Inspiring
You're Telling Us
Great drives
In the last issue, we asked you to share your favourite Vauxhall drives with us. Here is a selection of your letters
Linda Coultard, Manchester - The snake pass
Ten years ago, when my husband and I first got married, we used to love taking long drives in the countryside around our home in Devon. Then we moved to Manchester and, two children later, we rarely get the chance to go for drives any more. But recently we left the kids with my parents for the weekend with plans to spend some time together.The Snake Pass is a drive my husband, Stuart, has always wanted to do, so we grabbed the opportunity. It was March and, although the day dawned bright and sunny, we checked the weather reports first – we didn’t want to be stranded in the Pennines if the weather changed suddenly! – and then set off in our Corsa.
I always thought the Snake Pass was named after its twists and turns, but I was fascinated to discover that it was actually named after a pub where tolls used to be collected, the Snake Inn. Our Corsa deftly dealt with every tight bend, while I gazed out of the window at the beautiful moorland. We really couldn’t have had a better day out or a more trustworthy companion for the journey.
David williams, bangor - Bangor to snowdon
After reading the last issue of V magazine, I wanted to tell you about my favourite drive from Bangor. Although I’ve done it many times as I live in north Wales, it never fails as a great day out as there are lots of brilliant views and places where you can stop off. I start by driving across the Britannia Bridge to Anglesey, then come back to the mainland via the beautiful Menai Bridge, and head south towards Caernarfon. As I’m a keen gardener, my wife and I always stop off at Penrhyn Castle to stretch our legs in their walled garden. After that, we drive through Caernarfon and sometimes visit the castle; otherwise we drive on to Llanberis and Nant Peris. This is where the road starts to climb up the Pass of Llanberis, to the summit of Snowdon. We take a moment here to enjoy the views – even though I’ve seen them many times, they never fail to bowl me over.
John W Black, Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire - Just in time
Enjoying the warm sunshine and a glass of something cool in the shade of our car port, I removed my watch and looped it over the front grille of my daughter’s Vauxhall Astra 1.9 SRI for safety. She and her two little girls left the next morning to drive 120 miles home and it wasn’t until the afternoon that I remembered my watch – simply looped, not even fixed – over the car’s grille. Hopefully, I studied the first 200 yards of her journey. Nothing. My wife sent a text message to our daughter and we were amazed when our son-in-law called to say that they had stopped for a break, checked the grille and there was my watch! Over a journey of 90 miles, my watch was sitting comfortably and still keeping perfect time. You will have no better testimony to the smooth running of the Vauxhall Astra– although my daughter, Elizabeth, might claim her driving played a significant part!
STAR LETTER
I thought you might be interested in seeing some photographs of my MKIII Astra Cesaro which has covered an amazing 200,000 miles and still has the original engine and gearbox. In eight years of ownership, the car has never refused to start. This is our second Astra – we previously owned a MKII which clocked up 175,000 in our ownership before we sold it.
Our next car will certainly be a Vauxhall!
John Jackson, Northants