Overlander 4x4 October 2024 by Assignment Media Ltd

LATEST: 35 YEARS OF DISCOVERY | DRIVEN: NEW KIA SORENTO | VEHICLE PREP: READYING YOUR TRUCK FOR TRAVEL

ROOF TENT OR POP-TOP? Jeep’s ultra-slick Vacationeer concept gives you both

October 2024 £5.99

IT’S JUST A PUDDLE…

Wading in on the Plain

4x4 Cover Oct 24.indd 1

URBAN TOUGH

V8 Defender born again

POACHING PATROL

Fighting the ﬁght in Kenya

14/08/2024 18:22

SUBARU FORESTER. THE NO-NONSENSE SUV. EVOLVED TO EXPLORE.

£2,000 SUBARU DEPOSIT CONTRIBUTION*

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3 YRS SERVICING FOR ** £299

We typically receive commission or other benefits for introducing you to International Motors Finance Ltd. This may be a flat fee or percentage of the amount you borrow. Vehicle shown is a Forester Sport, OTR price of £40,790. Model shown price includes optional special paint finish at £595.

Tough, practical and virtually indestructible, the Subaru Forester e-BOXER will never let you down. Whatever the weather, wherever you want to go, this reliable workhorse will get you there. It’s calm, understated and up for any challenge.

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SUPERB FEATURES. FITTED AS STANDARD. • 2.0L Petrol e-BOXER Engine + Electric Motor • Permanent Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive • X-MODE with Hill Descent Control • 1,870kg Towing Capacity (braked) • 220mm Ground Clearance • EyeSight Safety Package • 509L Boot Space • 8” Touchscreen • Apple CarPlay™ & Android Auto™

SUBARU FORESTER fuel economy and CO2 results (WLTP): Combined 34.7mpg, CO2 emissions 185g/km. MPG figures are official EU test figures for comparative purposes & may not reflect real driving results. Fuel consumption achieved in real life conditions & CO2 produced depends on a number of factors including accessories fitted (post-registration), variations in weather, driving styles & vehicle load. Offers available until 30.09.2024. Stock subject to availability. Subaru reserves the right to amend or withdraw offers at any time without prior notice. Private customers only, not available in conjunction with any other offers. Excludes Personal Contract Hire and Business Contract Hire. Available at participating dealers only. *£2,000 Subaru Deposit Contribution (incl. VAT) on a Forester e-BOXER XE, Sport or XE Premium. †Credit is subject to status. Must be 18+. This credit offer is only available through Subaru Finance provided by International Motors Finance Limited, St William House, Tresillian Terrace, Cardiff, CF10 5BH. **3 services for **£299.00 (incl. VAT) offer applicable when you purchase a brand-new Subaru Forester. All services should be taken at the relevant service intervals - either 12,000 miles or 12 months, whichever comes sooner. All services must be completed by an authorised Subaru Retailer. The customer's failure to redeem the services within the designated mileage or time will void the manufacturer's warranty. Available to retail customer only. Does not cover any non-service related parts or repairs or general wear and tear. Servicing is transferable with the vehicle. #A comprehensive 3-Year Recovery and Assistance Programme is included, valid in the UK and Europe. ^Forester e-BOXER battery is covered by a 8 Year Warranty.

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23/02/2024 16:13 13/06/2024 16:36

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his issue of Overlander 4x4 is gently themed around camping and travel prep. But even if you only intend to take your vehicle green laning or to the occasional playday, the article starting on page 30 includes some advice which is universal to everyone. It’s particularly relevant to vehicle dependant travellers, because if you break your truck in the middle of the desert, the clock is ticking on your life. But for all of us, it’s oh so tempting to forget about our vehicle’s weight. Everything you add, everything you carry, is extra weight and more stress on your suspension, drivetrain and even chassis. Yes, of course you need those bigger tyres, those taller springs, those steel bash plates, that roll cage, that huge winch and even bigger bumper… and there’s a case for each of them, just as there is for a sodding great roof tent, an in-car fridge and a full kitchen on a slide with heavy-duty bearings. But each of them is adding weight, and when you put them all together it can come to a whole lot. I got an eye-opening demonstration once of the effect this can have. I had stopped on a steepish hill to take

some pictures, and I left my (heavily modiﬁed) truck in gear and with the handbrake on. Long story short, I’m snapping away when suddenly it sets off on its own. It was heavy enough not only to overcome its handbrake but its clutch, too. Another time, another place, that could have happened with my kids on board. Or with a load of pedestrians in the ﬁring line. It shook me, for sure. I’ve always been of the opinion that for overlanding, you want to make the minimum of changes to your vehicle. It doesn’t need to be a mega off-road warrior – you’re there to travel, not to show off to yourself like some sort of 1980s’ Camel Trophy casualty. But you’re also there to live simply and enjoy your surroundings, not to take all the trappings of home with you. In our everyday lives, we weigh ourselves down with tons of crap we don’t need. There’s a lesson there for whatever adventures your 4x4 takes you on, be they nearby or on the other side of the world. Keep it light, keep it simple – our lives would be so much better if we learned that all we need really is all we need. Alan Kidd, Editor

WW Magazines, 151 Station Street, Burton on Trent, DE14 1BG Tel: 01283 742970

Publisher and Head of Marketing

Sarah Moss Email: sarah.moss@assignment-media.co.uk To subscribe to 4x4, or renew a subscription, call 01283 742970. Prices for 12 issues: UK £42 (24 issues £76); Europe Airmail/ROW Surface £54; ROW Airmail £78 Distributed by Marketforce; www.marketforce.co.uk Every effort is made to ensure the contents of 4x4 are accurate, but Assignment Media accepts no responsibility for errors or omissions nor the consequences of actions made as a result of these. When responding to any advert in 4x4, you should make appropriate enquiries before sending money or entering into a contract. The publishers take reasonable care to ensure advertisers’ probity, but will not be liable for loss or damage incurred from responding to adverts Where a photo credit includes the note ‘CC BY 2.0’ or similar, the image is made available under that Creative Commons licence: details at www.creativecommons.org

4x4 is published by Assignment Media Ltd, PO Box 8632, Burton on Trent DE14 9PR

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4x4 Contents Oct.indd 2

19/08/2024 16:05

LATEST: 35 YEARS OF DISCOVERY | DRIVEN: NEW KIA SORENTO | RIGHTS OF WAY: BUILDING BRIDGES ON THE PLAIN

ROOF TENT OR POP-TOP? Jeep’s ultra-slick Vacationeer concept gives you both

October 2024 £5.99

IT’S JUST A PUDDLE…

Wading in on Salisbury Plain

URBAN TOUGH

V8 Defender is born again

POACHING PATROL

Fighting the fight in Kenya

75% OFF

Six issues for the price of 12 sounds like half-price – but when you subscribe to Overlander 4x4 for a year, you actually end up getting 75% off the price on the cover

CONTENTS OCT 2024 4x4 Scene 4

News

Land Rover marks 35 years of the Discovery, as the Freelander name gets set to be revived a long way from home and Ineos creates the sort of Grenadier we deﬁnitely didn’t see coming

10 Motorsport

The drama had already started before the ﬁrst car left the line at Penybont as the BXCC gets into the second half of the season

12 Products

The sort of overlanding trailer dreams are made of, plus a variety of roof tents and equipment to make your 4x4 ready to go wherever you want it to

Every Month 50 Subscribe

Get Overlander 4x4 delivered for a fraction of the cover price

64 Next Month

A throwback to the good old days of people building cool off-roaders from old Suzukis

Driven 18 Kia Sorento

Revised for the new model year with sharp styling, more kit than ever and prices that make a more compelling case than ever before

Vehicles 40 Tough 110

A Land Rover retires from a life delivering letters in the Alps – and gets a whole new gig as a premium statement of brooding machismo

46 Jeep Vacationeer

Roof tent or pop top? Equipped with a Skyloft from RedTail Overland, Jeep’s Grand Wagoneer based concept proves you can have both

Travel 24 Salisbury Plain

Exploring the permissory byways of the Army’s training territory – and learning the hard way that just because you’re allowed to doesn’t always mean you should…

30 Overland Prep

Whatever kind of travel you’re doing, the secret to success is to make sure your vehicle is in tip-top condition before you go

56 Kenya

On patrol against poaching in the heart of Africa, and a very close call with a prowling lion… all from behind the wheel of an aged Range Rover covered i in the scars of a life in the bush October 2024 I Overlander 4x4

4x4 Contents Oct.indd 3

19/08/2024 16:05

NEWS LAND ROVER CELEBRATES 35 YEARS OF DISCOVERY

hree and a half decades of the Land Rover Discovery. Feeling old yet? That’s three and a half decades, five generations, a generous sprinkling of 4x4 of the Year awards and heaven only knows how many limited editions. It’s heaven only knows how many plus one now, anyway. Because how does Land Rover celebrate an anniversary? Why, with a special edition, of course! And not only is there a special edition on the cards. It’s going to premiere a new engine, too. This is the D350, a six-pot mild hybrid diesel with outputs of 350bhp and 516lbf. ft. The most powerful engine used in the Disco so far, it displaces 3.0 litres and launches the vehicle from 0-60 in 5.9 seconds while returning a best-case WLTP figure of 34.0mpg. What else about the 35th Edition is going to make it stand out from the rest of the range? It’s based on the Metropolitan model (or ‘inspired by,’ to use Land Rover’s words) and features 22” black alloys, a sliding pan roof, four-zone climate, a cooled cubby box, head-up display, massage seats and the Cold Climate and Towing packs among the highlights. The 35th Edition is available in Santorini Black or Carpathian Grey, which

sounds like it’s flirting with ‘any colour you want so long as it’s…’ territory. It’s available in ‘strictly limited numbers,’ as you’d think buyers would be too with £79,990 on the ticket – however it does actually add a good bit of kit for what’s only £1970 more than the already very well equipped Metropolitan. It’s no secret that Discovery sales have taken a big hit from the Defender, nor that the philosophy of the current fifth-generation model is set to be torn up and reworked from scratch with the arrival of an all-new Discovery 6 in 2025. There’s sure to be a long list of yet more special editions in the run up to that as JLR tries to keep its stock moving – so if the 35th Edition doesn’t float your boat, all you need to do is wait. • You might have caught the Discovery’s 35th anniversary celebrations while you’ve been out and about this summer. To mark the occasion, Land Rover converted one into an ice cream van, serving ‘a selection of luxury ice cream flavours and toppings’ from the vehicle’s loadspace, and another to a hydration station for dogs. The latter is equipped using the official Discovery Pet Pack accessory range, which includes a foldable pet carrier, portable rinse system, spill‑resistant water bowl, quilted

loadspace liner, rubber boot liner and pet‑access ramp. So, where might you have seen these unique Discos demonstrating the wonders of Land Rovers’ versatility to the world this summer? Er, at an exclusive luxury resort in Hertfordshire, that’s where. From mid-July to early September, Land Rover stationed them at Everyman In The Garden, a series of cinema screenings in the grounds of the £500-a-night Grove Hotel where Land Rover also put on (‘curated’, sorry – people who work for Land Rover don’t fart now, they curate some gas) a selection of experiences including al fresco dining, tree climbing, hot‑air balloon rides and off‑road driving. Elsewhere, the Discovery brand is also now partnering with the Watergate Bay Hotel in Cornwall (just the £300 a night this time) to offer complimentary Beach School sessions where guests’ kids can learn about firepit cookery and bushcraft as well as imagination and storytelling. Sounds like just the sort of thing kids should be doing. ‘These forest school inspired beach pop‑up sessions build confidence, promote conservation efforts and build survival skills,’ explains Land Rover, which is also offering use of a Discovery Sport PHEV for guests staying in the hotel’s Beach Loft apartments to explore the local area.

www.overlander4x4.co.uk

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FREELANDER TO RETURN AS CHINESEBUILT EV The Freelander is coming back. It will be all-electric, and it will be built in China, but JLR has confirmed that while it will initially be available only in its domestic market, it is ‘destined over time for global export.’ The Freelander name will be used under licence by Chery, with which JLR has a long-running joint venture partnership. Having worked together for the last 12 years, the two companies recently signed a joint letter of intent to ‘strengthen CJLR’s product offer for the next era of electrification in China.’ This will see Freelander become a family name for ‘an advanced portfolio of electric vehicles based on Chery’s EV architecture.’ In time, it’s likely to become a fourth model range in the ‘house of brands’ that replaced the Land Rover name in last year’s business reorganisation. JLR says the new model of collaboration will make the most of both companies’ strengths, with Chery holding a leading automotive market position in China while Land Rover’s heritage is backed up by its leadership in the field of design. ‘Freelander will offer a range of mainstream electric vehicles, initially sold in China through a distinct network but over time destined for global export,’ explains JLR. ‘The vehicles will be designed in collaboration with both Chery and JLR to create a new positioning in the rapidly growing China mainstream New Energy Vehicle (NEV) market. The products will be built at CJLR’s existing manufacturing facility in Changshu.’ The company goes on to say the Freelander will be independent from both Chery’s existing portfolio and JLR’s house of brands. ‘The blend of Chery’s advanced EV technology with the distinctive appeal of the Freelander brand will undoubtedly provide China and global consumers with a unique electric vehicle experience,’ said Chery Chairman Yin Tongyue, while JLR boss Adrian Mardell said the move ‘underlines our ongoing commitment to China and complements our existing business in China.’

HAS YOUR

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NEWS

WHEN EVEN LESS IS EVEN MORE

he all-new Ariel Nomad 2 is, according to the makers, ‘the ultimate go-anywhere sports car’. Given it was launched at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, that seems a bit of a stretch, since you need to arrive with your linen suit uncreased and your panama at a jaunty angle on your head as you give your smoothest smile. Turning up in a Nomad 2 means a suit crumpled by sweat and dust and an overtight harness, a panama possibly now being worn by a surprised cow two fields away and a grin that is only just this side of sane. But men of a certain age are certain to be attracted, helped in part by a video of it focusing on ‘65% stiffer, 50% more travel’. Frankly that’s a future many would pay handsomely for. But, Viz-level humour aside, it’s actually pretty amazing just how different and improved this second version of the Nomad is. It’s like everything, every element, is now better than it was, and it was mighty good to start with. How did they do that? Well, this British company does it by being really rather good. The first thing you might notice is of course that exoskeleton, only now it’s made of even beefier tubing (somehow

this doesn’t seem like much of a vegan vehicle). Torsional rigidity is up more than 60%. What a great basis. It’s longer too, which increases stability and makes it easier to get in and out of. And, please, don’t worry about that length bothering the vital statistics – approach and departure angles are, you believe, 48 and 64 degrees respectively. I am bound by oath not to use exclamation marks but that was close.

So you’re basically in a sparse but immensely strong spaceframe. And behind you is the engine. This one first saw duty in the Ford Focus ST. But then Ariel got to work on the 2.3-litre turbo four-pot to increase everything. How much is down to you as you have three maps you can play with on the move:

Stage 1 has 260bhp and 284lbf.ft. Stage 2 has 302bhp and 333lbf.ft. Stage 3 has 305bhp and 382lbf.ft. With a kerbweight of only 715kg, you can say hello to 60mph from rest in just 3.4sec, on your way to 134mph. In this you’re not so much traversing an off-road track as traversing Wiltshire. You wouldn’t think it when looking at one, but the Nomad 2 has actually been in a wind tunnel and the few bits of bodywork are all aerodynamically formed, as is the roof scoop that funnels air separately into both engine and intercooler. Braking would be good, so it’s even more reassuring to hear that they’re 40% bigger, and the ABS is calibrated for off-road use. Launch and traction control? Of course sir, madam. And since you want it all to stay sunny side up, there is a substantial suspension system with double wishbones and outboard coil-overs, tuned for anti-squat and anti-dive. Cost? It starts around £68,000 but that includes VAT. Clearly the Ariel Nomad 2 works on the ‘less is more’ principle. In the same way that the most expensive bikinis tend to be tiny scraps of cloth. Although perhaps not quite the thing for the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

www.overlander4x4.co.uk

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14/08/2024 18:31

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Defender - 2020 onwards Defender - 2020 onwards Defender - 2020 onwards Defender - 2020 onwards Defender - 2020 onwards Discovery 2 Discovery 2 Discovery 2

Front Rear Rear Front Rear Front Rear 3rd Row

3-Door 3-Door - 60-40 3-Door - 40-20-40 5-Door 5-Door - 60-40

DA3912BLACK DA3913BLACK DA3914BLACK DA3661BLACK DA3915BLACK DA3662BLACK DA3663BLACK DA3695BLACK

Defender - 2020 onwards Defender - 2020 onwards Defender - 2020 onwards Defender - 2020 onwards Defender - 2020 onwards Discovery 2 Discovery 2 Discovery 2

Front Rear Rear Front Rear Front Rear 3rd Row

3-Door 3-Door - 60-40 3-Door - 40-20-40 5-Door 5-Door - 60-40

DA3912GREY DA3913GREY DA3914GREY DA3661GREY DA3915GREY DA3662GREY DA3663GREY DA3695GREY

Defender - 2020 onwards Defender - 2020 onwards Defender - 2020 onwards Defender - 2020 onwards Defender - 2020 onwards Discovery 2 Discovery 2 Discovery 2

Front Rear Rear Front Rear Front Rear 3rd Row

3-Door 3-Door - 60-40 3-Door - 40-20-40 5-Door 5-Door - 60-40

DA3912SAND DA3913SAND DA3914SAND DA3661SAND DA3915SAND DA3662SAND DA3663SAND DA3695SAND

DA3662GREY

Colour swatches for illustrative purposes only.

britpart.com Find your nearest stockist - britpart.com/stockist Part numbers used for identification purposes only and do not imply or indicate the identity of a manufacturer. Products available from a Britpart stockist. E&OE.

Overlander4x4_2024_10_Oct_Britpart_FP.indd 1

08/08/2024 11:25

NEWS

THE FEW

rcane. It means: ‘Known only by a few’. Although in this case it also means: ‘Bought only by a few’. The Ineos Grenadier continues its journey away from the original idea of a simpler, back-to-basics off-roader - what the Defender should have been. And now that journey is not only accelerating, it’s going on a detour. Ineos has formed Arcane Works, to create short-run limited-edition versions of the off-roader. And the first version is called the Detour. Whether that name works depends on your state of mind. On the one hand: endless roadworks, being sent down small lanes only to find the detour signs disappear, getting lost. On the other: ‘let’s go down this lane, it looks interesting and we’ve got some time to go exploring, such fun.’ So you’re now off the beaten track and your satnav has shrugged and gone for a lie-down. What vehicle do you own to conquer this terra incognita? We start of course with a stock Grenadier, with the 3.0-litre straight-six engine, either diesel or petrol. The only change is, in the petrol version, an exhaust system that more loudly announces

its presence. That’s an indication that the Detour is more about appearances, outside and in, rather than any uprated engine, suspension or chassis changes. The exterior has a choice of four new paint colours – although you can go further bespoke and get any colour you want – and that hand-finished paintwork is offset by a ‘contrast pack’. That includes things like new skid plates, roof rails and

ladder. So you can see it’s different but it’s not screaming for attention. The cabin changes are a bit more obvious but still, you know, classy innit? One of the great things about the interior is that it reminds us of the varied and profound talents and materials available in this fine country of ours. The seats for example, are not just covered in fine quilted leather, they’re

www.overlander4x4.co.uk

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covered in Bridge of Weir leather. And the headlinings feature not some non-descript material but cashmere from Johnstons of Elgin. And all the badging, outside and in, is crafted by Vaughtons, jewellers from the actual Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham. It continues in a rather tactile vein with a satin finish on the transmission tunnel, doors and air vents, and more leather for those ‘touch points’. Basically this is a cabin not just to sit in, but to stroke. Purring optional. The Detour is the first of what will be a run of limited-edition Grenadiers, with numbers pegged to a maximum of 200. And the other number you’re wondering about is the one that starts with £134,100 but is unlikely to stop there. All the work is carried out in the UK using, as noted, British materials and skills. The Grenadier is obviously a global vehicle, with an international provenance and clientele, but it’s nice to have a reminder of some of the British DNA. Many of us would be delighted to take the road less travelled, but in the case of the Detour perhaps we’ll discover that actually it’s a private road not open to us. Back to the roadworks.

October 2024 I Overlander 4x4

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Motorsport

Ben Cundy finished fourth overall and won his third straight victory in the Trophy championship – a result which means they’ve already clinched the Trophy title

ROWLANDS RACES TO PENYBONT BXCC WIN

aul Rowlands and Neil Lloyd continued their fine start to the 2024 Motorsport UK British Cross Country Championship (BXCC) season with victory in round three, held at Penybont in Wales. The region is well known to offroaders, but this specific venue was new to the championship. The organisers laid out an extremely challenging course of more than seven miles, comprising very hilly gravel tracks and farmland along with a quarry section. Richard Kershaw and Andy Powell led after the first run in their Lofthouse Freelander. But hopes of a win were ended when the car ran out of fuel on run two, a faulty gauge being discovered afterwards. Rowlands set the fastest time of anyone on day one to lead overnight by

1m 35 from son Jason, both drivers using Can-Am Maverick Rs. In third place were Aston Cox and Simon Kerfoot, who arrived late on Friday evening after a last minute ﬁx of a gearbox issue which had threatened to derail their championship hopes. The tough course took its toll on some of the cars. Carl Duﬃeld and Martin Wellock had engine issues on their AWD Proto, Peter and Louis Medley lost a wheel on their Clio and Phil Ibbotson and Ben Farmer hit a rut and damaged the suspension on their Metro 6R4 Evo. Luke and John Sagar set some quick times on day one but also suffered problems with their Fouquet Diamondback which forced them out at the end of the day. ‘It was not a good weekend for us,’ admitted Luke after the event. ‘Alternator

issues finally caused us to retire on the last run of the day. ‘Our first lap was a belter, setting a top ten time in our live-axle car against all the independents. The third lap was great too but sadly reliability bit us. Congratulations to Phill Bayliss for a great result in 6th overall, flying the flag for us live-axle boys!’ A family one-two for the Rowlands PAR Homes Racing team was denied on the second run of day two when Jason’s car cut out on the course and the crew couldn’t get it running again, forcing them into retirement. Paul, however, continued to lead despite numerous punctures and he took the win by 3m 46. ‘We got through nine wheels and tyres but the car didn’t miss a beat,’ said the victor. ‘We just managed to keep the lead and keep going.’

www.overlander4x4.co.uk

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The Fouquet Nissan was designed for the smoother terrain of the Championnat Tout-Terrain in France, but in Mike Faulkner’s hands it coped with the roughest parts of Penybont to claim the third step on the podium

Paul Rowlands led from the start in his Can-Am Maverick R, winning the event by 3 minutes 46 seconds to maintain his strong start to the season Cox and Kerfoot followed up their round two win with a second place finish. ‘I’m really happy with the result,’ said Cox. ‘It’s been a very stressful time after our struggle to sort out the gearbox issues. SWR Motorsport did an exceptional job – we got the box at 6pm on Friday and it was fitted by 8.15pm, and then we headed to the venue. ‘I struggled with the pace early on but it became a survival of the fittest and it’s great to get second place. The car was spot on – it ran faultlessly.’ In third place, taking their best BXCC result to date, were Mike Faulkner and Peter Foy, their Fouquet Nissan showing plenty of signs of a very testing event. ‘The course was a very different challenge for us,’ said Faulkner. ‘I’m really pleased with the result, we’re getting

At six o’clock the evening before the event, Aston Cox still didn’t have a gearbox. He finally got it fitted at 8.15 and hit the road straight to Penybont – where the work of SWR Motorsport in rebuilding the unit proved itself as he took second place quicker. The car is designed for smoother terrain so we struggled a bit on some of the rougher sections and lost some fibreglass on the way. We broke a front driveshaft on the final run, which caused a couple of pirouettes, but we held on for third.’ After their great performance at round two, Ben Cundy and Andrew Greaney were again on the pace at Penybont, finishing fourth overall and taking their third victory in the Trophy championship – a result which gives them the title. ‘Once again the BXCC organising team pulled a cracker out of the bag,’ commented Cundy. ‘It was a really tough course on the car and crew, just the way it should be! Credit to everyone that finished. The car ran pretty much faultlessly again, we just had some issues with overheating brakes.

‘The win means I’m the youngest driver ever to win the Trophy championship. This is a credit to the car and everyone helping me, especially Gregg Motorsport.’ Completing the top ﬁve were Alan Kirkland and Shaun Sabin‐Farrell in their Kirkland 3M Peugeot. The BXCC is supported by PAR Homes, Voxcloud, Roodsafe, Roadﬂash, Gregg Motorsport, Fairview Farm Machinery, Fairview Farm Log Cabin and Holiday Accommodation, Aspire Park and Leisure Homes, Johnnie Drysdale, Whitecliff 4x4, Dynatech, NickyGrist.com, Whitchurch MOT Centre, Staffordshire Signs, PD Extinguishers and OR Tyres. The next round is at a completely new event, the Yorkshire Hill Rally, which will take place on 13-15 September. For more information, visit crosscountryuk.org.

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BOOK REVIEW Sketches of Spain

Duncan Gough | Published in 2017 by Hombre, £14.99 In a world of fake reviews and copy-paste experts, you could be forgiven for assuming that experience no longer counts. Perhaps, on social media, all that matters is being the one who shouts loudest. But if you want real knowledge, you had best seek out a guide who has learned their subject properly. Somebody like Duncan Gough. By turns a farmer, builder, woodworker and engineer, he grew up in the African bush and for three decades and more has been exploring Spain – a passion which has led to a new life as a travel writer. It’s a calling that suits him. All too often, travel writing leaves you cold; when social media tells you the top ten hottest bars in Barcelona or a Sunday supplement gives you the inside track on Berlin’s best up and coming brasseries, you can be certain that whoever was behind it has never been to any of them. Real, deep, in-the-blood travel means absenting yourself from all that and turning your back on the world of guide books. Which, ironically, is what this guide book encourages you to do. Commercial travel writing tends to be slickly produced, lavishly illustrated and almost completely devoid of useful facts. Duncan Gough is the antidote to that. Perhaps it will sound like a cliche. But reading Sketches of Spain is like listening to a well worn traveller telling his tales in a bar. Not ‘holding forth,’ for that sounds like a ranter with too many opinions and not

enough wisdom. Gough has opinions, in particular about the need to slow down the pace of life if you want to learn about the world, but they are based on the knowledge that comes from experience. Every sentence is worth reading; every map, hand-drawn and sketch-like though they may be, is full of information. The travel editor of a glamorous Sunday supplement would no doubt throw her manicured hands up in horror at the photographs. Real-world snaps are banned by decree from posh offices in Covent Garden, where travel is about spending big money with big advertisers and the image must always be immaculate. This is not to say that Sketches of Spain is roughly presented. It refuses to follow the rules set down by big look-at-me publishers, but the photography is perfectly suited to its honest style. It’s beautiful at times, too – more so than the perfectly presented, perfectly soulless art of travel writing no-one can relate to. You almost feel the sun’s warmth in the image of a quiet road in Rio Júcar or the old town of Ayllón, and hear the sound of fountains in the Alhambra or gentle breezes rustling the leaves of the trees shading a campsite in Tarifas. Gough is quite the aesthete, too, with a thirst for knowledge that backs up his fascination with the places he visits. Did you know that Gaudí, the famous architect associated uniquely with Barcelona, was already honing his artistry elsewhere

in Spain before receiving his defining commissions in the city? ‘The balconies on the Casa Milá are like the cliff ledges one sees in the cañóns of the Ebro. Columns are like tree trunks and tiles like leaves.’ His writing is refreshingly unpretentious, full of facts yet never staid and always readable. Even though this book is written from the point of view of a two-wheeled traveller, almost every one of its 208 pages contains facts, advice, maps and inspiration that will be invaluable to anyone exploring the country in a 4x4. Whether you follow in the author’s footsteps in a literal or merely figurative sense, any expedition in Spain will be enriched by enlisting his knowledge. If Sketches of Spain was an off-road tool, it would be a high-lift jack. It’s simple, unpretentious, easy to use… and you’ll find yourself reaching for it more frequently than you thought possible.

www.overlander4x4.co.uk

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Discover the richness of spain & portugal

Make Duncan Gough your personal guide

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Not much looks better than a classic Land Rover, and not much looks better than a Land Rover with a bikini hood. Put them together and you have The Bude, a soft-top from Heritage 1948 for the 88” and 109” Series II/IIA and III. Made from 610oz Moorland canvas, this uses heavy-duty saddlers cotton webbing and 100% real brass buckles, tips and eyelets throughout. The company says proudly that it’s designed, developed and hand-made in Somerset, and that no expense has been spared in making it the best on the market. ‘The Bikini hood can be removed and put on in under a minute,’ says Heritage 1948. ‘A fuss-free alternative so you can enjoy an almost open-top driving experience while still having the reassurance of adequate protection from showers and sun.’

Personal guidebooks, self-guided itineraries and bespoke guided tours and advice 10% books discount O4X4124 www.duncan-spanish-travel.com/shop duncangough001@gmail.com

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OFFICIAL STOCKIST OE-quality clutch kits from KS International Exedy is an OE supplier to all the Japanese vehicle makers as well as many others around the world. So when it’s time to replace the factory clutch, by using one of the company’s kits you’re probably doing it like for like. A standard Exedy clutch kit includes a cover, plate and release bearing. You can get them from KS International, which carries a wide range to fit all sorts of vehicles. Prices vary; as a guide, a kit for the 2006-2015 Mitsubishi L200 costs £150, while one for the 2016-on Isuzu D-Max is twice that and if you’ve got a 120-Series Land Cruiser you’ll be in the middle. Whatever Japanese 4x4 you drive, you’ll find parts aplenty for it at www.ks-international.com.

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PRODUCTS

One-stop service from Rooftent Utopia Roof tents have gone from being a defining piece of equipment for vehicledependent travellers to almost a fashion item. Aided by the meteoric rise of interest in camping, they’re now seen on everything from vans and estate cars to the SUVs, pick-ups and off-roaders they were originally designed for. Helping Britain’s drivers find the right tents to suit their vehicles is Rooftent Utopia, a one-stop roof tent specialist based in West Sussex. Unlike some suppliers, the company doesn’t just freight its tents to unsuspecting customers who then have to figure out how to fit them – instead, it has its own showroom and

workshop where you can learn about the various styles and brands on offer, choose which one works for you then have it fitted by experts. Utopia indeed! The company promises tents from reputable sources and will only sell rooftents they are happy to use themselves. These sleep from two to five people and are available in soft shell, hard shell and hybrid designs. It is owned and run by experienced travellers who promise to give their customers sound advice that will help them choose a tent to suit what they do. Fundamental factors likely to influence your choice of tent include the type of travelling you plan to do

and the destinations you intend to visit, your available roof space and roof load limit, the number of people you need to accommodate and of course your budget. Beyond this, the company says, it’s all about the details: fabric choices, hard shell and baseboard construction, frame tube diameters, zips, stitching, mosquito netting and seam tapes all matter. Whatever your choice, a rooftent is a major purchase and a showroom full of display and demo units is a rare thing to find. So we think a proper visit is definitely in order if you want to avail yourself of the expert service on offer from a specialist that’s right up your street.

Discovery 3 suspension lift and air spring replacement ca £825 inc VAT | terrafirma4x4.com

If the first thing you think of when you look at a Discovery 3 is a gang of failed air suspension components sneaking up on you in the night to rob all your money, you’ll know that the aftermarket has long since been offering coil conversions for the vehicle. Terrafirma’s latest air-to-coil kit adds something more, however – by lifting the vehicle by 2” at the same time. The kit includes ‘expedition grade’ heavyduty damper struts for the front and rear

of the vehicle, as well as an air suspension override module and an appropriately highquality wiring loom. The latter comes in two forms to suit the Disco 3 from 2005 to 2009 and the Disco 4 from 2010 to 2013. You can also use the kit on the equivalent Range Rover Sport, so long as it’s a model without ACE. ‘The new Terrafirma air to coil conversion kit eliminates the likelihood of expensive air suspension repairs and the potential for becoming stranded in the event of air

suspension failure,’ says leading stockist Maltings 4x4 Store. And it means you can fit bigger tyres, which was of course what you were doing it for in the first place.

www.overlander4x4.co.uk

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PRODUCTS

Eezi Awn marks 40th anniversary with special-edition tent £3312 including VAT | www.expedition-equipment.com

‘Remember that long after the sweetness of price is gone, quality prevails.’ So says Eezi-Awn, the South African manufacturer of roof tents, awnings, fridge slides and more which last year celebrated its 40th anniversary. It marked the milestone in style, too – with a new 40th Edition of its Blade hard-shell tent. This gains revised locks and gas struts, making it more functional and aerodynamic than ever, while the upper surface of the shell features Eezi-Awn’s K9 rack system to enable mounting of items like bikes and kayaks – or indeed solar panels to help you keep your leisure battery brimmed. Further additions include a pair of new shoe bags on either side of the tent, plus a USB port and, at the back, a ladder locking

plate. Yet more functionality comes from a pair of 8mm slots in the aluminium extrusion at the bottom of the unit, allowing you to mount more accessories – including Eezi-Awn’s own range of awnings. ‘The intention is not to carry a heavy weight on the tent,’ explains Eezi-Awn, ‘but to be able still to carry the items you would have before the tent was installed on the vehicle.’ Made in Eezi-Awn’s own facility in South Africa, the Blade 40th Edition is true to the company’s ethos of building products to last. It’s available through the official UK Eezi-Awn agent, APB Trading, priced at £3312 including VAT – the company is based near Kidderminster in Worcestershire, and you can find it by dropping in on www.expedition-equipment.com.

www.overlander4x4.co.uk

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30/01/2024 12:51

KIA SORENTO

hich came first? Sorento or Sorrento? That’s easy. The Italian city was founded in the 7th Century BC, while the first Sorento rolled off the line in 2002 AD. Yeah, I’ll use BCE if you explain to me what happened in Year Zero of the Common Era. Actually we’re not even certain if the Kia is named after the city, but it seems likely even if it’s spelt differently. But, since we’re on the biblical subject, ‘Kia’ in the Bible means ‘a follower of Christ’, although it probably leans more towards the Korean ‘The rise of Asia’. And not, as some might surmise ‘Killed in Action’. Glad we’ve cleared that up. So we know it’s called the Kia Sorento, and we know it’s been around for over 20 years in one form or another. And if we’ve been reading this magazine long-term, we know that it’s a multiple class winner over several generations of 4x4 of the Year. And here it is yet again in yet another form. This is an updated version of the fourth generation, so not completely new. And yet it looks it. The bodywork now follows the style set by the wildly successful

EV9. A style which, depending on your state of mind, looks like a rugged off-roader or an armoured personnel carrier. Either way, you feel like you’re in a vehicle that will keep safe both you and your loved ones (new golf clubs, dog, even children). This is backed up by a five-star Euro NCAP rating and an absolute ton of standard safety technologies. Not all of which feel great, but more on that later. For this revised version we get it in three models with three trim options. Naturally the trims are numbered in sequence but equally naturally they go 2, 3, 4 because nobody wants a trim option that is 1. Whichever you go for, seven seats are standard. The third row can fold flat – otherwise the golf clubs might not be comfortable – while the middle row slides and reclines. This is an adaptable family vehicle for sure, and the driver’s not going to complain either with heated front seats and steering wheel, also as standard across the range. What the driver is going to have under their right foot is a choice. You can have a hybrid, plug-in hybrid or diesel. The hybrid is a 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine with

a 1.49kWh electrified powertrain, with the two combining to give 212bhp and 270lbf. ft of torque. This is liable to be the biggest seller to private owners. The six-speed transmission gets power to all four wheels (again this is standard across the range) and, with the battery pack snuck under the front seat, you’re not lugging about too much in the way of space-taking, weightadding trickery. The biggest seller for business customers will probably be the plug-in hybrid. It features the same engine as the hybrid, but with substantially more electric power and range. The PHEV kicks out 248bhp combined power although, slightly disappointingly, the torque figure stays the same as in the hybrid. It can be driven on electric power alone, in which form the battery will be good for about 34 miles. So if you’re just popping into Sorrento and out again, you can do it accompanied by just the whirr of the motor then plug back in when you get home to your clifftop villa in Punta Lagno in charge up while gazing from your terrace at all those rows of wind turbines in the sea.

www.overlander4x4.co.uk

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Third choice is the diesel, Kia’s 2.2-litre Smartstream, offering 190bhp and 325lbf. ft of torque. With an eight-speed dual-clutch auto transmission and a 2500kg towing weight (the hybrid only manages 1110kg and the PHEV 1010), this is the one your instincts will be telling you you want. Not forgetting that all models have four-wheel drive as standard, with Terrain Mode for

different surface conditions, but old habits die hard and 42.8mph combined is not bad for a big seven-seat SUV. Whichever model or trim, it’s certainly a handsome vehicle, slotting in above the Sportage and below the EV9. And even in lowest 2 trim there’s so much equipment as standard you wonder how they manage to fit it all in. We tried the HEV hybrid in that

trim, which means you’re looking at about £42,995 on the road. You can spend more than that on a Golf these days – and not forgetting, like all Kias, you’ve also got a seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty for some serious peace of mind. It’s a good cabin and the quality feels high. The 12.3” touchscreen angled towards you is clear and easy to use, although it’s

The obvious difference between the Sorento 2 and 3 is that the latter adds leather seats – and very nice they are too. Between the wide digital display, haptic buttons and vast array of all-round kit, this is a technological tour de force from Kia – even at the cheapest end of the market, it delivers an incredible amount of equipment for what is now not even top-range hatchback money October 2024 I Overlander 4x4

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also nice to have things like temperature controls as buttons or switches under it for instant access. What I was less keen on was the multitude of driver aids. I’m guessing you can switch some of them off, but Highway driving assist, Lane keep assist and Lane follow assist (all standard along with a plethora of others) felt a bit like overkill to me. It means the vehicle is trying to nudge you one way or another depending on white lines, width of road etc, so there’s a slightly queasy sense that the steering wheel is alive and conscious in your hands – unlike the driver who was only vaguely either of those. It’s how current vehicles are I realise but with things like an overload of information from the screens and fascia, low-feedback brakes and steering much of the time, the whole experience feels slightly remote. Ramping up to the diesel version in 3 trim, that puts the price up to £46,195. You can still do more on a Golf. This felt slightly more dialled in, and the leather seats felt more supportive. There’s loads of room for everyone, and loads for everyone to look at and play with, while the cabin remains quiet, serene and fairly vibration-free. The move up from 17 to 19” alloys aids this further. The engine and transmission work smoothly as a combination of diesel torque and eight-speed gearbox – the hybrids have six-speeders. You’re not going to get caught in a power or torque dip, so you can progress with confidence, although it occasionally needed a prod at junctions to not just raise the revs but actually get going before that truck got any closer. The ride from the independent suspension is well controlled with reasonably firm damping, so you’re not floating but you’re not crashing around

either. How that copes with off-tarmac work, we’ll have to find out in time. Reasonable prices, long warranties, engine and trim options to suit, smart and rugged new appearance, crazy amounts of tech on even the base model – the Sorento

has a lot to recommend it. The city has been around for 2500 years, and during this model’s lifespan the 4x4 will have made it to 25. Everything’s relative but it’s already part of the landscape – and it’s going to be for a long time yet.

www.overlander4x4.co.uk

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INTRODUCING THE ALL-NEW

WILDPEAK A/T TRAIL AND WILDPEAK R/T01

WILDPEAK A/T TRAIL

WILDPEAK R/T01

Wildpeak A/T Trail - Rugged Crossover Capability Built for adventure delivering rugged off-road capability without compromise on the open road. Featuring the Three-Peak mountain snowflake, the Wildpeak A/T Trail encourages adventure seeking crossover owners to discover true all-weather capability. Wildpeak R/T01 - Bold, Rugged Terrain Capability Developed for 4x4’s and SUV’s this tyre sets the standard for the new rugged terrain tyre category. Providing the tenacious off-road traction of a mud tyre while retaining the tread life and stability of an all-terrain, professional Off-Road tyre with POR marking.

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For further information and to find your local stockist please visit www.falkentyre.com/en or www.4site4x4tyres.co.uk

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A D V E R T I S I N G

F E A T U R E

meet the expert Lanoguard: beat the rust before it beats you! AT LANOGUARD, we create simple, easy, DIY rust prevention kits for your vehicles, empowering owners to keep the vehicle that they love for longer. “I always wanted an easier way to protect my vehicle’s underbody. It was such an arduous and time-consuming job. A few years ago, while applying Lanoguard to a ﬂeet of airport runway de-icer trucks, a technician asked me: ‘Do you use this on your Navara truck? It looks like it would be easy to apply.’ “I hadn’t thought of it before, but that got me thinking. I set about developing the Quick, Easy, DIY kit. “Sometimes the answer is under your nose. It was very much so for me. And the rest is history.” Mark – The Founder of Lanoguard

Introduction

Lanoguard challenges conventional rust prooﬁng products in the market with a non-toxic, sustainable and UK sourced and made product. Our DIY vehicle underbody rust protection kits are designed to shield your vehicle from the harshest elements, such as tackling rugged terrain and muddy tracks. Rest assured, our product protects not only your chassis but also your rubbers, plastics, and electrical components. Lanoguard guarantees longevity, safety, and signiﬁcant savings on costly rust-related repairs ande is trusted by car enthusiasts and professional mechanics alike, due to their ease of application as well as their durability with our added commitment to quality and customer satisfaction.

Our History

Lanoguard has been around in the UK for over 14 years, originally supplying to industrial companies – airports, seaports, construction and more, all in highly chemical and corrosive environments. In the last few years, we developed DIY kits to allow people to protect their vehicles easily and quickly, with the same high-grade protection. Lanoguard Underbody Kits offer long-lasting, durable protection, giving you peace of mind whether you’re driving in harsh winter conditions or on rough off-road terrain. Since we started, we have consistently improved and developed our products to better address our customers’ needs and their vehicles. We continue to take our customers’ feedback and use it to improve further: our 4x4 owners led us to create the 360 Injector Wand, addressing their want for effective protection and internal coverage in hard-to-reach areas such as box sections and sills.

Beneﬁts for our Customers

Lanoguard understands that money and effort are key concerns for 4x4 owners, who fear the impact of salt and water on their vehicle’s longevity. Each DIY all in one underbody kit enables our customers to extend the life of their vehicle and its parts. This maintains the vehicle’s value, preventing damage that can compromise the

integrity of your vehicle, saves them money on costly rust repair and allows them to enjoy the vehicle for longer. We know how harmful and damaging the winter can be for vehicles and chassis, with increased water and salt and grit on the road. But with Lanoguard, rust doesn’t stand a chance. It seals to the metal surface, forming a protective barrier displacing salt and moisture and preventing the development of rust. Whether you like the practicality of your vehicle or are an off-road adventurer, no-one likes cleaning all the dirt off their vehicle. But with Lanoguard, you can jet wash any dirt off your vehicle’s underbody, conﬁdent that Lanoguard will remain in place, continuing to protect your vehicle. Plus, leftover Lanoguard is great for protecting your lawnmower and garden tools and oiling those squeaky hinges on your garden gate!

Tried and Tested

Lanoguard products are trusted by customers, with thousands of 5* reviews. Our great customer service and dedication to quality and customer satisfaction have earned us a reputation for reliability and effectiveness. Our customers have experienced ﬁrst-hand the outstanding protection and ease of use our products provide. Lanoguard is committed to delivering products that meet the highest standards of performance and durability. Our loyal community of Lanoguard enthusiasts are a great source of support for those new to Lanoguard. Check out our Facebook user group (www.facebook.com/groups/lanoguardusers), which has more than 19,000 members who have tried and tested Lanoguard over the past few years and are always happy to share their experiences and answer any questions. Experience the peace of mind that comes with Lanoguard protection – and beat the rust before it beats you!

www.overlander4x4.co.uk

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Salisbury Plain is not plain. It looks like a wilderness, but it’s ﬂourishing. And though it has more rules than almost anywhere else in the British countryside, it also has more freedom – thanks to a uniquely dense network of rights of way Words Alan Kidd Pictures Regijus Simkevicius

A PLACE OF CONTRADICTIONS S alisbury Plain has a special place in 4x4 culture. On the surface, it’s a wilderness – yet there are few parts of the British countryside more overtly influenced by human activity. It’s distinctive yet poorly defined. It’s damaged but flourishing. And it’s one of the most restricted parts of the country – yet there’s a greater concentration of green lanes here than anywhere else. Most of all, there’s nothing ‘plain’ about it at all. It covers around 200,000 acres in the southern half of Wiltshire and the western fringes of Hampshire, and a huge amount of it is empty and uninhabited. That’s because about half of it is owned by the Army – the Salisbury Plain Training Area (SPTA). Much of the military land is leased for farming and grazing. So the ‘wilderness’ part of the Plain that’s used day-to-day for troop training only covers less than half of its total

area. Nonetheless, by British standards it’s a strikingly vast and empty place. And with so many rights of way open to motor vehicles, it’s paradise in a 4x4. There’s something wonderfully bleak about driving there in bad weather, too. In some parts of the Plain, the rights of way are subject to voluntary restraint during the winter, but the majority are usable all year round – and it’s as majestic beneath scudding grey clouds or, even better, pouring rain as it as glorious in the balmy, sunlit days of summer. It deﬁnitely wasn’t sunlit for our last visit. A couple of summers ago, we spent a wonderful day on the Plain in an Isuzu D-Max AT35, basking in the sun, enjoying the endless views and, with no troop training going on, marvelling at having the entire landscape to ourselves. This time, we were part of a two-truck convoy – both D-Maxes

again, coincidentally – and, while we never saw anyone else out and about, that was just as likely to be because visibility was down to a couple of hundred yards. Murky, misty and, a lot of the time, rainy – a very good time to be exploring the Great British countryside in a warm truck with heated seats and a good stereo. No such luck and luxuries for the ﬁrst humans to set foot here. They dated back to a time before heated seats and Apple CarPlay. Actually it was about 6000 years ago, so they even dated back to a time before the Isuzu Trooper. Archaeologists tend to agree that the oldest signs of human activity on the plain are to be found at Robin Hood’s Ball, a causewayed enclosure to the west of Larkhill which dates back to the early Neolithic period. You could look at the Ordnance Survey map of Salisbury Plain and try to count all

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the barrows, tumuli, earthworks, old roads and other antiquities, but you’d be there all day and still miss some. This was the cradle of Stone Age life in England, where the first societies started to form in the slew of land which would come to be defined by Stonehenge to the south and the Ridgeway, Britain’s first road, to the north. The first lane we followed in our D-Maxes actually went right past the first ancient antiquity to be protected by the National Trust. Heading south out of Tilshead on the A360, you’ve passed no less than five byways on the right before you get to Shrewton, the next village, which is all of three miles away. We took the first, which skirts the edge of White Barrow. Dating from 3500-4000 BC, this measures some 250 feet in length and 150 in width. It was partially excavated in 1806 by archaeologist Colt Hoare, who found

evidence of it having contained a wooden burial chamber, though no full excavation has ever been undertaken. Its purchase for the nation came about after the Army had started using Salisbury Plain for exercises in 1898. From that time onwards, the War Office began to buy up as much land as it could in the area in order to create what’s now the SPTA – and with so many antiquities in the area, historians were alarmed at what could be lost.

First of many

Step forward the recently formed National Trust. It had been established in 1895 as a company, but in 1907 it was given statutory powers when the first National Trust Act was passed by parliament. Two years after that, in 1909, White Barrow gained the distinction of becoming its first ancient monument.

Protecting the barrow, along with 2.75 acres of surrounding land, cost the Trust a princely £60. That’s about £6000 in today’s money, which sounds like pretty good value – though when you think that just a decade earlier, it had bought it first actual building (Alfriston Clergy House in Sussex) for just £10, it shows how important the barrow was considered to be. Yet we still don’t know what it was for, or indeed what was inside it. (No, it’s not a UFO hangar.) The closest we’ve come was in 1997, when a geophysical survey by English Heritage backed up Hoare’s findings. In addition to revealing a burial chamber or mortuary cairn inside the barrow, as well as an arc of post pits at its eastern end, the study found an ancient trackway crossing the site. This is distinct from the rights of way running nearby, one of which we were trundling along in our D-Maxes.

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White Barrow is on your left as you climb the byway towards Copehill Down, and there’s another similar earthwork in the distance on your right. It’s not as big as its near neighbour and, not being protected by the National Trust, the far end of it as you approach has been damaged by military activity. Once again, the barrow’s purpose is shrouded in mystery; it was partially excavated in the 19th Century but, with the passage of time, its secrets become ever less likely ever to be disclosed. If this is someone’s grave, they’re likely to remain forever undisturbed despite the sporadic scenes of chaos on the surface above. Continuing up on to Copehill Down, the byway reaches a major junction of rights of way. On a day’s laning, you might come back here four or five times without ever travelling the same lane twice. To your left is Copehill Plantation, a small wood in which there might be a couple of hundred soldiers lurking without you ever knowing about it (even on a day that’s not as grey and grim is this). And as you approach, in all but the very driest conditions you’ll splash through one of the countless water troughs that define the plain’s rights of way. Geographically, Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau. The Army’s land ownership over the last 125 years or so, and the resultant

lack of building development in the area, means it’s actually the largest remaining tract of alkaline grassland in the whole of north-west Europe. Being highly permeable, chalk and chalky soils soak up the rain like a giant sponge – the result being that where a track dips, it’s likely to dip into ground water. This can be very entertaining, in a splishy splashy sort of a way – but as the water in the troughs is invariably brown, driving into one is like playing roulette with gravity. If you don’t know how deep it’s going to be, you’re taking your chances with it coming up over your wheels, your bonnet… even your roof. Don’t forget, the landscape in part of the Training Area was formed by tanks…

Not likely…

We’re far too smart to fall for something like that, though, aren’t we? Oh yes, of course we are. A couple of hours later, having explored some of the lanes on Copehill Down and, on one stretch of saturated grass, given the D-Maxes’ rear lockers and traction control systems a far more searching examination than we had been anticipating, we’ve headed back up through Tilshead on the A360 and now we’re following the perimeter trail round the north side of the Westdown Artillery Range. This is a simple gravel road

on which you’ll almost always meet dog walkers and random locals coming the other way in everyday cars – but alongside it runs a permissory byway. In any other part of the country, this would sound like a joke. Not here, though. The plain’s military owners understand that motor vehicles aren’t the devil and that working with 4x4 users is better than wishing, or pretending, they didn’t exist. And this is where the Green Lane Association (GLASS) comes into it. Over many years, the organisation has worked with the MOD to help manage the rights of way on the SPTA – including with a massive programme of signposting. Prior to this, and before the days of GPS, sticking to the rights of way on the plain was a nightmare. With so many of them, amid a largely featureless landscape, it would already have been easy enough to get confused. Add in a network of military roads and a tangle of tank tracks and tyre marks going wherever the driver was told, and navigation was as good as impossible. Today, each right of way (not just those open to vehicles, though the majority are) is clearly waymarked thanks to the efforts of GLASS volunteers. As part of the accord between landowner and users, the MOD has granted permissive

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Countless green lane users pass this junction every year without realise its historical significance. The hill to the right of the tracks in the distance is home to Tilshead Long Barrow, while the picture was taken from right on the edge of White Barrow – a burial chamber from 3500-4000BC which, back in 1909, was the first ancient monument to be acquired by the National Trust

access to a wide range of trails on the plain. These include many of its own military roads – as well as lanes which were open t o motor vehicles before the massive arbitrary closures inflicted by the 2006 NERC Act. Anything reclassified as a Restricted Byway under the terms of this damaging and spectacularly flawed piece of lawmaking was lost as a right of way for motor vehicles – but those on the plain

have been returned to their rightful form by the Defence Estate, which recognises and signposts them as Permissive Byways. Thus drivers can use them freely – though unlike the BOATS they join with to provide miles of unsurfaced driving for off-tarmac explorers, they can be closed when in use by their military landlords. That’s why there are two trails running next to each other round the north of the

Westdown Range. The gravel road is a byway; the much rougher trail a few yards away to its south is permissory.

Rough and interesting

Much rougher and therefore much more interesting. But with some big water troughs in it. We’re behind the wheel of the lead vehicle, with Isuzu’s PR man Filip in the navigator’s seat. Behind us are Andy

The chalk-based land and soil on Salisbury Plain acts like a sponge to soak up rain, which then collects in large pools of surface water

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Getting stuck was definitely not in our plans for the day. Turns out it was in the day’s plans for us, though. It was all going swimmingly until it, well, wasn’t, and then we were just swimming. Setting up the recovery felt like it was taking forever, which is one of those things that happens when your footwells are filling up with very muddy and very very cold water. At least emptying them back out afterwards was just a case of letting gravity take over – though the V-Cross model’s carpets kept plenty back to make sure it all remained squelchy and damp for the rest of the week

Barratt, former GLASS general manager, accompanied by the association’s PR manager Liz Parks and Somerset rep Charlie Moore. Few people know the lanes round here the way Charlie knows them. So when we were approaching a long stretch of water and his voice came over the CB saying ‘just to make you aware, I don’t know how deep this is’, we should probably have taken that as a sign. Still, it was going well until Filip made the classic mistake of triumphantly crying ‘easy!’ at the top of his voice. I was still drawing breath to say he’s bound to have jinxed it now when sure enough, we ground to a halt. Into reverse, give it some. Nothing. Rear locker in. Nothing. Saw the wheels from side to side. Nothing. Not to worry, this is why we bring a buddy and a rope when we go green laning. To be honest, it wasn’t until we saw the pictures that we realised just how far in we

had got. How far, and how deep. Actually, after a few moments we got a graphic illustration of how deep it was when very cold, murky water started coming in under our doors. By the time Andy had managed to manoeuvre his D-Max into position and Charlie had clambered on to the back of ours to attach a towing strop, Filip and I were sitting with our feet in several inches of the stuff. Did I mention that our D-Max was a top-of-the-range V-Cross? No rubber mats in here, just lovely absorbent carpets… Finally, the recovery is ready to go and with the gentlest tug (well, maybe the second gentlest), we’re free and rolling back out under our own steam. Lesson learned. It’s a lesson many others have had dished out to them, too, and no doubt we won’t be the last. And to be fair, we wouldn’t have risked it without knowing there was a tow car there to recover us if it all went wrong. Still, spending the next week and a half in a truck with saturated carpets was

definitely a reminder of why I do believe you didn’t want to do that. And really, I didn’t. There’s no need to go looking for trouble any time you’re green laning – and on Salisbury Plain, you’ve got so many miles of trails to enjoy that time spent messing around is just precious laning time down the drain. This is one of the very, very few places in Britain where you can drive for hours at a time without ever touching tarmac – or if you’re willing to cross it, or just include very short link sections, you can make that days and days. Which is what makes this huge, bleak, sprawling expanse of southern Britain so appealing. A wilderness that’s not a wilderness, a place full of restrictions where you can feel totally free, a haven for wildlife created by tanks and bombs… Salisbury Plain is contradictory, beguiling, bleak, beautiful and, most of all, there for you. No wonder it has a special place in 4x4 culture.

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PREPARE TO

SUCCEED

‘Fail to prepare, prepare to fail,’ goes the saying. When you’re getting your vehicle ready for overland travel, knowing what it needs is absolutely essential – especially when what it needs is for you to know what it doesn’t need, too Words Gary Noskill (based on originals by Barrie Dunbar) Pictures Barrie Dunbar, Mike Trott, Steve Taylor and Harry Hamm Main picture: Mussi Katz

With thanks to Barrie Dunbar, owner of Active 4x4 Adventures, which specialises in unique, fully catered 4x4 tours including exciting adventure activities at no additional cost. The prices the company quotes are all-inclusive. To ﬁnd out more about its future itineraries, visit active4x4adventures.com

lanning an overland expedition is exciting. Whether it’s a fortnight travelling around Europe or two years exploring the world, getting out there in your vehicle and living life on and off the road is a dream come true for many 4x4 owners – and getting ready to do so is like being a kid in a sweet shop. Surveying your maps, evocative names will stand out as markers of the adventure to come. And the same can be said for your vehicle. There’s so much to buy for it, so many opportunities to equip yourself for the life you dream of having on the road… and build a really cool truck into the bargain.

Everyone will look at you and be jealous of the overland life you lead! Self-image issues apart, yes it’s okay to want a cool truck. And in a world where form follows function, equipping your 4x4 for expedition travel pretty much inevitably means creating a head-turner. But function must be paramount: everything you bolt on to your 4x4 or carry inside it must be there to work for its living. There are two good reasons for this. One is that you only have so much space in which to carry everything you’ll need. But the big one, which people are far less likely to think about, is weight.

If you were going to run a marathon, you would train hard and practice lots. You would get your body into its best possible condition, you would look after it and you would still expect to be exhausted afterwards. And then somebody comes along and says oh yeah, didn’t I tell you, you’re running this marathon with a 50kg pack on your back. Now you’re expecting to be not so much exhausted as broken. Make that destroyed. Every single bit of weight you load on to your vehicle adds to the effort it’s going to have to put in to getting you around the world and home safely. So don’t ask yourself

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what you should take: ask instead what you can get away with not taking. Of course, you need to be adequately equipped and carry the necessary tools and spares. But you also need to avoid stressing your vehicle to the point where things are going to break. Never mind the financial and practical implications of increased fuel consumption. Every single thing you bolt on or pack adds to the strain placed upon the suspension and driveline – which can already be very significant. Even your chassis can eventually put up the white flag. Every bit of hard work you demand of your vehicle becomes that

much harder when it is required to push, pull and carry additional bulk – and the more you place stress on your vehicle, the more likely something will fail. On a scale of one to a hundred, how worthwhile do you think it is to risk being stranded in a hostile environment, at the mercy of wild animals, dangerous people, extreme weather or sheer isolation, because you couldn’t accept that your giant steel bumpers, heavy-duty drawer system and cool plumbed-in hot water shower unit were not all absolutely essential? How about that fabulous stereo and the enormous speakers you use to ‘entertain’ everyone else in the camp site every night? The second spare wheel, and the doublehinged swing-away carrier hanging out from the back of your truck? Is the answer zero? If not, time to go back to the start. Of course, you will need to make some modifications to your truck. You will need to add some accessories, and you will need to carry some tools, equipment and supplies. But it’s very, very easy to ignore the simple fact that everything you do will have consequences. The success of your expedition depends on getting this right. And since your life depends on the success of your expedition (that may sound over-dramatic, but if it fails you’re relying on nothing more than luck), getting it right is more than just preferable. It’s critical. First things first. Don’t take a piecemeal approach to prepping your truck. That way, you’ll let things slide (or just plain forget about them). Plan the build in full. Consider what you’re adding, consider whether you really need it and make a list of what it will weigh. Include every single thing – then add an honest allowance for things like bedding, clothes and food supplies, not to mention yourself and anyone else who’ll be travelling with you. Add it all up, then compare the answer with your truck’s Gross Vehicle Weight… now, imagine dropping down off a rock step and landing heavily on your bump stops, or consider the size of the shock loads through your props and axles when you punch the gas on the way up a steep hill full of axle-twisters. Convinced? If not, once again, go back to the start. So before you set about bolting on your next must-have, ask yourself honestly if you

really need it? No, REALLY. Do the benefits warrant its additional weight? Will you use it? And have you struggled previously because you didn’t have one? If you want those benefits, fine – just don’t ignore the costs that come with them. There’s a separate panel in this article containing advice on a range of items, all of which my might consider essential on an overland vehicle. But as an overall rule, you should only accept the extra weight of an item if you’re convinced you’re going to need it. If you can possibly do without a thing, then do without it. If you are unsure if you need it, then do without it. When every instinct is telling you to err on the side of caution, this might sound like an incautious approach to take – but ask any experienced overlander and they’ll tell you that in fact, over-packing is by far the most incautious thing you can do. Actually, it’s probably only the second. Accessorising your vehicle is one form of prep: servicing it is the other. And here, failing to get it right is not so much incautious as downright reckless. This is covered in another panel within these pages, but safe to say there are people who have set out on expedition in hopelessly inadequate trucks. Once again, you’re putting your life in the hands of sheer luck and nothing else – and some have been unbelievably lucky to get away with it. In each case, relying on good judgement is a far better idea. This means thinking it through in advance and not turning a blind eye to things you wish weren’t the case. It also means putting your hand in your pocket for top-quality equipment. On the servicing side, reliability and long life are non-negotiable, while with the accessories buying cheap rubbish that doesn’t do its job basically means carrying dead weight. If you can’t resist a cracking deal on eBay for some ‘genuine’ parts that cost a fraction of what they do from a proper dealer, expedition travel is probably not for you… Don’t let the hazards of overlanding put you off – but don’t be blind to them, either. That’s what the above is all about, at least in the context of vehicle prep. Getting it right is a simple matter of using your commonsense – and then you can get back down to the exciting business of dreaming about all those evocative places and epic experiences the world has in store!

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EQUIPMENT

Snorkel

Another insurance policy accessory, a raised air intake is likely to be among the first things on your list. But most people think it’s there to transform their 4x4 into a submarine for deep water wading. Really? Where, when and why do you intend crossing such deep water? A snorkel might save your engine from suffering a catastrophic hydraulic lock if an innocent looking river crossing goes wrong. But plunging your vehicle into such deep water can be guaranteed to harm it in countless other ways too – and anyway, if you’d done the right thing and waded it first you’d have known not to risk your truck in it! The biggest advantage of a raised air intake, and the real reason you always see them on 4x4s used in the Outback and so on, is to provide a clean supply of fresh and relatively cool air to the engine. Having one won’t save your air filter from getting clogged in really dusty conditions, but it’ll take longer – and it is always good practice to clean it out after a day of dusty driving anyway.

With its heavy-duty winch and bumper, this Toyota Land Cruiser looks ready for anything. But that bull bar was built to prevent kangaroos from taking out the front of your vehicle – even if you can convince yourself that the winch and mount are necessary (when a stout towing point and a good rope would do), if all you’re doing is exploring the Alps as part of a tour the extra metal is 100% pure excess weight. You’ll do well to find an experienced overlander who’d choose one instead of a high-lift jack and a selection of strops and shackles, even if the latter needs more physical effort and brain power

Winch

As nice as they are to have, the reality is that very seldom is a winch the only, or the best, option for the job. Winches are expensive and heavy and when something goes wrong, the results can be fatal. Besides the risk of accident and injury, plenty of inexperienced winch operators have cost themselves a battery. A combination of more basic tools like a shovel, high-lift jack and (correctly rated) strops and shackles can be just as effective. A winch feels like an insurance policy against getting stuck, too – which can lull you into a false sense of security when the last thing you want to be doing is taking risks.

You hardly ever see an overland vehicle without a snorkel. The reason isn’t so that its devil-may-care owners can go recklessly fording windscreen-deep rivers – it’s to keep dust from being sucked in by the engine’s air intake. Protection from catastrophic damage should a bit of unavoidable fording go wrong is a useful by-product, but – as with a winch – any need to fall back on this equipment needs to be seen as a serious error of judgement on the part of the driver

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HERITAGE

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EQUIPMENT

Compressor

An air compressor is not sexy, but a good quality one is a very worthwhile item to carry. You can use your air line to blow the dust out of the engine’s filter (see above) but more to the point, it lets you re-inflate your tyres after driving off-road and before getting back on the tarmac. Reduced tyre pressures have three distinct benefits: improved traction, increased puncture resilience and added shock absorption. Around 25psi rear and 20psi front is the norm, or softer for thick sand. Do you really want to be putting all that air back in using a foot pump in an Arctic blizzard or the heat of a tropical desert?

It might not be the first thing that comes to mind, but an air compressor is something you should certainly have on board. It pays to invest in a good one, too. The main reason for this is that you’ll be airing your tyres up and down whenever you switch between on and offroad driving, however a compressor is also useful for blowing dust out of your air filter at the end of the day

Roof tent

Roof tents divide opinion. Some people swear by them, saying they’d never camp any other way. However there are also overlanders among whom they’re referred to as ‘divorce boxes’… The main alternative to a roof tent, which is growing in popularity, is to convert your vehicle into a mini motorhome. Each solution has its pros and cons. But of course, however you go about it you’re adding weight. A good roof tent is a major purchase, too, albeit not as much as a motorhome conversion, which will be a huge investment of money if done professionally and time (and still money) if you do it yourself. If you’re going to be doing a lot of travelling, a roof tent is a worthwhile addition to your vehicle. Do invest in a good one, though; do your research and deﬁnitely don’t think cheaper is better. It will add to your fuel consumption, and potentially to ferry fares, but the biggest mistake you could make is to invest in one when you’re not really going to use it enough to justify the outlay.

There are some fantastic options out there for turning a 4x4 into a self-contained camp site. But the more impressive they are, the heavier they’ll be. Roof tents are brilliant, and if you’re going to be using one regularly it’s a worthwhile investment. As with everything else, though, you need to budget for the best – and they do cost strong money. Don’t forget the increase in shipping and fuel costs, too

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Awning

There are some astonishingly clever designs of awning on the market, along with a huge variety of associated structures like toilet and shower tents. If your pockets are deep enough, there’s almost no limit to what you can achieve in the way of turning your truck into a house. Do think it through before splurging on a rig that’s only going to impress everyone at shows and nothing more, though. Your camping setup should be the answer to a set of questions about your needs and priorities. If you’re addressing those needs with what you fit, then fine – it’s all added weight, once again, and like all added weight first you must justify it. Talking of shows, though, this is an area in which meeting other overlanders, seeing how they’ve done it and talking to them about how well it has worked would be particularly useful.

If you’re used to British weather and you’re going to be overlanding in hot climates, an awning might feel like an essential. It’s not as heavy as some other accessories, but every last kilo is more strain on your drivetrain so here, again, don’t fit one just for the sake of it

For a solo overland expedition, a fridge-freezer is an excellent investment. Once again, buy the best – saving money by making do with a sub-standard one will only ever be something you regret. Think carefully about how big you need it to be, though. Your instinct will be to get the biggest, but by using it as a freezer and decanting food and drink from it into a cool box you can save money, space and weight

Kitchen

There’s some absolutely glorious kitchen equipment available for overland vehicles. Some of it will seem unbelievably expensive when you start looking into it – but as with roof tents, big savings are likely to lead to even bigger disappointments. You’ll be using this stuff a lot – the last thing you need is to find yourself wishing you’d done it right every time you go to prepare a meal. Fridge-freezers are a case in point. For true expedition travel, one of these is more or less essential, allowing you to stay self-sufficient for longer as you travel off-grid. You can get ones which can be configured to operate as a freezer with no fridge compartment, and a useful tip is to do it this way and decant food into a cool box as required to let it defrost in time for cooking. That way, you get to carry more for longer – though it’s not much use if your first thought is to fill your fridge with beer! Beware, though – not all portable fridge/freezers are created equal. The premium brands have outstanding build quality and longevity – but they also draw a very low current, which is important for conserving your batteries. Eye-watering prices notwithstanding, this is another area for investing in good kit.

There’s almost no end of rig-outs available to turn the back of your vehicle into a self-propelled home from home. There’s also no end to what it can end up costing, and there are companies out there that specialise in taking advantage of customers who don’t really know what they do and don’t need to take along for the ride. The items shown here are outstandingly well made and were fitted by professional outfits, but whoever you’re dealing with you should always ask yourself whether you really, really need it and, if you do, what it will cost you in terms of weight as well as money October 2024 I Overlander 4x4

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Tyres

Underbody protection

This is a perfect one for campfire debates. On the surface, protecting your steering, sump, axles and transmission seems like a no-brainer – but is that what you’re really doing when you bolt on enough metal to turn your truck’s underside into a hull? Sure, it’s called for if what you’re doing is hardcore rock-crawling, or winching your way through forest bogs full of hidden tree stumps. That’s not what overland travel is all about, though. Thing is, for underbody protection to be worth having, it needs to be heavy duty. In recent years, more modern items have come on to the market using aluminium instead of steel, and their strength to weight ratio is much better than the monsters of old, but there’s still more to it than that. Besides adding extra weight, underbody plates restrict airflow, meaning the driveline is operating hotter for longer. And, designs with inspection holes do exist, they also tend to obscure everything that should be checked each evening after a day’s driving. The benefits are obvious, but for overlanding they’re also marginal. Driving with care and watching where you’re going, on the other hand, will always be the main way of looking after your truck!

Underbody protection like this is unlikely ever to be penetrated, however hard you smash it into the ground. Its massive strength comes at a cost, though – by fitting a set of thick steel guards like this, you’re adding serious weight to your vehicle. They restrict air flow to the components they protect, though, as well as preventing access for checks and maintenance 36

Good quality off-road specific tyres are not a luxury – they are a necessity. And despite their apparently high cost, when one considers what they tolerate, and for how long, they actually represent very good value for money. For overlanding, an all-terrain pattern is most likely to suit you. Mud-terrains have more traction in soft ground and can be better at clinging on to rocks, but all things being equal they do wear faster and on the road (which is where you’ll be most of the time) they’re quieter and have more grip. Certainly, this is no place for very aggressive off-road tyres – or, indeed, for everyday road tyres the likes of which most 4x4s are fitted with as standard. That’s not so much about their grip as their construction. Proper off-road tyres have multi-ply sidewalls whose resistance to damage is on another planet compared to the kind you get on school-run SUVs. You want something with a tall profile, too – big alloys and low-profile tyres are fashionable, but what you want is a truck tyre that will work well at low pressures and shrug off the sort of knocks and scrapes that would put lesser rubber in the bin. Bottom line: Do not scrimp on tyres! Spend the money and get the best – you will be glad you did. Not only will they look after you, they’ll last longer than cheap alternatives – and their robustness means you don’t need to carry a second spare. This is no place for false economies – and with tyre choice, there’s no other kind.

Good quality tyres are nothing short of a necessity. This is literally the last place where you want to be pinching pennies – yours need to be resilient and long-lasting in the most punishing conditions

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PREPPING YOUR VEHICLE

Above left: Big suspension, big tyres, two spares, steel bumpers, high-lift jack, winch, roof rack, tent, auxiliary fuel stowage… it could all stake a claim for being essential, but every single item adds to your vehicle’s weight – and the heavier it becomes, the more likely it is that you’ll suffer a catastrophic driveline or suspension failure at the worst possible time Above right: Under the bonnet, the engine itself needs to be reliable – and so too do items like the radiator, alternator, starter motor and water and fuel pumps. You should be completely happy with the condition of all the vehicle’s manifolds, drive belts, hoses and battery mounts, too, as well as every single cable and connector it all relies on to work

hen a boxer steps into the ring, he hasn’t just got up off his sofa and pulled on a pair of shorts. He’s spent months in training – and before asking your vehicle to go the equivalent of 12 rounds with Mike Tyson, you need to ensure that it too is in tip-top condition. Prevention is better than cure. Never forget that. You need to set out in a truck that’s been set up not to fail – and you need to keep it that way. What that truck should be – Grenadier, Land Cruiser, Wrangler, Defender – is a debate for another day. But there are a few things it shouldn’t be.

The first is a rust bucket. Barrie Dunbar from Active 4x4 Adventures tells the story of a client who rocked up for a Western Sahara expedition in a Land Cruiser Colorado that was so badly rusted its back axle sheared off in the middle of the desert. If that happens on a solo expedition, having to abandon your precious truck and all your belongings is the least of your worries. The second is a playday motor. We ran a story many years ago about a couple who set out to see the world in a vehicle with a huge suspension lift and tyres that were verging on monster truck territory. Once again, it was the back axle mounts that shattered their dreams. This latter story bears out what is universal off-roading wisdom. Start out with the best vehicle you can possibly afford, then modify it later. Rather than spending a few grand on a ropy old

4x4 and the same again on shiny new accessories, put the lot into your truck. Everything else is a detail. If you don’t have the money to buy and prep a killer 4x4? Well, maybe adjust your horizons. Perhaps you’d be better to start by exploring Europe’s roads and gravel tracks? The world’s mountains and deserts will still be there when you’re in a stronger position to see them properly. Either way, let’s get back to what we were saying. Prevention is better than cure. Keeping your truck well maintained means less expensive breakages, which means travelling costs less money – which means you can do it for longer. It’s a lot safer, too. Refer back to the story about the Colorado… Thus the single most important thing you can do to prepare your vehicle for an overland expedition is to have it serviced and inspected as thoroughly as

Before you trust your 4x4 with your life, get it fully assessed by a professional. Under the body, the steering, brakes, suspension, exhaust, drivetrain and transmission need to be in tip-top condition – as do all the associated bushes, joints and mounts 38

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possible. Not by matey under the arches who only takes cash: this is a job for an experienced and reputable professional who understands what your vehicle will be required to do. This is critical. If you needed heart surgery, you wouldn’t lie back on the sofa and ask your mates to pop the kitchen knife in a boiling kettle before they got stuck in, cos, you know, safety. Well, out in the wilds your vehicle is every bit as important as a fully functioning ticker. Leaving this in the hands of a pro is the best investment you could possibly make. As this suggests, preparing for expedition travel is in some ways kind of like carrying out a risk assessment. Obviously, accessorising your vehicle, planning a route and so on is meant to be exciting, not scary. But by being aware of the hazards and pitfalls and knowing how you’ll handle them (or, better, avoid them altogether), you’ll be better equipped to enjoy the fun bits free from worry. What follows, then, is the aforementioned risk assessment. It’s not claiming to be comprehensive, but it aims to anticipate and overcome the potential problems you could face – and in doing so, it could serve as a useful checklist to help avoid the unthinkable scenario of a major breakdown when you’re in hostile territory and help is a long way away: 1: All vehicles have weaknesses, some more than others. Research the known faults for your 4x4 and listen to a variety of experts (real ones, not shouters on Facebook) before deciding how to address them.

4: T he engine bay needs a thorough evaluation. Checks should be made to assess the condition of components such as the water pump, radiator, alternator and starter motor, but also the manifold, belts, hoses and battery mounts – while also considering all associated wiring and connectors in addition to the above. 5: If your vehicle has an automatic gearbox, you must change the ATF in accordance with the manufacturer’s specification, or alternatively replace it with Castrol TranSynd. Those who have ignored this in the past have found themselves losing all drive, as their torque converter ceases functioning in the presence of overheated, degraded fluid that has lost its viscosity. If you have a manual box, it’s much easier to change the clutch now than when it starts slipping halfway up the Andes; as your vehicle will constantly be running heavily laden, upgrading to a heavy-duty clutch would be an obvious investment here. arry basic spare parts and fluids as 6: C appropriate for your particular make of vehicle, plus the following: hoses, jubilee clips, baling wire, large cable ties, fuses, bulbs, belts, duct tape, WD40, nuts and bolts, tyre valves and the like. In other words, items which are lightweight and versatile!

7: T ake a reasonable selection of your most commonly used tools. But remember, weight is the enemy, so keep it minimal. If travelling with friends, discuss in advance and share the load. At the end of each day, inspect your vehicle’s engine bay and undercarriage and the condition of the tyre sidewalls. Spotting a problem early makes it much easier, and inevitably cheaper, to rectify. It’s much safer to be in control of the repair, too, than to wait for it to become critical. It’s good practice to blow out the air filter after driving in dusty conditions, and check oil and water levels at the same time. Also give the belts a tweak to ensure that they are sitting firm. Inspect the undercarriage and the ground under the vehicle every morning to check for any leaked oil, water or fluids. If the radiator is needing regular top-ups, that could be a sign of a cracked head. Finally, try and avoid the temptation to over-prepare your vehicle. Overlanding is not about tackling the most extreme terrain you can find, but about working with the terrain to get you where you want to go. Don’t forget that vehicles like the Defender, Patrol and Land Cruiser have so much ability in standard form that thousands of them work for their living in exactly the sort of places you want to visit. Keep it simple, strong and as standard as possible, and your truck will love you for it.

2: The comprehensive service referred to above must include all filters (air, oil and fuel) and oils (engine, gearbox, transfer case and differentials) in addition to the usual consumables that may need replacing. 3: It must also incorporate a professional underbody inspection – especially of the transmission, drivetrain, axles, wheels and brakes, but also of other components including the steering, suspension and exhaust. The inspection should also take into account associated bushes, mounts, joints and so on.

A well fitted overlanding installation can be a thing of absolute beauty. Once again, though, it’s only well fitted if every single item is 100% necessary. The same goes for the tools and spares you carry – you simply can’t take everything you need to cover every eventuality, so you need to decide what’s most crucial October 2024 I Overlander 4x4

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Wot u lookin’ at?

Car makers like to go on about how their dinky superminis are tough enough for the city streets. The rest of us know what a properly tough vehicle looks like… and this smartly rugged Land Rover 110 from Legacy Overland is a perfect example of how to make your Words Kaziyoshi Sasazaki Pictures Legacy Overland presence felt

‘U

rban rugged’ is a phrase car manufacturers like to trot out to describe all manner of cringe-making SUVs and crossovers that get can’t make it up a raised kerb without getting stuck. Not the Defender, though. It’s not urban rugged, surely? It’s just rugged. Maybe that’s what Legacy Overland had in mind when it build the Adirondack 110. This is a thoroughly restored 3.5-litre V8 that looks well on the way to being a hardcore

off-road machine – but which the company instead calls ‘unstoppable on the streets.’ Fair enough. It might be a high-riding beast on 285/75R16 Cooper Discoverer STT Pros, and you might be looking at it and imagining how nicely a winch, snorkel and exo cage would set if off. But the sense of purpose in its four-square stance gives it more than just off-road credibility. It’s one hell of an imposing sight on the road, too – which, you can’t help but feel, is where its new owner is going to want it to excel.

Just to clear up any misunderstandings, though, when they describe the 110 as being ‘unstoppable on the streets,’ this isn’t a reference to its brakes. These have been upgraded to discs at the rear, with the calipers painted red to prove the point, so the vehicle is set up to stop the way later ones do. Giving it some motion for the calipers to bite on, the 3.5-litre Rover V8 has been completely rebuilt. It runs on carbs rather than fuel injection, keeping it nice and

www.overlander4x4.co.uk

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This is what arrived at the Legacy Overland workshop back at the start of the project. Definitely rugged, but not very urban. It looks pretty good from the outside, but the cabin was a bit of a state – we’re big fans of gaffer tape, and the old-school four-spoke steering wheel from before the Defender era does have a certain charm, but you’d be struggling to look at this and not see an interior that’s ripe for reimagining. Which is of course what the company does so well

This is, in Legacy Overland’s own words, ‘a hand-crafted interior in high-resilience black leatherette with white accents’. In addition to the company’s white-faced gauges, highlights include a charcoal grey alcantara headliner and a very cool Momo wooden steering wheel October 2024 I Overlander 4x4

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Legacy Overland has been known to drop mighty great Chevy LS lumps in unsuspecting classic 4x4s. But while this one does have a V8, it’s the original Rover 3.5. The company rebuilt it completely, resisting the temptation to put it on fuel injection as carbs are that much simpler. The engine spins a five-speed LT85 Santana gearbox and LT230 transfer case, both of which have also been rebuilt

simple for the future, and it’s mated to a five-speed LT85 Santana gearbox and LT230 transfer case – both of which have also been rebuilt. All good and original, then. The driveline is admirably standard, too, with the emphasis having been on refurbishment rather than replacement – though at the end of the axles, those big 33” tyres are wrapped around a set of 16” Sawtooth alloys. Plenty of work done so far, then, but not too much in the way of major mods. Yet this is a Defender that bristles with presence. An SVX grille helps here as do a galvanised steering guard and a powder-coated front bumper with daylight running lights. At the back, meanwhile, there’s a NAS bumper and a full set of LED tail lights. The body cappings are painted black, as is the

rear door – which is very much part of the overall colour scheme. Continue upwards and you get to a black roof, while the bonnet is this colour too – all of it contrasting with a nice Anvil Grey body. Urban rugged, yeah? Inside, it looks classy but as with the rest of the vehicle it’s rugged too. Legacy Overland describes it as ‘a hand-crafted interior in high-resilience black leatherette with white accents’; highlights include custom white-faced gauges, a Momo wooden steering wheel and a charcoal grey alcantara headliner. There’s no small amount of tech in the vehicle, too, including a Sony double-DIN Bluetooth media receiver with Apple Car Play, a 160-watt Pioneer subwoofer, USB charging and a centre console carrying

“There’s rugged, there’s urban rugged – and there’s off-road rugged”

a range of Carling switches. At a slightly more immediate level, the old 110 has been upgraded with electric front windows and a custom air-con system which, unlike the typical units fitted on Defenders, is able to blow hot and cold. This isn’t a Land Rover which blows hot and cold in any other sense, though. You might look at it and see a level of off-road intent that it wasn’t really built for, but the sense of purpose is unmistakable. Mainly, it just oozes presence. As we all know, that’s what all the best Landies do. There’s no such thing as a meek Defender – no, not even an early 90 on 6.00x16 tyres – however some are more imposing than others. This often comes from being built to go off-road, but here’s proof that it doesn’t have to be. There’s rugged, there’s urban rugged – and there’s off-road rugged. And then there’s this Land Rover. Which is all three…

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REACH FOR THE SKYLOFT

Roof tent or pop-top? Not a problem if you can’t make your mind up: Jeep’s Vacationeer concept has both Words Kaziyoshi Sasazaki Pictures Jeep

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f you’re an overland traveller, the last thing you want to hear is people accusing you of going on holiday. It’s a way of life, dammit! Stop comparing my noble explorations with your package deal to Magalluf… People in America take a slightly different view. Over there, a vacation is not a thing to be ashamed of. When you pack the family in the ol’ SUV and head off on holiday, it’s alright because you’re heading for Yellowstone or the Rockies, not Skeggy or Camber Sands. That’s why there’s nothing to be scared of about the Jeep Vacationeer. It’s not just a family holdall for unloading into your Center Parcs chalet then leaving it to sit waiting for you in the parking lot. It’s a Grand Wagoneer that’s been turned into an expedition vehicle – one with style and luxury at its heart, but very much an off-roader with the capacity to conquer trails. Rather than a vehicle for getting you to your holiday destination, it is the holiday destination. The same could be said for every 4x4 that ever had a roof tent chucked on top of it, of course. But while there’s no such thing as a prepped overland wagon that’s not cool, the Vacationeer has a style all of its own that sets it apart from that kind of build. Since we’re talking roof tents, let’s start there. There’s the eternal debate about whether you should sleep on or in your vehicle, and therefore whether it’s better to have a tent or a pop-top. The Vacationeer does away with this by having both. How does it do this? I’m glad you asked. The answer is that it has a Skyloft. A custom, carbon-fibre RedTail Overland Skyloft, in full. This is a front-hinged roof-top sleeping area with enough room for two people – so, like a tent, then, but with one absolutely fundamental difference. As you can see from the pictures, it’s served by an access ladder – but you can also get into it from aboard the vehicle. This is via a weatherproof pass-through entrance in the Jeep’s roof, which lets you climb in from where the second and third rows of seats would be (both have been removed to facilitate the conversion, meaning the Vacationeer is strictly only for two poeple). The hatch has a door which slides forward and backward, sealing the vehicle and tent alike when it’s not in use, and there’s an occasional table in the rearcabin which doubles up as a step. The top of the Skyloft is covered in solar panels

October 2024 I Overlander 4x4

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Leather, wood, screens, more leather… yes, that’s a premium American SUV alright. This one has a cactus in one of its cup holders, though – and, more importantly, its seats have been retrimmed in a pattern created by fashion designer and Wagoneer fan Kiel James Patrick

and its interior is air-conditioned – Jeep describes it as ‘a climate-controlled oasis,’ which is better than a climate-controlled Pulp or Blur but maybe not as good as a climate-controlled Sleeper. A huge window at the rear end of the Skyloft, backed up by a couple more next to where you’ll have your pillows, provide ‘panoramic views.’ We’d just invite whoever said that to check the definition of a panorama, but you’ll definitely see more than you would sleeping in the back of a vehicle so that’s fine. There’s a Skylight in the lift-up roof, too, and the frame securing the unit to the top of the vehicle is reminiscent of the lattice work supports holding up those vast concrete cooling towers you see at power stations – and, size for size, probably stronger.

Well ‘ard

It’s all a bit staged, and picnic hampers are more vacation than expedition, but you could fit a whole lot of fridge, kitchen and equipment in here if you did want to use it for the real thing. It’s certainly capable, even if you might just look a little conspicuous on your way through a rural village in Africa

Talking of strong things, a Grand Wagoneer will typically come on a nice set of 20” or 22” rims and suitably low-profile tyres. Great on the street, horrendous in any kind of terrain. This one rocks a set of 18x9” Method 701 hard alloys wrapped in 35” BFGoodrich Mud-Terrains – so plenty of tread, plenty of sidewall, plenty of rim protection and, thanks to Method’s patented Bead Grip design, the opportunity to run the sort of low pressures that would previously have required full beadlocks.

www.overlander4x4.co.uk

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GATESHEAD 50 Lobley Hill Rd. NE8 4YJ 0191 493 2520 GLASGOW 280 Gt Western Rd. G4 9EJ 0141 332 9231 GLOUCESTER 221A Barton St. GL1 4HY 01452 417 948 GRIMSBY ELLIS WAY, DN32 9BD 01472 354435 HULL 8-10 Holderness Rd. HU9 1EG 01482 223161 ILFORD 746-748 Eastern Ave. IG2 7HU 0208 518 4286 IPSWICH Unit 1 Ipswich Trade Centre, Commercial Road 01473 221253 LEEDS 227-229 Kirkstall Rd. LS4 2AS 0113 231 0400 LEICESTER 69 Melton Rd. LE4 6PN 0116 261 0688 LINCOLN Unit 5. The Pelham Centre. LN5 8HG 01522 543 036 LIVERPOOL 80-88 London Rd. L3 5NF 0151 709 4484 LONDON CATFORD 289/291 Southend Lane SE6 3RS 0208 695 5684 LONDON 6 Kendal Parade, Edmonton N18 020 8803 0861 LONDON 503-507 Lea Bridge Rd. Leyton, E10 020 8558 8284 LUTON Unit 1, 326 Dunstable Rd, Luton LU4 8JS 01582 728 063 MAIDSTONE 57 Upper Stone St. ME15 6HE 01622 769 572 MANCHESTER ALTRINCHAM 71 Manchester Rd. Altrincham 0161 9412 666 MANCHESTER CENTRAL 209 Bury New Road M8 8DU 0161 241 1851 MANCHESTER OPENSHAW Unit 5, Tower Mill, Ashton Old Rd 0161 223 8376 MANSFIELD 169 Chesterﬁeld Rd. South 01623 622160 MIDDLESBROUGH Mandale Triangle, Thornaby 01642 677881

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The Skyloft opens up to create an air-conditioned sleeping pod with a bank of solar panels up top and side windows for viewing the world around you as you drift off to sleep. You can’t really see it from here, but what marks it out as being different from you average roof tent is that as well as the traditional external ladder, it can be accessed through a hatch in the roof of the vehicle. Wake up with a pride of lions waiting patiently for you and you can simply lower yourself into the cabin and drive away As this demonstrates, the Vacationeer is about the sort of vacations you don’t have at Scarborough. (Not since they smoothed off the rock steps on Rudland Rigg, at any rate.) It runs a virtual lift, with custom extensions over enlarged wheelarch openings enough to make way for the bigger tyres – which on their own raise the vehicle by a natural 1.5” without any need for suspension mods. Thus the Jeep’s already prodigious off-road ability is improved – without any need for harm to its ride and refinement back on tarmac.

Whether cruising Route 191 to Moab or rocking one of the legendary trails in the nearby Arches National Park, it’s unlikely that the base vehicle’s 3.0-litre straight-six Hurricane twin-turbo engine will be short of oomph. Not with 510bhp and 500lbf. ft to boast of. The whole lot goes to all four wheels through an eight-speed auto with paddle shifts and a full-time transfer case with high and low range. Peak torque doesn’t appear until 3500rpm but, with a locking rear diff also in the spec list, it still comes over as quite the prospect off-road.

In the case of the Vacationeer, a neatly integrated Warn electric winch makes it more of a prospect than ever, especially if you’re the poor sucker who got stuck in your lesser vehicle because this here Jeep is clearly not going to. Beneath the hawse fairlead that’s integrated into the bumper is a heavy-duty skid plate, one of two which protect each end of the vehicle should its approach and departure angles turn out not to be enough. A couple of hefty looking recovery points add to the simmering machismo up front.

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Then there’s the colour. Jeep describes the Vacationeer as having a ‘Spearminted exterior’, effortlessly ticking the use-aword-that-didn’t-exist-when-you-arrived-atwork-this-morning box. But whatever you call it – and to be fair, it’s so minty you can practically smell it – this is one fabulous looking wagon. The green bodywork is set off by a white ﬁnish to the roof and A-posts, which goes with those white alloys – as well as the door handle pulls, the door mirror bodies and the ‘Grand Wagoneer’ badging on the doors. The same colour also appears in the housings for a bank of three 11” low-proﬁle LEDs mounted on the roof. Then, in a nostalgic

hat-tip to the classic Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer of old, there’s a strip of grained wood graphic running the length of the vehicle just below its beltline.

Thorny subject

So its style is to be stylish, there’s no two ways about that. Though not at the expense of substance. And that continues into the interior, where cacti in the cupholders are very cute but the real meat comes in what’s been done in the back. Here, the cheerfully enormous space where the seats used to be is laid to a ﬂat plastic cargo ﬂoor which has in turn been sprayed with bedliner to make it brutally

strong and, no small matter, waterproof. It can, says Jeep, ‘handle outdoor elements with ease’ – getting under cover when the rain comes down, for example (which it does, even in Moab), or clambering aboard to remove your muddy boots, MTB gear and so on. Jeep illustrates it with a blanket, cushions, small suitcases and a picnic hamper, which is every bit as cute as those cacti but we all know that if you’re actually going on the sort of vacation where only a roof tent (Skyloft, sorry) will do, what you need is a fridge-freezer, camp kitchen, peli cases full of clothes and lots of toilet roll. Entertainingly, Jeep’s picture of the Vacationeer’s rear cabin also shows the

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bank of screens on the backs of the front seats and centre console which would normally provide entertainment for your kids. No kids on board with this new set-up, though, but the screens are still there. You may consider that if it was the other way round, the sort of places this wagon is built to go would have been enough to finally wrest their attention away from those screens in the first place, but it’s a moot point anyway. Still, that’s telly sorted for those nights when the campfire gets put out by the rain. If the cactus wasn’t the final flourish on this vehicle (or indeed if such a deeply glorious piece of work even needs a final

ﬂourish), we turn to the design on the cushions and picnic rug in the back – which is mirrored in the leather seats up front. The man behind this is fashion designer Kiel James Patrick, who ‘displays his profound appreciation for authentic Americana with custom fabric inserts featuring classic Jeeps within a distinctive and charming New England-inspired pattern.’ There you go. He’s owned a string of the vehicles, too, albeit none of them quite like this. ‘For over three decades,’ he says, ‘the Jeep Wagoneer has been more than just a vehicle to me; it has literally been part of the fabric of my life threaded through my most cherished journeys. As a

designer and lifelong Jeep owner, this was a dream project.’ If it’s your dream too, the good news is that the Wagoneer is coming to the UK. Not for another couple of years yet, however – though when it does, that 510bhp six-pot will have been replaced by a 600bhp, 600lbf. ft electric drivetrain with a 3.4-second sprint time. Most people will still groan at the thought of this, but the petrol engine’s US ﬁgures give it a combined fuel economy of 20mpg – so maybe a 23-minute charge time from 20-80%, coupled with a range of more than 300 miles, might sound like the stuff of more than just a vacation to Skegness after all…

It may be a luxury glamping concept and a long way from the day-to-day reality of overland travel, but the Vacationeer’s hardcore wheel and tyre package definitely add something to what its low range and rear locker can already do off-road. This picture looks a little like there are camera tricks going on to make it look steeper than it really is, but look at the trail at the base of the climb and you can see that it’s still a very serious hill

Heavy-duty tow hooks and an electric winch from Warn are the stuff of serious off-roading. Before they’re ever needed, though, it’s likely that the front and rear bash guards will be first to see action

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UK Destinations To Explore 1

Llanerchindda Farm Cynghordy, Llandovery Carmarthenshire, SA20 0NB Tel: 01550 750274 info@cambrianway.com www.cambrianway.com

Riverside Caravan Park High brentham, North Yorkshire, LA27FJ Tel: 01524 261272 info@riversidecaravanpark.co.uk www.riversidecaravanpark.co.uk

Kingswood Caravan Park Rowan House Gravelly Bottom Road, Kingswood, Maidstone, ME17 3NU 01622 842 096 info@kingswood-caravans.co.uk www.kingswood-caravans.co.uk

Smytham Holiday Park Smytham Holiday Park, Little Torrington, Devon EX38 8PU 01805 622110 info@smytham.co.uk www.smytham.co.uk

Blue Hills Touring Park Crosscoombe, Trevellas, St Agnes, Cornwall, TR5 0XP 01872 552999 camping@blue-hills.co.uk www.bluehillscamping.co.uk

The Hop Farm Family Park Maidstone Rd, Beltring, Tonbridge TN12 6QF 01622 872068 reception@thehopfarm.co.uk www.thehopfarm.co.uk

Woodhill Park Cromer Road, East Runton, Cromer Norfolk, NR27 9PX Tel: 01263 512 242 info@woodhill-park.com www.woodhill-park.com

Locations to stay in the UK

Kingswood Caravans

6 4

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TRAVEL

WILD WILD LIFE PART 2 Continuing his mission to Kenya, our correspondent embeds himself with a team on anti-poaching patrol… while always marvelling at the ability of a worn out Range Rover Classic to keep moving amid the trials and tribulations of travel in the African bush Words and pictures: Chris Collard

he blood-curdling cry of a wildebeest being expeditiously dismembered by a pride of lions is something you don’t forget. My heart pounded like a drum and my mind raced as I sat atop the Range Rover alone in the darkness, daring to not so much as breathe. The radio crackled. ‘Chris, there’s a lion right behind you.’ Damn… radio silence! I gently spun the volume dial to zero and gave it a double-click as I glanced down through the open sunroof and contemplated a rapid escape. I sensed its presence, could feel the guttural cadence of its breath and smelled its unmistakable odour as it stopped just two metres to my right.

I had parked a hundred feet away from my travelling companion Sam and the rest of the team, in an attempt to photograph their work with these great predators. But now I felt like a hare dangling on a string over a billabong of crocodiles. While the lion might in reality take a back seat to the elephant as the true king of the jungle, it was most assuredly the king of this particular night. A few days earlier, we had found ourselves running late on a winding track to the west of Mount Kenya and facing a night drive – something I usually try my hardest to avoid when travelling in thirdworld countries. This is when we realised that our Rangey, named Mama la Simba (mother of lions), had headlights that

were about as effective as a pair of candles in a black hole. We slowed to a crawl after a massive bull elephant had crossed the road just beyond the beams. After cleaning our britches, it was determined the best solution was to take turns at the wheel while the other held a headlamp out the window, Laurel and Hardy fashion. It was well after midnight when we arrived at the Meru National Park headquarters, and we were dog-beat tired. Road-side extortionists, broken down and lost near the Somali border, close encounters with armed khat smugglers and wayward pachyderms… that bottle of Scotch behind the seat was looking pretty damn good.

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Call of the Wild

The ﬁrst phase of our time in Meru was working with Will Travers, president of the Born Free Foundation (BFF), on a lion census. The organisation was founded by Will’s parents, actors Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna, who portrayed lion advocates George and Joy Adamson in the Oscar-winning ﬁlm Born Free. Meru was the Adamsons’ home; it was here that they had adopted an orphaned lion cub, named her Elsa and raised her to adulthood before eventually returning her to the wild. My British counterpart, journalist Sam Watson, is one of BFF’s charter members and had worked with them on conservation efforts in Kenya years earlier. It was the

foundation’s 50th anniversary and they had partnered with the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) to embark on the first comprehensive survey of the great cats of Meru. The first morning, Victor Mutumah (our Born Free liaison) assigned two KWS rangers, Charo Mwenzah and Timothy Kano, to be our escorts. Sporting OD-green military fatigues and Kalashnikov AK-101 rifles over their shoulders, our new friends would be with us like white on rice for the next week – it would, after all, be bad press if two wayward journalists were to disappear in the park. Each day, our team would survey predetermined transects in search of tracks, evaluating each and recording its

size along with estimated age, gender, and number of cats in the pride. Lions tend to sleep during the heat of the day and hunt at night, so at dusk we would pile back into the Land Rovers and head for the bush equipped with a large PA system. The other team spent the day locating and tracking a pride, then advising us of their location as night fell. We would set up five kilometres away and blast the soundtrack of an unfortunate wildebeest being torn to shreds. If the pride didn’t react, we’d move one kilometre closer and repeat the drill. Which is what I was doing on top of our Range Rover in the first place. So I held my ground on the roof, watching as the magnificent cat paused

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The Born Free team traversed Meru’s backroads looking for lion tracks and signs

momentarily next to the Range Rover before sauntering on into the headlight beams of the other vehicles. Joined shortly by another lioness, they had heard the call for wildebeest tartare but the kitchen was closed. Ostensibly confused, they surveyed the area for a while before losing interest and vanishing into the bush as silently as they had arrived. The more we learned about lion activity in the park, the more we understood how valuable the collected data was. KWS and BFF would use it to determine hunting patterns and range, reproduction rates, population stability… all fodder for future grant funding for the park. Fascinating work for a noble cause.

Snares, made from wire cut from the perimeter fence, are placed by local villagers and are one of the greatest threats to wildlife 58

Rhinos, Poachers, and Kale

Wildlife is big business in Kenya, but the question that begs clarity is whose business? It is said that much of the poaching industry is controlled by terrorist groups such as the Somalia wing of al Qaeda and the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda. The second phase of our Meru efforts would be working with an antipoaching patrol in Meru’s rhino sanctuary. We would soon learn that not all assailants had ties with organised crime. Although the park had not lost a rhino to a riﬂe in nearly two years, in a world where much of the populace lives below what Westerners consider extreme poverty most poaching is carried out by tribal villagers

needing to put food on the table. They cut through the boundary fence for access and craft snares from the wire. Placing dozens of them on well-used paths or near water holes, they leave for a few days and return to harvest the kill. Although highly illegal, nyama choma (bush meat) is quite common at roadside kiosks and butcher’s shops. At a higher level, ivory is worth more on the black market than gold and cocaine. If they happen to snare an elephant or rhino, a single horn can support a village for months. We spent the following days beating the bush in pursuit of poachers and/or their snares. Working a grid system and using hand signals for communication, we

While lions usually prefer to sleep during the heat of the day, we caught a rare glimpse of this female during one of our transects of Meru

We paid our respects at the gravesite of George Adamson, founding father of Born Free, who was murdered by shifta bandits in 1989

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walked silently through thick mopani and acacia. The entire charade is a cat-andmouse game. Park rangers monitor their activity, coming in behind and clearing the snares – after which the poachers return and set more snares. One morning we found the remains of a baby elephant. Its trunk had slipped into a snare, which tightened as it desperately tried to escape. The poachers didn’t return, and it eventually died and was eaten by scavengers. The exact order in which these happened was unclear. After long days collecting hundreds of snares, we rolled out our bags at one of the remote ranger stations. Far from the light of any urban sprawl, a billion stars illuminated camp as we dined on stewed kale and ugali (corn porridge) and played checkers on a recycled cardboard board with bottle caps for game pieces. Timothy and Charo, along with the rest of the KWS staff, receive a paltry sum for their efforts, but it was clear that they were passionate about their work. It was a labour of love; each shared the conviction that Kenya’s

As handy as GPS is, there is no substitute for a good paper map and whiskey compass wildlife is the cornerstone of their country’s culture and must be preserved.

Somali Bandits and Kampi ya Simba

Intrigued with George Adamson, a largerthan-life character passionate about preservation of Meru’s lions, we dedicated a few days to making the 200-kilometre drive to his research facility in the Kora National Park. Created in 1989 after

poachers murdered George and his two assistants, this rolling expanse of acacia bushveld covers nearly 700 square miles and is home to Africa’s Big Five… and a few dromedaries. We climbed in the Landy with Timothy and Charo and headed south to Kampi ya Simba (Swahili for Camp of the Lion). Crossing the Tana River at Adamson’s Falls, the track followed an arrow-straight transect south into shifta country.

Our old Range Rover, Mama ya Simba, rustic as she was, became a trusted partner during our weeks together October 2024 I Overlander 4x4

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Our new friends for the week in Meru were Charo Mwenzah (left) and Timothy Kano, park rangers for the Kenya Wildlife Service

The joy on this boy’s face was palpable, blind to the fact that his village lacked the resources for a proper soccer ball

The shifta people, who are mainly Somali camel herdsmen, carry something of a Robin Hood undertone. Hero or bandit, depending on which end of the sword you are looking at, they are held to blame for Adamson’s death. Perpetually pushing their camels through the bush in search of water and ﬂora, they were quite elusive, slipping away into the undergrowth as we slowly passed. Timothy and Charo told us that the shifta were tolerated in the park for grazing, so long as they respected the rules. George and his wife lived quite separate lives. Joy set up shop at Elsamere, a safari lodge, where she worked with leopards. George preferred the bush, building Kampi ya Simba deep in Kora where he rescued orphaned lions. We explored this rustic camp, which has been preserved as it was on the day George was killed, and paid our respects at his gravesite. Many miles from services or the closest village, this was truly a place of isolation and solitude for a man that would become known as Baba ya Simba, or the Father of Lions.

comprehend the fact that a 10-year-old child’s chores include walking three kilometres to a river toting two 20-litre jugs so the family will have water, or that meat may or may not be on their dinner plate that week. But kids are resilient, and they jockeyed around the dirt playground a competitive game of soccer with a ball crafted from old plastic bags, mostly oblivious to the circumstances that surrounded them. On our last day in the park, Victor asked if we could teach a few classes for Born Free and KWS staff. Sam did a session on the use of modern GPS units, and I provided instruction on how to use their digital camera to document their conservation efforts. The least we could do for their gracious hospitality. We had become good mates with Charo and Timothy, and said our goodbyes with a great respect for these young defenders of the bush. Turning Mama ya Simba’s wheels south toward Nairobi, we rounded Mount Kenya, paralleled the southern reaches of the Rift Valley, and had the pleasure of meeting another extortionist. In last month’s issue, I described an incident in which Peter the policeman had pulled us over, made up a spurious story about our papers not being in order and ever so politely explained that since we were friends, he could help us by not impounding our Range Rover if we would buy him a goat. Maybe this guy was his cousin. Wearing a tidy blue police uniform and Cheshire cat grin, he informed us that, surprise surprise, our paperwork was not in order. But he could help us correct the problem for the price of a small gift… because we were friends. Ah well. The cops got me, but the lions walked on by. That’s Africa!

Movies and Soccer Balls

While the villagers near Meru may be depicted as raiders of the bush, one must remember the park was once home to their forefathers before it was conﬁscated by the government. Born Free and KWS understand this and have undertaken extensive measures in educating the next generation that more jobs (and money) can be made from live animals than dead ones. We joined Victor for a presentation at the Kisimane school, where about a hundred villagers piled into a dirt-ﬂoor building to watch a movie on a portable screen. In talking with the village chief, we gained a clearer picture of what village life is like. It is hard for Westerners to

The countless miles of remote two-tracks that criss-cross the park provide access to key locales to observe wildlife

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Bush Survivor

Though our acqaintance with Mama ya Simba was a matter of desperation, our two weeks with the old girl could not have been better… save the broken throttle cable. Unlike a modern vehicle and its amenities, our 1974 Land Rover Classic was bare bones, replete with rattly doors and windows, shaky suspension and worn-out syncros in the

gearbox. But she had survived the bush for 40 years and with her old-school carbed V8 mill and simple electrical system, most repairs could be tackled with basic hand tools – or duct tape and baling wire. We extend a huge thanks to Erickson Rover Safaris in Nairobi for trusting us to bring her home alive… for her next adventure.

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NEXT MONTH

MORE THAN A GRAND When it was new, we said the Grand Vitara JT was Britain’s worst 4x4. This one proves you can make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear

PLUS Exploring the history and landscape of Elan Valley

Latest top-spec Toyota Hilux GR Sport on test

Exploring Namibia in the ultimate expedition rig

NOVEMBER 2024 ISSUE: ON SALE 26 SEPT 64

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