A FAMILY of 10 were forced to endure an epic 26 HOUR trip to get home after being forced to abandon their car in thick snow.
David Cameron, 20, from Greenock and his family were at a surprise birthday party in Aberdeen and made the journey from Inverclyde to attend.
But travelling home they were hit by road closures as the worst of the extreme weather hit Scotland and they had to ditch their cars at Perth.
The two cars full of passengers took off on 10.30am and didn’t get into Greenock until 12.30pm the next day – minus their vehicles.
David said: “At first travelling wasn’t too bad until we got to Dundee and then between Perth and Dundee it took us six hours.
“People were getting out of their cars to build snowmen and to go for a pee as there weren’t any toilets around.
“There was a while when we weren’t moving at all. A mother and daughter in the car in front of us opened the front and back doors and peed in between the two doors.”
Fire fighters also came to the rescue of David and his family as they were running low on fuel.
He added: “Because we were trying to keep warm we were using a lot of fuel too.
“My mum noticed a fire engine behind us and got out and asked them were the nearest petrol station was and they gave us the last of their petrol.
“We had a tin or quality street and roses so it was like a trade. They were quite happy with it.”
The family also had to take refuge in a Tesco store overnight as the town came to a complete standstill.
David said: “Roads were closed so it was difficult to try and plan our way around.
“We got told people were working on clearing the roads through the night.
“We got to Tesco about half an hour before it closed and we asked their manager where the closest hotel was.
“He said that they were full but that the store was already taking people in for the night.”
Around 30 or 40 people camped out at the store and were able to watch TV in the staff canteen and training room.
David said: “Staff made us homemade soup and then in the morning they made us tea and toast.
“They also had some airbeds that they had taken off the shelves.”
The next day didn’t hold any more luck for the family as they faced more delays on their onward journey.
David added: “The next day we decided to abandon the cars so the cars are still in Perth.
“The train was delayed for about an hour. Then when we got on it was delayed for about 20 minutes because of a tree on the track.
“Eventually when we got to Glasgow the first train to Perth was cancelled and the next one was delayed.
“My mum, dad and aunt are going to go back up at the weekend to get the cars.
“It’s fine now and it’s something you laugh at.
“It was good to finally get home because I hadn’t slept in a bed for two nights.”
Two of the Tesco stores in Perth opened their doors to help stranded passengers at the weekend.
Store manager Lloyd Ovenstone, said: “What my staff did was fantastic. When they found out people were unable to get home they threw open our doors and gave everyone a place to sleep and food for the night.
“They even removed light bulbs from fittings, where we have lights that we are unable to switch off, to allow people a more restful night’s sleep.”
