Massive
MG journey by a couple of Midgets
Chris
Vernon and Roy Lacock and Roy Laycock have set off on their
African Odyssey from Abingdon via France and across Eurpe to
Istanbul, then through Syria, Jordan and across the Sea of Aquaba
into Egypt. From there they will head south through Sudan, Kenya,
Tanzania, Zambia, Namibia and into South Africa. The duo aim
to be home for Christmas
Chris Vernon, a V8 member, is driving his Midget "Dorothy"
to South Africa with Roy Laycok in his Midget, "Bridget"
- here Chris sends his first report on progress and events
en route.
Chris
says "this is the first newsletter from my trip. If you
like it pass it on, if not there is always the delete button!
Please bear with the occasional rant and the whimsical musings
which come from being alone in a tiny old car being bullied
by every other vehicle on the road!"
Visit their website at www.bridgetthemidget.co.uk
African Odyssey
See the African Odyssey article published in the September 2011
issue of the MG Car Club's monthly magazine, Safety Fast! More
Click here to donate to CoCo, the selected charity and support
the educational and health needs of African children.
See
the subsequent reports. More
Posted: 031011
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As
many of you know my trip started a couple of days
late due to personal problems. It was with some
trepidation I set off for the Channel Tunnel for
my rendezvous with Roy Laycock in Arras on 14th
September encouraged by the fact that we had already
raised over £1,600 for our chosen charity,
CoCo. From Arras we wended our way south via Nuits
St Georges where the grape harvest was in full swing.
The next day we crossed the Alps over a couple of
6,000ft passes, you did not think we would go the
easy way through the tunnel did you. |
It was the first challenge for the girls.Girls -
what girls? Bridget and Dorothy of course, our MG
Midgets. Oh do keep up. They did not miss a beat.
Down on the plains of Italy the temperature hit
39 deg. We stopped for the night at Asti.
Time
for a eurorant. France and Italy, crisis what crisis,
shops are booming, no children begging - they just
want Roy and I to reduce the debt for them with
sky high prices! On to Modena, on the way had an
Italian Job moment in Piacenza taking a couple of
wrong turnings down cobbled streets not much wider
than the cars and ending up in a piazza full of
people. I was looking for the grille to open up
so we could go down the sewer!
At Modena we had a day off to pay homage to Ferrari
down the road at Marranello. A great day. On down
the Po valley, the signs say Brescia, Pescara. Stirling
is at the wheel of the Benz, Jenks is calling the
corners from the loo roll. Back to the story, our
next destination is Ancona for the overnight ferry
to Greece. We have completed the first 1,000 miles.
A great start in sunshine on a brand new motorway,
paid for by who? Do they bother to collect the Tolls?
No. No wonder they are a basket case. Heavy rain
brought us to a halt a couple of times and as usual
in a Midget the leaks abound but we had crossed
Greece in a day. Next stop was Istambul, nightmare
traffic and a 4 hour search for an hotel. A day
of sightseeing in this chaotic but charming city,
the blue Mosque, Haggia Sophia all overlooking the
Bosphorus and Asia.
Good news, I hear the V8 Register - MG Car Club
has raised over £500 in a raffle for CoCo
during the V8 Autumn Tour 2012 based at the Norton
Park Hotel on 24th September. What can you do?
Our route now followed the coast of Turkey via Gallipoli
where the cars were the stars, even appearing in
the local paper. We followed some great roads stopping
at lovely places, top down, this is the life! Then
the roads got worse and the cars needed frequent
attention. We are now at Antakya (Antioch in ancient
times) the site of the second christian church.
In marathon terms, the fun of the merge is over
Greenwich is just ahead, the hard bit is yet to
come. With 3,000 miles on the clock. Syria awaits.
Chris Vernon
Sent 011011 |
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