By: Blonde One

On the Two Blondes recent D of E expedition we encountered a lot of cars – and drivers obviously! This is not a normal phenomena on Dartmoor as we tend to trek across country and avoid roads at all costs. The Bronze D of E expedition necessitates walking on roads and lanes and we have noticed some rather impolite behaviour amongst the drivers. Since returning home I have been doing some thinking about whether I could place any stereotypes on the type of car and match it with the driver’s behaviour. For instance: does it follow that a Land Rover driver will give walkers a wide berth and give way if possible and will a BMW driver speedily drive past sending clouds of jelly baby dust up into our faces? (sorry if I have offended any BMW or Land Rover drivers!) On reflection, it seems that there is no pattern to car behaviour.

We met with a lot of cars that it seems were hugely inconvenienced by our presence. We were ignored by some and given no help whatsoever when trying to cross roads. Others however, gave us a wide berth (even when we were safely out of the way on a grass verge) and allowed us to get to a safer point while they waited patiently for us.

After our expedition I would like to thank all of the patient, considerate drivers that we met along the way. I would also like to remind the others that they are probably the first to complain about kids spending hours cooped up with their games consoles or hanging around on street corners causing a nuisance. The D of E kids are clearly doing something brilliant if they are out on a wet and windy day carrying a very heavy looking bag: so give them a break, slow down and give them a bit of room!