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Macmillan 4x4 Challenge 2010
Tuesday, March 16 @ 13:51:49 GMT by matt (61 reads) |  Following our successful trip to Morocco in October 2007, as 'Team Iron' to compete in 'Desert Storm'
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Macmillan 4x4 Challenge 2010
Tuesday, March 16 @ 00:11:48 GMT by gareth (67 reads) | Macmillan 4x4 Challenge 2010
Following our successful trip to Morocco in October 2007, as
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Macmillan 4x4 2010
Tuesday, March 16 @ 00:08:41 GMT by gareth (63 reads) | Macmillan 4x4 Challenge 2010
Following our successful trip to Morocco in October 2007, as
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The Monks Trod
Thursday, December 18 @ 20:51:25 GMT by rob (332 reads) | In mid - December 2008, a valiant band of landrover enthusiasts, (ok, Rob, Gareth and our two loyal, long-suffering better halves) set out to conquer the legendary Monks Trod - on foot! This route has been TRO'd for 20 years. Legend has it that there is a Discovery in the bog about midway along the route. So we parked a vehicle at the Claerwen Dam, then drove round in a second vehicle to start walking from the East end of the Trod. The forecast was abysmal. Mart had already opted out. Turns out that whilst the rest of the country languished under 2 feet of water, we had clear skies (mostly) and ideal conditions. The track is in the most remote part of the country. Not a soul for miles. It would still be driveable at the beginning and the end, but the bog in the middle is impassable. This is a TRO I support whole-heartedly. If there is a Disco up there, it's long since sunk to a muddy grave. We walked the Trod, ending up at the top end of the Claerwen Reservoir, looking for tyre tracks, and picturing what it would be like to drive it. It's not a high walk, but the scenery is spectacular. We were then faced with a 2 hour yomp along the lake-side track with only 1 hour of daylight left. We finally reached the car at 5pm with the last glimpses of daylight dying over the hills. After a 13 mile walk. Gareth and Jo's blisters at the end of the track were a sight to behold - they soldiered on without a whimper and we reached the car at the dam with a sense of relief. Beer and Pie, then a couple of oversized measures of Talisker at the hotel that night sorted out the aches and pains, though the blisters left Gareth hobbling for days after. The Trod is a route to fantasize about but no longer to drive - forget the mountain bikes too - that bog is simply too impenetrable. But I can now say that I've done the Monks Trod...
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Morocco Desert Storm - Final Preparations
Wednesday, October 03 @ 17:14:00 BST by gareth (414 reads) | Well, its 7 days to go until departure. We are all now just wanting to get going. It is actually quite stressful trying to think of everything, and we are in danger of over-preparing.
The past 2 weeks has seen a number of incidents any one of which would have been a problem had they occured on the event.
First thing to happen was Robs Disco blew a gasket and expired in a cloud of steam on Motorway. The head gasket had failed. This was fixed and the vehicle serviced by a garage recommended by Dave Shearer, and they seem to have done a good job.
The second thing to happen occured on a training run I did in the Peaks last weekend. Betsy was going great, and was soaking bumps up with ease on her parabolic springs. Thats until the front left spring decided it did not fancy going to Africa, and snapped in two! The thing about parabolics is that they have few leaves, in my case only 2, and 2 leaves had snapped. The spring was held together by the clamp bolts and u bolts. We drove home very carefully.
A few phone calls later, I established that my car needed 3 leaf heavy duty springs on the front, because the winch weighs rather a lot. CP Components express delivered a pair, and they were fitted same evening. The result is that the car now sits level, and whilst its a bit firmer, there is no evidence of the springs bottoming out anymore.
Betsy is now fully kitted out, the equipment list is long, but consists of Tool box, spares chest, 2 spare wheels, flight cases, 60 ltr water in 3 jerry cans, 80 litres of petrol in 4 jerry cans, new strops, ropes, shackles, snatch blocks, ground anchor etc. etc.
The cab has now got a RAM mount for the navigator to mount the laptop, there is a screen placed in front of the driver to display the laptop screen, the Etrex has a holder, there is a lockable cubby box containing a stereo (!) and a CB radio. We have a load bay protector grille, to which are attached first aid, fire extinguiser, emergency escape hammer & hi-vis jackets.
Outside she has 4 x Lightforce 140 spot lamps, a Mayflower PTO winch modified to take a plasma rope. Sand ladders mounted on the side, with custom made lockable alloy mounts. All the doors have locks, and with the load grille actually makes the cab reasonably secure.
She has had a new radiator and hoses fitted, all the brakes have been renewed and new propshafts have been fitted. Also she now has a twin battery system with an uprated alternator.
Robs preparations are equally impressive. He has got a twin battery setup, a custom made load system in the boot, with accessory sockets and load nets on the insde of the rear door. He has also fitted a half length roof rack and this carries the second spare wheel plus the waffle boards. He also has CB radio, and carries extra water and fuel too.
We have tried to avoid duplication on certain items, such as the sand ladders and waffle boards. There is no point in both vehicles carrying both items. Whist we both have Hi lift jacks, I have an air jack too, and a hi capacity compressor for inflating tyres etc.
Matt has sorted out first aid kits, and Nick has even got some 'Team Iron' shirts and shorts made upso we will at least look the part whilst we wander aimlessly around the Sahara desert!
Anyway, we leave Stockport at 10am next Thursday the 11th October. We are Rendezvous with the other UK teams at a hotel in Esher, then we convoy down to Portsmouth docks. We catch the 9.30pm ferry from Portsmpouth to Bilbao. The crossing takes 32 hours, so plenty of time to party and sleep no doubt.
After we dock we plan to drive as far as Jaen near Madrid, about 450 miles. There is a hotel for the night. From there we drive to Algeciras for the short ferry to Ceuta (Spanish Morocco). We are staying a night in Ceuta, before doing battle with the border, and making our way to Meknes. The event starts from Meknes the next day, and from there its anybodys guess!!
We have a satellite phone, and will probably get mobile service in towns, so a few text messages may be sent with progress.
I have put some more pictures in the Desert Storm gallery.
To be continued on our return....................
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Billing Land Rover Show 2007 camp.
Monday, July 23 @ 14:33:16 BST by gareth (687 reads) | Gareth, Matt, Rob, Jo all went to Billing Land Rover show this weekend. We had a large camp area reserved, and camped with the DISCO3 group.
We had a good 3 nights of social activity under the caravan awning and the large tarpaulin to keep the rain off.
Talking about rain, it was epic! Friday saw the whole area get a complete deluge, almost causing the evacuation of the whole site as the river Nene almost burst its banks. The show site was flooded, and reduced to a quagmire that would equal Glastonburys best offering!. (It has been reported that the Friday evening was a mud wrestling spectacle outside the beer tent, we missed that one)
The camp site was an off road course in itself! many lesser vehicles getting stuck. The official off road course was challenging due to the amount of water in the lake, and the mud run was almost impassable. There was a 200tdi Range Rover Classic doing sterling service as the marshall recovery vehicle. Martin you should have a close look at the rear bumper it had in the photo.
Some poor sod got his Disco 200tdi stuck in a hole whilst crossing the lake. The marshall tried to free it with a Suzuki which also expired in the lake. By the time a proper recovery vehicle was mustered (same Range Rover again), the D1 had been stood in water to the middle of the doors for 10 minutes. It was very wet inside!
Rob, Mat and I bought lots of equipment for the upcoming Morocco Desert Storm trip, including some new strops and ground anchors etc. The star buy for me was to find a complete PTO winch and drive system in the auto jumble. I already have a winch fitted which works ok, I now have a perfect drive shaft and a winch and pto for spares.
So it was a good show despite the weather. When I finally left yesterday, my first problem was a flat battery on my D3. To much sitting on the tailgate listening to the radio! I got a jump start from another D3, and then had to get the caravan off site. The owner told me and Dunc about a route out the back of the field. It was green laning with a 23ft caravan in tow.
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New Gallery added for Desert Storm photos
Sunday, May 13 @ 08:07:10 BST by gareth (457 reads) | Added a new album to add photos.
Here
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Lake District 06
Saturday, June 10 @ 00:09:29 BST by Gareth (464 reads) | Another great trip. The weather was fantastic, and a real good campsite. The lanes were superb, despite the best efforts of DEFRA and the NERC act, there was plenty to go at.
Gatesgarth Pass is awaesome. The beginning and end sections are a real test. Betsy was really at her limit, and needed the generous assistance of Martin to get up the very steep and tight turns.
Well worth the trip, and can't wait to go again.
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Gallery update
Monday, July 18 @ 11:15:59 BST by webmaster (571 reads) | The gallery has been updated with some pictures of Gareth christening his D3 on the Off road course at the Billing Land Rover Enthusiast show. Dave Ogden was also in attendance, painting his Disco.
In the process of uploading these images I noticed an undocumented feature (bug!) in the gallery. It doesn't like receiving files over 2mb in size. As digital cameras take bigger pictures, this will be an issue. I shall resolve this as soon as possible. In the meantime any images taken with a 5 mega pixel camera or above, will need to be shrunk before uploading.
Apologies for the inconvenience
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Where shall we go???
Wednesday, January 26 @ 22:49:22 GMT by Gareth (624 reads) | See the post in the FORUM reference possible May trip. Cast your vote in the poll.
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