MOTORING NOTES

TOURS AND TOURING - 111•ITIL the advent of the motor-ear Great Britain was more or less an unknOwn quantity to most people: They kngsv certain watering-places and holiday resorts, but not the more secluded parts of the country. But the motor-ear has changed all this, and it is easy in the course of a comparatively short holiday to visit many of the most lovely and interesting places in all the world. It is possible to explore a country that is more beautiful and more full of historical associations 'than any other. In only a short day's motor run it is possible to pass through a dozen different kinds of scenery, from the mild and placid fields of the low-lying pastures to the lofty heights of mountainous crags. -And all of this without any rushing for trains, without a tiring journey in an overcrowded carriage, without bothering to look after one's baggage.

To be successful a motor toils must be carefully planned. This may be regarded by some as rather a tiresome duty, but much pleasure may he derived by going over in one's mind the general route which is to be followed. The exact details of the route can be left to attend to themselves when the time comes, but the stopping-place each night should be deter- mined upon before the first mile is covered. Not only should the nightly town be decided upon, but the hotel should be selected and arrangements made accordingly. A happy day upon the open road may be ruined at the end if a hotel has to be found upon arrival. There are few things more annoying than to have to wander round a strange place looking for accommodation, possibly in a downpour of rain. It may happen sometimes that plans have to be changed and that it is impossible to adhere to the original route. A breakdown may render it impossible to reach one's destination. When- ever a change has to be made the hotel should be informed as soon as possible. Many motorists omit this courteous practice, with the result that a good many hotel proprietors are rather averse from booking rooms for motoring parties. It is perhaps a small matter, but an omission of this kind brings the whole motoring community into disrepute. You may notpass that way again, but others will follow you in quick succession, and they will have to suffer for your lack of thought.

-Although the amount of baggage that :may , be carried naturally depends upon the size of the car and the number of occupants, it should be. a rule strictly to ration it. The last thing that one wants to do, when the full complement of pas- sengers is being carried, is to have several .suit-eases in the body of the car. Nothing but essentials should be taken. If the day's trip is the be-all of the tour there will be no need to carry many extra clothes. Each person should be allowed a definite amount of space. With a party of three or four the grid at the back of the car is not always sufficient to carry the necessary number of cases or packages. My plan is to carry any extra suit-cases on the running boards, these being held securely in position by straps. To keep the contents free from dust or wet it is a good plan to wrap each case in a piece of American cloth or a waterproof.

As a rule- diner and breakfast are obtained at the hotel . _ _ _

where one is spending the night ; the only meals that have to be erdiSiderea,-the*oirtttrc luncheon and tea. Personally-;I do not-ahink tlicre is anything to eoiiipare to the alfresco meal. To make up one's mind to,reach .spot where, there is a good-hotel -in--time for luncheon or tea-may easily silo' il the day's run; as theil-ohOinfis to work to a severe time table More than this set luncheons are *sniffy= poor in quality ancl-eiees–sie. in

prie. it possible tOltiveluncheon tinder an hour—this is &quently.extended to an hour and :a half if the ServiCe be

woise Ain usual. -- • One of the great drawbacks to a Motoring holiday is that less exercise than usual is :taken._ This is the reverse of what shall" d happen. Spending long days in the open air gives one an -abnormal appetite, and the tendency is to eat more than under normal conditioni.- 'Unless the body be given an opportunity of working off this extra food the whole system may be deraaged-und thetour do more harm than good. ,A part of every. daY`ShOuld be set aside for some form of exercise. A biisk walk in the morning and a stroll round the town in the evening ; a round of golf; a-swim ; lawn-tennis and a variety of other forms of exercise are available. Farbetter is it to spend ones' time in this manner than to dawdle away the hours in the .'i,hotel ..or spend the evenings in a crowded theatre Or "pipture Paince;_

THE SEARCHLIGHT TATTOO.

The Aldershot 'Command -Searchlight Tattoo will take place this year from June 15th to 19th, beginning at 9.30 each evening. The- R.A.G. -will again be in charge of the parking arrangements, and berths for the reserved car parks may now be booked.

, MOTOR VEHICLES IN GREAT BRITAIN. r _ Great Britain has for its area the greatest motor fleet -in the world. At the . beginning of the strike the Automobile Association estimated that the motor strength of the country was :-640,000 ears with 2,500,000 passenger -capacity; 600,000 motor-cycles with 700,000 passenger capacity ; 230,000 motor vans and lorries with a load capacity of 460,000 tons. These figures are exclusive of public service vehicles. Therefore one and a half million motor vehicles were-available for the transport of passengers and food while ordinary railway and other transport was suspended. The private vehicles were capable of carrying within four hours nearly 12,000,000 passengers over a distance of ten miles at a speed of ten miles an hour. In four hours the goods vehicles could transport one million tons over the same distance.

VOR 'ME OWNER-DRIVER.

First Aid for the Car, a very useful booklet which Messrs. Sterns, Ltd., Royal London House, Finsbury Square, E.C. 2, have just published, is designed to assist owner-drivers to ascertain the cause of various mechanical troubles and to cure them speedily. Even the Motorist to whom the secrets of his car are an open book will find use for this booklet, which may remind him of an overlooked possibility. It can be carried always, as it is of a convenient size to fit the pocket. -

A NEW ROVER MODEL.

Great interest has been aroused by the announcement that an entirely new Rover model has just been introduced. It is built on similar lines to the 14-45 horse-power car, which it supplements and does not supersede. The new model is rated at 16-50 h.p., having a four-cylinder engine of 80 mm. bore and 120 mm. stroke, the tax being 116 per annum. The design of the engine follows closelk.the lines of the 14-45 h.p., with overhead valves and camkhaft, ;hemispherical combustion chambers and Central plugs, but a Lanehester vibration damper has been incorporated which makes it more than ever smooth-running—a feature for Which the 14-45 h.p. model has always been famed. The new engine develops no less than 50 h.p. on the brake, but a quality which the owner will find even:more pleasing is the remarkably high power output at low speeds. This endows the car with a fine-top-gear per- formance, acceleration and hill-climbing being very strong points of this attractive new model.

E. T. Baovvx.

[Mr. E. T. Brown informs us that he will be glad to answer questions about motor tours and to provide routes if corres- pondents will write to him at the Spectator Office and enclose a stamped -and-addressed envelope.—En. Spectator.] -