Driving - right of way on a narrow road

[Latenightreader]

I was driving along a road with cars parked along both sides so only a single lane available for traffic. I needed to turn right into a car park, but the entrance was blocked by a car waiting to come out and turn towards me. There was at least one car behind me so I couldn’t back up. Normally I would have gone straight ahead and turned in the road to the left a little ahead, but a van was blocking both sides of the turning as they were trying to pull out and had pulled forward at an angle to see past the parked cars. There was no other turning along the road, so had to drive to the end of the longish wiggly road, turn around the a cul de sac and come back again, at which point I was able to pull in and park. No idea where the car(s) behind me went, but possibly turned into one of the drives a bit further along.

All fine so far? I just shrugged it off, although it was a bit of a nuisance and made me a few minutes later than intended. However one of the other people had seen me unable to turn and was highly indignant on my behalf. It sparked a debate about rights of way (it was a bit live action mumsnet!) and everyone seemed to have a different opinion.

TLDR: Given the situation illustrated below, who had right of way?

Car Park car should have reversed to let you in the car park thereby allowing the other vehicles to continue their manoevre. That’s the sensible, polite thing to do, anyway, no idea what the Highway Code version is! I would have done what you did if Car Park car didn’t shift.

It’s just one of those things.

The car in the car park would have been kind to have reversed to let you in. But perhaps that wasn’t possible or they felt it would just create more fuss.

I would have done what you did and thought no more about it. Might have been nice for the car in the car park to reverse, but no obligation on them and could there have been a car waiting or coming up behind them?

Thanks all - the conversation after got me rather confused, but I don't think there were any alternatives.

In an idea world the carpark car would have reversed, but I have no idea how long they'd been trying to get out (no cars wsiting behind them). Definitely a street built before most houses had cars, hence the parking issues!

My understanding is that you had priority as you were turning off the carriageway. The car in the car park should have allowed you to enter.

You absolutely rightly just shrugged it off. I live in an area with many similar streets and I'm not even sure their is a true right of way. People being indignant about it are just raising their blood pressure for no reason.

In my area, it is dealt with by everyone being extravagently courteous so you can end up with a bit of a Mexican stand off with two cars coming from opposite directions pulling into gaps and flashing the other car to keep going.

Occasionally you get a bit of a knob but I think in many cases it is inexperience drivers, or those who aren't local, get themselvs in a bit of a pickle. Sometimes you have to do a bit of a diversion to avoid it, like you did, and that's life.