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Every Road in England is an MG Road
Tales of the Mongrel
 Every road in England is an MG road. Once off the motorways the secondary road system in England primarily made of the “A” series roads. I suppose these would be secondary roads in the US. There are some scant 4 laners as is the case between Holmes Chapel and Macclesfield but most are just 2 lanes and rather narrow 2 lane roads at that.
There is little or no berm on either side of these roads as they wind they way around the English country side and for that matter there is very little chance to pull off these roads as hedges and trees (especially hedges) line and closely hug the road side.
The A54 which leads from Holmes Chapel to Congleton in Cheshire (Manchester area) is one such road. When not in a town or village the speed limit is 50mph…, and believe me when I say that this is a generous higher speed for the road. Cars still wiz by at 60-65mph and then there is the large commercial Class 8 truck (lorry) which always causes me to slow down and give way. As much as I like to drive fast I rarely make a trip doing the full higher speed limit on these roads. What I do wish as I drive from place to place is wouldn’t it be GREAT to have my “B” here. I don’t need the speed but just want to enjoy the car, the scenery and the road.
I am sure that driving an MGB in England would better those “premier” country back roads we soooo love when touring on Jo Daviess or Wine & Cheese. Just every day getting from A to B would be a supreme experience in an “A” or a “B”!
I have been going to England since 1983 keeping in close touch with all of my English in-laws. I have gotten to know the politics, the economy, the governmental system and the people well. In all of those years I have imagined a trip around the country in an MGB…..I will just need to do that!!
The art of getting by when 2 automobiles approach each other on a single lane road (the carriage way) took me some years to figure out i.e. who pulls into grass and when?? I finally realized its all a matter of politeness and in lieu of either car having the ability to pull over into a wider space of some sort both drivers will begin the process with one finally staying on the lane and making the pass. Both drivers make the mandatory friendly wave and get on with their business.
Of course, there is the rest of the story. Currently, regular gasoline is $6.51 per US equivalent gallon prox and if your B likes premium that is $7.13/gal. Car insurance (based on my families’ survey) is 25% higher prox. than what I pay today in Illinois. If you’re registering your MG every year with Illinois the cost is $99. Looking at my mother-in-laws MOT sticker
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March 2016
