yeah hitched loads in my younger days. Always used to pick people up to until small car filled up with my kids and all their sh*t.
Had some amazing experiences, some less good.... Picked up by a land cruiser full of ex child soldiers ( now in their twenties) in Uganda, they were very quiet but luckily the officer that was with them was nice and chatty and eased the atmosphere a bit.
Same trip I was in Kenya and hitched a ride in the empty tipper of a tipper truck. Seemed brilliant driving south across the Turkana desert, lots of ventilation and good view etc, but quickly became clear the driver had a death wish. Stopped the truck and asked to get out in the middle of the desert, cos something would come along after a while, but was persuaded back on by driver who then drove like miss daisy!
Shame it isn't used a bit more, cost of living crisis etc , I guess the pandemic killed it off?
Used to hitch a lot,so always stop if I can.
Had some great lifts and met some real characters.
No axe stories and (thankfully),I was never threatened by a chopper.
The last few years up here,it was usually seasonal workers,but covid/Brexshit seems to have put paid to that.
I saw one last weekend on the sliproad at Bridgewater services.
I used to do it a bit from Bridgend to London....i remember standing on the slip road at junction 37 of the M4 watching one of the coal convoys going past...hundreds of the things.
Got a lift from a lorry driver once who delivered Benylin (amoungst other pharmacy stuff). He reckoned he'd take a case of benylin off the truck on a Friday and have a Benylin party when he got home 😂😴
Everyday when I’m home. I pick one up most days too.
A thousand hates on all those in popular media pushing horror stories. A pardon for the originator of the "What are the odds of there being two serial killers in the same car" though.
Worst things that happened to me: Driver passing out due to Guinness overdose in Co. Mayo; Lights failure on the brae down to Corriehallie near Dundonnell; Transylvanian thunderstorm with no wipers - they like tree lined roads there; being asked to jump out of a moving Landrover in Commercial St, Hereford as the driver was late for mess.
I have not seen anyone hitching for ages and probably the last time I did was getting back from a linear walk on an EUMC meet back in 2005. Last lift given was a few years back in Iceland. Car is usually full with two passengers and bike now, not that it makes any difference, you just don't see anyone. I used to hitch thousands of km a year to get to the hills or back to family from University. Hitched to our honeymoon destination, guests hitched to our wedding. Always raises a smile passing Tiso's in Perth, Craigforth, Newbridge, Fairmilehead etc and a groan passing black holes like Fort William, Gordano and Knutsford.
We’ve got richer, so even the poorest students now have ready cash to get a bus, or advanced train fare. The ‘Trade plate’ car deliveries have changed their method, most delivery companies, if doing single cars, give the driver the fare back, so very few of them on the side of the road now hitching a lift, also, a great many car deliveries are done on car transporters, I have a friend who does that, out on Monday morning, all over the Country, then back home on the Friday, some cars are picked up on the Monday, and dont get there until the Friday, its a large rota, with multiple pick ups and drop offs.
Not seen anyone for a long time, but used to hitch regularly in the 70s and 80s. Used to go between home in Bath and Bangor, about 200 miles and always managed it in a day. Also back to Bath from the concert at Blackbushe aerodrome with a leg in plaster.
Memorable things are the noise a two stroke Foden makes going up hill and the driver who took an artic through the middle of Conway before they built the by pass, which meant going through an arch in the old castle wall. There were tight turns through the town then a turn into what looked like a dead end with a small hole in the wall at the far end.
A few years ago I picked up a european couple in the highlands. Thats the last time I saw anyone. Used to hitch myself back in the day, all over europe and the UK
I did sucessfully hitch a lift in the highlands a fee years back myself
Gave a few Ukrainians lifts when in Kerry in August, young lads mainly who had got the bus from the village they were billeted in to town and just trying to avoid seven mile walk back - one pair of lads was a 15km diversion for us but it was raining so might as well do the right thing. Still relatively common out where our place is, the middle of the the countryside.
Not seen for decades. Those car traders used to stand by the road with trade plates and get lifts didn't they - probably have to travel with a colleague nowadays.
When was in a band in the 80s, we went to the next town to audition someone for the band. Had no way of getting back so hitched, a van full of students stopped on the M27 and squeezed us in the back.. and drove us all the way to my mate's doorstep. Proper fun adventure 😀
Just chatting to one of our lorry drivers about this - he said that every company he's driven for recently doesn't allow hitchers to be picked up and there is a camera in the cab - he'd get sacked straight away.
Part 2
Hitched back from France around 1982-3, can't exactly remember. I'd run out of money so had to beg the hovercraft people to let me on, which they kindly did, but christ, what a horrible way to travel across the channel! Got a couple of normal lifts up towards London, then somewhere in Kent, as it was going dark a big motorbike stopped with a big german on it, sort of like a 750cc trial bike. Said he was going to Windsor, so as I was going to Salisbury and had a healthy disregard for my own safety on I got. Soon turns out he likes to ride fast. Ok but my seventies style frame rucksack is now trying to pull me off the back. No matter, I hang on a bit harder smashing through the warm summer night.
We get to our first roundabout on the south circular. He's a bit tired and used to riding on the right, so accelerates hard up the wrong side of a dual carrigeway. I can see headlights over his shoulder coming straight towards us maybe 150m up the road.
No matter for my host, he brakes and then hops us over the central reservation (no armco luckily) just as all the cars arrive where we just were.
Anyway, he does exactly the same thing 10 miles up the road, bit less dramatic this time, but I decide he's a bit of a slow learner so suddenly remember I have a friend in Brixton who I can stay with. I didn't but just wanted out.
So I walk to Trafalgar square, its now gone midnight and as I'm standing by the roadside wondering what my next move should be, a car pulls up, window down and a non descript fella asks me if I need a bed for the night. Now he may have just been concerned for my welfare, but I thought I was probably being propositioned, so politely said I was fine and making my own way. Off he goes.
I watched a series of docu drama about the serial killer Dennis Nilsen last year, and although my exact memory of his face is vague after all these years, I think it may have been him....
I then made my way out to the feeder road to the M3 where I gave up for the night and grabbed a couple of hours sleep under a bridge. I remember being woken briefly by a massive explosion, went back to sleep.
When I went back onto the road in the morning, lightening had struck the hedge on the central reservation and disturbed the big curb stones. Strange night, probably used up some of my nine lives.
Not as common as used to be, I would guess Covid broke the habit for many, but still see them around rural Scotland. No doubt media driven fear puts some off and social media /forums /lift sharing apps mean people can find transport with less chance of being an awkward hour with nothing to talk about.
Last one I picked up was about a year ago - pouring rain, from Peebles, wanted to go to Edinburgh but seemed to have no specific plan on where. Was going to camp, dropped near a shop just off the bypass. She must have been hardier than me to be camping in that weather.
Normally always see the trade platers at Lothianburn too.
I’ve always been confused what they were doing. Are they hitching? I assumed they were waiting to be picked up by a colleague.
I spotted a pair of right crusty looking individuals hitching last weekend near me, trying to get to Chester.
Always raises a smile passing Tiso’s in Perth,
I picked up a couple of Slovak guys there, heading North on the A9. They'd hitched from home, through Italy, France and England. This was pre Smartphone days and all they had was a map that had torn out of a pocket diary. By the scale of it they assumed the A9 passed Loch Ness. After a bit of chat I took them cross-country to Spean Bridge and Fort Augustus and waited for them while they got photos at Urquhart Castle. Dropped them off at the Tourist Information centre in Ullapool.
I’ve always been confused what they were doing. Are they hitching? I assumed they were waiting to be picked up by a colleague.
They're hitching, usually with trucks or other delivery drivers. They get paid a set fee for the delivery including fuel/return transport so if they avoid incurring return costs they earn more. At least thats my understanding.
I picked up two German girls on the road from Laggan to Newtonmore in the highlands last autumn. They were walking their way from somewhere to Kingussie but it had started to hose it down so they hitched the last 10k (with me).
last time i remember was New Years Eve 1988, I hitched form cambridge to scotland in 6hours, for hogmanay with the family.
I saw the bus full of VIPs going to Lockerbie after the bombing
Id always give a lift to hitchers if i had a car, I know too well how it is to be stuck for hours, or overniht, at Knutsford etc
I can vaguely remember getting a lift in the back of a van with goats or something in, indonesia maybe
Its a shame that its becoming less of a thing, I've never hitched but I used to pick up hitchers when we were touring Scotland. You use to get some great chat and stories, it was just a nice thing to do for people visiting and cost nothing except maybe a little bit of your time.
These days when we are touring, there are four in the car so its not generally an option.
Best hitcher I picked up was a Japanese tourist on Islay. He was only a young guy and had about 6 words of English, although that was more than my twos words of Japanese. We worked out from pointing at maps where he wanted to go that day and it was the same places we were going, so we basically adopted him for the day drove him round all the distilleries, got him booked in beside us for the Laphroig tour (fives stars would recommend), helped him with photos and other touristy stuff.
We dropped him back at his hotel in Bowmore and it turned out it was the same place we were having dinner. So we asked him to join us. The language barrier became less of an issue after a few local tipples. After dinner as he was leaving he gave us the most dignified bow.
Today. Driving down from Troodos the heavens open and a thunderstorm started. I picked up three German girls who’d hiked up from Platres and dropped them back at their car.
if we got stopped the best thing would be to let the girls do the talking.
Sorry, I've missed something here. Had you done something wrong?
A few years ago I picked up a european couple in the highlands. Thats the last time I saw anyone.
Jesus, that's a cautionary tale. Do you get food through a slot or something?
Just chatting to one of our lorry drivers about this – he said that every company he’s driven for recently doesn’t allow hitchers to be picked up and there is a camera in the cab – he’d get sacked straight away.
A good point in itself - back when I had a company car, it was a clause in the lease agreement that I wasn't allowed to pick up hitchhikers. Quite why, I don't know.
I've seen a few when there's been a big extinction rebellion protest in London. Which I guess is putting their money where their mouth is
I've not seen any for a few years.
I've only really hitched once, with a mate from worcester to malvern at 4am as we couldn't be bothered walking back along the train line.
it was a chavmobile. the guy seemed nice, said hi, chatted breifly, then pretty much floored it all the way to malvern. It was a very quiet journey, I don't think I've been that fast in a car.
Week or two ago, somewhere near Manchester.
I took a guy from Ingleton to Settle the other week. Wasn't on my way exactly but I had time and the guy looked like he needed some help.
Took someone from Dumbarton / Luss area to Fort William in 2016. He had lots of good chat to fill the 2 hours on the A82.
We used to do it all the time. Both as donor and recipient. A couple of memorable "to the door" ones - especially the Hartshead Moor services to Hampstead in a 32 ton artic.
We did our honeymoon hitching in 1975. Tried to get to Val d'Isere but ended up in Turin instead. Ah, well, thems the breaks.
A couple of scary ones but it's been ages since I've seen a hitcher when I've had room to pick them up.
if we got stopped the best thing would be to let the girls do the talking.
Sorry, I’ve missed something here. Had you done something wrong?
On the Falls Road, his Belfast Protestant accent and my English. To be honest I'm not sure if it was a wind up but he seemed genuine.
I got a funny hitchhike in Amsterdam. Well not a hitchhike as is normal in a car, but on a bicycle.
I'd got lost late in the evening trying to get back to my guesthouse and stopped one local who turned out to be really drunk, where such and such was.
He said hold on, disappeared off and came back a couple of minutes later with a bicycle and proceeded with me on the back to ride the 2 or so miles back to the guesthouse. I said to him at the time, 'Is this bike stolen, did you steal this', and worried he'd get into trouble, but he assured me it was ok because he was a lawyer 😆
Well timed thread. Not seen a hitchhiker for years either, but then these two are currently hanging out at the end of our lane thumbing a lift..........2hrs and counting. This is a Wednesday morning...and they are stood in the arse end of nowhere in northern Scotland. A proper WTF moment. I thought they might be lost leprechauns from the photo, but Mrs C says they are real sized human beings. I think I'd being picking them up to find out what's occurin. It's got to be an interesting conversation.
Is that Keith Lemon?
On the Falls Road, his Belfast Protestant accent and my English.
Aha. Thanks.
Ireland's (NI and RoI) politics and various moires and idiosyncrasies are a large black hole in my knowledge. That's probably a thread in itself.
did it a lot in the early 80s, standard for into the dales/lakes and frequently up to Edinburgh, down to London to see friends. Sometimes quicker than the coach, though getting that first lift onto the M1 was always an issue.
Longest was somewhere near Canterbury to Milan.
Hitch hiked to istanbul when I was 18. Not uneventfully.
Used to pick them up for a few years but basically only got a car once we had small kids, rarely drove without them, and it kind of died out as they grew up.
I hitched about 2 months ago, started walking up to where I was camping to meet some mates near Blacksone edge. Thumb out...third car stops and top chap, a brewer, mountain biker and metal fan gives me lift! lots of good folk about still in this country!
@covert they are probably members of the Zunft from Germany doing their Wanderschaft (journey years). I used to work with one. It is still the done thing over there for young people working in the (artisan) building trade to walk between jobs with all their life's possessions and tools on a trolley. Picking them up and giving them a lift seems to be the expected norm. They must have had an offer of work locally and now moving on to their next job.
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wanderjahre
Last one was a group of three who I gave a lift to local small town so they could grab the mega bus, theybuad missed their local bus. I had my two year olat the time in the van. Not worried at all. That was 5 years ago.
Not sure I have seen any since COVID to be honest. They have been infrequent for all my adult life (early 40s) but COVID seems to have stopped it all together. Never hitched hiked myself but picked up a few if it I had space and noticed them in time
Will usually give a lift to anyone here on Mull - buses are ££ and infrequent. Local FB pages are good for people looking for lifts to ferries and beyond.
Used to hitch a lot as a student to get to places - once got a lift from the Orkney ferry back home to Glasgow in one.
That's interesting about the German tradespeople. I got a lift a few months ago with my bike and massive puncture without even asking. Very nice man in a pickup truck.
Collected a few people randomly and done a bit myself if a train is cancelled or something.
never planned a long distance journey, though. that looks pretty cool!
Last saw someone on 23 Sept, but we were loaded up for our holiday so couldn’t help. Apart from that, have occasionally picked people up locally - eg berry pickers on the Dunkeld-Blair road.
And a few years ago met a bunch of lads who were on a post GCSE trip to wild camp at Huishnish - they had used public transport from Carlisle, but had underestimated the distance from the bus stop to the end of the road (or overestimated how many buses run along that road). They were a great bunch and we were relieved to see them all still smiling while waiting for the return bus a couple of days later.
I’ve also hitched and picked up hitchers who look 'ok' - generally with hiking/climbing kit - in the Highlands and Alps.
2019? It was pre-covid last time I gave someone a lift. Used to do a lot of long drives for work so almost every one I passed was on the route.
Tried it years ago and it took forever to get a lift so haven't tried since. Did it in Europe with mixed success, most of the lifts were football fans so must have been Germany 2006?
Saw one a couple of months ago but frustratingly couldn't pick them up as I had a car full of family and camping equipment but other than that very few of late. I think it's a shame as I really like it as a way to both get around and meet a wide variety of generally very nice people.
Did a fair bit of it in my 20s including a couple of Grand Prix trips with a mate. The first to Belgium was good fun, I don't really remember many of the details but I do recall we were just over the Belgian border and got picked up by a couple of youngish girls who took pity and ended up taking us out and putting us up for the night then taking us on to a "good pick up point" the next morning. The GP was amazing, we blagged our way in with fake press passes the weather was unexpectedly scorchio all weekend and Damon Hill won. The trip back was iirc correctly pretty uneventful.
The Monza trip was a major pain in the **** on the way down - I think we spent 6 hours at one point stood by the side of the road in the south of France. It was a beautiful location and I very much learnt to appreciate Ducati 916s which seemed to be the bike to have at the time as there were 100s of the things cruising past. Our final lift into Milan went well out of their way to take us onto the track for a look around. They were extremely sorry that they hadn't come by sooner as we missed the race by an hour or so. No idea now who won though I probably did at the time. The run back was a 2 lift afair all the way back to Great Malvern. I don't remember the details but the bulk of the trip was in a 205 with a trucker on a mission to get home. I've no idea how he stayed awake for so long - I think drugs must have been involved.
It hadn't occurred to me that the pandemic would have killed it off but it certainly has taken a bit of the adventure out of life.
Hopefully it'll become a thing again. Not sure how I feel about my daughter doing it but I like to think I wouldn't be too worried if she did take it up when she's older.
Back in the early 80s I met an English ex pat when he arrived at the campground in Yosemite in a beat up old Datsun Cherry. Roger Whitehead. As was his habit he had hitched about 2000 miles from his home for the climbing season. A nice old lady had given him a long ride to her hometown and then given him the car. He was a very charming fellow Roger, probably still is. She said she wouldn't be needing the car any more.
On the Falls Road, his Belfast Protestant accent and my English. To be honest I’m not sure if it was a wind up but he seemed genuine.
You do realise that not all of the people in that area hate the English, though Christ, the way they were treated, it does make me ashamed to be English when I get told some of the stories.
@covert they are probably members of the Zunft from Germany doing their Wanderschaft (journey years). I used to work with one. It is still the done thing over there for young people working in the (artisan) building trade to walk between jobs with all their life’s possessions and tools on a trolley. Picking them up and giving them a lift seems to be the expected norm. They must have had an offer of work locally and now moving on to their next job.
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wanderjahre/blockquote>
Ah, cool - thanks for that. Fascinating.
Last one I picked up said they greatly appreciated it and was surprised, since for all I knew I was picking up a serial killer.
I replied that it seemed like a vanishingly small probability that you would get two in the same car at once...
We picked an old chap up on our towards Hereford back in July, it was getting towards dusk and he was on a 60mph road with no pavement. He'd been out in the hills for 3 days and was off to a mates next.
I asked him what he would have done if no-one had stopped, he said he'd just have pitched his tent.
We've also picked up a young couple with a little dog as we headed up the lovely valley on the way from Moffat to Inners. They had come down off the hills a long way from their motor and little fella was pooped.
Sometimes you've got to take a risk/do the right thing. Or is it them taking the risk 😉
You do realise that not all of the people in that area hate the English, though Christ, the way they were treated, it does make me ashamed to be English when I get told some of the stories.
Of course! But this was 25 years ago and I realised I didn't know what the actual situation was. The IRA songs sung by the crowd at the Shane Magowan gig didn't help much, but I never felt in any danger.
