We Are Leaving Dreckly

A month has passed since our last post and during this time we have been progressing and finalising personal and vehicle paperwork necessary for the journey; new passports, international certificate of motor vehicle, fiches, international driving permits, carnet de passages, inoculations etc.

Proper Job has undergone a thorough check-up by Paul Marsh of Footloose4x4 and is now in the final throes of being ready to ‘hit the road’. When that time arrives, we will go on an accredited Toyota Land Cruiser off-road training course with Proper Job to gain some hands on experience on how she handles and also to practice operating all the equipment such as the winch, recovery gear, roof tent, water purification system, cooker, GPS etc. We will need to complete a basic mechanics and maintenance course at Footloose4x4, complete a first aid course with St Johns Ambulance, carry out an inventory restock and.....finally.....book the ferry tickets to northern Spain.

Found a vehicle !!

Preparing for such a trip takes some months, and for us really kicked into gear once we had secured a suitable overland safari vehicle, which is not that easy to do in the UK. We were fortunate to find and acquire a UK registered Toyota Landcruiser that had just completed a journey from North Africa to South Africa. An added bonus was that previous owners Will and Hannah have given us a lot of helpfull advice on planning and preparation.....so thanks to them both.

We have named our vehicle Proper Job, which, apart from being the name of a super Cornish ale, is a well known and popular local saying.

Proper Job is currently being prepared for the journey by Paul Marsh at Footloose 4x4 in Peterborough. Paul is South African and very experienced and knowledgeable in all matters to do with such travel....and he is a nice bloke as well.

Our plan is to leave the shores of Cornwall in March 2010 and drive through Spain to Gibralter where we will take a ferry to Morocco. From here, our route will generally follow the coast around West Africa and down to South Africa, then returning to Europe via East Africa. The whole trip will likely take approximately 12 months.