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As the summer approaches, here are seven recollections about the joys of holiday motoring during the 1970s -

• The heat. In the days before air conditioning was a standard fitting on your average family saloon, and a sunroof was for the likes of the Ford Granada Ghia, a car interior could resemble the Tricity oven after just a few miles. From my own experience, a 1964 Wolseley Hornet with sliding windows was not the ideal form of transport during the “Big Heat of 1976”.
• Cars boiling over. No trip to the New Forest would have been complete without the sight of at least once Singer Vogue or Ford Corsair with steam pouring from the bonnet just outside of Lyndhurst. And even if the owners of said cars were members of the AA or RAC, this did not necessarily mean that a box was within easy walking distance.
• In-car entertainment – or, rather, the lack of it. Forty-five years ago, a radio was far from universal in the average car. From my own memory, the “art of conversation” during a long trip tended to consist of ‘are we nearly there yet?’, ‘I’m bored’ or ‘I told you we needed to take the A36 but would you ever listen to me?’ 
• Meanwhile, those lucky enough to own an eight-track cartridge player would often find Cat Stevens – Greatest Hits jumping in the middle of I Want To Live in A Wigwam as you drove over a level crossing. By the following decade, some cassette players had the unnerving habit of chewing Now That What I Call Music! 2 during Matt Bianco’s Get Out Of Your Lazy Bed.
• “Short Cuts” that took you through villages where people waved pitchforks at anyone who owned a hostess trolley.
• Roadside Dining. The Little Chef was relatively expensive by 1970s standards, so the alternative was often a layby picnic accompanied by warm bottles of Tizer, diesel fumes and various wasps. Alternatively, there were the delights of the transport café and for those inclined to be overly nostalgic about these institutions, just think of the diner scene in the George and Mildred Or much of Hell Drivers.
• On reaching your destination, the camping ground’s shop often carried the sort of tinned foods you thought vanished by 1963 and cartons of UHT milk – but not much else. At times you had the thought that Peter Butterworth from Carry On Camping was in charge - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EY2AC54JltE
• As for the evening’s entertainment, the main hall might screen Carry On England during the evening, accompanied by a cherry-flavoured “Panda Pop” and obscure brands of potato crisps. As one who, even when young, loved British comedy, this was one of the dismal films he had ever witnessed. And I remain convinced that one night it prompted some campers to dig an escape tunnel under a Vauxhall Victor 1800 FE.
• Bars of Cadbury’s Amazin Raisin or a packet of Galaxy’s Counters slowly melting all over the parcel shelf of a Hillman Avenger GL.
• And, of course, vinyl upholstery. Practical, easy to clean and an utter nightmare in hot weather. Even a short journey to Sainsbury’s in mid-July could resemble John Mills and Co. in Ice Cold in Alex.

Those were the days…

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