Video Is Finished!

We had the official video viewing last night, and it was good to get the gang back together and remember the great time we had back in April.

The video is here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtXESAKSvp4&feature=related for part 1 (10 mins), and part two (also 10 mins) is linked right beside it. ( http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=G-qLJ78H9gk&feature=related)

Just as a warning to those of a more sensitive disposition, the video contains one f-word, several buttocks, a middle-finger salute, and blokes relieving themselves by the roadside (well, when you've gotta go...). Disturbingly, the vid also shows a certain member of the team in his birthday suit - but I've pixellated it as best as I could to protect us all.

Please leave comments on the vid - would be great to hear from you!

Photos!

Here's a selection of pics from the trip - you can click on each one to make it bigger.

http://www.pixagogo.com/5894024125

With the weather being like it is, I'll probably get started on the video this weekend.

Where did we go?

As it's quite hard to visualize where we went, I thought it might be good to give you a bit more clarification - after all, if we didn't know what country we were in, what chance did you have?

Our stop-overs were:

Brussels
Innsbruck (where we left the van on day 3)
Portogruaro (we couldn't quite make it to Trieste, having said farewell to the van in the morning)
Bratislava
Prague
Koln
Amsterdam
..and so much in between.

Here's a map to get your bearings - it might not be that clear, but if you click on it, you should get a bigger version.




Other stats:

- We travelled just under/over 2,700 miles (the speedos on the BMW and Jag don't seem to agree!)
- Both cars averaged around 30mpg at the beginning, but after we ditched the van (i.e. went over 60mph) and took a trip through the mountains, this levelled out at around 26/27 mpg. Not bad for a couple of old girls.
- 13 countries
- 4.5 tanks of fuel (at approx £80 per tank)

- One or two beers

A Triumphant Return

As most of you will know by now, we made it back to Rickmansworth last night just after 8pm , after the final leg of our journey from Amsterdam that morning.

The night before had been a great ending to a fantastic trip, and definitely the best place to end on. After settling in to our accommodation we hit the town, starting with a funfair ride and ending up in a gay bar. Not sure how we accomplished that, but needless to say it was a great night in a great city.

Our drive back across the north of France to Calais was fairly uneventful, and we booked ourselves into the Club Lounge aboard the ferry, thanks to the deal Helen had struck with P&O. The Club Lounge allowed us free champagne, coffee and newspapers, and was altogether a more civilised way of crossing the channel.

At Dover, we climbed into the cars for the last time on the trip, headed for home after what seemed like weeks away. Two hours later, we pulled into Batchworth scout hut for a fantastic suprise reception, organised by friends and family. Drinks, food, music, a specially made cake and a sing song had some of the boys (myself included) feeling a little emotional. Not least because we were treated like heroes, having had one of the best holidays of our lives. We may just have got away with the greatest scam of the century. Still, by the time we add up the money collected through the website, and the other amounts pledged offline we may be hitting close to £20,000 for Christies, which makes us feel a little less guilty.

We toasted the loss of the van several times during the trip, but there are loads of people who have helped out immeasurably both before we left and along the way who also deserve a huge 'toast' to say thank you. In no particular order, and praying that I've missed no-one out, we'd personally like to thank the following people for making the trip what it was:

- Helen Webb for leaving Quent in our hands for a week, and doing all our publicity
- Chris Gordon for giving us the van, and his support with its resurrection
- Barry and Angela Schnabel for the accommodation in Brussels, and the loan of what proved to be indispensible guide books
- Marion Patterson for our lunch on day 1
- Jason and the boys for their work on the van to get it through MOT
- Our reception committee last night - what a fantastic surprise, and thanks so much for a great treat upon our return
- P&O for our free return crossings
- 8build and NGK for their support
- And, of course, everyone who sponsored us or supported us in any way.

So what now? Well, the BMW looks like being Richard's new company car - it ran without a hitch and has proved itself as a reliable workhorse. The Jag is a bit the worse for wear - something needs doing on the brakes, but we're not sure what. The engine seems fine, so hopefully we can sell it on. Both cars hopefully will be at the Rickmansworth May Fair to try and raise a bit more cash.

And the van? It's a sad ending to what looked like a promising 'phoenix from the flames' story, but unfortunately it will be scrapped in Austria. Hopefully we'll get some of our gear from the back returned to us, but we're not sure at this stage.

We'll be getting together all our photos at some point in the near future and let you know where you can view them. We'll also put together a ten minute video of the trip, which will also be available online, so watch this space.

Same time next year?

No-burgring

All the way to the Nurburgring, we were debating whether to take the Jag on the circuit. It’s driving fine, but there’s a few warning lights which pop up every now and then, and the brakes have softened somewhat since crossing the mountains. An unscheduled emergency braking manoeuvre didn’t help matters, and when the steering column collapsed into the dashboard we thought it was some kind of irreversible safety mechanism. Turns out the steering column adjustment lever is just a bit loose.

All in all, these factors, coupled with my [Ed’s] paranoia about getting the car home, meant that we would have to drive it very slowly round the racetrack in order to be able to also drive it back home to the UK in one piece.

We pulled up to the Nurburgring and found to our disappointment that the decision was taken out of our hands, as the track was unfortunately closed to the public. There were, however, a few test cars belting it round the track at well over 150mph. Therefore we’ve come to the conclusion that it’s probably a good thing that a couple of twenty-year-old saloons driven by a bunch of muppets weren’t pootling round the circuit getting everyone’s way.

We had a drink in the bar, and then set off for our next overnight stop in Koln (Cologne) in western Germany, just an hour north of the Nurburgring. As per the usual routine, we phoned ahead and got rooms in a basic hostel and parked the cars up.

For once, we weren’t under pressure for an early night, as our drive the next day would only be three hours. So we grabbed the playing cards and set out to a beer house for some home-brewed beer and traditional sausages of varying shapes and sizes. We made it through most the bars in Koln, and the last of us got in at 4am, so not bad going.

Unfortunately the next morning a couple of us had to get up at 8.30 to move the cars, and not remembering where we had parked them the day before proved to be a bit of a handicap. When we eventually found them, we topped up the parking for another couple of hours to give us time to grab some breakfast and soak up a bit of culture in the form of Koln cathedral. After what seemed like a thousand steps up the tower, we were rewarded with a fairly mediocre view of the city, armed with the knowledge that we then had to walk all the way down again.

We left Koln at about midday, and have journeyed north to our 13th country – Holland. We’ve got a sort of apartment in central Amsterdam, rented from a very dodgy looking bloke, and are just catching up on our personal hygiene before hitting the town.

Tomorrow (Saturday), we are hoping to be back at the Batchworth scout hut at around 8pm, so if anyone’s around to see our triumphant return, we’d love to see you.

The great news tonight is that we’ve hit our (much extended) target of £10,000!!! Thanks a million for all the donations – who’d have thought that such a ridiculous idea could be so much fun and raise so much money. Considering our original target was £2,500, we can say that this has been well and truly smashed. Talking of which, we’re off now to grab a beer or two.

Thursday 17th April

We left Bratislava behind us yesterday morning and set off for Prague, with the idea of getting there early enough to have a look round the city. Miracle of miracles, we actually organised ourselves reasonably well, and got to our hostel in the city centre in plenty of time to have a quick walk around. We were even jammy enough to find two parking spaces next to each other right in front of the hostels.

I have to say, we can’t believe the luck we’ve had with accommodation so far - we’ve phoned ahead on the same day and always got space in pretty good hostels, in great locations, and always at bargain price. Not bad considering we are essentially flying by the seat of our pants.

It was refreshing to actually get to a city with a few daylight hours left for exploration, and Prague was probably the best place on the trip so far to do this. A quick stroll from the hostel and we found ourselves in the main square having a ‘snack’ of ribs, chips, goulash soup and garlic soup (one of Bob’s favourites). We even managed to take in a Salvador Dali exhibition – how cultured are we?

Knowing we had a long drive ahead of us the next day, we opted for an early night - no, really. We settled in to the bar next to the hostel and had a few pizzas and a couple of games of cards – our own version of “S***head” for those of you who know the game. For those of you who don’t know the game, trust me, you don’t want to lose. Bob managed to lose again, resulting in much humiliation from the rest of us. Quent seems to have escaped losing at cards and he’s normally tucked up in bed a lot earlier than us – but we’ve recognised his tactics and are determined to stitch him up at some point. Somewhat incredibly, we got ourselves into bed by about 11pm, in preparation for today’s six hour drive out through the Czech Republic and across most of Germany.

The Czech Republic was our 12th country, so we’ve achieved part of our mission. We’re planning on going to Amsterdam tomorrow, but wives and girlfriends should know that we’re only doing this to notch up another country, and not for any other reason whatsoever.

Another part of our original plan was to drive a couple of laps round the Nurburgring in Germany, and that’s where we’re heading now. In case you don’t know, it’s basically a racetrack open to the public. Well, having lost the van we were relying on the two cars completing this part of the challenge but at this stage we’re not too sure about the Jag. If we do take it round it would have to be a very sedate lap (the professionals can do it in under seven minutes, so we’re thinking about half an hour should do it). The BMW is looking a little low at the back, but we’re more confident that it will get round. Don’t worry, we’ll be sensible whatever decision we make.

Two important milestones today. Firstly, by the end of today we’ll have travelled 2,000 miles since leaving Rickmansworth. Secondly, and more importantly, we have raised over £9,500 for Christie’s – just £500 off our target. Fantastic news, and thanks so much again for your donations. It makes us feel less guilty about having a good time knowing that it’s all for a good cause.

An Early Night

Despite our best intentions of having a short day's drive yesterday, we didn't get to Bratislava until 8.00pm. We arrived at our 'cruise ship' to find that it was slightly less luxurious than we had expected - turns out it's basically a base for stag dos. Still, it's clean and a great location for the town.

We thought we would pop out for a quick bite to eat and come back for an early night, as we'd promised ourselves the night before. All tucked in bed at 3am, so didn't quite achieve our goal. There seems to be a pattern emerging here.

We're just having breakfast in the 'ballroom' of our 'cruise ship', consisting of watered down orange juice and very dodgy looking frankfurters of varying sizes. The plan today is to do a short drive to Prague in the Czech Republic, and arrive at around lunchtime to give us a chance to enjoy the city sights in the afternoon.

Both cars still running well, and all having a great time - seems like we've been away for ages.

Money raised to date has nearly topped £9,000 - it would be great to rally round and see if we can get to our target of £10,000 by the time we get back - what do you reckon? Keep the comments coming, we love reading them out to each other in the cars.

Mountain Passes

Yesterday was a fairly long day – having left Innsbruck in the early afternoon, we stuck to our plan for a scenic route to Trieste through the Dolomites. We were rewarded with one of the best drives yet, with hairpin bends to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, and truly spectacular scenery. From the warmth of the valleys to the freezing, snow covered peaks, we enjoyed every minute.

The drive took its toll a little on the Jag – we seem to have picked a couple of transmission noises and a strange clunk. Also, the brake discs were pretty hot from all the downhill sections, and we lost a mudflap bottoming out with the extra weight in the car, but all seems to be running ok.

We didn’t quite make Trieste, but stopped off in a town called Portogruaro, still in Italy. As we arrived late and hadn’t booked anywhere for the night, we drove around for a while before settling on a cheeky little three star hotel. Because we are a little tired we opted for a quick bite to eat and an early night.

After several beers, a few glasses of wine and a limoncello we sat down for a game of cards and got to bed just before 2.30am. So much for self-discipline. Tonight we’re really going to get an early night, although Bob lost at cards last night and will be looking to redeem himself.

Some more news on the Chevy is that the insurance company have sent us mixed messages about repatriating the van. As things stand, it’s going to cost them too much and they won’t pay anything towards getting it back to the UK, although they might ship back the gear we have left in the back of it. On the bright side, we’re saving around £600 worth of fuel by not driving it round the whole route, so that’s something good we can take out of the situation.

As for today, we’re making excellent progress, and have left Italy for Slovenia. We stopped for lunch in what we think is the capital, Ljubljana, which turned out to be a very pleasant town indeed. We are now en route to Bratislava in Slovakia, where we’ve splashed out on cabins aboard an old cruise boat moored up on the river.

The cars are holding up fine, although the BMW is looking a little low at the back, and the Jag is showing signs of wear and tear. Today the cruise control stopped working, and Quent started formulating a plan whereby he could wire it up to his laptop and control the speed from that. Better still, we even discussed figuring out a way for folk back home to control the speed from their PCs there. Knowing Quent he might just succeed in his Jaguar modifications, although if he gets his hands on it, I’m concerned we’ll pull in to Dover and the doors and wheels will fall off.

Chevy News

It’s Monday afternoon, and we’ve had a fairly eventful 24 hours.

The van was getting through water at a rate of about 10 litres every 20 minutes, with steam coming out of the exhaust like Stephenson’s Rocket. It wasn’t looking good, but at least it was still running. Progress was slow though, and the BMW went on ahead to check in to our hostel in Innsbruck (Austria). The van and the Jag arrived an hour later at around 9.30 pm. It had been a long day – much of it spent by the roadside.

After much discussion over a curry last night, we decided to make two calls this morning. One to the American car specialist in the UK for some advice, and one to the breakdown service in the UK to put them on standby.

The news from the first call wasn’t good, and the over-the-phone diagnosis was that one or both cylinder heads would most likely be cracked. Getting parts and getting the repairs done over here is something that would take days if not weeks. We discussed all the options, including taking the engine apart to check the damage, and even buying another old banger over here and continuing in that. With a heavy heart, Quent phoned the breakdown service.

Within the hour, the van was on the back of a truck, and most of the kit transferred to the two cars. The insurance company have confirmed that the van can be repatriated back to the UK, and so today at lunch in a café in the centre of Innsbruck, we raised a glass to the loss of our dear Chevy Van.

We’re now heading through the Alps for Trieste in country number nine – Italy. Spirits have only been dampened slightly, and we are all still on good form and looking forward to the rest of our trip. The BMW and Jag are running smoothly, and are admirably coping with the extra responsibility resting on their shoulders.

Another Stop

Just a quick one on the move:

The van started making more ominous noises after Zurich, so we pulled off the motorway for a better look. Looked pretty serious, so we found a layby off a side road and settled down for lunch to let the engine cool down and assess the situation.

We think the head gasket has gone, which means water is getting into the engine itself, resulting in steam coming out of the exhaust. We're now limping along at 50mph, stopping every 20 mins to refill the water system. Our thoughts right now are that it's terminal, but we're soldiering on regardless.

All in high spirits though, and still having a great drive in fantastic Alpine scenery. We've just entered our eighth country, Austria. But we haven't seen any kangaroos yet.

Strange Noises

Considering the fact that we have done minimal planning for our route, yesterday went like clockwork – which is appropriate because we made it to Switzerland in the early evening. We had stopped for lunch in Luxembourg, and before setting off we phoned ahead and booked a night in the local Youth Hostel in Basel.

They said that there was space for all of us in one dormitory, but would we mind sharing with one other bloke. Fine by us, but we felt sorry for the other guy having to share with seven rowdy lads. We turned up at around 8.00pm, and went straight out for a few beers in Basel, which started off fairly sedately and culminated in – amongst other things - a conversation with a couple of transvestites, an ejection from a bar, and a jump in the town fountain.

This morning we got up at reasonable time, had a breakfast of cereal with hot milk (!) and set off through Switzerland headed for lunch in Leichtenstein, but had a bit of a mechanical problem en route. To date, the biggest problems we’ve had are a broken glove box in the Jag, a leak from the van which turned out to be the water bottle fallen over in the back, and a gas problem in the BMW (although this is more of a problem with the occupants than the car itself).

Today we had our first real breakdown. Quent came on the radio saying he was losing voltage (i.e. the battery wasn’t being charged). Despite a potential loss of power, he of course insisted on keeping the stereo on. Things were looking ok until the van reported a ‘strange sound’ coming from the engine. We pulled over in Zurich and popped the hood to take a look.

The water in the engine was overheating severely, and the strange noise was the header tank banging against the side of the engine bay with the ferocity of the boiling water inside it. It took about 10 minutes to stop, in which time we discovered the fan belt had snapped which was the cause of all the problems.

While Quent got under the van to replace the fan belt (miracle that he brought one), James got the stove out and brewed up a cuppa. John even produced a box of Milk Tray to make the whole event very civilized.

Back on the road now, should be able to stop for lunch in the mountains, before heading on to who knows where.

On The Road!

So here we are – our first blog on the road. We tried doing this last night on my mobile phone, but it has decided to stop working. Good timing that. This is being uploaded from the back of the Jag, so we’re still pretty switched on.

All is going well, but things didn’t exactly go smoothly from the start. Our convoy broke up before we even got on the motorway, and the BMW had to break off en route to collect one of the guys. With fuel stops as well (one every 10 minutes for the Chevy), we found ourselves leap-frogging each other all the way to Dover, phoning each other along the way because we hadn’t sorted out the radios yet, and no-one knew where each of the others were.

The Jag got to Dover with about 30 mins to spare, and the Chevy van shortly after. A quick search of the van by customs (no cavity searches thankfully), and we were both through check in. Puzzled as to why the BMW had not yet arrived when it had been miles ahead of us on the motorway, we phoned Rich.

Turns out he was still going round the M25, and only realized he had gone too far when he saw signs for Gatwick. He put the BMW through its paces and got to Dover with minutes to spare. As it turns out, the ferry was late departing, so we had a bit of time to put our decals on the vehicles – we’re now fully kitted out with 8build, NGK and Christie’s stickers.

After a very sedate crossing with cups of tea instead of beers for the drivers, we disembarked at Calais only to lose the Chevy for about 15 mins. There’s a trend developing here. No worries though, as we settled into convoy for the first time and cruised for a few hours through to Brussels. The Chevy seems most comfortable at 59mph, so it took a little longer than expected.

We arrived at Ed’s in-laws’ flat at around 3.30am, cracked open a few beers and put our heads down at 4.30. Bacon and egg butties this morning saw us off, and we’re now on the road to Luxembourg for lunch. Hopefully we hit Basel in Switzerland this evening, although we haven’t got any idea where we are staying or even if we’ll get there before sundown.

And they're off....

...well, in about an hour anyway. I'm expecting this to be our last blog from the UK - all being well the next one will be on the move using all sorts of modern gadgets.

It's all gone a bit quiet - a couple of phone calls here and there, a dash out to get power steering fluid, mineral oil (whaveter that does) and a few other bits and pieces, but otherwise it's like the quiet before the storm.

Just downloading the European maps for our Sat Nav now. Hmm - looking a bit tight actually, may not get it done in time. Hopefully the others have managed to sort theirs out, or we'll be in Albania before the week's out.

So this is it then. Wish us luck - see you when we get back.

Yikes!

So the day is here. Seven hours to departure.

We leave this afternoon from Batchworth Scout Hut in Rickmansworth at 5.00pm sharp. I say 5.00pm, but judging by last night's 'planning meeting' in the pub, I'm ever so slightly doubtful of that.

Four of us managed to get together last night for a last minute catch-up. A few beers and a lot of Twiglets later, Quent is still debating whether to bring a two-burner stove, gas bottle and full set of pots and pans. We had a brief discussion about whether to fit the stereo in the van before we go, or on the motorway on the way down to the port. We also discussed what air horns would suit the van best, whether we should attach a full PA system to the roof, and what 'outfits' each set of drivers should wear. I think Quent is going to be BA Baracus. As you can see, all the important stuff is well and truly covered off.

Great news yesterday though - we've had last minute word from our friends at P&O that we've been given three return trips completely FREE. We left it a bit late, but they turned around our request in record time and came through with their 'ferry' generous offer yesterday. So huge thanks to P&O for helping us to and from the continent!

Right, I'm off to give the Jag a once-over. Still something leaking from the bottom, and the power steering is groaning ominously.

The Team

It occurred to me that many of you don't know some of the team taking part in the European Odyssey. Allow me to introduce your drivers:

Quentin Webb

Age: Old enough to know better
Occupation: Occupations data engineer (– excuse me?)
Special talent: Taking things apart
Most likely to: Get himself into (and out of) a sticky situation
Last seen: Dangling from a rope somewhere

Bob McCaffrey

Age: Told the reporter he was 34, but add a few on to that.
Star sign: Ferret
Occupation: Self Employed Blind Fitter (cue gags)
Most likely to say: "I'm not doing that just because you tell me to"
Most likely to: Succumb to a challenge set by the rest of the team, just because they tell him to.

Richard Patterson

Age: 36 ½
Occupation: Sells spectromagneto-fluxcapacitational spirographs – and test tubes.
Special talent: Can sprout a light fitting from the top of his head at will
Star sign: Guinness
Most likely to: Blow the back window of the BMW out with his 1000w subwoofer

Tim Gowing

Age: 26
Star Sign: Mountain Goat
Occupation: Market research (questions, questions)
Special talent: Hedgehog Wrestling – South West Herts Silver Medallist 1997
Most likely to: Finish the route on a bike when the van breaks down

Jon Wall

Age: 23
Star Sign: McLovin
Occupation: IT Recruitment
Special talent: Spoon bending
Favourite drink: Baileys and Lemonade
Most likely to: Break the Slovakian ladies' hearts

Ed Sylvester

Age: 34, but looks a few years older

Star Sign: Vertigo
Occupation: Something to do with the Internet - no-one really knows.
Special talent: Annoying people
Most likely to: Annoy people

James Pratt

Age: Twentysomething
Star Sign: Penguin
Occupation:Something to do with the law
Special talent: The Law
Most likely to say: “It’s perfectly legal to dance naked in Hungarian pubs”

Most likely to: Misinterpret Hungarian law and get us all locked up

Final Countdown

News from the van since passing MOT is that, although it hasn't been tested above 50mph, it drives well and is a bit of a head turner. We expect nothing less throughout Europe.

The BMW had a pretty extensive service this week, and in particular has had the brakes seen to so that they...err..work.

The Jag is being driven down to the pub tonight.

Now, as we all know, the chances of all three of these behemoths getting round the whole route without a hitch is slim to say the least. We're hoping that our tool kit will help us out in times of need, but we've also had some unconventional tips for running repairs, such as; "If the radiator springs a leak you've got to put raw eggs in it," and "If a radiator hose goes, you wrap it in electrical insulation tape, then wrap that in a bit of fence wire".

I myself am very proud to have repaired a leaky water hose with one of those abel-label address stickers.

What we need now is your repair tips, sane or otherwise. Please feel free to post a comment below (click on 'Comments' under the map) and let us know how to get out of a sticky situation. You never know, we might just need it!

And here's the route map again for those who missed it:

A [seven] Grand Effort

Just checked the fund raising site, and thanks to the latest donation by 8build (and all the donations before it of course), we've just tipped over the £7,000 mark.

Thanks so much again to everyone again for donations big and small.

The European Odyssey Team

The Van That Can

As one of the boys put it, it was looking like we might have a 'Chevy chase' around Europe - dashing from border to border in a 'Smokey And The Bandit' style, to evade police capture for having no MOT on the van.

As much of an adventure as this would have been, I'm happy to report that the van PASSED its MOT test yesterday, and we are ready to roll on to the ferry (assuming we get as far as the port.)

We now have, ooh, about three days to road test the van - the first time it's driven more than a mile in a couple of years. Fingers crosssed! [this might have to be the motto for the trip]

Team Photo

Christie's

Just take a second to find out a bit more about Christie's - the press release about the trip is here: http://www.christies.org/press/2008/310308.aspx , and the main website is here: http://www.christies.org/ .

And if you haven't already donated to the cause, feel free to click here: http://www.justgiving.com/european_odyssey

All these links are to the right of the blog.

We're now £100 off £5,000, which is absolutely fantastic - thanks again for your continued support!

Spread the news

Here's proof that spreading the word counts for something. I took the Jag (and the 6 spare wheels) up to Croxley Tyres, and got them to do a final check that we have enough good ones to get us round. I know, you're sick of hearing about Jaguar tyres by now, but there's a point.

When I explained what we were doing in the Jag he said "Oh yes - I read all about that in the Watford Observer!". So our page 11 coverage in the local rag has paid off - the garage charged me nothing in the spirit of charity, and even gave me the paper to take away! So, big thanks to Croxley Tyres, New Road, Croxley Green.

On the way back, I stopped off where the boys are doing the work on the van. It really is like something out of the A-Team. Most of the suspension has been taken apart, and our trusty mechanic was up to his arms in it. With the help of a truckload of tools, I'm expecting them to come up with a contraption to fire cabbages at the bad guys (without killing any of them of course). It seemed to be going fairly well, so I left them to it just as the rain started.

Tyred and Disjointed

In true 'winging it' style, the Chevy boys seem to have everything in hand, and we have a glimmer of hope for the van. To quote Quent, we're now "...talking about using a blowtorch to separate the ball joint from the chassis, and using a hydraulic press to put the new one in." If that means anything to you, then you're welcome on the trip as team mechanic.

In short, ball joints bushes and swinging arms are all being pressed into place over the weekend, and the van is booked in for its MOT retest on Monday. If the van passes the test, there's a whole four days of roadtesting. Nothing like cutting it fine.

Bit of success with the Jag tyres - collected my eBay purchase last night from somewhere a long way away, and the guys gave me six wheels in total. Two very good tyres, and two okay ones. We now have a total of 11 wheels/tyres to pick out the best four for the car, and two spares (not taking any chances -there's no chance of getting hold of these on the continent).

Slight hitch with the breakdown cover. The idea was for one of us to ring up and extend our RAC/AA cover to the continent. We thought there might be a £20 supplement or something reasonably trivial, and that one person could be covered across all three vehicles. Simple. However, the vehicles themselves need to be covered, and because of their age and the countries we're visiting, it's looking at around £85 per car. The Chevy came up with "Cannot quote online, call us for a quote", which isn't encouraging.

Good news though - we have accommodation set up for our first night. My parents-in-law have very kindly offered us their apartment for the Friday night, just outside Brussels. It's about 2 hours from Calais, so we reckon we'll get there around midnight on the Friday. This would set us up with a great starting point on the Saturday morning.

Chevy ..or not Chevy

That certainly is the question at the moment. We're 10 days from departure, and really getting close to the wire with the Chevy van.

Remember, this is a van which has had 10 owners in the last 10 years, and has been sitting in a field for the last 12 months. Before then it was used for pulling ski boats in and out of lakes. So it was always going to be touch and go to get it running, yet alone MOT'd and halfway round Europe.

The boys have put so much time in to it, in readiness for its MOT on Monday. Not content with being too wide for the tow truck a few weeks back, we now discover it's too big for the MOT bay at Ricky Service Station. So MOT was postponed until today.

It failed - I think we all expected that - but it's not dead in the water just yet. A few minor bits and pieces such as adjusting the headlamps and securing the passenger seat, but also a few more critical issues such as suspension, for which we'll need to get it booked in with an American import specialist. Naturally, the only one in Watford can't fit us in until after our departure date, so we're now frantically trying to find alternatives.

It's a blow at this stage, as we desperately want the van to come on the trip. We had the Jag, BMW and Chevy all together for the first time on Monday for a photo shoot for the local rag, and they look fantastic together.

So, the British and German contingent are ready to battle it out. Can the Americans enter the fray at the 11th hour?

Plan C

Hopefully the Chevy van will sail through MOT on Monday, but just in case it doesn't - meet plan C, my trusty Escort.

Rubbery jubbly

Good news: Got a tyre for the Jag off eBay for £40. Woohoo!

Bad news: Something's leaking out of the bottom of the car on to the driveway :-(

Rolling, rolling, rolling...

The cash just keeps on rolling in, and we're less than £100 off £4,000. Thanks so much again to everyone who's donated so far.

For those who haven't donated, please see what you can spare - remember every single penny goes to Christie's. The whole cost of the trip is funded out of our own pockets (cars, insurance petrol, accommodation - the lot), so there's no 'expenses' to be taken out.

Thanks again!

Knowdedge is knowing tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in your fruit salad.

Things are coming along nicely.

The Chevy van is booked in for an MOT on Monday. One possible failure is the dodgy looking shock absorber bushes, but a reliable source informs us that if we 'cover them in mud' we'll probably be ok.

The quest to find a spare tyre for the Jag could be successful in about an hour, when an eBay listing ends. Hoping to pick up a bargain there.

More importantly for now, we had another meeting on Thursday night with most of us there. Unfortunately Bob couldn't make it, so in his absence we allocated him loads of jobs to do. Sure he won't mind.

True to form the meeting was in the pub, with pints and burgers and loads of lad chat. Oh, and we talked about the trip too - we even took minutes. None of this back of a matchbox stuff, that would be incredibly amateur. No, we're professionals. Our minutes are on the back of an envelope (see pic to the left if you dare doubt our organisational skills).

We've now established a more detailed route, with specific towns along the way as checkpoints. The method behind this was very scientific - we looked at a map and shouted out towns with funny sounding names. Still, it's a base for the journey, and we're going to have to be flexible along the way anyway.

We've agreed that we need three vehicles no matter what, so if the van doesn't make it, we take plan C (the Escort). We've also agreed that camping by the roadside is not a great idea due to sanitary and safety concerns - nowhere to poo, and a good chance of getting 'moved on' by the locals. We're taking tents and sleeping bags just in case, but we've decided to try and book B&Bs in advance day by day, depending on how far we get.

There's more to think about, such as: tools, spares, radios, breakdown cover, insurance, power invertors (don't ask), jump leads, oil, a stove, cameras etc. Rest assured we have this all in hand now.

I Love It When A Plan Comes Together...

...famous words of Hannibal from the A-Team after sitting in a shed for an afternoon with various power tools and making a beast of a machine out of a pile of scrap. Could we emulate this with the Chevy van? Maybe...just maybe.

The boys worked hard on it over the weekend, and while it's a long way off roadworthy, it's also a long way off the scrap heap. Jon and Tim have managed to source some professional mechanical help and even managed to blag a free MOT from Ricky Service Station. Whether they can get it through...another matter. Watch this space.

The wheels I bought for the Jag, although very nice, don't actually fit. Bugger. Back to square one and spending hours on eBay looking for 'metric' tyres. They're as rare as rocking horse poo, and more expensive (I guess). A glimmer of hope in that the local tyre dealer in Ricky has said that all the tyres are actually ok, but also confirmed that if we need a replacement in Europe we'd have better luck hitching a ride to the moon. The search continues. (Size 220 65 390 in case you happen to have a couple lying around your shed/garage.)

The good news is that we have another meeting tonight. Not sure if we'll have full attendance, but we're getting down to business now, so after tonight we should all be busy little bunnies with a long list of jobs we should have done several weeks ago.

Another update in the next couple of days.

Where Are we Going?

Well, it appears we have a plan of sorts. Open up a map of Europe, start at London, and draw sort of circle to the South East. That's our route. And that's pretty much our methodology too.

The pic's pretty big, so give it a while to download if you're planning on inspecting it more thoroughly.

The black route is our 12 country route: England (bit of a cheat that one), France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Leichtenstein (should be through there in about half an hour), Italy, Slovenia, Austria, Czech Republic, Germany and Netherlands. If we get time - or if the cars are still running - we'll try for the red route, which adds Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland to the tally.

We're ramping up the activity now (well, you'd think so with only three weeks to go wouldn't you?). Jon has secured some publicity in the Watford Observer (we're going big time baby!), and we're having some pics taken for the article in a couple of weeks. Watch this space.

The boys have also been busy trying to resurrect the Chevy Van. They arranged a recovery truck to pick it up from its field, but the Chevy was 6 inches too wide to fit on the back, so it remains in Reading awaiting plan B. If we can get it back to Herts, we have plenty of manpower waiting to work on it, so we'll see how we get on. It's still a long way off being roadworthy, so there is also a plan C.

Plan C is my 1997 Ford Escort LX, ready to step up to the challenge if we need a third vehicle at short notice. Not quite a luxury motor, I know, but I got it off eBay for £260, so it's within the '£500 rule'. And let's face it, it's probably more likely to get round Europe than the Jag.

Speaking of the Jag, we've had tyre trouble. The old wheels have 'metric' tyres, which are notoriously hard to get hold of and very expensive (£150!!), and three of them aren't great. So we've bought a set of imperial wheels off eBay with three good tyres for a paltry £50. Whether they fit or not, we've yet to see. If they do, we need two of those and we're pretty much set to go. The stereo has been fitted and speakers rewired, and although the engine's a bit lumpy, it seems to go alright, so fingers crossed.

The BMW should by now be fitted with its monster 1000w amplifier (you can tell where our priorities are can't you?), so at least if the engine starts to fall apart no-one will be able to hear it ove rthe stereo. Rich is apparently very attached to the beamer, and drives it everywhere he goes. Rumour has it that at night he pops down to the garage and sleeps on the back seat. It's a lovely relationship.

Stick with us

What's happening? Well - we all got a some bargain stereo equipment from Rich's brother at Kenwood, so we're busy over the next week or two fitting speakers and amps to the cars. Well we have to get our priorities right don't we?

Quent's bought a new head unit and four speakers - despite not having a vehicle on the road just yet. Well, we all know he's a failry optimistic chap.

Just to say apologies for the lack of postings on the blog. The truth is, we have nothing much to blog about at the moment. Please stick with us - as the departure date approaches we'll have much more to impart, hopefully with routes, updates on the cars etc.

Some would say that we're disorganised, but I'd say we're keeping everything loose for the moment. No doubt we'll be frantic in a week or two. Watch this space.

Two Grand

We broke the £2,000 barrier on our sponsorship yesterday - thanks so much to all who have sponsored us so far.

To those of you asking - yes, we will be taking cameras and video cameras and also trying to update the blog on a daily basis as we set off on our folly. If only our cars were as technologically advanced as we are.

Jag-tastic

I'm very pleased to report that the Jag passed its first test last night, and completed a 250 mile round trip to Salisbury without a hitch. We cruised comfortably at 80, doing a reasonable 25 mpg - not too bad for an old girl. On the way back, we even had a little Talk Radio just to help me stay awake - all this comfort makes for a very relaxing drive.

More pub chats

Lads chatting in the pub is a dangerous thing. We never really grow out of our childish ideas, and now we have a bit of money in our pockets and a driving licence we are a liability to ourselves.

So what better way to continue the plans for the trip than another meeting in the pub? Spreadsheets, maps, timetables, detailed costings and itineraries. None of that rubbish - a pint of beer, a mouth, and an unrealistic notion of what's possible are all you need these days.

So Bob, Rich, Tim and Jon (four of the six) met up on Wednesday just to go over the general idea of what's in store. After all, a general idea is all we have at the moment. I wasn't there, but as I understand it we've assigned everyone jobs - route planning, booking the channel crossing, checking into visas/danger zones etc etc. On the subject of danger zones - one of the original ideas was to travel to Albania, but we recently heard stories about it been one of the most lawless places on planet Earth, so have struck it off our 'must go there' list.

News on the cars. The BMW, much to everyone's suprise, has sailed through MOT and is the clear contender to make it back in one piece. The Jag still has a few rattles and shakes to sort out, but is still cruising nicely. It's set for it's first 'long' trip to Winchester tomorrow evening. If I don't make it back from Winchester then we don't stand a cat in hell's chance of escaping the Albanians.

Shall I compare thee to a 1981 Chevy Day Van?

Let's be honest here - the original idea of this foolish escapade was simply a big lads' jolly, loosely inspired by Ewan McGregor's 'Long Way Down'. However, we are all pretending to be grown-ups now, and what better way to appear grown-up than to raise money for charity - Christie's in Manchester in our case.

For those who don't know, our very good friend Quentin was diagnosed with cancer in October 2006, and wasn't given a great deal of hope at the time. To cut a long story short (see 'Webb-blog' link to the right for the fantastic blog by his wife, Helen), he is now having treatment up at Christie's, and the outlook is nothing short of miraculous. So when Rich, his best man, suggested Christie's as a recipient for our fundraising, we could see no better cause, or one closer to our hearts.

Now, sadly, we have another patient which needs a miracle. A 1981 Chevy Day Van, as donated to the cause by Quent's friend Chris. Much like Quent, it has seen better years, and the diagnosis is not brilliant. Chris (our surgeon in this case) informs us that it hasn't had a good run in a year, the power steering is shot, and it needs complete re-wiring (among many, many other bits and bobs).

However, Chris has given it a once over, and there is some hope. We've rallied the troops and there is a slim chance that we can get it on the trip with us in April. I know Quent really wants this van on the road - and his record with slim chances has been pretty good to date. Watch this space, but don't get over-excited just yet.

No going back

Yikes - we've gone public. What started out as a bit of drunken chit chat in the pub is starting to take shape. And it needs to by the looks of things. The sponsorship we have received almost seems to have taken the form of betting- will we or won't we make it - and now we have something to prove. Thanks so much for donations so far.

So where are we now? Well the Jag is back on the road, with completely overhauled rear brakes, and we are just starting to enjoy driving around in the luxury of yesteryear - although I accidentally spun the back end out the other day, so we'll have to watch that. Still a few rattles and vibrations to sort out, but all in all it feels fairly solid. The major concern at the moment is the average of 13 MPG - over 2,500 miles that's going to work out at...er...a lot.

The BMW is going strong, and Rich seems to have fixed his headlamps with a bit of nifty wiring, some blu tack and part of a coat hanger. I think there'll be a lot of that when we start the trip. He's fixed the noise coming from the electric window. It doesn't buzz any more - but it doesn't work any more either.

The Chevy van? In a field somewhere near Reading we think.

Over the coming weeks, apart from tinkering with the transport, we need to start getting our route planned and start thinking about accommodation, supplies etc. (don't worry, none of this comes out of the sponsorship money). It's time to knuckle down and get a plan together - watch this space.

Gawd Bless Ebay

So the garage came back with a quote for the work - a few quid short of a grand! Hmmm, at twice the anmount we paid for the car it doesn't sound like a good investment. What's that they say about throwing good money after bad?

First things first though - I got straight on to eBay to see what savings were to be had. A spectacular amount, it seems. Some guy who takes apart Jaguars in a shed in Wales has offered to mail all the parts across for the grand total of £110 - a saving of about £700. Excellent stuff. Now with £200 labour it seems we might be on the road again for just over £300 - now that's more like it.

Furthermore, it seems that the trader who sold us the car misled us (more than just a little bit), and there's laws against that sort of thing. So, an email, a letter and a phone call later, he's made his position clear - he ain't coughing up a penny, despite selling a car which was potentially lethal.

My next project, therefore, is attempting to get some kind of recompense through the small claims process. I think we've got a fairly strong case, so watch this space.

Unlucky For Some

I've never been that superstitious, but when buying our luxury motor from a trader in Essex, I commented to Bob that the date was the 13th - possibly not the best day to do this. "It'll be fine," he said "I got married on Friday 13th". That put my mind at rest - after all, his marriage is going very well. However, my ease was short lived, as the car is going not so well.

We paid (as per the rules) a princely sum of £500 for our 1990 Jaguar Sovereign. Not a bad deal considering it has 6 months MOT, electric everything, and a 3.6 litre straight-six engine. However, less than 2 hours after handing over the cash I applied the brakes at a roundabout to be met with a bang and a grinding/ratttling sound. I limped back to Bob's, at which point I heard the tinkle of metal on tarmac. Bob retrieved one of our brake pads from the road (basically a scorching hot piece of metal), and we now await the verdict from the garage as to how much this will damage our budget (and our egos).

Rich, meanwhile, is sitting pretty on his £499 BMW 735i - a big, black behemoth of a car which, so far, seems to exhibit no signs of breaking. Germany 1 England 0.