Travelling By Hillmans

A Memory of Wollaton.

When we moved to Snapewood, neither of us could drive, our father started to take us out in a yellow and black Hillman Imp. For people who don't know, an Imp has the engine at the back. It was the first car to have an overhead cam.
The day trips we took were good, with us three kids in the back. We would go to Derbyshire, we would park at Black Rock and walk up the very steep crumbling hill to see the views from the top. We walked along the paths and were able to run around, we would go to Matlock and Matlock Bath, if we stayed in Derbyshire all day we returned to Matlock for our chip supper on the way home. We didn't have any money but we enjoyed it. We took sandwiches for a picnic, sometimes sitting in the car when it rained.
On many ocassions we would go to Monsal Dale. The walk from the road was good, we started to take our dog. My brother would climb up the steep sides of the hills and Mum would be scared, but it gave him courage. We would go to the tunnel which was blocked up, and walk for a long way. I am glad they are going to open it up, I want to be there when they do. Both our parents are dead now and to be there when it does open.
One time our dad came on a Saturday afternoon and asked us if we wanted to go for a drive, we ended up at Skegness. We had chips and a walk on the beach, then traveled back in the dark, it was exciting to go along the country roads, looking for rabbits and foxes that may appear in the head lights. When we got home it was after midnight but it was such fun.
When we started to drive, our dad got me a Hillman Imp in metallic gold, he got me to help him, I learnt to take the engine out and do it up. I ended up painting it black and it was sold after I got made redundant in the early 1980s, I wish I still had RJL644J. My brother ended up with a beautiful metallic blue Sunbeam Stilletto, my dad having a navy one. My sister and her partner at the time had a Hilman Husky and then my uncle and aunt also had Hillmans. Because we had a dad who could put his hands to most things we had hardly any garage bills.

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