Landy Rally reconnoitre

Well that's it, the ferry's booked - but not for Landy Rally - for the reconnoitre on the 20th of June. Travelling P&O Dover-Calais @ £54, so can't complain about that. Luckily they have just launched a sale, so I came along at the right time.

Now if your recall, this time last year I was about to embark on my own in an old diesel Astra. This time it will be very different ‘cause I have myself a navi/co-driver. Who’s mad enough to spend a week with yours truly? None other than CAPTAIN CHAOS!!! Should be a hoot as not only do we really get on together so it’ll be a real laugh, this time I can tackle the greenlane sections with a degree of confidence, whereas last time was a lottery if the poor old Astra would make it or not. Although nothing taxing in 4x4, even a hill with gravel can defeat a car; a low box certainly gives you the edge! It will also enable us to find the magical ‘smuggler’s route’ out of Andorra … can’t wait!

Also invested in quick-erect tent, and I don’t mean one of the tiny 2-man tents that unfold instantly. This is a proper two-bedroom tent complete with fair size living area in the middle. They reckon it takes 4 minutes to erect, I’ll let you know when it arrives Tuesday.

Rangie’s getting prepared at independent Land Rover specialist Fernside Garage in Poole, give you a progress report anon.

Return ferry booked for lunchtime Saturday 28th then its a race up to Manby Land Rover Show in time for the beer tent in the evening.

Another nice quiet week ahead then!

Good Luck Tom La-La sends his regards from sunny Liverpool where I bumped into him last week. I was in Liverpool for my union bun fight .I met him by chance in Ha-Ha's (that's a BAR) see you soon Andy ps next year we are back in Bournemouth early June :alien:

Is it just me or did anyone else think that P&O (a shipping company) having a sale was slightly amusing ?

Keith Johnson wrote:

Is it just me or did anyone else think that P&O (a shipping company) having a sale was slightly amusing ?

A shipping company that's been carrying passengers for over a century.

I love P&O sales! Have been taking advantage of them for years. Unfortunately my discount card doesn't work on the ferry.

you need good wind for a sale like that :elephant:

Have fun and take care.

See you at Manby for an update...

Cheers mate. Yep, see you there if all goes according to plan and we don't end up in a ravine. Going to try some more adventurous stuff this time! Should be an ‘interesting’ recce!

Keith, yer thinking of 'SAIL' not 'SALE'

Wat maps ye buying then?

lol

We're back ... and in one piece!

Knackered yes, but then again the mad dash up to Manby Land Rover Show near Hull Saturday evening didn’t help, plus Captain Chaos (my co-driver) had to be deposited back home to the Welshpool area of Wales Sunday evening, plus the long haul back to Bournemouth on my Todd Monday lunchtime! My advice … if at all possible, book Monday off work – either that or arrange your return so it doesn’t include dashing around England/Wales when back in Blighty!

Anyway, we covered 3,000 miles in total, although I still reckon the teams will mileage will be more like 2,500 miles. Put it this way, in compiling the Road Book we encountered an awful lot of dead ends. Unfortunately for us, some of the off-road sections have now have either become national parks where only walking is allowed, or in the case of Andorra, the "smuggler's route" found last year by the firemen from Kent is now firmly shut. Can't think why? That said, there will be more off-roading this year than last, plus of course there is the fabled Stelvio Pass to tackle. Put it this way, those who tackled the inaugural Landy Rally last September and are with us again will not even recognise 75% of the route … if not more! In addition, with a whole new set of tasks this year, that too will be a first for them. As for the virgins amongst you, have you got a treat in store!!!

The long boring first day (well, to us at least) now means that for everyone Day 2 will be right into the action as we tackle the off-road section which all the teams missed out on last year – the ‘dust bowl’ in the Spanish Pyrenees. This too will have its surprises, as the surfaces range from gravel to dust, with hard compact clay in between. Well, unless we have a localised thunderstorm of course, in which case it will have the bonus of mud! Although highly unlikely, one night we could hear thunder in the distance, so doubtless somewhere in the mountains it was peeing it down.

Highlight of the recee for both of us was without doubt seeing upwards if 50, yes FIFTY eagles circling above us on one of the mountain roads in the Pyrenees (in fact it was more but we just lost count), closely followed by the spectacular scenery of the Alps. My forth visit to the French, Italian and Swiss Alps, this was by far and away the best yet.

Yep, all in all it was a stunning success, and with the Rangie perfect from start to finish, thoroughly rewarding. You’ve gonna love it!

Over the next couple of weeks I’ll add more info on the forum about mileages, cost of motorway tolls, availability and cost of petrol/diesel/LPG and so forth.

And a quick reminder – the next meet up of Landy Rally teams is this coming Sunday 6th July at Frickley Off Road Centre, South Elmsall nr. Doncaster, West Yorks WF9 2ND for the latest 4x4 Market event. For more info see my post within the SHOWS & EVENTS section of the forum.

Sound like fun!!!!

Application in the post tonight Tom

Not more Taffs ... arggggggghhhhhhh!!!!!!!!

See I'm gonna have to invest in a Celtic phase book what with all the Welsh and Scottish teams this year. I wouldn't mind, but even the English teams all seem to hail from Yorkshire and Lancashire, and I can't understand them either! HELP!!!

As for the reconnoitre itself, yes it was great fun - and that was without all the banter over the CB’s, friendships formed and general camaraderie that comes with an event like this. Yep, LR`08 is developing into a cracker!

Yep more Taffs! !

That is of course providing the Pot noodle mine owner allows me time off and I can get someone to look after my cave whilst I'm gone!!

Glad you're back in one piece Tom !!

ach yer haiverin mon.
We enjoyd yer holiday also Tam.


Ceild Mile' Faulty

Liam :bball:

The Lamb Chops wrote:

Yep more Taffs! !

That is of course providing the Pot noodle mine owner allows me time off and I can get someone to look after my cave whilst I'm gone!!

Glad you're back in one piece Tom !!

So when you gonna come out and play with us other Taffies

Bridgend about 45min from us, and the Pot noodle mine is at the bottom of our valley

Yes it was truly an awesome week, you Guys and Gals are in for a treat, glad to meet a few of you at Manby at the weekend (thanks for the beer Kieran!)

Having a "Tom free" day today, his bloody cock-er-ney music is still ringing in my ears!!

Don't want to give too much away and spoil it for you, but "Gavia" is spectacular and the "dustbowl" is defo playtime! Not too long tho or you may be camping in the outback like we did!!!

What the **** you on about Bill? Glad to see you've done something right though, I see 'The Zip' is back in her rightfuel place ... well, she is high octane!

So very nearly called in to see you on the way back from Wales yesterday, only heavy traffic killed the hour I thought I had spare. Never mind, have to meet up soon.

Id hav bin in beed tam, neet shift.

aye need tae meet up

Well hello CC, long time no see! Gather you found your 2 pint milk bottle - trust it came in handy?

Haven't even told them about the beaver yet, that treat is yet to come. And what's all this about cock-er-ney music? What's wrong with Chas & Dave, Max Bygraves and Tommy Steele I'd like to know? The next adventure we undertake I'll let you choose 'Music From The Black Country', artists like ........... Well I'll be, I can't seem to think of any, now there's a surprise!

Ah, camping in the outback - behive yerself! Only my co-driver could lead us in a vast 200 mile square wilderness to a camping spot within a few yards of a dozen soddin' bee hives!!!!!!!! Okay, it wans't your navigation that got us there, but I have to blame somebody.

jeeeez, ye bin oan thon pop the neet tam?

Don't worry, would have phoned first rather than just call in. The thought of you in your jim-jams is enough to put anybody off!

And CC, maybe I was I bit harsh about your musical hertiage as I now recall none other than Slade hail from the Blackest of the Country, which has to be a feather in the Wolverhampton cap ... or were they from Brum?

Only a couple of glasses of French plonk. Out of the 39 bottles I came back with, I think that's showing great restraint!

Tom Mc wrote:

Only a couple of glasses of French plonk. Out of the 39 bottles I came back with, I think that's showing great restraint!

Wot u forgot to say was that the glasses hold a bottle each!!!!!

aye, wan moothfae ahn bottles gone.


anon

Sounds like it's gonna be a goodun. I am so sorry that I won't be doing it this year. Just as long as all of you who are going make sure you have a good time. If it is only half as good as last year it will be well worth it

I thought some of you may like to see these pictures, taken shortly after the end of the 2008 rec trip....

Firstly, there's the New Improved 2008 Route Book format: (expect "80 yards of sticky tape" to appear on the required kit list shortly)


After some of the fun twisties of 2007, Tom was spotted holding a photo of one of the new roads this year ... 42 sharp bends on one ascent?