O’ER HILL & DALE
The fashion designer Patrick Grant on the reinvigorating freedom of a cross-country drive
Over the past year, it’s never felt more important to break the monotony of the four walls that surround you at home and get out into a place where you can feel inspired. For me, a Sunday drive in the country is a moment of pure self-indulgence. I still use my old A-Z maps to plot my route. Then I pack a lunch (some good old Lancashire cheese in my ploughman’s) and a thermos of coffee, put some great music on in the car, something suitable for my mood, the location or both (anything from Vaughan Williams to Bess Atwell). And I’ll often switch my phone to airplane mode so I can enjoy the time to myself. The whole experience is about creating a little bit of distance between your everyday stresses; something that physically and mentally separates you from work life and lets you breathe. So much of the time we’re driving to get somewhere, at some specific time, we’ve forgotten how to simply enjoy the journey. You need the freedom just to stop, however often, or for however long you like. If a spot takes your fancy, stop, enjoy it. I carry a camera with me, so I can take photos without reaching for my phone. I drive a BMW 4 Series Coupé. The handling is quite extraordinary; it seems connected to the road, which is an important part of feeling joined to the landscape that you’re passing through. It’s a fast car, but I never drive it fast; I always try to drive with the utmost efficiency and ease, enjoying the constant change of landscape and sky. I’m fortunate to live on the edge of the Forest of Bowland, which is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty up in the north-west, close to the Lake District, the West Pennines and the Yorkshire Dales. There’s a road I particularly love, which goes along the edge of the Marshaw Wyre – it’s really windy, surrounded by beautiful old pine- and beech-trees. Then, you come around a bend, you hit the edge of the Bowland Fells and this glorious, wide, open expanse unveils itself. Usually when we are driving, we have somewhere to be, but the joy of the Sunday drive is the freedom that comes from the journey itself. www.bmw.com; www.etautz.com