Come on. Bentley had asked me to test their £200k+ 4×4, off-road over 3 days, in a location of my choice. The answer was always going to be a resounding ‘YES!’
My mind went into overdrive with the various possibilities. Ultimately though, I knew where it had to be. The place where I had so many outdoors experiences as a child and ignited the love I feel for exploration today: Scotland.
Our journey starts at Wick, which is located at the very tip of Scotland on the North East coast. The scenery there is stunning and wild. With no one around, it’s the ideal testing ground.
Myself and the team headed out to a remote sea cliff for a quick location recce. I wanted to get the Bentley into a wild spot that was unique and dramatic for the photo shoot. Within 20 minutes, we found it: a 200ft sea cliff. The exact place we needed for a stunning abseil.
The next challenge was getting the Bentley into position for the shoot. As I piloted the Bentayga to a safe setting where we could unload our kit and start filming, I have to say I was a little concerned the Bentley would not make the journey. It came up against peat bogs, streams and a deeply rutted landscape. But it breezed through the terrain.
I managed to get about 20 feet from the cliff-edge and the scene for the shoot was set. Once the ropes were out and secured, I was ready to go. About 100ft into the abseil, I locked-off the rope and hung there staring out to sea. It was breathtaking. Seagulls were diving around me and seals bobbed up from the sea below, looking bewildered to see a guy hanging off the cliff.
The rest of the trip was a montage of blasting through rivers and flying alongside remote sandy lochs. We finished with a roaring fire on a remote beach where we relaxed over a few beers. What a car, what a team and what a location. I’m so fortunate being able do what I love every day and just occasionally I get shown a wild card – in this case, in the form of Bentley Bentayga 4×4.
Thank you Bentley for the ultimate off-road experience, which I can only describe as driving in the wilderness while sitting in the Ritz.