What you’ll see on UK roads
Motorways fill the vehicle squares fast. Lorries, white vans, caravans and blue motorway signs come by constantly, and services signs are regular because motorway services in England are rarely more than about 30 miles apart.
Turn off onto A-roads and lanes and the countryside squares take over: roundabouts, sheep, tractors, hay bales and pub signs. Dry stone walls run through the Yorkshire Dales, the Peak District and the Cotswolds. Thatched cottages are most common in Devon, Dorset, Wiltshire and Norfolk. Red post boxes turn up in nearly every village.
The rare squares reward a sharp eye. Red kites circle over the M40 through the Chilterns and much of mid-Wales. Steam trains run on heritage lines such as the North Yorkshire Moors and Severn Valley railways. A black cab outside London is rare enough to be worth a square.
How the UK cards are built
Each item is tagged common, uncommon or rare. A 5×5 card has 24 squares around a free center: 14 common, 7 uncommon and 3 rare. Smaller cards keep the same proportions, so a line comes from sheep and lorries while the rare squares decide who finishes a blackout.
Set Cards to the number of children and each gets a tab with a different card. The link in your address bar rebuilds the same set, handy when grandparents are following in their own car.
House rules for the UK set
- Services sign: the blue motorway sign announcing services ahead. The services themselves don’t need to be visited.
- Speed camera sign: the white sign with the camera symbol counts. Nobody has to spot the camera.
- Red phone box: plenty are now tiny libraries or house a defibrillator. They still count.
- Horse box: a trailer or lorry built for horses, even when it’s empty.
Every square in this set
Common: you’ll see these most hours
Sheep, Cow, Horse, Roundabout, Services sign, Red post box, Caravan, Tractor, Lorry, White van, Motorway bridge, Speed camera sign, Church, Pub sign, Dry stone wall, Double-decker bus, Petrol station, Roadworks, Traffic cones, Hay bales, Motorbike, Blue motorway sign, Brown tourist sign, Red car, Pylon, Wind turbine, Level crossing, Horse box, Zebra crossing.
Uncommon: a few per drive
Police car, Ambulance, Fire engine, Castle, Red phone box, Train, Canal boat, Thatched cottage, Pheasant, Supermarket lorry, Cyclist in Lycra, Motorhome, VW camper van, Recovery truck, Classic Mini, Windmill, Llama or alpaca.
Rare: the ones that end a blackout
Hot air balloon, Deer, Steam train, Air ambulance, Vintage tractor, Wide load, Black cab, Red kite.