A huge challenge

It was Friday night and we were due to meet at Mac's house. This was the first time I met the London to Cape Town team Mac had selected.

Fortunately for me, Mac's previous record-breaking project, Cape Cold to Cape Hot, included me as one of the co-drivers. That was back in 2000, nine years ago. I have a lot to prove.

First, Andy, then Ruth and finally Jim - we seem to hit it off. Andy - young, keen and professional. Ruth - bursting with enthusiasm and firing probing questions. Jim - quiet, cool and confident. There we were, sitting around the kitchen table, mugs of tea flowing, ideas gushing and lots of chat about how this was all fitting together.

Mac had been planning this for months and the pace has continuously increased. It seemed almost at a crescendo that evening.

As we took turns introducing ourselves and stating our qualifications, I began to feel in awe of the company I was in. For a brief moment I felt inadequate. No, come on Chris, you CAN do it, you know you can. This will be a challenge, a huge challenge.

It will make our drive from Nordkapp on Mageroya, an island off the north coast of Norway and Europe’s most northerly point, to Cape Tarifa, near Gibraltar and the southern tip of Spain, Europe’s most southerly point, seem like a doddle. The 3,800 mile drive took us 62 hours 52 minutes. Mac is now talking of us driving non-stop, except for a ferry crossing for 10,000 miles in less than 14 days over all sorts of terrain. The European winter, with rain and snow, right down through Africa with gravel, mud, sand and scree to Cape Town, a city I’ve adored from afar but have never been.

Wow, we’ll be crossing the equator, driving from one hemisphere to another - I can’t wait.

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