Back on Friday the 19th I’d learned from the radio on the way home from work that there were major tailbacks joining the M6 from the M62 due to a festival taking place over that weekend. With the drive up to Scotland ahead of me that night I decided to take it easy when I got home – have some food, put a wash on, tidy up a bit and “clear my desk” on the internet before heading off.
Unfortunately I got completely sidetracked and ended up rushing to fill the car as 9pm loomed, before finally rolling out of the driveway at just after the hour. I wasn’t too bothered – I figured the traffic would have died down on the M6 and that the road up to Scotland would be fairly empty. A half an hour later and I found I was right on the money – there were no queues, the M6 was relatively clear, and the evening was dry, so I got my motorway driving head on and settled in for the three hours that lay ahead.