BigSky Adventures 2005

Twelve years ago i.e. 2005, the TransAfrica trip from London to Cape Town started. BigSky Adventures started in London and had a clear plan to complete a crossing of the African continent - with many diversions along the way to explore and experience the African continent.

BigSky Adventures will relive that year via Instagram with the aim of posting one (or more) photos daily.

Day 41. Drove a total of 76km today. Nice slow pace exploring the Atlantic coast desert. The sand constantly changes texture and colour.

A post shared by Martin Solms (@overland_live) on Mar 2, 2017 at 3:27pm PST

10years ago today... memories from BigSky Adventures

Ten years ago, my wife and I climbed aboard our blue Land Rover Defender 200Tdi and headed South from the UK towards Cape Town on an overland adventure called 'BigSky Adventures'.

Although the finer granular details of our trans-continental overland travels have faded into memory, there are moments which have kept that year alive throughout the last ten years.

Here are a few thoughts from these last ten years...

My trans-Africa trip was a dream come true and a dream that is cherished today.

I had made the decision to complete a trans-Africa trip back in 1994 - eleven years before I actually departed.  Time dragged towards the departure date, with moments of pure excitement and nervous planning yet in comparison, these last ten years have vanished.  I fully acknowledge that the planning phase is as important as the actual travel.

Planning extends the travels as the dreams are expanded, the journey researched and the excitement shared.

The internet was young in 2005 and was a struggle to publish content compared to the social media options today. BigSky Adventures was my way of sharing the journey.

A new voice - stereo overland

Martin's kindly asked me to contribute to the site - my name's Sam, I drive a battered 110 called Elsa, and am hooked on the Sahara, though have travelled with Martin through East Africa as well.

Currently sitting in the bar of the Kingshouse in Glencoe writing a piece on Saharan travel, faithful old Defender sitting outside in the rain. Next trip probably Morocco and Western Sahara, last trip Egypt, looming Landy mods are a galv bulkhead, larger radiator and gasflow head - at 20 years and 250,000 miles old she deserves some TLC.

Had hoped to try out the Ozpig cast iron camping stove on this trip but the weather's been so crummy it's been easier to sit by the pub fire! Never mind - its beautiful here whatever the rain's doing.

Quite keen also to try out the (not yet wired up) RooLites I have fitted in a bank of 4 above the windscreen - I am well aware that roof spots make me look like a Camel Trophy Wannabe and a bit of a twit, but the Saharan habit of herding goats on roads at night, and the Moroccan laws that state that vehicles that travel slower than 30mph dont need running lights (??!!) have made me believe fervently in all the extra lighting I can get. Desert driving at night is not recommended at all, but when sheepdogging newcomers who have never travelled in the Sahara sometimes you need to to sort problems out!

Martin's discussing solar power on here - my two penn'orth, I run a Shell-Siemens solar panel on my wagon, it whacks out enough juice to keep the Engel fridge running with an external ambient temp of over 50 C, independent of the battery - very very good, tough kit, although the best UK seller, A B Butt of Leicester, sadly went bust a few months back in the credit crunch.
Overland Journal this month are discussing the merits of a flexible rollup panel, I am a Luddite here and feel that this will eventually cause delamination of the panel and failure - my panel is yacht decking-spec, a little heavy maybe, but solid enough to cope with sandstorms and Wolf boxes falling on it!

Happy trails.

Additional Links:

• Kenya in a Land Rover called Maggie
• Tanzania - In search of Elsa's Grave