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By Collin, ''Sorry No Pics, Nothing
to Take pics of!! Cheers Coppers'' Saturday 24th January 2004 5:30pm, My Brother and I left home towards Trent Vale where we were to meet a few more cars. The van was locked up and left there while we got a lift in a White Astra GSi. At 6:45pm we had 27 cars to follow us. A lot of the cars had 3 or 4 people in them, giving each other a lift, so that they didn't have to drive themselves. We lead them down the A500, then down to the M6 Southbound. 20 -30 minutes of driving we arrived at our first stop, 'Hillton Services'. Police as usual were on the services waiting for the arrivals of more cars, but at this point they could not do anything, because we were stopping for Fuel, Food and Drinks (not illegal is it?) There were already 300 or so cars parked up, and more arriving still. Now we had a new convoy Leader. We set off again at about 7:50pm heading further down south towards Birmingham. All the convoys from around Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent were told that the Cruise would be in Birmingham, but once we turned onto the M5 we had other thoughts. Still following the 300 cars, we had passed all junctions off to Birmingham. We knew there was already a convoy ahead of us on the motorway heading to the same destination, when we saw 5 Modified cars crashed on the hard shoulder of the M5. We eventually caught up with them, while they were stuck behind a road gritter; nobody was willing to pass it. Eventually after 2 hours of driving at 55mph, we got news from the lead cars that we were to turn off at Junction 6 on the M5. This was not possible because the Gloucestershire police force was out blocking the junction, so we thought, well ok, we will leave at the next junction, but no. As we approached this junction, the police came flying down the outside lane of the M5 and swerved back through the traffic (dangerously) to block off the next junction from our access. Only a few cars at the front of the convoy could get off before the police got there and a few once they had left the slip road to race to the next, but why did this give them reason to speed past us and park in our way? By junction 13 lot of the people who were still on the M5 were running out of patiencs and petrol after travelling 130 miles decided it was time to pull off and see why they were not allowed to leave the M5, we were not breaking the law, and even the cars who were not in our convoy had to carry on (Why?) The police simply replied "Get back onto the Motorway to junction 14" as they walked pass, very impolitely. Answers wanted of anyone, is it legal for the police to stand on the motorway and stop payers of road tax from leaving the M5 or any other motorway for this matter? What happens if they get run over, is it our fault or theirs for being stood on a motorway where cars are travelling at up to speeds of 70mph, is it manslaughter or an accident? Back to the story of the remaining cars trying to turn around and head north. Between junction 13 and 14 there was a service station. This being a public service meant that we had the right to be parked here, to use either the toilets, to buy food or drink and to get petrol. The petrol well needed for some of the drivers after being sent on an extra 30 miles or more, away from where we wanted to be. All of the cars pulled onto here, knowing that if they didn't they would be in Bristol in minutes. The police followed and parked up around the car park watching us, along with a Helicopter flying over us with a spot light. A lot of people went up to different police vehicles for a "friendly" word with them. The police agreed to open the next junction of the M5 (junction 14) for us to turn around and head north at last. But we soon realised this junction was just outside Gloucestershire and they had nothing to do with the area. Also one of the police officers (quoted) "Don't F**k with Gloucestershire". If we had used a word like that, it would have been an on the spot fine of £60, although they did compliment all of us on our speed. Finally, able to Head back north at junction 14 off the M5, probably under 10 miles from Bristol. We were now actually heading back to the original destination of the cruise, which was supposedly off Junction 6 at Cheltenham, but others heard it was off junction 11. We were not now going to head somewhere not knowing if there was anything to see, so we phoned around to find if anyone we knew had found anything. Three of our 27 cars had followed about 70 cars off at junction 6 once the police had left the slip road, and headed towards Blackpole, which was not signposted from the M5. So now our cruise for the night was 70 cars on a McDonald's car park at one end of an industrial park. There were 5 police cars just on this car park. They were patrolling the entrance to this car park, and only letting people on who were after food from McDonalds. Bearing in mind that this was on an industrial estate means that there are no local houses. The police must have forgotten this when they came out with the comment that we were disturbing the locals by making too much noise. It was a Saturday night so everyone would have been out anyway. One police officer also walked into McDonalds (ouch) no seriously and told them that they must close. Why? Because we were all buying food and drink while we were there providing a lot of custom. Of course McDonalds closed and it was home time for us. 10pm we set off on our 130mile drive home all the way back up the M5 to join the M6 and then all the way back to Stoke-on-Trent. This is what you call a Very Long, Cold, Winter Cruise literally, after driving south on the M6 and M5 all night and not actually being able to park up and chat to anyone. This was not the sort of night we were expecting. Can you imagine thinking to yourself and then suggesting to your mates, driving all the way down to Bristol, turning around and heading home again, just for a laugh? Well that is basically what this looked like, although it was a weird adventure. The one last problem with the night was that after driving 140 miles there, we had to drive 140 miles home. Arriving home at 1:30am on Sunday morning was not very comforting. It just makes you think "What could I have been doing this evening I instead of spending 8 hours of the night in a car. The only thing needed to complete the Birmingham Blow-out would be for the police to mention all of this in as much their advantage as possible on the news. I also feel the need to write to the Gloucestershire Police Constabulary to complain for the unnecessary bad language appointed to us when we had not done anything illegal at all. Being threatened with a ticket for asking to leave the motorway at one of the blocked slip roads was funny, in the sense that, you would be taken to court, and why? Because you wanted to go off the M5, who do you think would win this case? The police also caused an extra 30 miles of unnecessary motorway congestion north and south, on the M5.
To cut a long story short… 27 cars met up, then we were 300 cars and then we met another 300 cars went down the M6, then joined the M5 went down the M5 to Bristol turned around and drove home. Not intentionally but the cops had blocked all the junctions off on the M5 so we couldn't get to our cruise location |
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