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| Teario Member Since: 04 Aug 2015 Location: Merseyside Posts: 153  
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Finishing the last few things off would have been nice but they were not essential so we decided to just go with it. I also didn't get time to wire up some lights inside but I've got everything I need to finish that while on the road. We haven't had to do far though because it doesn't go dark in Norway at this time of year.
Now we've been gone for one month and we're feeling much more at home in the vehicle. This is the route we've taken so far. In red I've recorded all of our camp spots and in yellow the fuel fill ups.  Click image to enlarge Norway has been absolutely incredible and we've stayed here longer than we initially planned. In Sweden we got talking to another defender owner who told us about his trip to Nordkapp and after that we decided we'd go all the way rather than turning back at Trondheim so that's what we're doing now. Some highlights from places we've been: Click image to enlarge Fv500 camp spot Click image to enlarge This was on iOverlander as a place to stay but when we arrived there were "no camping" signs up. Talked to land owner and he said it's fine for us to stay because we have a cool car 
Click image to enlarge Supphellebreen For a bit of fun we installed these tally clickers on the dashboard. Defenders we've seen & Defender waves received. I think we are both far too excited when we get to push either of them. Click image to enlarge |
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2nd Jul 2023 8:37am |
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| L110CDL Member Since: 31 Oct 2015 Location: Devon Posts: 10742 
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Great update and good that you could explore more and loving the clickers
The screw by the heater vent, left of the clickers in the pick, needs tightening up before you loose it  1996 Golf Blue 300Tdi 110 Pick up.
Keeper. Clayton. |
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3rd Jul 2023 8:37pm |
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| Teario Member Since: 04 Aug 2015 Location: Merseyside Posts: 153
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Since the last post we've continued to travel and just recently made it to Albania. A little under 16,000km so far and still many more to go.
Click image to enlarge We made some milestones while still in Norway, reaching the Arctic Circle Centre and Nordkapp. Click image to enlarge It wasn't possible to get the car up to the globe monument for a photo op but I at least got some proof of finishing the journey 
Click image to enlarge And then we started the loooong journey back. We decided to mostly go through Finland but I ended up quite ill so it was mostly just solid driving until we reached Helsinki, where we stayed at a campsite for a few days to recover. From Helsinki we sailed to Tallinn and both of us really enjoyed it there. In fact all of Estonia was just perfect and we really didn't want to move on. I think my favourite moment was climbing this lookout tower and watching the sun go down. Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge We made our way through Latvia & Lithuania, mostly spending our time in the woods. Click image to enlarge In fact we crossed the border into Poland through a forest trail, the only indicator being a slight clearing and an easy to miss striped marker. Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge In Poland we parked up in some woodland and during the night two stray kittens decided to make the engine bay their home. Click image to enlarge There were no houses anywhere nearby but we managed to find some locals who told us it's pretty common for them to be dumped in that area. I had a look online for the closest vet and we headed there, but I knew it was a mistake when a sign over the door advertised cow insemination. It was a farm vet. At this point it was too late to go anywhere else so we headed back to the woods and spent the night making sure they didn't wander off. I have a friend in Krakow so I asked for her help and she managed to find a rescue centre that would take them. We drove two hours to get there and handed them over. Feeling like we deserved a bit of a good night's sleep, we booked a room at a hotel. It was a nice surprise to find out it had its own spa. It was a different kind of surprise when we got in there and discovered it was clothing optional... After so many faultless miles, Poland also brought us our first issue with the Defender. While driving, the accelerator pedal just stopped raising back up on its own. Luckily we hadn't gone far from the campsite we were staying at so we went back and had a look. It seemed to be an issue with the cable and as luck would have it, there was a Land Rover parts supplier 5 minutes walk from the campsite. Click image to enlarge 5 minutes to swap them over and we were back on the road. At this point we decided to skip through Slovakia and Hungary to head straight for Croatia. Our 90 day limit in the EU was almost up so rather than feel like we didn't get the most out of 3 countries, it seemed better to skip 2 entirely and properly see the third. Hopefully we will get time to come back to these later on the trip. Arriving in Croatia we visited Petrova Gora and Zeljava Airbase. We stayed at the airbase over night with a stray dog for company. We named him Cheese. Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge On the old runway I did a few passes to see how fast we could go and it was not much over 70mph. I can also confirm that a fully set up ARB Simpson III roof tent can happily withstand 40mph. From here we headed south along the coast. Our intention was to reach Dubrovnik but enjoyed seeing the towns along the coast too much and only made it to Split. With our 90 days up we had to cross from there into Bosnia & Herzegovina, which I'll probably cover in another post. The most important update was saved for the end though. Click image to enlarge I tightened the screw! |
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6th Oct 2023 4:17pm |
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| Co1 Member Since: 19 Aug 2018 Location: North Yorkshire Posts: 3671  
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Nice steady little trip!! Great pics.
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6th Oct 2023 5:09pm |
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| L110CDL Member Since: 31 Oct 2015 Location: Devon Posts: 10742
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Thanks for the update and i can see want you mean with watching the sun setting from the tower, great pics and thanks for taking the time to put them on the forum
 1996 Golf Blue 300Tdi 110 Pick up.
Keeper. Clayton. |
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6th Oct 2023 8:50pm |
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| Teario Member Since: 04 Aug 2015 Location: Merseyside Posts: 153
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Thanks guys, I appreciate the comments. A lot has happened since the last post and unfortunately not all of it was good.
I'll try to keep the pictures down to just the Defender ones... I didn't really know what to expect from Bosnia & Herzegovina. It's not a place I'd really thought about all that much until we were crossing the border but it turned out to be one of my favourite countries we've visited. It's hard to explain why, I just really liked the atmosphere there, the people were all extremely friendly, the country has some stunning views, it all just combined into a really amazing experience. Some of the highlights were camping in Kozara national park which has this giant memorial in it. Click image to enlarge And staying up in the hills at Sarajevo near the abandoned bobsleigh track. Click image to enlarge We tried to follow the old narrow gauge railway tracks but we didn't get far before we came to this: Click image to enlarge Apparently a truck tried to cross but was over the weight limit and the bridge collapsed. There was a bypass which ran through the water but it had mostly washed away. I think we could have made it if we were determined but I was reluctant to go far off track as it's in an area where there are a lot of uncleared landmines. Instead we turned back and took a different, more scenic route. Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Our last stop in Bosnia was the "Valley of Heroes", Sutjeska National Park. Click image to enlarge After Bosnia we entered Montenegro. Early on we camped overnight near this monument. There was nobody around so we figured it would be fine, then woke to the sound of 2 coaches parking up next to us. It turned out there is a monastery nearby which gets a lot of visitors so we waited in the roof tent until the noise died down and then packed it away while they were busy. Click image to enlarge We enjoyed staying here on the edge of Skadar lake. We rented out kayaks to get on the lake properly and saw lots of different birds. We were joined by 2 other defenders, one was a really nice white and maroon ambulance conversion. Click image to enlarge After here we headed along the west cost toward Kotor. It took us around 4 days and when we pulled into the car park in Kotor we saw the same defender from the campsite. Click image to enlarge We visited Perast after Kotor and I think that was a much nicer vibe for us. It was peaceful to have a walk around there, view the church on a rock, we had food on the waterfront and then drove up the mountain to camp with a view of Kotor Bay. Click image to enlarge Away from the coast we stopped at Durmitor National Park. It was mostly closed for the season when we were there but still enjoyable. During the evening the view over the hills and the town were really incredible. Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Continuing our national park tour, the next one was Biogradska Gora. Here there was a campsite which said it could only be accessed by 4x4, which was just the kind of invitation we needed. It was a rough climb, especially in the rain, with around 25 hairpin bends. Most of the route was single track, which was fun when we met a 4x4 safari heading the opposite direction. After around an hour we finally made it to the top and found the campsite... which was closed. We had to turn around and go all the way back down. Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge One last park on the way out of Bosnia was Prokletije. Click image to enlarge And then we crossed into Montenegro. On the first night I noticed what looked like oil on both rear wheels. I took the wheel off and there was more in the inner side and all over the wheel hub. Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge My assumption was the gasket and since I didn't have a spare we went to a nearby garage. We really stood out with the Defender, I don't think we were the usual clientele here. Click image to enlarge They discovered it was actually the flange bolts which had somehow worked themselves loose. A little embarrassing as I could definitely have checked that myself, but they tightened everything up and we got back on our way towards Theth. I honestly could have just stopped and stayed at this place for months. I think we spent a week here in total visiting the waterfall, uphill stream, walking around in nature and making campfires every night. Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge There is an offroad trail we took between Theth and Shkoder and it was probably the toughest driving I've ever done. There were so many big rocks and narrow passages to navigate, I was constantly trying to imagine where the diff would pass over so I didn't bash it on anything and then at one point was just a huge concrete slab embedded in the floor. It already had oil on it from someone before us who must have misjudged and so did a lot of the rocks nearby which we used to build a ramp. Fortunately we got up without any damage but it was slow going. On the second day we made it around half way along the route and ran into another 4x4 safari. The lead car informed us that there was a landslide which made the rest of the route impassable so we ended up having to turn around and go all the way back to Theth. On the way who did we bump into? The maroon & white ambulance camper again! I didn't get many pictures but did piece together a couple of videos later on which are here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cy3Qr4bs4Lw/ https://www.instagram.com/reel/CzD0YgsMItD/ Unfortunately they're sideways because Instagram doesn't like landscape video After all that excitement we had a bit of a break in an AirBnB at Tirana then got back on the road to Bovilla Reservoir. There is a viewpoint here which gives great views over the valley and reservoir lake. To get to it you have to wind up a serpentine road and then there are a series of steppes which can be camped on. Click image to enlarge In the south of Albania we went to Sarande which seemed to be a bit of a destination for campers with all sorts of different vehicles parked up - converted german fire trucks, posh RVs all the way up to MAN trucks. Each morning we seemed to be greeted by a different set of animals - first goats, then cows and on our last morning, turkeys. Click image to enlarge This would be as far south as we could go as any further would take us into Greece but we still didn't have any Schengen visa time back yet. So we headed north east toward Lake Ohrid and crossed into North Macedonia. One evening we stayed in this park near an abandoned ski lift and it's the most remote I've felt on the whole journey. It wasn't even very remote, just around 40 minutes to a main road, but it really felt like there could be nobody for hundreds of miles around. Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge In fact all of Macedonia was incredibly scenic. Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge We visited Kosovo for a few days and then headed back to Macedonia so we could transit to Serbia without any border crossing issues. Unfortunately we were only in Serbia for a couple of days when someone crashed into us. It was raining and we reached a sharp bend. A driver coming the other way was speeding and understeered straight into us. Now it's an insurance battle because the other driver is claiming we hit him. He has a witness, because someone passing by gave him their phone number despite not witnessing anything. Fortunately the dashcam footage I have shows both the fact the other car caused the accident and there were no other witnesses. The impact from where they hit us is actually pretty minimal but the force pushed us into the crash barrier and that's the side with the most damage. Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge The front wing was folded onto the wheel but we managed to bend it out enough to get moving again. The priority was to get out of Serbia and into somewhere a little easier for us to get recovered if the defender got any worse. After 2 days driving no more than 80kph we made it to Hungary. We started losing coolant so I needed to stop frequently and fill the tank back up. Since our visas only had 3 days left, once we crossed into Hungary it was going to be constant driving to cover almost 2000km. We stopped for a break when we got near Budapest and I am sorry to say I made a series of poor decisions at this point. I didn't fill the coolant tank back up because by this point it was only holding water for around 20 minutes, but it was a very cold day and we'd just done 3 hours of driving without stopping to refill the tank, while the temperature gauge was indicating everything was staying cool. So we set off again with an empty tank, and then I made the second big mistake - I started going a little bit faster. I had been worried we wouldn't make it to the port before the 3 days were up and if I could push it to 90kph then we'd shave a bit more time off the journey. We only got another 30km and I heard a tapping sound. Went for the ignition key to turn the engine off but it cut out just before I managed it. We rolled to the hard shoulder and I knew already I had committed the cardinal car owner's sin of overheating the engine. The temperature gauge still showed slightly under half way but as soon as I refilled the coolant tank it shot up to max. In hindsight that was obvious but I'd been too focused on just getting to the port to think about it properly. Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge We got recovered to a garage where we confirmed there was oil in the coolant tank, so it's definitely a head gasket issue at the very least. It was late on Saturday so they would start the work properly the next Monday and find out the full extent of the damage. We decided to fly back to the UK and wait to hear the results. A sad and early end to our trip as we were intending to continue for another 6 months. We still intend to finish the journey but it's difficult to make plans at the moment as we don't know how bad the engine damage is, plus we then still need to fix the crash damage. Most likely we will take a few months to get everything back in shape and set off again some time next year. |
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23rd Nov 2023 10:31am |
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| JOW240725 Member Since: 04 May 2015 Location: Suffolk Posts: 7905 
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Just found your thread and it's fantastic! Hope this is only a minor set back and hope you're back on the road soon!
James
MY2012 110 2.2TDCi XS SW Orkney Grey - http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic43410.html MY1990 110 200TDi SW beautifully faded Portofino Red - https://www.defender2.net/forum/post743641.html#743641 MY1984 90 V8 Slate Grey - https://www.defender2.net/forum/post744557.html#744557 Instagram @suffolk_rovers |
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23rd Nov 2023 1:55pm |
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| Rosco Member Since: 03 Dec 2010 Location: Burntwood Posts: 1833 
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Just read through your thread and it is one epic adventure, so far. Shame you've had a series of misfortunes at the end, but when you look back you'll remember them. No one remembers the time everything all went to plan.
Continue to keep us all posted 2007 - Stornoway Grey 90 XS SW - Gone
2002 - Black Discovery II - Gone 2014 - Montalcino Red 110 XS SW |
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23rd Nov 2023 2:06pm |
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| TexasRover Member Since: 24 Nov 2022 Location: Paris Posts: 1041  
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Fantastic trip and sorry to hear of your little misfortune.
You did get forewarning so yes there is a learning there. I just lost the crank on my D4 Tdv6, out of the blue and the only forewarning I got was that I was foolish enough to buy the car. I hope your fix will be easier than mine. |
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24th Nov 2023 7:07pm |
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| L110CDL Member Since: 31 Oct 2015 Location: Devon Posts: 10742
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Thank you for the update, good and bad, really gutted for you with that
 driver and then the " mistakes " I hope it all works out for you and you will be back with the landy and continuing your journey 1996 Golf Blue 300Tdi 110 Pick up.
Keeper. Clayton. |
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24th Nov 2023 9:11pm |
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| Teario Member Since: 04 Aug 2015 Location: Merseyside Posts: 153
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I flew out to pick the car up in January and drove back to the UK over the course of a week or so. The garage had the head skimmed and then refitted, new head gasket and also fixed the leaking coolant pump.
Getting the ferry back turned into a bit of a disaster. I had plenty of time so arrived at the barrier and was 3rd in the queue. Turns out I had accidentally ended up with a freight ticket so I needed to go to the office to sort it out. At the office they said the easiest thing would be for me to just generate a GMR number and board with the trucks. So I went over and parked up with them, then watched as every single other vehicle boarded before me. I went from 3rd in the queue to being the second-to-last onto the boat. Click image to enlarge At the other end I was second to last off as well, so the standard passport control had closed by the time I made it off. I had to go out through the freight control and since this all seemed suspicious they also sent me to customs. At the customs booth I was met by 2 people who said I'd be seen shortly. 3 hours later I was finally called in, had the vehicle searched and was asked a whole load of questions. Eventually they were satisfied that it had all just been a mistake with the ticket and I was free to go. Once back at the garage I just replaced the wing, side steps and bumper, just the essentials to get us back on the road again. Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge The new wing is from SP4x4, it's steel because the aluminium was out of stock. At some point after we finish this trip I'll replace it with an aluminium one and fix the rest of the damage to put the vehicle back as new. Unfortunately we ended up having to buy a new roof tent. The old one was packed away in the rain and then sat for a couple of months at the garage so it was sadly beyond saving. I bought a Ventura instead of splashing out on another ARB and I like it a lot. It has quite a few nice little touches that make it better than the ARB, but it's also clearly made of cheaper materials. After flying through the MOT without even an advisory, we went for a week around Wales to make sure everything was working properly. Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Including an obligatory stop at Red Wharf Bay Click image to enlarge The temp gauge on the dashboard isn't working any more. I've pre-emptively picked up a new sender but after a quick look I can see the wire has broken off completely. I also spotted diesel down the side of the engine which is a bit concerning. One injector pipe is definitely leaking and will need to be replaced but I'm not convinced that's the only place it's coming from. I swapped the expansion tank for a new one while I was there, because the old one had been leaking from the sight glass when the engine overheated. It seemed fine now but I didn't want to take a risk with it. I got one with no sight glass this time. Click image to enlarge Once these issues are sorted we're planning to do a trip from John O' Groats to Lands End and see all the interesting things we want to on the way. That'll be the last test to make sure everything is in order before we head for Turkey. |
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2nd Apr 2024 10:00pm |
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| JOW240725 Member Since: 04 May 2015 Location: Suffolk Posts: 7905
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Great update, thanks for sharing!
James
MY2012 110 2.2TDCi XS SW Orkney Grey - http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic43410.html MY1990 110 200TDi SW beautifully faded Portofino Red - https://www.defender2.net/forum/post743641.html#743641 MY1984 90 V8 Slate Grey - https://www.defender2.net/forum/post744557.html#744557 Instagram @suffolk_rovers |
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3rd Apr 2024 5:42am |
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| Procta Member Since: 03 Dec 2016 Location: Sunderland Posts: 5161
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great trip, what a nightmare about the crash, the fool trying to get out of it too
I have had a head gasket fail on me ( k series engine) what caused that issue, was a cheap head gasket had been put on. They had spent a few quid on sorting the head out, polished and ported etc, only for them to put a cheap head gasket on. With you been gentle with it, probably helped it, but only so far you can go, as it just gets worse and worse, to the point it wont hold any water at all. Defender TD5 90 ---/--- Peugeot 306 HDI hatch back Success is 90% Inspiration and 4 minutes Preparation # you can make it! |
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3rd Apr 2024 7:10am |
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| Fatbaron Member Since: 12 Mar 2016 Location: Devon Posts: 299
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Fantastic thread!
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3rd Apr 2024 2:46pm |
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