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Original poster

Did you "go for a drive" when you were a kid?

197 replies

Allthereindeersaregirls · 17/05/2021 14:09

I was reminded of this the other day, when a friend said she was taking the kids "for a drive" to get out of the house. I'd not heard of anyone doing it since I was a kid (80s) and I don't remember anyone else doing it then.

Mum and dad would bundle us in to the car and we'd go for a drive - just that. No purpose (that I can discern), not a drive to get somewhere, not even an ice cream. We'd just drive around for a bit then go home.

Were my parents nuts?

OP posts:
Samcro · 17/05/2021 16:17

@megletthesecond

No. We went on walks. Lots of walks.
we did that. to be fair we did have dog.
CheeseCakeSunflowers · 17/05/2021 16:25

Yes in the 60's after tea we often had a Sunday drive which might end with a stop at a rural pub. As children could not go in, Dad would bring a tray of drinks out with crisps to the car. One drink then home.

scrivette · 17/05/2021 16:32

Yes we used to in the 80's and I suggested it the other day on a thread about entertaining bored toddlers in the rain!

I still do it sometimes with the children, we buy an ice cream and sit and eat it in the car.

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Notthecarwashagain · 17/05/2021 16:35

Love this thread!

I don't think I was ever taken out on drives, but my dad once picked my brother and me up in a double decker bus (he was a mechanic) and it was so exciting to have the whole bus just for us!
Although I mentioned it the other day to my brother and he can't even remember it! (Was over 30 years ago though!)

nixonten · 17/05/2021 16:36

We did, it started with taking my grandmother out, she was disabled and we had the only car in the family.
We would go to see some scenery or to watch trains on the mainline. I remember seeing the Blue Pullman. I was very young because it was in the very old Rover.
I still go for a drive but often to take photo of old cottage or lambs or bluebells.

Goldendinoroar · 17/05/2021 16:37

Our son who is 4 loves going for a drive

Not so much with me as I have a boring car (because it’s black)

But he loves DH’s car (because it’s his favourite colour and means it’s obviously better than mine)

He will often ask for daddy to take him out in it just for a drive

At Christmas they did it most days to see the lights

Now its most likely a weekend to give me some peace in the house

EssentialHummus · 17/05/2021 16:38

Not exactly, but pre-covid I used to take toddler DD on an exciting trip to Pets @ Home on the Old Kent Road to look at the guinea pigs etc. Occasionally we’d follow up with a visit to Old McDonalds, where sadly they’d always just have run out of hamburgers and chips but they did always have bags of fruit.

I’m being disparaging but tbh that’s about my standard of parenting and I own it Wink.

joystir59 · 17/05/2021 16:40

Used to go for a drive into the countryside for a picnic, or a walk, or to a pub where mum.would have a shandy, dad would have a pint in one of those 'bubble' beer glasses and me and my little brother would get a glass of lemonade and a packet of crisps. Sometimes we went to a local air field to watch the planes.

EssentialHummus · 17/05/2021 16:41

Nowadays I sometimes take her outside to literally sit in my work van. She likes to “drive” and then camp in the back. Can happily spend 30 minutes that way, with Radio 4 on in the background.

SilkyMoonfaceandTheSaucepanMan · 17/05/2021 17:07

@AsTheRiverBends - that sounds amazing! Just set off, with no one having a clue of the destination?

What kind of places did you end up at?

whataballbag · 17/05/2021 17:33

@Naz2009

My dad would take me for a drive down the country and as I got older and fuel got expensive. (I'm talking early 2000) If I asked for a drive. He would take me to the petrol station and back. Once a week, That was our drive. He also always got me a mint or a choc from the petrol pump. Now hubby and I go out for drives, when I'm feeling a little low but don't fancy getting out. He will get me a milkshake and I'll sip to it whilst enjoying the traffic. Lol
That's so sweet ❤️
MargaretThursday · 17/05/2021 17:44

Now you've reminded me.

We were staying with Gran who could be um... well, a little grumpy at times. It was summer holidays, and very hot, think about 28 degrees. We were three stroppy teens.

Gran was a very slow walker, and was very determined that nothing should disrupt her routine of dinner at 12, tea at 4. So it was hard to do anything while we were there.
Now as gran didn't drive, df thought it would be nice to drive her round the villages and places she used to know when younger.
We were not keen. However dm begged and bribed us to come as it would be nice for Gran to show them to us. We kept our moans inside, and got in the very hot car (no air con) with Gran in the front, Mum, who got travelsick easily ended up in the boot, which was never good for her, but she could see that putting a stroppy teen in the boot was probably going to result in that teen refusing to go, which would have then resulted in 3 teens refusing to go...

Anyway, we're going round the villages, with df determinedly cheerfully saying "Mum, do you remember this?" and "Mum, here's where x used to live..." etc.
We had little interest in that, and Gran's responses were along the lines of "I know." "I've seen it before."
We'd been driving for about an hour and a half, when Gran came out with the wonderful line. "This is totally boring. You should have just taken the children and left me at home..."
Queue dm in the back trying to drown out our comments of how we didn't want to go etc, while simultaneously trying to hide that she was laughing.

I can see the funny side now, but at the time we were really indignant that we'd been dragged out to be nice to Gran and she didn't want to come. Grin

Tangledtresses · 17/05/2021 17:58

Yes !!! Ido this all the time on those boring wet rainy half term holidays
We do have a campervan though

Last half term we went to a local walk got in the van and drove to several other terrible places 😂 had a picnic and came home
Kids bloody loved it as did the dog

wigjuice · 17/05/2021 18:01

Our drive, with mum and stepfather usually ended with 3 kids and a baby sitting in a van with a pack of crisps and a bottle of pop outside a pub, whilst the so called adults got hammered.

wigjuice · 17/05/2021 18:03

My dad was totally different and took me on lovely drives, he liked taking me for cream teas in obscure places.

LadyofMisrule · 17/05/2021 18:09

We used to do this! My dad was disabled so couldn’t walk far. Sometimes there was a picnic, and occasionally we’d stop at a garden centre. (Never a pub!)

Wincarnis · 17/05/2021 18:13

Yes! A “run out along the coast road” or Manchester airport! Sometimes Mum & Dad would bring a flask and hard boiled eggs...happy days

PastMyBestBeforeDate · 17/05/2021 18:23

No we didn't. We went on outings, picnics and I do remember going to see the Christmas lights in the nearest city which involved driving there, looking and driving back but never just a drive.
Somebody recently suggested we do this as something to do since I can't walk very far and was really surprised we didn't do it. I thought it was the preserve of Morris Travellers, Thermos flasks and hats worn in the car but plainly not!

Sparticle · 17/05/2021 19:40

@1forAll74

I used to take my Son and Daughter on their favourite drive on sunny days, We went to a small airport in the Midlands.,you could go inside.and watch the planes from a viewing platform upstairs,and there was a cafe up there. Afterwards, we went to an old fashioned garden centre , that was situated in a vast area of land,,with sweeping lawns, that went right down to a lovely big lake with geese and ducks on it. It felt like taking my children on holiday for the day,and my kids were always wanting to go to these two places. Both places were about 8 miles from home.

I bought a lovely stone bird bath from this old garden centre years ago, and it's still in my front garden now, after 40 years, and always reminds me of the days years ago.

What lovely memories Flowers
Time40 · 17/05/2021 21:03

My parents didn't, without some sort of minor destination in mind, but I do sometimes, just because I like driving. Sometimes I take the Thermos of tea, just to be really retro.

ilovetomatoes · 17/05/2021 21:36

We’ve been doing this once a week through lockdown. Just getting the kids in the car, putting some music on and driving (not too far). Stopping for a walk or some snacks if we could find somewhere that was open. It was a joy to be honest. We all really looked forward to it.

HerRoyalNotness · 17/05/2021 21:55

Yes we did, especially if we hand them out in the good car that week, we’d have to take it for a run. Our house was so deathly boring that it was much more fun driving around in the car for a bit

HerRoyalNotness · 17/05/2021 21:55

Hadn’t been out ...

Original poster
Allthereindeersaregirls · 17/05/2021 21:56

I'm glad this was (still is) "a thing".

I couldn't do it with my kids, they both hate the car and the idea of driving around with them whining in the back does not sound pleasurable!

OP posts:
HelpMeh · 17/05/2021 21:59

My dad used to take us for drives. I still do it now sometimes - no purpose, just music and driving. I also like being driven.