Rodborough and Nailsworth stars of 1949 British Pathe film

Nailsworth Town has shared this wonderful link on its Facebook page to the British Pathe website.

It features a fantastic little two-minute film of the start of the 1949 Gloucester Trial at Rodborough Common.

As we watch the now-vintage cars set off, the narrator reliably informs viewers that there are 73 cars under the starter's orders "facing five of the stickiest climbs in Britain".

There are some wonderful shots of Nailsworth and cars struggling to get up the "notorious Nailsworth Ladder" - so called, according to the narrator, due to the fact that it is "formed from natural steps of rock, six inches high which, according to the prevailing weather are covered with slime, water or dry leaves.

"Today it's mud - and see those back tyres miss their bite," he says.

To see this fabulous little film for yourself, follow this link to the British Pathe website.