Solo Vehicle Dependent Exploration, Travel & Adventure

Useful Links

Forums

LR4x4 – The place to go for some real advice for Land Rovers. Responses take some time but they will be well answered and your thread will not deviate or be taken over by muppets.

Horizons Unlimited – Excellent overland forum geared more for 2 wheels but still has some great posts and is the one stop shop for most people’s preparations.

Expedition Portal – North America’s one stop shop for all things overland. Very comprehensive and informative touching on a wide variety of subjects based around vehicle dependent travel.

The Overlander – A fresh new website with a different agenda. This website aims to bring the overland community together here in the UK. Write trip reports, post photos, meet fellow travellers and advertise gear for sale… Rather like Facebook for overlanders!

AULRO – Australia’s only forum for Land Rovers. Some good specific info here and a very friendly helpful bunch.

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Publications

Overland Journal – Excellent quality journal professionally compiled from our friends across the pond. Absorbing articles, crystal clear photographs and technical information a plenty, you won’t put it down. OJ have several articles available for download from their website here: overlandjournal these include a stove review along with other expeditions from around the globe.

Desert winds – Why just read the extracts when you could buy the book? Struggling to find a copy? After much searching I found “Sir” Tom Sheppard’s website. Vehicle Dependent Expedition guide is a great start to overland methodology

Stanfords – Excellent place to start for detailed maps and guides for countries or specific regions throughout the world. They also hold many talks from authors/travellers throughout their UK-based stores.

Desert Driving – Link to an extract from Tom Sheppard’s book. worthwhile informative read.

Vehicle choice – Another extract from Tom Sheppard’s book. lots of info on vehicle choice, pro’s and con’s, weight limits, distribution etc.

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Fellow Overlanders

Adam Lewis/Short way round – Adam has clocked up over 250,000Km on the road in the 7 years he has been travelling. He has literally been everywhere. All around nice guy, if you get the chance to have a beer with him, take it.

Pete & Alice/McNeils on Wheels – A legendary couple of northerners with unfathomable optimism and a splash of cheeky luck. These 2 have cycled their way from the UK to Nepal. Where will they go next? sign up and follow these two lifestyle overlanders.

Jon Beardmore/Big O’s Adventures – Jon has had many many ups and downs on his out and back drive from London through to Central Asia to China, Loas and returning via Pakistan and Iran. Jon has some great optimism and it was good spending time with him on the road. He had it tough doing what he did alone on such a tight timeframe and with so many vehicular problems. Well done Jon.

Bracknell to Capetown(East)/Pete Maynard -We met Pete in Morocco who got the instant overland bug, so much so he had started planning before he even got back to the UK. He also had to take a borrowed chair back to Jean!

West Africa/Jonnie&Zanna – We met J&Z in Morocco who also happen to live in Bristol! They were on their way to West Africa for 6 months when we met them.

East&West Africa/Jean&Hannelie – The South Africans we met in Morocco with their 2 boys Jean Pierre and Wilhelm. A fantastic trans-Africa trip.

Overland With Kids/Andrew&Anne(Jess&AJ) – Anne and family are currently heading for Aus with their off road caravan and 2 children.

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Other Websites of Interest

Wildlife Extra – Comprehensive Wildlife site with many articles filed by country. Lots of info and tips for spotting and photographing wildlife.

Biosphere Expeditions – Conservation expeditions/projects based throughout the world.

MAPA Project – Working with volunteers to digitally map conservation and national park (NP) areas across the length of Africa.

The Muskoka Foundation – Working with locally organisations and using the skills of travellers to give something back to the community. Projects are set-up all over the globe and we are hoping to be a part of it.

Land Rover Australia – Where it all starts on the Australian continent.

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Travel Information

Visit Wales – Promoting the homeland. If you enjoy the great outdoors, want to work on your sense of adventure instead of your tan lines then this is the place for you. We go back to my homeland quite often and always find new places, new people and new things to do.

Sahara Overland – The one stop book/online resource for anyone venturing into the Sahara via 4×4, bike or camel.

Lonely Planet – Good start to background information on any country in the world, if a little basic once you have started your research. Great site if you’re thinking “where should we go next?”

Caravanistan – For all things Central Asia, Excellent up to date information on visa application, border crossings and some inspirational posts on things to see

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Maps

Tracks4Africa – GPS tracks recorded by travellers for travellers. Not a collection of roads, more a collection of up to date paths travelled both sealed and unsealed. Regularly updated with POI data too.

Free Morocco Map – Free vector map here. Works off Garmin Mapsource software. Exc quality, easy to follow with topographical info if needed.

Open Street Map – This isn’t the original OSM site but it does convert to a Garmin based platform. Quik and easy comprehensive maps for around the world travel.

Free Garmin Maps Index – Huge list of links to free Garmin based maps from Australia to Vietnam and Antarctica, take a look.

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Land Rover Defender Information

The TDI History Pages – Good concise info on the history of the 200 and 300 TDI engines produced by Land Rover

TDI Weeknesses – Anyone wishing to travel with the older 200 or 300 TDI engines should read this and get some background info on suspect problems.

TDI Maintain and repair – Following on from the above. What you can do to help you along the road.

Rover Axle Swivel Pin Preload – Steering can take a hammering when your overlanding and a common problem (If you didn’t do your swivel pin bearings) is increased vibration and the ‘death wobble’. This is a good concise guide to carry with you and is a straight forward job.

  

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