unicornleather
Well-Known Member
For those who know me and my "happenings" of past, you know it only seems to happen to me, they are 100% true and thought I'd share this with you to give you a laugh.
I went to Enfield a few weeks ago to see Capel Manor, where the college that now trains Saddlers (Cordwainers) is based. When I trained it was based in Hackney , down appropriately named Mare Street in 1987-88!
So, I went up to my friend's (another ex cordwainers trained leather worker) who is based in Fyfield in Essex, from there we drove to capel manor, it was a open day at the college and a heavy horse show.
I was very tired when I got back to my friend's at fyfield and got into my own vehicle (VW camper) to drive back to Caterham in Surrey.
I went down through Brentwood and picked up the the M25 at junction 28,the usual large multi exit roundabout and as I got on to the M25 a large sign said 7 miles to the Dartford Crossing.
I settled down to the 20 mins or so drive to the bridge, I had exactly £4.50 left in change, only needed £1.50 for the bridge toll.
I went over the bridge, now knackered by the way and to the far left toll booth. It is a journey I have done and passed this way many, many times as I was a despatch rider for a few years and was up and down here all the time.
I paid my £1.50 to the little asian man sitting in the booth and off I went, however, as you leave the toll booth I had forgotten the procedure, suddenly you have 23 lanes trying to converge into 4 lanes to stay on the M25 and NOT go off towards Erith!
I failed miserably to get over to the right to get in the right lane and was capatulted by the maniacs racing off into the left lane, I had no choice but to go off towards Erith.
The road snakes round back on itself to a set of traffic lights, great I thought, there will be a roundabout I can go round and back onto the M25, wrong. Just lights and onto Erith BUT then as the lights changed I saw over to the left a sign saying M25, yipee!
I shot across and swung round the road only to find myself sitting at the toll booth for the tunnel northbound again, the way I had just come!
SO, I had to pay my £1.50 again and went under the tunnel, very embrrassed by now at being so stupid but I was so tired I couldn't think straight and subsequently missed not only the first roundabout that I could have come off to turn round at but the second one too as I was in the outside lane gunning it in a strop and couldn't get over into the first lane to come off!
I got to junction 28 (where about 20 mins earlier I had picked up the M25 southbound) and managed to get off turn round and come back onto the M25 SOUTHBOUND yet again. Then I saw it, a large sign saying 7 miles to the dartford crossing !
I know that as I have just been here I was shouting!
Totally hacked off by now for being so daft and wasting time, money and fuel I sped towards the bridge again, I went to the toll booth (same one) paid the little asian man yet another £1.50 and I can still see the expression on his face, vague recognition I think it was, anyway I shot off like a startled rabbit once that barrier was up and cut up several cars and one very large pee'd off lorry and lorry driver to get over to the right hand lane to stay on the M25 (I had run out of money anyway so couldn't afford to pay again!)
Horns were tooting, men were swearing at me and I left them all behind with a smug grin on my face only to get to junction 5 and hit the traffic jam that lasted 45 mins!
It took me one hour to get to fyfield that morning and over 2 hours to get home using the same route except for an unexpected and totally avoidable 14 mile diversion!
Oz
I went to Enfield a few weeks ago to see Capel Manor, where the college that now trains Saddlers (Cordwainers) is based. When I trained it was based in Hackney , down appropriately named Mare Street in 1987-88!
So, I went up to my friend's (another ex cordwainers trained leather worker) who is based in Fyfield in Essex, from there we drove to capel manor, it was a open day at the college and a heavy horse show.
I was very tired when I got back to my friend's at fyfield and got into my own vehicle (VW camper) to drive back to Caterham in Surrey.
I went down through Brentwood and picked up the the M25 at junction 28,the usual large multi exit roundabout and as I got on to the M25 a large sign said 7 miles to the Dartford Crossing.
I settled down to the 20 mins or so drive to the bridge, I had exactly £4.50 left in change, only needed £1.50 for the bridge toll.
I went over the bridge, now knackered by the way and to the far left toll booth. It is a journey I have done and passed this way many, many times as I was a despatch rider for a few years and was up and down here all the time.
I paid my £1.50 to the little asian man sitting in the booth and off I went, however, as you leave the toll booth I had forgotten the procedure, suddenly you have 23 lanes trying to converge into 4 lanes to stay on the M25 and NOT go off towards Erith!
I failed miserably to get over to the right to get in the right lane and was capatulted by the maniacs racing off into the left lane, I had no choice but to go off towards Erith.
The road snakes round back on itself to a set of traffic lights, great I thought, there will be a roundabout I can go round and back onto the M25, wrong. Just lights and onto Erith BUT then as the lights changed I saw over to the left a sign saying M25, yipee!
I shot across and swung round the road only to find myself sitting at the toll booth for the tunnel northbound again, the way I had just come!
SO, I had to pay my £1.50 again and went under the tunnel, very embrrassed by now at being so stupid but I was so tired I couldn't think straight and subsequently missed not only the first roundabout that I could have come off to turn round at but the second one too as I was in the outside lane gunning it in a strop and couldn't get over into the first lane to come off!
I got to junction 28 (where about 20 mins earlier I had picked up the M25 southbound) and managed to get off turn round and come back onto the M25 SOUTHBOUND yet again. Then I saw it, a large sign saying 7 miles to the dartford crossing !
I know that as I have just been here I was shouting!
Totally hacked off by now for being so daft and wasting time, money and fuel I sped towards the bridge again, I went to the toll booth (same one) paid the little asian man yet another £1.50 and I can still see the expression on his face, vague recognition I think it was, anyway I shot off like a startled rabbit once that barrier was up and cut up several cars and one very large pee'd off lorry and lorry driver to get over to the right hand lane to stay on the M25 (I had run out of money anyway so couldn't afford to pay again!)
Horns were tooting, men were swearing at me and I left them all behind with a smug grin on my face only to get to junction 5 and hit the traffic jam that lasted 45 mins!
It took me one hour to get to fyfield that morning and over 2 hours to get home using the same route except for an unexpected and totally avoidable 14 mile diversion!
Oz
