The A666

	It may sound ill-omened, but the A666 is a pleasant and interesting drive

The Biblical sounding A666 runs, for most of its length, through the built-up areas of Blackburn, Darwen and Bolton, with a pleasant stretch of countryside in between. It must live up to its ominous name, however, for the whole way is restricted - 30mph in the towns, 50mph elsewhere - yet the road doesn't appear all that dangerous.

What interested me, however, were the many restored and preserved machines, brightly painted, just sitting by the roadside as memorials to a now vanished industrial past. I hope someone comes along from time to time to slap a coat of paint on them, otherwise in a few years there will only be piles of rust left, but at present I heartily congratulate the burghers of Blackburn and Darwen for this inspired bit of outdoor heritage. Much better than simply shipping them off to be melted down for scrap.