A Mini adventure

Summer's here, so it's time to celebrate with a boisterous North Yorkshire road trip in an equally boisterous car. STEPHEN DOBIE is your guide

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A brisk Mini and a Great British adventure: a pairing to rival jam and cream or salt and vinegar. Yes, I might be hungry, which is why we're starting in the implausibly picturesque Robin Hood's Bay, a postcard illustrator’s dream ensconced in the North Yorkshire coastline. The concept of destination road trips has been ascending for a while, none more famous than the North Coast 500, right at the tip of Scotland. Perhaps we're all tempted to get stuck in but simply can’t find the time, and for many Autocar readers the rollercoaster roads of the North York Moors might prove a tad easier to reach.

Easier to plan, too, maybe. We've thrown out the AZ and kept Google Maps intervention to the bare necessities, as photographer Max and I aim to get joyously lost in the verdant vistas that surround us. But not before shielding our chips from the marauding gulls and snapping a few pics beside the seaside, of course...

Robin Hood's Bay itself is not a driver’s mecca; it is best accessed on foot from its outskirts, but boy is it worth it. Cobbled paths, dramatic staircases and idle fishing boats surround you while the dramatic North Sea laps just feet away if the tide has rolled in. Farther up the coast you'll find Whitby, with its storied vampiric abbey and goth conventions, while the unabashed old-school charm of Scarborough lies to the south. All three are tourist magnets, so a moment of clarity (and a lungful of sea air) in Robin Hood’s unique little bay before the hordes arrive is a great way to start our trip.

The latest Mini John Cooper Works quickly punctures our moment of zen, though, as its turbocharged 2.0-litre engine adds a cheeky flourish of revs on startup. Its rather taut suspension is soon jiggling us over the humps and bumps of the urban Tarmac leading us out of town and into the wilds.