When I realised that 2019 was the year I’d reach the age of 70, there was only one way to celebrate it – with a road trip, a Land’s End to John O’Groats road trip. Although my birthday isn’t until the end of November our trip will be in May to give us better weather and longer daylight hours.
I didn’t think that the largely motorway 874 mile direct route would be very interesting for me, in the driving seat, nor for Gael who would be navigating, “Follow the road north, stop when it runs out…”
Scottish actor Robbie Coltrane provided the answer. Back in 2007 he’d made a TV series, ‘B-Road Britain’, in which he’d chronicled his cross-country meander from London to Glasgow in a Jaguar XK150 S. That was it then, Land’s End to John O’Groats by B-roads in the nearest thing we owned to a Jaguar, our 1963 Riley One-Point-Five saloon known as ‘Riley Blue’.
To make it even more interesting we decided we’d navigate the whole way by tulip diagrams, a system first used on the Tulip Rally in the Netherlands during the 1950s – not a satnav in sight!
Then we had ‘the idea’, if we were going to do it, let us do it for a good reason; let us do it to say ‘thank you’ by raising funds for the two NHS hospitals that had cared for us during periods of serious illness, Chesterfield Royal Hospital Charity and Weston Park Cancer Charity.
Riley Blue 
Good for you David. Sounds like a great adventure. Keep a log for the Riley mag.
I also turn 70 this year on Nov. 25. Know the need for something special to do.
LikeLike
Gary – Thanks. Your birthday is the day after mine!
LikeLike
How do I get more info for lands end to John o groats rally
LikeLike
Christopher – This is something we devised ourselves, just for us. It’s not an organised rally but you should find plenty of information about LeJoG on-line.
LikeLike
Nice idea, and nicer too if some could accompany you with their classics along the way when you pass through their neck of the woods. Do you plan to post your route a day before? Good luck.
LikeLike
Dom – Releasing the route in advance would make the ‘Guess the Distance’ competition a bit too easy but maybe we’ll consider that when we do something similar in the future.
LikeLike
Hope it’s all going to plan! Must have just missed you at the Royal this morning. Good luck for the rest of it!
LikeLike
We were outside the Main Entrance around 10:00 am Liz, sorry to have missed you. So far, so good!
LikeLike
Hope it’s going well? Final leg, I think tomorrow which will be a great achievement. We hope you do really well with your fundraising.
LikeLike