A Brave New Dawn
Country Life UK|January 04 2017

On a solo fishing expedition in the Highlands, Mark Hedges luxuriates in the slick style, supreme comfort and sheer power of the new Rolls-Royce Dawn.

Mark Hedges
A Brave New Dawn

IT was not the ideal start: Gatwick South, 6.55am, Arrivals. It got worse. I waited patiently for Bobby to appear among the stream of sunburnt holiday makers. When he didn’t, I rang him, I rang his wife and I even emailed his sister. Eventually, he called back—he was still on holiday in France. He’d somehow got the wrong week for our annual Scottish fishing trip.

To be honest, Mrs Hedges took some convincing that morning that it wasn’t me who had made the mistake—my back catalogue does include similar mishaps. As a result, I was faced with a 10-hour drive, on my own, to the far north of Scotland. Fortunately, I had a secret weapon: the new Rolls-Royce Dawn.

When I passed the glorious hills of the Lake District some hours later, I was already glad that I didn’t have to share the driving. The Dawn is the most extraordinary car I’ve ever driven. It kisses the road on the straights, embraces the corners and envelops the driver in a drawing room of leather and walnut.

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