↓ Advertise on Defender2 ↓

Home > Off Topic > Books featuring travel by Land Rover
Post Reply  Down to end
Page 1 of 1
Print this entire topic · 
spudfan



Member Since: 10 Sep 2007
Location: Co Donegal
Posts: 4430

Ireland 
Books featuring travel by Land Rover
1 First the old favourite (my copy needs replacing as it is disintegrating)
First Overland : London-Singapore by Land Rover
Why not? After all, no-one had ever done it before. It would be one of the longest of all overland journeys-half-way round the world, from the English Channel to Singapore. They knew that several expeditions had already tried it. Some had got as far as the deserts of Persia; a few had even reached the plains of India. But no-one had managed to go on from there: over the jungle-clad mountains of Assam and across northern Burma to Thailand and Malaya. Over the last 3,000 miles it seemed there were "just too many rivers and too few roads". But no-one really knew...In fact, their problems began much earlier than that. As mere undergraduates, they had no money, no cars, no nothing. But with a cool audacity, which was to become characteristic, they set to work-wheedling and cajoling. First, they coaxed the BBC to come up with some film for a possible TV series. Then they gently "persuaded" Rover to lend them two factory-fresh Land Rovers. A publisher was even sweet-talked into giving them an advance on a book. By the time they were ready to go, their sponsors (more than 80 of them) ranged from whiskey distillers to the makers of collapsible buckets. In late 1955, they set off.Seven months and 12,000 miles later, two very weary Land Rovers, escorted by police outriders, rolled into Singapore-to flash-bulbs and champagne.
Now, fifty years on, their bestselling book, First Overland, is republished-with a foreword by Sir David Attenborough. After all, it was he who gave them that film
https://www.bookdepository.com/First-Overland/9781909930360

2 The Impossible Takes a Little Longer
This is a true account of an incredible journey across the world, driving a Land Rover. The year is 1957, and the intrepid Eric Edis has an expedition planned on scraps of paper. Not wanting to follow in the footsteps of others, Eric decides to follow his dream and do something that had never been done before; he is going to drive from London to Australia!and back again. After bringing together a team, he sets off on his massive adventure. But there is one thing he can't plan for: Entry to the famous Burma/Ledo Road. Burma was in the grip of conflict, and would not grant land-travel visas to anyone, it was too dangerous. Eric decides to cross that bridge when he comes to it, twice! How do his team get through Burma? Well, on a wing and a prayer mostly, and with an illegal manoeuvre that would make James Bond proud! And remember, these were the days before GPS, SATNAV, and any of the modern aids we take for granted today. All Eric had in Burma was a sketched map and sheer, cussed, unwavering determination
https://www.bookdepository.com/Impossible-...ms_b_p2p_1


3 Crossing the Congo : Over Land and Water in a Hard Place
In 2013, three friends set off on a journey that they had been told was impossible: the north-south crossing of the Congo River Basin, from Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, to Juba, in South Sudan.
Traversing 2,500 miles of the toughest terrain on the planet in a twenty-five year-old Land Rover, they faced repeated challenges, from kleptocracy and fire ants to non-existent roads and intense suspicion from local people. Through imagination and teamwork -- including building rafts and bridges, conducting makeshift surgery in the jungle and playing tribal politics -- they got through. But the Congo is raw, and the journey took an unexpected psychological toll on them all.
Crossing the Congo is an offbeat travelogue, a story of friendship and what it takes to complete a great journey against tremendous odds, and an intimate look into one of the world's least-developed and most fragile states, told with humor
https://www.bookdepository.com/Crossing-Co...amp;sr=1-1

4 They Found Our Engineer : The Story of Arthur Goddard, the Land Rover's First Engineer
The British Land Rover 4x4 has grown from 1948 to become one of the world's leading automotive brands. Exactly how it all came together back in the late 1940's and early 50's has been the topic of interest and debate for many years. This was until two Australian enthusiasts, Michael Bishop and Alex Massey quite literally stumbled across senior member of the original Land Rover development team, Arthur Goddard living in Brisbane, Australia in 2009. The discovery led to many of the myths and tales surrounding the early vehicles to be heard as it happened from Arthur's point of view. Then to a trip by Arthur to visit his old work place in Solihull and to the vehicle that he helped bring to life back in 1948. The book contains both a technical and human side to this incredible story as well as a great reunion between Arthur and his old colleague Spen King who went onto design the Range Rover in the 1960's. This is truly a unique story from the time of post War World two Britain to modern day Australia and how the iconic 4x4 grew up so quickly in the 1950's to become the world leader that it is today.
show less
https://www.bookdepository.com/They-Found-...1456777586 1982 88" 2.25 diesel
1992 110 200tdi csw -Zikali
2008 110 2.4 tdci csw-Zulu
2011 110 2.4 tdci csw-Masai
Post #763277 13th Mar 2019 8:35pm
View user's profile Send private message View poster's gallery Reply with quote
GREENI



Member Since: 22 Aug 2010
Location: staffs
Posts: 10355

United Kingdom 
I have this... He's also on Instagram, which is cool to see his daily locales.



Post #763279 13th Mar 2019 8:37pm
View user's profile Send private message View poster's gallery Reply with quote
smb



Member Since: 15 Jan 2013
Location: Cheshire
Posts: 1232

United Kingdom 2011 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 XS CSW Santorini Black
Whilst I can certainly not be accused of being religious an interesting book is “12000 miles by Land Rover” by Mary McCombe Orr. Husband, Wife and their 9 children(aged 4-16) all in a Series 1.
Post #763290 13th Mar 2019 9:13pm
View user's profile Send private message View poster's gallery Reply with quote
williamthedog



Member Since: 29 Dec 2012
Location: south wales
Posts: 3441

2011 Defender 90 Puma 2.4 PU Tamar Blue
+1 for We will be free, it's one of the best books I've ever read. Thumbs Up
Post #763321 14th Mar 2019 6:54am
View user's profile Send private message View poster's gallery Reply with quote
Rosco



Member Since: 03 Dec 2010
Location: Burntwood
Posts: 1797

United Kingdom 2015 Defender 110 Puma 2.2 XS CSW Montalcino Red
The Great 1953 Trek by Diane Stuckley and Ducie Beak

A recollection of a family's emigration from Bath, England to Salisbury, Zimbabwe overland in a SWB Series 1, complete with "pram hood" extension on the rear canvas to provide room to sleep inside

 2007 - Stornoway Grey 90 XS SW - Gone
2002 - Black Discovery II - Gone
2014 - Montalcino Red 110 XS SW
Post #794173 20th Sep 2019 12:44pm
View user's profile Send private message View poster's gallery Reply with quote
22900013A



Member Since: 23 Dec 2010
Location: Oxfordshire
Posts: 3137

United Kingdom 2011 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 USW Keswick Green
Roger Crathorne's "Born in Lode Lane" is worth tracking down, although not cheap now. Plenty of travel stories in that one. 2011 110 USW
1973 Series III 1-Ton
1972 Series III 1-Ton Cherrypicker
1969 IIA 1-Ton
1966 IIA 88"
Post #794472 22nd Sep 2019 11:13am
View user's profile Send private message View poster's gallery Send e-mail Reply with quote
Supacat



Member Since: 16 Oct 2012
Location: West Yorkshire
Posts: 11018

United Kingdom 2013 Defender 110 Puma 2.2 XS DCPU Keswick Green
Rosco wrote:
The Great 1953 Trek by Diane Stuckley and Ducie Beak

A recollection of a family's emigration from Bath, England to Salisbury, Zimbabwe overland in a SWB Series 1, complete with "pram hood" extension on the rear canvas to provide room to sleep inside


Land Rover with the 'pram' back
Just came across this on a Google search and was curious about the setup. Found a few extra photos:





http://thegreat1953trek.blogspot.com/p/photo-album-3.html
Post #941062 5th Feb 2022 7:08am
View user's profile Send private message View poster's gallery Reply with quote
J77



Member Since: 04 Nov 2019
Location: Fife
Posts: 3223

Scotland 
I’ve read First Overland and Born in Lode Lane. I’m not a big reader but may look at some of the others mentioned here. 23.5MY 90 D250 X-Dynamic SE, Pangea Green
Gone - 23MY 110 D250 XS Edition, Hakuba Silver
Gone - 21MY 90 D200 S, Tasman Blue, Fuji White roof.
Post #941073 5th Feb 2022 9:04am
View user's profile Send private message View poster's gallery Reply with quote
gcc130



Member Since: 05 Jun 2015
Location: Wiltshire
Posts: 678

Where to begin, I have quite a collection of Landrover travel books, mainly using series vehicles.

Barbara Toy wrote 8 or 9 books about her travels in the ‘50’s & 60’s mostly in her 80” Pollyanna and latterly a series 2. Fascinating tales of travel in countries where single female travellers were frowned on or even illegal. Unfortunately most of her books now command ridiculous prices.

I’m currently reading Year With Three Summers by Ben Mackworth-Praed, story of the Cambridge Trans-American Expedition, aiming to be the first party to drive the entire length of the American land masses from Tierra del Fuego to the Arctic Circle 1960.

No Purdah in Padang by Antonia Deadcock. An account of the Women’s Overland Himalayan Expedition of 1958 using a LWB series 1

Innocents Abroad by Richard Slowe. A seventeen day ego trip across the Sahara, initially using two series 1’s.

More recent is Strangers Like Angels by Alec & Jan Forman an account of gap year travels in the seventies in Canada, Antarctica and the Sultanate of Oman in a 109 series Landrover. Includes many of their letters to and from family in the Uk.

Left Beyond The Horizon, A Land Rover Odyssey by Christopher Many. Eight years around the world “to explore strange new worlds and boldly go where no Landrover has gone before”

Just a small selection of Landrover travel books 😊
Post #941082 5th Feb 2022 10:43am
View user's profile Send private message View poster's gallery Reply with quote
Steve B



Member Since: 22 May 2009
Location: Warwickshire
Posts: 586

United Kingdom 2000 Defender 90 Td5 SW Caledonian Blue
Some great books here, I will try and find some to read.

I have a couple of books to recommend but not Land Rover but good overland travel books worth a look.



Click image to enlarge





Click image to enlarge
 
Post #941099 5th Feb 2022 1:01pm
View user's profile Send private message View poster's gallery Post Reply
Post Reply  Back to top
Page 1 of 1
All times are GMT

Jump to  
Previous Topic | Next Topic >
Posting Rules
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum



Site Copyright © 2006-2024 Futuranet Ltd & Martin Lewis
DEFENDER2.NET RSS Feed - All Forums