The Driver

brue

Talking about trips to Scotland on another thread, driving through beautiful scenery. But can the driver ever enjoy the scenery? OH thinks not and I have to agree if it's my turn!

peedee

I tend to agree, the driver obviously cannot focus on the scenery quite so much as the passenger. My tip drive slower to give yourself time to look around you and stop if you can in the more scenic areas. I sometimes review what my dash cam has captured and save bits now and again.

peedee

Bakers2

Would have to agree. Don't think you can enjoy the scenery driving solo let alone driving a motorhome or towing. Concentration on the road ahead should always be foremost, as well as what's happening around you. Can't do it on known roads let alone unknown ones. Occasionally you can glimpse sceney but not enjoy in the way a non driver can.

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Vicmallows

Agree with David.  The road directly ahead has to be first priority, but you should also be spatially aware of everything going on around you. When the road is clear this will include the scenery to a greater or lesser degree.  I am certainly aware of which parts of a journey I would would wish to repeat .... and which parts I would do anything to avoid in future.

katieb

We found that in Scotland there were lots of places to pull over and enjoy the views; certainly in Dorset, where we live, many of the best viewpoints have lay-bys so you can do just that.

huskydog

I have a couple of 4 hour sd cards I use in the dash camera ,and then play back any outstanding scenery back that I have missed on the laptop , you can't be a driver and a viewer at the same time 

SteveL

You don't say if this is with a caravan or Motorhome. In our experience when you are 12 metres long you are very lucky if you can find enough room in a lay-by.

As to the OP, perhaps solo you can to an extent, however towing a definite no.

Metheven

Obviously not as much as the passenger, but I don't drive with eyes fixated on the road especially at a fixed distance. It pays to vary focus and distance so I take in everything around me within reason. If there's something of special interest and there's a pull in, then we stop.

Lutz

Actually, in our case it was rather the opposite. My wife loved to read a book or a newspaper while we were on the move and she would tell me to let her know if there is something worth seeing outside.

KjellNN

Even when the lay-by is big enough, there is invariably a lone car or other vehicle right in the middle of it, preventing a long vehicle from being able to use it!

brue

OH bought a cheap dashcam, will use it to look at scenic journeys after they've been done. Even with a motorhome you can bet that two big lorries will have filled the layby you wanted!

JayEss

I'm one that reads as a passenger and concentrates on the road if I'm driving. I'm not a scenery person really although if we're driving through a town or village the book goes down 

DavidKlyne

I suppose it just illustrates how people, in the main, only think of themselves. To me a simple solution would be to have a polite sign requesting people move forward to allow others to use the layby?

David

MichaelT

David, it may have been when they arrived they were behind a vehicle but that one and the one behind have now moved off leaving it in the middle. 

Oneputt

When driving I seem to take in more scenery/wildlife than OH sat in passenger seat

MichaelT

I never have time for sightseeing or enjoying the scnery when driving, its enough to concentrate on taking pictures on my mobile and texting my mates without having to look at the scenery as well, that would be too much and very dangerous if you ask me.

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JVB66

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lesbunny

There's always one isn't there

The beauty about Scotland is the roads are quieter & mostly single carriageway & thereby slower, so you do get time to watch the scenery as you go along - including watching out for suicidal red deer  

Wildwood

I do try to watch the road first but have time to see the scenery most of the time. I agree there are some pretty inspiring routes up here and traffic can be slow enough to enjoy them.

JVB66

Is the traffic slow because you have after the M25 you have the next two slowest roads in the UK?

DavidKlyne

That is of course possible. However some laybys can only take a couple of vehicles and the way some people park it is most unlikely that there was someone parked in front of them when they arrived?

David