Would you ever pick up a hitchiker?

[OpiesOldLady]

Or would you hitch?

Just curious as I'm in the middle of a 250 mile joirney that i do several times a month, usually on my own and it gets a bit boring and monotonous on my own.

As a 17 year old i hitched from Hungary back to the UK, and it's a wonder i didn't end up dead in a ditch somewhere. I was very lucky indeed that most of the people that picked me up were friendly but it could have ended very badly. I certainly wouldn't want my child to do something like that.

However, i got to thinking that if I did see a hitchhiker i probably would offer them a lift. What about you?

I hitched about 18m ago in Yosemite. Got a lift from nice Polish couple on their Honeymoon.

I often consider picking up people who aren't actively hitching just walking in middle of nowhere, but usually my car doesn't have enough seats. I last offered a lift to a woman pushing her bike (puncture?) about 4 miles from town. I had a DC in the oversized car but she still declined. Last actual lift given I was with DH. An old codger who was planning to walk 12 or so miles; we went an extra 4 miles to help him out.

I think last hitching couple I picked up when I was alone were Polish, too. That was maybe 15 yrs ago.

@NotTonightJosepheen, the Jeremy Irons lift is notorious. I have heard several people swear they’d walk to Castletownbere before they’d get in a car with him again.

I have given people lifts where they weren't hitching: one time a bus drove off as they were running for it, another I was in the middle of nowhere, and it was raining so I gave a chap I saw a lift.

I've also hitched myself a few times, but never on my own - it's always been fine but does make me nervous.

I've never hitched, but I've picked up a few hitcherhikes in my time. Only during the daytime though.

A couple but always with dh in car. Once we saw a guy we recognised from our campsite near Newquay walking from Padstow so we stopped to give him a lift (he’d missed last bus)
Another up on the west coast of Scotland- lovely fella just travelling the world.
Wouldn’t do it alone unless it was a line female and it was dark.
I remember my parents doing it to help people out when I was a child.

Last week as I pulled out of my streets I saw a man walking in the torrential rain and offered him a lift - he declined because he said he was already soaked! Last year I saw a lady walking between my home town and my mums a number of times, she was very distinctive in her looks and clothing and the last time I saw her I stopped and offered her a lift. She said many people gave her lifts and she was very grateful. Sadly a few weeks later she was hit by a car and died while walking the country roads in the dark. I still remember her name and the last I heard the police had struggled to trace her family.

Context is key.

DH and I have pulled in and offered to help/give a lift to people pushing a bike on the side of a road.

Once DH and I had to abandon a walk due to a quick hitting weather system. A couple saw us in the pouring rain and offered us a lift. We took it and were grateful.

I think with people who do outdoor pursuits there's a common understanding that you help out because you never know when you'll need the kindness, but I'd never pick up a hitch hiker in a town or randomly trying to blag a lift or doing these student things of hitch hiking away from uni for charity things.

I gave a lift to a little old lady once when it was pouring down with rain , she was hesitant understandably but saw I was alone and presumably looked harmless enough

When I’m in the Scottish highlands where it’s generally how the young get about, yes.

Yep. We often give lifts in the Highlands. Actually took one chap with us out to dinner on Skye and we are still friends.
I once got a lift from Jesse Birdsall in his limo during a night bus strike in Hammersmith.

Yes. I always pick up hitch hikers no matter if I'm on my own or not.
I used to hitch hike EVERYWHERE. Didn't need a car.
These days I log my car journeys with blabla car to see if I can give anyone a ride but sadly it's rare.

I wish we could bring back hitching, trusting each other and looking out for each other.

No. I think the stench from the dogs being in the car would kill them.

I used to pick them up in the HGV, but that's been stopped due to insurance issues. I think the last ones I picked up the car were some fellow climbers coming down the Pass in the chucking wet.