Great day out with your MG? Post up a picture ?

My
securespark said:
Our last day yesterday. We were up at 07.00 (06.00 UK time), and left Lille at 08.00.

As we got closer to Calais, we saw more and more car transporters, mostly Renault. Most of them were carrying RHD Scenic, one was carrying a whole load of aubergine coloured 4s, but I couldn't see if they were R or LHD.
Is aubergine a UK colour on the 4?

We got there in great time and topped up a bit. Oddly, it was from 43% to 81%, exactly the same figures as we topped up from and to the day before. We were able to pick a train one hour ahead of our chosen one, but as it happened, there was a hold up in douane....and we lost that train, getting the next one. Still, we had the thrill of the car being drug wiped by the Police Nationale!

Thankfully, he said, "La rouge, c'est bon."
Quite amusing because the geezer wiped the steering wheel and the top of the door card on the driver's door, but nothing on my side, so he obviously thought Mrs S looked guilty as sin and I was sweet and innocent!

But thinking about it now, maybe he just assumed we were both drivers...

Getting on the train, with the original EuroTunnel logo.
View attachment 45540

View attachment 45541

Sadly this shot is OOF, but this is at the Morrisons/ Gregs shop after you get off the train. It says car parking only, no HGV. Wheelclamps are in use.
Woe betide any poor camion driver who parks there in error not speaking (nay reading) the lingo very well.

Welcome to the UK!
And it just reminded me with a heavy heart that we were back in the land of companies armed to the teeth with Denver Boots.

View attachment 45543

We stopped at Toddington to top up using Gridserve.

Couldn't get it to work for love or money. The card reader said starting, but His Lordship said Quack Quack Oops!

Rang GS, who didn't really know what the issue was, but said a remote reset would sort it out.

Someone using the other lead on the same machine as ours asked if we were having trouble, as hers didn't work, so we told her we were waiting a few minutes for a remote reset.

A couple of minutes later, we're still on hold with GS and the lady next door is plugging back in telling us it's working fine.

We decided to wait so we could talk to the person at GS.
So she comes back, says it's fine, we run through the procedure she recommends, including (get this) holding the plug firmly into the charging socket on the car...

But it still failed.

By this time Mrs S is pis, I mean rather annoyed. So, still on the phone to the (un)help(ful)line, we reversed into a recently vacated bay. That didn't work either. By this time, we were thinking the problem was with the car, not the charging unit. After all, the lady next to us charged OK after the reset and GS said the person who was in the bay we reversed into charged OK too.

Before we gave up altogether on Gridserve (which we had previously had no issues with whatsoever), we tried a third machine.

Plugged in, tapped, charging.
Halle-flipping-lujah!

On our way again after an M&S lunch.

Total home journey time 10 hours.

Total mileage 740, or 1191 Km.
Click to expand...
quite a trip 👍
 
Yes!

But even in rush hour, and given the wrong side of the road factor, the driving was really stress-free.

I think it's mostly because the population is about the same as ours but the country is over 2 ½ times the size.
 
securespark said:
I think it's mostly because the population is about the same as ours but the country is over 2 ½ times the size.
Click to expand...

Also, you returned to the SE of England where the UK is at its most crowded. The population of the United Kingdom in 2025 was estimated to be approximately 69.3 million, with over 9.6 million people living in South East England. Contrast that with Scotland, which is about a third of the area of the island of Great Britain but has less than 6 million inhabitants.
 
M20 and 25 were not bad. The M1 was a bit crowded, but IME, the M6 can always be guaranteed to be chocka between 14 and 19.

There was a 15 minute delay posted prior to 19, so we got off at 17 and went up past Jodrell Bank.

But what annoys me intensely is the really crap standard of driving. Particularly from commercial drivers. Particularly from those driving liveried vehicles 7.5t and above. I drove commercial vehicles a lot in my time and Iike to think I didn't pull stunts like the 7.5t driver did on us which was the old "I've blinked my indicator once so it gives me the right to move, even though you're right alongside me..." trick.
Bloody good job the next lane was free.

That's piss poor driving from someone who is on the road every day driving a heavy vehicle. They should take their responsibilities far more seriously.

I'm not saying I was a perfect driver, but these are the basics and if drivers can't get these things right, we're in a mess.
 
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I'll just leave this here

PXL_20260413_181014346.MP~2.webp
 
Just back from a 740 mile trip to France and Belgium?

Never mind!
No rest for the wicked, time to get off to Hampshire to see my Niece and her new baby named after her Great Granny.

We had a hectic time at Cherwell, jostling for a charger. There was one untethered unit free but did it work?

Did it buggery!

The one next door was free and we were just manhoovering to get into the space when a Tesla nicked it. Grrrr....

Luckily, we were just in the right place at the right time as someone left a bay just as we were approaching it.

Anyway, this is me with baby.

IMG-20260418-WA0016.webp
 
securespark said:
Just back from a 740 mile trip to France and Belgium?

Never mind!
No rest for the wicked, time to get off to Hampshire to see my Niece and her new baby named after her Great Granny.

We had a hectic time at Cherwell, jostling for a charger. There was one untethered unit free but did it work?

Did it buggery!

The one next door was free and we were just manhoovering to get into the space when a Tesla nicked it. Grrrr....

Luckily, we were just in the right place at the right time as someone left a bay just as we were approaching it.

Anyway, this is me with baby.

View attachment 45651
Click to expand...
Amazing - both aware of the camera 🤩 congratulations all round.
 
Just wanted to finish off the trip from Hants to see the baby.

We went for walk to see the 12 century church. St Simon and St Jude Parish Church.

IMG_20260418_155201.webp


IMG_20260418_155234.webp


Getting home was a bit of a fag.

Motorway services are crap for charging! Who knew?

I still have a lot to learn... The Chargemap seems good but I don't know how to use it.

Does it integrate with Google Maps?

When looking for chargers, I end up checking Google Maps, looking at various apps on the phone, chiefly Electroverse and Chargemap and trying to find the nearest suitable site.

For example, on the way back from Hants, we stopped at Oxford services and there were only a handful and they were all full. Not sure if the Tesla ones were open to all, but Mrs S wasn't open to Tesla...

Next stop Norton Canes, they were all in use. There was a row of spanking new high speed chargers, but they were fenced off...

I was just looking for an alternative when luckily, someone finished and we were able to charge up.

So I would again say that in the time we've had our first EV, there has been a vast increase in charger availability, but it's still not enough. Motorway services are always busy, but they don't seem to invest in appropriate numbers of chargers. I know there are sites nearby motorways just off them.

When searching I found an Instavolt one at a McDs on the A34 at Shirley, West Midlands, but by that time we'd just literally passed the slip!

Could do with some kind of integration between car and satnav telling you where the chargers are on your chosen route.

Edited because my brain is not working this morning.
 
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securespark said:
Just finish off the trip from Hants to see the baby.

We went for walk to see the 12 century church. St Simon and St Jude Parish Church.

View attachment 46014

View attachment 46015

Getting home was a bit of a fag.

Motorway services are crap for charging! Who knew?

I still have a lot to learn... The Chargemap seems good but I don't know how to use it.

Does it integrate with Google Maps?

When looking for chargers, I end up checking Google Maps, looking at various apps on the phone, chiefly Electroverse and Chargemap and trying to find the nearest suitable site.

For example, on the way back from Hants, we stopped at Oxford services and there was only a handful that were full. Not sure if the Tesla ones were open to all, but Mrs S wasn't open to Tesla...

Next stop Norton Canes, they were all in use. There was a row of spanking new high speed chargers, but they were fenced off...

I was just looking for an alternative when luckily, someone finished and we were able to charge up.

So I would again say that in the time we've had our first EV, there has been a vast increase in charger availability, but it's still not enough. Motorway services are always busy, but they don't seem to invest in appropriate numbers of chargers. I know there are sites nearby motorways just off them.

When searching I found an Instavolt one at a McDs on the A34 at Shirley, West Midlands, but by that time we'd just literally passed the slip!

Could do with some kind of integrationbetween car and satnav telling you where to charge.
Click to expand...
What time of day did you try motorway services for charging ? I've only twice charged at a motorway service area but have stopped at loads for a 'comfort' break. I have only ever seen the chargers getting well used/full at lunchtimes (apart from Tebay !!!!!)
 
Gomev said:
What time of day did you try motorway services for charging ? I've only twice charged at a motorway service area but have stopped at loads for a 'comfort' break. I have only ever seen the chargers getting well used/full at lunchtimes (apart from Tebay !!!!!)
Click to expand...
16.30 and 17.30 ish.
 
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