Early-morning coffees and breakfasts gather on the table as we review the day’s route books. Tulip directions and mile markers are our only clues to what lies ahead.
With breakfast finished, conversations drift out into the sun-kissed car park at Honeydale Farm. Six 356s sit patiently, motionless, waiting for their next journey. As engines fire up, navigators join their drivers, and one by one, the cars roll out into the morning.
Paragon Porsche marks our first pit stop. More 356s join the group, and the welcome is warm. Coffee, juice and pastries appear, and conversations pick up where they left off. Modern Porsches sit nearby, but it’s the older cars that seem to hold the attention.
Refreshed, we head back out, turning to the next page of the route book.
Sitting in a 67-year-old 356A, the experience feels different. The smell of the interior lingers, bringing with it memories of past drives and thoughts of future stories yet to unfold.
As the sun climbs higher, the shadows shorten, and the roads begin to rise and fall, twisting through the East Sussex landscape. It feels a long way from a usual Wednesday, and all the better for it.
These are the kinds of drives you don’t want to end. The kind you find yourself already thinking about before they’re over.
As the sun climbs higher, the shadows shorten, and the roads begin to rise and fall, twisting through the East Sussex landscape. It feels a long way from a usual Wednesday, and all the better for it.
These are the kinds of drives you don’t want to end. The kind you find yourself already thinking about before they’re over.
All too soon, we arrive at Dungeness. The Pilot Inn provides a chance to pause, refuel ourselves and share stories from the morning. Different moments, different routes, all from the same road.
A short drive takes us closer to the lighthouse and the pebbled shoreline. Cameras come out, conversations continue, and attention turns to the journey home.
Some head straight off. Others stop for fuel. We take our time.
A mix of A and B roads, no rush to get back. Just the road ahead, good company behind us, and a day that will stay with us longer than it lasted.
Thanks to Rich for the route, Simon for the passenger seat, Mike and the team at Honeydale for the morning start, and Mark and the team at Paragon for the warm welcome along the way.
The roads connect.
Passion drives.
Engines start conversations.
Move differently. Notice more. — House of Von Dirk
