"My shortcut made the journey longer"

A few years back, when I first started dating my wife, she asked me to pick her up in town after she had finished work and take her home. Naturally I was more than happy to oblige.

On our way back I decided to go up and over the mountain road, as it would take about 20 minutes off the driving time. Everything was fine until I spotted a dirt track, which for some reason I thought would take us back onto the main road. So I turned into it. Bad move.

I'd only gone a yard or two when I saw that the track was in fact a dead end. There was nothing for it but to go back. As I reversed to do a three-point turn, I went over a small bank. This meant that the car was now off the ground as the middle of it was sitting on said bank. In other words, I was stuck.

Puffing my chest out, I told my future wife not to worry as I would push the car back on to the track and we'd be away again in no time. Well I pushed and I pushed. Then I tried pushing and bouncing. And then bouncing and pushing – all to no avail. To make matters worse (and to make me look even more foolish in the eyes of my would-be wife) the police turned up and proceeded to breathalyse me.

Of course it came back negative, as I would never think of drinking and driving. Realising that I was in a bit of a predicament, they police then set about trying to help me get my car off the bank. But even with three of us and with over an hour's effort, the car wouldn't budge. As they were on duty, the police said they couldn't help anymore then wished me luck before driving off. I decided it was time to call the AA.

When the patrol arrived, he simply attached a towrope to his van and my car, and within two minutes we were on our way home again - nearly two hours late. So much for my shortcut.

Gerald Bevan, AA Member