Can I use someone else’s car on the adventure?
Yes you can, as long as you are legally licensed and insured to drive it.
Why can we only take a maximum of 4 drivers in each car?
Keeping the weight of your vehicle down is key to successfully negotiating the off road routes. Adding an additional driver not only adds their personal weight, but that of their clothing & equipment, plus extra water, food and tents. Not only this, but the room inside all but the largest 4×4 vehicles is quite limited and it just wouldn’t be a comfortable experience for them.
We would recommend the following team numbers…
Small 4x4:
No more than 2 drivers
Suzuki Jimny, RAV4 (3-door) Terrano (3-door) etc
Medium 4x4:
No more than 3 drivers
Freelander 1, Honda CRV, RAV4 (5 door) etc
Large 4x4:
No more than 4 drivers
Land Cruiser, Patrol, Shogun, Discovery, Defender etc
Can I undertake the adventure alone?
Yes. The days may be long though, so if you are happy driving alone for extended periods then you'll be fine. There are a lot of farm gates on the route, so it's best to team up with another vehicle that has a co-driver to make gate opening and closing a quicker task. If you can find a co-driver though, this would be preferred, allowing you to share time behind the wheel.
Where will we be sleeping?
Accommodation will be as follows…
Friday night
Accommodation on the night of Friday 17th July is the responsibility of the participants. This allows those that live locally to return home after dinner at the Admiral Wells, whilst the remainder have the choice of staying in a hotel or campsite depending upon their preference. On our reconnaissance trip we stayed at the Premier Inn Hampton on the southern side of Peterborough which was reasonably priced and did a great cooked breakfast!
Saturday night
We will be camping near Chapel-en-le-Frith in the Peak District. You will have access to the toilet and shower facilities.
Sunday night
We will be ‘wild’ camping outside the Tan Hill Inn, the UK’s highest pub. Although limited in facilities you’ll have access to their toilets and shower, as well as keeping warm inside the pub during the evening.
Are there any rest days on the adventure?
There are no rest days.
What skills do the support crew have on the adventure?
Expedition Leader
30 years experience of operating vehicles in the most extreme conditions found on earth. From -60C Siberia to +50C of the Taklamakan Desert, through dense jungles and up to 18,500 feet above sea level high in the Himalayas.
Expedition Mechanic
Military vehicle mechanic, highly skilled in ‘Battle Damage Repairs’ when operating far from help and under extreme pressure.
What is the ratio of support crew to teams taking part?
We aim for 1 support vehicle and 2 support crew for every 6 teams taking part in the adventure.
Do we drive in a convoy or travel independently?
Each team will be provided with a copy of the route that they can use to navigate from on their smartphone. In order to do this it simply involves downloading a copy of the Ordnance Survey OS maps App onto your smartphone. You can opt to subscribe for 1 month for £6.99 or for the whole year for £34.99.
As modern smartphones are GPS enabled, this means you won’t be using up any of your mobile data and will provide accurate route and location information even when you are far from a mobile phone signal.
On the tarmac sections, this will allow teams to travel independently, with the support crew following up the rear to recover anyone who has problems. If teams wish to stay close to the support vehicles though, that will be fine.
For the off road sections though we can stay closer together, but green lane enthusiasts groups prefer that no more than 6 vehicles travel together in a group, so we may need to spread out.
Why is the first night’s hotel not included in the entry fee?
We had considered including it in the entry fee, but for some reason the Premier Inn increases the cost of each room by a staggering 70% when booking as a group, compared to them being booked individually. It also allows those living close to the start point to return home after dinner at the Admiral Wells whilst the remainder have the choice of staying in a hotel or campsite depending upon their preference.