
Hitchhiking 1965 and on........................... - barneybear
early 80's used to regularly hitch from Burnley, Lancs to the Lakes for a weekend walking/camping. Endured a few psycho's - but best was a lovely blonde from NZ in an old VW camper van... say no more :-)
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 8 May 2009 21:40
Hitchhiking 1965 and on........................... - bathtub tom
Run out of petrol at the top of Offley hill (A505 between Luton and Hitchin) early hours of the morning with fairly new wife after helping her sister move house.

Most unlikely looking car full of chancers gave us a lift close to home.

What chance if I'd been on my own?
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 8 May 2009 23:45
Hitchhiking 1965 and on........................... - 1400ted
Was delivering a large American estate on trade plates from Seaforth to Lendrum and Hartmann in Hammersmith. Stopped at service area on M6 for cuppa, about 3am. Had to leave early for some reason. Drank cuppa...battery flat, not charging. Crossed over the services and stood with trade plates on slip road. First to stop was a Kelloggs artic who took me to within 50yds of home. Cranked up the transporter, woke all the neighbours and off I went to finish the job. Still have a photo of that one.

Ted
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 9 May 2009 11:30
Hitchhiking 1965 and on........................... - bell boy
i once got a lift off a wagon driver in the 70"s in winter and a car passed us a few miles down the road and managed to stop us
the car driver accused the wagon driver of throwing pieces of ice at her
ishe went
the wagon driver was upset,i told him i would be his witness to anything that came of it
the ice obviously was coming from the roof of his truck
she should of kept a safer distance if she saw it
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 11 May 2009 17:21
Hitchhiking 1965 and on........................... - madux
My brother once hitch-hiked home from Geneva. He got a lift within 5 minutes and was dropped off at the end of his road in Camberley, Surrey!
Reply | Report as offensive | Link

We give you the low down on how to save on insurance, little-known tricks and tips, what insurance groups mean and how to use insurance aggregators to beat insurers.

Insurance group finder and how to save on insurance