The Mud Life - 10 - January 2020 by The Mud Life Magazine

THE MUD LIFE ISSUE 10 JANUARY 2020

MAGAZINE

2020

The year to

EXPLORE isuzu d-max huntsman ford focus active green-laning around great british shows mitsubishi eclipse cross awd

BRAND NEW LANING LIFE

NEWS REVIEWS ADVENTURE

Ain't no mountain high enough pages 72-79

IN THIS ISSUE TURNER'S TORQUE 5 NEWS 6-9 WHAT'S ON 11 LANING LIFE 12-16 VEHICLE REVIEWS Isuzu D-Max Huntsman 18-23 Honda Civic EX Sport Line 24-29 Peugeot Rifter GT Line 30-35 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross AWD 36-41 Ford Focus Active 42-47 Flash Drives 48-51

DAMIAN TURNER Editor-in-Chief, Writer, Photographer, Reviewer

KAREN LEE TURNER (A.K.A. The Muddy Madam)

Creative Director, Layout Designer, Reviewer

F O L LOW U S

THE TEAM

GREEN-LANING - AIN'T NO MOUNTAIN... 52-59 GOODS & GEAR 61-67 FB PAGE OF THE MONTH 68-69 EMERGENCY SERVICES SHOW 70-75 COMPANY PROFILE 76-77 GREEN-LANING - HEADING TO HAWES 78-81 DINE OUT WITH DAMIAN 82-83 IN OUR GARAGE 84-85 GREAT BRITISH LAND ROVER SHOW 86-91 READER'S RIDES 92-97 PAST JALOPIES - TRAVELLING SMURF 98-101 RETRO SNAPS 102-103 DIRECTORIES 104-105

FACEBOOK - TheMudLifeMag INSTAGRAM - themudlifemag TWITTER - themudlifemag WEBSITE - www.themudlife.co.uk

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Click on the covers to read any of our past issues.

TURNER’S TORQUE Whoop it's 2020! Happy New Year everyone, we hope you all had a cracking Chrimbo. Muddy Madam and I had a massive task to get this issue completed before all the Christmas festivities began, though we didn't quite manage it. It's now Boxing Day, and I'm writing this whilst enjoying a Guinness (or 4), reveling in the heady anticipation of falling into a turkey induced coma, and Muddy Madam has her feet up in eager anticipation of schmaltzy Christmas TV fare. Even with the magazine deadline looming we still managed to get out and drive a few green-lanes, as well as coming up with some new ideas for this and future issues.

What's in this month’s issue? Well, you’ll find a couple of show reports, one of which I'd planned for the December issue (the Emergency Services Show), but because I have the time management skills of a carrot I didn't get it done in time.The other was a wander around The Great British Land Rover Show. Of course it's also packed with the usual stuff you love green-laning trips, new 4x4 reviews, reader's rides and the rest. Enjoy issue 10, and we hope to see you at an event or two throughout 2020…

On that subject, in this issue I would like to introduce Lauren from GLASS (Green Lane Association). She’s the Communication Officer, and will be providing us with a monthly round-up of TROs, VRs and other such information from the world of green-laning. As you know I'm able to borrow press cars, and this year over Christmas and New Year we have the SsangYong Korando, the 1.6ltr Ultimate Auto 4x4. I’m really enjoying it so far, and we have it until the 8th January, so I expect it'll see a few green-lanes before it goes back. Stay tuned.

Happy New Year to you all

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NEWS

JLR acquires Bowler!

Jaguar Land Rover recently announced that it has acquired Bowler, the UK-based manufacturer of all-terrain performance cars, parts and rally raid vehicles. Founded in 1985, Bowler pioneered the production of dedicated off-road competition cars in the UK and has achieved success in international rally raid events. The expertise Bowler has amassed for all-terrain vehicle dynamics, low-volume production techniques, and proving the durability of components under extreme conditions, is highly sought-after. Since its inception Bowler has had a close affiliation with Land Rover, which was formalised with a brand partnership in 2012 that led to the creation of the popular Defender Challenge by Bowler rally series in 2014-2016. Company founder Drew Bowler died suddenly in 2016, but his legacy and spirit lives on in the team based at Bowler’s premises in Derbyshire, including members of Drew’s family. For almost 35 years the Bowler name has stood for innovation and success, with a reputation forged by its participation in the world’s toughest off-road motorsport competitions. JLR have said that their immediate focus is ensuring continuity of support for Bowler employees and customers during this transition to Jaguar Land Rover and that Bowler will continue to operate from its premises in Belper for the foreseeable future. 6

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Bowler’s motorsport heritage 1985 Drew Bowler begins making and selling competitive safari and trials cars from his home in Derbyshire 1991 Drew Bowler wins ARC National Comp Safari 2000 Bowler first competes in world-famous Dakar Rally in Africa, and races in central Europe 2004 Bowler vehicle wins British Hill Rally Championship 2005 Bowler's largest ever Dakar entry means it’s the second largest factory team, and has highest finisher rate 2006 Bowler vehicles win both the British Baja National Championship and the French Baja 2012 Bowler agrees formal brand partnership with Land Rover across sponsorship, marketing and engineering 2014 Defender Challenge launched to prepare competitors for Dakar. Bowler moves into new production facility 2016 CSP development begins. Company founder Drew Bowler sadly passes away in November 2018 Bowler vehicles claim first, second and fourth overall on Tuareg Rallye. Military CSP concept debuts 2019 Jaguar Land Rover acquires Bowler

NEWS

Mitsubishi Outlander petrol updated The Mitsubishi Outlander petrol has been updated for 2020 to make it an even more attractive for owners seeking a versatile family SUV. Priced from £28,085 OTR, Mitsubishi say that the Outlander petrol is the most affordable SUV on the market that offers seven seats and four-wheel drive as standard, not to mention the convenience of an automatic transmission with steering-wheelmounted paddle shifters also as standard. Enhancements for 2020 include a reduction on CO2 emissions to 169g/km, reducing its first-year VED rate by £325, as well as improved equipment specification including a new, eight-inch infotainment system with smartphone connectivity, including Bluetooth, DAB digital radio, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto compatibility and a rear-view camera as well as a built-in TomTom satellite navigation system on top versions. The climate control panel has also been redesigned for 2020, meaning the whole dashboard has a fresh look, while the driver’s seat now features power lumbar support and rear seat comfort has been improved with additional, ergonomic padding. It’s also available with Mitsubishi’s signature Red Diamond paint finish. In line with the rest of the Mitsubishi range, the naming of the trim levels also changes for 2020. The entry-level Outlander petrol will be the Design version and in addition to seven seats, four-wheel drive, an automatic transmission and the new eight-inch infotainment system as standard, it is also equipped with 18-inch alloy wheels; heated front seats; Keyless Operation System; electronic parking brake; electric, folding heated door mirrors; front fog lamps, automatic lights and wipers; cruise control, dual-zone climate control and privacy glass. The new top version, now called the Mitsubishi Outlander Exceed, adds leather upholstery with electric driver’s side adjustment; a 360° camera; built-in TomTom navigation; LED headlamps, high beams and fog lamps; heated steering wheel; power tailgate; Blind Spot Warning with Rear Cross Traffic Alert and twin rear USB ports. The Mitsubishi Outlander Exceed is priced from £30,385 OTR. THEMUDLIFE.CO.UK

NEWS

Grenadier moves closer to production INEOS Automotive has announced an expansion of its partnership with global mobility technology company, Magna. Its subsidiary, Magna Powertrain, has been responsible for chassis and suspension development since the inception of the project, and will now be joined by Magna Steyr, which will undertake the series development phase of the Grenadier. Dirk Heilmann, CEO of INEOS, said “We now move into all-important series development, and start to set our sights on the start of production.” Frank Klein at Magna Steyr, said “We are excited to help INEOS Automotive bring the Grenadier to reality.” The confirmation of Magna Steyr’s appointment follows recent announcements of BMW Group as suppliers of their world-class inline six-cylinder turbocharged petrol and diesel engines for the Grenadier, and its new manufacturing home in Bridgend, South Wales.

• • • • •

PC, smartphone and tablet friendly Toggle between BOAT, UCR and Legacy layers Information on restrictions and closures Multiple mapping options including OS Easy to zoom in and out

• • • • •

Add comments and photos against routes Extensive coverage of England and Wales Share a lane on Facebook or Twitter Available exclusively to GLASS members TW2... TrailWise, but smarter!

WHERE WILL YOU PLAN YOUR NEXT ADVENTURE? 8

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NEWS

Chevrolet Suburban is the first car to get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame On December 5th, 2019, the Chevrolet Suburban became the first vehicle ever awarded an Award of Excellence star at Hollywood & Highland recognising the Suburban for its 67year career in film and TV. “For six decades the Chevrolet Suburban has been Hollywood’s longest-working actor,” said Rana Ghadban, President of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce,“appearing in classic feature films, and on must-see television shows, the Suburban is a wellestablished industry mainstay.With the Chevrolet Tahoe also making an impact in movies and on television, it’s impressive to have both vehicles now join an illustrious group of actors and characters that are forever known as Hollywood legends.” During its acting career the Suburban became the ultimate

The Suburban has has appeared in at least one television series every year since 1956, and at least one film every year since 1960, and has also appeared in more than 30 award-nominated films.

character actor, able to play the hero, villain,or a member of the family. Dennis McCarthy, Hollywood picture car coordinator said “There’s really nothing else like the Chevrolet Suburban in this business, for two reasons - first, it’s one of the most versatile vehicles in the business, able to fit with any type of character., second, it can help instantly give a scene added importance.When a convoy of black Suburbans appears on screen, you know that’s not the time to leave your seat to buy popcorn.”

Since 1952 the Suburban has starred in more than

1,750

films and television series!

The filmography is even more impressive when combined with the Chevy Tahoe. Together, Tahoe and Suburban have appeared in more than 2,500 films and TV shows. and since 1995 the Tahoe was has appeared in at least one film and TV show every year.

Tim Kozub, design manager for Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe, said their on-screen persona also influenced the, soon to be unveiled, all-new Suburban and Tahoe: “This is a great example of how life and art influence each other.The popularity of Suburban and Tahoe in film was first inspired by the real-life roles they played in the military, in law enforcement and family trips.Today, their role in Hollywood inspired the design of the all-new models, as we integrated the sense of capability, action, and importance associated with Suburban and Tahoe on screen.” THEMUDLIFE.CO.UK

Only 78p can make you a Mud Life Patron Creating this magazine on a monthly basis with only 2 people is hard. Between us we do everything, and 99% of the content is generated solely by us. This takes up a huge amount of time, and quite a bit of money (for the issuu platform, adobe software packages, website, fuel for the green-laning, camera and video equipment & more), and because it is so labour intensive we both had to cut down our 'real work' hours to be able to commit to a monthly schedule. We always wanted the mag to be able to be read for free, but to do that, and be able to eat each month, we need a bit of support. Many artists and writers in the past had patrons to help them survive whilst they created their amazing works, so we would love you to become our 21st century patrons, and help us keep The Mud Life Magazine going.

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from Karen Lee & Damian 10

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ALL PLAY & NO WORK... ...makes a Mud Lifer very happy Autosport International 9-12 January NEC, Birmingham www.autosportinternational.com Autosport International is the biggest preseason motorsport show, with iconic cars of motorsport on display, and racing celebrities on the stage sharing fascinating stories about their career highlights! Highlights include a Live Action Arena, the Silverstone Auctions Autosport sale and a celebration of 50 years of Formula 5000. It is the place for motorsport fans and professionals to get together. event, with fans getting closer to the action than ever before.

Hot Wheel Monster Truck Live

Manchester Arena - 3 & 4th January NEC, Birmingham - 31st Jan & 1,2 Feb Glasgow SSE Hydro - 7-9 February hotwheelsmonstertruckslive.com Bringing everyone’s favorite Hot Wheels Monster Trucks to life, combining Hot Wheels’ iconic jumps and stunts with epic crashing and smashing to deliver an exhilarating family entertainment experience. In addition to the Trucks, each show will feature specialty acts like the superstars of freestyle motocross, world record attempts, and Megasaurus – the massive, car-eating, firebreathing prehistoric robot who loves chomping on anything with four wheels.

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g n i n Life a L

aton E n e r u a by L

RoW, RoW, RoW your BOAT, gently down the lanes… Welcome to Lauren ‘Sunshine’ Eaton, and her new regular Mud Life column. You'll be able to read about green laning as seen through her windscreen at The Green Lane Association, and find out what’s hot or not in the laning world each month. Enjoy!

Scorcher of the month There’s a lot of noise being made about 4x4s in the Lake District at the moment; unless you live under a rock it’s unlikely to have escaped you! There is a very vocal group of anti-4x4ers who would like to see our hobby banned from the national park; currently their campaign focuses on two particularly well known lanes – High Tilberthwaite and High Oxen Fell. So, what’s the nitty gritty, are we going to lose them? The short answer is no, at least there is no current threat. This is not a new campaign by a long chalk, it’s been rumbling on for a considerable time and the Lake District National Park Authority have addressed it in the form of a two year assessment. Their report concluded that although the antis had collected a large number of petition signatures and sent lots of emails, that neither their complaints, petition, or communications held up to scrutiny; the evidence just wasn’t there on the ground to support them. There were concerns over the validity of the complaint numbers too, many were duplicates, a significant number of complainants admitted they had never visited the area, and many of the comments showed no knowledge of the locations - for example suggesting ‘churning up mud and causing ruts’ on lanes that are hard surfaced and, in the case of Tilberthwaite, newly repaired and re-surfaced!

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UNESCO were dragged into the argument (the LDNP is a world heritage site) and have publically stated that there is no threat to the area’s status, but campaigners have continued to shout that there is and that 4x4s are the reason for the threat. The outcome of the LDNPA’s assessment was to monitor the lanes going forward; no maintenance work is required, and the anti-campaign held no weight. This has not gone down well with campaigners of course, and now they are crowd-funding for a judicial review. Does this mean we may lose the lanes after the JR? Again, no. The JR, if it goes ahead, will test the LDNPA’s assessment procedures, and whatever the outcome is the lanes will remain open, or open pending another assessment, only then could a TRO possibly be even looked at if a second assessment finds any issues. TRO’s carry their own procedures too and it is unlikely the lanes in question would fulfil the requirements of a closure order. GLASS will continue to monitor the situation and assist in providing user evidence as required going forward. In short the anti-4x4s in the Lake District issue is very hot at the moment, but it’s mostly hot air! For the full assessment report go to - https://www. lakedistrict.gov.uk/visiting/things-to-do/green_roads/ future-management-of-tilberthwaite-and-oxen-fell-roads

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hot

Shropshire. Wootton Lane remains under a TRO pending work to prevent off-piste activity on the adjacent land. Pipe Lane is one way only (west-east) and will soon have essential maintenance work to improve the exit from the river. Boat House Lane will be closed under a seasonal TRO for winter. Work has begun at Wootton Lane and is set to be completed by the end of December. The very picturesque lane has unfortunately had a turbulent year; from off-piste damage on neighbouring National Trust and privately owned farmland, to dumped and burned out vehicles, and even a motorcyclist being run over by someone trying to escape the police! The lane itself is in good repair as all the problems have occurred off the legal track, or by criminals driving illegally. The work to block access to neighbouring land will hopefully prevent similar incidents occurring in the future. Representatives from Shropshire County Council, The Environment Agency, The National Trust, Severn Trent Water, local land owners and GLASS have all worked together to save this right of way and preserve its future for all users.

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Path Extinguishment Day (PED) is on most people’s lips at the moment. For those of you not in the loop PED signifies a huge legislation change in the world of PRoWs. Come January 2026 any RoW that is incorrectly recorded, or not recorded at all, will either lose some or all of its public usage rights; it may well disappear from the definitive map completely! While this may sound awful; we’re going to lose more lanes! It can also be an opportunity; between now and then the process for applying for definitive map modification orders is still alive and well and that allows us to clean up the record, make applications for vehicular rights on incorrectly

recorded RoWs and even add new ones to the map. Great stuff! But after January 2026 this process will be scrapped meaning we simply will not be able to modify the definitive map anymore, so we have to act fast! GLASS has just trained all its reps on how to file for a DMMO, if you’re interested in getting involved and filing an application, contact your county council for more information on their processes, or contact your local area GLASS rep.

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Wales

It’s always been a hotspot for laners, but that does come with a few niggles. Thankfully some of those issues are being worked on over winter; both Strata Florida and the Wayfarer are subject to work going forward. While Strata remains partially closed and will do until January, this is a small price to pay for its continued vehicular rights long into the future. The Wayfarer will soon see a temporary TRO too, again what’s a few weeks closure when it comes to ensuring we get to drive it for years to come? While it is still officially open at the moment and will be

until work goes ahead, some restraint would be sensible in the extremely wet weather we’ve been experiencing! Happy Valley and Carn Mach Arthur remain off limits until further notice.

Bath and North East Sommerset

Recent repairs to Mountains Lane have been completed and are holding up well in the torrential downpours we’ve been experiencing nationwide so far this winter. Monsoons 0 – GLASS 1.

Berkshire

The hardworking area GLASS reps have been in close contact with Wokingham Borough Council regarding their Public Rights of Way Improvement Plan, their aim is to work with all stakeholders going forward. They have also submitted a proposal to add two new byways to the area that would create a loop around Shinfield. Raggets Lane is receiving some maintenance work, while this will improve access due to the nature of the lane wet weather restraint is still advised.

Cumbria. Sadgill to Kentmere has

received some essential maintenance; the rock step is no longer a potentially damaging feature!

Derbyshire. Doles Lane and Mininglow

are currently under TRO pending essential maintenance work. Closures are due to lift in time for spring.

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What’s not…

a closer look at how to discover vehicular rights of way in England and Wales. In the meantime, if you want to learn more about green laning, or to directly support your hobby, visit the GLASS website.

While we all enjoy brightening up a dark, damp winter with a jaunt out on the lanes please keep in mind that soft surfaced RoWs are more sensitive than ever at this time of year - you’re also more likely to get stuck and look like a plonker.

Happy Laning! Lauren x GLASS Media and Communications Officer

The weather! This autumn and winter have seen torrential downpours, and it looks set to continue into a soggy new year.

Use this rainy season as a reason to research sustainable hard-surfaced lanes in your area; you never know, in doing so you may find some hidden gems you never knew about to drive!

For more information on green lanes visit:

www.glass-uk.org To join GLASS go to:

www.glass-uk.org/join-glass.html

That’s all from me for this month, join me next month for more 'What’s hot & What’s not' in the laning world, and take

• Regular digital bulletins • 2 printed magazines per year • Members website and forum • TW2, the essential green lane route planning tool • • Access to area reps for route planning and advice • Member discounts from selected suppliers • Legal challenges • Extensive knowledge base •

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Isuzu D-Max Huntsman You may remember in our December issue, Muddy Madam and I borrowed an Isuzu D-Max Huntsman for a trip to France, specifically for a 4x4 and camping weekend at Parc Du Marquenterre organised by Ardent Off-Road. Since then we’ve been inundated with requests for more details on the D-Max. I say ‘inundated’, at least 4 of you have shown a slight interest in it.

What is it? We all know that the D-Max is a hard working pickup, and not only is it loved by many, but it continues to fill Isuzu’s trophy cabinet year after year with top awards. What is the Huntsman then? Well, based on the Utah model, Isuzu say that it’s designed specifically with the professional huntsman and countryman (or woman) in mind. Available in Obsidian Grey or Cosmic Black, it’s not only easy on the eyes but it also blends into the background - they’ve even done away chrome door handles and mirrors. It comes with black 18” wheels with Pirelli 255-60-R18 All Terrain tyres, sturdy side steps and a high-mounted tow bar allow for better ground clearance. In the back, under the colour coded Aeroklas canopy with roof rails, and sitting on top of a bed-liner is a Gearmate lockable drawer system which has a full Raptor coating. To enhance ride comfort and handling, there’s a Pedders suspension kit which is designed for increased suspension travel whilst improving vehicle stability.

On the road Our first drive was a 5-1/2 motorway haul from Muddy Towers in Lancashire down to the ferry terminal at Dover, then a further 1-1/2 drive to the campsite, and apart from utter boredom, the D-Max kept us comfy and alert. Being the first time I’ve taken a UK car abroad, I liked how the Sat-Nav automatically kept us in check showing our speed in kilometres. This might be a common thing, I don’t know, but it was useful. Once home I drove to the NEC in Birmingham, then to Wales for the Isuzu XTR launch, and with well over a thousand miles under our belt within the week I had nothing but praise for the smooth and comfortable ride. The Pedders kit kept everything stable on the twisty bits too.

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Off road I’ve taken standard D-Maxs along some pretty gnarly green-lanes in the past and they’ve always conquered them, despite bucking the trend and not having a rear locker. In fact, in the October issue I wrote how the new D-Max XTR left me speechless with its ability to thread its way through rough forest tracks and tackle some extreme terrain at Ffestiniog Slate Quarry without the aid of a locker. However, as you can read in last month’s issue, the Pirelli 255-60-R18 All Terrains were not the best choice for soft sand as we kept getting bogged. I can’t criticise the vehicle for that, nor the actual tyres, just the tyre size as even at 20psi they didn’t create much of a footprint The manual gearbox wasn’t best suited either as 2nd low wouldn’t give me the momentum I needed for the long and steep sand dunes, whilst 3rd ran out of puff when I reached the top and sank. In all it wasn’t a good combination for soft sand. Back in blighty though and driving a few local muddy and rocky green-lanes the Huntsman didn’t miss a beat, it crawled everywhere.

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Interior The Huntsman is based on the Utah model, so comes equipped with keyless entry, push button start, rear parking sensors, automatic air conditioning, heated front seats, leather upholstery, and an electric height adjustable driver’s seat. There’s also Apple CarPlay, Android and quite a decent sound system. The D-Max has always had a spacious and practical cabin, not the most luxurious it has to be said, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The Huntsman comes with a fantastic set of rubberised floor mats that are very grippy and cover every last bit of carpeting. Staying on the practical bits, there’s plenty of cubby space up front with a double glovebox in front of the passenger as well as a lidded cubbyhole on top of the dash. Pickup stuff The D-Max has a 3.5t towing capacity and one tonne payload, and although it has a load bed that’s wider and deeper than most of its competitors, at 1,485mm long it’s one of the smallest in the double-cab segment. Engines ‘n’ transmissions As I’ve written previously, the D-Max only comes with their 1.9ltr diesel engine which doesn’t require the extra expense of AdBlue. It produces 162bhp (at 3,600rpm) and 360Nm (between 2,000 and 2,500rpm). You do have the option of a smooth automatic gearbox or 6-speed manual. 22

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Conclusion As I’ve mentioned, the Huntsman wasn’t the ideal truck for soft sand, and that was purely down to the manual box and tyre choice, but it excelled at other off-road obstacles and road work. If I was to go to Marquenterre again I’d love to take an automatic XTR, that thing would eat soft sand for breakfast! Although the Huntsman is designed for a specific purpose, it actually lends itself quite well green-laning. The Pedders kit, sturdy steering and engine guards and the Gearmate set-up makes for an almost ideal ‘off-roader’. The Huntsman Pack is available for £7,250.00 on top of the standard vehicle price of £25,709 (+VAT).

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Honda Civic EX Sport Line

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WHAT IS IT? Well it isn’t a 4x4, that’s for sure, so what is it doing within the pages of your favourite 4x4 magazine? To be honest, I really quite like driving the Civic, any Civic really, so when the invite came through to drive the new EX Sport Line I jumped at the opportunity, even if it was a 3-1/2 hour drive to Maidenhead.

So, what makes the EX Sport Line different to other models? I’m not sure if it’s obvious, but there’s a certain Type R style about it. Of course, I’m being a tad facetious, the EX Sport Line certainly looks assertive with its Type R inspired body kit, and there’s more additions on the inside, but we’ll get to those later.

ON THE ROAD I had plenty of time to ponder this during the interminable 5-hour drive back to Muddy Towers.

foot down on an open stretch of road found us nodding to each other in mutual admiration. What I’m saying is, probably quite badly, is that the Sport Line did everything is should, with ease.

It was quite a miserable day, hence the reason I’m using Honda’s stock photos, and with my esteemed motoring writer colleague John, from the Star and Express, we took the Obsidian Blue Metallic Sport Line for a good 3-hour mooch around Reading, Maidenhead and Ascot.

Switching the adaptive dampers from hard to soft made a noticeable difference, though for the majority of our drive we left them on standard as it was a good balance between comfort and hooligan.

The route included a lot of town and city centre driving, narrow single track lanes and pretty much everything in between. Throughout the drive the Civic was just too subtle for its own good. It was good, obviously, but whilst John and I were tootling along, chatting about this and that, and putting the world to rights, there didn't seem to be any occasions that the car made us sit up and take notice. Saying that, when pushed, the 124bhp, 1.0 litre 3-cylinder turbocharged VTEC engine was fun and engaging, and putting my

The steering is as pleasurable around town as it was on a winding country roads, lightweight without being feeling too flimsy. The 6-speed manual gearbox was also a joy, and would be my pick. The CVT auto wasn’t bad either, it has its place but I think the Civic suits the manual better. Fuel wise, Honda reckon you should achieve between 42.2mpg to 47.1mpg on the WLTP cycle, however we saw figures around the mid thirties, but as I said, there was a lot of city driving involved. THEMUDLIFE.CO.UK

INTERIOR Not only is it a lovely place to be, with decent visibility ’n’ all, but it now has an actual volume knob, a chunky one at that! Although we didn’t fiddle with the infotainment system that much, it remains centred around a touchscreen, but there’s now a line of shortcut buttons down the side to make life easier for the driver, and the climate controls are more straightforward to operate, too. New to the Sport Line is red stitching detail on the seats, steering wheel, gear shift boot and door panels, whilst the drilled aluminium pedals add an element of sportiness. Of course there’s the Honda CONNECT infotainment system as standard which incorporates DAB radio, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and a reversing camera. My only complaint was that there’s a rather jagged piece of plastic on the centre console right where my left knee rests, which got a painful after a while. Though Muddy Madam reckons it’s my own fault and I shouldn’t ‘man-splay’ as much! As ever, quality is excellent with all knobs and switchgear to hand, though the steering wheel can take some time to get used to due to the amount of switches it houses, though it isn’t as bad as a Subaru. A quick look in the boot and the Civic flaunts one of the biggest boots in this class, and the same can be said for its rear seats, though I didn’t have the opportunity to test them properly.

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CONCLUSION The Civic remains practical, fun to drive and well built, and even though we’re a 4x4 magazine, I’d sill like to get my hands on one for a week.

According to the PR team, the Sport Line has been developed to deliver a compelling blend of sporty appeal, value, and efficiency, and I think they’ve got it spot-on. Price - £25,510 (EX Sport Line)

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Peugeot Rifter GT Line Blue HDi 100

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What is it?

The Rifter is a funny thing, on one hand it looks like a bread van and on the other it’s practical family vehicle that has more about it than you first think.

On the road

It’s obviously not a sports car or a grand tourer, and it’ll never burn an MX5 away from the lights, but why should it? The Rifter is above all of that, and arguably its the type of family car that you buy after an MX5! Seriously though, the Rifter excels at what it’s designed for; visibility is great, fuel consumption was pretty good, in fact not once did it go below 50mpg, no matter what I tried, including hoofing around country lanes and spending what felt like an eternity diving around Manchester city centre. The lowest figure I achieved was 51.4mpg. On the road the Rifter absorbs speed bumps and pot holes like they aren’t there, giving me a false sense of security when it came to the bigger holes! The model we had on test was the 99bhp (Blue HDi 100), which I thought was adequate, but the 128bhp (Blue HDi 130) will probably suit those who regularly drive with family and luggage, thanks to the extra lowdown grunt. The Rifter is a very comfortable and quiet car to tootle around in, and its turning circle is akin to a London taxi.

Off the road

Sadly this particular Rifter came without ‘Grip Control’ which would in turn transform it into a 2wd mountain goat, so I didn’t venture too far away from the beaten track.

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Interior

It’s a functional car to say the least. Peugeot has adopted the i-Cockpit interior design familiar from it’s other cars as well as the small, low-set steering wheel and high-mounted instruments, which I actually quite like. The dash layout is good with a centre cubby-box in which you could lose a pet of small child, and there’s tons of cubby holes throughout. In fact Peugeot says that the Rifter has a 775-litre boot load bay with the seats and parcel shelf in place. Fold everything down and you have 3000 litres of nothingness. It’s very easy to get comfortable in, thanks to a heightadjustable seat (which lacks a bit of lumbar support) and a steering wheel that adjusts for both reach and rake. Visibility all-round is excellent due the high ride height and large windows. There’s a strange panel above you that goes from the front to the back of the Rifter which only purpose I found was for collecting dead flies. As much as I like the design and practicality, I can’t help be disappointed by the amount of cheap looking and feeling plastic that’s in abundance. But as a family working car I guess so you’ll need easy wipe-down materials. The GT-Line does come with a nice bronze-effect dashboard topper which breaks the monotony.

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Have I mentioned the tailgate? It’s the lift up type and once opened offers a huge amount of protection from the rain, which is useful if you either want just

a shelter whilst cooking, faffing around with prams, kids, or putting on wellies (delete where appropriate). The two sliding rear doors are an absolute godsend in tight car parks, especially if your loading or unloading the aforementioned toddlers.

Conclusion

Ok, looks-wise it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, and essentially it’s a van with windows and seats, but Peugeot have created a massively practical vehicle, and when you include their amazing Grip Control technology, you have to wonder why you’d bother buying a run-of-the-mill SUV.

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Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross AWD

What is it? Quoting from their press release, the new Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross is the first of a new generation of Mitsubishi cars that are more capable and desirable thanks to their sharp designs; engaging driving characteristics; advanced technologies, enhanced safety features and more inviting interiors Taking its design cues from the XR PHEV II concept of 2015 the ‘Cross certainly has an edgy design that enables it to stand out, but how does it perform?

On the road On a chilly early November morning I set off towards Southport with the aim of driving some green-lanes. The empty and twisty lanes around Bretherton became my playground for a short while, and whist I was obviously keeping within the speed limits. I was enjoying pushing the Eclipse Cross ‘round the corners quicker than I normally would in these conditions. The ‘Cross handles the corners well and the electromechanical power steering, which is derived from the Outlander, is very light. 36

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The majority of miles we did in the Eclipse Cross were on motorways, around 500 or so I reckon, and it proved to be a rather nice cruiser. Road noise wasn’t intrusive, neither was it pitchy, just a lovely ride. As I’ll get to later, currently the Eclipse is only available with the 163bhp 1.5ltr petrol engine which has enough get up and go to be entertaining, and although overtaking and acceleration is smooth, there is a down side with the CVT gearbox that was fitted to the press car, and that’s that it dulls the performance a smidge. Of course you can use its manual mode, but gear shifts aren’t the sharpest I’ve ever used. That said, hold onto the correct gear whilst choosing the right lines, the Eclipse Cross will give you huge smiles all-round, and the AWD system offers extra confidence too. When you’re feeling sensible, or running low on dino-juice, press the ‘Eco’ button and it really slows things down, it’s like driving with a small ball stuffed under the accelerator, but it certainly does the trick and gave around 40mpg on long runs, which I though was decent.

Off-road We last drove the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross back in September 2018 with strict instructions that I couldn’t drive it off-road, I wasn’t sure why, it isn’t like I have a reputation or something. This time however we were free from any shackles so I headed for some fun green-lanes to explore. Of course, the Eclipse Cross isn’t an ‘off-roader’ in the typical sense, but if you want a car that’s geared towards adding traction on slippery roads and muddy tracks, then the ‘Cross does a fine job.

The 4x4 ‘Cross has 183mm of ground clearance, 400mm of wading depth and Mitsubishi’s intelligent four-wheel-drive system, so your only limitations are ground clearance and tyres. Speaking of Mitsubishi’s S-AWC (Super-All Wheel Control), it features three drive modes: Auto, Snow and Gravel. The system is normally front-wheel drive biased (80:20 front-torear), but it can shift torque to the rear wheels if needed – to a maximum of 55:45 front-to-rear in Auto mode, or to a full rear-wheel drive bias in Snow or Gravel drive modes.

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Interior Although comfortable and well equipped, it also feels very lightweight, which is no bad thing. As I mentioned earlier, I spent quite a bit of time in the Eclipse Cross, and there wasn’t much I found to fault. The only problem was that the centre console, where my left knee rests, is hard plastic and got quite painful after a while. This is a common complaint of mine, and as Muddy Madam always retorts, it’s my fault for mansplaying! The front seats are comfortable, though a tad narrow if like me you’re 6ft 2”, and teetering around 19stone, but elbow and head space is in abundance. Things are equally decent if you’re sat in the back too. From the tops of the doors to the dashboard itself, there’s a vast amount of squishy plastic, broken up by attractive piano-black trim and metaleffect inserts.Yes, you’ll find some cheaper plastics if you look for them, but they’re well hidden. There’s a new trackpad controller on the centre console aft of the gearstick, but I wasn’t that keen on using it so ignored it and used the touchscreen instead, which was better of the two evils. Surprisingly it doesn’t get satellite navigation, but it does get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard, which makes up for it. There’s a decent amount of leg room in the back for the long legged amongst us, and with the rear seat upright there’s 448 litres of nothingness in which to fill, and underfloor storage area, too. 40

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Engines ‘n’ transmissions

Conclusion

Currently there’s one engine on offer, a 1.5-litre, directinjection turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol, and a choice of two ‘boxes, either a 6-speed manual, which is only available on the front wheel drive, or the 8-speed CVT automatic with paddle shifters. The latter is available for for both front and 4WD models.

I rather enjoyed my week with the Eclipse Cross to the point that if I was offered one on long term loan I wouldn’t be disappointed. I’m not going to say that it’s the ultimate drivers car as perhaps its bold looks suggest, but it was smooth and frugal on long journeys. Given the option I think I’d go for the manual gearbox over the CVT, but that’s just my opinion.

Economy wise, on combined drives both 2wd variants get you just over 42mpg, and the 4wd auto will get you 40 miles per-gallon. On long motorway journeys averaging between 5070mph the onboard computer was telling me I was achieving 39mpg, which isn’t too far off, and I wouldn’t say I was hanging about either.

price from £22,095 - £29,520 as tested more at » www.mitsubishi-motors.co.uk

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Ford Focus Active What is it?

After driving both the estate and hatch versions of the Active at a media last year I found myself rather impressed with Ford’s new crossover.

To be an ‘active’ member of the Active range (see what I did there?), Ford have given their Focus tougher-looking front and rear bumpers, protective black plastic cladding lining for the arches and sills, a set of roof rails, and a raised ride height courtesy of revised suspension and larger tyres.

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On the road

The vast majority of the miles I put on the Active during the week’s loan were on the motorway, from a trip to Banbury for a Volkswagen media event to the NEC for the Emergency Services Show. In total I drove around 600 miles and the 1.5lr diesel averaged 52.3mpg, which I thought was pretty good.

Around town and twisty roads both the steering and 8-speed automatic gearbox were pleasant and effortless to use making the Active a joy to drive, and it excels at hustling you cross-country, but I found it more enjoyable on longdistance motorway slogs.

Admittedly I haven’t driven many ‘normal’ Focus’, but from what I can remember there isn’t a huge difference driving the Active, though maybe an extra bit of body roll and certainly a more supple ride due to the additional bits of spring and tyre, being honest, there isn’t a noticeable difference.

Of course it’s only 2wd, and, even though it looks a little tougher than normal with the addition of plastic bits, with only 30mm of extra clearance over the normal Focus you aren’t going to venture too far from the beaten track, or at least I didn’t.

Off road

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PEDDERS SUSPENSION FOR YOUR FORESTER!

‘Ezifit’ Self Levelling Conversion Kits 'EziFit' Forester SG Lift Kit If you have had a quote you will know that these are very expensive! Pedders Suspension have the cost effective solution to your problems. We offer a replacement spring and damper kit for the rear of your Forester that will eliminate the troublesome self levelling arrangement. This is achieved by installing a conventional style rear shock and spring designed for this application. Rather than purchasing separate springs, dampers, bump stops and then having to pay a technician to dis-assemble and re-assemble the parts for you, you can now buy the complete strut and just bolt it on yourself! This kit is a direct bolt in replacement. NO modifications to the vehicle are required.

• Available for you Forester SG ( 2002 - 2008 ) • Lifts the vehicle 30 - 35mm • Allows fitment of bigger tyres • Improved ground clearance • Bolt on EziFit saving you more money in garage fees

Available for all ages of Forester. Full range of suspension and brake parts available for all Foresters.

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Interior

The trim levels, Active and Active X, slot in at Zetec level, only with sat-nav and privacy glass as standard, so the Active is quite a pleasant and well equipped place to be. Everything is to hand, the seats are comfortable and there’s plenty of room for all passengers. It does have a silly stick-on iPad type thing that I dislike no matter what the car, but the infotainment system works well. There’s decent space for rear passengers and because the Active doesn't have four-wheel drive, boot space is exactly the same as the standard Focus, measuring 375 ltrs in the hatchback and up to 608 ltrs in the estate, or 1,653 ltrs with the rear seats folded flat.

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Engines & transmissions

The entry-level 123bhp EcoBoost 1.0ltr petrol engine provides an adequate level of performance, but I suspect that many Focus Active buyers will find the extra grunt of the 1.5-litre petrol and diesel easier to live with, especially if they’re carting people and luggage around. You also have the option of either a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic gearbox. I’ve driven both bolted to a selection of engines and they’re all smooth, though I’d probably choose the auto as I’m getting lazy these days.

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Conclusion

After the week I honestly struggled to come up with things to moan about, and I now understand why the Focus is Britain’s best selling car after the Fiesta. Even though it won’t necessarily appeal to the true crossover buyer who may want a higher driving position, and maybe 4wd, the Active is still a solid buy and a really lovely car to live with. prices from £17,930

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H S A L F IVE DR

What is a Flash Drive? On media days we get to drive cars for around an hour, which is great when you want to get a feel for it, but not necessarily enough for a full review, so these are our mini reviews.

All New Volkswagen Passat Estate Alltrack It’s fair to say that you don’t see many Volkswagens within these pages, that isn’t because I don’t like them, it’s mainly because I don’t get invited to that many events. The other month however I drove down to Ayno to drive the all-new Passat, which incidentally, is the best selling D segment estate in Europe. Although they had an array of different versions for me to drive, I was more interested in the Alltrack version, obviously.

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Although the Passat has been around as a family car for a very long time, the Passat Alltrack has only been on sale since 2011. The big difference between the standard Passat Estate and the Alltrack are its off-road goodies. It uses GT trim as a base, but the Alltrack gains 27.5mm in ride height, as well as plastic cladding on the wheelarches and door sills, plus silver skid plates, extra 4MOTION badges and extra buttons for the off-road systems.

FLA DR SH IVE

4MOTION four-wheel drive is standard on the Alltrack and is the same Haldex-based system that you'll find on the Amarok pick-up. On the Passat it defaults to front-wheel drive in normal use, but as soon as it detect wheel spin it’ll activate and send power to the wheels with the most grip. The new 2019 Passat comes with a stream of new safety features, from Travel Assist; Auto slow down corners, slow down at speed signs, to name a few. Anyhow, what’s it like to drive? Very nice actually, and to be truthful I even enjoyed it more to the Arteon that I drove previously. Straight away, from the chunky steering wheel to the cosseting seats and functional interior, it felt a solid car, and this bit going to sound a bit daft, but zooming along the narrow country lanes, it felt - dependable. It handled the holes and undulations far better than the Arteon, the Alltrack simply ironed them out. It felt sturdy without being uncomfortable. I took it along some green-lanes, but because it had been dry for quite a while there was nothing worthy of challenging. The all-new Passat comes with 3 petrol engines, 4 diesel and a hybrid with prices starting from £25 - £45k. THEMUDLIFE.CO.UK

H S A L F IVE DR

Maserati Levante Gransport

he first Levante I drove was a few years ago during a press do at Millbrook, I opted to take it around the varied off-road routes instead of the track because hey, that’s how I roll. Unlike the rest of the manufacturers that year, that included Rolls Royce and Bentley, Maserati insisted I have a chaperone. This wasn’t a problem except for when he kept telling me to brake to slow down as I was heading down a steep muddy hill. When I asked about hill descent control he admitted that he was more used to the track as opposed to mud. Anyway, the Levante proved to be a really capable SUV off the black stuff, despite its obvious road biased tyres.

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ast forward to last year when at another press do up at Wetherby, Maserati had their latest Levante for us to play with - I mean assess. The £70k (incl extras), 350bhp SUV was resplendent in Nero Ribelle and a rather tasteful black and red stitched interior in which we quickly found comfortable positions. On the road I was quite surprised by the smoothness and delivery from its twin turbo V6. It was far less aggressive than the Stelvio Quadrifoglio I’d had the week previous. Ride and handling wise, it was difficult to come up with a conclusive verdict, as a 30 minute drive just wasn’t long enough to test its abilities.

FLA DR SH IVE

I will say however that it didn’t offend us, and its air suspension did a great job along the rough and undulating country roads around Wetherby.

There aren’t any green-lanes in the area, though to be fair I wouldn’t have taken it along them even if there was, but there was a rather slippery incline within the grounds of the race course which proved a challenge for the other AWDs. Stopping midway along and easing back on the accelerator proved that the Maserati Q4 Intelligent All-Wheel-Drive System was as good as I remember, moving on with virtually no wheel spin. Far too quickly our 30 minutes was up and we had to get it back for the next journalist, who I’m sure appreciated the muddy wheels! Let’s see if I can get one of the new V8s featured in the magazine sometime soon…

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o N M 't

It was always going to be a long day, and as the weather turned to a typical winters day, it was going to be a wet one, too.

oun

Our plan was simple enough, I would drive the new Series 6 Mitsubishi L2oo up to junction 36 on the M6 to meet Andy in the new SsangYong Musso and his mate Alex in the Ford Raptor for a day of green-laning. Not only would we take these latest pickups along some iconic green-lanes, but the plan was to drive the highest green-lane in the UK. Choosing what was probably the wettest and windiest day of the year for any 4x4 adventure, we set off in convoy up the M6, and after turning left at Penrith we headed towards Keswick on the A66 until we turned left onto the B5322 heading towards the Old Coach Road.

Lane 1 (NY3123-02)

I’ve written about my mooches along the Old Coach Road many a time, it’s one of my favourites, but this was the first time for Andy and Alex. If you’re driving from west to east, there’s an incline that you need to be aware of, it isn’t gnarly in any way, just entertaining, though if you’re on small tyres, watch out for sharp protruding rocks. We got a few nice shots of the trucks, but as we climbed higher, that’s when the sleet and hail began to hammer down on us, it was fairly grim for the most part, though we did come across a group of walkers who stepped aside to let us by. They were all very cheery, and pleasantries were shared as we tootled past. For the majority of the Old Coach Road it can be driven in a smaller crossover as the surface is fairly solid, though nearing the eastern end I noticed a muddy hole beginning to form that could bury an off-side tyre. It wasn’t a problem for the L200 or Raptor, but Andy caused a bit of damage to the front splitter on the Musso - whoops. (Don’t worry Andy, I’ll edit that out later…) On the subject of limitations, although the Musso is a very capable 4x4, it doesn’t have the greatest approach angle, so I had to scrub a few severe lanes off the list. It was the same for the Raptor which is quite wide and wouldn’t get through some of the narrow gates, I ended up adjusting our route accordingly.

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Lane 2 (NY6139-03)

After crossing the M6 and following the A686 for what felt like an age (it was only around 40 minutes), we passed the first exit for Gamblesby, which is where our next lane would lead us to. Although I was following the ViewRanger app, which uses Google Maps to direct you to the lanes, I totally missed the entrance. Actually, the voice said “the lane is on your left.” just as I drove past it on a very tight corner. To be fair, we couldn’t have made it as the turning was too tight, so we continued on, turned around and double backed on ourselves. The lane begins with a steep concrete type base then settles to narrow muddy ruts with a few tight bends thrown in for good measure. On a couple of occasions, whilst heading downwards I could feel the L200 wanting to toboggan, but a few extra revs whilst in low box kept me in control. As we made our way down the clouds began to scatter and we were bathed in the December sun, for all of a few minutes that is. After crossing a, well, crossroad, our next challenge was a tight section with a stone wall on our left and banking on our right. For the L200 and Musso this wasn’t a problem, the Raptor on the other hand... well, Alex made it through, albeit very slowly. For future reference I wouldn’t want to take a Full Fat Ranger Rover down there.

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Lane 3 (NY6140-02)

Unscathed, our next lane was only a few minutes away. Turning off the main road, NY6140-02 climbed up past a farm building and began weaving its way back towards the A686. As well as a small ford that we had to negotiate, there were a few rocky ruts that had the Musso grounding a little, but it was fun, I’m sure Andy was smiling, not grimacing! Stopping to take the odd photo we were greeted with some gorgeous views over the Eden Valley towards the Lakes. Although there were a few tight corners that led to a steep incline, the L200 was flawless in high ratio, this was only because it wouldn’t engage low box. Out of all the pickups I’ve driven recently, I think the Ranger is the only one that didn’t hesitate being put in low box. I dislike electrics some times.

Lane 4 (NY6241-02)

Having reached the end of lane 3 on the A686, the entrance to lane 4 is almost opposite, just to the left in fact. It begins with a tarmac base and as you climb, NY6241-02 begins on a left hand corner. There’s another steepish climb but the surface is good, a bit like a farmers track and therefore not much to report. That said, on TwailWise 2 I did read after we’ve driven it that the landowner had requested that folks drive downhill only, that’s east to west. Arriving at the east end there appears to be two exits, one to the left that leads into a abandoned pub car park, and the other through a tight gate leading straight onto the A686. Unfortunately the former had a broken latch that I couldn’t open, so we drove to the official end, and whilst I gingerly drove though the narrow gap, Andy was stood in the middle of the road directing me through whilst avoiding oncoming cars! Next time I’ll bring a hammer and exit the other gate, it’ll be much safer!

From here we decided to skip the next 3 lanes as it was getting dark and head towards NY8135-03 on the B6277, also known as Britain’s highest greenlane. The L200 has always been a favourite pickup of mine, I just like the way it handles on-road, and the new series 6 model is even better. I thoroughly enjoyed the 11 or so miles from Alston on the B6277 with no other vehicles in sight, that was until I came across two blokes riding dirt bikes at around 30-40mph. 54

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Their speed didn’t bother me much, it was the fact that they had just ridden out of a side track that wasn’t a legal byway, and they didn’t have mirrors so were totally oblivious that I was behind them which was evident by their weaving all across the road. I had a feeling they were heading for the same lane as us, so I kept a distance until we all pulled over at the gate. Their eyes looked guilty and panic stricken as I jumped out of the L200 and stomped towards them, I bet they thought I was a farmer coming to chastise them.

Lane 5 (NY8135-03)

Once through the gate, off they went on their merry way riding off-piste and making a bit of mess, shame I couldn’t read their registration plates. Anyway, from the B6277, NY8135-03 is fairly steep but the going is good. Funny thing was, although we were high up it never seemed that high, probably because everything around is also high, if that makes sense. On TrailWise I read that we should take care on the repaired sections as the rocks are like broken teeth, but that was around 9 months ago and it appeared that the sharpness had been rounded off by other users. I had planned on eating my dinner at the highest point, but by this stage the sleet and snow had caught up with us, so I didn’t bother, we took a couple of photos and carried on. Exiting the lane at Ireshopeburn, we took Harthorpe Road back down to the B6277, and what a cracking road it is, in fact, for the next hour and a half whilst heading towards Reeth, we drove some blinders, including Bouldershaw Lane that had me grinning like a Cheshire cat. THEMUDLIFE.CO.UK

Lane 6 (SD9694-01)

Our 6th lane is one I’ve been itching to drive for a quite a while, and starts just after Crackpot (yes, this is a place!) and ends up on Long Road. It isn’t a long lane and can probably be driven in around 10 minutes, but it’s pretty with an easy ford to traverse and some splendid views at the southern end. In fact, we stopped here for a bite to eat and to immerse ourselves in the splendour that is the Yorkshire Dales.

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Lane 7 (SE0287-03)

Morpeth Gate wasn’t far away and begins just off the B6160 and continues up by the side of a farm house. It’s one vehicle width as you wind your way up the moor with a good solid base, there are some tight turns at the bottom between the walls but wide enough for the Raptor’s fat arse! Around half way up we came across a large branch that had fallen from a tree and was blocking our path. There was nowhere to move it to, so trimmed some of the bigger branches with my Gerber folding saw to make it more manageable to drive over without scratching the new vehicles. Alex joined in and simply stomped on them, which did the trick. Within a few hundred yards Morpeth Gate changed to High lane which is as wide and straight as a normal road, but with quite a few muddy puddles. By this time it was dark, and the rain was horizontal, but we still had arguably the best green-lane to drive, and it was only few miles down the road, so we soldiered on. THEMUDLIFE.CO.UK

Lane 8 (SE0677-02)

Commonly known as Scar House, it incorporates two lanes either side of Scar House reservoir, and in a couple of spots was moderately challenging. Starting at the western end, after a couple twists and turns, it’s pretty much straight up to the very top. The weather remained dreadful, and what made it worse was that many of the gates wouldn’t stay open, which meant that we all at some point had to stand there and get soaked whilst holding the gates open for each other, we all got a drenching. Heading down towards Scar House reservoir there were a few rocky obstacles to negotiate, again, the L200 and Raptor were fine, but Andy in the Musso had to be more careful with his approach. Once you turn left and follow the shoreline of the reservoir the lane settles down and becomes a typical farm track with a few more gates to open and close. Once across the reservoir we have the last section to deal with, which includes another climb with a few more tight bends to tackle. Normally, during the day they’re fine, but in pitch blackness they’re a bit more of a challenge, especially with just normal headlights that only illuminate what’s ahead. At this point the clouds had dispersed and we were guided by moonlight, and as the narrow lane rose up from the reservoir we squeezed our way up avoiding the boulders that had been laid on the left before taking the sharp right hairpin bend at the top with a few more rocks steps to traverse for good measure.

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Once through the final gate, the now easy-ish lane turned into an undulating rutted track on which Andy wasn’t having the best of times with the low slung Musso, and as it’s a single track lane with high banking on either side there was nowhere he could go to avoid it. Although he scraped his way down the lane, it didn’t take away from the fact that the Musso is a very capable pickup with a great 4wd system. The L200 on the other hand performed admirably with only the odd scrape from its running boards. Alex told us later that the Raptor took everything in its stride, though some of the narrower sections caused a bit of anxiety.

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Finally reaching the end there were smiles all ‘round, and we followed Andy to a local pub for a swift ‘alf before going our separate ways. We all agreed that our first lane seemed so long ago, and that our favourite lane was the last, Scar House reservoir.

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In a few month's time Andy and I have a couple more pickups from the same manufacturer, both very capable, just one is much taller than the other, so watch this space for more adventures…

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Discover historic Normandy and the D-Day landings on our family friendly, self-drive tours. We explore important battlefield sites and locations, linked by greenlanes, travelling at a leisurely pace through the beautiful French countryside.

2020 Dates

3 day tours - £775

4 day tours - £995

• 10-12th April

• 6-10th June

• 13-15th April

• 11-15th June

• 15-17th May

• 10-14th August

• 18-20th May

• 15-19th August

• 10-12th July

all prices based on 2 people per vehicle, with luxury B&B, museum entries and guides included

• 17-19th July

website: www.dday1944.tours email:

hello@dday1944.tours

mob: 07888

060099

facebook: Normandy

1944 D-Day Tours

New exciting destinations including Poland, Ukraine, Estonia and Italy coming soon!

Head to our Mud Life shop for loads of great stuff. CLICK HERE

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WARN VR EVOWINCH RANGE Arbil 4x4, Warn’s UK distributor has just launched Warn’s brand new VR Evo winch range and there is a lot to be excited about. The VR Evo replaces the outgoing Tabor range, bringing with it a significant price reduction as well as a huge number of real benefits, such as an upgraded IP rating (IP68), a wired/wireless remote, a brand new motor design that draws less electrical current, a ‘clockable’ gearbox/clutch casing to optimise the position the clutch lever and the clutch lever operates through 90 degrees in place of the usual 180 degree operation. Any frequent winch user will testify that winches are not all

created equal. There is cheap, and there is top end, and most winches fall somewhere in between. Warn, which celebrated 70 years last year, has long been recognised as a top end US winch manufacturer with a huge global following and loyal customers including the US military and countless expedition organisations. Warn is one of the most visible, respected winch manufacturers in the world. The VR Evo is available at 4x4 dealers now, in 8,000 lb, 10,000 and 12,000 line pull ratings and each is available with wire or synthetic rope. The range starts at a competitive £630 including VAT and comes with a conditional lifetime mechanical/7 year electrical warranty.

New Stuff we've discovered this month OUTHAUS LANDIE TENT

I'm not going to say that this is a new product, but it’s certainly one which I’ve recently come across. The design goal was for a tent that goes up fast, has no fiddly poles that could get lost or broken. Simply park up, roll the tent off the roof rack or roof bars, peg it out and your tents up; your vehicle becomes the poles, wind and weather break. In the morning when it is time to move on your tent quickly rolls up into the bag and you flip it over back onto the roof rack. Though designed for use with Land Rovers it can can happily use the tent with any 4×4 with a roof rack, roof bars or roof rails. -Sleeps 2/3, -Tubbed Groundsheet, -1500mm Hydrostatic Head, -Inner Tent made from Insect Mesh, -Outer Tent made from 185T Polyester. - Single central window and zipped doors at both ends with internal zipped mesh inner. - Needs no poles, simply hangs from your 4×4 for support. price: £194.95 more at » www.thebushcraftstore.co.uk THEMUDLIFE.CO.UK

GOODS & GEAR E S K EEZ Around 4 or 5 years ago I was really impressed when, during a demonstration at a show, I watched as the owner poured water onto the outside of one of their base layers and the droplets slipped off like water off a ducks back. I was even more impressed when she turned the garment inside out and the water soaked in and went through to the outside leaving the inside dry to the touch. A few weeks later I had three long sleeve tops and a pair of leggings delivered, and 4 or 5 years later they still keep me incredibly warm and dry.

There are many things to love about my Eskeez zipped tops, one being that they’re so long that not only do they cover your kidneys and bladder, but they also reach down to cover your bum. This makes sure they don’t rise if you’re bending over a lot. Another bonus is that whilst the brush fleece on the inside is incredibly comfortable, the exterior surface is smooth, which helps with outer layers as they don’t ‘pull’, again making wearing them incredibly comfortable. They’re also incredibly stretchy, it doesn’t matter whether you’re digging yourself out of a ditch or fastening your shoelaces, they never feel restrictive.

As well as everyday life, Eskeez products are tested and developed to cope with life on the sports field, too, so no matter what you’re doing, not only will they keep you toasty warm, but they’ll wick unwanted sweat away from your body quickly and efficiently. Eskeez offer base layers for all ages, including babies, so check out their website. Prices vary, but their mens tops are £54.99, and worth every penny! more at » www.eskeez.co.uk 62

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GOODS & GEAR G H IL L IE K ETTLE I honestly can’t remember when I got my old Ghillie Kettle, 7 or 8 years ago maybe? Probably more. Anyhow, as I haven’t reviewed it in the mag before I thought I’d ‘sing its praises’ and let you know how cool it is. The chimney or volcano kettle, call it what you will, dates back to the late 1800’s in western Ireland where these handmade kettles were made mostly of tin and had very short lives. Although todays kettle from Ghillie may look similar, that’s about as far as it goes.

There are two ways of cooking food with your Ghillie, first is to simply attached the pot support to the top of the kettle and place either of the pans on top. That way you can cook whilst boiling water, though it’s important to make sure that the kettle never runs dry whilst cooking, so keep an eye on the water level. The other way is to place the pot support on top of the base, that way you’re constantly checking the water. The obvious benefit to a Ghillie Kettle is that you don’t need to buy bottled gas, you simply forage for decent bits of wood or bring your own, it’s easy to use, reliable and fun.

Out of their large range, I opted for the Silver Anodized Adventurer Kit which is thicker and stronger than normal. The kit came complete with pot support, saucepan, frying pan, grill and pan grip which all can be stored within the base of the kettle, and came with a hard wearing carry bag. Setting up and using the Ghillie kettle is easy. Simply start the fire in the base making sure that it’s well established, add water to the kettle then place it on top of the base and wait for the whistle to blow. How easy is that? You can add more fuel by either slotting it through the breathe hole in the base or simply dropping it through the centre of the kettle, the latter is easier.

The adventurer holds up to 1.42ltrs of water (approx 5 mugs) and boils within minutes. Its dimensions are: Height: 34cm, Width: 18.5cm at its widest point and they’re made in the UK. As I wrote earlier, I received mine a good many years ago and these days there’s a larger selection to choose from, from Silver Anodised, Hard Anodised, Aluminium and a good variety of sizes. price: from £44.95 more at » ghillie-kettle.co.uk

GOODS & GEAR CO BB P REM IER

The BBQ that grills, frys, bakes, boils & smokes! Cobb has been around for quite a while, in fact back in 2001 Time Magazine featured the Cobb as one of the best inventions of that year. It started life as an inexpensive all metal stove that could be distributed in aid programmes to third world countries and has grown into one of the most versatile BBQ/cookers that we've tested to date. The Cobb Premier is the entry level Cobb, and here at Muddy Towers we've cooked loads on it: full chickens, duck, pizza, chilli and fry ups. When I cook fish Muddy Madam can't stand the smell, so to keep her happy I head outside and cook it using the Cobb (so I can probably add marriage saver to its list of uses). I usually plonk it on a table, but I have cooked with it on top of the wheelie bin, which isn't as bonkers as it sounds as the base stays cool whilst cooking.

Fuel wise I tend to use Cobb's own Cobblestones, which only take around 7 minutes to heat up, and last for well over a couple hours, enough to cook the aforementioned chicken. A pack of 6 costs only costs £13, and takes up less room than a pair of trainers! You can also use various briquettes on it too. The elements that make up Cobb: • Dome: made with stainless steel and it has a heat-resistant handle. The holes in the Dome ensure even ventilation throughout the cooking process creating an oven effect. • Grill Plate: with an easy to clean Teflon® non-stick coating. Excess fat drains away through the holes and into the moat. • Fire Basket: A secured area for the Cobble Stone or loose briquettes. • Stainless steel moat: catches all excess fat. The moat can also be used for cooking vegetables. • Base: with anti-slip rubber feet, the base remains stable and cool to touch during use.

The griddle accessory

All the components, with the exception of the mesh base, are dishwasher safe, and there's a huge selection of quality accessories available, such as the frying pan, griddle and tools which we've invested in over the years. price: £115 more at » www.cobb-bbq.co.uk

The teflon coated grill plate 64

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The frying pan accessory

GOODS & GEAR O SPR EY HIK ELIT E 1 8 This Hikelite 18 backpack solved a problem that I (Muddy Madam) have had with a lot of backpacks.You see, backpacks tend to be either flimsy fashion affairs or totally over-the-top technical, but, as someone who ends up carrying the majority of stuff when we head out to shows, I've always wanted one that lies somewhere inbetween. I came across this beauty at a trade show and it has proved perfect for my needs. It has a nice shaped back with an AirSpeed suspended mesh panel that helps keep the bag from the body to help cooling circulation There are plenty of pockets, including an upper scratch-free pocket which is a perfect place to store your keys, snacks and sunglasses. Inside there is a large back panel pocket that can easily hold a normal sized tablet and the main compartment is reasonably roomy. The 2 PowerMesh pockets on either side of the pack will comfortably hold a one litre water bottle. There is an integrated, and detachable raincover which hides in a pocket on the base, and the upper compression strap doubles as a walking pole attachment. With a removable hipbelt and adjustable sternum strap it kept this backpack very secure whilst wandering around, and, with its 0.68kg weight, after a full day I didn't have the usually sore back, so for me if you are looking for a day walk sized decent backpack check this one out. Dimensions (cm): 46 (h) x 24 (w) x 28 (d) price: ÂŁ70 more at Âť www.ospreyeurope.com

Available in 6 colours

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W I N W IN W IN We are giving away this

OSPREY hikelite 18 along with

ALL the products on next page!

Worth over £200 This month we have this brilliant Osprey backpack (RRP £70) to give way to one lucky reader, along with loads of other goodies that we thought we'd throw in too.

Open to UK based entrants only. Winner chosen at random. Entries close January 31st, 2020.

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Click here to enter Top left to bottom right

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Zoku Pocket Straw Hot hands Warmers Darn Tough Crew Socks Charles Viancin Bottle Stopper Regatta Tritan Flip Lid Bottl Grangers Wash + Repel 2 in 1

7. 8. 9. 10. 11.

Nite Ize BugLit Backpacker Thinsulate Hat CarPet Pet Hair Remover Storacell Battery holder (batteries not included) Isuzu D-max Bag Bundle containing Mug, Pen & Travel Cup THEMUDLIFE.CO.UK

acebook Page of the Month Once, not so long ago, if you wanted to catch up with like minded enthusiasts, you’d join a forum. It appears these days however that Facebook has taken over the mantle for the place to go for information. So, in the aptly titled ‘Facebook Page of the Month’ every month I will invest hours of time, effort and energy searching Facebook for interesting and relevant groups so you don’t have to. It’s serious work, or so I tell Muddy Madam!

Green Lanes and Byways

WHO STARTED IT? I (Jeff Pratt) started the group, back in March 2017, after getting into green-laning following the purchase of a Land Rover Freelander Td4 Sport. I researched online what to do to organise an event, joined GLASS, sorted out a route, contacted the ROW (right of way) Officer at Derbyshire County Council, as this was the area the route was in, to ensure there were no TROs (traffic regulation orders) or other restrictions in place, and then myself and some friends in a total of three vehicles (the LR Freelander, a Discovery 1 and another

www.facebook.com/groups/Greenlanesandbyways Freelander) went out and enjoyed a fantastic day. WHY? I started it to bring together people that enjoy the hobby of green-laning, also to ensure that we could all continue to promote, participate and grow the demographic of people that are interested in ‘laning. I also wanted to introduce this hobby to new people to carry the mantle in future. That was not the start of the group though. From that first trip out, I contacted a few other people I knew and organised a second day out about 5 or 6 months later. The interest I got from those people and the success of the second day, which had two separate groups of 4 vehicles complete the route due to the recommendations of GLASS not to have too large of a group, I thought about starting the group. 68

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It was at first limited to the people I knew and their friends that were interested, but after a slow start, it has taken off well over the last year and from a few people there are now approximately 4100+ members and growing every day. AREA? UK wide ARE THERE PUB MEETINGS? As the group covers the whole of the UK, meets are organised on a local level by members themselves. Â CAN MEMBERS ORGANISE THEIR OWN TRIPS? Yes, we positively encourage members to do this and that is what happens at the present time.

ANYTHING YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD? We are hoping to get as many people as possible into â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;laning, which will hopefully spread the word that not everyone that does this hobby wants to go out and wreck the environment and spoil the enjoyment of all users of them. This would hopefully go a long way to changing some views on what we do.

If you, or your group, would like to be featured as FB Page of the Month send us a quick email to:

POTM@themudlife.co.uk The Mud Life is on Facebook too:

www.facebook.com/TheMudLifeMag THEMUDLIFE.CO.UK

The Emergency Services Show is, well, a show aimed at our Emergency Services. With over 60 CPD seminars, 450 exhibitors and over 8k visitors,

My theory is, if it’s good enough for our Emergency Services, then it’s good enough for us 4x4 and outdoor enthusiasts. The first thing that caught my attention was a lovely old Series 3 that’s owned by Andy Elwood, so I walked over for a chat. Turned out that during his 20-year career in the Emergency Services as a Paramedic on Search and Rescue Helicopters, Andy has saved many lives. Now he saves lives with Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) rather than physical first aid. Andy uses his 1973 Series III 88' Land Rover to do this. Why? Because it’s fun, and most blokes like talking about cars. There are of course many other reasons, to learn more check out his website at andyelwood.com

One thing I’m very conscious of whilst chatting and mithering people at the ESS is that there are far more important people there than me, arguably people with better and more important jobs, so I don’t hang around for too long. Next were the guys from Rigloo, we included them in our ‘new product’ section a few months ago. Basically it’s a small inflatable safety shelter that’s ideal for keeping in the back of your vehicle in case of an emergency. Take a look - rigloo.co.uk

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A good many years ago I bough a pair of Clarks Desert Boots, I love them, they’re a great summer shoe. However, after only around 3 years the crepe sole began to deteriorate which leaves me with sore feet. Chatting to the gent on the Boot Repair Company stand, he told me that they can repair them easy enough, either with crepe or something much better. What this space as I’ll be soon sending them off for repair, I might even do a little feature on them - bootrepaircompany.co.uk

Fiat / Jeep were also in attendance, but because their usual press fleet were elsewhere, they asked Storm Jeeps for help, who were only to happy to have one of their modified Wranglers on show. It caused quite a stir, it took ages to take a decent photo due to the constant crowd! If you haven’t come across Storm Jeeps before, read about them in our October 2019 issue.

Interestingly, the TRF (Trail Riders Fellowship) had a stand and were promoting their work with South Yorkshire Police. It was actually really interesting and something I believe should be spread out across the UK, not just with the TRF, but GLASS (Green Lane Association) and other user groups. As I’m writing this I can only remember the basics, so I’ll contact them in the new year, and bring you a full report in the coming months. Whilst at the TRF stand I got a waft of cooked burgers, which turned out to be from the Rapid Relief Team. The RRT are all volunteers who offer quality catering assistance to charitable and government organisations confronting some of humankind’s greatest challenges, including natural disasters, heart disease, cancer research and the plight of the homeless. Find out more here - rapidreliefteam.org. Oh and nice burgers, too.

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I wandered outside to check out the huge ladders (theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re probably called something else), on the fire engines and other such machines. AWLB is a UK partner of AWLC, an Australian company who design and manufacture custom build bodies that are incredibly popular over there. They had an example on show and the fit and attention to detail was superb, perfect for businesses and off-road adventurers alike. Find out more here - awlb.co.uk

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Heading back indoors I casually sauntered over to the ARB liveried Ford Ranger on the Britpart stand. I had a great chat with Paul about all the ARB kit he’d fitted to his Ranger, including the Linx interface. This nifty unit which is a controller that declutters the dashboard and centralises the command of vehicle accessories by replacing classic switches, gauges and monitors with one sleek and smart driver interface. I'll bring you more details when I get to try one - arb4x4uk.co.uk

‘What3Words’ had a stand, but they were constantly surrounded by interested parties that I couldn’t even get a decent photo, never mind have a chat. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s basically a geocode, and the the simplest way to describe it is that they've divided the world into a grid of 3m x 3m squares and assigned each one a unique 3 word address. Instead of trying to figure out where you are using a compass and O.S. Map, download the app for free, and the next time you get stuck somewhere out in the sticks, simply use What3words to let the .rescue services know where you are. Highways England were there too, I gave one of the blokes on the stand so much grief about the pointless speed restrictions I had to endure on the M42 the other week that I actually felt guilty! Seriously though, from the M40 to the M6 Toll it was either 50 or 60mph, I can’t remember now, but it was so quite that there were no cars in the outside lane for miles and only a dozen or so vehicles in front of me. Bloody annoying it was.

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Having used the Gearmate drawer system in the Isuzu Huntsman in France last year I went over for a chat. They’re a nice bunch, and their drawers proved so useful that I really fancy a set in Deux Smurf, not sure the Muddy budget will stretch to Gearmate, mind. I particularly enjoy watching the Extrication and Trauma challenges, from behind safety nets in the main hall. On both days of the show, competing teams from across the country will perform extrications from a series of realistic road traffic collision scenarios featuring heavy and complex damage. The teams have 20 minutes from their ‘arrival’ at these simulated incidents to complete as much of the scenario as is safely possible. It truly is fascinating to watch.

Milwaukee were also on hand showing off their amazing collection of tools. As some of you will know, I love watching Australian 4WD Action videos on Youtube, and quite often when things go a bit pear-shaped, Shauno reaches for his cordless Milwaukee ratchet. In a recent video he also dug out his Milwaukee electric chainsaw, there have been numerous situations when I would have dearly loved one of these.

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As I mentioned at the start, ESS is really a trade show aimed at personnel from our emergency services, so it's not really one for the public. I found it all fascinating and discovered some interesting products that I'm sure will filter down into the public arena.

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COMPANY PROFILE

As you read in last month's magazine, Deux Smurf was treated to a long overdue valet at Leyland Car Care over in, well, Leyland. I was so impressed, not only by their level of service but attention to detail, that I just had to sit down with owner Tim and find out more about him and his company. Like most lads, Tim was into cars from a young age, and at 16 he went straight to work . He went from working in factories to becoming a chef, where he reckons his creative side was ignited. After working 7 days a week, 8am to midnight at various highend restaurants, he though it was time for a change, and a friend at the time introduced Tim to a valeting job working for Arnold Clarke, basically washing cars. From there Tim moved to another valeting company until it went into receivership, and with a bit of help from a local business man in 2009, Tim and colleague Mark decided to go it alone. They had contracts with 9 dealerships, and a team of lads working for them; business was good. Then in 2010, after a lot of requests from the public to clean their cars, they moved into their current premises, and set up Leyland Car Care. Tim remembers that they received a fair amount of negative feedback from other valeters at the

beginning, but over the following years he noticed that not only were all the naysayers disappearing, but he was getting busier and busier. Tim puts this down to having a great and honest relationship with his customers, as well as doing a great job which I can attest to. Tim’s work ethic, which he’s instilled in his staff, is to get his head down and do a great job. He doesn't scrimp and save, and only uses the best products, which he firmly believes is what has made his company successful. By now it was 2012, and not satisfied with using other peoples products, Tim decided to look into creating his own. After an huge amount of research, and a little bit of luck, they not only had a formula, but a chemist over in St Helens who could create everything they needed.

What’s in a name? Tim’s next dilemma was how does his products compete in the world of Autoglym, and other established household names who have been around for years? Tim's inspiration was Deborah Meaden from Dragons Den; during an episode she told someone that in the retail world you only have 3 seconds to get into someone's mind. Not long after that he was walking down the drink aisle at Tesco and just happen to look at the energy drinks section. In between two of the most recognisable brands sat one named Pussy Energy. It was beautifully branded, and there was nothing vulgar about their website, but the name, well it caught Tim's attention within 3 seconds, that’s for sure!

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COMPANY PROFILE That’s pretty much when CarSpünk was born. Now, before you get all uppity about it, let’s not forget that

spunk actually means courage and determination,

other plans for the future which includes £5k or Bust, in which every month for a year he’ll buy an interesting car and... well, follow CarSpünk on social media and find out. Tim’s enthusiasm for his brands shine through when you talk to him, CarSpünk has a life of its own, it’s a fun brand that tells a story and doesn’t take itself seriously, it’s used on both F1 cars and Lamborghinis to £250 Fiat Uno!

and if your thoughts went straight to something else, then you have a filthy mind, and yes, we can be friends At the time Tim was involved in the world of valeting, and motor racing with the Civic Cup, so the name just fit, and so CarSpünk was officially launched at the 2012 Top Gear Live show. Positive feedback from social media was unrelenting, and even the likes of Johnny Vegas, Richard Hammond and James May wore some of the CarSpünk clothing, and were having photos taken on the stall. Tim was initially advised that CarSpünk branded clothing wouldn’t be successful, but within a couple of days they were sold out!

Giving back Of course the point of any business is to make money so that you can put food on the table, hopefully reinvest and grow the business and employ people, but Tim has another good reason to chase success - he likes to help others. Around 6 years ago, a customer of theirs introduced Tim to The British Commercial Vehicle Museum in Leyland, and cutting a long story short, Leyland Car Care, along with others volunteers, now valet all the museum’s vehicles, for free, each month. Recently they’ve spruced up a London Route Master bus and the Leyland truck Pope Mobile, as well as fitting it with a new carpet. In line with Tim’s philosophy of ‘giving something back’, he also has a collaboration wax with the museum, with half the profits going back to the museum for upkeep or employing staff.

Soon I’m hoping to review some CarSpünk products to understand what all the hype is about, but in the meantime, if you’re in the North West I would wholeheartedly recommend if visit to Leyland Car Care, they offer a variety of valets, all at a very reasonable cost. When you are there, talk to them about their membership scheme, unicorn farts smells and other scents of the month, and while you’re at it, ask them about how they cleaned the 69 plate Porsche Cayenne whose owner had a can of expanding foam explode inside. more at » leylandccc.com & carspunk.com

On the subject of collaborations, Tim is now the official valeter not just for the Autosport Show, but Silverstone Classics and the Ultimate Show held over in Liverpool.

What does the future hold? Wow, what a question! The CarSpünk brand is not only having a makeover, but there are new lines being added for 2020 and more collaboration work with YouTube guru, Dan from exploring with fighters. Tim has plenty THEMUDLIFE.CO.UK

h c o Mo

Heading to Hawes

round three years ago, Muddy Madam and I took an Isuzu AT35 on a mooch to Hawes, North Yorkshire. Unfortunately we set off rather late, so when we eventually arrived at the lanes I wanted to drive, it had already began to get dark, and as I hadn’t driven the lane before we decided to cut our trip short. Fast forward a few months and Mitsubishi had just dropped of their 2017 model Shogun for us to review, so it made perfect sense to continue our adventure. With a few bits of recovery gear thrown in the back for good measure, we set forth on the 2 hour journey towards Buckden in North Yorkshire. Following the B6565 and B6160 was a joy in the Shogun, it may not be a sports car, but it handled the twists and turns really well.

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After passing Cray on the B6160 we made a left onto Gilbert Lane (SD9383-01) and Muddy Madam jumped out to open the first of many gates. Putting the Shogun into 3rd gear low range, we edged our way slowly towards the incline. Being honest, I was being over cautious as I could’ve easily driven the entire length in high ratio, and probably in any of the crossover type vehicles on the market at the moment as the surface was solid. Sadly there were a couple of places where morons had decided that the lane wasn’t challenging enough for them and had chosen to drive off-piste, consequently making a mess. But overall the lane and its surrounding area was in great condition. A little further on there's a right hand turn which takes you to Busk Lane (SD9383-02), but we carry on to what is now Stake Road (SD9185-03).

As we began our descent the views to our left were stunning, with hills and clouds as far as the eyes could see. The surface of the lane remained solid, though ruts had formed in places where other 4x4s seemed to have struggled on this particular section whilst driving upwards. Further along we spotted a self drive tour operator heading towards us with 10 other 4x4s in tow. To most in the 4x4 community this number of 4x4s in a single group is frowned upon, but others will have their reasons of why it shouldn’t matter. Still in 3rd gear low ‘box we continued amble our way down the track, and when lake Semerwater appeared in the distance the clouds simultaneously dispersed allowing for a spectacular view.

Keep your eyes open and to your left there's another lane that heads down towards Stalling Busk, and according to TrailWise at this point you're on High lane (SD9185-02). Depending which map you look at there is some confusion over the name of the lane we've just driven, some maps call it High Lane all the way to the top, others note it as Stake Road, but it's quite straight forward looking at it on a map. THEMUDLIFE.CO.UK

Eventually, High Lane gave way to tarmac, and if you continue forward you'll head down towards Semerwater, which we did, parking up briefly for a few photos in the very low sun. Be careful parking here as it’s private land I believe, and the local farmer will be down in a shot to claim his parking fees.

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From here we made our way towards Marsett Lane following the River Bain until we reached the junction of Cam High Road (SD9088-01, SD8987-01, SD8886-01, SD8685-01), our last green lane of the day. I love this lane, it isn’t difficult to drive, though there are a few high steps to negotiate once you reach nearer the top, but again it’s the views that are available, fabulous stuff.

The Shogun trundled along proving what such a talented 4x4 it is, totally dominating the terrain like it was driving through a supermarket carpark. Finally reaching the end of Cam High Road we have 2 choices, turn right and head back down towards Hawes or left and head down Oughtershaw Road that leads towards, well, Oughtershaw. We did the latter and again the views are nothing but outstanding, so keep you eyes on the road! Apart from the tour operator and his 10 clients we were totally alone, it reminded me that I need to spend more time exploring our beautiful rights of ways before we lose them forever.

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gooey sausage scoff Each month we give you an easy menu that any buffoon can make whilst out in the great outdoors. When I say ‘any buffoon’, I obviously mean me.

Equipment

Double burner stove / hob 2 pans Chopping board Sharp knife Wooden spoon Fork or spoon

I genuinely have no idea where I found this quick and easy recipe, maybe it was from a Youtube video, maybe I made it up, but what really matters is that it’s quick, easy and bloomin’ delicious. What I’ve found is that this recipe lends itself to strong tasting ingredients, otherwise it can be quite bland.

Head to the next page for the instructions..

Ingredients (for 1) 1 x cup penne pasta 3 tbsp of soft cheese Good handful of hard strong cheese (chedder etc) 1 x tsp Oil

1/2 yellow pepper 1 or 2 mushrooms Pastrami or similar sausage Spices - personal preference (optional) Salt & pepper

Instructions 1. Put water on the stove, and once boiling add the pasta. 2. Add the oil into the second pan, and heat on a moderate heat. 3. Chop the sausage, pepper and mushrooms into chunks, and add to pan and cook for 5 minutes. 4. Add the soft cheese, salt & pepper (to taste) and any spices, then simmer for another 5 minutes. 5. Cut the hard cheese into small chunks, and put to one side. 6. Once the pasta is cooked, drain well. 7. Tip the drained pasta in with the sausage mix and stir making sure itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all mixed together. 8. Add the hard cheese, and continue to stir until itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all one gooey mess.

Time to feast!

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IN OUR GARAGE BFGoodrich KM3 Mud Terrain 265-75/16 12 months on

It’s

6 months since I wrote my initial review, but actually 12 months since I had them fitted, and in that time, with a pitiful 3,000 miles being covered, am I still smitten with them? In a word, yes. Let me explain why. As the vast majority of our miles have been spent driving to and from greenlanes, as well as car launches, I’ve found that noise, vibration, and harshness hardly exists. As I mentioned in our 4th issue, for a mud terrain I find the KM3 to be surprisingly quiet at speed, quieter even than the KM2, and they demonstrate a high degree of lateral grip during hard cornering. In emergency-braking scenarios on dry roads, tyre squeal is barely audible. In wet weather, despite their aggressive look and huge side blocks, they remain remarkably sure-footed and have given me a lot of confidence, which makes me even more happy considering that Deux Smurf is a part time 4wheel drive and is essentially a 3.0ltr rear wheel drive brute of a truck! During green-laning trips the’ve remained equally unstoppable, and the only times

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IN OUR GARAGE I’ve lost traction was purely down to the aforementioned 24 year old part time 4wheel drive system, but as soon as grip is found forward motion is established. I haven’t yet had the opportunity to put the KM3s through really deep mud yet, you know, like the bottomless type, but greasy and slippery inclines have proved no match for them. Amongst the list of improvements over the KM2 is the sidewalls, which are 27 percent tougher and integrates “CoreGuard Max” technology from the KR3 desert-racing tyre. So far, all 4 sidewalls have remained cut and damage free, despite driving along quite a few rocky lanes at around 20psi. Overall, the outgoing KM2 was a great tyre and the KM3 has improved on that award-winning design in pretty much every way. During 2020 I’ll be driving fewer press cars in an attempt to take Deux Smurf on more 4x4 and green-laning adventures, including France, so keep an eye out for more updates. more at » www.bfgoodrich.co.uk

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It’s been quite a number of years since I’ve last attended a Land Rover show as I tend to focus on more generic gatherings these days, but billed as the last show of the year, I couldn’t resist popping down to see what the fuss was about. Held at the Stoneleigh Showground, Warwickshire, it may not have been the biggest show, but it was certainly well attended with a mass of Land Rover enthusiasts queueing patiently outside braving the rain before the 10am start.

Flashing our media wrist bands, Muddy Madam and I ventured into the new ‘Adventure and Outdoor Leisure Zone’ before the crowds were let in so I could take a few snaps. This new section of the show is aimed at exhibitors who sell everything from roof tents and camping equipment to adventure tour companies and even drink cabinets made from jerry cans.

Speaking of adventure tour companies, I managed to have a quick word with Russ from ardventure.co.uk. Russ has been organising tours for decades, and what he doesn’t know about UK and European tours isn’t worth knowing. We’re going to have a proper sit-down chat soon about how we can work together. 86

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I also had a very brief chat to APB Trading Ltd. I’ve seen them a lot at other shows in the past but I’ve never really had the chance to natter. Established over 40 years ago, APB Trading specialise in Land Rovers and 4x4s in general, and as well as carrying out servicing, repairs & M.O.T’s, they can fit out your 4x4 for overland travel & expedition. They’re also the sole UK importers for a number of South African companies; arguably, a country where adventure travel was born. Next to them was Higher Adventure - https:// higheradventure.co.uk who hire out fully kitted, expedition equipped Defenders. By this time the crowds had entered the halls so I didn’t get time to find out more.

Venter Trailers were next showing off their Savuti Leisure Trailer Tent, which if you haven’t seen it before, it’s a multipurpose off-road trailer with a roof tent fitted on top. Chatting to the owner earlier on in the year he did offer to lend me one for an extended weekend for a review, but I’ve just been too busy, hopefully I’ll take him up on his offer sometime this year.

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On the subject of camping, I also had a word with Dean from Ox Overland. Not only did he have a roof tent and annex on show, but I was more interested in his 270ยบ awning and how it was fixed to his pick up. I really want an awning for Deux Smurf, and thanks to Dean I have an idea of how to fit one.

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Chatted to Steve from Urban Electro too, he had a selection of electric bikes on show. Muddy Madam has been after one for quite a while and there maybe an opportunity soon to borrow one, watch this space.

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Wandering over to the other hall, Beartown Tyres had a fair selection of, well, tyres on show, there were also a few clubs like the AWDC, Discovery Owners and Land Rover Ladies amongst others.

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Folks were selling tools and other such gubbins and you could buy a coffee from the well kitted out Drover Coffee Company Defender 110, or even book a Land Rover hearse for your eventual demise

We rolled up in an Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio, so the 2.4 mile off-road course was out of bounds for us, not that I had any doubts about its off road ability, but because I promised I wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get it dirty! Overall it was a busy event, not quite sure Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d call it a show as there was nothing going on to entertain us, it was more like a big Land Rover market! For more details, check out greatbritishlrshow.com.

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es d i R s ' r e Read

Who are you, where are you from and what do you do? I’m Russ, I’m from Yorkshire and I run Ardventures 4x4 Tours and Adventure Holidays. History of cars leading up your present 4x4 First car a Volvo 122S. For many years I was involved in rallying starting off with a Chevette then Ascona, Escort, Lancia Delta Integrale, RS200, Citroen AX GT, and final a Peugeot 306GTI6.

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In the end Leonie navigated and I drove, we sold the last one in 2005. I still had an involvement in rally driving the spectator safety car on many of the Roger Albert Clark rallies, and was a founding member of the Roger Albert Clark. I have had far too many 4x4s, but 3 stick in my mind, my 1991 Classic Range Rover 3.9 which I rebuilt, a 1954 Series 1, and my Discovery 300 Tdi.

Present 4x4(s) I currently have a Discovery 4 Commercial and a Jeep Wrangler 2.8CRD auto. Both are fabulous vehicles in different ways and are used within the business. To some people they are not comparable vehicles, but they come to the same point from different directions. Put it this way, you would want to travel to Morocco in the Disco then drive the Jeep when you get there. My next project is to rebuild a 1993 Range Rover 200TDI for my 60th birthday next year, that I’ll use for overland touring. Modifications done The Discovery 4 has been kitted out by Prospeed, with amongst other bits of kit, their roof rack, rockslides, suspension lift rods, winch mount and bar with Compomotive wheels and BFG KO2s. It also has a Warn winch. The Wrangler is AEV prepped and built for overland travel. The back bumper is a 5 gallon water tank and the pod around the spare wheel is a 10 gallon extra fuel tank, so no Jerry cans required. It also has a split charger, Hannibal roof rack, James Baroud tent, winch bumper and a set of BFG KO2s. Mods to do Adding anything else to the Jeep would be just because I can, but the Discovery needs a split charging system at some point, and that’s about it. Favourite green-laning / adventure trip I Love Breast High Road in the Lakes for outstanding views. As for adventure, I cannot tell you as I love them all in different ways. Lottery win 4x4 New Defender even though I cannot think of it as a Defender. Favourite car related film Pink Panther with the cars going round the square. Favourite biscuits As big as I am don't do sweet stuff. Where can we find more details? Website - ardventures.co.uk Facebook - ardventures.co.uk Twitter - 4x4Ard Instagram - ardventures.co.uk

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es d i R s ' r e Read

Who are you and what do you do? I’m Thayer Low, from Denver, Colorado, a mom of two preschool age girls, a freelance writer and an aspiring rally driver (or at least that’s fun to say!). History of cars leading up your present 4x4 Cars have always been my passion, so I have had quite a collection, and a wide variety, but a few of my favourites have been my ’73 VW Super beetle, ’79 Jeep Wrangler, ’02 Audi A4 Avant, with a few various Toyota Tacomas and 4Runners in the mix before I met my true love, Land Rovers. Present 4x4(s) I currently have two Land Rovers, a 2013 LR4 and a 2004 Discovery 2. Both are pretty built and probably spend equal time off-road. Modifications done We’ll focus on the 2013, as that is the one I take to most rallys: • Voyager Racks- Skid plate, roof rack, rock sliders • Warn - (hidden winch mount) 9.5XP-S • Compomotive Wheels Rally Raid 18" black • Knightsbridge Overland Tactical seat covers • BritPart Fully adjustable suspension lift rods 2" • BFG K02 All-terrain tyres • Baja Designs driving lights 94

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Favourite modifications K02s are amazing tyres and without a doubt would be the most important mod if I had to pick one. However, I can’t imagine not having a roof rack. It’s so easy just to “throw” everything up there when going on a trip Modifications to do Long story short, I rolled the 2013 LR4 in the last rally I competed in. I replaced it with a 2012 LR4 that will soon be outfitted in a very similar manner. It’s fun driving a stock truck for a bit but I can’t wait to start working on it. Favourite off-roading trip I always love getting out to Moab, though, sometimes the scenery going over the passes in Colorado (where I live) such as Black Bear or Pearl Pass can’t be beat! Lottery win 4x4 If I won the lottery I would absolutely choose an early 2000s Defender. Not the one that is about to be released, but the 'old' Defender D90, with a small lift and not too much else modded as those trucks are simply beasts. Favourite car related film I loved Gone in 60 Seconds as a kid. James Bond always gets the most exquisite cars to drive, and the new Ford vs Ferrari (Le Mans '66 in the rest of the world) was amazing! Favourite biscuits The ones I make!

Where can we find more details? Instagram - discovery_girl42 & teamanamcara Website: www.discoverygirl42.com & www.teamanamcara.com THEMUDLIFE.CO.UK

es d i R s ' r e Read

Who are you and what do you do? My name is Tyler Geertsma, and I am a pest control technician History of cars leading up your present 4x4 I have owned many different 4x4s, from Broncos to most recently a 1997 Jeep TJ, which I sold to build my current Toyota. Present 4x4(s) My current rig is a 1985 Toyota Pickup 4WD named Amelia

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Modifications done • 30x9.5 BFG KO2 tyres • Bilstein 4600 shocks • Wood and aluminium custom camper shell built my USA Camper Shells in Montclair CA • Full custom sleeping setup in said camper • Custom front winch bumper with Keeper Products 9500lb synthetic line winch.

Favourite Modifications Favourite modification would be the tyres, they transformed the truck 100%. Also, not technically a mod, but I rebuilt the motor myself with the help of my buddy Bryan and brother Josh, with a long tube LCE header! Modifications to do New leaf springs, 31” KO2s and a rear locker. Also add power steering as the truck wasn’t optioned with it and it’s extremely annoying.

Favourite off-road trip 2,000 miles all across Utah, hitting all 5 national parks with dirt in between. Lottery win 4x4 A 1940’s era Dodge Power Wagon with full-size camper and a 24v Cummins Diesel. Favourite car related film Smoky and the Bandit!

Favourite biscuits Assuming that translates to cookie here in the States: snickerdoodles. (for the UK folks - Muddy Madam, looked up what the heck a snickerdoodle is. She thought it was something to do with a Snickers bar, but no, it is a cinnamon flavoured chewy biscuit. You learn something new every day!)

Where can we find more details? You can find more details on Instagram - atoyotacalledamelia YouTube - atoyotacalledamelia

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PAST JALOPIES

Travelling Smurf Pt.4 L

Exhausting Times

ast month, as you may recall, I mentioned that her exhaust was blowing a little. Because Surf’s have great sound proofing, it was only noticeable when I had the back window down. Anyhow, because it didn’t sound that bad I made a mental note to have a look at it the following weekend, but it fell off the following day! Well, not so much as fell off, more like came apart. Over the years I’ve replaced many exhausts on many cars and 4x4s, so it should have been quite easy, shouldn’t it? Ha, what a palaver! It began smoothly, a quick search on www.hiluxsurf.co.uk for advice on suppliers and the go-to place was Parts Plaza, on Ebay, so I ordered the section I needed. I then spent the rest of the day dousing the nuts ‘n’ bolts with penetrating spray in a hope to ease their removal.

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PAST JALOPIES

The exhaust arrived the following day, as promised, and off came the offending back box with ease, I then removed the tailpipe. Easy enough up to now I thought, all I need to do is to remove the broken bit off the tailpipe and put all back together - hmmm… Cutting a rather long story short (aprox 550 words), it took a lot of head scratching (and banging) later to realise that both offending parts were in fact quite special as they were both part of the large bore end pipe. My options now were to either buy a new tailpipe to go with the now standard silencer, or get the old bits welded back together. As I like the look of the big bore exhaust (and I’m a skinflint), I decided on the latter.

I took it to a Land Rover garage that I’ve known about for quite a while, Landranger Services in Atherton, and after confirming that it was a clean break, they MIG welded it up nice and neat free of charge. Not certain how long repairs like this last, I muttered something about replacing it again soon, I got a hurtful look and was told that it was like new, cool!

I haven’t told you about the worst bit yet...

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PAST JALOPIES I’ll rephrase that, the most embarrassing bit. As I set up the ramps in my backyard, I aimed for both my near side tyres to drive onto them to get easy access to the exhaust. Trouble was I forgot that when one side of the vehicle is lifted, the opposite side leans over, and so with a few extra revs, the tyres climb the ramps, over leans the Smurf and... crunch, into the corner of my outhouse! Let me put this into perspective for you, this was the first time in twenty years that I had ever damaged a car - and I’m not counting losing fog lamps whilst playing off road either. The result? A smashed light cluster, a small dent and one very angry Damian. Luckily I had just ordered some mud flaps from another www.hiluxsurf.co.uk member off a Surf he was breaking, and so the conversation went something like this. “Hi'yer mate, you wouldn’t happen to have a rear off side light cluster as well would ya?” They arrived the following day. Swapping the light cluster was a simple matter of undoing two bolts, disconnecting the bulb housings and putting it all back together, a couple of minutes work. The mud flaps took a bit longer as I had to figure out where the holes were to secure them. With the flaps fitted, maybe I won’t have to wash it as often now!

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PAST JALOPIES Second Generation Surfs have a drop down tailgate in which the rear window slides down into, pretty much like the early Freelanders. These can sometimes (only sometimes, they are Toyotas don’t forget), be problematic, as the motor can become sluggish, especially going upwards. The reason for this can be many things, like a loose connection or a tired motor. Often, cleaning and spraying the rubbers around the rear window with a vinyl lubricant can help, until the motor finally gives up the ghost, as it did with me during the most inopportune moment. A great hint that I picked up from the forum is that a nearside rear electric window motor from any Toyota of similar age to your Surf is a suitable replacement, so off I trundled to my local scrap yard.

Over time, it’s surprising what you forget, and during an offroading weekend in Ruthin, North Wales, I mentioned to a mate of mine that, although I liked the comfort of the Smurf’s front independent suspension, I was beginning to miss the feel and ride of 4x4s with solid front axles and coils, like a Defender. That was, until he took me for a spin in his old Discovery, and I drove the same route later in the Smurf, on second thoughts, nah. Around this time I began writing for 4x4 Mart magazine, they’d gone from a newspaper style mag to a traditional type,

and our Smurf was becoming quite famous, it seemed like every week the editor was forwarding a dozen or so emails to me from readers asking questions. The most common query of all was about her wheels and where I got them from. I have to say they looked cool with a huge offset, and I believe they were from a 1st generation Hilux Surf. I wish I’d kept them when I eventually sold her, but hey, hindsight’s a wonderful thing.

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ARC National

RETRO SNAPS Can you spot you or your motor in these photos from bygone mud adventures?

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doncaster, 1999

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Fancy an off-road challenge? Want to get your 4x4 filthy?

Don’t ruin our ancient byways, try out your local P&P site instead… A few pointers…It’s important that you check the site’s requirements before you visit, such as: Does your 4x4 need to be road legal? Do you need to show proof of age, vehicle MOT and insurance documents? Are your recovery points secure? Do you even have any recovery points? To avoid disappointment, always check with the individual site before you set off. Also remember that, as well as a good quality tow rope, it’s always useful to bring along some rags and a bottle of water to clean your lights and reg plates so you can stay legal whilst driving home!

Pay & Play Directory NORTH

Avalanche Adventures

Hill ’n’ Ditch

Activities: Pay & Play http://www.hillnditch4x4.com 07974 398201

Explore Off Road

Activities: Pay & Play, Off Road Driver Training, 4x4 Experiences http://www.exploreoffroad.co.uk 07970 286881

Kirton Off Road

Activities: Pay & Play, 4x4 Experiences https://www.korc.co.uk 01652 245022

SOUTH Essex Rochford & District 4x4 Club Activities: Pay & Play http://www.4x4er.co.uk

Devils Pit

Activities: Pay & Play http://www.devilspit.co.uk 07764 159478

R 104

Activities: Pay & Play, 4x4 Experiences https://avalancheadventure.co.uk 01858 880613

4x4 Without A Club

Activities: Pay & Play http://www.4x4-withoutaclub.co.uk 07887533168

4x4 Driving

Activities: Pay & Play, Off Road Driver Training http://www.4x4driving.co.uk 07802 582826

Piccadilly Wood

Activities: Pay & Play http://www.piccadillywood4x4.co.uk 07984 543886

Ultra Adventure Driving

Activities: Pay & Play / 4x4 driver training http://www.ultraadventuredriving.co.uk 01978 358 444

John Morgan 4x4 Driving / Slindon Safari Activities:Pay & Play http://www.4x4driving.co.uk 01903 812195

emember, motorsport is dangerous, and it can also be a lot of fun, so be sensible out there.

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4x4 Tours D-Day Tours

Ardent Off Road

Activities: 4x4 Tours, 4x4 Experiences https://ardentoffroad.com 01405 947 001

Activities: 4x4 Tours https://www.4x4adventuretours.co.uk Tel: 0776 933 6099

Highland All Terrain

One Life Adventure

Ardventures

Activities: 4x4 Tours https://www.dday1944.tours 07773 110101

Activities: 4x4 Tours https://www.highlandscenicsafari.co.uk 01528 544358

Activities: 4x4 Tours & vehicle prep training https://www.onelifeadventure.co.uk 01347 830188

4x4 Adventure Tours

Activities: 4x4 Tours, 4x4 Experiences https://ardventures.co.uk Tel: 01757 638 479

Cambrian Way

Activities: 4x4 Tours https://www.cambrianway.com 01550 750274

Off Road Driver Training & Experiences NORTH

SOUTH

SCOTLAND

North Yorkshire Off Road Centre

Wild Tracks

Scottish Off Road

Activities: Off Road Driver Training Tours http://www.nyoffroad.co.uk 07787 555060

Explore Off Road

Activities: Pay & Play Off Road Driver Training 4x4 Experiences http://www.exploreoffroad.co.uk 07970 286881

UK WIDE All Terrain Services

Activities: 4x4 Driver Training 4x4 Experiences Self Drive Tours https://www.allterrainservices.co.uk 01792 862669

Activities: Off Road Driver Training 4x4 Experiences https://www.wildtracksltd.co.uk 01638 751918

True Grip off Road

Activities: Off Road Driver Training 4x4 Experiences http://www.truegripoffroad.co.uk 01233 662251

Protrax

Activities: 4x4 Driver Training https://www.protrax.co.uk 01536 772238

Avalanche Adventures

Activities: Pay & Play 4x4 Experiences https://avalancheadventure.co.uk 01858 880613

Ash 4x4

Activities: Off Road Driver Training 4x4 Experiences http://www.ash4x4.com 07581 030331

Activities: Off Road Driver Training http://www.scotoffroad.co.uk 07711 217759

Far X Four

Activities: Off Road Driver Training 4x4 Experiences http://www.farxfour.com 01450 860275

4x4 Driving

Activities: Pay & Play Off Road Driver Training http://www.4x4driving.co.uk 07802 582826

WALES Bala 4x4

Activities: 4x4 Driver Training https://www.bala4x4.co.uk 01536 772238

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The Mud Life - 10 - January 2020

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