Great British Road Journeys - Essex - Harlow to Basildon Ep.5 

0:29 'Only Joking, he's not gonna turn up' .... Now look what you've done, I've blurted coffee across my keyboard again ...!

"The Harlow we all know and tolerate..." It's quips like these that keeps me coming back here.

JOHN - THAT GREEN RS MEXICO USED TO BE MINE!! My eyes nearly popped out of my head when i spotted it. 😃

I remain unconvinced that any truly great journey could end in Basildon, but thank you very much for bringing the possibility to my attention. Have a great week, Jon!

I use this channel to take in 'Vitamin UK' - an essential compound for British people who live 'abroad', composed of subtle grumbling, irony and sarcasm. Thank you for your service 🙏

That wooden church is the building equivalent of Trigger’s broom.

As a Southend resident, I’m very satisfied with the time of day you didn’t give it 😂

"It's said Harlow has some of the most extensive cycleways in the country - but I don't care". That made me LOL

As a resident of Harlow I feel the the derogatory way that you spoke of my birth place and the people of the greater area of Essex to be truly spot on , keep up the good work,

Ahhh, North Weald. Back in the day when I was a teenager, on very rainy night, my girlfriend and I were...enjoying the night air...so to speak, in the front of my MK1 transit van, which, handily, had a full width bench front seat, it also had sliding doors which leaked horribly. As we were engrossed in stuff, my girlfriend noticed a torch light reflecting in the wing mirror, we were parked off the road in a farm track. As the light got closer we gathered ourselves together, just in time for the lamp to shine in through the drivers door window. It was a very wet, very pissed off police constable. I slid my door open with a cheerful, "Evening constable", he shone his torch about the cab and at my girlfriend. He asked, in a very bored voice, "What are you two doing here?", I started to mumble a reply when he then said, "I know what you're doing here, but whyy...are you doing it here ?", I again mumbled a poor excuse about nice countryside and views.. He simply said, "Not in my patrol area, zip up your pants, and you, (referring to my girlfriend who by now had gone very red), straighten you clothes and both of you F~~k off" He splooshed his way back to his Panda car and drove off.

The only man who can make the arse end of the UK truly interesting , that is a special talent indeed 😁👍

The original Ford EV looked wicked, sweet, awesome.

I visited one of the Nuclear bunkers before it was decommissioned. 100% agree about small family cars rather than SUV as EV.

A vintage episode! Brilliantly sardonic and sarcastic today.

Hilarious! John has the sarcasm dial turned up to nuke in this video! With comments like, "the Harlow we know today and tolerate....", and "after the small disagreement of 1939 to 1945...." Wicked good video, John!

Auto Shenanigans, rapidly becoming the 21st century's version of Pevsner! Awesome.

"the stunning Harlow" 😂😂😂

I didn’t expect to see my house on RU-vid today, but I did!

My husband tells me of a job interview that he had in Basildon about 30 years ago. Being a northerner and having all sort of negative ideas about Basildon and it's people, he wasn't too keen on going there. However, once there, he said he found the people some of the friendliest and nicest people he could want to meet. He still regrets not getting the job!

That SECRET NUCLEAR BUNKER is one of my most favorite things ever.

I commuted from Stansted to Brentwood. Once leaving Chipping Ongar the bottom water hose detached from my car and I had to pull into the bunker entrance. The AA call centre didn’t believe me when I said I was located at the entrance of the Kelvedon Hatch Secret Nuclear Bunker 😂. The on road mechanic did.

The best thing out of Basildon is Depeche Mode.

8:59 - I can tell you exactly why we miss Little Chef, John... it's because the Olympic Breakfasts were undeniably fucking awesome! I've lived in The Colonies for over 20 years, but I still lovingly recall hoeing into one of those proper full English extravaganzas... Man, I really miss Little Chef...❤...😂👍🇦🇺

Great British Road Journeys would be a interesting RU-vid playlist to put on repeat

I have to admit, my first instinct was the Epping Ongar Railway sign.

10:15 Loving the reference to the ST220 for obvious reasons 😁

Thanks for covering home in such a sensitive and engaging way John....

Soz Jon but Canvey never had an oil refinery it got stopped from being built on safety grounds. It did however havd somethjnv famous about the part built refinery, Fred Dibnar was hired by Safeway Supermarkets to blow up the chimney, which on his first attempt failed! Aso did you not notice the mire interesting road sign error in Ongar? Above secret nuclear bunker it says Industrail Estate instead of Industrial Estate! A bit like the Nicholas Valeting Centre between the A128 and Dunton junctions on the A127, where it reads Nicholas Valentine Centre!😂

Description of Essex was spot on 😂

7:37-8:12 The County Lunatic Asylum has always been housing. You just needed to be crazy to live there.

Congrats on the MOT pass for the Saab

Hi Jon I love your Auto Shenanigans podcasts this latest series is fab. Thanks

Fun fact the vast majority of New Holland tractors are assembled in Basildon with New Holland veing a company that used to be run by Ford which is probably why the assembly plant is in a similar area to the Ford site.

"He's not going to turn up." 🤣🤣

He is a fact I was told years ago, no idea if it’s true. The bridge at the bottom of Ongar high street was built slightly wider to accommodate the crossing of communication cables for the secret nuclear bunker over the river.

Kelvedon Hatch is my favourite place in the world! Fascinating place!

You have just literally done my work commute! From Basildon to Harlow and vice versa! Thank you sir for making it infinitely less dull.

Motorists should be the biggest proponents for proper, viable, segregated foot paths and cycle ways (along with affordable and usable public transport) - many, many people would love a viable alternative to car use, and if they had it, there would be less traffic on the roads, so people that do need to use cars and vans etc. would have a better time doing so... it's not really that complicated.

"It is said that Harlowe ghas one of the most extensive cycle networks in the country, but I don't care". I spat my coffee out on my monitor. Thanks, John.🤣

Ah Harlow New Town, of which Genesis reference in the song "Get Em Out By Friday". Also the road in the middle of the roundabout at Junction 7 of the M11, was for many years a Police / Council Weighbridge. For many years upon entering Harlow, you would be met with a green sign stating how Harlow was a Nuclear Free Zone... which was amusing when the Army's Nuclear convoy would park on that weighbridge over night ha ha ha ha.

Like Iggy Pop sang in The Passenger: I see the stars come out tonight Yeah they're bright in the Harlow sky

A fair few "Secret Nuclear Bunkers" across the country, when I first saw your thumbnail I initially thought you were in the Cheshire/Nantwich area.

There were 4 or 5 ‘Garys & Daves’ in our boozer, I recall … Gary the scar, Gazza, Gary the Gas & Black Gary … Dave chef, Dave the gardener, (Dave) Rosie & a golden retriever, called Dave.

Totally agree with your view on the likes of big SUV type cars doing 0-60 in 2 seconds as being totally and completely pointless. Funny how nearly any car and road enthusiast feels the same way lol

I’m only five minutes into this exciting episode, and I get the distinct impression John might have been having a bit of a crappy day making this video.

Most good road journeys begin by exiting Basildon. Although if the other end is going to be Harlow, I don't envy the choices you had to make!

Thank you John. I enjoyed the program. And learned a lot. Please do more like this. -a loyal viewer in America

Condolences for beginning in Harlow and ending in Basildon

Thanks mate, really enjoying reliving the journeys of my youth, from the comfort of my settee. Best wishes, Rob

The best TV programme not on TV. In Jon’s immortal words “wicked, sweet, awesome”. 👏👏👍😀 Now I have the urge to visit the Secret Nuclear Bunker 🤫

Just wanna say that my temper has been an issue for me recently, and your reaction at the end, though not overt, helped remind me that there's also nothing wrong with being frustrated by things, so thank you

Best intro yet, made me snort tea through my nose. Keep up the good work.

liking this new series, as as for little chef it was the breakfasts or the tea cakes when on a journey or hung over. that's what i miss anyway. it was friendly signage and colour scheme. it was like losing a friend with them all closed, also far superior to the unhappy vomiter chain.

Brilliant as usual. Looking forward to you coming to Yorkshire.

Riding that route on a 1949 RT is one of my life pleasures.

North Weald was a legendary Battle of Britain fighter station , just thought you ought to know. One Ford you didn’t mention was the Capri : surely the car of choice for archetypal Essex Man . Loved the jazz piano music.

You never disappoint this old guy in Virginia in the States. Good job!

Just love the flat sarcasm. The very British way of explaining why things are so crap. You remind me of Jack Dee.

Love these, the highlight of my week

John,your sarcasm is top tier!

Brilliant start with about half a dozen put downs of Essex stereotypes ending in Harlow ‘stupid choice because it’s Harlow’. Excellent

....I don't care......... can't be bothered......... sums Harlow up really 😂

I enjoy touring the UK on my motorbike. Like others I have spotted Secret Nuclear Bunker signs in several different locations and always wondered; Had Russia rained nuclear weapons down on the UK and all the senior military personnel , politicians and civil servants survived the onslaught safe in their secret nuclear bunkers. Just who exactly were they expecting to govern once they emerged? Loving the series... even Harlow and Basildon.

9:56 Based John, too bloody right, we don't need big SUVs we need smaller and more practical cars.

2:29 “and i don’t care” this is one of the quips that made me a subscriber as soon as i saw a short randomly some time ago 😂😂😂

Little Chef: We miss the pancakes!

Great to see you put South Essex on the map!!

I'm enjoying the new series, Many thanks.😀

Actually, Basildon was inhabited before the new town, though it may not have been called that. The whole area or Laindon/Basildon/Pitsea consisted of what we now call 'Plotlands' - farmland sold off in little plots after the 1st world war for people to build their own houses on. The plots were mostly bought by working class Londoners as there was a housing shortage in East London. The houses ranged from shacks and old railway carriages up to pretty standard bungalows. The roads weren't paved and there wasn't much in the way of drainage or sewarage.... The middle classes utterly hated the idea of working class people doing things for themselves! The plots were almost all bought up and redeveloped into Basildon New Town in the 60s. There are one or two odd houses from that area left on the fringes - you actually passed the Plotlands trail near Dunton, which is an area of plotlands that is preserved with one remaining bungalow as a museum. I find it the spookiest place I've ever visited!!!

I still think old churches are fascinating. I'm not religious at all but I love the history and the architecture.

Wow that took me back, the entrance to Warley hospital no less where I did my nurse (and alcoholism) training late 80's

Stunningly high level of content as always

Living in Harlow for the past 10 years, you soon realize that the local council love cycle lanes and spend a small fortune on them, thing is, they are barely ever used but that does not stop them building more of them. Also, Kelvendon Hatch bunker was going to be used by Thatcher to hide away had the coal miners strike got worse.

Basildon's claim to fame is the hometown of band Depeche Mode 😊❤

You have the best intros and best outros ever

Worlds first Mini Roundabout is located between three pubs near Benfleet station

Similar story I read about old roundabouts on the A12 through London. These were build slightly oval to force traffic to slow down as they entered and a straighter exit to enable a faster exit. Again the design was taken directly from the continent which resulted in faster entry and slower exit. They realised this error when there were more accidents than on circular roundabouts. 🤔

Stopping to look at what ever the hell I want to look at!

Brilliant YouTubing!!!!!!!! Great energy Very witty/drole, makes me chuckle. Really informative Great presentation and editing Wonderful stuff Thanks

I’m so glad your channels success allows you to travel around in a Ferrari 🎉🎉

LOL Perfect out-take in the outro. Cold wet and miserable as I watch, in keeping with the filming conditions. You never get this realism from Hollywood.

Brilliant. Full marks for avoiding a ‘don’t look back in Ongar’ pun.

I remember the huge array of aerials near North Weald. It's also home to the rather obvious airfield, still in use, and the Epping Ongar Railway, a heritage railway between, you'll never guess where. Warley hospital was known as the nut house when I was a kid and at school any stupid kids were said to have escaped from there.

Brilliant. Just brilliant.

I remember studying Harlow in primary school Geography when we were learning about maps. I think that kicked off my interest in maps.

It's so good to see Highways England are looking after our road signs and keeping them clean even the ones big enough to go to school😊

For anyone interested in architecture story behind the "new towns" like Harlow, Welyn, Letchworth etc I highly recommend the book "Concretopia"!

I remember when I was a kid (probably about 1985) that that Little Chef at the A127/A128 junction was the site of one of the first Travelodges. At that time they were all located next to Little Chefs and, if I remember rightly, they opened just five in the first batch including that one at the Halfway House junction.

I always lolz at the “small disagreement of 1939-1945”.

'Get rid of those SUV's.' Wise words. Wise words indeed!

Worked for a bit in harlow years ago and I agree with all your sentiment . Fantastic script

Nice one mate, keep up the good work. 👍🐺👍

Awesome good job picking up the bunker plenty of those things about not many know about :P Who doesn't love a bunker or tunnel eh.

As gloriously irreverent as ever. More power to your elbow sir!

I once did a 4 day Lan party at the secret Nuclear bunker, went with a friend and our PC's, this would be early/mid 2000, my friend cracked after 2 days of sleep deprevation and being sustained only by energy drinks and went home, while I made it the whole distance I have no real memory of anything that occurred after late day 2, I know we crashed a Counter Strike server and there was a pretty large nerf gun fight, I think I may of got lost and have a vague memory of only finding the bunks on day 3, beyond that it's a blur of caffeine and simulated violence... awesome weekend 😂

As always, great examples in this video of your wicked sense of humour 😂👍🏻 Thanks. Always makes my Sunday 😃

Ah the A12 between Chelmsford and Ingatestone, 40 years ago as a young lad I always wondered why did this road open up to a 3 lane 2 mile highway before closing down again. My dad used to really put his foot down, it was a local spot to see just how fast your car can go. Now I know the reason why, has to be some prep for the anticipated M12 ! And to this day that stretch of road promises greater things, never achieved, before you slow down on the Ingatestone bypass never to return to such giddy heights before the M25 !

I’ve been to the secret nuclear bunker! It was a good afternoon out. And the tea room was great too. That was a fwicked day out. Oh no your camera!

Excellent video yet again 💪

I’ve been to the bunker a number of times, it is definitely worth a day out, very interesting place