The Overlanding Podcast #14
A few months ago we were lucky enough to be invited to attend a podcast recording with Andrew from The Overlanding Podcast. It was great to sit around his virtual campfire and chat about all of our overland travels from Morocco through to our big trip getting to Australia. I had to dig deep into the memory to recall some of the details but it was great to discuss all things overlanding. If you have a spare hour, pop the kettle on, plug in the headphones and give it a listen. Apologies for the sniffles, I was quite ill the day of recording.
Click here to go to The Overlanding Podcast website
Off The Road – Our Story
If you have been following along on Facebook or Instagram recently you might have heard that our story has been published in a book by Gestalten (yes, a real paper, hold in your hand, book!). But it is not just us, there a several other travellers stories filling this book with great adventures from around the world. We were however lucky enough to score the front cover.
Many people have been asking where to buy the book from. I am not really best placed to answer this question as we really have no input on the book or its publishing, we have merely contributed our story and photos.
You could always support your local book store and go directly there. The ISBN is: 978-3-89955-594-3 which should make finding it a whole lot easier.
For those in Europe you could buy it online direct from Gestalten:
http://shop.gestalten.com/books/off-the-road.html
For those in Australia you could buy online from Langsom:
Off the Road – Explorers, Vans, and Life off the Beaten Track
To find a store in your Country/State/City have a look on Gestaltens site here:
http://news.gestalten.com/community/recommendedshops/
Simpson Desert Crossing via The Hay River Track
It was early July, primetime for outback travel in Australia. I was meeting up with a man who I had never met, taking his Land Rover and driving it nearly 3000km across five of Australia’s eight states from Melbourne, across the Simpson Desert to Alice Springs for him. Sounds odd doesn’t it?
Siberia Part III – To The Final Frontier Along The Road of Bones
How we took on the infamous Road of Bones during one of the wettest years in history, finally reached Magadan and then headed for Vladivostok, our final port of call.
After the Pamirs and Afghanistan, Russia’s Far North East held the next greatest allure for me personally. Motorbike accounts of the Old Summer Road and Magadan, the photos bringing to life the generosity of the people, the isolation, the remoteness, the raw beauty of the Taiga, the history, the Gulags, the ghost towns… I had to be there myself. I had to experience this.
Siberian Sunset
Good Things Come To Those Who Wait…
The last few months have been pretty quite around here as we waited around for our Residency Visas to be granted but now, we are happy to say, the wait is finally over. On the 7th of November we were granted the Permanent Residency we have been chasing for the last 12 months. (more…)
Article – The Lost City of Kadykchan, Russia’s Far North East
Where Little Boys Fear to Tread
We are very pleased to announce that our second published article is now up on the Expedition Portal for viewing and can be found here:
ExPo – The Lost City of Kadykchan
Article – The Lost Fishing Fleet of the Aral Sea
Aral Sea, Uzbekistan
We are very pleased to announce that our very first published article (other than interviews) is now up on the Expedition Portal for viewing and can be found here:
ExPo – The Lost Fishing Fleet of the Aral Sea
The article was written in whole by us using several of my photos to tell the story.
Siberia Part II – The Lena Barge, Mirny and the Vilyuysk Trackt to Yakutsk
How we travelled 1000km by freight barge up the Lena River, visited one of the worlds largest and most isolated diamond mines, had the fright of our lives and traversed the Vilyuysk Trackt to reach the coldest city on earth.
The sun setting as we head out of Lensk
While retreating back to Severobaikalsk from the Vitim Bridge, we noticed a knocking noise and an unsettling aroma of exhaust fumes in the cab. Moments later the exhaust noise ramped up and we pulled over immediately. Upon closer inspection Griff discovered the exhaust had sheared off at the manifold and needed urgent attention. Typically we had a stainless steel system installed so not only did we need to find a welder, we needed someone who could weld stainless and more importantly had the gear to do it. (more…)
Simpson Desert Trip, Australia – In Progress
Today I am meeting up with a man who I have never met. I will be taking his Land Rover and driving it nearly 3000km across five of Australia’s seven states from Melbourne, across the Simpson Desert to Alice Springs for him. Sounds odd doesn’t it?
Sirocco Overland 2013 Trip In Motion Picture
We have been working on this little project for sometime now. Compiling all our time-lapsed footage from the GoPro, video from Lisa’s camera and also the DSLR. We have put together the best bits that represent the 10 month trip we undertook last year. There was a big learning curve with the GoPro, a lot of the time-lapse stuff we tried didn’t really work, some were better than others and often when times got tough we simply didn’t film (like the time we tipped the truck into a snowdrift at night in Finland and had to winch ourselves out of 5 feet of snow).
It is a short little ensemble and we hope you enjoy it.
Don’t forget to watch it in HD and full screen. Let us know what you think below.
Photo of the Week: Camping 4000m up in the Pamirs – June 2013
4000m up in the Pamir Mountains
What was to be the last night camping with Adam Lewis in Tajikistan, in a narrow valley near Rang Kul, approximately 50km from the Chinese border sheltering from the wind behind a rocky outcrop. Crystal clear sky gave way to a star filled night hundreds of kilometres from any source of light pollution. A top place to camp and take photos of the night sky.
If you want to know where in the world this is, click here: 38°26’10.0″N 74°10’52.6″E
Photo of the Week: Brechfa Forest – Wales
James guides the 90 down a muddy descent
Some of my favourite green lanes in Wales are down in Brechfa Forest and around that area. Generally heavily forested, muddy, challenging, tight and sometimes impassable. Not many people know these are here either, so your often alone in the ancient woodland which all adds to the ‘out there’ experience.
I shot this as James helps guide Alex’s 90 down a muddy slope at the end of one lane. Alex was running a rather large waterproof box in front of his roof tent. After this trip he quickly remedied that!
Photo of the Week: Highland Cattle – Lake District, England 2012
Highland Cattle – Lake District, England
We had just driven a tight technical climb with washed out gullies deep in the Lake District when we came across this sedate beast just over the crest. It must have been as funny for him as it was us. Six Land Rovers stopping and taking photos for five minutes then driving off again. ‘The Lakes’ offers superb views and vistas for photographers, usually with foreboding skies which can help with subjects like this.
A great place to visit for a long weekend greenlaning, just don’t go in the summer holidays, the place gets packed out.
Photo of The Week: Lake District Recovery, England
Losing traction on a short rock ledge, the vehicle was close to a rock outcrop. Several attempts with waffle boards were made to gain traction but ultimately didn’t work. Deploying the ground anchor gave the 30cm of pull required to gain traction with the front wheels and free the vehicle… James was very pleased. First time used and now always carried. Great piece of recovery kit if a little heavy.
Photo of The Week: Happy New Year! Stanage Edge, Peak District UK
Descending the icy rock garden of Stanage Edge on a winter afternoon in the Peak District, England.
Happy New Year from Sirocco Overland!
I hope this week’s ‘Photo of the Week’ finds you all healthy and well, it just so happens that this Wednesday falls on New Year’s Day. So what adventurous plans do you all have for 2014? We are working hard to save money and fix up the truck/trailer for a 5 month half loop of Western Australia and the Northern Territories later this year. Let us know what you’re up to and what you’re planning, leave your comments below.
January 2014 Desktop Calendar
Something new for 2014, a series of desktop calendars for your use on your work or home computer. Just right click and save the image to your hard-drive then open it up and save as ‘desktop background’. Its pretty straight forward and a functional tool for those who want it. I did have a series of these all lined up earlier this year but we left them on the laptop in the Land Rover during shipping! So, anyway, a new year and a new start.
Photo of The Week: Deep Water – Shropshire, England 2012
Crossing deep water in Shropshire
Another great weekend with friends. The trip had been planned months in advance but leading up to the long weekend we had all booked off, the country was in flood. So what do Land Rovers do when there are flood warnings issued? They go out and play! couple this with some camping and you really do get a wet weekend.
Lisa
Griff
