Back in February 2024, a group of us headed off on a road trip up through Yorkshire for a few days of driving, scenery, and generally making the most of some properly good roads while they were still quiet during winter.
The lineup of cars was brilliant too. Tom brought his M2, Ryan came in the M4, Stu took the 911 on its first proper road trip, Kim also brought an M2, Aaron came along in his M3, Simon was in an M140i while he was between cars, and another friend joined in an E92 M3 V8, which sounded absolutely incredible pretty much the entire trip.
As you’d expect in February, the weather wasn’t exactly perfect the whole time, but one huge advantage of doing a road trip at that time of year is how empty the roads are. Some of the roads up through Yorkshire are unbelievable when they’re quiet. Fast flowing sections, huge open scenery, and hardly another car in sight for miles in places.
It’s one of those areas where the driving itself becomes the whole point of the trip.
Ryan organised everything, including the hotels, which definitely led to a bit of variety throughout the trip. The first hotel was genuinely really nice and felt like a proper place to relax after a long day driving. The final hotel though was… questionable at best. One of those places where everyone immediately starts checking the reviews after arrival and wondering if maybe sleeping in the cars would’ve been a safer option.
That somehow made it even funnier though.
Like all good road trips, there was also a bit of mechanical drama along the way. Unfortunately, the E92 M3 spun a shell bearing during the trip, which was a real shame because the owner hadn’t even had the car very long. Aaron ended up helping organise getting the car collected afterwards because of his experience working on those engines.
Thankfully though, aside from that, the trip itself was brilliant.
One of the final stops before heading home was The Motorist, which always makes a good destination when you’re up that way. Plenty of interesting cars around, good atmosphere, and a decent place to regroup before everyone started heading back across the country.
What really makes these trips though isn’t just the driving. It’s the whole experience around it. Long days behind the wheel, late nights in hotels, early starts the next morning, endless car conversations, stopping for fuel every five minutes because nobody’s driving economically, and just generally spending a few days properly switching off with your mates.
By the time everyone got home, they were absolutely exhausted.
Stu’s 911 definitely looked like it had completed a proper road trip too. The front bumper and windscreen were absolutely covered in stone chips afterwards, looking like the car had been lightly sandblasted during the trip. But honestly, that’s part of owning and enjoying these sorts of cars.
Cars like these are meant to be driven properly, not hidden away in garages under covers. Getting out on amazing roads with your mates, using the cars properly, and making memories with them is exactly what they’re built for. A few stone chips are a pretty small price to pay for a trip like that.
Overall, it was one of those road trips that leaves everyone tired, slightly broken, and already talking about the next one before they’ve even unpacked the car.