News five QUesTiONs wiTh...
sir ranulph fiennes
wHO InSpIRES YOu?
my father. He commanded the Royal Scots greys, but died before I was born. I wanted to follow in his footsteps, but I needed A-levels and I couldn’t get them.
wHAT’S YOuR fAvOuRITE
L And ROvER?
On an expedition, a long-wheelbase Land Rover. If I’m on a motorway being challenged by some grotty Bmw driver who thinks he’s really fantastic, then a supercharged Range Rover.
wHAT dO YOu TAkE wITH YOu wHEREvER YOu gO?
A long-wheelbase Land Rover and a really good mechanic – I never do any of the mechanics on my own vehicle. And I always carry anthisan cream – if you itch you can’t think.
wHAT wAS YOuR fIRST L And ROvER?
my first Land Rover was a military one,
numbered 06. It wasn’t really mine – it was the taxpayers’. The floor was lined with sandbags in case we hit any mines and, in 1968, we did. fortunately, it didn't explode – if it had, it would have sent us 70 or 100 yards. Even with the protection of the sandbags, people would have been very badly hurt.
wHAT’S YOuR mOST mEmORABLE
L And ROvER mOmEnT ?
we had one wheel completely over a canyon in 1968 in South Oman while we were searching for a road to allow the army to get into the communist area. my driver, murad, was driving at night and we had no lights on. A little guy went ahead in the gloom and, as long as you followed him, you knew you weren’t going to go over the edge. murad must have done something wrong because the wheel on my side was over nothing – and there was a sheer drop below.
The Santana Ligerio Club held its third annual rally near Riaza, central Spain. Sixteen Santana Land Rover Series IIs and SIIIs, including a military ambulance and a Santana Forward Control, gathered (under conditions imposed by the local authority, concerned about the environmental impact), to enjoy a weekend of leaf-sprung activities. The weekend was a great success and plans are already being made for next year’s event. sPaNish fLiNg
CaLL Of The wiLd
Biosphere Expeditions, the international non-profit wildlife volunteer organisation, is planning its newest expedition. White Wilderness: Winter Wolf and Lynx Tracking in the Tatra Mountains of Slovakia is set to start in January next year.
‘The snowy mountain forests harbour species – such as the wolf and lynx – that are long gone from Britain,’ explains Dr Matthias Hammer, the organisation’s founder. ‘These animals are under threat and we are excited to be playing a part in their conservation with the help of volunteers from all over the world and the support of Land Rover.’
The expedition engages so-called ‘eco volunteers’ in important research into the wolf and lynx populations in the region.
Biosphere Expeditions was created 10 years ago. For the past eight of these, Land Rover has provided vehicles and other support.
‘Our Land Rovers enable us to take our conservation expeditions to some of the most inhospitable and inaccessible places on Earth, supporting local scientists and conservation efforts with muchneeded and often invaluable vehicle back-up,’ says Kathy Wilden, a director of Biosphere Expeditions.
To find out how you can take part in a Biosphere expedition, go to biosphere-expeditions.org or call 0870 4460801.