My first car

[llondel]

I have lived in Bath twice, Llondel, so you have my understanding and sympathy!

It's a nice place - I was impressed with myself when, on visiting after a 15 year absence, I still remembered how to navigate my way through the city without assistance of any maps or gadgets. Definitely not flat though!

[talmacapt]

I learnt to fly first also.

Nothing so wonderful as a Cherokee but a Forney Ercoupe.

[1DC]

Mrs 1DC took her driving test in Hull and the car broke down she was rescheduled the next day in Hessle, a village just down the road, she had never been there before but passed. She didn't have to worry about traffic lights because they didn't have any.

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

I believe the Orkneys and Shetlands didn't have roundabouts in the test because there weren't any. Ricardian can perhaps advise.

[Dushan]

What’s all this talk about lessons and tests? 2 pictures and 2 bottles of Johnny Walker got you a driver’s license where I learned to drive.

[CharlieOneSix]

A coursemate of mine, albeit in the fixed wing stream, was flying Sea Vixens from aircraft carriers before he had a driving licence.....and he failed his first driving test!

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

Examiners had (probably still do have) a quota.
Your mate probably took his test at the end of the month.

By chance, my mother took her 6th driving test immediately after my sister #1 took her first test, and with the same examiner.
My mum informed him that they had the same instructor, that he had just passed her daughter, and that their instructor considered her the better driver.
She passed.
You don't argue with my mum. Well, not and win.

[Ex-Ascot]

A friend's daughter has just taken her written test in Zimbabwe. There are two scales of charges. X to take the test. Y if you want a guaranteed pass. She went for Y but would have passed anyway.

[ricardian]

I believe the Orkneys and Shetlands didn't have roundabouts in the test because there weren't any. Ricardian can perhaps advise.

There are now one or two roundabouts on mainland Orkney. However, back in the 1970s we lived in Brora, Sutherland. In the whole of Sutherland there were no roundabouts or dual carriagways, there was one set of traffic lights which were on the ancient, very narrow A9 bridge in Helmsdale. At that time a round trip to Inverness took a full day. However, 30 years later when we finally moved up here in 2004 after I'd retired, the A9 had were miles of dual carriageways and roundabouts plus bridges across the Ness and the Dornoch Firth.

[ricardian]

I believe the Orkneys and Shetlands didn't have roundabouts in the test because there weren't any. Ricardian can perhaps advise.

There are now one or two roundabouts on mainland Orkney. However, back in the 1970s we lived in Brora, Sutherland. In the whole of Sutherland there were no roundabouts or dual carriagways, there was one set of traffic lights which were on the ancient, very narrow A9 bridge in Helmsdale. At that time a round trip to Inverness took a full day. However, 30 years later when we finally moved up here in 2004 after I'd retired, the A9 had miles of dual carriageways and roundabouts plus bridges across the Ness and the Dornoch Firth.

[Karearea]

My first car belonged to one of my airline-captain cousins, who had left it with me to use occasionally unless he happened to be in the country again.
It had a personalised number-plate, with the name of one of his children.
So many strangers would read it and beam at me, and say archly, "I know what your name is!"

Oh, no, they didn't!