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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:

Arrierttyclock · 19/05/2021 06:58

A Sunday drive. We all hated it but my dad was a bully. Completely pointless

sashh · 19/05/2021 10:02

This really made me smile, would have loved that back in the 70s/80s. Can you imagine if that happened now!!

I live at the end of a very quiet cul-de-sac, it brought joy to my heart to see my neighbour pull up, put his grandson on his knee to let his grandson 'park' his transit van.

Mydogisagentleman · 19/05/2021 10:09

Another one here who was spoiled by empty London streets drives.
Quite often it would be the silver vaults, I distinct remember being taken to somewhere in the city and looking at a TV monitor showing silver bricks.
Around the post office tower, sometimes we would end up in south London and get on the woolwich ferry.

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MrsMariaReynolds · 19/05/2021 10:14

Yes, I did it as a child growing up in America in the 80's. My mother is a bit of a homebody and never wanted to go too far so our drives were limited to the local drugstore or grocery store to pick up a few things in the evenings. My dad was the more adventurous and he and I would hop in the car on a Sunday and drive several hours to somewhere random. And yes, it often resulted in a drink or ice cream from McD's along the way. Happy memories :)

LindaEllen · 19/05/2021 10:29

We wouldn't go for a drive when we were at home (if the weather was too bad to get out and do something, my brother and I were always happy reading or painting, and my parents would get one with some DIY/ironing/paperwork or something) - but we did when we were on holiday. We had a tourer caravan up until I was 19, and it was far too small for four people to sit in all day if it was raining. So we would go for a drive then, and usually find an amusement arcade or something to pass a couple of hours in!

apalledandshocked · 19/05/2021 10:37

I dont have a car but (pre-covid) we would sometimes just go on a mystery bus journey - as in walk to a nearby bus stop (there are a few close by), my 5 year old would pick the bus we wanted to ride and then we would sit on it till he choose to get of - usually to random countryside at the end of the line. Alternatively we could get of earlier and get on another bus. Like a fun version of being lost.

NewYearNewTwatName · 19/05/2021 14:15

AbsolutelyPatsy Thank you.

fingers crossed work issues got sorted. Been brewing for a while, but grievances have been air today, and it looks like they have finally been taken on board, with changes now imminent.

AintNobodyHereButUsChickens · 19/05/2021 14:42

Yes! "Let's go to the seaside." Just meant driving to the seaside and sitting in the car, watching the sea Loads of examples, they once told us they were taking us to Alton Towers when what they actually meant was that they were taking us past it

Baconking · 19/05/2021 14:52

We didn't have a car.

I'm actually surprised by this thread. None of my friend's parents had cars either...maybe because we lived in London so had access to lots of public transport.

blackheartsgirl · 19/05/2021 15:26

We did and I still do now with the kids

I liked it. Plugged myself in to my headphones and read a book and I liked looking at stuff etc

My 4 dc are the same. They do have the choice mostly whether they come or not but occasionally we make them (always stop of for ice cream or whatever)

My 2 eldest are 21 and 18 and still ask if me and dp can take them out for a drive, its a great way for us to talk and the both of them love travelling

I take it we are weird then.

My friend has just passed her test and is always taking the kids out for a drive because she can

Darklane · 19/05/2021 15:59

No, we never had a car. Only one of my friends had a dad with a car.

JustMarriedAndLovingIt · 19/05/2021 16:02

Yes! We’d also go to ‘The Rock’. For anyone who lives in the Plymouth/Tavistock/Moors area who’s reading this, they’ll know what I mean 😂 Just basically as it sounds, a rather large rock for kids to scramble on. My sister and I were taken there countless times as kids.

JustMarriedAndLovingIt · 19/05/2021 16:05

@Janaih

Browsing b and q was a huge treat. If we were really good we were allowed to ring one doorbell each

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

suneetime · 19/05/2021 16:14

Love this thread. My parents used to take us out for a drive ‘and we’ll just see where we end up’. Was normally somewhere or other in the countryside. I also seemed to spend a ridiculous amount of time as a child in B&Q. Just browsing! Don’t remember being allowed to ring any doorbells though

castemary · 19/05/2021 16:19

Yes, we did. Although we would usually have ice cream as well. We enjoyed it, but there was not much to do growing up except play outside. I can still remember the excitement as a child visiting the new big ASDA supermarket.

castemary · 19/05/2021 16:20

During the January lockdown I went for drives by myself just to get out of the house in the evening. It was too dark, cold and wet to go for a walk. But driving while listening to my favourite music was an escape.

Crankley · 19/05/2021 16:43

Lovely thread. We used to in the 1950s. My Dad would say 'let's go for a poodle around.'

NewYearNewTwatName · 19/05/2021 18:25

blackheartsgirl you're not weird to me.
When we knew things were going wrong with the DC (bad behaviour, depressed, moody ect) but they couldn't wouldn't talk about what was up, I'd say let's go for a drive.

The fact you aren't looking at them because you are driving, and they can play their music have the window open with the wind on their faces,(sometimes late at night so dark and a different feeling) they start to open up, then we'd usually find a services on the near by motorway and go to McDonald's/Costa whatever and buy nice things to eat and talk some more.

They are late teens now and like yours will still ask for drive if they feel the need to just get out the house and talk.

lollipoprainbow · 19/05/2021 19:41

Yes we would me, mum and dad in the 70's/80's usually a run out to Brighton for a burger, happy times

newnortherner111 · 19/05/2021 19:45

Yes, but would stop off somewhere, even if only for ten to fifteen minutes. Last time I was at my mum's we went to one of the often chosen places, on this strange thing you may remember called a sunny day.

shewalkslikerihanna · 19/05/2021 19:49

Yes..we went for a drive and ended up at a country pub
Sometimes I had to stay in the car with my nana or was allowed in.

Sweetpea1532 · 19/05/2021 20:03

Yes! In the early 60's when petrol was cheap, we'd all jump in the car on a Sunday afternoon for a slow drive around our small town. On the journey we had to wave to everyone we passed ...didnt matter if they were in their garden or passing by us in their car...and it didn't matter if we knew them or not...it was just a friendly thing to do...I grew up in the US in the deep south...people still wave as they pass each other in cars...just being polite. And the REAL excitement came when we passed a car just like ours..like hey, you're cool 'cause you have a car like us
Also my mum would pop us in the car if there was a bad thunderstorm with lightning causing the electricity to go out...she always told us that the car was the safest place to be during a bad storm because the rubber tires would protect us from the lightning( my mum was smart!) We'd drive around until we saw that the lights had come back on and it was safe to go home.
When my DCs were small we'd drive around and I'd point out all the flowers in people's gardens...my DC still like to wind me up by saying, " Ooh, look at the pretty flowers!" They don't know that I'd programmed them to become aware of the beauty of flowers

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