Is there any difference between the almost mythical stately homes of the past and our modern cars" 
Geoff Maxted of DriveWrite Automotive Magazine takes a trip across the English countryside to find out. 

Just to put the venerable myth to bed once and for all, Great Britain is very much not all deep green forest and verdant, rolling countryside dominated by ancient fairy tale castles. It used to be; once upon a time. Now those castles and manor houses of old are visitor attractions, like Sudeley Castle. We are not tweedy people who like nothing better than to shoot birds from the sky and ride horses, and go for long walks and marry our cousins for dowry. Our children no longer build secret dens and climb trees to shake off the urban stench and grime. They have Playstation.
To Gaze & Gawp
Sorry for painting a gloomy picture but on the whole it?s true enough. The past as they, and I, often say, is another country and they do things differently there. In this day and age, we like our modest houses and mainstream cars but still try to appreciate our countryside and what our land has to offer; it?s just that now we do it in bite-sized pieces rather than living the rural dream. Fortunately there?s plenty to see. Unlike, say, the vastness of the United States of America, the UK offers much diversity within a small compass.
So what we do now is visit our heritage as tourists to gaze and gawp; and leave litter and picnic in regal gardens (see image) and even sometimes...