She was staying near a place called Kirkby Lonsdale. I live near Northallerton, but was coming up from Leeds (where I work).

Being the good motorist I am I thought I'd research a way of getting there. Leeds and Kirkby Lonsdale are on the same page of my map so I figured it wasn't too far. However, I thought I'd just run the trip through the Green Flag route planner, just to make sure.

58 bloody miles! As Victor Meldrew used to say 'I don't believe it'. Green Flag reckoned it was going to take me 1 hour 31 minutes.

OK, I could understand that getting out of Leeds might take a while, but surely the A65 wasn't going to be that slow?

It was. The A65 has got to be the most hellish road this side of Mumbai. It'd be fine if there wasn't any traffic on it but annoyingly today there was plenty. Caravans, motorhomes, tractors, lorries and loads of old biddies doing 40 miles an hour in a 60 limit.

What is it with drivers in West Yorkshire? They go so sloooooooowly. Perhaps they are too frightened to get out of third gear.

I left Leeds at 1003 (I know because the news was just finishing) and I didn't get to Kirkby Lonsdale until 1145.

Over 100 minutes to do 58 miles.

It's no wonder so many people die on roads like the A65. They twist and turn all over the place, but drivers take increasingly bigger risks to get past these old duffers. I saw several dodgy moves today. That can't be condoned but I do have sympathy. Drivers get more and more desperate to get past these idiots so their overtakes get to the point where they are more luck than judgement.

You won't be surprised to learn that I didn't come home via the A65 - I went across the Yorkshire Dales instead. Spookily, it was a total distance of 58 miles - but this time completed in about an hour. A great drive and some amazing scenery as well.