As stated i was going a bit faster and by the time my mind had caught up to finally noticing somebody from the forum i could just manage a quick flash of the hazards.
It was starting to go dark so probably the best option for both vehicles by the sound of it, mine is covered in motorway crud, 3 days of it and it looks like i didnt even clean it at the weekend.
Am chuffed i've seen somebody at last. Now i'm on a mission to spot more on my UK travels with work.