I feel like sh1te mate. But thanks for the video. Please can you do one on the A14?

The most fascinating/baffling thing to me about your videos is. How the hell is it that you know all this stuff??

I got the Blockbusters tune. was there another reference?

@@thedave7760 Google Earth and the Internet.. amazing what you can find on there :)

@@thedave7760 when you get on camera you either know you're shit, or know your shit.

Jay Foreman comment spotted in the wild, glad to hear he knows about this channel too, I've been bingewatching this content and reading Pathetic Motorways ever since this started getting recommended to me

Jay, what happened to your thing you were doing with Geoff? That had promise. All the trunk roads leading to the Greater London border. I'd have loved to have seen what you'd turn up for my neck of the woods, the A12 and A13.

Praise from the utterly wonderful and skilled Jay Foreman is praise indeed!

Passive aggressive comment from Jay. I suspect it's because Jago got a mention and he didn't.

Great to hear from you mate, thanks for watching. It does take up a lot of time for sure but it's better than an office job. It probably goes without saying... loving your work over the years!

I'd scripted something else but it just came to mind so I left that in instead :D

@@AutoShenanigans if it was off the cuff, then even better. Great content by the way, been following you for a while now.

Nice one, thanks for sticking with it :D

May not be PC, but the phrase 'like a tramp on chips' came to mind.... 🙂

I have literally just watched a Jago Hazard video on Greenford Underground station and then watched this, so the Jago Hazard reference warranted a 10 second shuffle to check I had heard correctly. In 200 years time that quote will be considered on a par with anything Oscar Wilde uttered for sure!!!

I enjoyed your book, Chris. Very well researched and full of pictures of the old 'Great North Road'.

I'm old enough to remember the old Great North Road running straight through the centre of Doncaster, with all the traffic having to go over the North Bridge in Doncaster. It was said that it took longer to get through Doncaster than it did to get there from London.

I still call the J44 Bramham junction Bramham Crossroads. Even though the old parallelogram crossroads have been replaced with a roundabout somewhat to the west and everything realigned out of all recognition. Old habits die hard, and nobody I know has ever picked me up on it. Must be in the DNA locally I guess🤷‍♂

I live in welwyn Garden City the roman baths is a really nice place to visit and it's well presented. I take my kids there often. Definitely a place to go and see

I always wonder what happened there, it would have been a substantial farm and a nice house at some point. Never knew it had other history. You wouldn’t want to live there though and not ideal for a business.

That's because you're too busy texting.

@@James-gf9jl no they're too busy looking straight ahead

Agreed! As a fan of Jago as well as this channel, the reference made me smile.

@@Goldfishdave it made me chuckle

He's a funny chap.

Alll your base are belong to us

I used to use this exit to get to work and loved that Google announced it that way.

Truck yeah! Thanks for watching mate.

I don't remember anything special about this section of road from an infrastructure point of view. My recollection is that the number of lanes was determined by predicted traffic volumes. As such the number of gantries was determined by the necessary standards in the DMRB and other specs (MCHW etc) because it was four lanes. It was one of the first things I worked on in motorways over 20 years ago. It is interesting in that there is no lighting for the blue signs on the gantries as the material used on the signs was super reflective Scotchlite from 3M, and this was the first time this had been tried. And of course that section is a DBFO (Design Build Finance Operate). Finally, the transmission station for this section wasn't one of the regular little brick buildings at the side of the road but was just a big row of cabinets at the south end.

@@Crashedfiesta That's interesting, thanks. I recall reading that at one time they had intended to upgrade the whole of the A1 to the same standard as that section, but it proved too expensive and they abandoned the plans. Nevertheless, it is rather interesting to drive on. You go from the normal twisty A1 with roundabouts to this wide, straight, four lane section of road that seems totally out of place for its location.

@@ib9rt ...and southbound signs for East London iirc; always makes me think something's not quite right 🤔

Well, thankfully they saw sense and superseded that idea with the infinitely more sensible "smart motorway" 🙄

Horrific

Whither the A1? When I was much younger, the A1 ran through the centre of Newcastle as an ordinary road. (I remember it from travelling through with my parents ... far too many years ago). I noticed, referring to maps, that it got re-routed through the Tyne Tunnel (recently traversed this route - actually goes under the place where my mother was born in Jarrow) and then it got moved again when the western by-pass was built. Noiw youve intrigued me Alex withe the double level section. :-))

I went to there

Eh? I thought the A1 was rerouted west of Newcastle and the A19 was rerouted west of Sunderland to the Tyne Tunnel. So they rerouted it twice?

Must be nearly 30 years since I drove that, but, if I remember correctly, it was quite mad and broke so many rules for motorway standards. Tight curves, merging and diverging traffic within a few hundred metres, and a 40 mph speed limit. Or was it a 40 mph minimum?

Are you sure your numbering is correct? The A6144(M) was an unusual Motorway; a single carriageway road in Greater Manchester with traffic lights before the end of the road. Were there really 2 sections of it so far apart?

Hope you're in a much better place today and keeping well!

This episode was certainly a bit heavy on the abandoned theme. thanks for watching

@@AutoShenanigans You can never be too heavy on abandoned stuff. IMO 👋🏻😁

I lived not far from the The Roman Baths at Welwn (note - NOT Welwyn Garden City!) Check their opening hours online before you visit as they are sometimes a little erratic at short notice.

"I found it quicker to use the M6"‽ Those are words one very seldom hears.

@@johnwinters4201 I know! :) But it was only from Penrith to Carlisle.

Oh hello mate! I love watching your pilot vlogs.... Cars vs Plane... collaboration?

Nice to see you here! I love both this channel and yours! I've been following your adventures for over a year now!

I'd love to see a three way collaboration between John, Noel and Jago!

I never got to see a Vulcan fly... what a sight to see 4!

Yeah, I remember that Lightning, randomly plopped by the side of the road, covered in graffiti. Sad to see. It was the world beating plane of my childhood, although I never saw one flying.

That was also the only time I saw one fly, as a child stuck in a traffic jam with my dad next to Dishforth watching one land. The noise was immense.

@@sarkybugger5009 one of the most magnificent planes to see fly. I saw one in the 1980's at an airshow take off with full reheat, pull up vertically and then just accelerate away through the clouds... gone... as a teenager, the most incredible sight 9and sound) I had ever witnessed.

@@stevegreene9149 I once had the "pleasure" of being parked on the M25 as Concorde took off a couple of hundred feet above me. Now that really was loud. Scared the crap out of me, as I didn't see it coming...

Good tarmacing skills. Thanks for watching

@@AutoShenanigans LOL. Thanks, however I was involved with the setting out of the mainline, earthworks and structures. If you want to see my tarmacing skills, you'll have to visit the M77 in Ayrshire and the Glasgow Southern Obital in Lanarkshire.

@@AutoShenanigans Speaking of tarmacing skills. Between Fairburn and Micklefield (North Yorkshire) after laying it they had dig it all up again and relay it. I think it was something to do with the sub-base.

Thanks a lot, appreciate you watching!

I used to stop in there regularly, on my trips between Kent and Yorkshire. I was gutted when it closed. My daughter thought it was amazing.

First place I ever drove to in my newly-purchased Fiat Uno Turbo back in 1994, it was indeed a remarkable sight and a fun place to visit

Someone told me that this originally opened years prior to McDonalds taking it on as an individual independent restaurant.. It was called "The Megatron" and my friend said internally the theme was some sort of sci-fi set up with the staff being dressed a bit like cybermen.

Are you sure about the flying saucer? I thought this was the one at Markham Moor, on the A1 between Newark and Retford?

@@keith6400 Yes I can *just* about remember it being something like that prior to becoming a McD's

Happy Eater! There's a blast from the past..

@@aaronbuildsa I worked with a guy who swore Happy Eaters were better. I had to meet him at the one near Chipping Norton for breakfast when we were out on business. It was on the main road between Birmingham and Oxford before the M40 was built. I drove passed it a few years ago. It was an antiques centre.

'HAppy eater' OMG. didnt they have a pac-man like logo sticking his fingers down his own throat? Happy days! *sigh*

Loved Happy Eater and Little Chef as a kid. Always used to visit on the way to Brands Hatch from Portsmouth. Space Chefs grill…yum! Then we’d take as many lollies from the basket as we could for the rest of the journey 😜

Glad you enjoy it!

I love abandoned stuff and nothing more than an abandoned road … Keep it coming

Nice one mate!

Thanks for watching mate

There is a possibility of railway extensions like the Metro or even a freight line that could see it reused.

Welcome along!

You didn't miss much unless you wanted to learn about Tudors, Nazis or ox-bow lakes.

Cheers mate, thanks for watching!

Cheers mate!

Yeah. Ideal development location. Out of the way. Ready made public transport. Makes sense it was refused. Obviously the correct brown envelopes under the table not forthcoming in this case.

round my way "planning permission refused" is usually followed by the mysterious fire that destroys whatever the refusal was protecting.

@@davidsirett5560 same round here too, my old gym being the latest victim 😔

Yes, a little bit further east, on the A59, they decided to destroy two lovely villages instead by adding thousands of new houses.

Awesome, thanks a lot for watching!

there were loads! Which might be a contributing factor their failure?

Cheers mate!

It is not cheap and you can all rest assured I'm doing my bit to keep it warm in summer for years to come. Thanks for watching!

@@AutoShenanigans appreciate the emissions bossman

@@Tomtown007 🤣🤣 its funny cos its true and if there is a hell, I'm going to end up there.

Ha ha, I remember that! - the Angel of Sawtry it was called. It had the price written under the name, £3.20 or something like that. I guess the workers were making a satirical comment on the money spent on the Angel of the North.

Ahh wish I'd seen that, sounds amazing :D

haha. Little Paxton is just up the road from HQ. He also does the drone flying!

Thanks mate, appreciate you watching!

*nerd

I'm a Northerner on the inside... I hate spending money, muddy beers are good and I like mines.

@@AutoShenanigans Heh heh I've been known to practice me Ecky-thump on the moors too... By 'eck as like! 😆

I'm constantly taping screen to pause and see the pictures. Also rewind a lot.

Glad to hear, thanks for watching!!

It makes for a nice photo !!

I didn't come across any mention of illegal waste, that's very interesting!

That’s what normally happens under “golf courses” . They probably made enough money tipping on it to disguise the fact, and then shut it anyway!

He's a good egg. Thanks for watching.

Thanks for watching!

I had never thought of that. But it probably goes some way to explaining my amazement at once exiting a highway in South Africa at Junction 495!

yeah they do that in USA too and initially it confused the hell out of me until I worked out the junction numbers were effectively milepost numbers. both systems have their merits, the UK how many junctions to go, the other how many miles to go! It gets confusing when there are several junctions within the same mile, 103a, 103b etc. particularly as sometimes the letters are used for junctions off junctions so the main road may go from 234a to 234c because b is where it splits again!

But then how could you argue in the car about which junction you're supposed to be coming off at?

That's a great idea, noduff, but the only problem is that when roads are reprofiled/realigned as a result of improvements then the distances from the datum can change which means renumbering every junction further up the line. That'll cause havoc to all the prat-nav services that people rely on nowadays because they've lost all sense of direction and ability to think.

You need to be super sharp travelling up and down the A1, 'M' or not. It's a mix of 45mph HGV's and 90mph Range Rovers and Audis. It's like Wacky Races at times.

As a kid whenever we passed the Happy Eater near Markham on our way up north to visit relatives I would misread the sign on the outside and wonder why they were wishing people a happy Easter all year round...

The Happy Chunderer became a Little Thief and was my fuel stop on my weekly commute home from Cambs in the 00's. Sad day when it was finally bypassed and it's a truck garage now. They also made the scrappy services at Leeming Bar a pain to get to as well. Still, extra Greggs at Wetherby so what's not to like.

Actually most of the new J49 to J56 Dishforth to Barton motorway upgrade was built to the EAST of the old A1 alignment. The old A1 northbound carriageway (suitably modified) became the A6055 distributor road. The giveaway is that the distributor has a "6" road number meaning that it's starting to the west of the A1. If it had been to the east of the A1 it would have started with a "1" (geek alert😉)

I'm disappointed that I missed this!

I dont have the Tan.

@@AutoShenanigans do you at least have the funky Hawaiian shirts?

I was just scrolling down to mention that myself...so thanks for the heads up!

This was my longest day yet at 22 hours.

@@AutoShenanigans can't believe that beat the M25

It still says that on some signs

Thanks for mentioning the adult store , thought i was going mad ! drove past it a few weeks ago , and nody else in the car saw it

Speaking of adult stores, there used to be a swingers' club called "The Vanilla Alternative" on one of the non-M stretches, somewhere south of the A14 junction.

@@skidmarkbill It's one of two possibly three on the A1 that I'm aware of from the same chain

@@skidmarkbill Speaking of adult stores, I'm pretty sure I've seen one on the A38 near Burton upon trent/Lichfield... 😆

@@tonycooke8545 correct, it’s on the site with the filling station, using a building that used to be a restaurant. Just before Alrewas..

I always thought that but where’s the alternative for non m’way traffic between 16 and 17 and between 49 and 50?

@@tasty_fish I can't remember quite how the road went from Stilton to the Peterborough turnoff (As a student in the early 70s it was my route from home to Leeds University first on a Lambretta SX200, then a Norton 650SS - I still have the latter). It is possible that, like the stretch in East Lothian, when the original dual carriageway was built it bypassed all current rights of way and prevented non-motorway traffic using it so as to prevent establishment of RoW.

Cheers mate!