Just to remind all A7 fans that 3 ropey A7s are leaving Peking (Beijing)on the 7 jun and driving back via Mongolia/Russia/Latvia/Poland/Germany/France/Uk they have a great web site that is warming up put this address in your top browser bar and watch these fellas/nutters. Apparently they only have 2 spares..Gin and Tonic!
site http://pekingtoparis.typepad.com they need your support to do this tough trip.Tip Top Chums!!

Bertie

A RM and two RN's, surprised Dave Mann's not there as well then, many thanks Bertie for giving the site a plug.

Vince seems to be everywhere - has he done Africa yet? Presumably he's done Australia, that just leaves the Poles, if they haven't melted away by then.

Sandy

I noticed in Telegraph Motoring (5 May) that a couple of Chummies are also doing the trip.

For some strange reason they have elected to go it alone, and set off a couple of weeks back.

Progress may be viewed on their web site.

www.pekingparis.co.uk

Mike

aha, I always wondered where PJ went, and now I know, last time I saw it in the shed (under the yellow sheet) about 3 years ago.

http://www.steamscenes.org.uk//ttu/00002759.jpg

Mike wrote:

> For some strange reason they have elected to go it alone, and set off a couple of weeks back.

No strange reason, just sensible ones. They didn't want to get involved in the 150 car rally which is coming up behind them, as it is very organised: routes, hotels, fuel, meals, spares & breakdown backup, etc, as well as being VERY expensive. They wanted more of a challenge. They made several efforts to contact the 3 Box saloons group, but none of the people involved seemed to be interested. One of them did talk to them at a VSCC meeting, only to spend ¼ hour telling them how marvellous his team were, and how the Chummy expedition were doing it all wrong, then walked off, leaving the Chummy people rather gob-smacked!

Good luck to them all - a great adventure however and whenever they are doing it.

David

The chummies are doing well (todays Blog on their web site), have a look at www.pekingparis.co.uk as mentioned by Mike in a previous posting.

Sandy (Still in Scotland, but just about to take a local trip home (12 hours on a train.....).

My understanding is that the blue chummy was less suited to the rougher route which Annabelle and Seb wanted to take (check out these photos: http://forum.academ.org/index.php?showtopic=201808 the back of the car is very low). It looks like they will meet up again today.

Very envious of such an adventure...reading each days blog with great interest.

Cheers

R

I read in saturdays telegraph,with mixed feelings, that the Two Chummies are making really good progress and are ahead of schedule. But due to adverse road and weather conditions they had to jettison half their baggage ,and even the hoods and side screens. But worse of all they are reported to have abandoned their Bagpipes!

The Bagpipes, no please, then again I said it would come to this.....BUT can you believe all you read in the papers, it's not on the Blog!!!!!

McDoom, Sept of the MacDeath O'Doombar

Reading the Bloggs of the 3 Austins (Leaky and Co.), I can only say the chinese roads must have improved since I was was there some 12 years ago.... especially at night when NONE of the vehicles had any lights on and street lights were barely visible. Agreed about te potholes and also manhole covers were only about 20% of the manholes in the roads.

I am surprised vehicles had a life of 25 years there. Also I was under the impression all vehicles belonged to the state, insurance was iffy, what ever damage you did it was your fault and you had to pay.

I know in our works transport buses very few people would sit in the front seats after a journey, you are convinced the cyclist are run over, yet they reappear at the other side of the bus (eventually), no odea how, but they do....

The rest is now a blurred memory.

Sandy

The demise of the Bagpipes (from the early starters 2 car thrash, not the big one) would appear to be a little premature, part of todays Blog (13/6/07) states the following:

"....Much Later: Just had a traditional Banya (sauna), and were beaten with birch twigs by the hosts. Kip retaliated with bagpipes. All settled over vodka and tea".

Sandy.....

Mike W. - Hope to see you (and the Rat?) at Longleat this weekend.

Anorak me.... PN 6583, is in the Register as a RL Saloon, but that does not appear to be what is travelling in this journey - that's the two Chummy event, not the big race.

In fact it looks like a bog standard AF Tourer, apart from the wings.

Another error found in the Register.

Sandy Croall .....
Registrar A7CA....

Another one... I see the other Chummy in the two car dash is not in the Register 'BS 9623', so another car to get details of! It looks like an age related number - the car was recently been restored according to the Blogs.

Sandy

If you go to
http://bp3.blogger.com/_-Mz_Vl53Wi0/RljklJwxvRI/AAAAAAAAAJk/Lz_RScvt0iQ/s1600-h/K&C+depart.JPG

you will see the car head lights are ready for the midnight sun, presumably some sort of inverse lighting..... (I must go to bed earlier.... )

Sandy