One of the best things about journalism is the opportunity to travel, to go out and experience stories as well as view them from afar.
Being based in London I often don’t have to go very far and the myriad of protests mean it’s possible to smell as well as see and hear the story too.
Another benefit of heading out into the real world is that sometimes you’ll end up coming back with your original line plus a few more in tow.
This week, I headed to Dorset on an overcast Thursday to test drive Silent Classic’s Fiat 500-E.
On our test drive in the county, we peeled into a renowned countryside town with a hill so famous it has a connection to aliens.
Or Alien more specifically. Gold Hill in the centre of the town is the setting of one of the most famous adverts on British television. It was used in the Hovis advert in which a young man pushed a bicycle up a hill.
The advert was instantly iconic and its director didn’t do too badly either. Ridley Scott would later go on to make Gladiator, Napoleon and Alien.
As a result, it’s not just a hill locked into British baking history, but British film history too, as a site where one of the UK’s most famous directorial exports made his mark in a tiny town in Dorset.
The town in question was Shaftesbury, a location that not only accommodated Hovis in the 1970s but whose local residents were equally intrigued by the small Fiat 500 that had parked at the top of their hill.
As Jack Kerridge, the man who built the electric 500, and I filmed for the Daily Express’s review of the car, passing locals and tourists started conversations with us about it.
There was genuine intrigue the car had made it up the precipitous climb, but even more admiration when they heard it was electric. During our time there Mr Kerridge and I took the time to take a tour around Shaftesbury.
Despite the overcast weather, it seemed like a decent enough place, one which I’m sure looks beautiful on a summer’s day. It’s a town with its own interesting history too.
It’s not all about the Hovis advert, filmed on what was the town’s main high street, Shaftesbury is home to a fascinating religious history in the form of Shaftesbury Abbey and St Peter’s Church.
According to the Dorset Guide the abbey “fell victim to Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries in the 16th century but the ruins have survived. The remains of the abbey church have been excavated and lie within a walled garden”.
On TripAdvisor, the town has a vast following with Gold Hill proving a must-see for visitors. Edwin F wrote: “You must visit Gold Hill to get your pictures. It was raining when we visited but we still managed to get a few photos.”
June A added: “You can’t come to Shaftesbury and not visit Gold Hill – the site of the famous Hovis ad. A golden loaf stands at the top with the famous houses flanking both sides.
“Yes it’s a bit steep, and yes, you do need good shoes – especially if it’s wet but it’s gorgeous – the free museum at the top is well worth a visit too.”
