Jack Baldwin

Jack Baldwin
Of Yorkshire Terriers
On the The Mongol Rally 2010
HIGHLIGHT ON MAP
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Days 0-11

Ok, where to begin:

Day 0

The initail drive down was fine. no real issues with the car and navigation was perfect....until we got to Goodwood and couldn't find the campsite! 30min later we rolled up fresh faced (after a quick stop at tesco for beer) at the campsite. 

Day 1

The launch day started as any other, a bacon bap and a cup of tea. It was after that that things got interesting. We rolled up to Goodwood just past 9 and thus managed to get a nice spot in the corner to display our naked calenders (still on sale, all fund to mery corps, if you see us on the road or at Ullanbaatar then just ask. Only £5) and attach our light reflective thingys (thanks to the people next door for the hand). After the days festivities the lap started. 7 min later we were on the open road... and had 6 hour to kil (we had a 10:20 ferry). We drove around the local roads for a while, failed to find a GB sticker and had a lovely pub lunch, arriving at dover nice and early. A quick ferry ride and short drive later we were ina layby in France.... otherwise known as bed. 

Day 2

Day 2 was a long slog through France, Belgum, Germany, an the Czech Republic to arrive at the Czechout campsite at a lovely time of 9:00pm where we made camp and awaited the next days festivites. We had one little scare during the day, an oil warning message came one. After a quick look in the manual we found out it was just a automated warning to change the oil (something we did just before we set off) because the car had passed 119000 miles.

Day 3

Czechout.......what else can I say? Great night, great, cheap beer, great company, just great!

Day 4

I was a little worse for wear in the morning so Neil took the morning shift. I was fine by my hift and we were able to make good time to just south of Hamberg. Quick note....Over 1000 miles compleated. 

Day 5

After a good night sleep we heaed North though Denmark into Sweden. The bridges across from the Danish main land to Sweden are breath taking in their  constrution and price! Our next stop for the night was just north of Gotenburg where we met a frendly Norwegian and a not so frendly German.

Day 6

Day 6 involved a push though sweden to Oslo and then onwards towards Trodheim. We were going to go visit some places suggested by some Norwegian ralliers but the weather was awful so we just drove on. We did experence the automatd toll roads though. Got quite worried that we should have done somethingbefore driving though but an information point told us how they worked and we will be expeting an invoice when we get home. We also broke 2000 miles!

Day 7

Another day of bad weather, but not as bad as the day before. The rain stopped as we reached the Artic circle and we were able to get some photos. From this moment on the weather became better but the sleeping beame harder. It didn't really get dark during the night and this just got worse as we continued North

Day 8

Day 8 could be described as the most beutiful so far. The weather had improved so that the drive along the fjords was breath taking. Every corner brought new veiws of snow covered mountins and long sweapng fjords. We also broke 3000 miles just before we stopped for the night, well I say "night", just south of Altar. We also had to carry out the first repair of the trip and replace the front right headlight. Nice and easy.

Day 9

Again, day 9 was another breath taking day with veiws a plenty. This veiws were shaddowed though be the reaching of Nordkapp (North Cape), the most northenly point of main land Europe. We arrived expecting sun and veiws, instead we got cloud and fog. A large cloud as sitting at the top of Nordkapp meaning visablitiy was next to nothing. No midnight sun for us! With this in mind we bought some postcards, had some lunch and headed back southward.

Day 10

Entering Finland was like entering a new world. Gone were the hills and windy roads and in their place was trees (a LOT of trees) and straight roads. We realised half way though the day that we would be arriving at russian border sometime on the 4th if we carrid on with our present rate and course. Unfortunalty our Russian visas don't start until the 6th. Thats a day we have to burn. We decided we would take a slightly longer route to helsinki and drive a little less each day starting on day 11.

Day 11 

Short day today so we decided to have a long lie in and set off at 11:00 instead of our usuall 9:00. We arrived at Raahe at about 4:00 and booked ourself into a hotel instead of a campsite so I could recharge my laptop and write this blog. We also broke 4000 miles today. Almost 1/2 way there in milage.

Next couple of days are going to be quite slow ones so we might decide to stop in helsinki or somewhere along the coast. 

That is all till next time

Jack