Wasted Journeys

I've just driven to Silkstone Post Office to send a parcel, only to discover it's still shut because today is a bank holiday. A completely wasted journey, 8 minutes of my life which I'll never get back.

My worst wasted journey was from Oslo, Norway to Griffin Park, Brentford in April 1978. I travelled alone over a period of 2 and a half days, using a series of trains, ferries, underground and buses. When I got there it was foggy, although my memory is also rather foggy, so I can't remember how foggy it actually was. We lost 2-0 in a dire spectacle, and had Paul Walker sent off. Today's weather reminds me of just how entertaining it was.

What was your most wasted journey, not necessarily football related?

 

Nothing spectacular, just walking an hour to uni to find out my only lecture that day had been cancelled and then walking an hour back. That happened many, many times. It was particularly annoying when it was a 6pm-8pm lecture as I’d walked there and back in the dark for nothing.

 

On the plus side you didn't walk up to Outer Edge on Christmas Eve.

42 miles to Mallaig from Fort William to catch the Ferry to Skye. It was cancelled. To get to Skye the other way you have to drive the 42 miles back to Fort William plus another 70 miles.

 

The game at Boundary Park for the Cup replay at Oldham January 1996. Lived in Birmingham at the time, and George Cain in his infinite wisdom called the game off due to fog as we were about 10 miles away. Still travelled the remaining distance to find no fog at the ground at all..... 200+ miles for nothing

When the replay did take place the week after, it was the infamous Gunner Halle "dive" with no Barnsley player within 5 yards....

 

An incredibly sad tale (in more ways than one) but last year I went to Blackpool with my partner, and I wanted to find a particular arcade machine. In my youth, I'd spent many happy hours in Meadowhall playing on a Ridge Racer 'full scale' cabinet, where the controls were mounted inside an actual stripped out Mazda MX-5.

I'd read online that only a limited number were ever made, and over the years, they'd all been scrapped as they were fairly expensive to repair. The last one in existence was thought to be in Blackpool.

Being a hopeless romantic, I insisted on spending the afternoon popping in and out of arcades in Blackpool, trying to find the last ever Ridge Racer Full Scale. I'd seen a picture of it online, so knew what the surrounding area looked like; there were mirrored panels and big DJ styled lights behind it. We'd got all the way down to the Pleasure Beach, and there it was, the background from the photo I'd found online. The mirrors and the lighting rigs... With a row of common or garden Basket Ball machines in front of them. I was devastated.

There's my long winded and boring tale of heart break over an arcade cabinet.

 

Remember driving to Middlesboro to exchange a ro/ro skip (drop empty pick up full one). Gets there. The skip was empty, Asks yardman.. how come its empty, he said "oh, one of yours trucks was here yesterday for it".
Transport office c 0ck up

 

Not as dramatic as those already written but mine involved Derby away in the last relegation season.My son and friends had travelled Friday and I was going Saturday for the Sunday match.We were staying in Burton.While on my way I was told to book into the Premier Inn where i was sharing a room with them and everything was arranged.When I got to Burton train station I asked a bloke where the Premier Inn was and he pointed me in the right direction.After a half hour walk in the baking sun I arrived at the P.Inn to be told they had no details of me and any of our party.When I phoned my son up he said sorry I meant the Travel lodge.For those who don't know Burton the Travel lodge is smack outside the train Station.

 

I'm an England batsman and I've just had a wasted journey by walking to the crease.

 

Tha's got a free holiday to Australia though!

 

Coincidence Tyke_67 - my wife and I were a few miles in front of you, travelling from Walsall. We parked up at the ground before we realised and like you were confused given that there was no fog at all. And we also travelled the week after. We were at the opposite end of the ground and could clearly see that no-one was anywhere near Halle. That remains one of the worst decisions I've seen against us.

 

Going back a good few years, I received a letter for an interview.

10pm in Sheffield city centre.

10pm? Really. But knowing it was a place that was open 24/7 didn't really think anything about it.

It was a typo on the letter and should have been 10am

Still I got "propositioned" on the street leading up to the place being in a nice shiney sharp suit that time of night.

It got rearranged following there mistake, and I still didn't get the job.

So 2 wasted journeys to the same place.

 

Travlled to Oakwell three times only for game to be xalled off en route. Spurs Fa cup game was the one I remember

 

I remember once talking to some Watford fans who had travelled to Oakwell previously and not discovered that the match was off until they pulled onto Grove Street. It was in the days of the old social club and there were signs of life so they popped in to double check they hadn't just got the kick off time wrong. When told the match was off, they were offered a feed and a cup of tea before their return journey but declined, saying they'd call at motorway services on the way back. However, the staff were adamant and they ended up lunching in the social club. When it got to pudding though, they were once again reluctant as they weren't sure they'd have enough money on them to cover the bill.

"We're not charging you, you bloody idiots! We just couldn't send you all that way home on an empty stomach!"

So they stopped for pudding and adopted us as their second team!

 

Not entirely wasted as we who were there saw 45 minutes of football on ice.
Anyone remember the new years day game called off at half time at Ayresome Park.
Think players spent more time changing footwear and on their arses.
Guessing it was late 80s, but could be wrong.

 

Yes I was there that day.I remember getting a voucher for the rearranged game on my way out.

 

I keep hoping to find a G-LOC 360 machine (the one you had to be strapped in and went upside down) somewhere.

 

Went with my Man u supporting mate in 1976 to QPR. Arrived at 11 a.m only to find it had been called off.The bus didnt set off back till 6 oclock so had to hang around till then. Did`nt want to be there in the first place.I still have the ticket as a painful reminder.

 

once had a work meeting in Plymouth due to fly down from Leeds via Bristol. Left on time very foggy conditions so diverted to Cardiff and then flight terminated in Newquay. Airline put a coach on from Newquay to Plymouth and arrived just in time to catch the return flight back.

On the footy front visited girlfriend at the time in Warwick. Spent ages persuading her to come to watch Stoke v Reds meaning we had to arrive late at her mates birthday party and missed the afternoons festivities. Got there only to have it rained off about 60 mins before kick-off (c 1994 I reckon?)