In Cabbages and Kings, the author noted the difficulty overseas visitors have in seeking directions.

A few years ago, in the centre of Bombay (sorry, Mumbai), I enquired the way to a certain bank from an elderly Indian gentleman dressed in a dhoti, Gandhi cap and sandals. He directed me and asked me where I came from. Upon my telling him, he looked thoughtful and said: “Are you knowing the Horse and Jockey at Besselsleigh?” Possibly a reminder of his undergraduate days, many years ago!

DAVID BARNARD, Cherwell Avenue, Kidlington