It’s perhaps inevitable that when your age no longer appears as an option on a Series II speedometer, you begin to cast your mind back and review some of the adventures you have had. For Philip James Russell, 80 used to be a downhill and with a wind behind you point that was still a long way off, but as his milestone birthday approached he suddenly found himself genuinely pondering not just the past, but also the future: was now the right time to start planning an overlanding rematch—some 50 years after he last arrived back in the UK?

Born in September 1943, Philip Russell had an unusual ambition as a child—no dreams of becoming a firefighter, astronaut or stunt man here: from the age of 11 he was dead set on being a maths teacher and duly ended up at university in Liverpool, studying for a degree in mathematics and physics. It was there that Philip was introduced to Land Rover ownership with the keys to an 88in Series II fitted with a hard top which, for reasons he could never fathom, proved to be stuck firmly in place, scuppering thoughts of open top motoring for this particular student. Yet for a 21 year-old, this didn’t cull the enjoyment and he recalls just how much he enjoyed owning the Land Rover, even taking it for a spin along the water’s edge at Bracklesham Bay in West Sussex before eventually selling it on a year later.

With intentions of joining the Royal Navy as a helicopter pilot put to one side when he suddenly found himself a family man, Philip began to look at other ways he could put his qualifications to good use and spotted an advertisement in the Times Educational Supplement that promised a new adventure: “They were looking for people to undertake a teacher training course in Zambia before then being given a full-time post in the area. I signed straight up!”

By this time, Philip and his wife had two children and in February 1969, the four of them boarded the RMS Pendennis Castle in Southampton with Cape Town as their next destination, followed by a drive from the tip of South Africa through Rhodesia. The next couple of years proved to be pretty busy with the completion of a PGCE at the University of Zambia, followed by a teaching contract at the Munali School in Lusaka and a stint working with the Zambian Army cadet force for which he was given a commission in the service. However, it was getting to know Perry Dutfield at the Lusaka Theatre Club that would come to shape the next chapter of his life.

Secret escape! The adventure began in Germany and extended through Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Albania, Greece and Turkey before arriving in Georgia. We were travelling in our 2003 Mercedes-Benz G Wagen and the passengers comprised my wife, Kristin, our children, Julius and Luisa, our dog, Zeus, and myself, Benyamin, behind the wheel.

For years, we’ve been rather minimalist in our approach to overlanding and make do with little more than our rooftop tent. Nature determines our living room, kitchen and bathroom, and the destinations we choose are a far cry from the typical tourist attractions. Georgia is one such destination and has been on our ToDo list for quite some time. Until now, that is—Georgia, we’re on our way.

After two years of preparation, we left the French Alps on April 18th, 2022, to start our “Next Meridian Expedition.” We, Mathilde and Nick, both 28 years old, left everything behind to travel the world in our 2012 Land Rover Defender 110 TD4 nicknamed Albatross. We moved full-time into our vehicle for a three-year journey through seven continents and 88 countries.

DESTINATION SCANDINAVIA

The first leg of our trip took us to Scandinavia. While part of Europe, Scandinavia gives the impression it is further away: wilder and rougher, with a distinctive soul—home of the Vikings.

Scandinavia was our warm-up loop, so to speak, before shipping across the Atlantic. The region is safe, potable water everywhere, no visa needed, beautiful tracks and other outdoor pursuits. Wild camping is legally protected by an ancient concept called “Freedom to Roam,” “Right to Public Access,” or simply “everyman’s right.” In short, the overlander’s 101 for a stress-free and fulfilling journey.

We would drive 7,000 km north through Denmark, Sweden, and Norway to the North Cape, the northernmost point of the European continent. The return leg covered another 3,000 km through Finland.

At the outset of our journey, our minds were filled with images that led us to believe we could generalise the four countries as one, “we are going to Scandinavia.” But soon enough we discovered we were wrong. There is a Scandinavia for every overlander.

It was during the four years from 1999 to 2003 that Tanja and Denis Katzer were caught in the spotlight on the adventurer and explorer stage, when they embarked upon their world record walk across Australia. A 7,000 km trek from South to North; West to East.

Tanja and Denis filmed their caravan of camels in the desert and sent the material to a Perth-based TV channel (three episodes of which were actually broadcast). As Denis put it, “that was pretty cool.” Before their departure the producer threw a small leaving party during which she (the producer) took Denis to one side and asked why he thought their story was so important. “Because not many people choose to walk across this huge continent of yours,” he replied.

Her response was less than heartwarming: “I’ll give you that, only a few people have tried. But that’s not the real reason. We don’t expect you to survive. And that’s what we want. Don’t misunderstand me, we don’t want you to die, but we’re pretty sure that’s going to happen anyway and it will make the headlines. And you are our story.”

“This wasn’t good. I couldn’t believe my ears. They wanted to profit from our failure, our death. And to cap it all, she chose this farewell party as her moment to share this disappointing snippet of journalistic anticipation with me. Right there and then, I made a vow to myself: I’ll show you. I’m not going to die.”

November was knocking at the door but it wasn't the weather alone that motivated my friends and I to start planning our next tour to Africa—it had been 10 months since we were last there.

It was raining outside as we drank Kölsch, the local beer, in a Cologne bar and channelled our thoughts toward Africa. Our small group comprised my school friend Ralf, who spent most of his time in Bamako, Mali, our experienced travel partner Hans-Christian (aka HC), our Belgian logistics and Africa expert Jan, and myself, Amadeus Matzker—Land Rover specialist and racing driver from Cologne.

This tour needed to be something special with off-road driving our foremost priority. We wanted to spend as much time as we could amidst some of the most exhilarating terrain the Sahara has to offer, the Sahel. That this entailed passing through some politically unstable regions wasn't too much of a concern because we had experienced several Touareg ambushes in the past.

The plan was to drive through Morocco, Mauritania, Mali, Algeria, Nigeria, back to Algeria, and finally to the ferry in Tunisia. The stage from Chinguetti to Timbuktu would be particularly spectacular: approximately 2,000 km of free navigation without any opportunities to replenish supplies en route. Consequently, our cars had to be extremely capable off-road with a range of 3,000 km.

The 1955/56 Oxford & Cambridge Far Eastern Expedition—a milestone in overlanding history as inspirational today as it was 60 years ago.

We scroll back to 1955, Tim Slessor was one of a six-man team who pioneered the longest overland trip ever undertaken by a vehicle—London to Singapore. A journey that would take six months and cover over 14,000 miles through some of the most demanding terrain…quite an impossible undertaking. Luckily, they found support from The Rover Company, and from this trip, the most famous Land Rover expedition of the 50s-to-date has often been cited.

Today, aged 86, Tim is sitting opposite me in his beautiful cottage in Brittany, sipping Whisky Mac in front a blazing fire. He is just as much the live wire he has been throughout his fulfilled life and his passion for Land Rover is as strong now as it was when they returned from their monumental journey.

The following story summarises the epic journey, some of the challenges, surprises and pleasures they encountered en route. But it also underlines what can be achieved with what we today would consider a minimalistic approach to equipment and technology—after all, what is a 1955 Series I Land Rover compared to the latest cars in your local showroom? Not to mention the limited off-road experience of these six young men.