LONDON TO CAPE TOWN – WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?
Well, after a very long time of dreaming about it I decided to attempt an ambition of mine to drive from London to Cape Town in South Africa in a Land Rover. The very first car I ever drove as a teenager was a green military Land Rover and ever since then I have dreamt of owning one and using it on a substantial overland journey. So, about three years ago I bought Himba, a dark green 300 Series Tdi Land Rover Defender 110 and began choosing how I wanted to have it modified. I used the expertise of several people in the field including Foleys, who did the bulk of the work on the car and it took somewhere in the region of 3 years to complete the project fully. The result is an expedition spec Land Rover, pretty much capable of getting me anywhere in the world. I have 3 fuel tanks, a 50 litre water tank, a fridge, electrical supply for laptops and cameras, secure storage, cooking facilities and so on.. I’ve always wanted to go to Africa and, following a fantastic trip to Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia in January 2009 I had to choose London to the Cape as the overland route of choice.
Himba my trusted Land Rover in Jebel Chaanbi National Park, Tunisia
In addition to the overland trip itself, I was always keen on incorporating a charity element. There began my contact with HART (Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust) who operate in various difficult territories in the world including Armenia, Uganda and Sudan. When I heard they had helped build a school in Southern Sudan I felt I could utilise the vehicle to do some good. Hence I am carrying around 450kg of schooling equipment including books, white and blackboards, a generator, laptop, stationary and educational posters. I plan to deliver this to the Marol Academy in Lusaka and various other remote village schools in the area. I have also established contact with certain primary schools and the academy in Sudan to help foster future relationships. If you feel you would like to help in any way with this or future projects please feel free to get in contact with me! I aim to be at the school in mid July and will update the blog with photos and videos then!
I have some wonderful people coming to join me for various legs of London to Cape Town and I expect to take 4 ½ months to complete the trip, arriving in Cape Town in late October 2010. I left on Thursday 3rd June 2010 and am already in the African continent. This blog aims to keep you up to date with where I am and what I’m up to! I would love you to post comments, questions and anything you like so feel free to do so below J.
Mike x
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