A303: Highway to the Sun
By Tom Fort
Simon and Shuster
329 pages Hardback
AAA.381

The sub heading on this book claims that the A303 is the “Highway to the Sun” as this is a main route taken by many to reach Devon and Cornwall. It takes us from just west of Basingstoke, through Hampshire, Wiltshire, Somerset, and on into Devon, where it ends a little short of Honiton.

Though mostly seen in the negative light of traffic jams and, sadly, many accidents, it is seen in this book in a positive light and described in a very different way. Tom Fort never tries to hide the uglier side of this much maligned road but instead introduces us to it in a new way. In this book Tom Fort uses the A303 as a basis for exploring its chequered history of development and neglect, where at times it was improved and at other times it failed to access the road improvement budget. Development is still a hot topic today due to the ongoing possibility of change at the point where it meets Stonehenge.

As Tom Fort progresses along this route, he diverts onto the old A303 and tracks and paths nearby where he takes us through some lovely small villages, both to the north and to the south. The descriptions of what he finds along the way are delightful and he adds a lot of historic detail as he does so. He describes events and people both good and not so good, as he goes on his way. All this adds up to an informative and entertaining narrative.

I found this book to be a joy to read and hard to put down as I wanted to know where I was being taken to next. It is a reminder that although the main purpose of a road is to take us from A to B, if we go a little slower and stop off at times, there is a lot to see and discover.

Tom Fort’s A303 is available to view at the Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre or borrow via your local Wiltshire library, reference AAA.381

Eileen Sutherland

Community History Advisor