Going for a run in the car as a child

[whiteandgreenandgold]

Does anyone else remember on a Sunday going as a family for a run in the car? We did this regularly when I was a child, not really sure what the enjoyment was of it but I had totally forgotten we ever did it until today!

Yes, we did this. Usually to the Borders or down the East Lothian coast,

Oh yes, going for a drive, and being told to look at the passing scenery when I was bored stiff. Flask of tea always involved. My mother was very fond of the sea in rough weather, so many times sitting in the car in the rain 'watching the waves'. Simpler times, not much open and they couldn't afford to do paid things too often, got my parents out of the house and it probably does kids good to learn to tolerate boredom. Better than being stuck in having to be quiet because of Match of the Day, which was torture.

I used to find driving through tunnels of trees in the dark really scary.

Blast from the past!

Yes I remember doing that.

Aw yeah we did this, usually for something random like driving and hour and a half to get a load of bread!

This is making me laugh so much, in the 70's my dad had an Austin maxi car and on a Sunday any pals of my brother and me who were at our house byv10am would be taken for a run in the car with my dad, we would have four kids in the back seat, no seatbelts, he would take the parcel shelf out so that another two could sit in the boot with their heads sticking out and one in the front seat which should have been the best with most room but another one could sit on the floor between their feet!!! Half their parents had no idea/didn't care where they were but it was bloody great fun,,we would drive into the country and cook sausages on a wee stove, always all back home safely byv6pm

Yes we did this.

Sure. Going for a nice drive.

Ohh my dad was the same! Have very find memories of waiting in bridges, train stations or railway lines (lay-by on a road) waiting for a particular train to pass along with a picnic. He also used to take me to Gatwick airport a lot and used to sit at the bottom of the runway , before all the security fencing went up, couldn’t do it now!

Quite often did road trips with my parents.

I’ve always done it with my dc, now they’re teenagers and adults we still hop in the car and go for a drive often up the coast or the local hills or wherever we fancy. It’s a lovely way to talk to them, we’ve had some really good conversations and it’s been a bit of a stress reliever at times.

ds is the best at this, we quite often hop in the car and bugger off up the country somewhere, we ended up in Scotland once (from North Wales), we took it in turns to drive back 😂.

I especially liked being driven in the dark in the country, because we got to use the main beam on the car. (We lived in London, so we didn't see this often.) I also liked seeing railway level crossings in action; again, a rarity in London.

I can remember going on a trip to the seaside with my mother's friend and there were 10 people in the car 😍

I loved the Highway Code and spotting road signs, so any car journey was fun because of this.

My dad called it a Mystery Tour, was never sure whether he knew where he was going or if it was a mystery to him too.

We also used to go to Leeds Bradford Airport and watch the planes, usually on a Sunday evening. We used to have a soft drink (from the bar I think?).
I used to love going out for a drive with my parents. We also did show homes too, I was interested in houses from a very early age! It was a change of scenery from sitting in the house all Sunday afternoon.

We didn't because my dad preferred to ignore us from his allotment, but I knew lots of families who did back in the 70s - it was very common. If we visited my grandparents who lived many miles away, my granny and grandpa would take me and my sister out in the Rover for a drive in the countryside - I remember sitting on tge leather seats watching the hills go by.

We still do this now and again, on a Sunday! We are in our 70s and fondly remember taking grandparents out during the 70s and 80s. When it was my birthday recently, I chose to be taken for a run in the car to a pretty local village and mooch around the second-hand shops there, then come back by an even more scenic route.

Kind of similar to going for a drive, staying with my GP’s in Leicester in the 70’s, my Gran used to take us on the ‘Outer Circle’ bus. We would get on at the bottom of their road and the bus would take us all around Leicester and then drop us off back off.
My Mum reminded me of this a few weeks ago and said she didn’t think it was a very exciting way of occupying young kids. I used to quite enjoy it 😁

Yep! We did this! We also regularly used to take a flask and drive from South Yorkshire to Manchester airport to watch the planes take off!

When we had visiting American friends, they loved car rides to see very British things, such as thatched cottages.

I grew up in the 60s, and we never did - after we had a car, which wasn’t until I was 9. But we always had a big garden, and parents would spend much of Sunday doing that. I or a sibling would wash the car, for extra pocket money,

But as pps said, Sundays were pretty deadly - everything closed, weekend homework looming over you….

To my mind, there is a difference between driving somewhere for a walk or to a national trust property or
something and “going for a run in the car” which simply involved being in the car. We’d drive somewhere, park in a car park or lay by with a view, eat the cheese or ham rolls (never cheese & ham) and hope the slice of tomato hadn’t slithered out of someone else’s roll to contaminate mine and have a drink from the flask.
This was usually done in the winter so the view often couldn’t be seen due to the rain. There was often an argument whether the windscreen wipers should be on or whether that would drain the battery. And then the car would steam up so there would be an argument as to who was going to open their window (by handle naturally).
As others have said, there wasn’t a huge amount to do on a Sunday and, other than the relatively cheap petrol, it was a free activity.

Yes😊 we called it going for a drive. Often to a small town called sugarcreek so dsis and I reminisce about “going to sugarcreek” My dad was always looking for berry patches or hunting fields. I don’t remember getting out of the car. Probably ice cream here and there My dmum didn’t drive so car rides were fun. My dad worked some sundays so if he was working walk to church and then to aunts house or driving on a Sunday with mum and dad.
We never watched telly and I don’t watch it now. It existed and we had a telly but it was ruled by my dad and we never ever selected a show if he was home. We loved getting out of the house for any reason as kids

Yes, we used to do both, just drive around aimlessly or go to country parks, canal walk etc. Same now with my young adult DCs, sometimes one of them gets restless in the evening and we just go out for a drive and chat without stopping anywhere or maybe get out for a few mins to look at a view or whatever. There is beautiful countryside round here so it is a nice thing to do. I don't tend to go out just by myself for a drive but if I am going somewhere I will often take detours just to see what other routes or places are like, I love exploring in my car. Also I am in a landscape photography FB group for my county and people post photos of gorgeous places so they go on my list for exploring if I'm in the area.

Yep. Fond memories. Can’t imagine doing it now, waste of petrol!

Yes in the late 80s , early 90s. Just drive to another town and back , take a snack ans drink. Guess it passed a couple of hours

Yes in the late 80s , early 90s. Just drive to another town and back , take a snack ans drink. Guess it passed a couple of hours