Interesting fact about Provan Gas Works: it used to have its own narrow gauge rail system which, due to restricted clearances, had to use the tiniest steam locomotives you've ever seen. They made a 7" gauge garden railway look big. One of the locomotives, Dougal, is preserved at the Welshpool & Llanfair Railway
My 1st experience of motorway driving was during the construction of the M80. I was learning to drive and starting university in Dundee. From Glasgow I drove with my mum supervising along the A80, all good and legal. We got to a roundabout and the road immediately became the M80 afterwards. There was either no warning signs, or we missed them. Learner drivers weren't allowed on the the motorway then and you are also not allowed to stop unless it's an emergency. ( Learners are allowed now but only with a DVSA approved instructor. ) After a moment of panic from my mum, all we could do was continue driving. No dramas really but amusing to look back on. After a few miles the road became the A80 again and we drove on to Dundee.
@stuartjohnston1086 Did you have some sort of placard or sign on cars then showing "Learner" or "Student Driver" or such? Glad you made it without incident.
A Quarry, a Dam, a Viaduct, a Bridge, a Stream, a Gas Works, a Steel Works, a Railroad, a Road No longer in use, a Goblin cave, a Statue and a Sword in a Stone. The M80 was over shadowed by the areas treasures. I'm surprised you could fit it all into 10 minutes. Cheers PH, you are doing well
A surprisingly busy motorway - the Auchenkilns roundabout was a constant nightmare until it was replaced by J4a. Any time the road has to be closed between junctions 4 and 8, central Scotland gridlocks. I speak from experience.....
@@s125ish It's a nightmare because everyone, including HGVs, all jump to the outside lane before the merge, even though there's about a mile of M80 before the left lane actually disappears.
I nearly lost my job one day when they closed 2 lanes just before the M876 split for roadworks at 7.00am instead of the scheduled 7.00pm. Took 5 hours to get from Auchenkilns to the M876
Great stuff again and credit to you for closing with the theme tune to 'Scotch & Wry' - for a certain generation of Scots, it was the highlight TV viewing on Hogmanay (New Year's Eve). Made by BBC Scotland and shown right before 'The Bells', featured many Scots comedians who would go on to bigger things - Gregor Fisher, Elaine C. Smith etc.
@@RichardWatt absolutely, Johnathan Watson was one of the main ones and from that group who appeared in things like City Lights, Rab C Nesbitt and more recently, Two Doors Down. Classic era of Scottish comedy from the BBC.
The way Junction 3 is laid out before upgrades reminds me of how a lot of unbuilt highways are here in the U.S. The government would plan an interstate/motorway, build part of it, and then they can't finish it - leaving it like that.
@@gcooper642 My other half's uncle was on the design team for that. The reason it was left like that was, I believe, that the money ran out and they couldn't continue with it so left it like that in case they got future funding. Which of course they didn't.
@7:40 - "Some guy called Wallace" Wallace Campbell is actually the full name of Wally from Where's Wally? It's a very fitting tribute, because you can't see Wally from there.
Junction 5 Auchenkilns was upgraded in 2005 to replace the roundabout which caused so many problems and was actually built wide enough for dual three lane running for when the upgrade of the old A80 happened but they chose to use dual two lane as it is today and one unique feature is the expansion joints on the north side of the bridge on the main carraigeways the road crosses a peat bog on a concrete raft they had issues during the upgrade due to the bog.
I had completely forgot about the peat bog. I think the reason why the M80 remained two lanes at Junction 5 was due to the fact that both bridges of the A8011 crossing the motorway at junction 4A only look wide enough for two lanes and a hard shoulder without either extensive re-modelling or more likely complete demolition and reconstruction of those bridges. Same potentially with the red suspension foot bridge just East Junction 5.
The new north bound slip roads subsided when the traffic was diverted away when they were building the new overbridge. I was told of the traffic chaos when I got back from my holiday.
Yeah, i really dislike driving from junction 8 to junction 4 as once you get lorries in lane 1, lane 2 just ends up sitting at 60mph as drivers keep speeding up and slowing down. They should have made it 3 lanes with the volume of traffic that uses it each day, but i guess it would cost too much. And approaching the viaduct, most people slow down, probably because they get scared of the concrete divider wall and the narrowing from the viaduct which causes congestion and gets everyone sitting nose to tail. It's a terrible section of motorway most days.
The Auchenkilns upgrade was the giveaway that the proper M80 through the Kelvin Valley was never going to be built and we were in for years of congestion while the "on line route" was built, inadequate by design.
Great video Jon. I do like the abandoned road sections that result from the construction of motorways. One day in the future, these videos will be all that we have on motorway history and you will be famous, although probably dead by then. Something to be remembered for.
Looks like you finished at Carron Valley Reservoir which has a unique feature. It spans a watershed, and drains in two different directions. The main route is down the River Carron towards the Forth, but it also has a smaller dam on its western edge that drains a small burn towards Loch Lomond and the Clyde. Also, towering above the reservoir is Meikle Bin (which can be seen from the M74 in South Lanarkshire as the pointy peak in the middle of the Campsie Fells. It’s about a 90 minute walk from the road to the summit and the views to the south are fantastic. It’s also under the final approach path for Glasgow Airport, so has some low flying aircraft and even has wreckage of a crashed military aircraft near the summit.
It's remarkable how UK and American systems look similarly but different. We both have routes/interchanges that look like "spaghetti thrown against the wall designs." The roundabouts are interesting. I have to remind myself that we drive on opposite sides of roads. 😆
J 1-3 was known as the Stepps Bypass J4-7 is technically the A80(M) as it is literally the existing A80 upgraded to motorway standards. J5 (The Auchenkilns junction) was upgraded roughly a decade before the A80 was upgraded to motorway status. J6 - the northbound carriageway used to have an offramp directly into the Old-Inns services, at the end the onramp from the roundabout. Aria - did you notice it has 4 (four) hands?
At peak times the southbound M80 tails back where the M876 joins it, but it seems to have phantom tailbacks at Castlecary Arches too. I have a theory that people subconsciously slow down because they find driving through the arch a wee bit scary.
I have never figured out why people slowdown as they go into that valley. It gets seriously annoying having to slam on the brakes when there is nothing happening ahead to warrant it.
It's because it is inadequate for the traffic flow as a policy decision at the design stage, to encourage people to use a railway line because that is somehow equivalent.
Thanks John - an almost perfect Sunday afternoon soothing video, almost every word enunciated with perfect pitch and clarity and so a real return to normal quality. The main thing I don't understand about your videos is just why I am so fascinated by them. The subject matter is interesting enough, particularly in recent weeks when you've been covering roads I use on a more regular basis than is the norm. The charm and wit of both script and presenter also play a large past in dragging me in, of course, but doesn't explain why I hate to miss seeing an upload as soon as it appears on a Sunday morning. The biggest mystery for me though is how I can watch each episode in rapt attention and thoroughly enjoy them, but if I were to be quizzed on the facts and figures contained therein I would struggle a great deal. Still, at my age, retention of niche facts I'm unlikely to have much practical use for is a tiny part of why I consume the videos I do, so clearly the wit and charm of the script and/or presenter is a bigger factor in all this than it seemed it was when I started havering about all this. All of this guff merely to decide that it doesn't matter much why I enjoy watching your videos but that you're a bit of a charming smoothie doesn't hurt'
@@hylje But then there is looking up things they talked about on Google maps or Streetview, and the Sabre Roads database, or CartoMetro or RailMapOnline ...
@@hylje I mean, another 10 minutes added by a new Dashcam Owners Australia monthly compilation... Should clarify, by "evening" I meant "content to watch while eating dinner" hehe
I didn't know about the Wallace Sword viewpoint until this video bizarrely! I use the M80/876 frequently and I completely agree about the bat shit crazy description!
I used to live close to and travel the A80 before the upgrade, and then onto the M80 in Glasgow before the M74 was completed. Absolute nightmare journey. Kids nowadays, don't know the hardships we used to endure! 😂
Great job Jon, a really comprehensive & well-researched episode, with the usual perfect measure of aerial footage, dead-pan humour and sarcasm. Missing & disappearing slip roads, old bridges, treasures, art, a quarry; I'm amazed at how you fit it all in! 😂
AMAZING!! I have been waiting for this video forever! I used to drive the M80 from J2 (I stayed in Bishopbriggs) to Bridge of Allan every weekend for a few years starting in 2005. I never really went back up that way when the new section was being built and I now work in Stirling and live in a house that backs onto the old A80 at Moodiesburn so i use this motorway daily. I had completely forgotten what the road was like before the alterations and the completion of the missing link so thank you so much for jogging my memory. Where do you get your old Google Earth images?
When we drove through the Castlecary viaduct my granny ( born 1896) would recall being taken as a child , in the car by her father from the farm at Falkirk up to land nearby Castlecary that he had rented for summer grazing of his dairy youngstock. So I'm guessing she was talking about the Edwardian era.
@@borderlands6606 She would have been 14 by 1910 but I'm not sure that it would be much after that date. She went on a motoring honeymoon up north in June 1921 looking quite dashing in a hat tied on with a scarf.
Hi john great video again, I like how you were at Stirling then finished at Carron valley Reservoir. I live a few miles from the Castlecary and can confirm that the slip road there was done away with when they upgraded. This junction caused total chaos because when you came off the slip road travelling to Glasgow and coming off the slip road you could only turn left towards Bonnybridge not Castlecary. Only buses could turn right as this lane had a barrier. After my car got written off due to people doing U turns traffic scotland were forced to remove the restriction so traffic could go through Castlecary, then they put in the speed bumps to slow all the insane traffic.....By the way I got lots of assistance from the local councillor Billy Buchan who lives a stones throw from where the old 18 century bridge is at Castelcary....He wasn't happy with the layout either.
Thought you may have mentioned the Irn Bru factory just of junction 4 but it was still a wonderful & interesting video as always & I travel it 5 days a week keep up the good work. Are you saving the m8 Teletubbies for last?
Of all the places they could teleport to, it was always that quarry just outside London. I understand that UXB WWII bombs get taken there, or nearby. Not sure if it's urban legend, but the long corridor at the University of Leeds where our computer lab was looks just like it's part of a Blake's 7 spaceship.
The Castlecary viaduct is a marvellous place to get stuck in traffic everyday. Thank feck they haven’t added any extra junctions, it’s chaos between 2pm and 7pm, a massive sea of red brake lights.
Another great video Jon, driven the M80 a handful of times, remember the first time I drove down there and was amazed at the sight of the Viaduct on a cold winter's evening.
John dood, loving the vids longtime. Are you coming back 'soouth' after each battle up there with Mel Gibson and Liam Neeson? Or are you dossing 'aroound' for a 'wheil' afterwards taking in life above 'The Wall'. It's a great place, people are super friendly if you get past the language barrier. Please find some reason to spend more time up there dood.👍
The new services would be handy. The Hamilton services are a bit dodgy at night (the filling station toilets used to be a popular 'glory hole' location...) and the Stirling services are a bit off the beaten track now. The lights in the statue work ok btw. The railway viaduct has always intrigued me. Nice to know.
We have many examples of "a" junctions where they had to fit one in between the already-numbered ones, but are there any "b" junctions? Or, heaven forbid, an "aa" junction where it's between an existing junction and its "a"?
So much has changed. Last time I drove on the A80\M80 was in 2001. I used too fly along it doing 54mph. Any more than that the people behind were hidden in a cloud of blue smoke. Driving up the M5 tuckies were always flashing me thinking the car was on fire I guess. No-one in Scotland cared as was pretty normal for a 7 yr old car too be using more oil than petrol. At least it had no rust, nor radiator too speak off.
Love the use of teh Scotch and Wry music at the end. You failed to mention that junction nine, at the roundabout, is where the Stirling services are! And very nice they are as well. That bridge you were standing in front of at the beginning, I know that bridge, that carries the Falkirk - Cumbernauld - Glasgow railway, and the bridge was built in 1989, to allow the alignment to be diverted onto it, before the rest of the motorway was constructed. It's called, I believe, the Provan Bridge.
@@AutoShenanigans It certainly was an experience, but 4 weeks in Larbert Hospital and a week in Norwich and 6 months off work with a broken pelvis didn't really make up for that 😂
For all your 'Secrets of The Motorway' videos could I suggest that before the map showing the length of the motorway you have a national map showing where the Motorway is located in the UK (for some motorways that would be little more than a dot)!
Well-timed - New Cumbernauld is a hot potato in architectural (no-we-didn't-cause-widespread-social-harm-in-the-50s/60s) circles at the mo and Arria features, although not the Wallace sword - nice one. There's also a Roman altar - Carrickstone - to the NW.
Thanks for posting Auto Shenanigans. That's a blast from the past. I used to live close to M80 and use junction 8 often. I remember A80 roundabout. Rush hour was not fun but since the upgrade a lot better driving in that area.
Aria sure is... interesting. And with lighting to complement its shape and form as an evil temptress to boot! Lit up at night it would really resemble "The Witch of the Motorways!"
I often wondered what that strange statue was beside the motorway but had never bothered to stop and find out. I have also only been past it during daylight hours and therefore I will need to (a) get off the motorway there and (b) travel at night to get the full ambiance.
There's also another art installation in the form of a pair of grassy pyramids in the middle of Crowwood Roundabout (just after Junction 3) where the M80 used to terminate. I have no idea what the reason for the pyramids is (if there is one).
Worth a mention about the part of the M80 built on marshland by Wullie Logan (also builder of Tay Road Bridge) that had to be rebuilt years after because it was sinking? Also the bridge over the M80 just to the north of Castlecary Viaduct that was completely rebuilt. PS I miss large parts of your informative videos as they seem to be at double (or more) speed.
Those hard shoulders going through the arches seem pretty useless as there's no way to get onto them unless you had the foresight to break down before the barriers start. I suppose they would become more useful if they ever become a dual-purpose bus lane or smart motorway lane.
They aren’t unless. One time there was a crash round the bend and the police directed traffic along the hard shoulder through the archway. If there hadn’t been a hard shoulder through the archway then traffic would have needed to stop still the accident was cleared.
The only thing about this video john is that you never actually said exactly where abouts the M80 is. You normally show a map of its location in the country but I had to go google it to find its actually between Glasgow and Stirling.
Travelled that M80/A80 between 1990 and 2008, and slowly watched the upgrade, via traffic jams especially in the 90s. The two roundabouts where the pain in A80 format.
I used to commute from Edinburgh to Glasgow via Polmont during the early 2000's.and remember not only the fun of driving on the A80 through various villages but also when that started the motorway upgrades. What fun.
I've noticed that single carriageway motorway sections are a lot more common Scotland than England (I can only think of one example in England). These single carriageway entrances don't appear to display the usual 70mph speed limit signs that you typically see at the start of Scottish motorways. I wonder why that is.
Ooooh a bit of abandoned road I’ve travelled on in my youth (the abandoned A73 which I THINK was a brief dual carriageway before a short trip through Lanark and meeting the A74(M) (or M74 depending on the direction you’re travelling in)
Just south of the Stirling services, where the M80 ends, lies Easterton Service Station (or at least what remains of it) which continued to be a petrol station and garage until the late 90s. My grandfather told me that this was bulit to form part of the original motorway Service station until last minute changes were made to the terminus.
8:11 "...it would make a lot of sense though, wouldn't?", which means they probably didn't then!😂 (can't believe you missed a chance for a wisecrack against the council etc 😉)
Interesting fact about Provan Gas Works: it used to have its own narrow gauge rail system which, due to restricted clearances, had to use the tiniest steam locomotives you've ever seen. They made a 7" gauge garden railway look big. One of the locomotives, Dougal, is preserved at the Welshpool & Llanfair Railway
Just looked it up, reminds me of the little red locomotive in half life 1
This is the infotainment we need
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dougal_(steam_locomotive)#/media/File:Dougal_and_train.jpg
I had no idea, that would have been the perfect subject matter for this vid :D
As always, a strangely compelling video, never before has one man made motorways so interesting. Keep up the good work Jon.
Nice one, thanks for watching
My 1st experience of motorway driving was during the construction of the M80. I was learning to drive and starting university in Dundee. From Glasgow I drove with my mum supervising along the A80, all good and legal. We got to a roundabout and the road immediately became the M80 afterwards. There was either no warning signs, or we missed them. Learner drivers weren't allowed on the the motorway then and you are also not allowed to stop unless it's an emergency. ( Learners are allowed now but only with a DVSA approved instructor. ) After a moment of panic from my mum, all we could do was continue driving. No dramas really but amusing to look back on. After a few miles the road became the A80 again and we drove on to Dundee.
Splendid the things that could be done "back in the day".
Similar things used to happen on the A1 and A1(M).
No worries eh! All good in the end and a great titbit to engage strangers with!
@stuartjohnston1086 Did you have some sort of placard or sign on cars then showing "Learner" or "Student Driver" or such? Glad you made it without incident.
@@donalddodson7365 Yes, an approx 20cm square white sticker with a red "L" on it, front and back of the car.
Sunday lunchtime only happens once the new Secrets of the Motorway upload drops….
For me, it's watch and go to bed. Sydney Australia 😂
A Quarry, a Dam, a Viaduct, a Bridge, a Stream, a Gas Works, a Steel Works, a Railroad, a Road No longer in use, a Goblin cave, a Statue and a Sword in a Stone. The M80 was over shadowed by the areas treasures. I'm surprised you could fit it all into 10 minutes. Cheers PH, you are doing well
I literally came down to the comments to write this almost word for word.
Great comment!!
I hope nobody at home was playing the Auto Shenanigans drinking game, they'd be ruined
Nice one mate :D Thanks for watching
A surprisingly busy motorway - the Auchenkilns roundabout was a constant nightmare until it was replaced by J4a. Any time the road has to be closed between junctions 4 and 8, central Scotland gridlocks. I speak from experience.....
The M73 to M80 merge is nightmare should be 3 land all the way up
@@s125ish It's a nightmare because everyone, including HGVs, all jump to the outside lane before the merge, even though there's about a mile of M80 before the left lane actually disappears.
@@colinnichyep! Up the M73, aim for Kilsyth, then merge at the end of the slip lane… saves about half an hour 😂
I remember those days - if you had to travel between Castlecary Arches and Auchenkilns roundabout, bring a picnic!
I nearly lost my job one day when they closed 2 lanes just before the M876 split for roadworks at 7.00am instead of the scheduled 7.00pm. Took 5 hours to get from Auchenkilns to the M876
Part of my Sunday night routine has become watching videos about motorways in a country half way around the world.
No, I don't know why either.
I thought I had no interest in Cars, Roads, or motorways. I'm here every week too
Great stuff again and credit to you for closing with the theme tune to 'Scotch & Wry' - for a certain generation of Scots, it was the highlight TV viewing on Hogmanay (New Year's Eve). Made by BBC Scotland and shown right before 'The Bells', featured many Scots comedians who would go on to bigger things - Gregor Fisher, Elaine C. Smith etc.
I remember that!
Also, do you remember "Only an Excuse"?
@@RichardWatt absolutely, Johnathan Watson was one of the main ones and from that group who appeared in things like City Lights, Rab C Nesbitt and more recently, Two Doors Down. Classic era of Scottish comedy from the BBC.
The way Junction 3 is laid out before upgrades reminds me of how a lot of unbuilt highways are here in the U.S. The government would plan an interstate/motorway, build part of it, and then they can't finish it - leaving it like that.
Sounds a bit like Italy........
That'd be mafia influence, then. They get paid in full partway through the contract, then just take the money and run.
We have one in Glasgow called the ski jump because it just stops mid air... like a ski jump.
@@gcooper642 My other half's uncle was on the design team for that. The reason it was left like that was, I believe, that the money ran out and they couldn't continue with it so left it like that in case they got future funding. Which of course they didn't.
@@Skorpychan One can`t help but wonder!
@7:40 - "Some guy called Wallace"
Wallace Campbell is actually the full name of Wally from Where's Wally? It's a very fitting tribute, because you can't see Wally from there.
Junction 5 Auchenkilns was upgraded in 2005 to replace the roundabout which caused so many problems and was actually built wide enough for dual three lane running for when the upgrade of the old A80 happened but they chose to use dual two lane as it is today and one unique feature is the expansion joints on the north side of the bridge on the main carraigeways the road crosses a peat bog on a concrete raft they had issues during the upgrade due to the bog.
I had completely forgot about the peat bog.
I think the reason why the M80 remained two lanes at Junction 5 was due to the fact that both bridges of the A8011 crossing the motorway at junction 4A only look wide enough for two lanes and a hard shoulder without either extensive re-modelling or more likely complete demolition and reconstruction of those bridges. Same potentially with the red suspension foot bridge just East Junction 5.
The new north bound slip roads subsided when the traffic was diverted away when they were building the new overbridge. I was told of the traffic chaos when I got back from my holiday.
Yeah, i really dislike driving from junction 8 to junction 4 as once you get lorries in lane 1, lane 2 just ends up sitting at 60mph as drivers keep speeding up and slowing down.
They should have made it 3 lanes with the volume of traffic that uses it each day, but i guess it would cost too much.
And approaching the viaduct, most people slow down, probably because they get scared of the concrete divider wall and the narrowing from the viaduct which causes congestion and gets everyone sitting nose to tail.
It's a terrible section of motorway most days.
The Auchenkilns upgrade was the giveaway that the proper M80 through the Kelvin Valley was never going to be built and we were in for years of congestion while the "on line route" was built, inadequate by design.
I specifically click the like button before even watching the video. Not many channels I do that for, this is one.
The Auchenkilns Roundabout (now replaced with J5) used to be a constant source of congestion and accidents.
Yeah, it is much better now. Although I wish they'd repave the north roundabout, the patches never last there.
Great video Jon. I do like the abandoned road sections that result from the construction of motorways. One day in the future, these videos will be all that we have on motorway history and you will be famous, although probably dead by then. Something to be remembered for.
I honestly thought you were going to say "something to look forward to" 😕
Super sweet awesome 👌
If youtube is still around in 100 years, it would certainly offer a fascinating insight into "the shit we used to do"
Looks like you finished at Carron Valley Reservoir which has a unique feature. It spans a watershed, and drains in two different directions. The main route is down the River Carron towards the Forth, but it also has a smaller dam on its western edge that drains a small burn towards Loch Lomond and the Clyde.
Also, towering above the reservoir is Meikle Bin (which can be seen from the M74 in South Lanarkshire as the pointy peak in the middle of the Campsie Fells. It’s about a 90 minute walk from the road to the summit and the views to the south are fantastic. It’s also under the final approach path for Glasgow Airport, so has some low flying aircraft and even has wreckage of a crashed military aircraft near the summit.
It was, nice part of the world. I didnt know about the draining etc. very interesting
It's remarkable how UK and American systems look similarly but different. We both have routes/interchanges that look like "spaghetti thrown against the wall designs." The roundabouts are interesting. I have to remind myself that we drive on opposite sides of roads. 😆
J 1-3 was known as the Stepps Bypass
J4-7 is technically the A80(M) as it is literally the existing A80 upgraded to motorway standards.
J5 (The Auchenkilns junction) was upgraded roughly a decade before the A80 was upgraded to motorway status.
J6 - the northbound carriageway used to have an offramp directly into the Old-Inns services, at the end the onramp from the roundabout.
Aria - did you notice it has 4 (four) hands?
I did not notice the hands!
Wicked, sweet and awesome Jon ... but please find a way home! We miss you in Inger Land!
At peak times the southbound M80 tails back where the M876 joins it, but it seems to have phantom tailbacks at Castlecary Arches too. I have a theory that people subconsciously slow down because they find driving through the arch a wee bit scary.
You're 100% correct!!
I have never figured out why people slowdown as they go into that valley. It gets seriously annoying having to slam on the brakes when there is nothing happening ahead to warrant it.
I can confirm traffic builds up... it held me up on the way home.
It's because it is inadequate for the traffic flow as a policy decision at the design stage, to encourage people to use a railway line because that is somehow equivalent.
Thanks John - an almost perfect Sunday afternoon soothing video, almost every word enunciated with perfect pitch and clarity and so a real return to normal quality. The main thing I don't understand about your videos is just why I am so fascinated by them.
The subject matter is interesting enough, particularly in recent weeks when you've been covering roads I use on a more regular basis than is the norm.
The charm and wit of both script and presenter also play a large past in dragging me in, of course, but doesn't explain why I hate to miss seeing an upload as soon as it appears on a Sunday morning.
The biggest mystery for me though is how I can watch each episode in rapt attention and thoroughly enjoy them, but if I were to be quizzed on the facts and figures contained therein I would struggle a great deal.
Still, at my age, retention of niche facts I'm unlikely to have much practical use for is a tiny part of why I consume the videos I do, so clearly the wit and charm of the script and/or presenter is a bigger factor in all this than it seemed it was when I started havering about all this.
All of this guff merely to decide that it doesn't matter much why I enjoy watching your videos but that you're a bit of a charming smoothie doesn't hurt'
Wicked sweet awesome.
@@Tondaloona03 Knob.
Same here. I sometimes have to watch 2 or 3 times to get everything.
This is becoming a regular Sunday night treat, before I get annoyed at another work week
Don't bother with work. Problem solved. Follow me for more life hacks.
was there a problem with the new Auchenkilns underpass due to the road sinking and it had to be closed not that long after it was opened?
Ooh a secrets of the motorway video that's longer than 10 minutes!
Coupled to a Jago Hazzard video that's about 10 minutes long, evening sorted!
Your evening is 20 minutes long.
@@hylje But then there is looking up things they talked about on Google maps or Streetview, and the Sabre Roads database, or CartoMetro or RailMapOnline ...
@hylje that made me laugh a lot :D
@@hylje I mean, another 10 minutes added by a new Dashcam Owners Australia monthly compilation... Should clarify, by "evening" I meant "content to watch while eating dinner" hehe
I didn't know about the Wallace Sword viewpoint until this video bizarrely! I use the M80/876 frequently and I completely agree about the bat shit crazy description!
I used to live close to and travel the A80 before the upgrade, and then onto the M80 in Glasgow before the M74 was completed. Absolute nightmare journey. Kids nowadays, don't know the hardships we used to endure! 😂
The Castlecary,/Red Burn railway viaduct arches are 15m wide or 50 feet.
I did wonder how we got 2 8 foot trucks through a 15 feet arch 😄
With great difficulty?
Dam! You never talked about the water retention structure. Or whatever they are called.
Carron Valley reservoir
water retention structure :D I like that.
Arria's lights do work and is quite a nice sight when driving past
Aria looks quite spectacular from the M80.
great to hear :)
Great job Jon, a really comprehensive & well-researched episode, with the usual perfect measure of aerial footage, dead-pan humour and sarcasm. Missing & disappearing slip roads, old bridges, treasures, art, a quarry; I'm amazed at how you fit it all in! 😂
Nice one mate, thanks for watching!
Only 3.8k to go now Jon - what have you got planned for the big 100k party? 🍺
I do have something in mind.
The M80. . .I bet someone calls it the 'Matey'!
AMAZING!! I have been waiting for this video forever! I used to drive the M80 from J2 (I stayed in Bishopbriggs) to Bridge of Allan every weekend for a few years starting in 2005. I never really went back up that way when the new section was being built and I now work in Stirling and live in a house that backs onto the old A80 at Moodiesburn so i use this motorway daily. I had completely forgotten what the road was like before the alterations and the completion of the missing link so thank you so much for jogging my memory. Where do you get your old Google Earth images?
Thanks for using the Scotch and Wry theme tune! Brought a surprise cheer(s) to my morning! And yes, Aria is looked after and lit up a night.
Excellent one, this one, even taking into account I've never been near this motorway in my life....
Thanks mate, appreciate that!
When we drove through the Castlecary viaduct my granny ( born 1896) would recall being taken as a child , in the car by her father from the farm at Falkirk up to land nearby Castlecary that he had rented for summer grazing of his dairy youngstock. So I'm guessing she was talking about the Edwardian era.
They must have been very early adopters of the horseless carriage.
@@borderlands6606 She would have been 14 by 1910 but I'm not sure that it would be much after that date. She went on a motoring honeymoon up north in June 1921 looking quite dashing in a hat tied on with a scarf.
Hi john great video again, I like how you were at Stirling then finished at Carron valley Reservoir. I live a few miles from the Castlecary and can confirm that the slip road there was done away with when they upgraded. This junction caused total chaos because when you came off the slip road travelling to Glasgow and coming off the slip road you could only turn left towards Bonnybridge not Castlecary. Only buses could turn right as this lane had a barrier. After my car got written off due to people doing U turns traffic scotland were forced to remove the restriction so traffic could go through Castlecary, then they put in the speed bumps to slow all the insane traffic.....By the way I got lots of assistance from the local councillor Billy Buchan who lives a stones throw from where the old 18 century bridge is at Castelcary....He wasn't happy with the layout either.
i love a massive oval shaped roundabout and always imagine them closing the road off for a NASCAR race.
Thought you may have mentioned the Irn Bru factory just of junction 4 but it was still a wonderful & interesting video as always & I travel it 5 days a week keep up the good work. Are you saving the m8 Teletubbies for last?
One parting shot: the name of the motorway makes me smile, for it is both a 1970s bubble bath from my childhood, and internet slang for matey.
I remember matey... .they were awesome
Some fairly dangerous locations there , good job the sword is cemented in thoroughly and awkward to get too
As a Blakes 7 fan it's always good to see a quarry turn up in a video on TH-cam.
Of all the places they could teleport to, it was always that quarry just outside London. I understand that UXB WWII bombs get taken there, or nearby.
Not sure if it's urban legend, but the long corridor at the University of Leeds where our computer lab was looks just like it's part of a Blake's 7 spaceship.
4::00 There is very scary slip road round about here, Truck drivers DON'T CARE.
There seems to be a lot of abandoned roads after these motorways are constructed. They seem ideal for some of them to become cycle paths.
You could but most are cut off so don't lead anywhere.
Sounds ideal, they could ride round in circles and not get in the way of walkers or drivers.
It's always a little disappointing when. You find a place to film in Scotland without a bit of waste packaging.
Why the FUCK, am i watching your videos when they pop up😂? I’m clearly a nerd
Interesting fact the site of the provan gasworks is to be the new barlinnie prison in 2026 or HMP Glasgow
That's one of the best final shots - wow! You're perfectly front and centre of an incredible expanse
Thanks.. it's a little over exposed for my liking but water and sun... not ideal :D
I always wondered where raw concrete and asphalt came from, and now I know. Northfield and Boards quarry.
Thanks, John.
7:40 OP must have a Brave Heart to unacknowledge William Wallace 🤣😂😆
The Castlecary viaduct is a marvellous place to get stuck in traffic everyday. Thank feck they haven’t added any extra junctions, it’s chaos between 2pm and 7pm, a massive sea of red brake lights.
I dug test holes at hornshill farm a good few years ago and was told it was to be a service station then right enough
Another great video Jon, driven the M80 a handful of times, remember the first time I drove down there and was amazed at the sight of the Viaduct on a cold winter's evening.
Cheers mate, thanks for watching!
Excellent 👌 I never knew that sword was there, drove past it countless times!! Cheers 👍
Which motorway is a pirates best friend?
The M-80.
Nothing wrong with hearing about Motorways on a Sunday.
John dood, loving the vids longtime.
Are you coming back 'soouth' after each battle up there with Mel Gibson and Liam Neeson? Or are you dossing 'aroound' for a 'wheil' afterwards taking in life above 'The Wall'.
It's a great place, people are super friendly if you get past the language barrier.
Please find some reason to spend more time up there dood.👍
I'm up and doon to Scotland on a weekly basis at the mo :D
The new services would be handy. The Hamilton services are a bit dodgy at night (the filling station toilets used to be a popular 'glory hole' location...) and the Stirling services are a bit off the beaten track now. The lights in the statue work ok btw. The railway viaduct has always intrigued me. Nice to know.
Can u do a drive shot of the intro of next weeks episode of secrets of the motorway.
We have many examples of "a" junctions where they had to fit one in between the already-numbered ones, but are there any "b" junctions? Or, heaven forbid, an "aa" junction where it's between an existing junction and its "a"?
there are B junctions... and even a C!
The M80 has no Scottish flag behind it in the video. Have u found about the Wellington monument in the distance between J26 and J27 of the M5.
dam it. ruined it.
So the missing link is in Scotland, they have all the best foods ❤
Hello Jon, how devil are you, have you had a good week?
Pretty good actually, but I cant tell you why.
Batsh-t crazy but functional, a fair description of an interchange and my wife.
Oh you found a "functional" one, good job. I tend to find just the batsh!t crazy ones.
Very interesting. When you started this off I wouldn't of throught you would still be going still talking about motorway s.
Neither did I. If it works.. don't change it :D
Bangkok?! Bangkok?!
Oh sorry, do carry on 🤦♂
So much has changed. Last time I drove on the A80\M80 was in 2001. I used too fly along it doing 54mph. Any more than that the people behind were hidden in a cloud of blue smoke. Driving up the M5 tuckies were always flashing me thinking the car was on fire I guess. No-one in Scotland cared as was pretty normal for a 7 yr old car too be using more oil than petrol. At least it had no rust, nor radiator too speak off.
i can't wait for secrets of the M25, don't think you'll enjoy filming it though 🤣🤣
I agree
A farmer can't object to planning permission if the farmer doesn't exist....
Well... absolutely. I imagine a compulsory purchase order at over market value helped.
When you do M90 you should go past the end towards Dundee and stop off at the Horn and get a bacon roll. you get a good size one there.
Who doesnt love a good size of meat in their mouth... wait a minute.
Getting very close to 100k now! Will it happen before the motorways run out?
I dont think so, there's a lot to be getting on with :)
Love the use of teh Scotch and Wry music at the end. You failed to mention that junction nine, at the roundabout, is where the Stirling services are! And very nice they are as well. That bridge you were standing in front of at the beginning, I know that bridge, that carries the Falkirk - Cumbernauld - Glasgow railway, and the bridge was built in 1989, to allow the alignment to be diverted onto it, before the rest of the motorway was constructed. It's called, I believe, the Provan Bridge.
That's the one mate!
Please do m90 ❤
I blew over in 90mph winds on the M80 in a lorry 3 days after Christmas in 2011 and shut it for 16 hrs 🏴👌🏼
Good work mate, I bet that was quite a moment from the driving seat.
@@AutoShenanigans It certainly was an experience, but 4 weeks in Larbert Hospital and a week in Norwich and 6 months off work with a broken pelvis didn't really make up for that 😂
For all your 'Secrets of The Motorway' videos could I suggest that before the map showing the length of the motorway you have a national map showing where the Motorway is located in the UK (for some motorways that would be little more than a dot)!
This is a good idea - especially for an international audience.
I usually do but the script/wording didnt marry up with that this time around.
Well-timed - New Cumbernauld is a hot potato in architectural (no-we-didn't-cause-widespread-social-harm-in-the-50s/60s) circles at the mo and Arria features, although not the Wallace sword - nice one. There's also a Roman altar - Carrickstone - to the NW.
Nice wee finish at Carron Valley and the dam
I love that Cumbernauld didn't get a mention, my childhood home .
Thanks for posting Auto Shenanigans. That's a blast from the past. I used to live close to M80 and use junction 8 often. I remember A80 roundabout. Rush hour was not fun but since the upgrade a lot better driving in that area.
Nice one, thanks for watching
Aria sure is... interesting. And with lighting to complement its shape and form as an evil temptress to boot! Lit up at night it would really resemble "The Witch of the Motorways!"
She looks like a proper witch...
I often wondered what that strange statue was beside the motorway but had never bothered to stop and find out. I have also only been past it during daylight hours and therefore I will need to (a) get off the motorway there and (b) travel at night to get the full ambiance.
Wicked sweet awesome yerself Sir! 😂❤
There's also another art installation in the form of a pair of grassy pyramids in the middle of Crowwood Roundabout (just after Junction 3) where the M80 used to terminate. I have no idea what the reason for the pyramids is (if there is one).
Us locals call the 2 grassy pyramids, The Dolly Parton roundabout, for 2 obvious reasons.
@@alistairshaw3206 I had also forgotten that XD
Worth a mention about the part of the M80 built on marshland by Wullie Logan (also builder of Tay Road Bridge) that had to be rebuilt years after because it was sinking? Also the bridge over the M80
just to the north of Castlecary Viaduct that was completely rebuilt.
PS I miss large parts of your informative videos as they seem to be at double (or more) speed.
been subbed since 15k
and next week youll almost certainly be at 100k
It might be a little longer but we're getting there!! :)
I don't drive and I'm not really into motorways so I'm not sure why I watch these.
Glad to have you none the less.
Those hard shoulders going through the arches seem pretty useless as there's no way to get onto them unless you had the foresight to break down before the barriers start. I suppose they would become more useful if they ever become a dual-purpose bus lane or smart motorway lane.
Lets hope neither of those things ever happen
They aren’t unless. One time there was a crash round the bend and the police directed traffic along the hard shoulder through the archway. If there hadn’t been a hard shoulder through the archway then traffic would have needed to stop still the accident was cleared.
You can’t beat a batshit crazy junction 😂
The only thing about this video john is that you never actually said exactly where abouts the M80 is. You normally show a map of its location in the country but I had to go google it to find its actually between Glasgow and Stirling.
Travelled that M80/A80 between 1990 and 2008, and slowly watched the upgrade, via traffic jams especially in the 90s. The two roundabouts where the pain in A80 format.
i’m always annoyed if i’m out for a walk and i hear a drone buzzing but i do love your drone shots
If it's any consolation, walkers often ruin my drone flying :-p just messing... thanks for watching.
I used to commute from Edinburgh to Glasgow via Polmont during the early 2000's.and remember not only the fun of driving on the A80 through various villages but also when that started the motorway upgrades. What fun.
I've noticed that single carriageway motorway sections are a lot more common Scotland than England (I can only think of one example in England). These single carriageway entrances don't appear to display the usual 70mph speed limit signs that you typically see at the start of Scottish motorways. I wonder why that is.
WSA ✌️
Sunday chill complete ✅ Wicked, sweet, awesome✔
Ooooh a bit of abandoned road I’ve travelled on in my youth (the abandoned A73 which I THINK was a brief dual carriageway before a short trip through Lanark and meeting the A74(M) (or M74 depending on the direction you’re travelling in)
Just south of the Stirling services, where the M80 ends, lies Easterton Service Station (or at least what remains of it) which continued to be a petrol station and garage until the late 90s. My grandfather told me that this was bulit to form part of the original motorway Service station until last minute changes were made to the terminus.
Nice video John, lovely abandoned bridge 👍👌😀
Such slick production, love it.
Thanks mate!
Another brill vid. What’s the damn at the end, you don’t mention it in your vid
It's at Carron Valley Reservoir :)
@@AutoShenanigans thanks
The arches have always been my sign i was getting close to Glasgow. many family trips past there.
8:11 "...it would make a lot of sense though, wouldn't?", which means they probably didn't then!😂 (can't believe you missed a chance for a wisecrack against the council etc 😉)