Hitch Hiking Stories and Coincidences

[TonyM]

I mentioned in another post hitch hiking from Glasgow to Paris and this was just one of many such trips I just love to escape and hitch hike. To cut a long story short I found myself in Donegal Ireland working in a hotel which was in a remote location way off the beaten track. I'd been asked with a few other staff to stay over the winter to keep the place open with minimal facilities and I agreed but decided I needed to get back to Scotland to pick up more gear to keep me going through the winter to come.

Hitch hiking back to Scotland was no problem and managed this in a couple of days, packed my empty rucksack with clothes, sleeping back etc and head out to hitch back to Donegal. As timing worked out I got off the ferry in Ireland about 1am with all the traffic gone ahead of me so with no chance of getting a lift I decided to break out the sleeping back and crash out at the side of the road. As I'm doing this a lone car passes me, stops a hundred yards away and reverses back and asks me where I'm going. No point in saying my final destination so I mention the nearest city a few hours away which would be the best point to continue my journey.

As we near the city he asks me where he can drop me off and I tell him any major road as I'm heading for Donegal (a big county), he tells me that's where he's going so we continue the journey. As we get into Donegal I tell him him I just want to get to the largest town in the county and guess what he's going there too.

You know where this is going. Turns out he lived in the village where the hotel was and as we parked up a party was going full swing (this is Ireland the bar closes around October). My boss was surprised to see me back as they'd been having bets whether I would even return again. We tell the story and the boss gets the bar staff to get food organised for myself and the driver and we drank ourselves silly.

Turns out Sean was a musician living in London and was heading home for a week or two so we ended up both jamming for a few nights after the main band had finished playing and what a time it was one of the best summers of my life. What are the chances of that happening?

 

[Debi]

I mentioned in another post hitch hiking from Glasgow to Paris and this was just one of many such trips I just love to escape and hitch hike. To cut a long story short I found myself in Donegal Ireland working in a hotel which was in a remote location way off the beaten track. I'd been asked with a few other staff to stay over the winter to keep the place open with minimal facilities and I agreed but decided I needed to get back to Scotland to pick up more gear to keep me going through the winter to come.

Hitch hiking back to Scotland was no problem and managed this in a couple of days, packed my empty rucksack with clothes, sleeping back etc and head out to hitch back to Donegal. As timing worked out I got off the ferry in Ireland about 1am with all the traffic gone ahead of me so with no chance of getting a lift I decided to break out the sleeping back and crash out at the side of the road. As I'm doing this a lone car passes me, stops a hundred yards away and reverses back and asks me where I'm going. No point in saying my final destination so I mention the nearest city a few hours away which would be the best point to continue my journey.

As we near the city he asks me where he can drop me off and I tell him any major road as I'm heading for Donegal (a big county), he tells me that's where he's going so we continue the journey. As we get into Donegal I tell him him I just want to get to the largest town in the county and guess what he's going there too.

You know where this is going. Turns out he lived in the village where the hotel was and as we parked up a party was going full swing (this is Ireland the bar closes around October). My boss was surprised to see me back as they'd been having bets whether I would even return again. We tell the story and the boss gets the bar staff to get food organised for myself and the driver and we drank ourselves silly.

Turns out Sean was a musician living in London and was heading home for a week or two so we ended up both jamming for a few nights after the main band had finished playing and what a time it was one of the best summers of my life. What are the chances of that happening?

That is one of those "meant to be" situations! Synchronisity in high gear!

 

[TonyM]

I had been hitching north from Devon in the south of England and found myself kinda stuck on an Island of grass at the convergence of a couple of roads, lots of cars but nobody's picking me up. It's a lovely summer day so I get out my guitar (I always travel with an instrument), lay back on my rucksack and just play tunes for myself, I have a sleeping bag and food and no care in the world.

The place I'm stuck in is on a small rise so I don't see traffic until quite close which is one reason cars pass me by. In the distance I hear this roaring noise and over the rise comes around 40 bikers most with wives or girlfriends on the back, the lead guy sees me and slows down causing all of them to slow down, he gives me the peace sign as does everybody else then roars off with a wave. That was a special moment that still has me smiling.

Not long afterward I see a Rolls Royce coming over the rise so I didn't even bother to stick out a thumb I just waved thinking whoever's driving that is not gonna pick up a hitch hiker. Wrong, he stopped and gave me a lift into the best place on the outskirts of London to get hitching back north. He was a great guy who started with nothing and then started his own company and never looked back and all he wanted to do was be able to afford a Rolls Royce car.

I have another story about hitching and a Rolls Royce I'll relate soon

 

[Debi]

I had been hitching north from Devon in the south of England and found myself kinda stuck on an Island of grass at the convergence of a couple of roads, lots of cars but nobody's picking me up. It's a lovely summer day so I get out my guitar (I always travel with an instrument), lay back on my rucksack and just play tunes for myself, I have a sleeping bag and food and no care in the world.

The place I'm stuck in is on a small rise so I don't see traffic until quite close which is one reason cars pass me by. In the distance I hear this roaring noise and over the rise comes around 40 bikers most with wives or girlfriends on the back, the lead guy sees me and slows down causing all of them to slow down, he gives me the peace sign as does everybody else then roars off with a wave. That was a special moment that still has me smiling.

Not long afterward I see a Rolls Royce coming over the rise so I didn't even bother to stick out a thumb I just waved thinking whoever's driving that is not gonna pick up a hitch hiker. Wrong, he stopped and gave me a lift into the best place on the outskirts of London to get hitching back north. He was a great guy who started with nothing and then started his own company and never looked back and all he wanted to do was be able to afford a Rolls Royce car.

I have another story about hitching and a Rolls Royce I'll relate soon

Enjoying the ride, Tony.