Maggie

Date: Monday 26th October, 2009 | No Comments »

Once a vehicle has been prepared for an Overland expedition, it is often resold and reused for a similiar trip.  Scrolling through previous trips on The Africa Overland Network reveals a number of websites which have used the same vehicle.

Here is one such vehicle – a 1991 Land Rover Defender 200tdi

Here’s a quick history of the Land Rover Defender 200tdi called Maggie. She was called Maggie based on her colour blue and the famous statement about Maggie Thatcher that as Prime Minister of Britain, she was ‘Not for Turning’.  Hence, Maggie the Land Rover, was not for doing U-Turns and returning home with unfinished business.
The First Trip:

Richard & Jo Hepper – 1998

The Second Trip:
Colin & Wendy Clements – 2000 to 2004

In South Africa, Colin was introduced to a store full of overland and 4×4 equipment.  He quickly made a few changes which included a new Eezi Awn rooftop tent, Hannibal side awning, Engel Fridge and tyre compressor.

The Third Trip:
The biggest change Colin did to the vehicle was a total chassis strip-down and rebuild.  This rebuilt, undertaken in Kenya, modified the 90 into a 110 model.  The only new parts added were the rear tub.  The doors, engine and roofrack remained the same.

The Fourth Trip:
Martin & Debbie Solms – 2004 to 2005
Martin purchased this vehicle after chatting to Colin about the merits of the Defender 110 compared to my LR Discovery.  Buying a fully kitted vehicle for his trip meant that he only had a few mods to do.  He added sidelockers, and rear cupboards to the interior.  He opted to remain with the tried and tested Michelin XZL tyres.

Trip Four B
Sam Watson – Kenya & Tanzania
Sam borrowed the Land Rover called Maggie for a month of overland travel in August 2005.  His destination was Kenya and Tanzania.

The Fifth Trip:
Jamie & Charlene Davies – Dec 2005 to July 2009

We also know we could never experience this in a thousand holidays and before we had more than just ourselves to worry about this would be a truly liberating experience – being outdoors, exploring woodlands and mountains, wiggling your toes in the sand, tasting the salty spray off the oceans waves, seeing and being in the presence of gorilla’s, climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, canoeing down the Okavango delta and simply just living for the moment with our eyes wide open.

The Sixth Trip
Noel Peries – November 2009 to current
Departed the UK heading South on 5th November 2009.
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