That was my thought as I drove my wife and daughter back from France along mile after mile of pancake-smooth autoroute last week. Almost all of those motorway miles were on toll roads, with some of the longer stretches relieving my credit card of £40 or more – equivalent to around 13 pence per mile. Advertisement - Article continues belowExcept as soon as we turned off the main route in search of picturesque towns and villages, the unblemished tarmac remained. Paris sees similar lows to London, and although Manchester is wetter, it’s barely any cooler. Frosts are becoming less common, too, as global temperatures rise year on year.