| Best day | Every day was special- travelling with kids and seeing their reactions is really satisfying; the reactions of officials and locals are different too; maybe warmer & more welcoming, but certainly with a lot of added interest, jokes & smiles. |
| Worst/ hardest day | We were planning to visit Libya, not Mauritania. But 1 week before departure there was no sign of official invitations (the process was being changed in Libya) so the difficult decision to abandon 6 months of planning & visits to friends was made. |
| Favourite place | Camping amidst natural beauty & isolation near the desert pistes. The kids felt at home and happy everywhere; playing in the sand, finding flint-tools, driving the car themselves, giggling with the local children, helping with repairs and navigation. |
| Biggest headache | Carrying 4 people in a 110 and a motorcycle on the back meant we were carrying a heavy payload. Vehicle preparation wasn't completed until 2am on the morning of departure, so we didn't test the set-up before Africa. Despite the assurances of the suspens |
| Wish I hadn't | Come home so soon! |
| Most pleasant surprise | How the kids adapted to their surroundings so easily and were happy throughout the trip (they usually have lots of arguments!) |
| Any illness | Eldest son caught cryptosporidium & was ill for weeks . Easily avoided with a working water filter. |
| Other trips planned | Yes, but not easy to take time out of education for teenagers. |
| One overlanding tip | Take your kids, they adapt easily to life on the road & accept and enjoy itineraries that adults may baulk at, helping to create a happy, calm & relaxed atmosphere. It can be easy to get time off school for younger children, especially when it is requeste |
| Type of Vehicle | Land Rover Defender 110 CSW 300TDi |
| Age/ mileage on departure | 8 years old at least 85,000 miles (although signs of higher mileage than on the clock) |
| Modifications | Internal double bed over load-bay, brownchurch boarded roofrack & shower water-filter, aux. battery, internal storage for 4 water jerries, front psp & hi-lift carrier, 2nd spare wheel, xr650r on custom motorcycle rack on back- with bashplate, hinged and d |
| Most useful accessory | Puncture patches- |
| Mods you wish you'd done | A roll-cage; as we nearly had a bad accident dropping into an unexpected oued at speed near Atar. Front diff-guard; as I dented the diff at 2mph having forgotten that I parked by a rock. Adding an 'O' ring to the water-filter candle, to prevent it chaf |
| Tyres used | Avon Rangemaster 750 15 |
| Number of punctures | |