The Highland Enduro

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On the way to #1

It all started with various applications/confirmations to be sent to Club Off Road, but nobody knew any details. At the end of the BULLDOG TROPHY, while we had to wait for the results, everybody was on about the special event held in November in Scotland. We asked Brian Hartley the organiser but all we got out of him was:" Yes there is something on and yes it will be something different ". And that the teams taking part in it will be carefully chosen by him. Keith Hutchings knew the site and started to tell horrible things about it. He said he was there before and saw a LR Discovery being pulled from a mudhole with the axles left behind in the hole.
So we all had to wait and see if we were amongst the "chosen" ones. Things didn't look too bad for me until it seemed that everything turns against me. The weekend before the event, we went down to South Wales for the EURO 96 CHALLENGE just to hear that my navigator couldn't come. Also started my car giving me some troubles and I had to take it to the garage to be looked at. Fortunately I have a friend in Nottingham who has a very good relation with the local Jeep® Dealer. But I had to leave the car behind and didn't really know if it will be ready for the weekend.
I phoned Brian to let him know about the situation but he said, if I get the car I'm welcome also on my own.
THANKS BRIAN !!!

So on the 23rd of November 1996 we all left from the Thistle Hotel in Inverness for Channich. On the way there it started to snow. Not much but it was snowing. Just outside the village we were welcomed by one of the famous Redcoats, Barbara that was and instructed were we meet for the final briefing. We had to make our way up a very steep track above the treeline. Apart from the regular nonsense to stop in the most unsuitable place to get ones boots on, we had no trouble to get to the top. There we were told that, due to the weather- conditions, it will be nearly impossible to reach all 3 hilltops but it will be up to us to decide for which one we will go. The rule was, no- body had to help stuck or broken down vehicles or teams but you were not allowed to go all by yourself. Remember it was a 6000 acre site.

The whole thing started around 1000 hours and at the beginning I teamed up with Tim Johnson and his LR 110 and a couple of other Landy's. We didn't get very far before we hit the first peat bog. The Landrovers started to play in them, so I took an easier route around them to get to the next plateau. Before long, I noticed that I was in company of the only other Jeep® Wrangler on this event. I knew Tony Wilson from various other events but we have never teamed up before and so after a little chat we thought it wasn't a bad idea to form an All Jeep Team. His Jeep® was black like mine, not as heavy modified like mine but boy did it do well . . . . all down to the good driver. Pretty quick we knew how to read the terrain, avoid hidden rocks and holes. We walked always about 200 - 300 yards ahead of the car, marked dangerous obstacles and drove and winched our way up to the 1st hill. At around 1245 we reached the first summit. Meanwhile the sun was out and I knew there wasn't a better place to be for the moment, but here.

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