Hitchhikers

Karim_myBagheri

does anyone still pick these people up?

I saw a bloke with his arm out thumbing for a lift. He had a petrol can in his other hand. I was just about to pull over when my girlfriend told me not too.
I said "why? do you know the bloke?" in a sarcy yet suspicious tone. she replied "no. but you can't trust these people they could kill us and take the car!"
"what are you talking about? he has obviously ran out of petrol and now after going to the garage he's on his way back to his car. He’s holding a petrol can for god sake!"
"He could be using that as a ploy so people like you think he's harmless and pick him up. before you know it he's directed you down a country lane where he takes out a knife and tells you to pull over. After doing so, he ties us to a nearby tree, dousing us with petrol from the can and sets us alight! we burn while he takes off in your car! Seriously, that kind of thing does happen!" she can be quite imaginative when she wants to be..... "What do you mean that kind of thing does happen?! Where?! this aint Texas! I have never seen in the news a couple being tied to a tree and set a light while their vehicle gets stolen. certainty not off the Gravesend road!"
"well, I just don't want to risk it"
and so we didn't. mainly because by the end of the conversation we were nearly home and it seemed a bit pointless going all the way back. and also... well... she put a bit of doubt in my head about what the hitchhikers intentions could be.

I'm sorry if that was you getting back to your car earlier. however I'm not sorry if you were planning to set me alight and steal my car. bastard.

soapy_jones

I have not picked up a hitch hiker since I saw "Something About Mary". Proper shit me up that film...

AddickUpNorth

I used to pick up hitch hikers all the time when I was younger because I used to thumb it myself quite a bit and knew how wanky it could be to have car after car pass you by.
Once went 40 miles out of my way to help out a New Age Traveller because he was such a witty raconteur. He repaid me with an eighth of Lebanese Red which was nice of him.
Would think twice now but that's down to me becoming a miserable, cynical twat rather than any real fear of picking up some homicidal nutter.

swords_alive

I have done it new years eve in a country lane where I knew the lad had about a 7 mile walk ahead to the next town. Nothing bad happened. Like most things, if the impulse takes you, go ahead i reckon. However I am generally cautious at all times but think the petrol can was a good clue and your girlfriend grossly mis-read it!

golfaddick

Never picked any one up during my 25 yrs of driving. I've always wondered why people hitchhike - unless you have broken down like in the post above.

Why not get a train/bus etc like everyone else ?? I just think its a weird thing to do - I mean, if you are that hard up you can't afford the train or coach fare to wherever you're going then what are you going to do when you get there ????

North Lower Neil

I've seen The Hitcher, Rutgers Hauer scared the bejesus out of me, not sure I'd risk it now!

North Lower Neil

Great film though.

Remake wasn't a patch on it except for the fact it had Brooke from One Tree Hill in her pants.

maybe_baby

I'd pick up anyone and I'm old and frail.

Baldybonce

golfaddick said:

Never picked any one up during my 25 yrs of driving. I've always wondered why people hitchhike - unless you have broken down like in the post above.

Why not get a train/bus etc like everyone else ?? I just think its a weird thing to do - I mean, if you are that hard up you can't afford the train or coach fare to wherever you're going then what are you going to do when you get there ????

Golf,
in large parts of rural Scotland there are no trains and buses are rare to. I've never had a problem hitching there.

PrincessFiona

The petrol can probably meant he had broken down BUT there was a chance that was what you were supposed to think, feel sympathy etc. shame not to help someone in genuine need of help, but is it worth the risk?

O-Randy-Hunt

Feck that. Drive past all the time. They could be mental.

BIG_ROB

I was driving back from a shooting weekend just outside Toulouse when I into a service station to get some diesel. This young lad was walking around all the drivers asking for a lift, he hadn't ran out of squirt, he was a proper hitchhiker, you know stank of bo and had a rucksack with flopflops and acoustic guitar strapped to it. Any road up, he come to me and asked and so I played the "English bloke, can't understand a word of French" card and he then turned out to be a farkin Yank! So I was standing there, filling up a 5 seated car and only me in it, had no option but to oblige....

Then when I told my missus, I got the same thing that he could've killed me or even worse, then I reminded her that I was the one with a semi-auto shotgun in the boot and that would've somehow trumped his guitar if any altercation were to arise!

nth_london_addick

When I was younger I spent lots of time in ireland and we used to thumb lifts everywhere

I made it from killmallock to dublin and back in a day thumbing lifts took hrs but it was a good laugh

I only ones I pick up now are the trade plate fellas on the motorway

tangoflash

Karim Has your missus ever thought about writing a book?

Over the years i've hitched the odd lift & returned the favour by giving lifts. Many years ago I was hitching when a couple stopped for me. This was just outside Dover & I was going back to Gravesend. The guy said he was going to Essex, so no problem. I tried to strike up a conversation with them, before he snapped at me that "we don't talk in the car". No radio on, just sitting in silence for the entire journey, feeling like walking might have been a better option.

Once (on one of my many trips to Co Durham), I picked up a hiker at scotch corner services who was looking to get to london. Although I was going all the way to Kent, I initially told him I could take him about 50 miles. (tend to do this if it's a long trip, as I don't want to commit to being lumbered with a freak for 4-5 hrs). As it turned out, he was a right laugh and a great story teller. I admitted my deception and told him I was going to kent and was happy to take him as far as I could. Turned out he was going to Crayford, so was happy to drop him on the doorstep....................

4_bowman

Baldybonce said:

golfaddick said:

Never picked any one up during my 25 yrs of driving. I've always wondered why people hitchhike - unless you have broken down like in the post above.

Why not get a train/bus etc like everyone else ?? I just think its a weird thing to do - I mean, if you are that hard up you can't afford the train or coach fare to wherever you're going then what are you going to do when you get there ????

Golf,
in large parts of rural Scotland there are no trains and buses are rare to. I've never had a problem hitching there.

The same can be said of Wales hitch hiking is common place and you always get a lift . Although when i first moved down there i was in a pub when a bus went past the window does is that the bus for Lampeter i asked (the nearest town 2000 population 9 pubs ) yep thats the bus the locals said, and what time is the return bus i asked, they just looked at me as if i was stupid there wasn't one back maybe thats why hitch hiking is common place lol

boggzy

Two weeks ago I Hitch-hiked from Dresden to Verona in one-and-a-half days. Apart from one bad junction, never waited longer than fifteen minutes between lifts. Truthfully. Had a great time and met some great people.

Golf is missing the point. The reason a lot of people hitch(ed) (barely anyone does it in the UK any more) is for the sheer adventure, and meeting people from all walks of life. I've had lifts in everything from Bentleys to pikey wagons. Of course you (used to) get some utter stinking messes by the side of the road, you use your nous and don't pick 'em up.

There's also just as much danger for the person hitching if you think about it. A lot of people who stop now used to do it themselves, and want to chat etc.

For me it's nothing to do with being skint/tight - I say this as someone who works for a living and owns a car!

Lincsaddick

In my youth (when hitchhiking was en vogue) I hitchhiked all over France and northern Spain, northern Italy - just got the boat train to Paris and set off from there, anywhere as long as it was south. My longest hitchhike ever was from Dubrovnik to Ostend and that only took 3 days. I rarely see hitchers nowadays. When/if I do, I weigh up their appearance and act according to my instincts and observations.
@Big-Rob .. that shotgun is not much use in the boot .. he pulls out a knife .. 'hold on mate, I just need to get something from the boot' .. keep that shooter close at hand my man

Viewfinder

BIG_ROB said:

I was driving back from a shooting weekend just outside Toulouse when I into a service station to get some diesel. This young lad was walking around all the drivers asking for a lift, he hadn't ran out of squirt, he was a proper hitchhiker, you know stank of bo and had a rucksack with flopflops and acoustic guitar strapped to it. Any road up, he come to me and asked and so I played the "English bloke, can't understand a word of French" card and he then turned out to be a farkin Yank! So I was standing there, filling up a 5 seated car and only me in it, had no option but to oblige....

Then when I told my missus, I got the same thing that he could've killed me or even worse, then I reminded her that I was the one with a semi-auto shotgun in the boot and that would've somehow trumped his guitar if any altercation were to arise!

Excellent! You could have shot him anyway, just for the hell of it and because he's a Yank.

seth plum

In my youth I hitched everywhere. Including to loads of away games. The price you pay for the lift is to keep the driver entertained. Once got a lift in an Aston Martin where the wild-eyed driver said to me 'I remember when driving used to be a sport!'. He got me from Honiton to Earls Court in about ten minutes flat, driving right up to the bumpers of people and honking and flashing them.
Longest hitch was Amsterdam to Florence in two days....no, actually it was Istanbul to Amsterdam via Titos Yoguslavia in about four days.

BIG_ROB

Viewfinder said:

BIG_ROB said:

I was driving back from a shooting weekend just outside Toulouse when I into a service station to get some diesel. This young lad was walking around all the drivers asking for a lift, he hadn't ran out of squirt, he was a proper hitchhiker, you know stank of bo and had a rucksack with flopflops and acoustic guitar strapped to it. Any road up, he come to me and asked and so I played the "English bloke, can't understand a word of French" card and he then turned out to be a farkin Yank! So I was standing there, filling up a 5 seated car and only me in it, had no option but to oblige....

Then when I told my missus, I got the same thing that he could've killed me or even worse, then I reminded her that I was the one with a semi-auto shotgun in the boot and that would've somehow trumped his guitar if any altercation were to arise!

Excellent! You could have shot him anyway, just for the hell of it and because he's a Yank.

And a blaady tree hugger! The thing about it is, he was acting all bohemian in ripped jeans and dredlocks, but he actually came from Long Island, probably had $10 mill in the bank for when he turned 30!

Viewfinder

In some parts of Britain on country lanes it's not unusual for motorists to stop and offer you a lift, just because you're walking. I usually decline politely because walking is my pleasure - and you don't know if the driver is an axe-wielding maniac. But I did accept a lift from a highly attractive and cultured lady between Easton Royal and Pewsey in Wiltshire. Ummm....

Viewfinder

boggzy said:

Two weeks ago I Hitch-hiked from Dresden to Verona in one-and-a-half days. Apart from one bad junction, never waited longer than fifteen minutes between lifts. Truthfully. Had a great time and met some great people.

Golf is missing the point. The reason a lot of people hitch(ed) (barely anyone does it in the UK any more) is for the sheer adventure, and meeting people from all walks of life. I've had lifts in everything from Bentleys to pikey wagons. Of course you (used to) get some utter stinking messes by the side of the road, you use your nous and don't pick 'em up.

There's also just as much danger for the person hitching if you think about it. A lot of people who stop now used to do it themselves, and want to chat etc.

For me it's nothing to do with being skint/tight - I say this as someone who works for a living and owns a car!

Very well said. In some places, offering lifts is a normal, accepted practice. The decline in hitching in Britain speaks of paranoia.

BIG_ROB

Viewfinder said:

boggzy said:

Two weeks ago I Hitch-hiked from Dresden to Verona in one-and-a-half days. Apart from one bad junction, never waited longer than fifteen minutes between lifts. Truthfully. Had a great time and met some great people.

Golf is missing the point. The reason a lot of people hitch(ed) (barely anyone does it in the UK any more) is for the sheer adventure, and meeting people from all walks of life. I've had lifts in everything from Bentleys to pikey wagons. Of course you (used to) get some utter stinking messes by the side of the road, you use your nous and don't pick 'em up.

There's also just as much danger for the person hitching if you think about it. A lot of people who stop now used to do it themselves, and want to chat etc.

For me it's nothing to do with being skint/tight - I say this as someone who works for a living and owns a car!

Very well said. In some places, offering lifts is a normal, accepted practice. The decline in hitching in Britain speaks of paranoia.

For good reason, would you stop and offer a lift to a lad in a hoodie in NW London at 9 at night?

Viewfinder

BIG_ROB said:

Viewfinder said:

boggzy said:

Two weeks ago I Hitch-hiked from Dresden to Verona in one-and-a-half days. Apart from one bad junction, never waited longer than fifteen minutes between lifts. Truthfully. Had a great time and met some great people.

Golf is missing the point. The reason a lot of people hitch(ed) (barely anyone does it in the UK any more) is for the sheer adventure, and meeting people from all walks of life. I've had lifts in everything from Bentleys to pikey wagons. Of course you (used to) get some utter stinking messes by the side of the road, you use your nous and don't pick 'em up.

There's also just as much danger for the person hitching if you think about it. A lot of people who stop now used to do it themselves, and want to chat etc.

For me it's nothing to do with being skint/tight - I say this as someone who works for a living and owns a car!

Very well said. In some places, offering lifts is a normal, accepted practice. The decline in hitching in Britain speaks of paranoia.

For good reason, would you stop and offer a lift to a lad in a hoodie in NW London at 9 at night?

Er... hardly, Big Rob. But if I were driving in the wilds of Scotland or Wales and an attractive bird on her own stuck her thumb out, I'd stop; wouldn't you?

Viewfinder

BIG_ROB said:

Viewfinder said:

BIG_ROB said:

I was driving back from a shooting weekend just outside Toulouse when I into a service station to get some diesel. This young lad was walking around all the drivers asking for a lift, he hadn't ran out of squirt, he was a proper hitchhiker, you know stank of bo and had a rucksack with flopflops and acoustic guitar strapped to it. Any road up, he come to me and asked and so I played the "English bloke, can't understand a word of French" card and he then turned out to be a farkin Yank! So I was standing there, filling up a 5 seated car and only me in it, had no option but to oblige....

Then when I told my missus, I got the same thing that he could've killed me or even worse, then I reminded her that I was the one with a semi-auto shotgun in the boot and that would've somehow trumped his guitar if any altercation were to arise!

Excellent! You could have shot him anyway, just for the hell of it and because he's a Yank.

And a blaady tree hugger! The thing about it is, he was acting all bohemian in ripped jeans and dredlocks, but he actually came from Long Island, probably had $10 mill in the bank for when he turned 30!

Oh, in that case you should have tortured him before shooting him. Remember 'Deliverance'?

Karim_myBagheri

sounds like many have done it. with varying success, but you are all still alive so thats a plus.

I have picked up a couple of hitchhikers in the past but have never hitchhiked myself...apart from getting a lift from the police when i was walking along the motorway. (i forgot that was illegal.)

@tangoflash - you know something, i think that should be her real vocation. though I'm not sure it would be fair on the world to be subjected to her ramblings.

AFKABartram

I can't believe how many of you have hitched / pitched up hitchers. Screaming, sexually depraved nutters the lot of ya !

Dizzle

Anybody picked up a bird (probably foreign) who paid for the lift by offering a favour of some sort ; )

I may consider picking up the fit ones

Rizzo

North Lower Neil said:

I've seen The Hitcher, Rutgers Hauer scared the bejesus out of me, not sure I'd risk it now!

This. Fantastic film and the absolute end of any chance of me ever stopping to pick up a hitchhiker.

JT

Get quite a few down this way being near the channel tunnel / docks.

Bloke the other day was after a lift to Germany !

JollyRobin

If I'm getting a lift too/from uni you get quite a few people hanging around by the Humber Bridge looking for a lift. If the boot isn't too full up we'll pick one up if it's going the right way, but only when there is me and my dad in the car, doubt I'd do it if I was alone.