Paris!

 

Paris!!

Well we made it! What a journey and what a joy and a privilege to have completed it with James. We really did face up to some big, big challenges and, looking back from the comfort of Burrough Hall I am astonished that we managed it. We had some enormous blows and some great highs, occasional entirely selfish behaviour from others, massively outstripped by the generosity and kindness of so many. It is the contrasts which make such a journey so interesting. I think the psychology of it all was by far the fascinating thing, both our own and others. We had some great laughs and almost a few tears, but we remain great friends.

 

The final day was incident free, perhaps the first since we left Beijing. We had only 200km to go and motored through the beautiful French countryside through Fountainbleu and into Paris. Everyone was so delighted to be arriving at the finish. 97 cars started and I think 83 qualified as successful finishers. Finishing the rally in Place de Vendome was a truly fantastic experience. We came around the corner to be met by a banner saying “Car 66 we love you!” and a team of “66” tee-shirt wearing family and friends. All the family climbed on the car (which began to make some unfortunate creaks), Coco burst into tears, and we crossed the line. What a moment. We hung around and saw some other teams finish and then set off to the Intercontiental for lunch – it was without doubt the most delicious cheeseburger I have ever eaten in my life.

 

The car, bless her, looks a complete wreck. The whole of the back end is held together with ropes and straps. The front headlight support has been welded three times. The bonnet is held down with bungees. But she got us there!

 

Here’s a quick summary of what we dealt with;

 

Beijing: piston seized just after the start, in a tunnel with enormous volumes of fast moving trucks and cars. The chances of us being clouted straight up the back end were sizeable but we got out and pushed the car, uphill, and out of the tunnel. We were then given a tow to the nearest filling station which got us off the road. The Chinese needed all the cars out of China on the same day, so we had no option we had to truck to the border and then arrange for a truck to get us to Ulan Baatar in Mongolia which we did. So day 1 we spent in the car with our Chinese “minders”, day 2 we spent in a taxi to the border (by which time 7 cars were needing transport), day 3 we spent in a mini bus to Ulan Baatar and day 4 we arrived at the hotel.

 

Ulan Baatar: although the car was meant to arrive before all the others the driver disappeared and it arrived about 24 hours late, meaning that when we got to the garage there were no mechanics available. James and I helped push another car off the truck which gave him an enormous nose bleed which simply didn’t stop. We started work at about 1pm with the rally leaving the next morning. At this stage we had a completely seized engine. James, bleeding profusely, and I started to take the head off the engine. The garage was so worried that a nurse arrived and insisted he go to hospital! I eventually got some help from a mechanic called Ronaldo who was fantastic and we continued to get the head off. Just at the point when we could lift the head, David Ayre, turned up to give advice which was absolutely critical to the outcome. He knew exactly what the problem was and more importantly, if we had the replacement parts, how to fix it. We did have the parts and he very kindly prepared them and fitted them. The it was engine and sump back together, new oil, 45 minutes running in, oil change and 9 hours later we were back in the rally. We had however gone from gold to bronze without a days rallying!

 

Mongolia: about 10km from the end of our first days rallying in Monolia and we managed to run out of petrol! Bit of a panic until we realised what the problem was. First lesson in not panicking! We spent the night in a Yurt and set off in the morning to the start. Unfortunately we weren’t absolutely sure where the start was and panicked that we had missed it. Second lesson in not panicking! James did a 3 point turn and reversed straight into the side of a minibus! The minibus owner was unfazed and grateful for the amount of dollars he was offered, sadly the frame of the car on the rear right boot was completely broken. We strapped it together as best we could and moved off. In addition all the vibration the previous day had destroyed the internal fitting of one of the headlights, so we were down to one.

 

Mongolia: driving in the desert puts untold pressure on these old cars and we found ourselves driving along as if the brakes were permanently on. One of the other Lagindas had the same problem which is that the servo was completely clogged up. Not only would we use enormous amounts of fuel if we continued but we would knacker the brakes. David Ayre said that he would clean it up if we got it out and James and I spent the best part of 3 hours getti8ng the servo out and another 2 putting it back in. We were back up and running again.

 

Mongolia: at the same time we managed to get a temporary repair done on the boot and the frame which supports the headlights welded for the first time.

 

Mongolia: the final day in Mongolia we awoke when it was -8C to discover that the car would not start. There was no electrics to the fuel pump! The fuse box which contains only 5 fuses, was clearly damaged and we only had power to 2 circuits. With help we managed to connect a wire to the fuel pumps and were running again. We had no lights. We then conked out again in no-mans land between Mongolia and Russia! I was not a happy bunny with visions of being left there without a clue what to do!  Luckily with help from others we got going again and finally crossed into Russia. We had no lights and 400km to go with about 2 hours of sun light left. When the light ran out we had to stop.

 

Russia: Stopped in a lay-by in the pitch dark with no lights, suddenly a transporter and about 3 cars screech to a halt alongside. The transporter is taking another car to the hotel and the other cars are occupied by enthusiasts. They get the one light working in 10 minutes and we set off following to transporter to the hotel. 2 hours later we stop at a garage to discover that our roof is hanging on by only 2 screws. So we have to take it off and hope that we don’t get stuck in the rain. We arrive at the hotel at  04.30am Another drama addressed.

 

Kazakhstan: towards the end of our first day in Kazakhstan, heading into camp the boot finally gave way. The wheel had to be taken off to reduce the weight and the strapping made far more secure. Half an hour later the car filled with smoke which clearly dictated that we stopped to review the problem. There was oil everywhere in the engine and it was pouring from a copper oil pipe which had snapped with the vibrations. I thought we were definitely out, but Peter Banham, one of the support mechanics arrived 10 minutes later and with some hose, a drill and some solder had the thing repaired and we were off again.

 

Kazakhstan: we had some running repairs carried out in Almaty meaning that we had two headlights working, the roof back on and we had reduced the amount of oil that was leaking from the engine. We were consuming an enormous amount of oil, most of which seemed to be leaking from various points. The consumption of oil continued throughout the rally.

 

Uzbekistan:  We started slipping out of 4^th gear which meant some wear on the gear box. We took advice and were told that this was not repairable easily and that it would continue to wear and get worse, eventually meaning that 4^th gear was unusable. The only solution was to bungee strap 4^th gear in place and hope that it survived until we get to Paris. This was a problem which we had to fight against all the way home. It got worse and worse but somehow we got to Paris, for the last week or so holding the gear in place manually. Fine, as long as you concentrate, but as soon as one stopped she was out of gear.

 

Iran: we managed to repair the headlight again which had fallen to pieces. This repair lasted through to the end and is a masterclass in what can be achieved with “plastic metal”.

 

Greece: up in the mountains in Greece, crossing across to catch a ferry to Italy, we lost all our oil pressure. Thank God James noticed and stopped immediately, meaning that we didn’t do any damage to the engine. We were back on a truck to the harbour and then in Italy another truck to Via Reggio where we stripped off the sump and discovered that all the new pipework into the new oil filter was shot. We replumbed from the oil pump into the block and after some 7 hours work we were up and running again.

 

France: the penultimate day and we had a massive rearend shunt, having what was left of our boot taken out by another competitor. It shattered the wooden frame, damaged both rear wings and punched a bloody great hole in the boot. Somehow we managed to strap the whole thing back together with ropes and straps. A sheet of aluminium hide the damage to the boot and duck tape hid the rest. We were up and running again.

 

A brief resume of the challenges we faced. Never easy but always addressable for which we were very lucky. Many other cars were shipped home, one burnt out on the side of the road and is, as far as I am aware, still there.

 

A great privilege to have completed the rally, now it’s a question of getting back to normal life and thinking about getting the car repaired.

 

Thank you for all your support, it has been fantastic.

 

RHC

 

 

 

 

It's over - We've done the dream.

So after numerous problems and having driven through 11 countries and just over 

14,000 kms we have achieved what sometimes felt might not be achievable. We arrived 

in Paris to a fantastic reception from family and friends yesterday and the sense of achievement 

was just fabulous.

Our problems on the route have been too numerous to mention so it was a joy that our last day of driving was 

uneventful except for the demise of the Chairman. He has been a stalwart throughout the trip 

but succumbed to an aggressive gearchange early on Saturday morning. 

We had a great party in Paris last night and now will spend some time unwinding and sleeping.

Thankyou to all our supporters and especially to our families for their patience , love and faith. 

The penultimate day

Driving very cautiously this morning we decided to follow the route map to Circuit de Bresse to watch the other cars compete and then take the motorway to Troyes. How the fates conspire.

Following a small roundabout in a village south of Pont d'Ain James had to stop to change down. Befor we knew it Arthur Manners drove straight into the back of the car smashing the other side of the boot and all the lights. There is a certain symmetry to it all. James reversed into a minibus on the first day in Mongolia smashing the left back, and he's driving again when we smash up the right back.

Tim Wilkinson stopped very kindly and by removing woodwork, bending bodywork and various critical straps we got it reasonably stable. The application of aluminium sheet and duct tape has made it look very reasonable.

No one ever said it was going to be easy, I just expected it to be easier when we got to France! No such luck but vitally we are still running.

Our only risk now is that the gendarmes get a bit cross about it. We are back running to Troyes, 200km from Paris final dinner and then it's seeing Alice, Rory, Flora-Jane and little Coco. I cannot wait!

RHC

Under our own steam once again

An amazing repair in th car park of our hotel last night.

We arrived knowing that despite having no oil pressure we hadn't damaged the engine. It was time to take off the sump and have a look!

First our magnificent sump guard had to come off, by no means a trivial task given it's weight and solidity. We had to jack the car up high so as to be able to get the sump out. We managed to borrow a large jack and put the front of the car on our axle stands.

Draining the oil was not an easy task but managed to get most of it into two jerry cans.

Finally off came the sump. Having removed the nuts and bolts we couldn't actually move the sump, being stuck on with the previous gasket. A couple of sharp taps and off she came.

The cause of our problems was immediately obvious. All the new pipework going from the oil pump to the new oil filter was shot. One of the pipes was sheered right through. There was absolutely no way it could be repaired without a very specialist spanner.

We were joined by Nigel. Gambier who simply put on his overalls, collected his spanners and set to helping brilliantly.

We decided to ignore the new oil filter and using the existing pipes fashion a new one to connect the oil pump direct to the oil outlet. We had the fittings for both ends but would have to cut two pipes so that the met in the middle and then find a way of connecting them. rubber pipes and jubilee clips was the agreed method but Boone had the right pipe A
and the support crews had all gone to bed. We had been joined by David Ayre who, after making some very disparaging remarks about the pipework, approved the plan.

We were joined by Charlie McGowan and Alex Howard offering incredibly kindly to help. Now the problems started because everyone had different ideas of the best way forward. Having broken the back of the problem we decOder to buy some new pipe in the morning. Fortunately David turned up and told us very forcibly that we wouldn't get any pipe and if we didn't f***ing get on with the previous idea we would be going home on a truck! At 02.30 we finally had the new parts cut and ready we just didn't have any way of connecting them.

Without any sleep I went off to find Peter Banham at 05.30 and found him as he was finishing breakfast.. Without a moments hesitation we were back by the car, Peter had the necessary pipe and we were putting her back together again.

She started first time, is leaking oil and we are nervous that our repair will blow under pressure but we are underway to Aix les Bain.

This trip is anything if not eventful!

RHC

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Working on getting the car started again

Arrived at the hotel in via Reggio at 7pm and started straight away on getting the sump guard and sump off. Its never as easy as it looks. Eventually off she came to reveaL that all the internal plumbing for the new oil filter had fallen apart! No wonder we had no oil pressure.

The problem is that the pipes (0.5" copper) were too thin. Either thicker copper or steal should have been fitted. The added problem is that to get to the bolts near the external filter needs a crows foot spanner which of course we haven't got. The only solution is to revert back to the origin plumbing using what pipe we have. We have worked most of the night to get it finished but couldn't find the right size pipe to connect he the existing pipes.

Tomorrow morning I will try and get what's required from the support crew. Fingers crossed, if of we will have to find something in via Reggio.

Then we will play catch up!

See you in Paris

RHC

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No oil pressure - we have a plan!

We managed to get to the ferry on time on the back of a truck and had a really good look at the problem with David Ayre. There is simply no oil pressure through the oil filter so we have to drop out the sump and have a look at the plumbing and the oil pump. Quite a big job.

With disaster comes good fortune. One of the other Lagonda's has a damaged gear box and a new one with a mechanic is currently on it's way to via Reggio. They also have a spare drive mechanism for the fuel pump.

We have arranged two trucks to get us to via Reggio and should if all goes according to plan be starting on the car at about 18.00 tonight. Fingers crossed that we can it fixed and be back in the rally tomorrow.

I am optimistic.

RHC

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Oh no not again - it's the truck of shame again .

We have had a bad day today. Firstly we lost all our oil pressure and decided to truck the car to the port of Igoumenitsa. We are now going to try to get the car to Viareggio and see what we can do. The next problem was my fault as I left two bags in a cafe outside the port and only realised 15 minutes before the ferry left. Luckily someone else had brought them on board for me. So we are on the ferry to Ancona and we will see what happens .

Carnage in Greece

87 cars started this morning from the original 97. of these 3 are second hand cars purchased along the route and 3 are replacement cars shipped in by their owners.

Today I hear a further six are on trucks, invoking our mates, Dom and Alex in car 39. They might have blown a piston.

It's never easy but as General Macarther said "we will return"

We get to the ferry, organise a garage in Ancona, and get her fixed. Then we catch up

RHC
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Loss of oil pressure

We have sadly lost our oil pressure so need a garage to discover why. James wisely spotted the issue before any damage was done to the engine. We will report in due course. Just waiting for a truck to take us to the ferry and then a garage in Italy.

We'll get it fixed!

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Climbing into the mountains

At least its stopped raining!

Driving in the pouring rain

Off to Italy!

We have left the fantastic Met hotel, Thessalonika, to drive to Igoumenitsa and catch a ferry to Ancona. It is pouring with rain, the wipers are on manual but we do have lights.

We are hurtling along at 80kmph with a stopping distance of , I estimate, a couple of miles!

The route is either direct on the motorway which will take 3 hours or over the mountains which in these conditions is Antibes guess. At 66km we need to make a decision.

Both of us got an early night and a fantastic nights sleep unlike a dedicated team who once again lead by Dom crawled in at about 3am! Thank the lord that I chickened out as we were getting into the taxi!

If we take the mountain route we visit the monasteries of Meteora a truly unbelievable sight. However in this rain it might all be a washout.

RHC

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After a poor lunch by the sea

Still smiling!

Thessalonika

A gentle journey to the Turkish border this morning/ sadly we missed the most entertaining moment of the day when Alstair Caudwell tried to drive his Alpha up the hard shoulder, jumping the queue. Scott and Paddy stood in in his way and told him in very personal terms what they thought of him and that he should return to his rightfully place in the queue. Alistair told Scott that his lack of initiative was why be would never make anything of his
Life! At which point Sess came across and gave Alistair a verbal lashing the likes of which has not been heard on this tour before. What excitement
RHc

Otheqise evrything is gooiv

Other

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Into Europe!

Having had a somewhat depressing day with the car and the weather yesterday today things turned around dramatically. Although not a competitive day today, transiting 340km from one side of Istanbul to the other, the car was humming along beautifully. There really is something very satisfying knowing that the work done yesterday afternoon made a difference. I haven't a clue which bit of the work done worked but something has clearly changed. We have power on the hills and smooth running at speed, none of which we had yesterday.

The Lagonda's in general have had a very tough rally. Ours seized on day 1, Chis Lunn's has been on a transporter for the last week but has returned to the rally today, Nigel Gambier's is on a truck to Istanbul having lost all it's oil pressure (I'm sure that they will get it fixed), the Dutch Lagonda has gone home, a Swiss Lagonda was on a truck in the Stan's but is back with us, leaving I believe only one Lagonda (an LG45) which hasn't been trucked yet!

We crossed over the Bosphorous moving from Asia into Europe, an incredibly satisfying moment.

On arrival at the Klasis Resort Hotel we managed to repair the sunroof, find a welder to repair the headlight bracket, organise an oil change and find some Radweld to repair the radiator, all on a Sunday. If the radiator fix doesn't work we have been told to throw in an egg white!

They said at the beginning that a small minority of teams soak up all the support resources and you really notice it upon arrival at hotel car parks. Some teams are totally self reliant whist others cannot put engine oil in for themselves! James and I have been pretty self reliant, asking advice but more often than not getting on and doing the repair ourselves. There are 200 odd, very strong willed
people here and we're not all going to get on all the time, particularly with different nationalities approaches to queuing!

James is now off to have his hair cut. I think that I will wait until Italy, the choice between and Italian or a Turkish barber is, I believe, a straightforward one.

Tonight out delightful Turkish hosts, the Turkish Motor Federation, is hosting a cocktail party by the pool so it off there for a couple of beverages.

Tomorrow we travel a couple of hundred km to the border with Greece and then we really are into Europe. It's a long day tomorrow in terms of mileage and time trials but thereafter the days seem to be reasonable. 2700km to go, keep everything crossed.

RHC

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Crossing the Bosporus

A fabulous sunny day after four days of rain and an easy 345 kms as we finally hit Europe. We crossed the Bosporus at lunchtime and would have blown our horn in delight if we had one to blow. Now we are in Europe we need to have working lights, wipers, number plates, indicators and horns none of which we have.I wonder how quickly our remaining cash will get used up in fines.Istanbul will have to wait for another time as we had work to do on the car on arrival at Silivri . Ham has definitely lost weight and looks positively ten years younger. Tomorrow we drive to the Greek border and can't wait to see what gifts they have for us. No other excitements and I am off for a Turkish haircut.  

Abant lake - Whose voting for Christmas ?

Turkey is colder than we thought in fact it's snowing. We had a slow day with a real lack of power today. So as we travel past Istanbul tomorrow we. Will know how bad things are. There is much merriment tonight as everyone is getting excited about reaching Eutope. Beer, wine and vodka are much  in evidence.hotel has just hosted the Turkish Socialist party conference and we have replaced them. I am not a big bath man but I had my first bath in 30 days tonight. Norman Wisdom is dead .

To Abant lake

The merry group of misfits left Yozgat at 7.30am to rejoin the rally at Abant lake. We took the direct route on the motorway missing all today's time trials taking us past Anakara.

The car struggled to start but eventually after considerable coxing fired up. The morning was cold but at least dry. That was not to last!

North of Ankara as we reached 1500m it began to snow and we were getting ice on the windscreen. This was not what I was expecting and certainly not what the car enjoyed. We had very limited power particularly on the hills and we are really having to stay on the ball to keep her in 4th. There is so much for the driver to have to think about without worrying about power on the hills. We struggled on all day accompanied loyally by car 39, Alex and Dom, who knew, as we were all off the official route we had no support if something went wrong. The car finally came to a halt in the carpark outside our hotel! Someone was looking after us.

Beer and a sandwich (must keep everything in perspective) was followed by a complete cleanup of the electrics. Cleaned the distributor, changed the rotor arm, removed the filter and found that the lead to the condensor was dirty and loose, cleaned all the spark plug cables (found that a couple were very loose) and ensured that no damp can get into them. All in all a pretty thorough job and she started first. We won't really know whether we have cured the problems until tomorrow but fingers crossed.

And then I spotted that the weld repairing the headlight brackets has snapped. I shall consult Peter Banham the evening. There's always something going on.

This time next week, fingers crossed, James and I will be in Paris. Just 3000km to go now. Mustn't count out chickens!

RHC

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What a day!

We were set the task of driving 730km today in solid rain through mountain passes upto 2300m with 2 time trials. By 8pm this evening only 12cars had arrived at the nominated 'dry' hotel!

As I suggested last might we had developed A cunning plan. Led by Paddy Walker of the now famous 'Paddy Tours' we decide to a. Not do the time trials and b. Go to an entirely different hotel. What a fantastic decision!

It rained all day, not stopping for a moment. Very, very tiring.

I did awake at one point (when I was navigating rather than driving) to find that we were travelling at >100kmph in driving rain, worn tires (we have done >10000km) and 1934 brakes. Not ideal for your blood pressure! The only response I got was 'yes but the road is fantastic' - true in a DBS bit not a Lagonda.

We avoided a route which resulted in numerous crews being absolutely terrified and one crashing. In the meantime another couple of cars crashed on the main road. Mayhem in all directions. We kept resolutely out of all the problems and arrived at 4.30pm this afternoon. About 15 cars joined us and we have had a very jolly evening. More cars are expected to join is over the next few hours.

Tomorrow we have to do 50km on excellent roads against the official route of 50km on tracks! Then it's off up the motorway to our hotel.

All is well with car and tomorrow we will be near Istanbul.

RHC

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A band of renegades in Yozgat.

I think we were worried about the route and so about ten cars went off piste and chose to take the main roads to a place called Yozgat. We are staying at a huge hotel that is completely empty apart from us. A really long day today and it rained all day. Driving now takes three hands , one to steer the car, one to hold fourth gear in place and one to manually use the wipers - so quite a feat when you are driving 660kms. Turkey is proving expensive on fuel but otherwise just very wet. It looks like there has been a lot carnage today rumours and retirements are rife and us merry band of renegades are just happy to be here.

Out of Iran and into Turkey

James and I left early at 05.45am to try and get ahead of the pack for the border crossing from Iran. We had a lovely 300km run on excellent roads to the border. Only one mishap when, just as I said "this Lagonda was made for these conditions" the engine started misfiring! Luckily it was very quickly fixed and the rest of the journey was fault free.

Which cannot be said for the border crossing. We were car 7 at the border and first we joined one queue then were told that we were meant to be in another, then we were back to the first one! In the meantime, even with only 7 cars being in the customs area people cannot hall trying to push in, one car reversing into another - unbelievable. James and I were reasonably calm at this stage. Then the organiser, Philip Young, directed one of the cars to reverse into another one - even more unbelievable.

The cars at this stage were in a queue and noons, irrespective of whether they had the completed paperwork, could move until the car in front moved. It took James and I to organise everyone in order of the cars in the queue and finally things began to move.

Then onto the Turkey side which was even worse. We got our visa stamp, we then went and got the stamp, stamped. Then I needed a stamp for the car which be quad of the traffic when I went to get my visa, was still the other side of the boxer gate. I was able to get the vehicle stamp until the car as the right side of the gate. Well this simply wasn't going to be allowed to happen and the customs man recognised as my volume increased by the second, that this was not a battle he wanted to have and g e me a stamp. In the event it was less than 2 hours which in relative terms was a result.

We had an excellent run to the hotel. Off on 700km run tomorrow. We might try and cut some of it out. We are working on a cunning plan.

RHC
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Beards,stone throwing and beer

Today we moved towards the last leg of our journey.that means we drove 300 kms to the Iranian border spent a mere 2 hours there and then carried on for another 300 to get to Erzerum. Very happy with the hotel as they did my washing in no time at all. Beer for the first time in 3 days and I think there will be merriment tonight. I liked Iran although I may be alone in that view. Great roads and very enthusiastic people. Turkey does not feel a lot different but I am sure it will get more European the further west we travel. It is nice to have mobile coverage again although the petrol prices are simply astronomical. Beards are disappearing fast on the rally - my second effort is not much more than a light covering of wispiness. Here's hoping by Paris it might look like one. Stone throwing is becoming an epidemic over the last three or four days. Normally young boys are the culprits and open top cars their victims - pity really as it colours peoples views of a country. Ham is finally solid and our only problem with the car is fourth gear popping out involuntarily. So we bash on tomorrow with a prospective 700 kms to travel. Hotel is comfortable and as I said earlier will probably get a right seeing to tonight.

An extraordinary evening

Arrived at our rather smart hotel in Iran after an amazing drive form -80m to 2300m altitude. The car doesn't really enjoy the long hard pulls at altitude but not many of the old cars do. It's always coming down which is hairier than going up.

Having got the lights working at last (result!) I was informed tat we asked to attend a presentation and dinner with the vice president of Iran! We arrived and waited and waited to be finally told that the vp wasn't able to make it but that his deputy had come. This was followed by 45 minutes of mutually congratulating speeches by various officials and a 'banquet'. James was the first to slip out followed by about a dozen others including myself. They missed how tired and hungry we all were.

Very strange evening.

Off to Turkey tomorrow, then we will really feel on our way home.

RHC
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Tabriz and the Vice President

Awesome day today. We replaced baldy the wheel with a spare, we managed to get the wipers to work manually and now we have not one bit two headlamps. It rained aggressively as we set off to start a 40 km climb mainly in first gear. That took most of the morning but as we crested the top the sun came out and the most fantastic sweeping roads appeared before us. Perfect for an Aston Martin or some such.We saw stunning scenery and had a great afternoon. Arrived at the hotel to be told we were going with the Iranian car club to meet the Vice President of Iran. I Imagine It must be like an Iranian rally going through the UK to  be told they were meeting John Prescott. Anyhow tomorrow we are driving 300km to the Turkish border and then another 300km to Erzerum. Sounds like an early start.

Tabriz

An extraordinary days driving today through the mountains. James started driving in miserable conditions, raining and mist with manual wipers! Better than mo wipers. We started with a hill climb of approximate 40km winding through a forest. Very steep and slippery, not what a heavy old girl like ours enjoys.

As soon as we hit the summit we were faced with clear blue skies and a beautiful run through the mountains to Tabriz.

Arrived safe and sound 16.30.

RHC

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Driving in Mongolia - like nowhere else on earth

 

Buster Merryweather! Don't panic its all gone

 

Update from Iran

Updates are I’m afraid as rare as access to WiFi which isn’t that frequent and comes after any work required on the car or our tummies (in every sense of the words!)

 

We had a couple of very hot days travelling across Turkmenistan. There are more policemen in Turkmenistan than civilians as far as I could make out. There was absolutely no chance of getting lost since at every junction there was an officer of some kind waving us on. The first day we went through the border to Turkmenabat. Sadly I went down with a dose of d&v, not ideal when sitting in an old car, on appalling roads in 40C. The second day we drove 630km to Ashquabat on the Iranian border. Both days consisted of mile after mile of nothing! Ashquabat is extradordinary, all new buildings made of white marble and new roads, but most of the buildings are empty. The old adage of “build it and they will come” hasn’t quite happened. Sadly I arrived, showered and went to bed of 12 hours. James did try the nightlife but it was fairly quiet.

 

Then off to Iran. The border crossing wasn’t going to be that bad and then all the competitors got involved. The problem of having some 300 very strong willed people all trying to get the same thing. One competitor jumped the line but his co-drivers visa was invalid so everything ground to a halt. Other competitors positioned their cars for a quick exit and blocked in cars whose drivers were able to enter Iran. The whole thing was chaos. James And I were lucky to have left early and been towards the front of the line however we were then blocked in for nearly 2 hours. We had a long drive ahead of us to Gorgan a distance of 510km and we didn’t want to drive it in the dark if possible. It was a fantastic entry into Iran where we were met to great fanfare by the Classic car club of Iran, a delightful team who gave us definitely the best welcome we have received. Then we travelled through beautiful mountains on perfect roads, just what the Lagonda was built for and she didn’t let us down. We didn’t have enough time to complete the journey in daylight and the last hour or so was fairly hairy since the locals often don’t put any lights on at all and the motorcycles are deadly weaving in and out and all around you. Some drivers sensed hostility but we just felt they were slightly mad.

 

Eventually we arrived at our Hotel in Gorgan to be told that the President was visiting Gorgan and had decreed that not westerners were to be allowed to sleep in any hotel. So  despite there being rooms, we weren’t going to be allowed to occupy them! As more and more cars arrived, and teams got more and more tired and dirty people began to get cross, surprisingly not James or I! The first initiative was to occupy the roof and various tents were erected on the roof. We held out, desperate for a shower! Eventually we were allowed to out 5 people per room, and squeezed 6 in to get everyone settled for the nikght. Lots of grumbles as you can imagine but we got a good shower and a good sleep so no complaints from us.

 

Today we left early to drive 630km to beyond Rasht to stay on the Caspian. It was driving through miles and miles of the very worst of Blackpool or Skegee but fascinating none the less. The last hour or so was in the rain, not ideal conditions for an old car with tired tyres, poor windscreen wipers and poor lights. Anyway we made it, even after I confessed to being somewhat nervous of James approach of driving like the locals!

 

This is such a schizophrenic country, such charm and kindness by so many off set by thievery and brutish behaviour by others. I have no doubt that the former is the natural state of the Iranian citizen.

 

I’m having some problems getting my photos onto the pc at the moment so I have posted some earlier ones to keep you amused

 

Off up into the mountains tomorrow to Tabriz and then into Turkey. One feels really on the way home when we get to Turkey. Long days but everyone bring us closer to home and the ones we love.

 

RHC

 

 

The Caspian sea

Today we had rain for the first time.Quite a challenge for us as we careered through Iran.No wipers,one headlight,a bald front tyre and a leaking roof. We drove alongside the Caspian sea all day and yet hardly got a glimpse of it.some of the towns we passed through were a bit like Shepherds Bush. Plenty of buildings but not much style and plenty of people milling around. Everywhere in Iran we have been overwhelmed by people's interest and enthusiasm in us and the cars,mostly friendly and this has been accompanied by some spectacular driving. Last night we arrived at Gorgan a pity really as the President had done the very same. It meant a decree had gone out that banned Westerners from any hotel in the vicinity. Not good for us as we were all exhausted after another day of crossing borders and then having to drive 600 kms.eventually the hotel we were meant to stay at released some rooms and it was six to a room and the floor. Quite comfy in the end. The gossip on the rally is a bit like a constantly moving Coronation street episode. The  gossip is sadly too sensitive for this blog but it is endless and fascinating. Ham has recovered from his travails and feels a little more solid today which is nice. So two
more days in Iran and then we get to Turkey. I plan to have swim in the sea tomorrow and clean some of the filth off.  

Samarkand

A good night out in Samarkand. Out for a local dinner and then onto a club with hip hop dancing small people and belly dancers. A few beers and Uzbeck vodka made for an entertaining evening

A rest day in Samarkand a really beautiful and important City on the Silk Road. James wasn't feeling particularly well this morning but we battled out site seeing. The
Madrassar's are spectacular, the city clean and the locals friendly. It's been a very nice relaxing day. We both decided to do nothing to the car. She's running and let's just hope she continues.

Tomorrow is entirely different. The border crossing into Turkmenistan is going to be testing to say the least. 360km to the border, 40km on the other side into what might be a seriously weird country. Petrol seems to be the problem here in Samarkand let's hope that we can get some tomorrow!

All's well and we motor on.

RHC
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