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Fancy a 4x4 safari in South West Scotland?

Chris

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Wasn't really sure where to put this one, but it's commercial and it's for sale. But it's a trip not a part.

OK my friend Nick Robinson and his lovely wife have sold their Cruiser Troopy hire business and have gone into the 4x4 safari market. There will be more on this later as his website becomes available etc. The gist is that Nick has planned some routes including some spectacular scenery in and around SW Scotland including distillery visits, red deer, Kite feeding centre, eating and drinking, plus some exclusive vehicle access to land not normally open to traffic. Like an exclusive green lane if you like. The trips are 6 nights long. I know this area very well and I'd like to go myslef, but can't see it happening due to other commitments.

Now, it's not free but the good news is that Nick is looking for people who 'get this' to come on a pilot at roughly half price. Which is around the £300 mark. I don't want to get in to deep detail just at the second on what that does and doesn't include because I have to got thorough all of the brochure myself and it's not mine to say really if you understand. Nick really wants some critique on value and interest etc. For some it will be the most exciting thing they've done since Legoland, for those who have been twice around the World, well, I dunno. But what it is, is a perfect opportunity to do a vehicle shakedown before you go on your long trip. You can try all your gadgets and try different packing arrangements all within the sanctuary of the UK. It all culminates with a hotel on the last night and a celebration meal.

I know that one or two of you have met Nick and will know what that this will be genuinely well run, it's not some half baked scheme. Nick and Linda have spent many nights abroad in all sorts of vehicles and understand what people want. There are also cabins and Yurts available should you not want to sleep with your car. These are additional costs but very reasonable. I'd stress that you cannot simply copy the route and so it yourself - these are part of a package that Nick has spent a year negotiating with people including the FC and SNH. If I can get my new Cruiser up and running my then ha ha hoo ho ho haa heee. then I'd try and go.

Here's the itinerary. First night is 25th August.

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I reiterate that I have no share in this, it's just that Nick is a top fella, a Cruiser enthusiast, like minded and doesn't take any BS from anyone. You can make contact directly with him via treksgalloway at aol dot com. I have suggested that he may like to become a trade member of course.

Maybe I'll see you there.

Chris
 
Always miffed that I can't say yes to these events.... not happy. :icon-cry:

Let's hope that Nick gets some positive feedback from Chris' post.
 
Guys just giving this a bump. I have been speaking to Nick and he;s talking about dropping the last night in a hotel etc. So it would be very cheap indeed for the pilot. He really wants some more people to come along. He has a kitted out Troopie and a Colorado spare if anyone is stuck for a vehicle. This is on tracks that you'll never get to drive otherwise. Lots of people moan about the absence of lanes in Scotland - well here's your chance. I'd like to go actually but need the time for shooting instead really not pootling. I also don't want to do it in my 80 as I'd empty my bank balance on fuel and I certainly don't want to take the VH Antara! Someone might see me.

Chris

Check it out here http://4x4treksscotland.com/index.html
 
this sounds very nice ive done a bit o pigeon and wildfowl shooting at Bladnoch and one of my best friends was gamekeeper at corsock estate and I was at a working dog test at corsock four weeks ago ,its a stunning part of the country
 
Bad timing for me or I'd have been very interested.

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Timing out for me too else I would have been very interested :-(
 
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I'm up there at the weekend shooting, so I'm tagging along Mon to Weds. Should be fun if the weather is nice.

Chris
 
Wish I could make it - sounds like fun.

The shooting and the safari!
 
Well that was fun. I could only do the three days but would have liked to stay on. This was a pilot and we were ironing out the ruffles as we went along. It is clear that you could fill more than a week here so there is some thinking to be done.

If you are a hard core off roader or fanatic green laner where the lanes are 'extreme' then this isn't what you are going to get. This is really sightseeing from a vehicle and the sights are certainly worth seeing. The guides, Nick and Norman know an incredible amount about the area and its history and wildlife too. On the list for the whole week we saw (in addition to the standard stuff) Red deer, Roe deer, Red Squirrel, Red Kites, Peregrine Falcons and in the final few mins an Osprey!!

The driving is a mixture of country road tar to get to the various destinations, forest dirt roads, rock and gravel tracks and the occasional section of old railway. Almost all of this is by permit only, these are not open to the public.

We didn't get all of the permission in time and some were actually pulled which was a shame, but when they let the water out of the dam, crossing the river isn't such a good idea.

All cars get a radio so they can receive instructions as well as the commentary from the lead vehicles. I did the whole thing in my SUV Antara. It managed fine.

Camping is by Lock Ken where there are showers etc. Now, wild camping would have been really great for those who like to commune with nature but not everyone likes smelling like a tramp all week. It does mean though that you have a base to work from where your gear is set up and safe. I used my bell tent again and having the stove inside was lovely.

The shooting school was fantastic and if you have never shot rifle or shotgun then you should enjoy that. If you have shot before like me then you'll still enjoy it. Shamelessly I won the clay shooting. I couldn't help myself. The setting and birds were some of the best I have ever seen.

Anyway, Nick is looking at joining as a trade member (oh he has a nice Troopie for sale too. All built in NZ with every conceivable system on board.

Here's some snaps.

We went up Benan which is closed to the public for vehicle access. What a view from the top. Apparently you can see 8 Kingdoms. Isle of Man and even Ireland can be spotted on a clear day. I have been coming up here for years, but I have to say that this was undiscovered country for me. It is very like laning in the normal sense.

This me camping at Nick's place whilst stalking next door. And the view from the top of Benan. You can see that we are actually level with the cloud base. The weather changed every 5 mins. As usual. I think that you have to see this actually as a holiday. It's not a long weekend where you just nip off. It is a whole week packed with stuff. The only thing that I would want to do differently is not be on my own. I think it needs two of you at least. People tend to drop into their family groups etc in the evening and you end up with a table for one if you aren't careful. What would make it would be a camp fire then everyone would gather around

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It looks and sounds a good trip. Something I'd consider in the future. Can't talk the missus into driving around Europe but I wanna get the young un into the outdoors a bit. Something like this she might go for even if not a full week.
 
I would have liked to pop up for this one just had to much on at the mo.
May be later it would be a possiblity.
Glad you had a nice time
stu
 
Thanks for the write up Chris, looks like you had an enjoyable time. I was very tempted by this, but in the end the fuel cost is what put a stop on things.

I had a chat with Nick and came to the same conclusion that you have, people may be dissapointed if they turn up in a fully kitted out truck expecting some off road action, if they're happy with stunning scenery, wildlife encounters and dirt tracks then they'll be very happy. I mentioned to Nick that by having a single base for most of the week and fairly gentle tracks, he should really aim to attract couples and families who like camping, getting out into the countryside and who have a completely standard 4x4. These are the people who might like the idea of traveling on remote tracks, but think that they need to invest money in camping kit and vehicle mods, and it's that that is stopping them.

It's great to hear that you did it in the SUV Antara, as that's the class of vehicle that I would see this really appealing to, there must be loads of outdoorsy people out there who would like to use thier SUV or shiny 4x4 off road but are scared about possible damage. So an organised action packed trip like this would be a great introduction for these people, utilising their existing vehicle and camping equipment.

Now Nick just needs to find these adventurous people and give them a holiday to remember!
 
You didnt win the rifle shooting though Chris
As i found out yesterday in Morocco

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