So The Land Girls and the Marmot survived the force 9 gale crossing the channel. Where was everyone else_!! Apparently they all went from Portsmouth. Something about it in the handbook I hear.. but did anyone say it is the PORTSMOUTH' Banjul run? I think not!

1500 miles later we are in Tarifa. The Latvians are partying hard, the riga beer comes out straight after breakfast and then the unpacking of the car and the Eastern European music... they make a party anywhere anytime even in a layby with some battered Ladas.

Our Range Rover is a sieve. The journey across France and Spain only served to show us what happens if you drive a car which has been sitting in a barn as a chicken coop for 2 years. Axel oil leaking, oil at front leaking, diesel leaking anywhere you look, and the best thing... the VM engine is indeed as gutless as everyone warned us. WE can´t go up hills at all. We shift down to second gear, let the snails race past us as we see the wind whistle through our hair at a stunning 30KMPH and to top it all the engine ALWAYS overheats up hills. So we have to have the fans on full blast to try and cool it down . Gets hot. So we open sunroof (yeah some comforts left) Sunroof gets stuck. Brilliant.

So the first rest day at Tarifa was spent ripping air con unit out for less weight which was dead anyway and also hauling out air con grill=radiator to allow more air to the front. Also chasing round Tarifa for more axel oil and squeezing in a great lunch in the sunshine. Off to Morocco now.. not sure how car will fair on the Atlas mountainsª

Happy New Yearª