IN one of its largest adventures to date, British marquee MINI took a contingent of specially invited guests to Holywell Recreational Park, located at the foot of Blue Mountains at the border of Portland and St Andrew, two Saturdays ago.

“It was awesome, a fun day with all our MINI family,” said Melissa Bailey, sales manager for MINI at ATL Autobahn.

ATL Autobahn is a division of ATL Automotive responsible for MINI and BMW.

For Bailey, this was her first MINI roadtrip since joining the company last August. With 23 owners, six prospective owners, and additional guests, the 27-car convoy of MINIs made their way through Kingston with Holywell as the final destination. The distinctive styling of the MINI made for a spectacle, drawing smiles from onlookers and beeps from other motorists. Once into the hills, the narrow, curvaceous roads provided the right opportunity to feel the go-kart handling of the MINI and the rocket-like acceleration in short, safe burst.

At the destination, nature’s splendour proved the perfect backdrop for a host of activities on hand. Some took up the option of walking the many trails available, while others took in the view, or played games. Food, drink and musical entertainment were on hand until all were brought together for a late evening movie. Once things seemed to have been finished into the night, the MINI staff broke out the bonfire for an old camping stable, roasting marshmallows. Armed with marshmallows, chocolates and crackers, all were instructed on how to make s’mores.

Delighted with the level of participation for the brand’s first roadtrip for 2019, Bailey said there will be more fun stuff from MINI as the year progresses.

“We’re unveiling a face-lifted MINI Clubman soon. For the rest of the year, we, of course, just want to increase the MINI family, but of course we have more adventures planned and keeping everyone as close as possible.”