The Brew Cabin

Hi,
I have a drive of approx 120m by 4m, on a narrow flat band adjacent to a slope (clay). It has been there for some 40 years and as the top layer of loose shingle is exposed I am seeing bits of old tarmac, some hardcore, some mud etc etc and many potholes. In other words a bit of a mess, although it does seem to have general integrity and has not yest slipped down the side of my sloping plot!

I am tempted to simply pour on a few tonnes of 10mm shingle to fill all the holes and cover up all the nastyness. However I am convinced thsi will only be temporary as surely the mess underneath will see daylight soon enough. what is the best way, given I dont fancy digging it all up just now of 'patching' what is there so it can survive a few more years ? We have two cars the heaviest of which is 2 tonnes but we do get several deliveries and have had some 20 tonners down the drive when we moved in!!- and it seems to just about survice so I assuem there must be some decent footing underneath.
Cheers
Ben.

You can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear, ben. If you don't want to excavate the existing rubbish and install a sub-base, then whatever you put on the top will last a matter of months, maybe a couple of years.

Gravel or shingle or hoggin will tart it up for a while, or an overlay of base course bitmac would give you something tidy looking but at a higher cost. I reckon a self-binding gravel is probaly the most cost-effective solution for a temporary job like this.

thanks again Tony. so bearing in mind I really do just want to last it out for a year or two, i should just scrape the loose stuff off the top and apply self-binding gravel
and bobs your uncle? only one more question...whats self-binding gravel?

Yep - scrape off the shi...rubbish, and replace with SBG - which is a type of gravel that knits itself together. There's a few types used in different parts of the country, with names such as Breedon or Coxwell, but the basic premise is that the fines loosely bond together, holding the large chunks in place and giving a firmer surface than one gets with a standard loose gravel.

thanks very much, will check it out.
Regards
Ben