Go Back   Horizons Unlimited - The HUBB > 4 wheels > Watering Hole
Watering Hole Overlanders / 4 Wheels Chat forum - no useful content required!
BUT the basic rules of polite and civil conduct which everyone agreed to when signing up for the HUBB, will still apply, though moderation will be a LITTLE looser than elsewhere on the HUBB.
Photo by Hendi Kaf, in Cambodia

I haven't been everywhere...
but it's on my list!


Photo by Hendi Kaf,
in Cambodia



Like Tree4Likes

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 11 Feb 2015
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Dubai, UAE
Posts: 206
Longest straight drive?

In an effort to keep the forum active!

What was the longest continuous/straight drive you've ever done?
I'm quite embarrassed to admit mine as I must of been so tired but at the time I didn't realise the danger.

I once from Tallinn to Calais non-stop (apart from fuel) it took me 33 hours although Google maps suggests it now takes a few hours less than that, I think I took a longer route as I didn't have navigation.

In my defense I was pretty well rested after spending a few days in Helsinki and napping on the boat from Finland to Estonia.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 11 Feb 2015
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: UK
Posts: 1,232
2300 miles Kazan to Portsmouth in under 3 days with just catnaps in the car, including 20 hours stuck at the Ukranian Border!

I got arrested after some guy drove his lada into my landcruiser, so then missed my visa exit date! had to get back for work so by the time I managed to get away I had just 3 days to get back, and in an HJ60, thats a long way, it aint fast!!

The worst was a 3 1/2 day drive with the Army from the UK to Somewhere in the German Forest, at 35mph. 3 1/2 days at 35mph following the tail lights of the vehicle ahead, horrific!

I've been to Belarus about a dozen times now (it's where the missus is from) I decided I wanted to see if I could do it in a one'er. Took 20 hours to do the 1300 or so miles. Couldn't do it now though, too many speed cameras in Poland! Usually do it in 2 days. The A2 from Hannover is a fabulous bit of Autobahn if your in a fast car. coming back in 12 inches of snow through Poland in a Porsche 944 wasn't so much fun though!!

The secret to 'endurance driving' is catnaps. Feel tired, pull over, grab 30 minutes, then back on the road, but it's a skill not to be undertaken lightly. Takes practice and you have to know when you have to stop for a kip to stay safe. You really have to know your limits and what the warning signs are.
__________________
1990 Landcruiser H60. Full rebuild completed 2014
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 12 Feb 2015
Registered User
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 377
Western Australia

Ok ok, actual straight road yes it was in the car, it still counts right?
Darwin to Perth, 4200 K's in 46 hours, two drivers in a hire car! Perth Melbourne in 3 days 3500 K's solo.
Best on a bike is 975 K's in a day, Vienna to Kasel, there was a woman involved :-)
Attached Thumbnails
Longest straight drive?-hilux-road-trip-031.jpg  

Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 12 Feb 2015
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: UK
Posts: 1,232
Hard to compete with Oz in terms of logest actual straight roads!
__________________
1990 Landcruiser H60. Full rebuild completed 2014
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 12 Feb 2015
Overland Tonka's Avatar
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Originally London. Now driving my Toyota.
Posts: 191
27 hours straight driving while lost in Mali..

Just stopping to pour fuel in. First part was a sand, red earth rocky nightmare with holes big enough to swallow a truck. 1st and 2nd gear all the way in very hot temps. When we did hit tarmac it was dark. at last we could speed up....the tarmac lasted 3km's when out of the dark we hit big rocks and earth at 80kph.

Slowed down a bit when we hit tarmac again just in case...sure enough the road ran out again!!!...this time i had to swing the car sideways to get it to stop in time.

On and on and on like this through the night....till no more, so pulled over and slept in the car before our last push for Bamako.

My brother had injured his foot..so driving was just down to me.... Never again.
__________________
Facebook " Kevin Heike " come and say Hello as we travel around the world.
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 12 Feb 2015
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Dubai, UAE
Posts: 206
Great stories guys! Thanks for sharing and keep them coming.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 12 Feb 2015
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Oxford UK
Posts: 2,116
Surprised we've got to half a dozen posts without finger wagging disapproval somewhere along the line, but there you go.

My err... record comes from back at the dawn of time when there were half a dozen of us in an old Ford Thames van towing a caravan back from the Austrian Alps in the winter. I did 12hrs and then handed over to someone else for the night shift. Within 10 mins he'd jackknifed the caravan into a ditch at the side of the autobahn on a patch of black ice and refused to drive any more so I did the next 36hrs as well until we got back to London. We'd borrowed the van and the owner needed it for work on Monday morning.

I've done a number of 36hrs straight on (usually small) bikes - all day, all night and all the next day, to get through the boring bits of northern Europe. As with all of these things how well you do comes down to motivation and that's the bit that flags with age. That and the increasing amount of hallucinations that start up around 24hrs in, particularly if it's still dark and the road is traffic free.

Longest distance rather than time was London to Greece via the Balkans in a minibus - probably around 2000 miles with a detour or two. That was three days / night but we had a number of drivers so nothing too strenuous.
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 12 Feb 2015
Registered User
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 377
Quote:
Originally Posted by backofbeyond View Post
Surprised we've got to half a dozen posts without finger wagging disapproval somewhere along the line.


Wait till Mouldydog reads it. LMAO!!!!
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 16 Feb 2015
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Dubai, UAE
Posts: 206
I recently changed my job so my commute is horrendous until I move house.
Currently I'm actually driving between 350km and 420km per day depending which route I take just going to work and back.

Is that the worst daily commute of all time?
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 16 Feb 2015
Registered User
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 377
Quote:
Originally Posted by moggy 1968 View Post
Hard to compete with Oz in terms of logest actual straight roads!

6 laps of the M25 and you'd be right up there regarding distance, getting it done in a day is the issue!
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 18 Feb 2015
bnicho's Avatar
Registered Users
HUBB regular
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 94
Quote:
Originally Posted by James Rothwell View Post
I recently changed my job so my commute is horrendous until I move house.
Currently I'm actually driving between 350km and 420km per day depending which route I take just going to work and back.

Is that the worst daily commute of all time?
There was an article on Jalopnik about a guy that had a 3 hour commute each way daily. It was from somewhere in Virginia to the Pentagon. I'm stuffed if I can find it now though.
__________________
May 2015 - Canberra to Townsville via the Birdsville Track in a 1969 Mini Van.
http://www.facebook.com/TeamBMCAdventures
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 18 Feb 2015
Registered User
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 377
Quote:
Originally Posted by bnicho View Post
There was an article on Jalopnik about a guy that had a 3 hour commute each way daily. It was from somewhere in Virginia to the Pentagon. I'm stuffed if I can find it now though.

I read something similar, I think it was on ADV Rider, a bloke doing 3 hours each way to work everyday
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 19 Feb 2015
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Dubai, UAE
Posts: 206
It usually takes me 1hr 20mins - 2hrs to get to work in the morning depending on how many accidents there are. Coming home is usually 2hrs - 2hrs 30 mins but sometimes on a Thursday if enough morons manage to crash it can take me 4 hrs.

I can't wait to move...
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 19 Feb 2015
bnicho's Avatar
Registered Users
HUBB regular
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 94
It used to take me two hours each way to get to work when I lived in Sydney. The freeway system is better now.
Now I live in Melbourne where 45mins to an hour is the norm.
__________________
May 2015 - Canberra to Townsville via the Birdsville Track in a 1969 Mini Van.
http://www.facebook.com/TeamBMCAdventures
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 19 Feb 2015
Banned
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 971
Mauretania to Marocco 2000 km bouring strait:

Adventure experience - motorcycle trip riding across Africa
Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 Registered Users and/or Members and 1 guests)
 

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
The Longest Drive jaka38 Travellers' Advisories, Safety and Security on the Road 2 5 Feb 2015 20:12
New to Hubb and wanting to drive from Kampala to South Africa akza Welcome to HU 1 28 May 2014 16:33
UK to Thailand March 2014 daveandles Travellers Seeking Travellers 34 16 Jun 2013 22:20
Visas – What do you need know before you drive to China? BigO Trip Paperwork 3 15 Jun 2013 01:35
hard drive backup for your laptop dstehouwer Communications 10 12 Oct 2012 15:28

 
 

Announcements

Thinking about traveling? Not sure about the whole thing? Watch the HU Achievable Dream Video Trailers and then get ALL the information you need to get inspired and learn how to travel anywhere in the world!

Have YOU ever wondered who has ridden around the world? We did too - and now here's the list of Circumnavigators!
Check it out now
, and add your information if we didn't find you.

Next HU Eventscalendar

25 years of HU Events
Be sure to join us for this huge milestone!

ALL Dates subject to change.

2025 Confirmed Events:

Virginia: April 24-27 2025
Queensland is back! May 2-4 2025
Germany Summer: May 29-June 1 2025
CanWest: July 10-13 2025
Switzerland: Date TBC
Ecuador: Date TBC
Romania: Date TBC
Austria: Sept. 11-14
California: September 18-21
France: September 19-21 2025
Germany Autumn: Oct 30-Nov 2 2025

Add yourself to the Updates List for each event!

Questions about an event? Ask here

See all event details

 
World's most listened to Adventure Motorbike Show!
Check the RAW segments; Grant, your HU host is on every month!
Episodes below to listen to while you, err, pretend to do something or other...

Adventurous Bikers – We've got all your Hygiene & Protection needs SORTED! Powdered Hair & Body Wash, Moisturising Cream Insect Repellent, and Moisturising Cream Sunscreen SPF50. ESSENTIAL | CONVENIENT | FUNCTIONAL.

2020 Edition of Chris Scott's Adventure Motorcycling Handbook.

2020 Edition of Chris Scott's Adventure Motorcycling Handbook.

"Ultimate global guide for red-blooded bikers planning overseas exploration. Covers choice & preparation of best bike, shipping overseas, baggage design, riding techniques, travel health, visas, documentation, safety and useful addresses." Recommended. (Grant)



Ripcord Rescue Travel Insurance.

Ripcord Rescue Travel Insurance™ combines into a single integrated program the best evacuation and rescue with the premier travel insurance coverages designed for adventurers.

Led by special operations veterans, Stanford Medicine affiliated physicians, paramedics and other travel experts, Ripcord is perfect for adventure seekers, climbers, skiers, sports enthusiasts, hunters, international travelers, humanitarian efforts, expeditions and more.

Ripcord travel protection is now available for ALL nationalities, and travel is covered on motorcycles of all sizes!


 

What others say about HU...

"This site is the BIBLE for international bike travelers." Greg, Australia

"Thank you! The web site, The travels, The insight, The inspiration, Everything, just thanks." Colin, UK

"My friend and I are planning a trip from Singapore to England... We found (the HU) site invaluable as an aid to planning and have based a lot of our purchases (bikes, riding gear, etc.) on what we have learned from this site." Phil, Australia

"I for one always had an adventurous spirit, but you and Susan lit the fire for my trip and I'll be forever grateful for what you two do to inspire others to just do it." Brent, USA

"Your website is a mecca of valuable information and the (video) series is informative, entertaining, and inspiring!" Jennifer, Canada

"Your worldwide organisation and events are the Go To places to for all serious touring and aspiring touring bikers." Trevor, South Africa

"This is the answer to all my questions." Haydn, Australia

"Keep going the excellent work you are doing for Horizons Unlimited - I love it!" Thomas, Germany

Lots more comments here!



Five books by Graham Field!

Diaries of a compulsive traveller
by Graham Field
Book, eBook, Audiobook

"A compelling, honest, inspiring and entertaining writing style with a built-in feel-good factor" Get them NOW from the authors' website and Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk.



Back Road Map Books and Backroad GPS Maps for all of Canada - a must have!

New to Horizons Unlimited?

New to motorcycle travelling? New to the HU site? Confused? Too many options? It's really very simple - just 4 easy steps!

Horizons Unlimited was founded in 1997 by Grant and Susan Johnson following their journey around the world on a BMW R80G/S.

Susan and Grant Johnson Read more about Grant & Susan's story

Membership - help keep us going!

Horizons Unlimited is not a big multi-national company, just two people who love motorcycle travel and have grown what started as a hobby in 1997 into a full time job (usually 8-10 hours per day and 7 days a week) and a labour of love. To keep it going and a roof over our heads, we run events all over the world with the help of volunteers; we sell inspirational and informative DVDs; we have a few selected advertisers; and we make a small amount from memberships.

You don't have to be a Member to come to an HU meeting, access the website, or ask questions on the HUBB. What you get for your membership contribution is our sincere gratitude, good karma and knowing that you're helping to keep the motorcycle travel dream alive. Contributing Members and Gold Members do get additional features on the HUBB. Here's a list of all the Member benefits on the HUBB.




All times are GMT +1. The time now is 12:19.