A VERY BRITISH DAY OUT

Take the next left onto B709,’ says the satnav.

‘Where is she taking us?’ says the passenger.

‘I’m just following the directions, dear,’ says the driver.

‘Are we there yet?’ From the backseat.

’10 minutes away,’ says the passenger, ‘I can see the castle from here.’

‘You said that 5 minutes ago!’

‘It’s these bloody tourists,’ says the driver.

‘We’re tourists too. And mind your language in front of the kids.’

‘I’m hungry.’

Blast of the horn. ‘You can’t park there!’ out the window.

‘There’s a nice pub there. Shall we stop for a bite to eat?’

Pulling over.

You have not reached your destination. Take the next left.’

Altogether now: ‘Shut up!’

Copyright Sandra Crook

Written for Friday Fictioneers hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields (more detailsย HERE). The idea is to write a short story of 100 words based on the photo prompt (above).

To read more stories of 100 words based on this weekโ€™s prompt, visit HERE.

Iโ€™m delighted that โ€˜The Barra Boyโ€™ is now available in the US , Canada and around the world through Amazon, as well as from many booksellers in the UK. If youโ€™re interested, you can find all the information for getting a copy HERE.

If you do read โ€˜The Barra Boyโ€™ and enjoy it, please do leave a short review and help spread the word!

63 responses to “A VERY BRITISH DAY OUT”

  1. Yeah, we’ve all been there. Altogether now. We’re all going on a summer holiday. Nicely rendered, Iain

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thanks Neil, nice to see you getting into the spirit of it!

      Like

      1. Youโ€™re welcome Iain

        Liked by 1 person

  2. True.
    Tourists like to have their fill before visiting places. And then, it takes effort to get them back on the bus!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Of course, they do bring positives too, especially to the local economies.

      Like

  3. Ah, bonding over the annoying direction device. I can relate.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. It’s a family tradition in the modern world!

      Liked by 1 person

  4. A British day out indeed. I had many such although the satnav didn’t exist and an irate driver and even more irate map reader were the order of the day. You nailed it.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Yes, we’ve moved on to screaming at technology rather than each other! Well, almost ๐Ÿ™‚ Thanks Sandra.

      Like

  5. Mine’s a really bossy so ‘n so too, but to give her credit, she did lead me to this very castle last year without us falling out!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. They never listen, that’s the main problem!

      Like

  6. Maybe a half’pint earlier in the day might’ve helped the mood…Lol!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Lol, not for the driver of course! ๐Ÿ™‚

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Of course not. >>wink<<. Maybe MUCH earlier in the day, instead of that morning coffee or tea.

        Like

    1. Thank you! ๐Ÿ™‚

      Like

  7. You painted a perfect picture there

    Nicely done..

    Congratulations for your book!!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, hope you h=get a chance to check out the book ๐Ÿ™‚

      Liked by 1 person

  8. Such a wonderful slice of life. The satnav feels like a member of the family.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Only for car journeys thankfully! Thank you ๐Ÿ™‚

      Liked by 1 person

      1. You’re very welcome, Iain ๐Ÿ™‚

        Like

  9. I enjoyed the way you constructed that story, Iain. Lovely climax with the whole family’s ‘Shut up!’

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you Penny, some sort of family bonding at the end ๐Ÿ™‚

      Like

  10. Oh man… Are we there yet? is a refrain heard in every single family car vacation!
    Well done, sir!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you Dale, much obliged ๐Ÿ™‚

      Liked by 1 person

  11. Very entertaining.
    The last line is so life like.

    Liked by 1 person

  12. I can recall once playing spot another car, yes the roads where once so quiet. Bring back sailing boats and steam trains say I

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Certainly rail freight would solve a lot of road problems!

      Like

  13. Dear Iain,

    Some days the navigator is great to have and others it’s a major pain you know where. Love the snappy dialogue. Ah family vacations. He’s touching me. She’s looking at me. Are we there yet?

    Shalom,

    Rochelle

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Yep, my kids are just at the right age to shout all these things! Thanks Rochelle ๐Ÿ˜Š

      Like

  14. Wonderfully crafted, Iain. I could write an entire memoirish book about the many auto trips and misadventures of such travel. Fun read, especially if one has been there. ๐Ÿ™‚

    Liked by 1 person

    1. It seems we all have similar family travel memories! ๐Ÿ™‚

      Liked by 1 person

      1. And that similarity makes them so interesting.

        Liked by 1 person

  15. Speaking from experience? ๐Ÿ™‚

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Very much so! ๐Ÿ™‚

      Liked by 1 person

  16. Great – definitely a British day out, isn’t it odd how we tend to see our Satnavs as real people?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Yes,who we think will listen to us!

      Liked by 1 person

  17. Ohhhh I can so relate to this story! The Navman is great to argue with! And driving about as tourists, only a brave person takes that on…(not me lol) I’ll leave it to the bus driver and the tour director ๐Ÿ˜‰

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Much more relaxing way to do it! ๐Ÿ™‚

      Like

  18. Haha…this made me chuckle! I just returned from a visit to the States and my “kids” and I did a significant road trip. There were a number of times I did the same thing…”shut up!” to the satnav. ๐Ÿ™‚

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks Brenda – hope you had a good trip despite the satnav!!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I did!! Love spending time with family and friends. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Liked by 1 person

  19. I think that is not only very british but rather universal. Could be a family, here, too. Mind you, in my time, the fun of (mis)reading the map by the passenger was the annoying voice. ๐Ÿ™‚

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Satnav has maybe saved some relationships at least! ๐Ÿ™‚

      Liked by 1 person

  20. guyleneiswriting Avatar
    guyleneiswriting

    Very funny! Although that is not a very British day out, it is an “every part of the planet” day out ๐Ÿ˜‰

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Well, very British and universal ๐Ÿ™‚

      Liked by 1 person

  21. HAHAHA oh I always yell at the satnav
    Not a relaxing start to a holiday this

    Liked by 1 person

  22. I hate when people park on the curb. Great story to go with the image though. Very fun. Glad your book is available in more places. Added to my wishlist.
    โ€œLibraries will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no libraries.โ€
    โ€•Anne Herbert
    My IWSG blog post discussed my love of originality. I’m looking forward to the bout of books readathon and WEP’s flash fiction later this month.
    Life threw me a curveball with a neighborhood crisis this week, but we got through it.
    Winnie the Pooh is the worldโ€™s Ambassador of Friendship. In the US, National Friendship Day is the first Sunday of August. #FriendshipDay2022

    J Lenni Dorner (he/him ๐Ÿ‘จ๐Ÿฝ or ๐Ÿง‘๐Ÿฝ they/them) ~ Reference& Speculative Fiction Author, OperationAwesome6 Debut Author Interviewer, and Co-host of the #AtoZchallenge

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, hope you enjoy the book! ๐Ÿ™‚

      Like

  23. Made me laugh ๐Ÿ™‚

    Liked by 1 person

  24. Ah, more fodder for the NEXT driver to slow down around and take 10 more minutes because of “bloody tourists” … but, hey, a pub’s a pub! ๐Ÿ™‚

    Liked by 1 person

    1. All the tourists just shouting at each other! ๐Ÿ™‚

      Liked by 1 person

  25. The story of every GPS & Sat Nav.

    Liked by 1 person

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