The story of Shap part 1
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- Опубліковано 10 вер 2024
- Before the M6 motorway there were only two major roads linking England and Scotland - the A1 and the A6.
This series of videos covers stories from one of the most hazardous roads, The A6 over Shap fell in what is now known as Cumbria.
Reached Shap whilst walking the coast to coast walk ten years ago; being wet , cold, tired and hungry I was very glad to find this remote village and refresh myself in a cosy pub.
As a child in the 60s I remember the family car breaking down on Shap. (We were on the way home to Edinburgh from South Wales). Because we had a foreign car the local garage didn't have the necessary part so we had to be towed back to Kendal by the AA, & spent the night there 'til one arrived. As I was about 7 I thought it was the most wonderful adventure and the mention of Shap still makes me smile. Don't think my dear father felt quite the same.
Those were the days Olwen, when a car journey was an adventure, and you never knew if you'd get there or back. How many times did we see someone underneath their car effecting a 'repair'. :-)
I remember our trips up Shap fell in the 1950’s. My dad’s 1932 Wolseley which had the thermo syphon cooling would boil over about half way up. We would then walk the ditches with a pail looking for water so we could continue back to Northumberland.
A Wolseley Peter, now there's a classic car. :)
Remember how people used to mispronounce it as 'Woseley'?
2012 and Shap was on our chosen route from John O'Groats to Land's End during the very wet June that year. As we three approached the summit, before over nighting in Kendal, the rain was horizontal at 40 mph. We abandoned for the day and were very glad of the support car to take us to Kendal. The very name "Shap" has horrendous memories for us. We did complete the trip in 12 days over 970 miles and burning 65000 calories!
We get horizontal rain at that speed very regularly here in Cornwall if you live elevated.
I was told by a local that the name Shap was settled on because they couldn't decide whether to call it $h1t or crap !
@@exb.r.buckeyeman845 I am very familiar with the prevailing conditions in West Cornwall, having a holiday home (not a second home) in Hayle and have cycled extensively around Penwith
@@graemewhite5029 We had another name for it when part of JOGLE and the very mention of the name still has horrible memories
I started driving trucks well before the M6 was built. It wasn't the steepest road but one of the longest I wasn't stranded up there in the winter but plenty were.When this happened those carrying foodstuffs came in the very handy to starving truckers who could be stuck up there for a couple of days. Landmarks over the pass were the Jungle Cafe and the Leyland clock just before the summit. The clock is now situated in Kendal town centre. Happy days.
Me too David...started in 1968 with a Guy Invincible, I did one I trip a week to Scotland... Don't know how many times I've been over Shap over the years, digs at Penrith, then the slog over Shap, to anywhere in Scotland, returned a day or two later....enjoyed every minute in those days, but wouldn't drive a lorry today for all the money in China....different world with different values....we had the best days...
David: you've just triggered a memory. I remember going over the Shap on a holiday to Scotland with M&D. I've always recalled we stopped at a café for a brew, but never knew quite where it was. Whereabouts is it? Can you recall?
Thanks
@@rjones6219 The cafe was about a mile on the Kendal side of Shap, it was called The Jungle.
@@gsxrinfrance5827 Lorry driving as an industry is nothing like it was. Time is money and all that. It would have been a far more relaxing way to earn a living in the old days im sure.
@@oddities-whatnot ...it was indeed, even more relaxing was driving in Europe in the early '70's..far less traffic and less grief too, plus decent resturants, instead of transport cafes...a fantastic time to be a "continental" driver...
Lived at Kirkby Thore and then Towcett for a few years back in the 90s. Right on the doorstep to the North Lakes.
Now I look back on my life, I wish to have those days back again.
I'm from Slelsmergh, Kendal, near the Shap Road and remember the huge snowdrifts of 1963. It was like a Paradise since we had hundreds of trees to climb without the interference
of the PC brigade. I wish I had a Time Machine. Such freedom and happy memories.
The PC brigade who stopped people climbing trees:) Bless:) I think you actually meant to insult those (awful to you) yet hard working conscientious Health and Safety people who save lives and limbs through awareness of danger in the workplace ( bet you enjoyed the old torn off arm in your day!) and the mysterious 'Wokes' who inhabit places called 'Guardian' and 'BBC' mate, not the PC brigade who are against racism and stuff like that.......nah not them.....
Been with Dad driving a delivery van in the late 40s to Scotland over Snap, the transport cafe stop was the Jungle cafe, usual time was about 11 hours to Glasgow. Driving with our family up the M6, - 3 and a half hours, Dad would never believe us.
Shap springs to mind when I think of wild orchids. I remember seeing many pure white Early Purple Orchids at the roadside there!
Like Olwen below, I too recall the Shap. In 66 we journeyed north to Scotland in an Austin A30. We went up the Shap. In one day we travelled from Hebden Bridge to Stirling. Yeah believe it, in a week we covered nearly 1000 miles :0
As a kid I recall winters when the news showed HGV drivers in long queues stuck on Shap in horrendous snow falls. Brave guys, they did their bit for Britain.
I'm sure the old Gadners thrived on that route with their cool running engines and endless ability to plod on
Most probably.
Once talking to old driver that said their firm ran an old wagon with a gardener engine when the rest of the fleet were modern.
He said they hated the old wagon and ran it with minimal oil, water and abused it but it kept going.
I lived in Bowness in the 70s I went to Kendal college. Some of the students in our class where from Shap. At the slightest hint of bad weather they would be sent home because the road always became blocked
When winters were propper winters.
Now they shut schools at the slightest hint of bad weather in Bradford.
I remember driving the Shap with my Mum and sister in her wee red Viva. One day the fog was so bad that I had to walk beside the car to help her find the edges of the road. Perilous trip but beautiful country!
Wow😲.
The few times I've been on shap watching vintage lorrys the weather has been nice.
@@walt-sh7ju This was back in the early 1960's the road was much different then. We drove from the London suburbs to Garelochead to see Grandma at the holidays. Stopping at the truck stops along the way. Memories!
@@zw5509, That was a bloody long drive back then especially in an old Viva 👍🏻
@@AJ-qn6gd It was, but at that time it was the most direct route between Western Scotland and the London area. Then came the M6 and it was not necessary.
@@zw5509, I take my hat off to your mother for undertaking such a journey, my mother would never have dared try it !
Near the end of the section on railways you can just hear music from the British Transport Films "Snow."
Synonymous with the railway, yet so much more to Shap than many realise...great little video, great intro music too. Thanks for posting.
Its a great driving biking road if you start from Penrith down Ullswater to patterdale up kirkstone pass down into Ambleside over to Kendal pick up the shap road and back to Penrith , brilliant road.
It's a heck of a climb on a bicycle that is well loaded with camping gear. (Long distance cycling). A couple of cans of stimulant drink helped, but if I could I would go north or south on the East side of England.
“We’ve come on holiday by mistake”.
Did you ever buy that cafe and install a ****ing jukebox?
A nice fish and chip shop in shap , and cheaper than the motorway cafes
My father in law was called Huck. His dad lived in Roland House, Appleby. Apparently a well known family in the Shap area.
Last name wasn't Finn was it?
from Fraser, husband of Leslie
I first travelled over Shap in 1965 going north to visit my grandparents in Scotland, and the only way I have managed to work out the year is because we stopped at a transport cafe somewhere near Shap, but not in the village. Somebody had put "Catch the Wind" by Donovan on the juke box, and must have put in a large sum in change, because it just repeated itself on and on. This would have been early morning because my father didn't like day driving on roads that were very heavily trafficked, there was no M6 then, in fact I remember seeing it being built.
I also remember seeing the heavy trucks of Smith, with "Smith for Service" on the side.
What transport cafe would this have been ?
Straight after the war my grandfather bought a truck and used to deliver groupage to Glasgow every week so did shap twice a week. I can’t remember what truck he had but apparently he slept on a wooden board across the gearbox hump.
i can remember tales at steam rallies and shows from the old drivers that are probably gone now saying they slept across the cab on old doors or boards.
Passed my class 1 in 1976, and some of our trucks were day cabs ( no sleeper) and put a board across cab to sleep on
What is not often realised is that the Penrith - Carlisle section of the A6 is a killer stretch of road.
My mother in law took 12 hours to go to Blackpool in the old days overnight from Hamilton they said driver are we at the shap yet because the buses in those days brakes where not so good 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
Re the brakes lol !
Nice scenery
went over shap many times one hell of a road before m6 i think there was a cafe called the jungle
I’m a trucker and went over shap on t Wednesday
Great stuff👍👍
I live 7 miles from here. The local joke is SHAP = In between S**t and C**p!
Played cricket there got a golden duck never went back
02:21 lovely glasses
The pub at the top of Shap fell on a winters night on a motorbike wearing jeens and parka and having to leave the fire behind at closing time and rida to Northumberland in white out conditions. Young and very stupid. But would do it again..
Shap. Twinned with Tebay 😤
I love an old organ.
Withnail and I filmed there .