The Long Winding Road

IT’S a long road to Scotland and here we are at Durham Services on the A1 and it’s still another 96 miles to go.
According to Apple Maps that’s just over two hours driving time. But judging by the frustrating journey from the South Coast, plagued with frequent road works and 50mph speed restrictions, that timing may be a little optimistic, especially bearing in mind that much of the A1 beyond Newcastle north to the Scottish border and on towards Edinburgh is not dual carriageway.
And my memory of this road, particular beyond the Scottish border just outside Berwick is that roadside speed cameras come thick and fast, so keeping a wary eye on the speedo is the order of the day.
But a long journey and steady speed, despite the motorway restrictions, has boosted my overall fuel economy. Normally my Avensis automatic will deliver around 36 to 37 around home. So far on this journey I have averaged 46.1 mpg.

So numerous shots of caffeine by way of double espresso and frequent stops on the way at motorway service areas like this, work wonders.