Jeremy Come camping in Wales… Even Jason Plato smirked yesterday as I left Silverstone, after telling him Jessica and I were off on a four day walking holiday in the Élan Valley. He had obviously seen the weather forecast.
We met a group of friends at the camp site and were midged to the edge of reason before retiring to sleep in the back of the Discovery. It was probably all that kept me sane in the crazy night of rain that followed.
I can’t tell you how much rain fell but it’s still falling now. at least last night I got to know the Land Rover intimately. Pop the back two rows of seats flat and you have enough room for an inflatable mattress. While the rest of the 30-strong party suffered in sodden tents, ours were pretty luxurious surroundings.
We walked for three hours today and soaked to the skin, I made an executive decision to book in to a hotel at Devil’s Bridge and empty the Discovery of wet clothes and one bedraggled dog. For a brief moment i felt like we had let the side down, as they are all camping on a bleak hillside somewhere. actually, maybe not…!
No picture today – wifi at this establishment must have been affected by the rain too.
Silverstone Circuit
Sunday – Comfortable Cruiser
Jeremy With the safety car out at Silverstone, the British Grand Prix has been running at ‘road car’ speeds. Not sure I’d want to be out there in the V40 though – mainly because even in R-Design trim, the Volvo lacks a little precision going hard into a corner.
Unfortunately, as much as I like the look of the Volvo, the BMW 1 Series and Audi A3 are both much better drivers cars. That’s a situation confirmed by the V40’s rather soggy clutch that doesn’t really encourage you to push the V40 along on a twisty A-road.
The ride itself is on the soft side – which makes the V40 a more comfortable long distance cruiser than a spirited drive. If you are buying a V40 to sit on the motorway all day, that is definitely the right call because it has a big car feel and a very quiet cabin.

