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Eastbury Way, SWINDON, SN25 2EN

Typical of the mis-matches produced in the rapid expansion of Swindon in recent times. A 'city-style' apartment block overlooks a 'lego-style' primary school.

The McDonald's drive-thru is quite new and isn't yet on Google Earth, which was last updated in March 2007 at this location. This being 25 December, the retail park is deserted and the McDonald's closed.

This example of the popular and much-loved fast food outlets is fairly new having been built since March 2007, the last time one of the Google Earth planes flew over. It is on the north-western corner of the large retail park, conveniently located for shoppers who have maxed out their credit cards at the nearby Asda Walmart, Next or Marks and Spencer's.

The signage is a little confusing when it comes to leaving the extensive retail park. You can reach the exit by ignoring the command on the road.

This being 25 December, the retail park is completely empty and barriers in place to limit access to only small parts of the car park. This time yesterday, around 13.30, this would have been a scene busy with cars and shoppers. The vast Asda Walmart store is in the background.

Better known as the Orbital Shopping Park, all the usual suspects are here. The park has 16 units totalling 212,000 square feet, 990 car parks and claims a footfall of 5 million per annum.

In a whole district where architects have been encouraged to go way beyond the normal "suburban housing" constraints, the two giant archways in Britten Road have to be some of the most flamboyant examples. There is a matching one of these opposite, with a small green in the centre. No endless roads of drab little boxes round here.

The retail park is totally deserted today. I imagine 24 hours earlier this would have total mayhem with last-minute shoppers at the nearby Asda Walmart hyperstore loading up their cars and abandoning their trolleys where they will. The houses in the trees are in Viking Close, north of Thamesdown Drive.

Lady Lane is an old country road leading to the village of Blunsdon, which has now been engulfed for much of its length, by the ongoing massive northern expansion of Swindon. Here it is about to plough through some new residential estates. The roundabout is at the junction of Lady Lane with Sandstone Road, and Pennine Way. On the pillars are 20 mph speed restriction signs. These are frequently found in Swindon's new residential areas, and probably will eventually become the norm everywhere.