The Italian job

[mnp1962]

As I don't fly and my wife wanted to see the Italian lakes for our 30th wedding anniversary I thought it was the ideal opportunity to get to k ow the new Cooper SD a little better. Well 1800 km later and it's running like clockwork. Drove from Inverness to Hull, caught the ferry to Rotterdam and then down to the Black Forest for. Couple of nights, then through Switzerland and the Alps and into Italy. The mini is ideal for the mountain roads and even with the crazy Italians it's a blast. http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160421/6d430acb9a1d7ddb2f348193dbbb6350.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160421/294114885c6dffa0a1d6346ba196b852.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160421/005490782e41a2c05a1492b4bdd6a69d.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160421/76cc23ce117129370cbc71699757e288.jpg


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[ELFMAN]

Well done on the Anniversary and the trip! :thumbs up:
More photos?

[N12 JLK]

They went that-away!. Looked superb

[Craig]

Would love to do this one day in the Conv - well jealous [emoji2]. More photos please [emoji106]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[CiderFex]

Sounds like a great trip.
[emoji4]
I can't believe you only drove 1800kms as I thought it would be a lot more than that.
[emoji15]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[GreyRacer]

Very nice trip indeed. We're nearly following you in the Clubby in July as a celebration for my daughters 30th. birthday and wife and I's 40th wedding anniversary.
Well be leaving the Borders to Folkstone, Chunnel, down through France to Nancy, Switzerland then to Italy Lake Como for a weeks rest. Back via Annercy, Reims and the Chunnel again. Leaving 6th. July and back 19th. About 2,200 miles in total.

[Blueboy]

Been down to Austria, Switzerland, Black Forrest on my Harley quite a few times love that part of the world, stayed in Rhudeshein on the Rhine few times as well. Best fun is going through all the tunnels :thumbs up:

[MrMischief]

It's a great trip, I've done it 5-6 times as my family hail from a small village not far from Parma. We always use the Chunnel & the same route through France but vary it by taking different routes between France & Italy each year, either via Germany, Austria, Switzerland...the possibilities are endless ��

My folks take a month off work every summer to do this, have done for every year for the past 23 years!! I remember I met up with them one year in Italy & we drove back, non-stop from Borgotaro to Dundee in 23 hours! Dad's fault for not finding the hotel in France:hand: They normally cover about 6k miles there each year :thumbs up:

[MINI William]

Looks like a fantastic trip

[Crombers]

Awesome, well done :thumbs up:

It's on my 'want to do' list, just needing to get the finger out (so to say)

[N16SHP]

What a fantastic trip. Like the rest, I want more pictures.

Congratulations on the anniversary also!!

[maxibaby]

Great looking trip! Hull makes good sense rather than driving down to Kent.
We did a 3 week tour round Austria, Switzerland, Italy, France a couple of years ago, deffo more than 1800km though!
Brenner Pass is fun, especially if you go "off piste" halfway down, and the Grossglockner High Alpine Road near Innsbruck is a must!
Wasn't in the MINI though, but one day...
More pics please.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[mnp1962]

Well last day here and about to pack for an early start tomorrow to head back to the Black Forest for a night before heading to Rotterdam to catch the ferry overnight to Hull. So far had done a faultless 2400 km. only been out in the car a few times as so easy to catch the ferry on the lake and also lots of places have little or no parking. Loving driving the little roads. Once you get used to all the locals on your side of the road lol. The move out of the way at the last minute. We are on the rural side and fold the mirrors in while driving it. Just don't fancy loosing one lol. Lots of the locals cars have scratches and dents.
The HUD has been really handy as switched to KPH and shows distance/speed etc in it.
Seen a few other Cooper S about but none same as ours and not one British plate all holiday!
Lots of tunnels which I'd love to take my other Cooper S ( supercharged) through as would sound great but just don't get that with the SD.
So far can't fault the car. Great having the power on all the hills as makes over taking slow vehicles a breeze. Has so much torque [emoji2]
The supermarkets have fantastic parking spaces. So wide and have a double line and everyone seems to park in them.
Took a small ferry across the lake which was only €17 including us both. Only 3 cars on it.
The mini has the full media XL pack which is great for storing all the music and the HUD is great for showing the navigation. You might wonder why I have a sat nav on the windscreen as well? I bought it before getting the mini as my V40 didn't have one but this model has the built in camera so great for saving some of the driving as we go along [emoji2][emoji106]
Need to get a few more pics downloaded but here's a few more. http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160422/e08b39476ac8c715e1389f8ae64fdaa1.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160422/6ce8312be97b85c3e8ecf39f08d31ae9.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160422/77d0029ea764984daa3be7a381e47765.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160422/6b29d1ee555fa55569a92f68c0ca2661.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160422/d8e8beac38ff160b7949cf1bf42783d1.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160422/b9c2ddae851690820b59d1eb04858cbc.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160422/a658dbfe7df0a0f2b2cd4154c610303c.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160422/7c2bf3bfe47bea6e9067affad7263366.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160422/897f63872075f894d6798263eb3e89c2.jpg


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[N16SHP]

Superb! Those car parking spaces look brilliant. That's why I also enjoy a trip to Costco and don't have to park at the other side of the car park :)

[mnp1962]

Very nice trip indeed. We're nearly following you in the Clubby in July as a celebration for my daughters 30th. birthday and wife and I's 40th wedding anniversary.
Well be leaving the Borders to Folkstone, Chunnel, down through France to Nancy, Switzerland then to Italy Lake Como for a weeks rest. Back via Annercy, Reims and the Chunnel again. Leaving 6th. July and back 19th. About 2,200 miles in total.

Sounds great. We are at Lake Como for a week. Beautiful place. http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160422/0e422c37b9f01a7d61526b9db994e3a2.jpg

[mnp1962]

Superb! Those car parking spaces look brilliant. That's why I also enjoy a trip to Costco and don't have to park at the other side of the car park :)

I do the same, my wife gets fed up with me driving until I can find a spot I'm happy to leave it in. I'll park right over the other side of a car park and guarantee when I get back some knob has parked next to me with the car park still half empty [emoji16]

[CiderFex]

Cracking pics and a great write up so far.
[emoji4]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[mnp1962]

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160422/0ec63fdd0f95af5b3a18b7bb08511973.jpg

Forgot to add the pic of the sticker I got for the trip [emoji1]


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[EcosseGP]

Great write up and photos and most of all glad that you've bonded with the new buggy [emoji106]


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[mnp1962]

Left Italy and have driven back over the Alps ( well through the tunnel ) and stopped in the Black Forrest for a night. A bloody stone hit the windscreen and took a chunk out the size of a penny right in my vision [emoji16] besides that the car is running great...was great fun overtaking a few cars on the climb up to the tunnel. Even with all that climbing averaged 58mpg today which though was pretty good.
Early start tomorrow to catch tomorrow nights sailing from Rotterdam to Hull.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160423/fc7991296114beb9b58ea75b3fc50775.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160423/50370e6e2d2b605b5911d25ad06231c5.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160423/f843d82e86dbee73444a1198415c5240.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160423/320e95e1848202e5538712c7eb56829f.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160423/40cbc94d7d9d144725ddfdc056db4ea4.jpg




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Coop1]

Did something similar few years back with Mini number one. South of France/Monaco/Italy/Switzerland/Germany, via the Channel Tunnel. Have Newcastle to Amsterdam ferry booked now for first road trip to the Continent for some time, this June, so fingers crossed....

[DigitalLemming]

Great write up and photos.

I'd love to do something like this one day, drive to Hull, ferry overnight and then just drive! No doubt getting lost along the way (before anybody else says it :p )

[ELFMAN]

Andrew, I'd probably get lost on the way to Hull and then get on the wrong ferry... :frown:

[stoney]

I took the clubman to France and plan on taking the Audi to Italy next year and possibly mini to Germany some time soon as well

Sent from my SM-G925F using Tapatalk

[maxibaby]

I took the clubman to France and plan on taking the Audi to Italy next year and possibly mini to Germany some time soon as well

Sent from my SM-G925F using Tapatalk

It's in the Audi that we went in 2014.
Great car for that kind of trip, though I cooked the front discs in the Alps in Switzerland/Austria. Had to get a new set in Innsbruck before going over the Brenner Pass into Italy. [emoji15]

[mnp1962]

It's in the Audi that we went in 2014.
Great car for that kind of trip, though I cooked the front discs in the Alps in Switzerland/Austria. Had to get a new set in Innsbruck before going over the Brenner Pass into Italy. [emoji15]

We were hoping to take the pass but closed as have a big dump of snow. [emoji53]

[N16SHP]

I do the same, my wife gets fed up with me driving until I can find a spot I'm happy to leave it in. I'll park right over the other side of a car park and guarantee when I get back some knob has parked next to me with the car park still half empty [emoji16]

Yup, as Ali says, sounds about right :D

Although I did laugh, I parked right at the back of the Asda car park about a month ago and when I returned, there was another F56 Cooper S parked next to me...must have thought there would be safety in numbers.

Loving the new pictures, currently trying to convince the Mrs that we should do this for my 30th next year!

[mnp1962]

Back home in a snowing Inverness and only 1 deg [emoji53] missing the 25 deg of Lake Como.
The mini ran without missing a beat. Finished up doing 2550 miles, 1700 of those in Europe. The roads in Germany are fantastic and so nice being able to sit at 90 mph without worrying about a speed camera van on a bridge...had a few blasts up to 125mph but the wife started moaning about it lol. Averaged 58 mpg overall which I'm more than pleased with considering the car was 2 up and full of luggage and a lot of high speed driving plus climbing through the Alps.
Car was really comfortable and felt fine after the long drive. Gave it a good jet wash and clean today and will have to get the windscreen replaced [emoji53]
Totally enjoyable 10 days and will certainly be planning another trip again.
Got flashed by a speed camera coming into a village in Germany. Was doing about 10 kph over the limit. They have forward facing cameras and first I knew about it was when a bloody bright red flash blinded me for a second, hope nothing comes of it.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160426/d8b4d984fcfad10c11c756520a79a306.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160426/a09a058db4cac4e5e651fa400f766d23.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160426/2f764a1e4bfb352beaabba6fecad0000.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160426/162afa7de07c54a44ed81d7121cf2ecd.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160426/e113771f036d97f2e1a7eddb91fc8fe5.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160426/2edc56b6827bbee8a6e592eadf0da1fa.jpg


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[GreyRacer]

Glad you enjoyed your trip. Cant wait for mine to begin.

[Jemreid]

This looks amazing I am very jealous- defo need to look in to doing something like this! Love your car....test drove the same one couple of weeks ago very nice to drive!!! Loved your updates on your journey thank you for sharing!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk