How far will they go from their car?

Yesterday whilst riding near Ivinghoe Beacon I came across about a mile of standing traffic waiting to get inro the main parking/cafe area. The thing is I know there are four smaller car parks before you get to the main one, but they were all empty, and they’re not hidden they were all alongside where people were queing.
To park in any one of them would mean a sub seven minute walk to the cafe area.

The same further on. There was I think a mushroom thingy set up by the forestry, a nice little car park there for every one. But when it was full they just parked along the narrow lane, just leaving enough romm for a single car. Less than a hundred yards further down the lane and visible from where they were gathering was a second and completely empty carpark.

I’m always a bit staggered and TBH smug feeling when I see this. Even my local off road patch has a cafe and there are always cars parked everywhere (unless it’s wet) but only travel 100 yards and you wont see a soul.
The said cafe does a roaring trade in full English breakfasts for people that stepped out of their cars, walked round the corner and came back again.

Back to the queing. I saw a workmate with his kids in the traffic. I told him to turn round park up in a certain spot. Follow the well marked trail along the Ridgeway. After 30mins of great walking you’ll be at the cafe, have a nice break and walk back. He called me yesterday evening almost speechless at how stunning the area was. All he would have seen in the main area is cars and ice cream vans.

[smugon] Im quite happy for the day trippers to get corralled into dense pockets of tackiness. more room for the rest of us locals[/smugoff]

Going back a bit, when I did my degree I’m sure I came across some stat that 85% of countryside visitors stay within 100m of their cars.

I thought the idea of a trip away from home was to come, to see and maybe buy a souvenir to remind you of the trip and not leave you frikkin rubbish as a reminder for me that you have been. I know you have been, I can see your fat hoof marks in the ground!!!

my favourite is seeing people set up their picnic in a dusty, gravelly lay-by of a B-road

Going back a bit, when I did my degree I’m sure I came across some stat that 85% of countryside visitors stay within 100m of their cars.

I’ve heard that, wasn’t sure if it was fact though. However it does seem the case.

Stoner +1

That’s what Hay Tor car park is for.

I’ve had to retreat to the hidden corners of Devon far earlier than usual this year.

Going back a bit, when I did my degree I’m sure I came across some stat that 85% of countryside visitors stay within 100m of their cars.

If my memory serves me right it was some research by the NT,understandable for the infirm or dodering but sad for the rest

Oldgit, was this the queue to get into the bridgewater monument carpark?
I was out that way a couple of months back and couldn’t believe how many people were try to cram into there. Looked like my personal vision of hell, and that was on a pretty rubbish day. The mind boggles at what percentage of Luton and Dunstable were trying to get in there this weekend.

Going back a bit, when I did my degree I’m sure I came across some stat that 85% of countryside visitors stay within 100m of their cars.

Normally what me and me mates do, is we drive out to somewhere quite, then dump all the toxic stuff thattud cost us a fortune to have disposed of correctly. Saves us a bloody fortune, I can tell you. 🙂

sub seven minute walk to the cafe area

Cafe? Ivinghoe Beacon? Haven’t come across that and I go there quite a lot, but then I tend to stay away from the car parks. There’s an excellent run from the Beacon across the downs to Pitstone Hill where you can often look down on red kites hovering over the edge of the escarpment. It would be great in these conditions but I wouldn’t want to try it on a bank holiday when the numpties are out; although most of them stay safely near the car parks one or two tend to spill out and get lost on the bridleways. I’m all in favour of them staying by their cars. 🙂

iDave – Member

Going back a bit, when I did my degree I’m sure I came across some stat that 85% of countryside visitors stay within 100m of their cars.

Same applies to dog eggs. However, I always manage to get one in the middle of wood miles from anywhere 🙁

Been up to the monument this morning i always park there as car safer and go early before the crowds arrive, I haven,t seen cafe near the beacon car park, rio/oldgit do you know the pitstone loop direction,s ?

STW Middle Class let’s look down on the stupid grockle tourists. Tick.
Obesity. Tick.

Kep ’em coming.

And yet some STWers moan when petrol increases in price. Anyone prepared to admit it’s far too cheap if “stupid grockle tourists” can afford to burn it sitting in traffic queues for a car park in the middle of nowhere?

this isnt something you can leave to the market forces of petrol pricing edukator. I think we should jump straight to border control at urban peripheries.

Visa control, green cards, deportation of fat grockles and the oirish back to bristol 😉

I think the term is “cash point cripples”

I believe I cycled all the way to British Camp in order to deliver you a bunch of fives Stoner but you chickened out 😛

Btw, why’s it called “British Camp” anyway?

(tbh, by the time I got up there I was a shadow of the man that had started out)

STW Middle Class let’s look down on the stupid grockle tourists. Tick.
Obesity. Tick.

Kep ’em coming.

Same old same old. Some people think the countryside is only for them, and resent others enjoying it, yet think it’s ok for they themselves to drive out into it polluting it with their fumes etc. Typical insular Little Englander attitudes….

If I am ever very rich, I am going to buy some ridiculous pile in some beautiful part of the country, and keep loads of old scrap and toot in the garden, get a blinged up Rolls Royce with ridiculously powerful stereo, and drive around playing DnB at full bowel-loosening volume round all the little villages, late at night. Possible open a cash converters or betting shop in the village high street. Or better still, a Tescos and drive the friendly local village shoppes out of business..

Because I’m a kind, caring and considerate person. 🙂

I thinks its something to do with being a final encampment by the britons against the romans but more than likely its just a hand me down name with no real meaning. Ill check my book….

EDIT: yep, book says little more than it dates back to briton vs roman bunfight and was allegedly the final stand of caratacus of the britons.

Ha ha!! we were chuckling at exactly this riding along yesterday. Past the carpark, hoards, picnics next to vehicles or indeed people with dogs inside vehicles on a stupidly hot day – carry on round the corner, back to empty countryside – lovely. Most of the people we saw looked too fat to walk … opps sorry, did I say that out loud.. 😯

A couple of jodphur clad ladies have just parked their horses on the grass outside.
That’s more like it.

I like to chuckle at the Grockles all queuing up for the Sandbanks chain ferry! Miles of tailbacks just to cross a 30m stretch of the wet stuff!
Ha – In my day we’d just tie the legs of our pyjamas, wrap them around the wheel axles, and just swim the cars across. Pah – City boys…..

DrP

(Disclaimer – the above may or may not have ever happened)

Typical insular Little Englander attitudes….

What has this go to do with English attitudes towards limiting British Empire expansion as the definition of ‘Little Englander’ claims ? Or indeed what has it got to do with insular xenophobic attitudes as the moderrn misappropriation of the term implies ?

Or is it just a bit of lazy stereotyping ?

I think we know.

While we’re on the subject of lazy stereo typing ……..

If I am ever very rich, I am going to buy some ridiculous pile in some beautiful part of the country

It will obviously come as agreat shock to you from reading that, that there are a huge number of the rural population that are working families living on or around minimum wage that live in modest homes, even social housing and often as in areas like Cornwall, live in a level of poverty that would make inner city dwellers appear affluent.

and drive around playing DnB at full bowel-loosening volume round all the little villages

In my village right now, I can hear grime coming out of my son’s bedroom window and dnb from the neighbour’s bbq over the road.

Seriously elf, broaden your horizons a bit, i reckon you’d hate to think that you are as narrow minded as you appear sometimes.

Thanks for playing. 😉

Seriously elf, broaden your horizons a bit, i reckon you’d hate to think that you are as narrow minded as you appear sometimes.

I’m actually worse than I can possibly imagine. 🙁

yeah right, the edinburgh defence. 😆

Well, you thinking I am somehow ‘narrow minded’ is a bit narrow minded of you, don’t you think? 😉

Apart from the issue of rubbish, and the fact that other people might want to use the roads at the same time as some of the miserable moaning gits on here (shock horror how terrible), I can’t really see the point of this thread, other than to serve as some sort of outlet for frustrated insecure selfish types to have a pop at other people for making different choices to their own.

So, as long as someone matches up to your own lofty standards, they’re ok to use the countryside, but if they don’t then they don’t have the right to, is that what people are trying to say?

Cos otherwise, I don’t really get what this pathetic wibbling is all about…

If I am ever very rich, I am going to buy some ridiculous pile in some beautiful part of the country, and keep loads of old scrap and toot in the garden, get a blinged up Rolls Royce with ridiculously powerful stereo, and drive around playing DnB at full bowel-loosening volume round all the little villages, late at night

Hmm Elfin, think you’ll find this guy beat you to it….

😆

My Hero! 😀

(Swoons)

😆

Well, you thinking I am somehow ‘narrow minded’ is a bit narrow minded of you, don’t you think?

How does that work then?

Don’t confuddle things, Don…

Well, I went for a 50 mile pootle across the top of the North York Moors this weekend and it was blissfully quiet and peaceful save for the masses at Sheeps Wash just outside Osmotherley. But is was like that 25 years ago when I was a nipper and the same for my Mum 50 years ago when she used to go. Just because you and I like solitude in the countryside doesn’t mean others should…

So, as long as someone matches up to your own lofty standards, they’re ok to use the countryside, but if they don’t then they don’t have the right to, is that what people are trying to say?

Where did I say that ? I’ll help you – I didn’t.

I don’t really get what this pathetic wibbling is all about…

On that we at least agree. There are many benefits to living in the sticks, that’s why we do it. The fact that we occasionaly get stuck behind someone towing a caravan is just something that we should suck up.

Going back a bit, when I did my degree I’m sure I came across some stat that 85% of countryside visitors stay within 100m of their cars.

I thought it was a slightly more generous 200m but the average countryside user is after a brew, a view and a loo.

Well I’m just having some chickeny pasta then I’m going to ride up to Springfield to meet Paul and his tribe, sit in the park and chill out. I dare say there will be loads of others doing similar this lovely day, but it’s all good.

Trailmonkey; chill. That comment was aimed at some of the insular types on here what don’t like to see other people ever, and moan if they do… 😉

chilling 8)

About 150 yards I reckon. We went cycling in some NT parkland the other day – and the vast majority of people had parked up in the same area, got out and had a picnic, and were queueing to get back out. Didn’t look like much fun to me – people were getting frustrated and driving like tossers.

On the other hand, from a management point of view, it’s great. All your litter and disturbance is in one place, and you can collect a parking fee. Containment is a very common strategy – country parks and visitor centres, along with places like Castleton keep the unwashed masses from roaming across SSSIs.

The ones that really make me hoot are those who don’t even leave the car. You seem all awkward in the front seats trying to open a newspaper without knocking the Thermos all over the wife’s knitting.

What is the point of burning fuel to sit in a metal box in the countryside and then burning more to get back?