Where did all the Blades end up.....

[Blade56]

...after the Port Vale match?

I was lucky, All4 Mini ploughed us over the moors and up the hills, got home at 8:30. My mate and his wife following ended up abandoning car and staying at a pub (silver lining) in Buxton.

 

[Foxy]

...after the Port Vale match?

I was lucky, All4 Mini ploughed us over the moors and up the hills, got home at 8:30. My mate and his wife following ended up abandoning car and staying at a pub (silver lining) in Buxton.

Decided to go through Stoke and stick to the bigger roads. After hours of trecherous driving, we made the fateful decision to leave the queue for the slip road of J29 (which was blocked by lorries struggling to get up the incline) and come off further on and through Eckington...

It was very ropey, but we were battling through, until we came across a stuck coach blocking the road and forcing us to stop and lose the momentum that had us successfully climbing the hill on Sheffield Road.

After they slid the coach back and abandoned it, we managed to push/drive further up the hill, before becoming completely stuck.

Ballinpigpubs13 started walking home and me and Linz managed to slide the car back down and into a space opposite the Mossbrook, where we attempted to sleep.

Decided, dithering, freezing cold and uncomfortable to have another go at the hill at around 03:15. It had drizzled a bit and a gritter had been part way up, so I managed to turn the car around and build up momentum on the flat. Got up the hill, then through Frecheville, on to Intake and down City Road ignoring red lights and managing to keep moving.

Got into town, where it was a little more civilised and limped up to Woodseats where we dumped the car and then walked home... Got in a little after 4am.

 

[Ballinpigpubs13]

The coach in question that led to us getting stuck was also stopped from getting up the same hill by some numpty slowing down in front of them, according to fellow hikers heading north from Eckington.
Lovely wet one and a half hour walk home to s13.

 

[Gavlar]

Decided to go through Stoke and stick to the bigger roads. After hours of trecherous driving, we made the fateful decision to leave the queue for the slip road of J29 (which was blocked by lorries struggling to get up the incline) and come off further on and through Eckington...

It was very ropey, but we were battling through, until we came across a stuck coach blocking the road and forcing us to stop and lose the momentum that had us successfully climbing the hill on Sheffield Road.

After they slid the coach back and abandoned it, we managed to push/drive further up the hill, before becoming completely stuck.

Ballinpigpubs13 started walking home and me and Linz managed to slide the car back down and into a space opposite the Mossbrook, where we attempted to sleep.

Decided, dithering, freezing cold and uncomfortable to have another go at the hill at around 03:15. It had drizzled a bit and a gritter had been part way up, so I managed to turn the car around and build up momentum on the flat. Got up the hill, then through Frecheville, on to Intake and down City Road ignoring red lights and managing to keep moving.

Got into town, where it was a little more civilised and limped up to Woodseats where we dumped the car and then walked home... Got in a little after 4am.

Bloody hell fairplay foxy and linz that's commitment for yah!

 

[Woodwardfan]

I rejoined the family in the lounge after following the game for 2 hours on internet. I must say we have had a marvellous Xmas but my anger was only quelled by a combination of loved ones, Xmas spirit and red wine.

 

[RossoDeltic]

made a school boy error and ended up on the A53 but decided to turn around when the snow was too bad even for the Volvo and went back to Stoke. The worst part did the journey was after getting off the motorway at Hellaby and driving through Maltby. My kids enjoyed the adventure although getting home at 1am wasn't what I expected.

 

[fishpie]

Home about 1pm today..To be fair, abandoned all hope of getting home, last night, at about 5pm!..Thankfully, I was able to stop at my mates on City Rd..and reclaimed my car from the lane carpark today.
Went to PV on coach, and all was fine on the way back, though slow, very, very slow..Lots of willing pushers on the coach too, and everybody else off to lighten the load, once we hit Sheffield..We left the coach with a couple of miles to walk (grateful for reasonable walking conditions), and got back to City Rd about 1.30...Really felt for the coach driver. He didn't have to endure the game, but I wouldn't have wanted his responsibility yesterday...

 

[DazBlade88]

I decided to skip the Chesterfield queue when I saw it and aimed for J33. I was pretty lucky in that I got on the parkway around 10.30, and after moving 200 yards by midnight I got far enough to come off at Catcliffe, get back on the parkway and back up to the M1 to J34. It was pretty clear all the way down Brightside and into town, I did go through 7 red lights to keep going though. Managed to get up Chesterfield Road despite endless amounts of cars struggling between Heeley Retail Park and Homebase, but found a bit of fresh snow to park on 5 minutes from my house so left the car there and walked home.

I did have a problem when a lorry went down the middle lane of the M1 and sprayed slush/mud all over my windscreen, meaning I had to have a passenger in the back seat direct me for half a mile because I could see absolutely fuck all as it was stuck in my wipers and it wasn't safe to stop. That was genuinely the most scared I've ever been.

 

[Pedro Verde]

Our coach got stuck at the beginning of the Parkway around 10pm after not moving for ages decided to get off the coach
walked to Handsworth got in the Sword Dancer just after 11pm had 4 pints pretty quickly walked back to Woodhouse landed home about 1.15am

 

[ShockingBadBuy]

Think I got away with it, compared to some of you ....

I must've gone through j29 just before the exit snarled up. There was one truck blocking one exit lane by the lights, but got around it ok. Had nearly got stuck on the A50, but things seemed to get better further east. Was worried about Dronfield by-pass all the way back, and that's where I ended up, about a third of a way up the hill. Might just about have got away with it if I hadn't had to stop, but there was a jack-knifed lorry, a couple of ambulances, a coach and a load of cars all stuck on the hill in front. Once I stopped I was buggered. Gave up after a bit, managed to slide car backwards into what looked like it might be a lay-by, and set off walking.

Then, f*ck me, it was just like that bit in It's A Wonderful Life ! I'd got a mile or so up the road going painfully slowly, when this lovely old bloke in a taxi fitted with snow tyres emerged out of the blizzard, wound his window down and offered me a lift. He was on his way back from Heathrow. Dropped me on Meadowhead, and I walked down to Woodseats. What a totally top man ! Got in about midnight.

Dug car out of layby about 2pm today, and journey home officially completed in car about 2:20.

 

[Jehovah]

Decided to go through Stoke and stick to the bigger roads. After hours of trecherous driving, we made the fateful decision to leave the queue for the slip road of J29 (which was blocked by lorries struggling to get up the incline) and come off further on and through Eckington...

It was very ropey, but we were battling through, until we came across a stuck coach blocking the road and forcing us to stop and lose the momentum that had us successfully climbing the hill on Sheffield Road.

After they slid the coach back and abandoned it, we managed to push/drive further up the hill, before becoming completely stuck.

Ballinpigpubs13 started walking home and me and Linz managed to slide the car back down and into a space opposite the Mossbrook, where we attempted to sleep.

Decided, dithering, freezing cold and uncomfortable to have another go at the hill at around 03:15. It had drizzled a bit and a gritter had been part way up, so I managed to turn the car around and build up momentum on the flat. Got up the hill, then through Frecheville, on to Intake and down City Road ignoring red lights and managing to keep moving.

Got into town, where it was a little more civilised and limped up to Woodseats where we dumped the car and then walked home... Got in a little after 4am.

Felt really sorry for you guys reading your tweets. Maximum pain at vale followed by infeasable pain on the journey home. I was laying in bed wondering what I could do to help. Needless to say, I ended up doing absolutely nothing..........sorry.

 

[2ndtenorblade]

Managed to get home about ten o'clock, it was a scary journey, there was one point on the A50 where it took an hour to do one mile. We sailed past the mess that was J29 and came off at J31, which was nearly home for me, but took my mate to Woodhouse, scary. We've had some horrendous journeys home this season, but that was the worst.

 

[Linz]

I thought I was being overly-cautious putting a bug bag in the car with food and drinks... was glad we did. A little bit of chocolate and a capri sun in the wee hours of the morning goes a little way to revive the spirits. I'm buying some blankets to keep in the car though.

So yes, yesterday I shoved a car up a hill, had three hours of uncomfortable and eventually chilly kip in the front seat of the car, a wee in a pub car park (bit difficult to write my name) and then a walk up from Woodseats.

The heating was on when we got back and the cats had refrained from shitting on the bathmat. It could've been worse.

 

[SUFC Handsworth]

In comparison to some of the nightmares on this thread we had a relative doddle home. Two and half hours to get away from Stoke and back to my mates house at Handsworth for 10.30, which would have been fine if I lived at Handsworth these days, thankfully my mum still lives at S13 so crashed there.

After I'd told my mate to get off at j31 he wasn't happy when it took him 3 attempts to get up Retford Road, though by the sounds of it was a result as j33 and parkway was a mare.

 

[Linz]

I think the lack of other people on the road was also a contributory factor to getting home in the early hours. We only had to overtake one stranded person.

 

[Cardero]

Got out of Stoke ok. A50 was pretty bad, A38 was worse, M1 was a joke (not helped by frozen wipers that were only vaguely smearing the windscreen - solved during an emergency wee stop at Woodall) got onto parkway at 8.30 and then barely moved for 3 hours.... Once we picked our way through the abandoned cars and lorries town was pretty clear. Parked on the drive at Lodge Moor at 11.55.

 

[Blade56]

I took the crazy decision to go back over the moors A6 Buxton, Bakewell and into Totely. Only cars I saw were those stuck on hills. made it home by 8:30 which looking at some of the other horror stories was good.

 

[SwissBlade]

I saw foxy's posts on Facebook in response to my 4x4 posts. Unfortunately I'd had a skinful of ale at the Chesterfield game, walked part way home before flagging down a very nervous taxi. We bailed out at the end of the main road to save him getting stuck, then home, more ale and stayed up until sky went off, retiring to my pit to watch a bit of tv through the smart TV.

Port vale is possibly the worst place to come back from in the snow, so I feel for you lot. It was a nightmare in the fog in March! I was glad to be pissed and well heated at home.

 

[2ndtenorblade]

I took the crazy decision to go back over the moors A6 Buxton, Bakewell and into Totely. Only cars I saw were those stuck on hills. made it home by 8:30 which looking at some of the other horror stories was good.

I got lost totely.

 

[Sirius]

I took the crazy decision to go back over the moors A6 Buxton, Bakewell and into Totely. Only cars I saw were those stuck on hills. made it home by 8:30 which looking at some of the other horror stories was good.

Reading your post mate, you have just made me feel home sick for the very first tim in 17 years. Never mind. Happy New Year and all that to everyone.

 

[Blade56]

Reading your post mate, you have just made me feel home sick for the very first tim in 17 years. Never mind. Happy New Year and all that to everyone.

Sorry S. Happy New Year to you as well.

 

[shorehamview]

I was stuck in the house with Small SV, as Mrs SV was working. She's a nurse at the Hallamshire, was supposed to finish work at 9:00 pm, but had to stay until the night staff managed to get in. When she finally left just after 10:00 she set off driving home. She's got a Suzuki Jimny, which has some nice knobbly semi-off road tyres on. She'd barely gone a quarter of a mile when she was flagged down by some bloke who's car was stuck om the way back from the theatre, and ended up giving the bloke's wife, daughter and 80 year old mother a lift home to Fulwood. She made it home around eleven o'clock, and coincidentally I saw her drive up our road as I'd gone out for a nosey at the weather. With a cheery wave she informed me that she was off to the Spar on Abbey Lane for some wine.

People take the piss out of her old and battered little Jimny. Until the snow comes, then it's like a mountain goat. We have yet to get it stuck in any snow, and we've both given it a damn good try.

 

[S64 Blade]

Got in at about 1. It took our coach until around 10:15 to get on the Parkway to drop off in city centre. Barely moved until 11, so decided to get a lift back to Swinton rather than wait on the coach for a few hours more. Got off the coach near Catcliffe and walked down the side of the Parkway and waited under the bridge near Morrisons for just over an hour for our lift to arrive (got stuck several times on route). He finally arrived at about 12:15 - never have I been as relieved to see someone in my life as then!

Incidentally, as we were waiting in the cold under that bridge, the United team coach drove past! Wanted to thank them for not even making it all worthwhile after the miserable performance.

 

[Foxy]

Update: now got the car back home.

 

[Diamondlife]

Sounds like a shocking day all round for people. I went to watch Chezzy and then went back to Killamarsh about 8 o'clock. Probably the only person on the road that wanted snow as I bought some winter tyres last year and was gutted when it didn't snow. Put them on again this year and it's the 1st time I've used them and they're absolutely fabulous, got everywhere with no problems at all, you wouldn't even know there was snow on the road. Not helpful for people the other day but I wouldn't be without them now and would highly recommend them even if it is for one offs like Boxing Day

 

[Goodpinchofclough]

Most of these sound worse than my experience after MK Dons away last season.. broke down on the M1 to have the team coach drive past us half an hour later