Have you ever pondered how grueling a long distance journey is? You’re cramped up in a metal cage wondering when the journey gets to the end. It’s mainly because when we do decide to take a road trip, the destination tends to be the only objective. We might make a few stops and take in the beautiful scenery, but those moments are hardly memorable. For Land Rover, long distance journeys are a different story.

Land Rover and the Kingsley Holgate adventure team have decided, once again, to collaborate on making a 30000 kilometer transcontinental tour from the southern tip of Africa to northern Europe. It is dubbed as the Defender Transcontinental Expedition. The mammoth challenge that stands before them will begin on the 27^th of October. The convoy will depart from Cape Aghulhas to Norway’s Nordkapp in the Arctic Circle and the journey will conclude on the island of Anglesey in Wales.

The Kingsley Holgate adventure team has extensive experience in these expeditions as they have completed 39 to date. They have traversed Africa and have visited every nation on the continent. Holgate says that this expedition had been planned over the last 2 years.

Its not all about completing an objective after a tough challenge. The other reason for making this epic journey is also for humanitarian purposes.

With thanks to the Covid-19 restrictions easing off, the team will travel to remote areas and provide people with eye tests, reading glasses and mosquito nets to many mothers and children. They will be supplying water to communities stricken by water shortages and they will also deliver 2 million meals to creches. This will be surpassing 1.2 million meals delivered in 2020s expedition. The team will be assisting with efforts related to the conservation of the elephant and rhino populations.

The vehicles that will be used by the core team will be two P400 Defenders. These Defenders are already well traveled having covered a combined 30000 kilometers from last year’s expedition. At the heart of the P400 lies a 3.0 litre mild-hybrid turbocharged straight-six petrol engine. Power is delivered at a mountainous 294 kW and torque is rated at 550 Nm. The 48-volt lithium-ion battery spools the turbo at low revs to mitigate turbo lag to ensure a linear delivery of power. The Defenders will have the appropriate kit and tools for this expedition.

Now with regards to the route, the expedition will launch from the Map of Africa monument in Cape Aghulhas and move through challenging 4×4 tracks along the Eastern Cape and Kwa-Zulu Natal. This is where the Holgate Foundation would like to distribute two million nutritious meals, supply fresh water, pipelines and storage tanks to remote communities experiencing droughts. This will be a collaborative effort with the Do More Foundation.

From South Africa, they will travel north through central and east Africa. It’s going to be particularly tough as they anticipate muddy routes due to the frequent precipitation of the season in these areas.

As they travel further north, the challenges that they will encounter will also be politically driven as they navigate through Ethiopia and Sudan. From there, they will make their way to Egypt through the Sahel and the Nubian deserts.

On the European leg of the tour, the Holgate adventure team will travel through Greece to eastern European nations. They will be making their way through Russia and Finland to reach the Nordkapp in Norway. After conquering the Arctic Circle, they will head south through Sweden, Denmark and western Europe. The journey will reach it’s finale after crossing the Channel into the United Kingdom to reach Anglesey in Wales.

The African symbolism is a vital component of this journey. Therefore the Zulu calabash will be joining the crew and they will use it to collect seawater at Agulhas where the Indian and the Atlantic Ocean intersect. They will also collect water from Alexandria in Egypt, the Barents and Norwegian seas in the Nordkapp. After the water has been collected from various sources, the water will be poured and emptied on the land of Red Wharf Bay. This is the endpoint of the journey in Wales. Four stone cairns will be built at Agulhas, Alexandria, Nordkapp and Anglesey.

Along with building the cairns, the team will carry a Scroll of Peace and Goodwill. This scroll will contain messages from citizens as a way to instill hope in the world.

This expedition is a source of inspiration to give back. It’s very easy for me to consider Mr Holgate to be our modern day Santa Claus. He makes long expeditions to different areas and brings joy to many people. He also has a cool fluffy beard and a tricked out sled. What he and his team aim to achieve is remarkable.