Northern Lights Challenge

[Trainman]

One of my colleagues is taking a trip in support of Clic Sargent, this is a charity that endevours to support children who are suffering from cancer. I've taken the liberty of attaching an interview that appears in our company magazine.

Preston Team Leader needs your help to raise £2000.

Preston Station Manager, Linsey Robinson asked Russell about the challenge.

Linsey: How can people donate to support your fundraising for CLIC Sargent?

Russell: I would be so grateful for any contributions. Remember, it's for a great cause. The simplest way to donate is to visit the website: http://www.justgiving.com/Russ-Gallagher

Linsey: What is the Northern Lights challenge?

Russell: The aim of the challenge is to drive a £100 car to Tallinn in Estonia via the northernmost part of mainland Europe and back averaging 400 miles a day. It is not a race, it is an endurance rally. It's about the anticipation of actually getting there and back, some 8000 miles in total.

Linsey: What happens if something goes wrong with the car?

Russell: There are no modifications allowed to the cars and no support vehicles. Once you leave you are on your own.

Linsey: Why are you doing it?

Russell: Firstly for fun and the challenge, which is something I am always up for, plus I love driving anyway. Then I thought why not do it for charity and try to raise £2000 for CLIC Sargent.

Linsey: Have you got a co-pilot and who is it?

Russell: Originally it was to be my mate Dave, who I have known since school. But due to him getting a new job, it's not possible for him to have 14 days off, so it looks like it's going to be my brother Duncan who has worked on the car and is a very accomplished mechanic. The only problem is him telling his partner that he's going!

Linsey: Have you bought your banger yet, what is it, how much?

Russell: We have purchased a 1996 Renault 19 turbo diesel which had been in an accident and serious MOT failure. We paid £60 for it.

A new floor pan has been welded in with sills, £18 for a wheel bearing, £7 for a new door lock

Paint was donated by Preston Paint Refinishes, tyres by AS Motor Spares and a number of other companies helped out. My mum provided the stair carpet for the interior and we used here garage for the refurbishment. She also kept us supplied with brews.

As you can see from the pictures we have transformed the basic car into a rally car that is a copy of a Pendolino, complete with nameplate.

Linsey: What do you think will be the hardest part of the challenge?

Russell: The long hours of driving every day, coping with whatever the elements throw at us. Bad European drivers, local gendarmes and relying on a little 1.9 litre diesel engine to take us there and bring us home again in two weeks without incident.

But it wouldn't be fun without the odd breakdown or incident, would it?

[Trainman]

Northern Lights challenge

Setting off, Friday 16 April

The beginning: We left Preston station at midday on Thursday [15 April] en route to Hull. Made a short detour to Salford to see my little friend Charlie who had bought us loads of sweets to take with us plus a menagerie of soft toys that filled the back seat

Arrived at Hull at 14:30; supposed to board Pride of Hull at 15:00 but due to a computer failure it was nearer 17:00.

Boat sailed at 21:00; quite a few stag and school parties on board. "An all you can eat buffet was £18.50 so it was a cheap pizza and a bottle of Grolsch then bed in a 4ft cabin with bunk beds, a broom cupboard to say the least

We were first in the queue to disembark at Rotterdam. The policeman on the security asked a few questions about our destination As we left the port Duncan decided he had left his phone on the ferry so at some road works he jumped out to check his pockets and found his phone sat on the roof of the car

We arrived in Amsterdam at 10:30 after a short detour when taking the wrong off ramp oops.

Tomorrow we start properly, three countries on the way to Copenhagen.

Day 1
A promising start this morning. Left Amsterdam at 09:00 and was still in the city centre traffic at 10:00.

As we left Holland we were overtaken by three teams: a Peugeot 306 , Fiat Croma hand painted gold with glitter tape on the roof and a Mazda 323 with a large dent in the side.

Into Germany they are not good with their road signage and the sat nav goes as loopy as a fruit bat in a sausage factory. We knew we were wrong when we ran out of road at a ferry port that said boats to Sweden and we were going to Denmark.

So the map was out and a 200 mile detour across the lovely German countryside we crossed the border into Denmark at 18:30 with some 200 miles to run arrived in Copenhagen in the dark at 21:45, a 12 hour day
Lovely area we are staying in; ladies of the night on the corners and the hotel is really noisy. Came out this morning and thought of England as there was a kebab on the car roof - nice!

Couple of faults yesterday with the car - the temperature soars like an eagle when stuck in traffic and two sudden losses in power, which seems to have righted itself but we are still in and just heading out to day 2. Oslo here we come, hopefully.

Day 2

Very promising start today heading out of Denmark went across what has to be the longest bridge and tunnel combination ever to Malmo in Sweden.
Covered the 300 miles to Gothenburg by dinner time due to some really great stretches of road and speeds of 90 plus all the way until we hit Norway and a rather long tail back on the road works brought us into Oslo at 16:00 covering some 500 miles in total.

Oslo is a really lovely city and very clean Just had an evening meal in the Angus Steakhouse which you would have to take a loan out to pay for the cost of living here is sky high.

One of the teams bought a pizza in the bar and it cost £20!! Car is still ok - minor problem with the sun roof, it won't close. But onward and upward - Trondheim tomorrow the climb begins and the temperature is dropping.

[Trainman]

Day 3

Left Oslo at 09:00 this morning. To get out of the city is a network of underground tunnels deftly navigated by Duncan.

Followed the E18 motorway to Lillehammer, home of the Winter Olympics and the Top Gear challenge of sending a Mini down the ski jump.It was 92 miles of minor roads with no passing at 50mph.

We turned off onto the E6 and climbed 2000 ft over the plateau, where the picture of the car was taken in the snow. This road was very barren with no cars or signs of life for about 70 miles. If we had broken down we would have been in serious trouble but little Penny just plodded along.

We arrived in Trondheim at 16:30 in light snow and went to check in to the hotel. When we came out we had been ticketed by a traffic warden 500 nok (Norwegian Krone). He must have been hiding round the corner

So we covered in total 447 miles today on £20 of diesel, which is really good going.

All cars up to present are still running.

Tommorow we climb further up to Fauske-Bodo.

[Trainman]

Day 4

What can I say about today? What an absolute awesome drive - 500 miles plus of the most stunning and dramatic roads I have ever driven in 11 hrs.

We left Trondheim at 08:30 and followed the E6 north, climbing up through the mountains at one point in a convoy with five other teams. We passed one of the Isle of Man cars being towed by a fellow team.

As we stopped for lunch we were approached by a Norweigan police woman who said she had reoprts of us speeding and reckless overtaking. She was a bit taken aback when she asked Duncan for his licence and he said he wasn't driving. She soon saw the funny side when Luigi the lobster was on the roof singing, and let us off with a warning



We later saw her at the Korgjell Tunnel where there had been an accident which delayed us 2 hrs.

We entered the Arctic Circle and took pictures of reindeers and the stunning scenery. It was about minus 10. Glad I invested in the arctic parka The Turkish team ran off the road in a very large cloud of snow, and just carried on regardless.



We have just arrived at the hotel in Boda. Tomorrow we head to Tromso, the midnight sun city.

Just put the tv on in the hotel and there were pictures of our cars in the traffic jam at the tunnel, taken by a news crew.

[Trainman]

Day 5

We left Boda at 08:00 after a great night's stay in the Skagen hotel.

They took pity on us when we arrived, giving us coffee and Belgian waffles, then offered us a free evening meal of Elk stew.

The breakfast equally impressive of freshly made pancakes which Duncan went back four times.

Quite an uneventful run down to Tromso through the fjords and loads of tunnels. Tromso is a very nice town but really expensive.

I will really be glad to leave Norway soon as money goes nowhere at all - £8 for a hot dog and two beers are £12.

Car is running great - the cooler air is solving the overheating problem.

Tomorrow is a long drive to the top of Norway Nordkapp.

Day 6

What can I say about today? What a drive.

We started with a 20mile run to a ferry across a large fjord which took about 40 mins then driving heaven through the Liyagen mountains. Sweeping valleys, breathtaking climbs to over 2,000 feet, snow piled at the side of the roads over 6ft high, reindeers and elk just roaming about on the plains.

Then disaster. A rather large pothole, a quick swerving maneouvre to avoid it and we were in the armcor rail, a cracked bumper.

Penny has lost some of her paint and a buckle wheel. We are still running but only below 65 mph as we get a terrific speed wobble at 70.

We arrived at Nordkapp at 17:00 were we are stopping at the local youth hostel, which is the only place open so all the teams are together in one place tonight but only 42 as we have lost the girls team BMW and the gold Saab.

Tomorrow we leave Norway. All the people have been very friendly and hospitable but we have been plagued with the local gendarmes. Sure some have been speeding and if you get caught you pay the fines which are very high. One team picked up a 4900 nok but the girls team got a 10,000, but the random stop and checks they have doing were getting out of hand.

Anyway Finland awaits and Lapland let's see what tomorrow brings.

Day 7

Greetings from Lapland. Fins call it lappi the official home of Father Christmas and lots of snow.

We left Nordkapp at 08:00 and crossed the Finnish border at 11:00 to great relief. We stopped for lunch and refuelled and it cost a quarter of the price of what we have been paying.

About an hour in Finland we came across one of the V8 Range Rovers abandoned in a ditch. The engine had blown when a car breaks down the reg plates have to be removed so the authoritie know the vehicle is to be scrapped

20 miles from Rome as we were coming over a crest in the road doing about 70 mph a reindeer wandered across in front of us causing an emergency stop and clean underwear required.

All the teams are together again tonight in the hostel Rudolf. Tomorrow we move on to Helsinki.

We are over 3000 miles in and it is getting very tiring and tempers are getting frayed more so when the sat nav goes wrong.

It is looking like we will complete the outward journey now touch wood.

[Trainman]

Day 8
Left Lapland at what we thought was 8 o'clock but was really 9 as Finland is two hrs in front.

Heavy snow for most of the 516 miles on boring roads with maximum speeds of 60 miles per hour. Can see now why the Finns are deadpan and boring because apart from saunas there ain't a great lot happening.

The only interesting part of this torture was when a reindeer wandered too close to the side of the road for comfort and we just clipped it with the wing mirror.

We arrived in the beautiful city of Helsinki with its cobbled streets and one way systems at 20:00. We stayed overnight in the Best Western Kajonkka which used to be a prision and is still made to look like it.

Inside a fantastic looking hotel. We even bought t-shirts with prision numbers on.

So, across to Tallin in the morning and the finishing line and two days off.

Day 9

Left Helsinki in glorious sunshine to board the Tallink MS Star superfast ferry to Tallinn at 10:30. The ferry is quick and covers the 59 miles in 90 mins. Was amazed at the number of Finns filling shopping trolleys up with beer and tobacco.

Tallinn is a nice city with a new and old part which is very easy to drive round, but parking is a problem at the hotel St Olav,so we had to use a car park about a mile away.

So Penny has made it 4,000 miles plus and two days off before we make the long slog home

[HDI Dave]

I'd love to do something like this,looks like a right laugh,and if money can be raised for charity as well

Maybe i'm going through a midlife crises,(43yr old), but the bro in law asked me if i was interested in the mongal rally,same sort of thing,cheap banger : http://www.mongolrally2010.co.uk/

hmmm

[Trainman]

Maybe i'm going through a midlife crises hmmm

I know what you mean and I'm 45

[Trainman]

Day 10
Woke up this morning to glorious sunshine in Tallinn.

After breakfast walked down the town to a supermarket and bought a bucket and sponge, so we could give Penny a little clean before the parade to the charity.

We all met up at the hotel Athena at 12:00 - it's the first time all the cars have been together. Out of 44 only 37 made it and the Austin Allegro was being towed.

Clemo the organiser jumped on the roof of one of the Audis to make a speech and present the awards and promptly fell through the sun roof.

The award for best in show was between ourselves and Major bunkers Micra van cow and the vote from the other drivers was us!

Penny was the best car on the rally - history in the making

We then set off for a few laps of a running track at the rear of the hotel. It was littered with rubbish and very soon became a demolition derby for the cars being handed over. At the charity they gave a very nice presentation on how the money would be used. Round about £900 was handed over and that was not including the proceeds from the cars.

In the evening we all met in the square in a Russian resturant called Troika, where we had vodka, red caviar and bear stroganoff - nice.

In Estonia they give you blankets when you sit outside to put round you as even in the sun it's quite chilly. A group of Hare Krishnas were playing music and walking round the square.

We were suddenly joined by six new members - what a laugh. It was quite sad to say goodbye to so many new friends after being with them 10 days. We set off home in the morning via Latvia

[Trainman]

Day 12

Moving on today out of Poland we had a bad start. Polish drivers are totally crazy- if there is an inch gap between two cars they want to be in it with the most dangerous overtaking manoeuvres.

We had gone about 20 minutes out of Warsaw when Penny's temperature went sky high and she seriously overheated.

We pulled over onto the services and Duncan decided to pull the engine apart. After disconnecting a couple of sensors, removing some pipes and rewiring the cooling fan so it stays on constantly, we fuelled up with the jerrycans and hit the road but we had lost nearly two hours.

We then found Poland''s only streach of 70mph motorway which took us to within 45 miles of the border. The roadworks, trucks and a speed of 30mph up to the crossing into Germany took us 6 hours. As we were about 10 miles from the border there were women dancing at the sides of the roads, possibly Polish gypsy prostitutes touting for buisness.

Into Germany and what a difference - the Autobahn, unlimited motorways.Penny was holding her own with BMWs and Audis. We covered the 298 km to Hannover for our overnight stop in 2hrs 20 mins.

So we have 200 miles to run tommorow to Rotterdam. Penny's clutch has nearly gone. She has an oil leak but we think we can nurse her back to Preston. It would be a shame now if this plucky little car fails. We have got quite attached to her. She is like Herbie the little car that never gave up in the movies. You ask her to go fast and she's off like a rocket.

Day 13 and 14 homeward bound

We left Hannover in Germany this morning in glorious sunshine, 24 degrees, and headed back to the Autobahn towards Rotterdam and our ferry back to good old England.

What is the difference between the German motorways and ours, apart from the speed limits? They know how to do road works. There are no silly cones just illuminated warning signs then two lanes of works where the slow moving traffic remains in one lane and the faster traffic in the other, and it works, everything keeps moving at a steady pace.

We on the other hand have the nonsensical contraflow with miles and miles of cones and no workers actually doing anything, average speed cameras (what's the point ) and trucks and caravans choosing any lane they wish, as we found out on the M62 back from Hull. Anyway whinge over.

We made good time up to Holland despite Penny's clutch slipping quite badly now and arrived at the Europoort as it's spelt in Holland at 14:30. Check-in was at 15:00 but boarding was not till 17:00. Just a word of warning - if you use this route the facilities are not what you get at Dover. There is a toilet and little more so out came the camping stove on Penny's roof and we brewed up for half the waiting cars. They just kept coming up with their mugs, apart from the bloke next to us in the camper who just shut his windows and sat in the back of it with his chocolate hob nobs.

It was a nice smooth crossing on the Pride of Rotterdam (very strange all the crew seemed to be Chinese) and we docked in Hull at 07:30. On disembarking we were pulled in by the UK passport agency who decided they wanted to take Penny apart (don't think they were impressed when I asked if it was a training exercise) but, after 30 mins of getting dirty under the car as she is filthy, they let us go. No illegal immigrants found, just a good job Dunc didn't buy the WW2 Russian machine gun he had his eye on in Estonia. That could have been interesting.

Back down the M62 (despite the roadworks) - we arrived back at Preston station at 10:30 .

So the adventure is over: 6,000 miles of some diabolical roads, local Gendarmes, extortionate prices, awful drivers and a rag tag convoy of vehicles not fit for the English roads. Out of 44, 38 arrived and four made it back home.

Penny is going to have a rest now and be refurbished with parts, then I will decide what to do with her. She has made history - saved from the scrap yard to complete a very gruelling journey that nobody thought she could for a 1.9 diesel using just £20 a day in fuel.

Thanks to everyone for their support in sponsoring us and following our journey, here's to the next one.

Anybody wishing to follow in our footsteps and compete on the trip, it will be running again next year so get signed up. It's well worth it and you will have a blast. Just don't take a sat nav, they are useless.

Russ & Duncan

Team Shed