The trial trip: Lake District weekend explorer

So we’re onto the trial trip, starting with a weekend in the Lake District with One Life Adventure.

The Lakes Explorer involves drives on ‘roads unsuitable for motorists’, through the Lake District National Park.

We were in a small convoy of 4x4s and did feel quite guilty when we came across walkers and cyclists, ruining what should be an escape from motor vehicles.

It was great practice for us to drive through narrow, rocky, muddy and rutted tracks and we got some really useful advice on how to use diff lock on tricky terrain.

We were the only virgin off roaders, so got special treatment from Paul who led our convoy. He’s led groups on drives on the west African route many times and told us we wouldn’t find road conditions as ‘technical’ as on the Lakes Explorer.

There were some pretty hairy moments driving over huge boulders “put the rubber to the rock” pitching and rolling, squeezing through narrow gates and forging a fast flowing river.

Now we feel we know Lenny inside out and what he’s capable of.

Here’s Lenny with some of his new friends taking a rest on a steep track under glowering skies near Haverigg in the south west Lakes.

We also got really useful advice and tips from our fellow off roaders who actually seemed to enjoy driving through loose rocks on a steep ascent and smashing their vehicles up!

One of them kindly sent us this hair raising video (listen to the crunch) of us navigating Lenny through a boulder-laden descent.