RG22

Brighton Hill, Hatch Warren, Kempshott and South Ham

South-west Basingstoke: estates on a hillside, a leisure park at the bottom, and retail parking in between.

The whole district slopes, so parking on a gradient is normal and it changes how a wheel comes off — chocks in, jack on a hard flat pad, and nobody sitting in the car. Brighton Hill roundabout and the A30 either side of it carry the through-traffic and its debris. The estates at Hatch Warren, Beggarwood and Kempshott are modern layouts with parking courts, shared drives and speed cushions that scuff rims when straddled at an angle. Viables is industrial with heavier vehicles and the fixings they drop. The Leisure Park empties late, which is our kind of hour.

Late-night car park with the barrier down and no attendant? Tell us before we set off, not when we are outside it.