Epilogue

So, safely home in Weymouth after an amazing 3 weeks. The worst traffic problems in Europe we found on the M20, M3 and A31 on our journey back from Dover, the trip usually takes 4 hours, this time it took 7.
The final night in Dunkirk was a pleasant night sat around eating too much, having a few drinks with friends, dishing out some certificates for the survivors and germinating a few ideas for the next time....
The next time... Yes, I know, barely back 5 minutes. I have to say though, I've enjoyed the planning of this one so much and the feedback has been so positive that I don't think I'd be allowed to just stop at one. Yes, at times it's been hard work and yes, it has been stressful. I dare say it's also been stressful for the family and I probably have wittered on a bit too much at times when a new idea or train of thought had come along. Many ideas have arrived, been evaluated and binned, but I have to say, I'm pretty happy with the format that we arrived at. It was a challenge, but an enjoyable challenge and we have had a great deal of fun in the process.
So, you'll probably want some kind of evaluation of how the teams, and vehicles have performed.

TEAM 3, TEAM TRAUMA. Mark, Ben, Roy and Syd. Arrived late for the party, driving out to meet up in Debrecen. Amba, having coped with the 37 hour trip, then dumped fluid all over the place as her power steering broke. Soon fixed though and they caught up again a day or two after. Amba didn't much like the big hill climbs and overheated at times, possibly due to excessive weight being carried. I'm led to believe they will be jettisoning some equipment to help this issue. Always good for a bit of banter and did amazingly well on the charity collecting front, exceeding £4000.

TEAM 5. TEAM RED 5 Martin and Harvey. I think even they must have had some serious doubts about Doris and her ability to get round. The old girl had a cruising speed of about 48 mph and suffered a bit in warm weather. Much tinkering with moving fuel pumps and wedging the bonnet up to allow more air in. With the two of them and all their kit, her suspension was also under some strain. However, she got around and not only that, claimed the title of being the first to complete the list of 23 countries. Fantastic effort to coax the old girl out of retirement and coax her through such an epic test of endurance. Martin says that next time he wants something a little faster. Like a milk float.

TEAM 6. TEAM MILLY Lucy and Jim in their pride and joy. They only got a camper van because I did and since then, about 18 months ago, the pair of them have worked extensively on Milly (together with their incredibly supportive and helpful neighbour Steve) to produce a well equipped van with bed, fully fitted kitchen, extensive electrics and much bling (including the much heralded illuminated spice rack). Milly, with all of her power points became known as 'The Mother Ship', where everyone went to dock their chargers, power cables, etc at each camp site. She had a couple of mechanical problems including a snapped fan belt and some bolts shearing off, as well as the regular overheating issues, but managed to catch up each time, much to everyone else's pleasure, as a trip without i-phones, camera batteries and chocolate fondue would have been unthinkable.

TEAM 7, TEAM LOTUS John and Eddie/Steve/Steve . Team Jedward as they were christened on the first week. Even when Eddie had gone home, the name stuck. With the completely rebuilt white Lotus, John and crew mate for that week would show up at various camp sites, mountain peaks or restaurants from time to time, before disappearing to more upmarket accommodation. Not big camping fans. I think they thoroughly enjoyed the hill climbs of the Transfagarasan Highway and the Stelvio Pass. John seemed to have a fixed silly grin on his face at the top of both. Eddie/Steve/Steve had all booked up for one week each, but I believe all, having experienced the trip were keen on extending their time or returning for a second go. Hopefully I'll be able to find some more decent roads on the next trip for them.










TEAM 12, TEAM FREEDOMSCAPING Or Team Mobile Brothel as they were more generally known. Marc and Sarah were strangers, thrown together as their previous team members couldn't make it. The pink Bedford suffered a few issues from day 2, a fuel pump sucking the fuel tank out of shape and brake cylinder failure. It seems that Bedford parts are a little tricky to get hold of on the continent. The AA cover that Marc had taken out proved to be good value. The van is still in the process of being repatriated. They had a night in a hotel in Prague then a hire car to catch us up, where they merged with Team 38.

TEAM 14, TEAM NIGHTMARE The Nightmares, Holly, Mark, James, Vicky and Cat. A team thrown together by chance as the original idea of an 'Old Gits' police team seemed to fall apart, in favour of a younger, more vibrant mixed team. Ladiva the LDV van coped very well, I'm not aware of any technical issues. I didn't venture inside though, it was described as 'a bit of a mess' on a few occasions. Another good effort on the fundraising front and I'm sure we shall see most, if not all of the Nightmares on the next trip.

TEAM 19, TEAM CHAMELEON Father and son team Richard and Mark in their hot hatch, the Proton Satria. First to sign up, first to get a car, first up just about every mountain pass we went for and frequently first to camp sites, even arriving a day early on some occasions. Richard was frequently busy with his camera, Mark effervescing about a particular drive or another. The only reported issue on the car was an irritating knocking from the exhaust that they fixed. Despite thrashing it up and down the Transfagarasan and the Stelvio, she seemed to perform very well. Stylish graphics too.

TEAM 23, THE MOWLAM MOB. From the moment that Chris and Steve turned up dressed as gangsters in their outrageously decorated Mobster with the eye lashes that Steve despised, you knew these two characters were going to be the life and soul of the party. The Mobster performed very well, the only issue I heard about was a leaky tent attachment in the thunderstorm on the Transfagarasan. I think this issue is going to be corrected. Over £1400 raised for charity. Great fun to have around and very hopeful we shall see them again on the next one. With the eyelashes reattached.

TEAM 25, TEAM TERRAS Ralph and Deano. Lived off a diet of sausages and lager in their Kia 4x4. The car performed very well by all accounts. Ralph was going to sell it but says he hasn't got the heart to now. Deano had a habit of over inflating his airbed, making me wonder if it would explode, splattering him around the interior of the car. They survived though.

TEAM 27, THE NEWLYWEDS Nik and Gemma, with their chauffeur and mechanic Craig. They arrived in style in their elegant white limousine Olly, in smart wedding attire. The three of them entered in to the spirit of the event from the off, great characters. Alas, Olly malfunctioned in Germany with alternator problems. They thought it was going to be curtains, but managed to acquire a new one and get it fitted, delaying them about 24 hours in a small German town. Olly also had some fan issues later on, but nothing that Craig and Nik couldn't sort out. I'm still amazed at how they got this vehicle around some of those tight hairpins on the Stelvio Pass. Despite their tendency to follow the wrong non league team (Brackley fans, how ghastly), I guess we would put up with them on another trip.

TEAM 31, THE SWANNERS Don and John in their Citroen C5. I think John, as a car salesman, had picked up a bargain there. I'm not aware of any mechanical issues. Every so often as I was driving along, quietly minding my own business, there would be a toot of a horn and these two would sail past. They joined us for a few meals. Prague, Brasov and Ruse spring to mind. we even had them camping in Prague, but I don't think a night under canvas appealed.

TEAM 38, TEAM JEZEBEL My team and strangely, the largest team. We had 8 members, but never more than 4 at a time, bolstered by the arrival of Marc and Sarah from Team 12. Jezebel performed far better than my expectations. I thought we were in trouble at Goslar on the third morning when the loud crack heralded 2 snapped hinges, but with the washing line and gaffer tape securing the roof, she hung in there like that for over a week until we fixed it in Greece. The brake pads were in a bad state and were replaced in Croatia. Beyond that, it was fairly superficial. Windscreen wipers fighting, floppy wing mirrors, the interior carpet on the roof falling off, a cupboard hinge breaking, that sort of idea. We coped and improvised. I'm still amazed that she got up that Albanian goat track in one piece. Hill climbing on the Transfagarasan and Stelvio were no problem. Hoorah for Air Cooled vehicles ! Even my basil survived the trip.

TEAM 41, THE SWANNIES Even though Richard had been signed up for a long time, he was left without a co-pilot at the last minute. His father Peter was half way through a kitchen refit when he was told he was coming. Initially Peter only planned to be there for a week, but enjoyed himself so much that he stayed for the full trip. They took the hotel option but still popped up at various locations, including the top of both Passes. The sinister looking black Lexus scared poor Robin in Albania as he thought he was being followed by the mafia. Richard completed all of the driving, covering just short of 6000 miles. Good effort, but strangely further than many doing the full 3 week trip.

TEAM 42, LIKE A SWEED Our Swedish contingent, Martin, Anna and Jonas. Signed up late and acquired a Peugeot estate for the trip. They also brought bicycles and would frequently vanish to cycle amazing distances. Anna even chose to cycle up the Transfagarasan Highway rather than drive. The car, alas, suffered a few issues. Exhaust related mainly, which finally persuaded them to head for home a few days early. Just about always the first team up and away in the mornings as they tried to fit as much in to the trip as humanly possible.

TEAM 46, TEAM TRIGGER. Robin and Sam, later joined by Natasha in Romania and their thirsty, but trusty wagon Trigger. Despite a fair number of mechanical issues before we set off, Trigger seemed to perform well on the trip. Being a 2.8 litre vehicle and being stuck in 4 wheel drive they left the fuel stations across the continent bereft of fuel. The main issue that Trigger had was in Ruse, where the passenger window refused to go up. Luckily, after several hours of taking it apart in the rain, Robin was able to pinpoint the issue. Human error. The window locking button was doing it's job correctly. Who will forget Robin dancing in the dark in Poprad, covered in LED lights ?

TEAM 48, TEAM SUPID (aka THE WHAM BOYS or TEAM HIRE CAR). Billy and Sam set off for the Windy Lite version, but opted to take in Switzerland on the way. Having thrashed the life out of their Toyota Supra, it's gear box packed up in Austria. This is where the car stayed for the next 10 days or so as the boys completed the majority of the trip in their hire car, thanks to the AA again. The hire car came in for a bit of doctoring whilst on the Transfagarasan, being covered in Windy stickers. The Supra managed to join the party for the last few destinations, including the Stelvio Pass.

So there you have it for this year. Our trip is over, it has run it's course, barely a set of memories and thousands of photos. But, charities (mainly Julia's House) will have seen the benefit. Friendships have been made. Everyone is older and wiser and full of stories to bore the pants off those who didn't come along this time. I've had an amazing experience, met some great people and I'm very pleased that I took that leap and started to plan this adventure.

So, what next ? Well, give us a chance, I'm only just back through the door. There has got to be plenty more of Europe to see and experience, who knows, we might even venture briefly beyond the boundaries of Europe sometime. The next route is in my head, just needs some investigation and fine tuning. That will be June 2015 (23 months and counting down...) There may also be a shorter, British tour next summer (2014). I'll keep you posted.

If you have any comments or feedback, I'd be delighted to hear them. If you want to be kept up to date of future Windy 500 events, please register your details with me at spooky388@hotmail.com .

Thank you for reading, it's been a blast.



Spooky