Plough Roundabout, Hemel Hempstead
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
Hemel Hempstead, in Hertfordshire, England, is possibly the dullest place in the entire world. Nothing ever happens here, or ever has as far as I can tell.
However, the town is probably best known for the Plough Roundabout, or the Magic Roundabout as it is 'fondly' known by many of the locals. Any town that is famous for it's main Traffic Roundabout has to be a very dull place indeed you may be thinking to yourself, and you'd be damn right. But as Roundabouts go, this one really is rather amazing.
Designed, I can only believe, by a sadistic deranged five-year old, this roundabout consists of one large roundabout, surrounded by 6 mini-roundabouts. "Eh, how does that work?", you may be thinking. Well, basically each mini-roundabout is treated as a normal roundabout, and the main roundabout is only there to completely distract you from this fact, because you are perfectly entitled to turn right at any of the mini-roundabouts as well as left. This basically means you can quite easily find yourself driving anti-clockwise around the main roundabout.
If you have never been to Hemel Hempstead before, then I advise you remember to bring a change of trousers, because you may well soil one pair when you see this thing looming up on you. I have a friend who, when approaching this roundabout for the very first time, was so distracted trying to work out exactly what was going on and exactly how he could avoid this thing without breaking the law or killing anyone, that he drove straight into the car in front. Safe to say, he has never come back.
This roundabout was obviously designed as a cunning way to keep visitors out, and trust me, if you should actually manage to get into the town you will realise that they were actually trying to do you a favour. Consider yourself warned.
However, the town is probably best known for the Plough Roundabout, or the Magic Roundabout as it is 'fondly' known by many of the locals. Any town that is famous for it's main Traffic Roundabout has to be a very dull place indeed you may be thinking to yourself, and you'd be damn right. But as Roundabouts go, this one really is rather amazing.
Designed, I can only believe, by a sadistic deranged five-year old, this roundabout consists of one large roundabout, surrounded by 6 mini-roundabouts. "Eh, how does that work?", you may be thinking. Well, basically each mini-roundabout is treated as a normal roundabout, and the main roundabout is only there to completely distract you from this fact, because you are perfectly entitled to turn right at any of the mini-roundabouts as well as left. This basically means you can quite easily find yourself driving anti-clockwise around the main roundabout.
If you have never been to Hemel Hempstead before, then I advise you remember to bring a change of trousers, because you may well soil one pair when you see this thing looming up on you. I have a friend who, when approaching this roundabout for the very first time, was so distracted trying to work out exactly what was going on and exactly how he could avoid this thing without breaking the law or killing anyone, that he drove straight into the car in front. Safe to say, he has never come back.
This roundabout was obviously designed as a cunning way to keep visitors out, and trust me, if you should actually manage to get into the town you will realise that they were actually trying to do you a favour. Consider yourself warned.
