Motoring for FUN!

It’s all about having fun out on the road

As many of us already appreciate, ‘essential’ motoring in the 21st Century – when we really do need a car to get somewhere (such as when commuting and/or for business purposes and carrying items too bulky or heavy for public transport) is not always fun. Often it involves frustrations such as queueing in traffic jams, also keeping out of the way of, and/or ignoring rude and aggressive drivers, and generally making slow, painful progress on packed urban roads. In truth the word ‘enjoyment’ doesn’t usually apply to such driving; it’s more of a necessity.

Nevertheless, these days, and in fact just as it always has done, the motor car can still give individuals, couples, families and groups of friends a happy means of ‘escaping’ for a while from humdrum everyday life. Indeed it can represent a passport to pastures new, for a breath of fresh air and a little rest, relaxation and exploration.

Some ‘Wheels-Alive’ viewers/readers may have discovered, or may even recall, that many motoring magazines of the past regularly used to feature touring with cars, covering visits to different localities in Britain, and even trips abroad. These fascinating articles provided information about the ‘feel’ of places visited, as well as illustrating, by way of photographs and/or line drawings, the new horizons which the car could open up.

Of course, in the 1920s and 30s (and even during the 1950s), owning a car was a relatively new phenomenon, and the thirst for ‘adventure’ in motoring for pleasure was evident in the way that the features were written.

I was very keen for my ‘Wheels-Alive’ online motoring magazine to re-create some of the atmosphere and magic of these day trips and longer tours of the past, so stay with us (and check back often!) as we bring to you motoring-related visits to some amazing places, starting with a few in the U.K.

In our new ‘Motoring For Fun’ series, always written from a personal perspective, we shall be using a variety of vehicles, from new models to more elderly classic cars. In each case, if you are a motoring enthusiast, the ‘getting there’ really is almost as important as the destination itself…

We hope that our series of features – which we hope will serve as ‘appetisers’, but of course cannot hope to include ALL the attractions within a particular area – acts as encouragement for our viewers/readers to visit and explore further for themselves. We have chosen a wide variety of areas, each with its own unique character and history. Please just enjoy!