Snowbound on motorway 8 hours.....

[Pyramid*]

.... myself and 4 of my staff were stuck on the M8 from L'Ston to Newhouse from 10.20am yesterday, didn't get home till 9pm with one staff member not getting home at all, having to abandon car to go walk to relative's home!!!

Here's a piccy of some of us (in the orange hi-vis vests) starting the long trek from the Harthill Service Station back to our cars! :shocked::shocked: Hard to believe that this is Scotland's main link between Glasgow and Edinburgh!!! But there it is.......... the tracks you see are from more robust vehicles going up the slip road to the actual service station - to stay there instead of be on the motorway. The rest .... well... see for youself !


Thought some of you would get a good wee giggle at it!! Not funny at the time though. :bawling: :blush:

http://thisisbigbrother.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=241&pictureid=1638

[30stone]

Jeez how come you were coming back at 10:20?

Did you get told to go then it get called off?


Thats a long ol time hope they payed petrol costs etc.

[Pyramid*]

Some staff started at 7am and 8am shifts... I left my house (35min journey usually), half way there blizzard started - got to branch at 9.20am.... and realised quickly if we didn't get out quick, we'd have problems.

Realised too late ... clearly !! By the time we got all the drivers / head office/ customers informed, was the back of 10am and we shut up shop.

Best part was: very snowy when I started - but the roads were perfectly clear, and I mean perfectly. It started snowing about 8.15am, and didn't stop snowing till around 4pm. :shocked::shocked::shocked:

Great fun eh!

[30stone]

Darn thats unlucky..

Im only 50 - and hour walk away from work probably hour and 20 mins in snow, so last year i was walking in 6 inch snow at 6:40 am to get there for 8 and having to walk home at 5.. lol


But allow being stuck in my car for like 11 hours.. im not sure i would have had enough petrol to get home, dont usually have more than half a tank.

[Claymores]

It looked very bad just on TV last night Snowball - hope yez were prepared with enough warm stuff. My worst this year so far was getting stuck in the hotel car park after a night-out in Edinburgh.

The car park was at the bottom of a steep hill, and there was just no way my wee car would go up it in the morning, no matter how many pushed. But at least it was a hotel, so we just had to book another night in the hotel then go drown our sorrows - not exactly the same sort of hardship as you!!!!!

[Pyramid*]

Darn thats unlucky..

Im only 50 - and hour walk away from work probably hour and 20 mins in snow, so last year i was walking in 6 inch snow at 6:40 am to get there for 8 and having to walk home at 5.. lol


But allow being stuck in my car for like 11 hours.. im not sure i would have had enough petrol to get home, dont usually have more than half a tank.


There were folk running out of fuel, and having to double up in other people's cars....the only good thing is that I'd fuelled up before starting out. ........

Walking in snow is some work out, that's for sure!!! LOL

[Pyramid*]

It looked very bad just on TV last night Snowball - hope yez were prepared with enough warm stuff. My worst this year so far was getting stuck in the hotel car park after a night-out in Edinburgh.

The car park was at the bottom of a steep hill, and there was just no way my wee car would go up it in the morning, no matter how many pushed. But at least it was a hotel, so we just had to book another night in the hotel then go drown our sorrows - not exactly the same sort of hardship as you!!!!!

There's a Premier Inn at Newhouse - which was gridlocked as all the routes into North Lanarkshire were totally at a standstill for hours (apparently the M74 around Hamilton hadn't moved all day) - the hotel had people sleeping in the restaurant and were hunting out old duvets / pillows etc!!! I passed the it and was in two minds whether to bail out and go in ..... but another 2 hours and I eventually got home (well... after having to abandon my car up the road and walking the rest of the way).

I spoke to guys just up from the Hotel whilst I was waiting in the tailback, they'd been in the same position coming down from the Forth Road Bridge...they started off at 9am, and I was talking to them at the back of 7.30pm..... that's how long it took them !! Just crackers, !

Completely mental !! :)

[Lee.]

Geez! That looks bad Pyramid :(

I had a friend stuck in that yesterday too..

We left Crieff earlier than planned as we heard they were having to close parts of the A9 but it was fine.. The M90 was scary though.. never been on a motorway and been unable to see any of the road before. It was a complete whiteout!
However, although we had a few scary moments, your M8 experience must have been awful!
It came down so fast didn'tit?

[Pyramid*]

Geez! That looks bad Pyramid :(

I had a friend stuck in that yesterday too..

We left Crieff earlier than planned as we heard they were having to close parts of the A9 but it was fine.. The M90 was scary though.. never been on a motorway and been unable to see any of the road before. It was a complete whiteout!
However, although we had a few scary moments, your M8 experience must have been awful!
It came down so fast didn'tit?

Ha... funny enough, when I was sitting bored out of my tree... I thought.. hey, wonder how the Perth trip went...I thought you'd be stranded (and after us 'laughing' about being snowbound at the Hydro!

It wasn't fun, let's put it that way. Quite literally, within about an hour of it starting.... that was it, no one going anywhere and continued snowing till about 4pm.

Was the weirdest thing seeing the motorway like that and with empty vehicles, people wandering about , having snowballs fights etc!! Mad!

[Crimson Dynamo]

.... myself and 4 of my staff were stuck on the M8 from L'Ston to Newhouse from 10.20am yesterday, didn't get home till 9pm with one staff member not getting home at all, having to abandon car to go walk to relative's home!!!

Here's a piccy of some of us (in the orange hi-vis vests) starting the long trek from the Harthill Service Station back to our cars! :shocked::shocked: Hard to believe that this is Scotland's main link between Glasgow and Edinburgh!!! But there it is.......... the tracks you see are from more robust vehicles going up the slip road to the actual service station - to stay there instead of be on the motorway. The rest .... well... see for youself !


Thought some of you would get a good wee giggle at it!! Not funny at the time though. :bawling: :blush:

http://thisisbigbrother.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=241&pictureid=1638

how on earth could you not drive on that road as it has hardly any snow?

[Lee.]

Ha... funny enough, when I was sitting bored out of my tree... I thought.. hey, wonder how the Perth trip went...I thought you'd be stranded (and after us 'laughing' about being snowbound at the Hydro!

It wasn't fun, let's put it that way. Quite literally, within about an hour of it starting.... that was it, no one going anywhere and continued snowing till about 4pm.

Was the weirdest thing seeing the motorway like that and with empty vehicles, people wandering about , having snowballs fights etc!! Mad!

To be honest, if I hadn't been working this morning, I would have just stayed another night! :)

Our schools reopened today, which I think is kind of mad. I kept my two off though.. it's bloody awful to walk in and I know I'm probably bein a paranoid neurotic mum, but I'm terrified of snow/ice/icicles falling!

There's lead guttiring falling off some bioldings because of the sheer weight on top of them.. scary stuff.

Anyway, I'mglad you got home safe and sound. I take it it's a few days off for you??

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

im so childish when im stuck in track

i just get really fidgety and start making stupid noises like muuu!

[Pyramid*]

How it looks 2 days on...... (courtesy of today's Daily Mail) - a stretch of compacted and hardened ice that the coucils simply cannot get shifted.

a view from the opposite end of where my original photo was taken

complete death trap stuff. :(

http://www.thisisbigbrother.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=241&pictureid=1639

[Pyramid*]

how on earth could you not drive on that road as it has hardly any snow?

LOL! I know... we really have a wee bit of a cheek really..... ach, anything for a skive !

Just re-read your comment... you surely went being serious.....??? The tracks were the only tracks on the entire motorway.... going up to a service station where 4 wheel drives drove up to sit there instead of sitting on motorway. You don't think hundreds of people just decided to have a massive camp out on the M8 for the sheer hell of it !! LOL

[Claymores]

What really ired me during the original 'big falls' of 27/28 Nov was the smartasses in 4x4s.

Down the M9/our regional dual carriageway, it had essentially become a set of single tracks down the inside lane which everybody was managing to follow in convoy at about 30-40. It was really quite a breeze so long as you didn't stray outside the established tracks.

Then you'd get the occasional a-hole in a 4x4 belting down the outside (still covered) lane. When one of them passes you end-up in total white-out as all the stuff is thrown on your screen in his wake, and it also throws lots of crap onto the established tracks.

Although it's wrong, I have to admit to feelings of shadenfreude when I later saw one 4x4 with it's nose pointed into the ditch about 10m from the carriageway, and another lying on it's side right on the verge.

[Pyramid*]

What really ired me during the original 'big falls' of 27/28 Nov was the smartasses in 4x4s.

Down the M9/our regional dual carriageway, it had essentially become a set of single tracks down the inside lane which everybody was managing to follow in convoy at about 30-40. It was really quite a breeze so long as you didn't stray outside the established tracks.

Then you'd get the occasional a-hole in a 4x4 belting down the outside (still covered) lane. When one of them passes you end-up in total white-out as all the stuff is thrown on your screen in his wake, and it also throws lots of crap onto the established tracks.

Although it's wrong, I have to admit to feelings of shadenfreude when I later saw one 4x4 with it's nose pointed into the ditch about 10m from the carriageway, and another lying on it's side right on the verge.


HA! funny you mention this: there was a Land Rover who had got up to the actual Service Station - now up there, there is an 'exit' route, away from the motorway up onto a remote lane leading to the nearest town. This Land Rover driver and passengers began the "We'll get through no bother, we'll squeeze by the cars blocked here (in the service station).

Result? 40 minutes later, having got well and truly stuck in over 2.5 foot of snow.... he then had to do a 3 point turn - which actually ended up in about a 78 point turn, ...... to get back into position to drive to the same spot he'd where he'd boasted, "No problem.... with a smirk on his face".

Aaahh....... times like that are wonderful to witness, and it's hard not to watch, grin then walk away with the word, W@nk3r in your mind! :joker:

[arista]

Glad you took some photos
and great you are out of the Snowbound zone.



Keep On Keepin' On.

[Pyramid*]

Glad you took some photos
and great you are out of the Snowbound zone.



Keep On Keepin' On.

ah...not quite. Car currently stuck (bliddy hired car as well, costing money!) in a pile of snow where I had to abandon it the other night. As I'm at home, currently not classed as uber emergency (which is totally understandable), need to wait till the real emergencies, people breaking down in middle of nowhere etc, all get sorted. Hopefully today......am sure if I kicked up a fuss they'd put me higher on list but I doubt thats entirely fair to do that......

[Josy]

I just read the army are coming in to break up the ice on the main roads, because the snow ploughs keep breaking down.

[Josy]

We have more snow forecast for 6 tonight too but it's just meant to be a light flurry (thats what they said on Sunday night though)

[Pyramid*]

I just read the army are coming in to break up the ice on the main roads, because the snow ploughs keep breaking down.

yep, was on the news last night, unbelievable. And that twat that calls himself Transport Minister, had the audacity to say that they didn't know about the weather due on Monday morning (despite the BBC forecasting and right at 'morning rush hour too') - said they were unprepared due to lack of accurate forecasting - yet they issued out information saying all main road links were serviced and would be fine..... aye right!

We have more snow forecast for 6 tonight too but it's just meant to be a light flurry (thats what they said on Sunday night though)

Not more....NOOOOOOOOooooooooooooo !! :bawling::bawling::bawling:

[MojoNixon]

You would need more of these in there

http://yle.fi/ecepic/archive/00246/Lumiaura_lumimyr_kk_246781b.jpg

[Claymores]

You would need more of these in there

http://yle.fi/ecepic/archive/00246/Lumiaura_lumimyr_kk_246781b.jpg

As Josy mentioned, the reported extra difficulty is that the ones we've got keep breaking down!

[Pyramid*]

You would need more of these in there

http://yle.fi/ecepic/archive/00246/Lumiaura_lumimyr_kk_246781b.jpg


Believe it or not, on that stretch of motorway: the blade were being damaged and broken .... due to how thick and hard the ice is. !!:shocked::shocked::shocked:

[MojoNixon]

Believe it or not, on that stretch of motorway: the blade were being damaged and broken .... due to how thick and hard the ice is. !!:shocked::shocked::shocked:

Now don't get me wrong. Where i live, we need those every winter.

http://eva02.statkal.fi/plus/img/mega/20101110/mega_101110aura1.jpg

But i understand you don't need those every winter :)

[fruit_cake]

Its turning into Siberia brrrrr

[Pyramid*]

Not following you. Its a public forum I will post where I want. ;)

The normal rule Jordan is: you have to actually contribute to the Thread and be constructive, ..... not just come into a thread for no other purpose but to insult another forum member. Unless of course, you are quite deliberately doing so with no other intent but to antagonise and disrupt. ;)

[Pyramid*]

Now don't get me wrong. Where i live, we need those every winter.

http://eva02.statkal.fi/plus/img/mega/20101110/mega_101110aura1.jpg

But i understand you don't need those every winter :)

Now...THAT'S what I call serious snow!!!! Great picture !

[MojoNixon]

Now...THAT'S what I call serious snow!!!! Great picture !

Thank you :) And stay strong over there, winter won't last long :hug:

[Claymores]

Now don't get me wrong. Where i live, we need those every winter

But your location is the Bum Squatters Collective called The Oubliette. Does shabby have that much dandruff???? :hugesmile:

[MojoNixon]

But your location is the Bum Squatters Collective called The Oubliette. Does shabby have that much dandruff???? :hugesmile:

:joker: Shabby did run away back to her parents ;) No, actually i live in Finland.

[Pyramid*]

:joker: Shabby did run away back to her parents ;) No, actually i live in Finland.

Finland....and here's me with our little bit of snow in comparison!!! LOL

[Lee.]

Ian that exact thing happened to us on Sunday on the M90.. We wer one of the only cars on the road, taking it easy obviously on the inside lane (the outside lane couldn't even be seen) A bloody artic. lorry came whoring out of nowhere, overtook us and we were driving blind and braking harder than we should have been for what seemed like ages! Can't believe the force of the spray that hit hit the windscreen! Arsehole!! :nono:

[Claymores]

:joker: Shabby did run away back to her parents ;) No, actually i live in Finland.

I'd guessed from past posts it was somewhere in Scandinavia right enough.......was just never sure which country.

[Claymores]

Ian that exact thing happened to us on Sunday on the M90.. We wer one of the only cars on the road, taking it easy obviously on the inside lane (the outside lane couldn't even be seen) A bloody artic. lorry came whoring out of nowhere, overtook us and we were driving blind and braking harder than we should have been for what seemed like ages! Can't believe the force of the spray that hit hit the windscreen! Arsehole!! :nono:

Idiots eh! And driving a bluddy lethal weapon to boot.

[Lee.]

Idiots eh! And driving a bluddy lethal weapon to boot.

Yeah.. fair enough if he wants to risk his own life,but he shouldn't be endangering other people like that!

[MojoNixon]

Finland....and here's me with our little bit of snow in comparison!!! LOL

Actually, you have a really lotsa snow in there right now, so i do completely understand how hard is it over there right now. As i said earlier, stay strong!

[Pyramid*]

Ian that exact thing happened to us on Sunday on the M90.. We wer one of the only cars on the road, taking it easy obviously on the inside lane (the outside lane couldn't even be seen) A bloody artic. lorry came whoring out of nowhere, overtook us and we were driving blind and braking harder than we should have been for what seemed like ages! Can't believe the force of the spray that hit hit the windscreen! Arsehole!! :nono:


The amount of people I've heard saying the same thing or similar, that the actions of truckers caused them to brake, causing 'near misses' or accidents ...... not good and braking is a very natural reflect that's incredibly difficult to avoid doing, and in this weather, the slightest touch on the brakes is enough to cause all sorts of problems.

[Pyramid*]

Actually, you have a really lotsa snow in there right now, so i do completely understand how hard is it over there right now. As i said earlier, stay strong!

This country is not geared up for it in any way: either by equipment,vehicles or financially. The main issue certainly on Monday was quite simply, how quickly it came ...and how long it stayed snowing heavily for. If it had been spread out over a few days, I don't think it would have been quite so bad.

Mind you.... we'd perhaps be a bit more financially able to cope if our MPs stopped claiming their ludicrious expenses etc..... but that's a whole different topic altogether for a whole different thread.

[MojoNixon]

This country is not geared up for it in any way: either by equipment,vehicles or financially. The main issue certainly on Monday was quite simply, how quickly it came ...and how long it stayed snowing heavily for. If it had been spread out over a few days, I don't think it would have been quite so bad.

Mind you.... we'd perhaps be a bit more financially able to cope if our MPs stopped claiming their ludicrious expenses etc..... but that's a whole different topic altogether for a whole different thread.

I do understand, our every winter is cold, snowy and dark :(

Drink hot drinks, wear warm clothes and stay warm :hug:

[Lee.]

The amount of people I've heard saying the same thing or similar, that the actions of truckers caused them to brake, causing 'near misses' or accidents ...... not good and braking is a very natural reflect that's incredibly difficult to avoid doing, and in this weather, the slightest touch on the brakes is enough to cause all sorts of problems.

Yeah.. it was really scary! Couldn't see a thing! I don't think lorrys should be allowed in the overtaking lanes at all!

However.. we're all safe :)

can't belive your car is still on the M8! :shocked:

My friend finally got home at 4.30am after 14 hours stuck on it.. the army eventually came with food supplied friom Asda..

[Pyramid*]

Yeah.. it was really scary! Couldn't see a thing! I don't think lorrys should be allowed in the overtaking lanes at all!

However.. we're all safe :)

can't belive your car is still on the M8! :shocked:

My friend finally got home at 4.30am after 14 hours stuck on it.. the army eventually came with food supplied friom Asda..


LOL,,,,, My car's not still on the M8. I had to ditch it halfway between Newhouse and home !! Hells bells... it would most likely have been ransacked, stuck up on bricks if it had been left there!!

Oh....in saying that... I haven't seen it for 2 days... it could still be ransacked and up on bricks!! :shocked::bawling::blush: Ach, it's a hired car... !!!

[JobsForTheBoys]

They reckon they are having it rough in Scotland by the news.:shocked:

[Pyramid*]

They reckon they are having it rough in Scotland by the news.:shocked:


Aye, just a wee bit!! :hugesmile:

[JobsForTheBoys]

Aye, just a wee bit!! :hugesmile:

Dont worry it should all be gone by the weekend.:hugesmile:

[Pyramid*]

Dont worry it should all be gone by the weekend.:hugesmile:

There's as much chance of that as us having a 100degree heatwave by this weekend! :hugesmile:

God, I wish it was true though. On both counts! :blush:

[Claymores]

Dont worry it should all be gone by the weekend.:hugesmile:

LOL - how to wind us Scots up at the moment Lesson 1.01

[fruit_cake]

wow I've never seen a whole motorway closed, I thought they had special surfaces or something to stop that happening

[Pyramid*]

wow I've never seen a whole motorway closed, I thought they had special surfaces or something to stop that happening


Noooope! If only !!

Plenty of room to do a bit of ice skating practise mind you! (ever the optimist here!)

[JobsForTheBoys]

wow I've never seen a whole motorway closed, I thought they had special surfaces or something to stop that happening

A lot of them now have porous surfaces so the rain just seeps through instead of lying on the top.

[JobsForTheBoys]

LOL - how to wind us Scots up at the moment Lesson 1.01

I only ever venture North of the border in high summer.:blush::dance::hugesmile:

[Lee.]

I only ever venture North of the border in high summer.:blush::dance::hugesmile:

The annoying thing is, you probably STILL need to pack your wellies!! :bawling:

[JobsForTheBoys]

The annoying thing is, you probably STILL need to pack your wellies!! :bawling:

I only walk from the car to the caravan. (I can do that in my bare feet):hugesmile:

[Lee.]

I only walk from the car to the caravan. (I can do that in my bare feet):hugesmile:Hahah.. oh i see. Where abouts in Scotland do you go?

[Pyramid*]

I only ever venture North of the border in high summer.:blush::dance::hugesmile:


North of the border and 'High Summer' are a complete contradiction in terms... you do realise that!! LOL :joker:

I agree with Happy..... wellies are always required !! :blush:

[JobsForTheBoys]

Hahah.. oh i see. Where abouts in Scotland do you go?

Berwick.

[Pyramid*]

Berwick.

PMSL. BERWICK. !!! As in Berwick Upon Tweed, postcode TD15?

Berwick is still in England - the most northern town I'm sure, it's not in Scotland.

waits to be corrected!

You could mean North Berwick, up by Haddington way, but I suspect if you did mean that, you'd say...as North Berwick is what's it's known as.... not Berwick.

[JobsForTheBoys]

PMSL. BERWICK. !!! As in Berwick Upon Tweed, postcode TD15?

Berwick is still in England - the most northern town I'm sure, it's not in Scotland.

waits to be corrected!

You could mean North Berwick, up by Haddington way, but I suspect if you did mean that, you'd say...as North Berwick is what's it's known as.... not Berwick.

Well its Scotland to me.:hugesmile:

[Pyramid*]

Well its Scotland to me.:hugesmile:

Ya muppet!!!! :blush:

Get yerself upto Elgin or somewhere !! Bliddy Berwick.... :laugh2:

[Claymores]

Well its Scotland to me.:hugesmile:

I always used to giggle about Southerners referring to anything North of the Watfard Gap as being some dark and unknown territory generically called "The North"

[JobsForTheBoys]

Ya muppet!!!! :blush:

Get yerself upto Elgin or somewhere !! Bliddy Berwick.... :laugh2:

I might go a bit further up next year.:hugesmile:

[Pyramid*]

I might go a bit further up next year.:hugesmile:

If you like nice drives, I recommend the Trossachs up Perthshire: some stunning scenery up there, truly gorgeous. !

[Pyramid*]

My friend finally got home at 4.30am after 14 hours stuck on it.. the army eventually came with food supplied friom Asda..

Happyland... I totally missed this part of your post... sorry!!

Jezzus, that's one hell of a time: I thought I was bad, that's simply awful. Your friend didn't happen to be on the M80 Cumbernauld way at all? I heard that that, as well as parts of the M74 were simply horrendous. Poor souls..... good that Asda supplied the grub and the Army got it to them. It's unreal how cold you get, chilled right through,so very quickly - and how long it takes to warm up again.

Here's a wee 'You're having a laugh mate' moment. 5 of us were in the service station, knowing we were going to be stuck for quite some time, we bought several packs of sandwiches, crisps, choc, drinks, mags, newpapers, ciggies to take back to the cars, all of us spending about £30 per person (their prices were shocking!).

Whilst we were at the services, we had a few cuppas....... I went back up for another tea and asked if I could have 2 teabags. Young male assistant behind the counter said, "I'll need to charge you for 2 teas then...".

I looked at him as if he'd come off another planet and before I could challenge him, his 'colleague' lady assistant spun round, looked at him in the same way, saying, "You aren't being serious...that lady has been in here since first thing, she and her friends have been spending in here all day....how DARE you", then reached out to his till to amend the 2 teas, to 1 tea. Well done to the lady assistant for showing some common sense and good grace!! :dance:

Bloody cheeky.

[Lee.]

Happyland... I totally missed this part of your post... sorry!!

Jezzus, that's one hell of a time: I thought I was bad, that's simply awful. Your friend didn't happen to be on the M80 Cumbernauld way at all? I heard that that, as well as parts of the M74 were simply horrendous. Poor souls..... good that Asda supplied the grub and the Army got it to them. It's unreal how cold you get, chilled right through,so very quickly - and how long it takes to warm up again.

Here's a wee 'You're having a laugh mate' moment. 5 of us were in the service station, knowing we were going to be stuck for quite some time, we bought several packs of sandwiches, crisps, choc, drinks, mags, newpapers, ciggies to take back to the cars, all of us spending about £30 per person (their prices were shocking!).

Whilst we were at the services, we had a few cuppas....... I went back up for another tea and asked if I could have 2 teabags. Young male assistant behind the counter said, "I'll need to charge you for 2 teas then...".

I looked at him as if he'd come off another planet and before I could challenge him, his 'colleague' lady assistant spun round, looked at him in the same way, saying, "You aren't being serious...that lady has been in here since first thing, she and her friends have been spending in here all day....how DARE you", then reached out to his till to amend the 2 teas, to 1 tea. Well done to the lady assistant for showing some common sense and good grace!! :dance:

Bloody cheeky.

Sorry Pyrami.. yeah I just assumed it was the M8 but he was actually on the Cumbernauld road.

Thank god there's people with a little sense like the woman in the services!