The scout
Two decades of vehicle-based travel across four continents. London–Dakar, driven in a 300TDI. Saharan crossings since 2010 — Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal, Tunisia. Current working relationship with a licensed Algerian agency.
Hired and borrowed 4x4s on other continents — most unfamiliar, several prepared by someone else. That is where the eye for a build comes from.
- BORDA Higher Level Off Road Driving, 2024.
- BS 8848 training (Royal Geographical Society run), 2025.
The machinery
- Toyota Land Cruiser 80.
- 1HD-FT, 24-valve, mechanical pump — nothing electronic to leave it dead in the sand.
- Ninety litres of spare diesel, because fuel stops are a long way apart down there.
- Old Man Emu springs, Tough Dog dampers — valved for what the truck actually weighs.
- BFGoodrich KO2 on steel rims: bend one on rock, beat it straight, carry on.
- Winch, kinetic lines, Sherpa compressor, ARB rack overhead.
- Inside: Escape Gear on the seats, a National Luna keeping the food cold, Petromax for cooking.
- And lately an espresso machine, because some standards travel.
- Land Rover Defender 110, 300TDI.
- London–Dakar finisher.
- Several years of Saharan provenance; modified as the lessons arrived: Ashcroft gearbox and transfer box.
- An upgraded clutch — two deserts argued for it.
- A hybrid turbo lately, so the old engine breathes properly under weight.
- No air conditioning; the windows still work.
- And through all of it, the same Howling Moon tent on the roof.
The 80 leads the convoy. It is hot down there.
The corridor is driven, not researched.