Hedgerows
We love Wales. Its beauty has surprised us in many ways (wait until you see the pictures & video). But there is a major downside to traveling through Wales when your vehicle is wider than a living horse-powered carriage, which once frequented these scenic roads. 450.000 km of hedgerows criss-cross the UK’s countryside. Their main purpose is to keeps livestock in their assigned fields or to remind you where your land stops and that of your neighbor starts (in case you forget when leaving the pub after a few pints of cider 🙂 ).
All lovely, especially when you know they are a safe harbor for a diversity of plants and animals. But there is one thing about these hedges that can quickly make them your sworn enemy when, again, you’re driving something larger than a horse and wagon or an old mini cooper. These hedgerows begin – as solid walls – directly next to the road – not an “inch” further away. As a result there is no room left for your side mirrors or, if you’re unlucky, for your vehicle basically.
A Beating
Stupid as we may be, we don’t quickly surrender to our enemy. And as such one day we got ourselves into a pickle (i.e. into trouble). We’re following a no-width-restrictions single lane country road for a few miles. But in contrast to Scotland there are far less passing-ways on the Welsh roads. And this road in particular has even fewer (if any???). So by the time we notice that the road became too narrow and the hedges too tall and monstrous, we no longer can put the truck in reverse. We’ll have to endure what is coming. At this point we praise ourselves lucky to have a truck that is built for a beating. And that is exactly what it got: thousands of whiplashes. Aaaaaa!!!
Damage
When we finally get away from it, the damage is luckily not too bad. The driver’s side mirror needs to be repaired. The holder – after 30 years – had enough of it. It quit the Terratrotter® On Tour Team.
So we had to fabricate a new one. Luckily we did equip the truck for these kinds of troublemakers.
And within the hour the truck is ready to roll again – no sign of any trouble.
Or did we overlook something?
Other articles and videos about Scotland & Wales:
- Overland travel: Scotland – Part 1
- Overland travel: Scotland – Part 2
- A perfect day in Scotland
- A dark night in Scotland (only accessible for our newsletter subscribers)
- Overland travel: Snowdonia & Lake District