28 GREAT NEW PRODUCTS I ULTIMATE TOWING GUIDE I GREENLANING IN DORSET ISSUE 4 Tastefully upgraded 110 is the perfect family wagon 976 750005 04 ISSUE 4 £6.99 Classic camper Much-travelled Series IIA Dormobile patina resto ngeRover Taste of Belgium Sumptuous food, comfy camping and great trails Discovery Sport battles extreme weather on 300-mile test ISBN 9 772976 7500 Six-door ultra-luxury Range Rover
Elevate Your Ride britpart.com Find your nearest stockist - britpart.com/stockist Part numbers used for identifi cation purposes only and do not imply or indicate the identity of a manufacturer. Products available from a Britpart stockist. E&OE. HIGH MODE DRIVE MODE LOW MODE Why Intelliride ECAS? This front and rear axle full air suspension kit incorporates on-board air control which is a fully automatic Electronically Controlled Air Suspension (ECAS) System. When fi tted, the system provides comfort while maintaining a programmed ride height irrespective of the load. Multiple vehicle heights are available at the push of a button. The on-board system has automatic load levelling at each height which continuously monitors inputs and component performance as a means of increasing safety and durability. The on-board system recognises and responds accordingly to potholes, cross-articulation and extended turns. This intelligence prevents unnecessary activity and air consumption, it even recognises unachievable heights, assisting in the prevention of possible damage above or below the vehicle. Features > Automatic 4 corner ride heigh control catering for all loads > 3 pre-set heights - high, drive & low mode > Fully adjustable via easy to use hand held control > Front to back levelling > Raise for clearance > Lower for storage and access > Inputs available for safety reset to ride height > Manual mode > Horizon levelling feature option > OEM grade components for reliable performance > High volume air springs for optimal ride quality & carrying capacity Core Components > Rear Firestone air springs - heavy-duty rolling sleeve air springs > Front Dunlop air springs - heavy-duty rolling sleeve air springs includes shock relocation brackets > AMK air compressor - 12 volt. Max 150 psi working pressure, high quality German built compressor > 1 Gallon seamless aluminium air tank - SAE J10 APPROVED, lightweight & no corrosion. Max. working pressure 200psi. Pressure tested to 1,000psi. 3 x ¼” NPT ports (including drain port). Multi-position low profi le bracket set > Hand held controller - 9m lead > ECU & valve block > Vehicle specifi c air supply mounting brackets > Rocker switch & height sensors > 6mm high quality nylon tubing > Quick fi t push to connect air fi ttings > Easy to use electrical connections > Sealed relay & harness > Hardware > Step by step instructions > Operators manual DA9200 NEW DA9201 NEW Defender 90 Defender 110/130 Height Range Automatic Mode Front Rear Front Rear Ride Height up to Raised Height 40mm 40mm 40mm 60mm Ride Height down to Access Height -80mm -80mm -80mm -90mm Height Range Manual Mode Maximum Height from Ride Height 50mm 50mm 50mm 70mm Minimum Height from Ride Height -100mm -100mm -100mm -110mm HIGH MODE DRIVE MODE LOW MODE See them in action www.britpart.com/airbag DA9200 Airbag Man Intelliride Airbag Kits
LAND ROVER LIFE 3 I ’m sure we’ll all agree that last winter, especially in the UK, was a bit of a washout. I’ve had to abandon trips, rework numerous plans and the list of jobs waiting to be done on my Land Rovers has grown on a weekly basis as every time I’ve thought about getting on with it, it’s been wet wet wet. Now that it’s spring I’m hoping it’s a thing of the past. The weather has been that poor that I haven’t really planned any big trips for the year yet. While I do try to indulge in some Land Rovering overseas at least once or twice a year, I can’t even see the horizon for the rain, let alone any plans that may be on it. If you’re in the same position, take this issue of Land Rover Life as some inspiration. John Pearson suggests some places that you’ll really want to explore in your Land Rover on p29, while Theo FordSagers stays a bit closer to the UK enjoying luxury camping and greenlaning in Belgium (p40). And proving that wanderlust has been a thing for decades, we’ve got Johnny Papas and Eddie Santana’s epic African adventure from nearly 30 years ago (p74). It wasn’t a carefully prepared overland expedition, rather a ‘let’s see what happens’. Closer to home, James Phillips found out what can happen when things don’t go to plan while out greenlaning (p92) – and while none of us go out looking for problems, they do tend to make for the more memorable trips. I often say that life is too short to drive boring cars; boring cars don’t get you to the places Land Rovers can or create the memories. That’s exactly what Shona, the owner of our cover vehicle this issue, found. Despite wanting to go to Disneyland as a kid, she has fonder memories of time spent holidaying in the family Land Rover than of that ‘trip of a lifetime’ when it eventually did happen. Living with a Land Rover is all about that. It’s about the memories it creates and the stories it gives you. Do I really mind it having been so wet? No, not really, as I have been called upon to extract vehicles incapacitated by floodwater, as I am the only person they knew with a suitable vehicle, the knowledge and the kit to deal with the situation. I also recently recovered a council tipper van which had bogged down on a nearby playing field by being in the right vehicle in the right place at the right time. What memories has your Land Rover brought you? Drop us a line via one of the methods below and you may be able to inspire other readers in future issues. And why not take out a subscription so that you never miss out on your helping of Land Rover Life. WELCOME LAND ROVER LIFE Editor Neil Watterson Since buying his first Land Rover in 1988, Neil has driven many of the UK’s greenlanes and competes in a wide range of 4x4 motorsports. I feel it in my fingers… f Find us on Facebook landroverlifemag iFind us on Instagram @landroverlifemag w Call us on 01778 392407 a Drop us an email [email protected] Tracey Slocombe As well as writing recipes for us (p48), Tracey has written Mrs Slocombe’s Bull at a Gate Cookery Book. If you fancy buying a copy to add to your collection, drop her a line at: [email protected] Contributors Ian Shaw If you’ve been reading motoring and 4x4 mags for a long time, you might recognise Ian’s name. He’s written countless features over the years, and delves into towing techniques on p58. Helen Tait Wright Owning Land Rovers means you always hear great tales – and when Eddie Santana and Johnny Papas mentioned their epic road trip to Helen, she felt it would be perfect for LRL readers – see p74. John Pearson Has the new Defender really been around for four years already? John’s own one has just passed its three-year anniversary. Has he extended his Land Rover warranty? You bet – read more on p102. Just one of the many puddles Neil has driven through this winter Neil Watterson
4 LAND ROVER LIFE 58 006 Landy in the family Shona Pickles grew up with the green oval – now she owns a very special 110 032 Discovery Sport D200 The LRL 300-mile road test 040 Taste of Belgium Glamping across the Channel 050 Dorset greenlaning Fortunately rain didn’t stop play… 058 Ultimate towing guide Everything you need to know about hitching up a trailer or caravan 066 Six-door Range Rover Space and luxury 1990s-style 074 Exploring Africa Have Land Rover, will travel… 086 Series IIA Dormobile Restored camper with patina intact FEATURES 50 LAND ROVER LIFE CONTENTS
LAND ROVER LIFE 5 40 66 32 REGULARS 014 Your pics You snap, we publish 016 News A raft of Defender special editions 018 New products Latest and greatest parts and accessories 024 Tried & Tested Real world experiences 027 Vicky Turner Winter camping 029 John Pearson Where to go adventuring 048 Cooking on the Hoof Cook yourself a ‘dirty’ steak on a barbecue 080 Roverphile James Taylor’s Land Rover ruminations 082 Brian Hartley Spare parts and passion 090 Your Land Rovers Discovery 2 gets a new owner, when greenlaning doesn’t go to plan, and prepping a Range Rover Classic for adventure 098 Land Rover sagas Our lives in Land Rovers 105 Ask LRL So, you want answers? 106 Buying Guide What to look out for with every Land Rover model 110 Land Rovers for sale Our pages of temptation 114 Watty’s World Tales from LRL’s editor SUBSCRIBE NOW! GUARANTEE your copy and get it delivered direct to your door. Never miss an issue and SAVE £s See page 30 for details CONTENTS LAND ROVER LIFE Subscribe to LRL bit.ly/landroverlifemag 01778 392081 Email: [email protected] UK: £19.99 a year, Europe: £8.99 quarterly Rest of the World: £11.99 quarterly Where we are: Warners Group Publications, The Maltings, West St, Bourne, Lincs PE10 9PH Tel: 01778 391000 Email: [email protected] THE EDITORIAL TEAM Editor Neil Watterson Design Daniel Jarman Sub editor Brett Fraser REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS Jérôme André, Theo Ford-Sagers, Brian Hartley, Jessica Jackson, John Pearson, Ian Shaw, Tracey Slocombe, Laurens de Smet, James Taylor, Helen Tait Wright, Vicky Turner, Lucy Watterson, Dale Wyatt SUPPORT TEAM Associate Publisher Steve Miller Tel: 01778391106 Email: [email protected] Advertising Alice Sumner-Andrews Tel: 01778392407 Email: [email protected] Marketing Brand Manager Lucie Cox Tel: 01778 395016 Production and Ad Design Kate Goulding, Viv Lane Email: [email protected] Tel: 01778 391104 Land Rover Life is published by Warners Group Publications PLC. All rights in the licenced material belong to Warners Group and may not be reproduced, whether whole or in part without their prior written consent. DISCLAIMER: The views expressed by contributors and advertisers are not necessarily those of the publishers. Every care is taken to ensure that the contents of the magazine are accurate but the publishers cannot accept responsibility for errors. While reasonable care is taken when accepting advertisements, the publishers cannot accept responsibility for any resulting unsatisfactory transactions. They will,however, investigate any written complaints.
6 LAND ROVER LIFE REAL LIFE Td5 DEFENDER 110
WORDS SHONA PICKLES PHOTOGRAPHY JONATHAN JACOB Growing up in a Land Rover family meant that Defender 110 was (probably) always going to make the perfect family transport for Shona Pickles LAND ROVER LIFE 7 Family tradition Td5 DEFENDER 110 REAL LIFE
8 LAND ROVER LIFE f you’re looking for a nuts-andbolts read, with rivet counts and mechanical specs, then this isn’t it. This is, hopefully, a quick trip down the illogical path that caused you to be this magazine’s target audience and for me to wrestle two kids complete with car seats, prams and all the other nonsense that’s needed to keep offspring alive into a Td5 Defender 110 for the school run every day. For now though, let’s start close to the end… In 2022 we sold a 2014 Mazda 6 estate. We waved a sad goodbye to Miss Mazda as we drove away from delivering her to her new home in Plymouth. A home where she would no doubt have no name and no pronoun. ‘This is a bad idea,’ I moaned to John, my husband. ‘Definitely. But it’s mainly your fault,’ he grinned. You might think that the sale of a Japanese family car is an odd opener for an article in a Land Rover magazine – and you’d be right – but for the fact that the bad idea in question involved a Land Rover. See, for a few years, we’d had three cars: Miss Mazda the practical family car; Silver Car the company pick-up (named by our then toddler, Elodie); and Lizzie, our black double-cab-converted-to-stationwagon 110. Silver Car was the problem. Before John received the pick-up as a company car all was fine and dandy. John drove Lizzie as his daily vehicle and made use of every single horsepower from the tune, larger intercooler and Discovery gearing to liven up the commute. I had a string of Vauxhall Corsas, then my beloved Mini convertible and finally, to herald the arrival of a family, the Mazda estate. It worked. We could justify the Defender as our other car was sensible. Until the arrival of the company car made us a three-car family. Three cars? Many people commented. Is Elodie already driving? Where do you park them? Isn’t it costly? Well, yes. Procrastination We muddled through for a while, playing parking space Tetris, always finding a reason to have the three: ‘yes, but when it snows then we need two 4x4s’; ‘Lizzie is the best one for towing the caravan’; ‘we still do the odd offroad event…’ But then real-life hit. It was no longer financially possible to keep a car we weren’t using regularly. Lizzie sat on the drive looking beasty and ready for action. All dressed up but nowhere to go. John fretted she would be stolen, her being left unattended so often, and I fretted about why we were paying so much road tax [VED] and insurance for something that did fewer than 5000 miles a year. On top of that, my dad and his good mechanic friend had emerged from underneath Lizzie before her last MoT and shaken their heads as a doctor might do to signal bad news. There was nothing solid left to weld to… The chassis had finally succumbed to rust after 18 years. The final straw was that, despite a station wagon body conversion, she was still classed as a commercial vehicle and would be subject to clean air charges. So, we faced reality. We would be paying to re-chassis a vehicle that was surplus to requirements, that we barely drove, and if we did happen to go somewhere in it then we’d have to pay for the privilege. We moped for a while, dragged our heels and discussed every option over dinner with our other Green Oval friends. But why the indecision? REAL LIFE Td5 DEFENDER 110 The Pickles family Getting the next generation ready for the Land Rover life
Td5 DEFENDER 110 REAL LIFE LAND ROVER LIFE 9 Shona grows up First steps at the Off-Road and 4-Wheel Drive show in 1992 11-year-old Shona learning to drive a Discovery 1 off-road in Scotland Shona concentrates on the driving – good practice for the future Learning the arcane art of route plotting on Mudmaster in 2003 The multi-seater Defender proved to be an excellent hen-party bus Green Lizzie is a keen participant in all the Pickles family’s activities ‘I learnt to drive in fields and along unmade tracks’
Just sell the 110, right? But you, like us, will know it wasn’t that simple. My first Land Rover problem started before I was even born. My impending arrival was the reason my dad was “helped to the conclusion” that his truck cab Series II, familiar on the comp safari and trialling scene, was no longer suitable. Apparently no, you cannot just ratchet strap a child’s car seat in, even in the ’80s. Fine. So be it. He admitted defeat. Would a full-body Ninety be acceptable? Yes. Wonderful. Enter Jezebel (look up the connotations…): a 1984 V8 Ninety with a County spec as they were called then. Although I didn’t realise it at the time, this car would be one of the centre points for the majority of my life to date. Born into the life Six weeks into life, I was bundled into a Land Rover product (thankfully a company Range Rover rather than the Ninety) and driven across Europe to Spain for a holiday. Well, a holiday that just so happened was in the same location as the Spanish Rallye dos Mares coast-to-coast off-road event. That was the first of many family holidays centred around Land Rovers of all shapes, models and colours. The Ninety was rebuilt, painted red; we had a string of Discoverys, and a 110 briefly, whilst the Ninety had a rebuild. Every New Year the four of us – three across the front, one in a jockey seat in the back – would set off in the wee hours to drive to Holyhead with our ‘cousins’ (you know, the ones that aren’t really your cousins but your parents are best mates and you get to about ten before you realise you aren’t actually related) for the Shamrock Safari. Summers revolved around off-roading trips to the Highlands. I famously asked once if we could go to Disneyland instead to which my dad replied, ‘I’m not sitting on a plane for nine hours for one week in America.’ I pointed out we’d just spent 12 hours in a Ninety to sit here, just north of Inverness, for a week, and there was no in-drive entertainment; the seatbelt light was always on; the pilot had been grumpy and, while the hostess had provided plenty of drinks and snacks, we’d probably used more fuel. He didn’t have anything to say to that. We did eventually get to Disneyland (for two weeks), but you know what? My memories of looking out over the Moray Firth after a drive through a mixture of forestry and private land are clearer and sharper than the trip to Disney. Would I have been to any of the beautiful, hidden treasures of the British Isles and beyond without Land Rovers? Probably not. At the time it was part of the rhythms and patterns of an adventurous childhood. I knew it wasn’t something everyone did – my teacher once asked my parents if I was making up the things I wrote in the class “what we did at the weekend” book – but as an adult it’s something I want to carry on and, whilst I haven’t emulated the frequency, we do a pretty good job of going on “Lizzie Adventures”. Yes, we could have got close to these places in a Mazda estate, but there’s something satisfying about being sat on a tailgate 10 LAND ROVER LIFE REAL LIFE Td5 DEFENDER 110 Warn 8274 winch dominates the front end No raised air intake Engine has a mild tune Double-DIN head unit Interior is relatively standard
About the vehicle Brian Hartley (Shona’s dad) reports: This is a classic example of a Defender that has to satisfy the diverse everyday needs of a family car, a commuter, holiday bus and caravan tug, an occasional off-roader, even more occasionally a properly serious off-roader. Obviously, there are compromises, but the following are what help make it achieve all those compromises slightly more comfortably, efficiently and definitely faster than the original. Optimill reverse camera, cunningly disguised as the number plate light. That feeds into Pioneer double-DIN head unit which handles the reverse camera as well as DAB radio and Apple CarPlay; the surround is a Mud UK item. Croytec made the door hinges, knobs for the heater control, seat adjusters and vents. Canvas seat covers and front heated seats courtesy of Exmoor Trim. Sound deadening is Dynamat’s department. Upgraded LED interior lights, heated mirrors, and rear tub slimline locking tracking are from Mud UK, as are the snappy dirt defenders; tiny spats on the rear wheelarches to prevent the triangular ‘muck line’ behind the rear wheels. The rock-slider sills are homemade. Gwyn Lewis 4x4 provided the extended axle breather kits, Old Man Emu the springs and dampers with the 25mm lift, plus the easily detachable rear mud flaps, (for serious off-roading), and genuine Land Rover mud flaps, (a condition of borrowing parents’ caravan). Wheels are the famous Matt Lee, Mach 5 spoked items, wearing BF Goodrich 255/85 R16 Mud Terrains. Traction is enhanced with an ARB rear air locker, while a Griffin stainless steel exhaust system takes care of the fumes. Excellent LED headlights are Britpart items with RDX side lights, indicators and clever combined reversing/fog light. The front diff is protected by a Bombproof guard, and a PJ Lea adjustable drop plate and bike rack make carrying bikes easier, while the Flatdog roof rack and ladder is great for bigger stuff. The power department for the Td5 is all Bell Autos. A stage-one tune and larger intercooler gives more power and performance if needed and helps negate the over-gearing from the bigger tyres. Up front is the granddad of electric winches, the Warn 8274, and a plasma rope mounted on a Devon 4x4 bumper. Having driven it on and off-road, I can say it is one of the most comfortable Land Rovers I’ve ever parked my backside in. The fact that it has taken top slot in the BAMA’s (British Army Motoring Association) Roadmaster event for two consecutive years, without a scratch, rather proves its abilities. Optimill numberplate light houses camera Dirt Defenders help keep sides cleaner Work lights, ladder and roof rack LAND ROVER LIFE 11 Td5 DEFENDER 110 REAL LIFE or in the “back-back”, opening your sandwich box for a feast or gathering around a campfire, knowing that you’d driven there. As well as the places off-roading and Land Rovers took me, they also taught me a lot about driving. I learned to drive well before I was 17 in empty fields and along unmade tracks. I remember the shock of my dad sitting me in the driving seat, putting it in low range, jumping out of the passenger seat and running around the car before jumping back in! I’m also privy to the correct incantations and precise sequence of actions required to start a 30-odd-year-old Ninety on a cold morning (full choke, turn it over, half choke and some revs, grumble ‘start you bloody thing’). I nearly crashed my driving instructor’s car the first time I got in it. The steering wheel turned too easily, you needed ballet pumps to feel the clutch and the brakes actually stopped the car… It’s a family affair I still warn friends to brace themselves if I’ve just swapped from the 110 into a “real” car. I appreciate that Land Rover products are now considered luxury cars, but not the ones I’ve grown up with and currently run. I’ve also gained skills of varying usefulness along the way. I can read a map, the tulip diagrams used on road rallies and other fiendish ways of navigating thanks to helping run, and occasionally compete in, off-road events. I can double declutch and left-foot brake. I know what the Looking rather peaceful here, the 110 is used (carefully) off-road
12 LAND ROVER LIFE “weird little gearstick” is for and when you use it. The ultimate significance of a life with Land Rovers has been the people. The “cousins” I mentioned earlier? Our parents met in the Pennine Land Rover Club. Our closest friends were made marshalling on events. In fact, most of our friends have come to us through a shared love of Land Rovers. I even found my husband attached to the end of a winch rope – and then I found him again in the bar afterwards. So, thinking back on all this and contemplating being a Land Roverfree home? It was unthinkable. If we didn’t own one, would all this history, all these life-changing and affirming adventures, just stop with us? Would either of our daughters understand about the weird little gear stick? It was, and still is, madness but we sold the Mazda and the 110 and put the funds into a slightly newer Lizzie which we christened, very originally: Green Lizzie. There were the usual teething problems. Her engine randomly died on the motorway several times in heavy rain (diagnosed as water being funnelled back from the roof rack into the snorkel) and she didn’t yet possess all the gadgets and shiny bits that had been saved from her predecessor. I snuck in some luxuries into the ‘to-fit pile’ – Apple CarPlay for when you need the Frozen soundtrack RIGHT NOW MUMMY BECAUSE I AM ELSA, and a reversing camera so I wouldn’t embarrass myself in the car park. Absolutely worth it All this soul searching is nearing its two-year anniversary. Looking back, was it worth it? Some days the answer is no. When faced with a multi-storey car park, or if the windscreen wipers are doing that thing again, or the passenger door is having one of those days where it decides that its most essential feature (opening) is unavailable, I’ve been known to throw the keys down and demand a change of scenery. Likewise, when you’re eight months pregnant and you look down, look up, look down again and realise there is no way you’re getting in and, no thank you, I don’t want a step on a bit of string so I can get in and haul it up after me. I couldn’t get the seat back far enough to accommodate the bump and turn the steering wheel… But most of the time, I thoroughly enjoy being part of the ‘club’. The nods and waves from other like-minded Defender owners. Shoving boats, canoes, bikes and everything else needed for a rollicking good holiday in, on and around it, and then the caravan on the back. Using all nine seats is also something special. Our eldest was also carted off in a Land Rover at six weeks old to an off road event. But it’s, ‘Mummy are we going in Lizzie? YES!,’ that does it for me every time. LRL ‘I found my husband attached to the end of a winch rope’ REAL LIFE Td5 DEFENDER 110 Shona has been behind the wheel since childhood Green Lizzie is loved by the whole family Thank you Thanks to Parkwood Off Road Centre for the use of its superb site for our photos. If you want to take your own Land Rover off-road, the next 4x4 days are 5 May and 7 July. More details: parkwoodoutdoorsltd.com
14 LAND ROVER LIFE pictures Show us what you’re up to; we’ll print a selection every issue Send your pics (as big as possible, please) to Neil: [email protected] ‘This is Sir Randolph, our Defender 110 overlooking the Devil’s Staircase in mid-Wales on a 10-day Land Rover Charity Events Welsh Tour,’ says Tim Light. ‘Our Eastnor Defender 90 [special edition for France] was the perfect car for our daughter Alexa on her marriage to Charles,’ say Valerie and Laurent Theillier. ‘My white Defender 90 really stands out against the black cows,’ laughs Liam Lynch. ‘The Falmouth Land Rover group had a weekend in Dorset – here we’re leaving Chesil Beach on the Jurassic Coast,’ writes Adam Breakspear.
LAND ROVER LIFE 15 READERS’ PICS YOUR LIFE ‘This is my Range Rover Sport enjoying the view on a greenlane in the North Yorkshire Moors,’ John McKeone tells us. ‘There are some great greenlanes in the Purbecks, with some excellent views,’ says George Stinton. ‘I managed to find some snow on the lanes near Holme Moss in West Yorkshire in my Series III called Bob,’ says Jeremy Strutt. ‘This is me crossing the ford near Llanwrtyd Wells,’ says Russell Cartlidge, ‘I was out with friends on a three-day trip around Rhayader.’ ‘You use a photo of my 80-inch to illustrate the Series I in your buying guide,’ says Pete Hare. ‘Here’s one of it on the trailer behind my 126-inch Stage 1 Series III.
16 LAND ROVER LIFE LAND ROVER LIFE NEWS Have you bought your tickets for Land Rover Monthly Live yet? The show returns to the Three Counties Showground, Malvern on 18-19 May and builds on last year’s incredible success. If you’re looking for a relaxed weekend with some cracking entertainment, this fits the bill – oodles of Land Rovers to look at, including a range of vehicles from the Dunsfold Collection, loads of trade stands to shop until you drop, club displays, the ever-popular Land Rover Hall of Fame, and autojumble. On top of all that, the arena, hosted by award-winning commentator Wayne Scott, will be bustling with life and action, and will also feature Extreme Bike Battle. Live bands play on Friday and Saturday nights, so make a weekend out of it and camp – prices start from just £60 for the weekend. If that’s not enough, there’s even a dog show! You can book tickets right up until the day before to take advantage of pre-booking savings and if you’re planning on camping, book your tickets early to avoid disappointment. Kids 16 and under go free and tickets can be booked here: bit.ly/lrmlive1 Electric Range Rover nears Last issue we mentioned the waiting list for the fully electric Range Rover was open, and JLR has now given more details on the vehicle. Touted as being the quietest and most refined Range Rover ever created, it will have performance comparable to a V8 model and the off-road capability you expect from the vehicle, including a classleading 850mm wading depth. An 800v electric architecture allows for rapid charging on public networks, meaning you’ll spend less time charging and more time driving, and extensive testing from Sweden to Dubai in temperatures ranging from -40°C to +50°C has verified the robustness of the electric drive system, which, like the batteries, will be assembled at JLR’s new Electric Propulsion Manufacturing Centre in Wolverhampton. No prices have been given yet and a note on the press release points out that towing will substantially affect EV range, which is something to bear in mind. landrover.com Celebrating London’s ‘most distinctive and culturally significant neighbourhood,’ the Defender 90 SW11 LE has been built exclusively for the Italian market. Fifty examples based on the X-Dynamic SE will be available and they feature ‘assertive’ black body and wheel finishes with contrasting English Green inserts, which are inspired by the ‘lush natural colours of Battersea Park’ and ‘pays homage to the thriving London location, home to Battersea Power Station (and Clapham Junction…). Unique green accents and laser-finished badges in each end of the dash crossmember are visible when the doors are open, and a ‘SW11 one of fifty’ badge with subtle Union Flag adorns the rear door. Customers can choose to eliminate the doormounted spare wheel, reducing the length to 4.32m, making it more suitable for urban environments. Previewed at Milan Music Week, the SW11 starts from €86,814 (£73,900) and is available now. landrover.it SW11 Limited Edition 90 What’s the time? It’s showtime!
LAND ROVER LIFE 17 NEWS LAND ROVER LIFE Challenge accepted The 2024 Defender Rally Series UK has kicked off with its largest ever entry with 16 crews battling it out. All of the vehicles are Defender 90s and start off as P300 models using the four-cylinder petrol Ingenium engine before being reworked by Bowler, part of Land Rover Special Vehicles, and kitted out for rallying. The crews will compete in seven rounds; the first, at Walters Arena, was won by Mark Thomas and Phil MacKay. The next round is part of the Rally Nuts Severn Valley Stages on 12-13 April, and that’s followed by the Summer Scottish Hill Rally, Nicky Grist Stages, Yorkshire Hill Rally, Clare Forest Rally and the Scottish Borders Hill Rally. bowlermotors.com Off-grid camping Finding a good campsite could be a bit hit-and-miss, and finding a good Land Rovery campsite used to be even harder. But that’s no longer the case. Off Grid Camp is a company offering access to land for self-sufficient 4x4 owners to pitch up for the night, meaning you can be away from the crowds. You’ll pay the landowners direct, and must adhere to the Leave No Trace policy. offgridcamp.co.uk News in brief Firm dates Open days at Land Rover specialists are becoming more common, allowing Land Rover owners to check out the latest gear and meet other owners on an informal basis. Expedition equipment specialist APB Trading will be holding an open day at its premises at Hartlebury, near Kidderminster, Worcestershire, from 10am2.30pm on Saturday 27 April. apbtrading.co.uk For those in the south-east, Tuff-Trek is holding a Tents and Trucks open day at its East Sussex HQ for owners to join in, show their vehicles, talk trips and mods, and exchange tips and tricks. It’s from 10am-4pm on Saturday 11 May. tuff-trek.com On yer bike! If the annual Rhino Charge off-road event – raising muchneeded funds for the Rhino Ark Kenya Charitable Trust – is a bit too far away, why not dig out your bike and take part in the UK Rhino Challenge 2024? It’s a bicycle orienteering adventure at Pippingfold Park in the Ashdown Forest, Kent and happens on Sunday 5 May 2024. Teams can be families, children or all adults. tinyurl.com/UKRhino 4x4s needed Peterborough-based firm Princebuild is helping send aid supplies to Ukraine, with members of its team taking part in numerous fundraising events. They’re also looking for 4x4s that will be used to deliver essential aid to the people on the front line – so if you’ve a suitable vehicle to donate (must be roadworthy), or just fancy making a donation to the appeal, drop carly.dadge@ princebuild.co.uk a line. It’s a Defender, but is it art? We’re not entirely sure what to think about the Firmship Defender. Yes, it’s a Defender, and yes, it is unique (well, apparently, there will be 25 in a limited edition run), but as a practical vehicle? The company, under the artdirection of Job Smeets (pictured below) from Studio Job in the Netherlands, has taken the Defender and removed all frills – and pretty much all colour – replacing it with a very specific colour, RAL 7035. It’s not white, but a light, neutral grey, and the vehicle has been completely reworked with it. The interior trim is all grey, the wheel nuts are grey; even the towball is grey. And, what’s more, it has been painted with ‘the strongest and toughest metal lacquer available in the world. It is the lacquer normally used on bulldozers and metal public telephone boxes in the US. It gives the Defender a texture.’ That’s right: textured paint. Sitting on 22-inch wheels, it is certainly striking and it will definitely stand out among other Land Rovers. No price is given. firmship.com
18 LAND ROVER LIFE NEW LIFE LATEST KIT 1000A jump start £71.98 machinemart.co.uk Weighing just 365g excluding leads, this pocket-sized jump starter packs a real punch. It can pump out a starting current of 500A and a peak current of 1000A, making it beefy enough to start most petrol engines up to 5.0-litre and diesels to 2.5-litre. It’s long-lasting too, with up to 20 starts on a single charge and only needs approximately 6-7 hours recharge a month if not used. It also features an LED light with steady, strobe and SOS modes, and USB outputs. Stargazing tent £1467.99 robens.de Sleeping up to ten people, the Settler Sky tent has huge windows built into the roof to let the warm sun flood in, or to watch the stars at night. Backed by built-in curtains – the side mesh panels feature the same – you’ll also have all the privacy you need. Made from breathable HydroTex polycotton fabric, the tent takes around 12 minutes to erect, has an unzippable groundsheet and a door under the eaves for rain protection. If you’ve got a stove, get the optional stovepipe port protector to run the chimney out for all-year camping. Latest products New tools, equipment and gadgets in the Land Rover marketplace Low-profile roof rack From £1267 prospeed.co.uk Fabricated from precision-machined aerospace aluminium and using a micronaccurate joint system, this lightweight roof rack has an extremely low profile, making it more multi-storey car park friendly than other racks (when empty, obviously…). The design means it’s almost silent and the aerodynamic efficiency means that it will hardly affect fuel economy. It’s a modular design, so can be upgraded in the future, or even reconfigured for a different vehicle, has stainless steel mounting feet and hardware, and comes with a lifetime warranty. Door mirror sweeping indicators £73.52 lrparts.net Get noticed when you’re driving your Defender L663 with these new door mirror indicators. They’re easy to fit, E-marked to make them roadlegal, and have a sweeping LED motion from top to bottom. With a smoked finish they’ll look standard until you use them. st uk tart k Can you see yourself here with your Land Rover? Heaven! Roof rack is aerodynamic as well as functional Wipac LED headlamps £550 (pair) wipac-aftermarket.com The first generation Wipac LED headlamps were widely acclaimed, and these ones look to build on that. Fully-tested and road-legal, the headlamps have the standard dip and main-beam as well as a daytime running light halo and built-in indicator. The headlights’ functions are plug-and-play, and you’ll need to take a feed for the indicators for them to work, and an ignition-switched live for the DRL function.
LAND ROVER LIFE 19 LATEST KIT NEW LIFE Defender console £999 stingerelectronics-eu.com If you want to bring your classic Defender TDCi into the 2020s, this is the upgrade for you. The HEIGH10 is an integrated 10-inch display that is more than just an entertainment head unit. Not only does it have Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and handsfree calling, it has DAB+ and analogue radio, USB and camera input, and, on 2012-2016 models, can plug into the vehicle’s loom to display additional information, such as battery voltage, oil temperature, fluid level, speed performance (acceleration and braking distance), GPS co-ordinates, pitch and roll, and loads more. It comes complete with the centre fascia plate, which will accept all of the standard fitted switches. First AED box £1199 firstaedbox.co.uk We’re used to seeing AED (automated external defibrillator) boxes on public buildings these days, but if you’re involved in medical cover at events, you may need to carry one with you. CorMed-DX offers a box containing a complete bleed control kit, including a Cell – the world’s first portable AED – and it all fits nicely in the side-locker of a Defender L663. Portable fridge £279 expedition-equipment.com If you’re only heading away for a few days, or building your expedition Land Rover on a budget, you don’t need a full-size fridge taking up space. National Luna’s compact singlecompartment 20-litre portable fridge/freezer will carry enough for a weekend away – 28 330ml cans, if that helps you visualise the space – and can chill down to -20°C. It runs on 12/24 volts and has mains input to pre-chill it before you travel. Crossover tyre From £125 4site4x4tyres.co.uk Tyre tread patterns seem to be dropping into more groups than ever, and the Falken Wildpeak A/T Trail is a road-biased all-terrain pattern, designed for crossover vehicles and SUVs. Available in a range of sizes starting with the Freelander 1 standard 215/65 R16, it has the Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake symbol indicating its winter credentials and rugged sidewall to help gain traction offroad. If the majority of your driving is on-road, these could be ideal for you. Bulkhead steps £226.80 empiretuning.co.uk If you have a roof rack fitted to your classic Defender, you’ll be familiar with finding the place you want to be is the least accessible – and normally towards the front of the vehicle. These windscreen blocks feature a fibrereinforced polymer construction and replace the bulkhead to windscreen blocks. They’ve been tested to withstand a load of 3200kg, so will easily cope with your weight after a hearty meal around the campfire. Mirror arms with puddle lights £280 optimill-uk.com While the evenings may be getting longer now, it’s the perfect time for getting out and fitting upgrades, like these mirror arms with built-in puddle lights. They connect to the interior light circuit, so when you unlock the door using the plipper (or open the door on non-alarmed Defenders) you’ll be able to see what’s on the ground next to the vehicle. Fit them now and appreciate them come autumn. Portable fridge is ou. ts Larking about in Land Rovers £24.99 amazon.com An appropriately titled book, Toby Savage has been driving Land Rovers for more than half a century, and still heads off on adventures whenever he can. This 330-page A4-sized book charts some of that history and includes trips, vehicle launches and general messing around with Land Rovers. s An integrated head unit that will enhance your Defender More rugged than road tyres and better off-road too
LATEST KIT NEW LIFE LAND ROVER LIFE 21 Interior trim panels From £72 mudstuff.co.uk Undertaking a rebuild or just wanting to freshen up the interior of your classic Defender? This range of replacement trim panels will help you do just that. Manufactured from ‘thermoformed polypropylene sheet capped with a textured soft-touch finish to mirror the look and feel of the original panels’, the panels are slightly darker than the later Granite Grey finish items, and the window trims are designed for Defenders to Td5 (TDCi have a different window corner radius). Rear door table From £324.95 lrbits.co.uk Manufactured from stainless steel, this table is primarily designed as a cooking surface, where the cooker will be protected from the wind on three sides, but it can also be used as a preparation surface. Designed to fit any vertical surface, the table is simple to use and features sturdy hinges. A door-card version for late Td5 and TDCi Defenders is also available. Shackle holder From £15 gigglepin4x4.net Available in three sizes to match the size of shackles commonly used with Land Rovers, these holders will ensure your shackles are to hand when you need them. The sprung holder can be attached to flat surfaces or roll cages and holds the shackle in place by tension, preventing the pin from unscrewing. They’re easy to disassemble for cleaning too. Braai grid cover From £17 lrsoffroad.co.uk Carry your braai or barbecue’s grille (up to 580x450mm) and all of your outdoor cooking gear with ease with this ripstop bag. It’ll help keep everything together and prevent any residual cooking grease from contaminating the rest of your Land Rover’s cabin. Discovery 1 & 2 switch panel £21.99 ebay.co.uk/usr/steadfastinnovationltd This panel replaces the inevitably redundant ashtray/coin tray in a Discovery 1 or 2, and allows you to fit a pair of electrical switches (available separately). Like the original dash, it’s made of ABS plastic, and a three-switch version is also available if you fancy even more switches. Dual output lantern £185 4x4obsession.co.uk Did you know that bugs and insects are less attracted to amber lights than white ones? This rechargeable lantern from Stedi has twin modes – a powerful white light for preparing food and cooking by, and a less powerful amber one for relaxing. Running for up to five hours on full-power (23 hours on low power) with the white LED and up to 237 hours with the amber on low output, the lamp also has a USB output for charging phones and other electrical devices. Braai grid cover td s Defender winch bumper £1980 novawinch.uk Designed around a 3D scan of the front end of a Defender to ensure crash and parking sensors plus radar and cameras all fit without any issues, this two-part bumper has been fabricated in a state-of-the-art CNC fabrication shop. It offers enhanced forwards protection for working Defenders as well as giving it a more aggressive stance. Most winches with standard mounting pattern fit, and you can purchase it combined with a Stinger 12,000lb winch at the discounted rate of £2450. This is part of an extensive range of bags and covers Designed for cookers, wind protection is built-in Billet aluminium hinges From £125.75 exmoortrim.co.uk This range of billet aluminium hinges has been designed for a long service life. The bonnet hinges are security items preventing the bonnet being lifted off, while the door hinges feature stainless steel Torx security bolts, and 10mm diameter stainless pivot pins with self-lubricating bushes. Hard anodised and available in gun metal grey, black or silver.
MODULAR ROOF RACK From £1129.20 devon4x4.com Rival’s modular roof rack is available for double cabs, classic 90s and 110s as well as current Defenders. The version for the Defender L663 comes with low-profile rails that fix to the standard roof rack mounting points, and the rails have top-hat sections on the top and bottom of the crossbars making it easy to attach accessories. 6.5x16 wheels £134 lrsoffroad.co.uk Give your Series Land Rover and classic Defender a better stance with these 6.5-inch wheels (part no. DA3704). Matching the wheels fitted to Defender 130s and similar to those fitted to Series IIA and IIB Forward Controls and 1-Tons, they allow you to fit slightly wider tyres including 235/85 R16s – the metric equivalent of the 7.50R16 tyre. They’re tubeless too, so tyre fitters won’t turn you away. Purifier jerrycan £299.99 iconlifesaver.com If you’re heading off on adventure, you’ll want to know you’ll have access to a reliable supply of fresh drinking water. The LifeSaver jerrycan has earned its stripes in the field and its water filtration system removes 99.9 per cent of viruses, bacteria and cysts, and is now available as a black can as well as green, tan and blue. Cufflinks £335 goodwood.com Smarten up your formal wear with a pair of chunky Sterling Silver Land Rover cufflinks. Finished in a forest green, they feature a Series I hardtop with bonnet-mounted spare wheel. The Goodwood shop also sells standard flat metal cufflinks depicting a green Defender station wagon for £45. Rugged terrain tyre From £170 4site4x4tyres.co.uk At the opposite end of the all-terrain spectrum to the Wildpeak A/T Trail (p19), the R/T 01 leans more towards off-road driving. Big tread blocks cut through mud, while the overlapping pattern means it maintains on-road ability. The shoulders feature stone ejectors, while the sidewalls are scalloped to bite into mud and the tyre is claimed to offer much better mileage than a mud-terrain item. 22 LAND ROVER LIFE NEW LIFE LATEST KIT Art mugs €19.95 (£17.50) each carsandcrayons.com Featuring drawings by Land Rover Life contributor Jessica Jackson, these mugs brighten up your coffee break. They’re standard size and available with stylised versions of the ‘Oxford’ Series I, Camel Trophy One Ten and a car-combo/Valentine’s edition. Supplied in a matching box, they make great gifts. Three Men in a Land Rover £35 porterpress.co.uk This 208-page hardback book charts the nine-month, 40,000-mile, 40-country adventure undertaken by Chris Wall, Mike Palmer and Andrew ‘Waxy’ Wainwright in 1969. Including 270 photos, it recounts tales of being held at gunpoint, accused of spying and even being arrested on suspicion of murder, all based around the trio’s 1964 Series IIA hard top 109-inch on a trip supported by the United Nations Association. - . m Discovery 4 driving light bracket £125 ss4x4performance.co.uk Fitting all Discovery 4s, this driving lamp bracket is made from 4mm laser-cut stainless steel and incorporates braces to stop the lights vibrating when you’re driving on bumpy surfaces. Fitting only requires the use of hand tools and it can take a range of lightbars and spotlights set back no more than 65mm from the mounting stud. Standard main beam is a bit flat – get more light in!
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24 LAND ROVER LIFE KNOWING LIFE TRIED & TESTED Jug and tap £171 frontrunneroutfitters.com Tested by: Jessica Jackson Tested for: six months The Dometic GO Water Hydration Jug has changed our camping experience, making water useage more fun than it sounds. This modest water system makes me feel at home on the road, while adding a bit of luxury by the campfire. For starters we were pleasantly surprised by its 11-litre capacity, which proved to be more than sufficient for all our needs each day. Two sturdy handles and the smooth design also makes carrying it a doddle and it encouraged us to cook more complex meals – ones that included more than one pan and three ingredients. Even cleaning up was a joy. It also meant our dogs could have a much-needed wash during our travels. Best of all, we were never thirsty. The optional GO Hydration Water Faucet provided a turning point in our camper set-up. This connectable tap has a user-friendly design, featuring a touchpad button that will stop exactly at one litre, or sooner if you like, making water wastage impossible. There is also a small night light, so you can manoeuvre the water flow in low-light conditions. The magnetic bottom provides stability on table tops or even a suitable vehicle bonnet, preventing accidental spills, whether we were preparing food or chasing the dogs with a hose. The hose is a good length, allowing you to place your water tap anywhere you need it and since it is not gravity fed, your tap can be placed at any level, giving the easy-access feel of a kitchen. Verdict: We now can’t imagine travelling without it. Cordless impact wrench £164.95 (excluding battery and charger) einhell.co.uk Tested by: Helen Tait Wright Tested for: One year I’m all for kit that saves time and effort, and this impact driver does just that. Although it was initially purchased to make wheel changing easier, it has become an indispensable piece of kit for all those Land Rover jobs where the bolts don’t want to let go. With three speed settings and a 400Nm output it adapts to all tasks, is ergonomically friendly and, just in case you need to work in low light, it has a built in torch. There is also an adapter included so you can use it as a screwdriver. It certainly revolutionised our wheel changing challenge on a recent rally, although not everyone was as happy about that as us. The price given is the list price, but shop around and you will find it with the charger and battery for cheaper. And once you have one battery, you may find yourself buying other compatible tools in the range. Verdict: If you want to make a powerful impact, this is for you. Carbonfibre wing tops £559 composite-products.com Used for: Four months Tested by: Neil Watterson It’s rare to find a classic Defender with a wingtop that hasn’t been used as a table at least once in its life, and sometimes that results in damage. Wing top protectors do what they say. Traditionally they were aluminium tread plate cut to shape, but these carbonfibre offerings bring them into the 21st century. Okay, they are pricier than simple cut sheet, but they’re significantly less weighty and made in speciallydesigned moulds, giving a much cleaner edge. They can be drilled for you to fit with screws, or you can use double-sided tape, as I did, if you don’t fancy drilling your wings. They made a great wipe-clean work surface for a trip to Spain, and fended off branches on greenlanes. They have much more of a premium feel than standard chequerplate, and if you don’t want them for the protection they give, they can be used to hide rippled wing tops without looking garish. Verdict: Premium protection for your precious wingtops. Tried & Tested There’s nothing quite like assessing products in real world conditions Avoid There’s better available Good value for money Worth telling your mates about Why doesn’t everyone have one?
LAND ROVER LIFE 25 TRIED & TESTED KNOWING LIFE Security steering wheel pack £500 including Swivel Lock optimill-uk.com Tested by: John Pearson Tested for: Three months ‘How much?’ I was flabbergasted to discover that a new 36-spline steering wheel for my Td5 Defender was not only difficult to source, but would cost a staggering £701.52. I couldn’t justify spending that sort of money on a wheel, but after 22 years of hard use the original had worn away at the 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock positions, so I had to get a replacement. I eventually decided upon a fancy Momo Quark wheel and a quick release boss. The cost of these was £175 for the wheel and £165 for the boss, totalling £340 – a lot less than £701.52. Even adding £160 for a Swivel Lock, I’m still more than £200 better off – with a much smarter wheel and enhanced security. I can not only put the lock on, but take the wheel into my house. In addition, the swivel lock stores neatly in my cubby box, taking up a lot less space than the previous wheel clamp. It did take a few drives to get used to the smaller diameter wheel, and fitting the lock over the internal lugs first time takes a bit of practice, but overall I’m well pleased. Verdict: Cooler, smarter steering wheel with decent security. Power pack and solar panel £556.99 & £272.99 jackery.com Tested by: Russ Dykes Tested for: One year Battery technology has come on a long way recently and for people like me who change vehicles frequently, it’s opened up split-charging options. The portable Jackery Explorer 500 has a 518Wh lithium-ion battery with a 230v/500W threepin plug outlet, three USB outlets, a couple of DC accessory ports and a 12v accessory socket, and it can be charged from the mains, car or solar panel. I charge it up before heading off on trips and the Land Rover recharges it and powers accessories like the fridge as I drive along. At the campsite, I’ll plug the fridge into the Jackery and recharge items like radios which have been in use during the day – and I’ll have around 50 per cent charge left the next morning. In sunnier places the solar panel can share some of the load into the evening. The power pack also comes into its own when you’re in a vehicle with a smart alternator – as the current draw is sub-10A, you can plug it into an accessory port without worrying about harming the vehicle’s electronics. It can’t be used to supplement the vehicle battery if that goes flat as you can with some split-charge systems, but assuming you’ve switched the Land Rover off, that shouldn’t be an issue. Verdict: A cracking alternative to a split-charge system. Comforser CF1100 all-terrain tyres Guide price £140 (235/85 R16) 4x4tyres.com Tested by: Neil Watterson Tested for: 10,000 miles I can get away with an all-terrain tyre for 99 per cent of my driving and although I do have a set of mud-terrains tucked away, I often don’t have time to swap them over. That’s been the case when I’ve been testing these. And while I initially had them fitted for the long schlep across France and for the dry and dusty tracks at the Land Party in Spain last October, they’ve stayed on my Defender ever since. And that includes driving round claggy off-road sites in Scotland, tackling frozen greenlanes on Salisbury Plain and doing a recce for an event where they teach soldiers to drive tanks on Bovington’s sharp sand in Dorset. Noise is acceptable on-road and they track nicely, wanting to turn quickly on corners with less understeer than some other all-terrains I’ve tested. They stop nicely and regain traction quickly when you back-off the pedal if you’ve lockedup braking heavily on ice. Off-road, the only place I’ve really found an issue is on muddy grass, though they did still find sufficient grip to keep me moving – and as another vehicle using BFGoodrich A/Ts had similar issues, M/Ts would really have been a better choice of tyres in that situation. Verdict: Competent tyres that’ll do pretty much all you need. Avoid There’s better available Good value for money Worth telling your mates about Why doesn’t everyone have one?
LAND ROVER LIFE 27 So what do you do when it’s your birthday, it’s the end of January, you made a New Year’s resolution to use your Land Rover more, you like camping and you’re the area representative for the Fens chapter of the Land Rover Series I, II, III Club? Combine everything and invite a few (fool) hardy souls to join you for a celebratory camp out in a field in Lincolnshire, of course. Several birds, one stone and all that, though technically I was the only ‘bird’ there. Consequently, the last weekend of wet and miserable January saw seven Land Rovers, a VW campervan and an Audi turn up to the campsite of the Wishing Well pub in Dyke, near Bourne, for a fresh, though thankfully dry, Saturday night party round a fire pit. I’d chosen the pub for the venue as there would be options if the weather was against us and, of course, to fancy camping. But in the end everyone did camp, either in swish Carawagons – one of which was boasting an interior temperature of 22 degrees by the time the diesel heater had kicked in – or in caravans or tents despite the Sunday morning frost. Spag bol for the masses With various people and dogs turning up over the course of the Saturday afternoon, about in each other’s ‘set-ups’ and generally catching up, the inaugural Fens Area Winter Camp Out was well underway by the time the sun dipped behind the horizon. Off-the-ground fire pits were deployed, hats and gloves donned and chairs dragged up and food served. I’d looked at the forecast and decided it was worth chancing a mass cook-up on the premise that it was more social than ordering bar food individually. I had prepped a vat of Bolognese sauce at home that I carted to the field in the Land Rover footwell meaning that I only had to reheat it and cook the spaghetti on the gas stove at the back of the Seale Safari Sleeper – a good plan as after a couple of G&Ts proper ‘chefing’ was probably beyond me! Toby Savage made fresh dough which he baked expertly into garlic bread on his trusty Oz-pig stove and so a veritable feast for 11 was cooked and served al fresco; not bad for a chilly January night. And, as is often the case, when the sun goes down early, bed-time isn’t late and we’d all crawled to our respective camp beds by 10pm. Waking with first light – a civilised 8am – campers emerged, coffee pots steamed and bacon sizzled as the tents and Land Rovers thawed; it had got down to -4° Celcius overnight. There was no rush as all that was planned for the day of my birthday, the Sunday, was a leisurely cross-country road run and greenlane amble to finish at the International Bomber Command Centre in Lincoln, with a great museum, poignant memorial garden and a fantastic Sunday lunch offering. VICKY TURNER LAND ROVER LIFE Chilling out – quite literally… Some light greenlaning Land Rover Life editor Neil had planned a scenic drive that mostly avoided A-roads, took in pretty historic villages and headed north along the ancient roads built by Romans that traverse Lincolnshire, many of which remain byways today. Adhering to Green Lane Association guidance, only five Land Rovers set off on the lanes with the drivers of the Audi and VW hopping in with others. A couple of hours trundling brought us to the International Bomber Command Centre which sits on a hill offering spectacular views of the city of Lincoln Egypt for thousands of years. Next to the cathedral is the castle which boasts an original copy of the Magna Carta and a fascinating Victorian prison within its grounds. The IBCC itself won a prestigious that gets overlooked in favour of more touristy destinations with ‘biscuit tin’ attractiveness such as Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds or Warwickshire and ‘Shakespeare Country’ but it is full of great architecture, is truly historic and the vast flatness of the Fens has an eerie and wild beauty that as a ‘foreigner’ I’ve come to love. Best of all, you don’t have to deal with Emits and Grockles so the locals are friendly and a bad traffic jam here consists of one lorry behind a tractor. Anyway, that’s my bit for the tourism board done… A warm welcome Ahead of our arrival to the IBCC, I’d organised a tour and photo opportunities near its remarkable sculptures, but in reality, hot food and drinks and the use of the facilities were as much of a draw for us frozen Land Rover drivers as anything cultural the memorial had to offer. All in all it was a brilliant weekend and just goes to show that sometimes less is more when it comes to organised club events. It really had come together at the last minute, with very loose arrangements in place depending on who turned up, what the weather decided to do and how folk were feeling on the day. I’m taking it as a win as those who went are insisting that it’s now an annual Land Rover Series I, II, III Club event despite it being in January. Oh, and I was given a Colin the Caterpillar cake – result! LRL It was almost inevitable that Vicky would learn to drive in a Land Rover as her dad was the son of a farmer and also served in the army, bringing home tales of Land Rover adventures. VICKY TURNER CAMPER VICKY’S LAND ROVER 1969 Series IIA 88-inch Searle Safari ‘Off-theground fire pits were deployed, hats and gloves donned’ The perfect evening to huddle around a fire The Spire Memorial at the IBCC
LAND ROVER LIFE 29 I ’ve been lucky enough to have travelled the world in Land Rovers, from Australia to the Arctic Circle, Mongolia to Moab – and lots more besides. Forty-one countries, in fact, at the last count. I love visiting destinations I haven’t been before, savouring different terrains, foods and cultures, but there are a few places that have tempted me back. Places with that something special I want more of, and which I want to share with you here. Portugal and the Pyrénées Portugal has grown significantly as a 4x4 adventure destination since I first went there back in 2012. Most of the UK-based travel companies run trips there, and the man who first proudly showed me around his country, José Almeida, now runs his own dreamoverland.com adventure company. I’ve been back several times, driving the delightful culture, and enjoying its magnificent food spine of Portugal on its mountain routes, then spend time in the lovely Algarve, inland from the crowded beaches. The Pyrénées is also popular with UK travel companies, not least for its accessibility from the northern Spain ferry ports of Bilbao and Santander. This vast barrier of rock straddles the border between France and Spain, rising to over with stunning tracks through the mountains where you’ll enjoy magnificent vistas and remote ancient villages. Might I suggest you plan a big adventure, starting in the west at the Atlantic and crossing east to the Med. The marvels of Morocco Morocco is just a short boat trip across the Strait of Gibraltar from Spain, but it’s vastly different in cultures and terrain once you get into the high altitude Atlas mountain tracks and beyond to the arid south and the Sahara desert. The mountain scenery is awesome, while the desert tracks cross vast plains and take you through demanding rocky hamada. Then, of course there’s desert sand – plenty of it. No trip to Morocco would be complete without a drive in the massive – near 500ft – dunes of Erg Chebbi near Merzouga or Erg Chigaga, 60 miles south of Zagora. There are plenty of campsites, but do try wild camping, especially in the desert. Food is reasonably cheap, and you can get a superb meal at the remotest of desert auberges. Usual dishes are meat brochettes and the ubiquitous tagines. Alcohol is available in hotels, bars and tourist areas, but best advice is to take your own stocks because it’s not widely available in shops and supermarkets. Take at least a couple of weeks, more if you can, to enjoy this wondrous country. Drive the amazing Atlas mountain tracks, savour the beautiful Todra or Dades gorges, spend at least a day in the big dunes, experience the former JOHN PEARSON ADVENTURE LIFE and where Dakar rally routes across the south towards Tan Tan, then go north along the coast, detouring to the famous Plage Blanche before heading to Marrakesh. Spend a night at Le Relais campsite outside town and take a mad cab ride into the centre for a taste of its bustling big square and souk. Namibia, land of wildlife and dunes Namibia. If you want sand dunes, Namibia boasts some of the biggest in the world. They’re found at Sossusvlei in the Namib desert between Luderitz and Walvis Bay. To get an idea of the scale of the place, imagine driving the length of Scotland, all on sand dunes. But it’s not just about the dunes, or its moonscapes, its vast desert tracks, or the legendary 3143ft Van Zyl’s pass in the northern Kuene region. Namibia is big on wildlife, whether wandering free or in the magical Etosha game reserve. Sit near a waterhole and gaze spellbound Shipping your own Land Rover out there is southern Africa adventure, hiring a 4x4 is most cost-effective, probably with a self-drive company that will provide an itinerary. And driving the dunes is best done with a group, for reasons that will become obvious when you get stuck. destination. It’s like nowhere else on earth, with spectacular lava fields, vast wild moonscapes, extinct and not-so-extinct volcanoes, glaciers, steaming fumaroles and hot springs, magnificent waterfalls and lots of river crossings. The wonderful thing about Iceland is that most of the interior is crossed by the F-roads, which are 4x4- only, totally our domain and taking us to the most remote and breathtakingly beautiful places. So buy a copy of Land Rover Life issue 3 and follow the route I took. Getting to Iceland necessitates a long drive through Europe to the tip of Denmark, then a long ferry trip via the Faroes, but it’s well worth it. Explore Australia’s outback Australia. Given that the best selling vehicle in Australia is the Ford Ranger pick-up, you’ll understand that 4x4 driving is a way of life for many Australians. Most of them live by or not far from the coast, while much of the vast – and I mean vast – interior consists of the outback. I’ve done most of its fabled routes, from the wildernesses of the Simpson desert and the 1150-mile Canning Stock Route, to the iconic Telegraph track, with its numerous steep, deep river crossings up to the ‘tip’ at Cape York. Shipping your own Land Rover to Australia is now very expensive and difficult – it has to be spotless to be allowed in. So, while renting a kitted-out 4x4 is still costly, it’s a more viable option. Do it if you can. LRL Having been involved with Land Rover magazines for more than a couple of decades, John has enjoyed countless adventures both in his own Land Rovers and those of other people. JOHN PEARSON ADVENTURER JOHN’S LAND ROVERS ▪ 2020 D250 Defender 110 ▪ 2002 ex-G4 Challenge Defender 110 ‘Imagine driving the length of Scotland, all on dunes’ You certainly get adventure in Australia The Namibian dunes are huge
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32 LAND ROVER LIFE NEW LIFE DISCOVERY SPORT D200
Land Rovers are built to handle whatever is thrown at them and Neil Watterson finds that despite being the baby of the range, the Discovery Sport copes just fine PHOTOGRAPHY TOM CRITCHELL LAND ROVER LIFE 33 DISCOVERY SPORT D200 NEW LIFE 300 MILE TEST 2024 LAND ROVER DISCOVERY SPORT D200 HSE DYNAMIC
34 LAND ROVER LIFE ere’s a question for you: how often do you adjust the settings in your daily-drive Land Rover or Range Rover? It’s something that I started thinking about as I slipped behind the wheel of this issue’s test vehicle, the D200 Discovery Sport, and went to familiarise myself with all the switches and buttons and found none; almost everything is done through the central touchscreen. Is this a problem? For me, trying to make sure I try everything the vehicle has to offer, it is a bit of an issue, but I guess once you’ve bought the vehicle, and after the initial few drives setting it up, you’ll tend to leave things as they are – you know the ambient temperature you like, which audio source to use, etc. Your phone will automatically connect to the system and a simple press of the seat memory button will have the seat where you want it even if someone else has been driving it. So being tucked away within the apps on the touchscreen isn’t much of an issue for most of us – and anyway, you can adjust the main tiles to be the ones you use most frequently, so they’ll be easy to locate. Getting started A few minutes fiddling with the various settings on the screen and I was ready to go. This Discovery Sport is a top-of-the-range Dynamic HSE model, with the now standard D200 fourcylinder Ingenium diesel engine coupled to nine-speed automatic gearbox. Want more power? You’ll have to get a petrol engine. Twenty years ago, the 201bhp (204PS), 317lb ft (430Nm) engine would have been seen as a step up from what was available, but now it’s the lowest output lump available. Mind you, it’ll still propel you to 130mph if you fancy travelling that quickly. Nudging the gear lever back and into Drive, I set off on my 300-mile odyssey – which involves most of the kind of driving that owners will do, from fast A-roads to urban Start First task – switch off the Lane Assistance and Speed Warnings to avoid annoying ‘bings’ and ‘bongs’ from the vehicle. Forward Collision Warning is retained, though. 25 miles A repurposed telephone box adds a splash of colour to a Rutland village. Tyres are large enough to protect the big alloy wheels from kerb rash. D200 is a four-cylinder twin-turbocharged diesel, with mild hybrid electric assistance Gear selector and park switch – those are the only real switches you get on the console NEW LIFE DISCOVERY SPORT D200 Absolutely at home in rural villages
LAND ROVER LIFE 35 environments, plus some gentle greenlanes and fords. And a bit of towing thrown in. But first things first – I dispense with the driver safety settings of Speed Limit Warning and Lane Assistance to reduce the occurrence of annoying bongs and steering intervention. All vehicles have to have this as standard now and it resets every time you start the vehicle – I get why it’s needed, but can’t help feeling that improving driver training may be better than having the vehicle trying to rectify driver errors. Light Oyster and Ebony Windsor leather seats add a bit of brightness to the interior, which is enhanced when I retract the panoramic sunroof shade, letting the miserable February gloom flood into the cabin. At least it’s not all black in here, as many buyers opt for their own interiors. Electronic everything As I get settled into the drive, I tweak the positions slightly. Being an HSE, the seats have multi-way electric adjustment as well as heating and cooling, and the steering column is also electrically adjustable and the wheel is heated. This one also has the addition of the Clearsight rear-view mirror, and you can alter get used to the video feed, and I appreciate the wide, unobstructed view it gives. In-car entertainment is accessed through the central touchscreen, and you get DAB+ as standard, as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which most buyers will use. The output from the sound system is great, but the only analogue volume control is the scroll-wheel on the steering wheel. That means if you have a passenger who wants to talk to you, they have to select volume through one of the quick buttons on the screen, then use the slider to reduce it. The sat nav is clear and, like all current Land Rover products, allows you to input destinations as what3words addresses, about as accurate as you can get for simple references. Looking around the cabin you get a couple of sizeable cup holders in the middle and a deep cubby box. The cup holders can lift out increasing the storage, and there’s a smaller lidded storage area ahead of the gear lever. In front of that there’s a wireless phone charging point and a couple of USB-C charging points; if you want older, standard USB output jacks you need to move into the back where you’ll find them in the the backs of the seats. It’s stuff like this that can infuriate 53 miles Air filtration means you’ll be breathing cleaner air when travelling through polluted areas, although it makes little difference in the countryside. 104 miles As well as adaptive cruise control, it’s fitted with an adjustable speed limiter – perfect for the many villages and urban areas that have lower speed limits. DISCOVERY SPORT D200 NEW LIFE Surround cameras: handy for manoeuvring Dynamic mode for sportier driving Input your trailer dimensions for easier towing ‘My route included mostly firm tracks, with a bit of mud thrown in’
36 LAND ROVER LIFE 166 miles Wet roads are the order of the day – the Pirelli Scorpion all-season tyres take everything in their stride with no fuss. 201 miles Dropping in to show the parents – the Disco Sport has considerably more tech than the eight-yearold Disco 4 and Freelander 2. The engine isn’t the quietest around, but isn’t too noticeable unless you start thrashing it. What I am finding is that there is a lot of road noise from the tyres and it can be quite intrusive, so I crank up the radio volume a bit to compensate. I’m used to the racket in classic Defenders, but I had expected this to be a bit closer to the Range Rover than it is. I guess that goes to show just how effective the noise cancelling is in JLR’s flagship family. But while it may be noisier than I expected, the ride is good and steering is precise. And the brakes are, thankfully, reliable when I approach junctions quicker than I would normally be driving, dispersing the water quickly from the puddles caused by the intermittent rain. As well as filling the rivers and streams, the rain has left the grass verges sodden, and these have been turned to mud at regular intervals as drivers edge onto them to avoid oncoming cars on the road. At 2173mm wide, the Discovery Sport is chunkier than most cars, and it makes sense to pull over to let other vehicles pass; the all-wheel drive ensuring that there is very little slipping or sliding when you restart as the power is sent to the tyres with the grip. The nine-speed gearbox feels a bit hesitant at times when pulling away, but once you’re bustling along changes are fairly seamless, and if you want to keep the pace up on twisty roads you can just nudge the lever back and engage Sport. Or just drop a gear using the flappy paddles on the steering wheel. Onto the tracks The test vehicle is shod with all-season tyres, which are pretty much the standard that most owners will need, and my route included mostly firm tracks, with a bit of mud thrown in. I hadn’t anticipated some of the deeper puddles, nor Neil braves the wet and windy weather NEW LIFE DISCOVERY SPORT D200 Thanks to stormy weather the fords were deeper than normal Electric deployable towbar tucks out of the way
LAND ROVER LIFE 37 235 miles Keyless entry – and pressing the plipper twice superlocks it, meaning the door can’t be opened even if the window is broken. A tracker is an option. 267 miles Cup holder in the centre console grips a bottle well and can be removed to increase the volume of the cubby box. the soft wet clay in places, but the tyres do their thing. Had it been deep mud it may have been a different outcome, but at no point do I perceive the tyres losing grip, and even when I feel the nearside front wheel lifting when crossing a diagonal wash-out on a climb, the other three immediately come to its assistance; no fuss, no wheelspinning, just steady progress. It’s the same when I plunge the nose into a hollow on a greenlane. Tracks to the side should have been an indicator that it was deeper than I’ve assumed – fortunately it’s only about half a metre deep and the Land Rover drags itself out, though the weight of the water has dislodged the fibre sump plug cover, which starts to drag along the lane. I’ll wait until I’m back on solid ground before resolving that. In case you’re wondering, the wading depth is about the height of the bottom of the beam on the front bumper the numberplate is fixed to, and the engine’s air intake is through the second skin on the bonnet. Splashing through puddles along the road doesn’t seem to faze the engine, though the headlights have acquired a touch of condensation inside. Talking of lights Being a top-of-the-range model, this has the Matrix LED headlights, and as night falls these lights come into play. Auto main-beam has been a thing for years, but these take it one step further, using what is essentially a block of LEDs that automatically switch off individually when they sense another vehicle. It’s fascinating, and slightly distracting, watching the dark areas move when facing oncoming traffic. I’m not sure if software has been updated, but they certainly seem faster-reacting and more accurate than the versions available three years ago. Cornering lights illuminate the inside of a corner – ideal on dark country lanes – and lowslung fog lights sit low down. LEDs continue Rear seats can slide forwards for bigger loads All main controls are on the steering wheel DISCOVERY SPORT D200 NEW LIFE
38 LAND ROVER LIFE 302 miles A late run home allows me to take in some firm greenlanes. A good idea, but it does mean I need to jetwash it again. 286 miles As well as automatic headlights switching on when it gets dark, the Discovery Sport has auto main-beam which operates outside areas with streetlights. around the vehicle, and even light up on the digital vehicle when you use the surround camera view on the touchscreen. These cameras come into their own when you’re manoeuvring in tight areas. Reversing a trailer through a gateway and into a space parallel with the road would have been much trickier without them. The camera also helps guide the Discovery Sport to your trailer tow hitch, showing a line on the screen. And once you’ve input your trailer’s details (distance to axle centre from hitch and width), the cameras will superimpose a trajectory over the trailer showing where the wheels will go when you are reversing. Advanced Tow Assist will let you steer the combo using the touchscreen… Going back inside The towing capacity is dependent on the model you opt for – five-seat models will give you up to 2500kg, while the five+two-seaters are limited to 2200kg. If you go for a five-seater, you also get the option of a spare wheel – there’s no room for one in the five+two-seater. The load space is fairly good with the seats in their standard position, and you can slide them forwards if you do need additional luggage space, though you lose rear legroom. Need Vehicle: 2024 Discovery Sport Model: D200 HSE Dynamic Price as tested: £60,325 Engine: 1998cc four-cylinder diesel Power: 201bhp (204PS) @ 3750rpm Torque: 317lb ft (430Nm) @ 1750-2500rpm Transmission: Nine-speed automatic Fuel consumption: Up to 39.9mpg. 34.5 mpg on test Max speed: 130mph 0-60mph: 8.1sec Wheelbase: 2741mm (107.9in) Length :4597mm Width: 2173mm (2069mm mirrors folded) Height: 1727mm (68in) Weight: 1874kg (5 seats)/1953kg (5+2) kerb. 2590kg (5 seats) 2570kg (5+2) GVW. Loadspace behind rear seats: 963 litres (840 litres 5+2 seats) Maximum roof load: 75kg Ground clearance: 212mm Wading depth: 600mm (23.6in) Turning circle: 11.8m (kerb-to-kerb) Towing capacity: 2500kg (5-seat) 2200kg (5+2) TECH SPECS LRL VERDICT The word that keeps springing to mind when thinking about this vehicle is ‘pleasant’. That may seem a bit of a dull description, but it is what it is. It’s not a vehicle for tearing along roads, nor heavy off-roading, nor will it cope with the heaviest trailers. But what it will do is carry you and your passengers to your destination with little fuss, be that along country roads, flooded lanes or mucky tracks – and that’s exactly what most buyers will be wanting it to do. even more space? You can fold the seats down using the switches in the boot if you don’t fancy doing it manually and that’ll gain you an extra 611-litres capacity. Moving the seats will be a rarity, unless you opt for a five+two-seat model and make use of the foldaway chairs. And I guess that will apply to the other settings on the vehicle. Now that I have everything set up to my preference and I’ve finished playing, I don’t really need to change anything. The radio’s playing my favourite station, my destination is in the sat nav and the temperature is how I like it. I guess it’s time to enjoy the drive now… LRL NEW LIFE DISCOVERY SPORT D200 Headlights, DRLs and indicators are all LED Nice and clear rear light; indicators scroll Ad-blue filler shares cover with diesel filler Mild crossaxle doesn’t upset the Discovery Sport’s composure
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40 LAND ROVER LIFE ADVENTURE LIFE BELGIUM
WORDS THEO FORD-SAGERS PHOTOS TOM WHEATLEY & THEO FORD-SAGERS Theo Ford-Sagers samples a new luxury event for Land Rover owners LAND ROVER LIFE 41 A Taste of Belgium BELGIUM ADVENTURE LIFE
42 LAND ROVER LIFE hen a new event comes on the scene, it’s usually a reworking of an old recipe, so you know what to expect. Another show or greenlane run… You know the drill. But the creator of Land Rovers & Campfires is clearly determined to create something unique and very different to the norm. Thérèse-Marie Becker is promising a long weekend of relaxation, luxury camping and high-quality cuisine, with some local exploration of Belgian greenlanes thrown into the mix – and all tailormade for Land Rover owners. Too tempting to resist. Our destination is a private estate in the Arendonk region of northeastern Belgium. Few of us in the UK give much thought to Belgium as a holiday destination, but considering its closeness to the ferry ports of Dunkirk (minutes from the country’s western border) and Rotterdam (about an hour north) it deserves to feature on our radar more often. Time restrictions prevent me from driving there from Scotland, so I leave my Range Rover L322 shooting daggers at me in the car park of my local airport, fly to Eindhoven in the Netherlands, and hop into the passenger seat on the ‘wrong’ side of a brand-new Defender 110 that Thérèse-Marie has borrowed from Land Rover Brussels. We then speed westward across the border into Belgium, the only noise being an almighty howl from the roof tent. But given the speedometer reading, perhaps it isn’t so bad. Soon we are in the camp-ground with the rest of the group, opening beers as the sun sets around our idyllic semi-circle of Defenders and tepee tents, lit by flickering candles and three roaring fire pits. Visible across a field of towering corn that waves and flutters in the evening breeze, is the roof of a beautiful white country house whose owners have given us permission to use their land. It is a perfectly remote and peaceful place to unwind while getting to know each other. Drinks flow, night falls, and eventually we ADVENTURE LIFE BELGIUM The Organiser Thérèse-Marie (theresemariebecker.com) may be familiar to LRL readers for her promotional work on the Last Overland Expedition from Singapore to London in 2019, an expedition which she joined for its entire length. She’s the owner of a rather troubled Range Rover P38 in southern France, as well as a Tdi Snatch 110 which she bought for a bargain price on account of a few mechanical issues. With its low mileage, sweetly running 200Tdi, excellent chassis and bulkhead, and impressive overall condition, it’s a desirable machine, though not the most practical. The armour plating adds a lot of weight and severely restricts ventilation. That hasn’t stopped Thérèse-Marie from building a bed in the back and driving it around most of Europe. ‘A weekend of luxury camping and high-quality cuisine’
LAND ROVER LIFE 43 retire to our tents and their plush air mattresses – all set up for us beforehand by Thérèse-Marie and her team: partner Alex, brother Henri and friend Géraldine. Food (and drink) for the soul We awake to the sound of gentle birdsong in the surrounding trees, distant cockerels calling, and occasional yackering from some large bird in the tall oak trees overhead. Sticks are gathered to fuel the Kelly kettle (the source of all our hot water for the weekend), and our chef Géraldine gets to work with quiet efficiency, laying out a feast of local delicacies and her own irresistible baking. Soon it is time to pile into the Land Rovers for the day’s main mission: a greenlane excursion to a local town where the owner of a local brewery is ready to give our group a private guided tour. The summer warmth is building, so I opt to ride in the back of Rob and Brenda’s rag-top 110 and enjoy the breeze. With its canvas rolled up, ammo boxes bolted down, sidefacing seats to perch on and BMW M57 engine providing a reassuring soundtrack, this Defender feels like the ideal vehicle for a desert raid, both practically and aesthetically. (No coincidence – see the panel on what Rob and Brenda have been up to on p45.) What a way to travel! As we cruise along the tracks, it soon becomes obvious that the ride quality is seriously impressive; not just ‘good for a Defender’ impressive, but genuinely good. ‘The Bilsteins just soak it all up,’ says Rob, clearly satisfied with his investment. ‘When you go through a deep pothole there’s no extra rebound afterwards. The springs return to their normal ride height and you just stay level.’ More than once I find myself bracing for an impact that never comes, and as we follow behind the new Defender (an air-sprung example, rather than on coils) there are moments when it seems to be having a harder time than us. Higher-frequency vibrations are equally subdued, so swift motoring on gravel sections is something to enjoy rather than endure. Admittedly, these Bilstein dampers cost a whopping £1500 a corner, but with most new Defenders costing over £80,000, it does get you wondering about value for money. We roll through tree-lined avenues, past verdant hedges and along grassy tracks, between luscious forests and burgeoning farmland, occasionally following the route of an old canal. This is horse country, and as we dive in and out of picturesque villages, impressive farm houses and immaculate stable yards come in and out of view. BELGIUM ADVENTURE LIFE Géraldine Mariën Géraldine (eatprettybehappy.com) left her career in human space flight at the European Space Agency to pursue something she loved more – creating great food. ‘It was a fascinating field but it didn’t have the creativity that I was looking for. Anything food-related is what animates me – I can spend hours at it without getting bored. Cooking is my meditation, and the kitchen is my happy place! It’s where I want to learn and progress.’ For the last few years she’s run her own business providing catering for private events like this one, with an emphasis on healthy and sustainable nutrition. The new and the older Land Rover avenue Rag-top perfect for summer warmth Smoke drifts across the campsite
44 LAND ROVER LIFE ADVENTURE LIFE BELGIUM Eventually we trundle into Turnhout for a guided tour of the Het Nest brewery, a modern set-up that began simply as a food club for a group of friends. ‘We weren’t very good at cooking,’ explains our jovial host, Bart Cuypers, the brewery’s managing director, ‘but we were pretty good at drinking beer. And we still are.’ After a few years their club members took classes in brewing, and when they did well at the Dutch Open Championships for beer makers they decided to start taking it more seriously. Now they’re exporting their range of Belgian beers (each with a playing card theme) to enthusiasts all around the world, producing more than 1.5million bottles a year, and even making forays into the world of whiskey. For any enthusiast of beer or entrepreneurship, this is a fascinating story. Perfect accompaniment For lunch, Géraldine introduces us to the sumptuous mush that is filet Américain, a Belgian favourite made using a finely ground raw beef, much healthier and tastier than its name suggests. It’s the perfect accompaniment to a lazy afternoon sampling Bart’s flavoursome brews, each with its own distinct character, and extremely quaffable. Tiny sips only though – we have more lanes to drive. Stomachs replenished and Land Rovers clinking with bottles, we hit the lanes again, and when Rob and Brenda offer me the driver’s seat of their 110, I can’t resist. The layout is familiar Td5-era Defender, albeit with some different gauges (including a boost gauge), a custom transmission tunnel, and a handbrake lever from a classic Range Rover tucked conveniently beside the seat rather than poking into the footwell, thanks to the TDCi transmission. The heavy clutch is due to the requirement for a dual-mass flywheel, but you soon get used to it. The six-speed gearbox is from a TDCi Defender and has the same ratios, but first feels much taller when coupled to the M57 compared with a TDCi. In this Defender you cruise up through first and slide conveniently into second, rather than lurch into the top of the torque curve before slumping into second. This is much easier to drive. It’s a bit mad too, as I discover on an open stretch of gravel through the private estate, where Rob encourages me to give it some beans. The revs soar with unusual ease for a diesel Defender. Changing up into third, I pin the throttle again and soon back off as I feel the tyres start to spin, even at this speed. It’s properly quick. But hooning isn’t what this weekend is all about, so I bring us back to a trundle and enjoy Tom Daniels, 2001 Defender 90 Td5 Tom traces his interest in Land Rovers back to his early childhood growing up on a farm, so when the engine of his Volvo V70R went bang three years ago, he decided the time was right to brave the tax penalty (about €800 a year) and get his first Land Rover. ‘With ULEZ regulations getting stricter in the EU it’s becoming harder to run Defenders, so it was a now or never moment – I just dived in.’ He ended up with this Td5 90 which now wears some characterful scratches, but the chassis is impressively solid and it’s pleasingly original overall, which is just the way Tom likes it. ‘It’s my everyday car and my fun car for the weekends as well, so it’s pretty versatile. I live in quite a rural part of Belgium, so there are plenty of local places to explore.’ As night falls, the campfire is lit Do evenings get better than this? Traditional tents ooze appeal Perfect parking at the Het Nest brewery
LAND ROVER LIFE 45 ‘The night is finished off with a selection of single malts’ BELGIUM ADVENTURE LIFE the engine’s subdued murmur as we meander through the trees. While we have plenty of airflow, life isn’t such a breeze inside the Snatch 110 on this warm afternoon. With its unopenable bulletproof windows and Kevlar armour that covers the bulkhead flaps, ventilation inside is virtually non-existent. The opening rear roof hatch helps a little, but not enough, so Alex and Henri resort to driving with the front doors ajar where they can. Why not replace the doors with normal ones from a standard Defender? She could, but Thérèse-Marie wants to keep it authentic. It’s a heavy beast; following along behind we can see its double springs working hard as the body pitches into some of the bigger holes. But there’s never any risk of it getting stuck, and the Tdi does an admirable job of chugging it along. In fact, Alex says it’s surprisingly nippy in stop-start traffic. Back at camp, a few episodes of pelting rain fail to dampen anyone’s spirits – if anything, the opposite. Rob’s tactic for rain-resistant fire works a treat; with the logs stacked in a square around a hollow middle, our two campfires are built into towers of flames that shrug off the rain, keep us dry and sizzle to perfection an array of enormous steaks and other treats. The land-owning family join us for dinner, and as night falls conversation turns to previous journeys, driving experiences, and expedition-related dreams for the future. Once the early risers have peeled off to bed, Thérèse-Marie ensures that our night is rounded off with a selection of single malts (Scottish, Irish and Belgian) and a hearty Belgian cigar. Fun fact: luxury cigars are making a comeback, and they’re more popular in Belgium than in any other European country. The future We arise suitably croaky from the night before, and Géraldine whips up a hearty breakfast of eggs and mushrooms to fuel our day, all cooked on a fresh conjuring of flames. More downpours, then more sunshine. As our tepee tents start to warm, little whisps of steam creep Rob and Brenda Tasker, 1987 One Ten Wolf Rob and Brenda share the driving of this deeply capable overlander that Rob commissioned from Dave Lea at Shropshire firm, Mahker – a restoration which was finished in 2021, initially with a competition-spec 200Tdi, standard Wolf springs and Bilstein dampers. In that guise it drove to Morocco for the Scram Africa event, then Portugal in 2022. Since then, it’s acquired a Puma transmission and a modified BMW M57 engine, an early cast-iron variant from a BMW 330 (later M57s were aluminium). It’s equipped with injectors from the 335 and a turbo from the X5, resulting in about 440lb ft of torque. To keep that under control there are three ATB diffs – front, rear and central – and obviously all this has required uprated halfshafts and propshafts by Ashcroft and Gwyn Lewis 4x4. There’s also an unlockable X-Eng anti-roll bar enabling stiffer handling on-road and better articulation off-road.
46 LAND ROVER LIFE ADVENTURE LIFE BELGIUM up their sides and plume away from their pinnacles, mirroring the smoke that billows from our fires. Thérèse-Marie has kept Sunday’s schedule relaxed, so this is a day for small explorations of the picturesque estate, photography sessions, drone flights, conversation, beer sampling (we never ran out, despite our best efforts) and gradually breaking camp. Rob whips out his spanners and attends to one of the D-bushes on his unlockable rear anti-roll bar which had popped out of place during yesterday’s adventure, causing a rattle as we went along. ‘I made the mistake of greasing the outside of the bush rather than the inside,’ he explains. A simple fix, quickly sorted. Tom Daniels eventually waves goodbye from his Td5 90, with a heartfelt offer of support for any future Land Rovering in his country. ‘We’re quite a small community of Land Rover enthusiasts in Belgium, so it’s important we help each other out.’ He’d driven an hour and a half to reach the event on Friday, and more than half of that driving had been along greenlanes. As our group’s remaining members spend a third midnight around the campfire, Thérèse-Marie is keen to hear ideas for how to improve her next event. How do you build a Land Rover event that’s more about luxury and socialising than spending hours being the wheel, but with enough driving – and the right kind of driving – to make it fun and distinctive? Thoughts and ideas are passed around, but everyone agrees that the relaxed pace, luxurious provisions and fixed camping spot (no breaking camp each night) were key to this weekend’s unique flavour. It’s an interesting balance that Thérèse-Marie is perfecting in her own unique way. High-altitude fighter planes rip through the sky the following morning, rolling and wheeling after each other as we bundle the tents into the remaining Land Rovers. Just a few weeks earlier, Belgium had joined a coalition of nations pledging to offer Ukrainian pilots training in F-16s. Were these pilots above us at that moment? We didn’t know, but it is a troubling omen – a reminder that a weekend like this, and the crossborder friendships that stem from it, are things to be grateful for. LRL Thérèse-Marie Becker & Alex Gormley, 2022 Defender 110 Thérèse-Marie, with help from her partner Alex, is the driving force behind Land Rovers & Campfires. Land Rover Brussels provided her with this Defender 110 for the weekend, equipped with a Thule roof tent, and it was soon pressed into service as a multipurpose van, taxi and camera car. Despite its relatively basic spec, with manually-adjusted seats and no sunroofs, it was loaded with tech and superbly comfortable, and blasted effortlessly along dual carriageways. Although no one at the event felt that this was a vehicle we would choose to own, preferring Land Rovers that are more affordable and easier to fix and adapt, we couldn’t help admiring its purposeful-looking ‘face’ as it stared at us through the campfire. They’re attractive machines. Future editions of Land Rovers & Campfires are being considered for the same location or at different areas of Europe and the UK. For more information visit landroverscampfires.com Get it booked! Exploring the Arendonk region A true Land Rover camp A real mixture of Defenders
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48 LAND ROVER LIFE ADVENTURE LIFE DIRTY STEAKS WITH CHIMICHURRI SAUCE A Night on the Coals! I t’s nice to get out in Ratty, our ex-military Defender 110, for a jolly around one of our local National Parks. Even better when you can find a butcher shop en route and a fresh greengrocer and bakery all in the same village. After Ratty had been for a good tour of Exmoor, splashing her way through fords and rivers, we chose our ‘outdoor restaurant’ in a location with spectacular countryside and sea views. We set up the wildlife spotting scope, which is also superb for watching Exmoor’s dark skies, and if that isn’t enough to leave you in awe, the steak certainly will. So, if you have never cooked ‘dirty’ before, the first thing you need to do is choose the right material to place the steaks on. It’s really important to make sure you use ‘clean’ lumpwood charcoal and natural firelighters rather than charcoal briquettes and chemical-infused firelighters, as the steaks will be coming into direct contact with the coals and you don’t want to taint the food. The steaks will come off surprisingly clean and even if there is any charcoal residue it is completely tasteless and harmless if consumed. There are plenty of different portable barbecues available these days and many are lightweight, fully collapsible and can double as a small fire pit for the evening. When it comes to your steak, a good butcher will be able to tell you the name of the farm where the meat has come from, the breed and feeding system they use. Neil Hawkins, of Bampton Butchers, Bampton, Devon (bamptonbutchers.co.uk), has been dealing with the same farm for more than 30 years and there was nothing he couldn’t tell me about it. He also likes Land Rovers. Dirty Steaks with Chimichurri Sauce Sirloin steaks (quite thickly cut) Fresh bread For the sauce Good-sized bunch of flat leaf parsley, garlic (smoked or unsmoked) 2–3 cloves, chopped chilli (optional), oregano, pinch of salt, red wine vinegar, olive oil For your skewers Tomatoes, red peppers, mushrooms and honey-pickled onion Equipment Prep time: 10 mins Cooking time: 6-12 mins Ingredients • Lumpwood charcoal • Natural firelighters • Portable grill/barbecue • Barbecue chimney starter (aids the lighting process) • Chopping board, knife, plates, foil, skewers, tongs, bin liner • Empty lidded jar/container for the sauce (it’s then easy to transport any leftovers back home without making a mess) • Two lighters (just in case one fails) • Container of water sufficient to fully quench the charcoal before you leave with Tracey Slocombe Share your travel cooking photos on the Land Rover Life Facebook page • Check and observe any local by-laws/restrictions on the use of barbecues. • Never have barbecues/fires if the location and/or conditions could lead to wild or moorland fires. • Keep your barbecue off the ground to prevent scorching the ground. • Take all your rubbish and burnt charcoal/ashes home with you. • Never use a barbecue inside a tent or vehicle unless it’s specifically designed for the purpose, due to risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. • Remember – leave no trace. Safety and the environment Neil Hawkins of Bampton Butchers Food with a view
On the road Ratty, our Land Rover, is definitely the perfect vehicle to take shopping LAND ROVER LIFE 49 DIRTY STEAKS WITH CHIMICHURRI SAUCE ADVENTURE LIFE Share your travel cooking photos on the Land Rover Life Instagram page Method 6 Set up your portable barbecue and light the charcoal; we use a chimney lighter as it speeds up the process of getting the charcoal lit and up to operating temperature. 1 4 5 When the coals are glowing orange, place the steaks directly on the hot coals. After 2–3 mins turn over and spread the sauce on the cooked side of the steak and cook for a further 2–3 mins (medium rare). Whilst the charcoal is doing its thing, make the sauce for the steak, slice the bread ready for toasting and prep the skewers (you can choose what ingredients you use for these or swap for an alternative). Wrap the steak in foil and and leave it to rest for 5 minutes. Place the loaded skewers over, or on, the coals and then put the sliced bread on the coals at the last minute as this only takes a few seconds. Slice up the steak into thin pieces and place between the two slices of bread. Give it another smothering of the sauce – this gives it extra flavour and helps keep the bread moist after toasting. . 2 For the sauce, put the chopped herbs, garlic, chilli (if using), salt, oil and vinegar into the jar and mix together. As a rough guide you want to be aiming for 1–2 tablespoons of sauce per steak. 3 Almost camouflaged against the moorland on a bleak winter day… … but when the sun comes out, Exmoor is a glorious place to be It’s a Land Rover, so why use the bridge at Malmsmead when there’s a ford to drive? Stopping in Lynmouth on the way home – bright lights for this part of the world!
PHOTOGRAPHY NEIL WATTERSON There are loads of strange river names around the UK, but Dorset has more than its fair share, as Neil Watterson finds on a greenlaning trip 50 LAND ROVER LIFE GREENLANING LIFE DORSET