A country with no motorways!

It has been a bitterly cold day with fog making it feel even colder than it actually is. Even my bike ride was curtailed to a mere 7 miles - I am just not as hardy as I was in my youth! I did therefore spend much of the day inside and I sorted through some of my parents things. My Dad never threw anything away so I have the job of going through it all. Household bills from decades ago may have some interest but they are not things I wish to keep. However there are some gems hidden away such as the cloth Bartholomew's Contour Motoring Map of the British Isles I found.

I have no idea when this dates from but suspect the 1940s. It cost 5 Shillings which is 25 pence in todays money. It is a fascinating insight into the transport system of the nation in a time when the motor car had yet to reach the ownership levels we now see. The most interesting visual impact for me is that there are no motorways. Maps today are crisscrossed with the blue lines of motorways linking major cities but this map was in an age when travelling around the nation meant you drove through every major town and most villages.

Apologies about the quality of the photo but London is somewhat different to how we now see it circled by the M25.

I will be looking at this map more closely when I have time but in the meantime it is safely stored at the WMD HQ reference library in amongst all the other junk, as Mrs. W puts it, that I have accumulated!

I did find an hour to do a little more on the Heller Scania 141 LB which now has front springs. Like most of this kit these are warped and need some brute force (not my strong point) and ignorance ( I am good at that) to get them to fit. However knowing this kit so far there are more trials and tribulations with parts fitting to come!