Wales doesn’t ask for much. A free weekend, a light bag, an honest place to sleep and a car that thrives on texture rather than trophies. For a short break from Friday to Sunday we settled into the excellent Plas Weunydd Hotel in Blaenau Ffestiniog. Friendly faces, safe parking and strong coffee set the tone. Slate, sheep and sky followed, along with bulges, ridges and puddles so large they deserve names.
This was intentionally a “less is more” journey. I brought a 718 Boxster S and nothing to prove. Wales rewards this attitude. The roads are narrow and often bumpy. Vision comes and goes with hedges and weather. A lot of energy is wasted when you shake cattle grids and read wet spots. What matters is placement, compliance and feel.
Here too there is emotion. With production of the entire 718 series now complete, this weekend doubled as a farewell tour. In a decade of variations, the 718 has proven that balance, ease of use and precision can trump brute force. A final drive on the real roads only underscored this point. It helped that I was with friends and had very special mid-engine sixes and more exotic exhaust notes. The 981 Boxster Spyder and GT4 are among the best possible driver cars in the platform’s back catalog.
The Boxster S fits the letter wonderfully. The mid-engine balance makes every input count, while the excellent PDK keeps the pace where you want it. Short paddle shifters, clear logic and clean downshift blips keep you focused on your line. The turbocharged flat-four engine won’t win any Grammys, but its torque is right here. From uphill hairpin bends and over windswept straights, it filled the mirrors of six-cylinder enthusiasts with steady inevitability, despite their fifty percent advantage in cylinder count.
When driving quickly, practicality matters. Two boots with a generous front and a useful back ensure a drama-free weekend. CarPlay makes navigation and playlists clear, which proves valuable when the A470 hands you over to something narrower and gnarlier. Between rain showers the roof is down and the Welsh rock walls bring to life the growl of the intake and the strange crackle on overrun, not from the Boxster S but from the sonorous Spyder and the croaking GT4. Roof up, when the clouds change things, the Boxster remains civil and cozy.
Our rhythm was simple and civilized. We never drove before breakfast. We stayed for a coffee, planned a walk and set off late in the morning. The hotel is perfectly located, just minutes from great roads and a hot shower if you run out of superlatives for valley views. The staff took care of the cars without fuss and seemed happy to accommodate people who arrived with muddy faces and grins. We even played mini golf on site, a surreal and brilliant experience deep underground in the old mine.
What remains is not the speed, but the conversation with the car and the road. The Boxster’s steering is honest. It’s quickly off-center, well weighted and precise enough to place the front tire on the paint and keep it there. The chassis breathes with the surface rather than fighting against it, which is crucial on roads that move beneath you. You drive with your fingertips and eyes, not your ego. It’s more satisfying than pretentious.
Wales adds the rest. For a moment you are flanked by slate peaks and fog. Next you’ll find yourself on open moorland where sheep carry out their own risk assessments. Surfaces range from a smooth pool table to a rally stage within a village sign. This variability makes the little Porsche shine. It never feels brittle and never boring. You find a pace that respects what you can’t see and enjoys what you can.
There’s a temptation to complicate road trips with bucket lists and border crossings. That was the opposite. Two nights, one base, one car. The 718 Boxster S showed that “enough” is often perfect. Enough power to stay in touch, enough torque for the climbs, enough courtesy to arrive rested, and enough space for a change of shoes and a raincoat. As the curtain falls on the 718 era, it felt like the right farewell: a little adventure on great roads and a reminder that simplicity still wins.
