Britain has always seemed to me to be a mystery when it comes to driving. Never mind that they drive on the left and the steering wheel is on the other side of the car and the roads can be about as wide as one and a half cars in spots. No, it has always been that the roads are so crowded and, to be honest, not very scenic for a country that has some of the most beautiful scenery in the world.

Now I know why. I have been sticking to the motorways, or highways as we Yanks call them. Robbie Coltrane (Cracker and the Harry Potter films, amongst others) went driving from London to his hometown of Glasgow, Scotland in a gorgeous classic red Jaguar convertible roadster. It was amazing to see how the car held up under his massive bulk, and he made the trip on the B or back roads with us in the passenger seat. A few minutes after leaving London, we turn off the motorway and a whole new Britain opens up for us. Within minutes, it seems amazing that the hustle and bustle of London is even possible. Life slows down as the road winds its way through the land and impatience seems an affront to the beauty.

Stops on the trip include visiting offbeat people and places like a teenage wing-walking daredevil girl, a biker minister who uses a motorcycle and side car for funerals, driving a 20-ton fire truck that pops wheelies, a rugby match between two neighboring villages that uses a beer keg for a ball, a cheese rolling competition, a championship Cumberland wrestling girl, a pigeon racer, a stay at a nunnery, and many others. Coltrane also participates in some activities including blowing up some mining area and competing in a dock pudding cooking contest. The cooking contest in particular was interesting because Coltrane is so worried by the bind he is in. If he wins, it would be seen as a celebrity cheating but if he gets caught using an unapproved ingredient, he will get a severe telling off by the fire-breathing dragon of a mayor who judges the event.