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Adventure
We got properly stuck – stuck, stuck
June 25, 2020 by TLO in Adventure

It only feels right to test new stuff, so last weekend with a fresh 40-degree wind blowing the boys and I took Inka (the hound) for a walk in the most remote part of Qatar, and this would allow me to test my new BF Goodrich tyres. Almost 100k North East of Doha is the opposite corner of the country and some relatively unexplored (by me at least) coastline.

I don’t like heading to new places alone, it feels a little reckless with the boys and a dog in tow to not be able to recover myself, so I invited my mate Derrick Stripwee (Name subtly changed to protect his dignity) and two of his kids and their land cruiser joined the trip for some equally well-deserved escapism and exercise (to be clear we were exercising 3m apart at all times…and had no fun whatsoever…)

We found an amazing bay with white sands and crystal clear water here, the boys all wished we had goggles to chase the fish through the shallows and the dog swam around us for hours. It was 43 degrees, and things were starting to get a little hot so we decided to explore around the coastline a little. This is where it went wrong.

Clear Blue Water Qatar

Derrick (the prick) took a hard right off a coastal track straight across a seemingly endless salt marsh. Upon reflection, neither of us can understand what made him take this erratic turn towards his eventual demise, but it happened and I could only sit back and watch as the 3.5 ton Landcruiser broke through the salt and mud crusted top layer and sank hard up to its axles in hot slippery mud.

Now at this point, the experienced, professional, and sensible off-roading types would have taken stock, had a cup of tea, smoked some fags, and assessed the situation. Not us, oh no we had a better plan. Derrick immediately called my vehicle into the same spot he was in to recover his vehicle “No problem Cobber” he announced “This spot right here is easily hard enough for your vehicle fair dinkumm” he was wrong. In I went, up to my guts into car sucking mud. 

We were now both stuck, I mean properly stuck – stuck, stuck. To be clear, it was all Derrick’s fault.

Rescue a Land Cruiser

As we had headed out for a simple dog walk and to have a minor explore I was not prepared for this situation and wasn’t fully loaded with gear. In particular, I didn’t bring a shovel or my maxtrax. The shovel would have helped a touch, but maxtrax would have meant we could crawl straight out of the mud.  Our predicament started to be less amusing as we realized no amount of digging or airing down was helping, the mud beneath the surface was wet and slick. We simply had no traction and were beached hard on our bellies.

It was here that I made another idiotic mistake, I decided to try and walk to a vehicle I could see in the distance to raise the alarm. Like a chump, I decided to try and cross a salt marsh in flip flops, in the middle of the day, in 45 degrees, in June… After what felt like I had been trudging through burning hot lava for hours I collapsed on some solid ground to rest my battered feet, pouring the last of my water reserves over the growing blisters I realised I was done in and possibly even close to a slow sticky death as the heat sapped the last of my energy reserves. With seemingly no way forwards through the impenetrable boiling hot mud, I turned back to assess the return journey to safety across the scalding salt marsh. Pathetically I was only lying about 4.5m away from the Land Cruiser, with Derrick and our children all looking at me quizzically through the windscreen wondering why I was wailing like a small baby on the floor.

Sandals in the mud

I pulled myself together and returned to the stuck cruiser to rest my weary bones and sore feet and it was then that we made the decision to deploy the cavalry. 

We called Lexi.

Calling your wife is quite an event in situations like this, (Derrick I might add refused to call his, he was simply too scared) you just can’t tell how it’s going to go…”Hi darling, yes yes all is ok. Well actually maybe Ok is a bit over the top…” and you go from there bracing yourself at every sentence for the ensuing wrath. Lexi was quite the legend, she jumped in her car and sped across Qatar at breakneck speeds to rescue the children and the dog from the swamp and our rapidly depleting water supplies. What she didn’t do is rescue Derrick and me, she seemed more than happy to drive away from the situation and leave us to find our own way out of this slightly daft predicament.

Google is a wonderful thing, and soon a professional rescue truck had been rallied and called upon. Rasheed the legend showed up to pluck our little wagons from the quagmire with his massive great big rope and winch and it wasn’t too long before we were back on hard ground sunburnt, tired and grinning from ear to ear. 

Getting stuck is part of the fun – “If you aren’t stuck, you aren’t trying” – You are welcome to quote me on that, just don’t forget your shoes or recovery gear and never follow Derrick!

Pajero Stuck
100m snatch
Rasheed to the Rescue
4 Comments
  • Adventure
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  • lessons learnt
  • Pajero
  • Qatar
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  • Stuck
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TLO

There are 4 comments on this post
  1. Ian
    June 26, 2020, 2:45 pm

    Well done, Lexi!!

    As they say, whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. And, hopefully, a bit wiser……

    Archie won’t forget.

    • TLO
      June 26, 2020, 4:16 pm

      Despite making me feel quite weak at the time, I hope you are right!!! X

  2. Ru Jupp
    June 26, 2020, 3:06 pm

    Tom, an enjoyable read and glad you made it out of there, sounds like lesser men would have panicked and made silly choices…..

    Some of your stories (the long boring one about the planes at the pub after Toby and Amy’s wedding….) are a little exaggerated. We will have to assume this is a true story. and what a legend Lexi is indeed.

    • TLO
      June 26, 2020, 4:16 pm

      Very good poops, nice to know your reading them!! X

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After a little silence on insta there has been some breeding, now there are three!! Ventura will always have a special place in my heart, but now with Dudley the Series nearing completion suddenly selling him feels very hard, maybe too hard? The newest recruit, Roger the Range Rover is currently undergoing a conversion to become @guinchoracing first race car ready for 2026 inaugural rally season (watch this space)
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After a little silence on insta there has been some breeding, now there are three!! Ventura will always have a special place in my heart, but now with Dudley the Series nearing completion suddenly selling him feels very hard, maybe too hard? The newest recruit, Roger the Range Rover is currently undergoing a conversion to become @guinchoracing first race car ready for 2026 inaugural rally season (watch this space) . . . #rangeroverv8 #defendertd5 #series3 #v8 #landroverseries #beachrunner #vintagelandrover #landylove #landroverclub #landroverlove #landroverlifestyle #landroverphotos #landroveroflisbon #reborn #refurbish #restore #revitalise #guinchoracing
1 month ago
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1/9
Meet Dudley. A new member of the 4 Low fleet. This one getting a full beach runner restoration with the intention of maybe, just maybe being sold in the future. Follow along for all kinds of DIY cock ups as I try and revive this little legend.
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#series3 #landroverseries #beachrunner #vintagelandrover #landylove #landroverclub #landroverlove #landroverlifestyle #landroverphotos #landroveroflisbon #reborn #refurbish #restore #revitalise #revive
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Meet Dudley. A new member of the 4 Low fleet. This one getting a full beach runner restoration with the intention of maybe, just maybe being sold in the future. Follow along for all kinds of DIY cock ups as I try and revive this little legend. . . . #series3 #landroverseries #beachrunner #vintagelandrover #landylove #landroverclub #landroverlove #landroverlifestyle #landroverphotos #landroveroflisbon #reborn #refurbish #restore #revitalise #revive
1 year ago
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2/9
A highlight reel from @marocchallenge in March. An epic week introducing us to the world of racing, rally driving and a whole new world of fun. Full video on YouTube (link in bio) - more of this will be coming soon I am sure!!
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#marocchallenge #marochallengespring2024 #landrover110 #td5 #dualcab #defender110 #theadventuretruck #landylove #defender #greenlane #landroverclub #td5mafia #defendertd5 #landroverlove #dcpu #adventuretruck #landroverlifestyle #landroverphotos #landroveroflisbon #defender_life_style #venturatruck #travel #adventure
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A highlight reel from @marocchallenge in March. An epic week introducing us to the world of racing, rally driving and a whole new world of fun. Full video on YouTube (link in bio) - more of this will be coming soon I am sure!! . . . #marocchallenge #marochallengespring2024 #landrover110 #td5 #dualcab #defender110 #theadventuretruck #landylove #defender #greenlane #landroverclub #td5mafia #defendertd5 #landroverlove #dcpu #adventuretruck #landroverlifestyle #landroverphotos #landroveroflisbon #defender_life_style #venturatruck #travel #adventure
1 year ago
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3/9
Day 6 - final race day, a complex day focussed on careful navigation. We started by cocking it up from the start when I entered yesterday’s start line into the GPS…so we were late for the briefing and got penalised before we even began.

We set off to be the fastest, as have decided that the rules are for sissies, but still managed to miss a few checkpoints and finish rather unimpressive 30th today. (Still fastest time to finish!)

Insane drive North to Rabat, over the snowy Atlas Mountains through a blizzard. Our windscreen wiper broke on day 1 so I had to MacGyver some bungee cord and a rope into a makeshift wiper. Somehow it held and we made it across the mountains and snow storms and into extraordinary rolling green countryside. Breath taking scenery mixed with mental Moroccan drivers skidding into ditches around us.

Only a casual 12 hour journey home in the rain tomorrow to finish this epic adventure.
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#marocchallenge #marochallengespring2024 #landrover110 #td5 #dualcab #defender110 #theadventuretruck #landylove #defender #greenlane #landroverclub #td5mafia #defendertd5 #landroverlove #dcpu #adventuretruck #landroverlifestyle #landroverphotos #landroveroflisbon #defender_life_style #venturatruck #travel #adventure
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Day 6 - final race day, a complex day focussed on careful navigation. We started by cocking it up from the start when I entered yesterday’s start line into the GPS…so we were late for the briefing and got penalised before we even began. We set off to be the fastest, as have decided that the rules are for sissies, but still managed to miss a few checkpoints and finish rather unimpressive 30th today. (Still fastest time to finish!) Insane drive North to Rabat, over the snowy Atlas Mountains through a blizzard. Our windscreen wiper broke on day 1 so I had to MacGyver some bungee cord and a rope into a makeshift wiper. Somehow it held and we made it across the mountains and snow storms and into extraordinary rolling green countryside. Breath taking scenery mixed with mental Moroccan drivers skidding into ditches around us. Only a casual 12 hour journey home in the rain tomorrow to finish this epic adventure. . . . #marocchallenge #marochallengespring2024 #landrover110 #td5 #dualcab #defender110 #theadventuretruck #landylove #defender #greenlane #landroverclub #td5mafia #defendertd5 #landroverlove #dcpu #adventuretruck #landroverlifestyle #landroverphotos #landroveroflisbon #defender_life_style #venturatruck #travel #adventure
1 year ago
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4/9
Day 5 - a rally special stage around Erg Chebbi dunes. Slightly less challenging terrain meant we had a super fast somewhat terrifying run today. Over taking from 12th all the way to the front, I have never felt closer to being in an actual rally car in my life. Totally awesome and brilliant fun, sideways, jumping, power sliding our way through the dunes and gravel tracks. 

The car ran beautifully and I can’t imagine how she survived the brutal thrashing the speed we gave her, poor thing! We smashed the competition today finishing a massive 8mins ahead of all cars in the whole raid. Sadly we still got caught speeding 4 times, so placed 13th despite being the fastest. 

Stupid rules, we obvs win on lad points.
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#marocchallenge #marochallengespring2024 #landrover110 #td5 #dualcab #defender110 #theadventuretruck #landylove #defender #greenlane #landroverclub #td5mafia #defendertd5 #landroverlove #dcpu #adventuretruck #landroverlifestyle #landroverphotos #landroveroflisbon #defender_life_style #venturatruck #travel #adventure
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Day 5 - a rally special stage around Erg Chebbi dunes. Slightly less challenging terrain meant we had a super fast somewhat terrifying run today. Over taking from 12th all the way to the front, I have never felt closer to being in an actual rally car in my life. Totally awesome and brilliant fun, sideways, jumping, power sliding our way through the dunes and gravel tracks. The car ran beautifully and I can’t imagine how she survived the brutal thrashing the speed we gave her, poor thing! We smashed the competition today finishing a massive 8mins ahead of all cars in the whole raid. Sadly we still got caught speeding 4 times, so placed 13th despite being the fastest. Stupid rules, we obvs win on lad points. . . . #marocchallenge #marochallengespring2024 #landrover110 #td5 #dualcab #defender110 #theadventuretruck #landylove #defender #greenlane #landroverclub #td5mafia #defendertd5 #landroverlove #dcpu #adventuretruck #landroverlifestyle #landroverphotos #landroveroflisbon #defender_life_style #venturatruck #travel #adventure
1 year ago
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5/9
Day 4 - Our fastest day so far, no car trouble, only one pee stop and a great track that took us through mountain passes, gravel plains and soft sandy routes. Superb fun with no wind and no sand storms!

Longest single dune climb I have ever done (7km) of slow incline up a big sand monster, car started to struggle near the top but made it no problem.

Awesome technical dune section that allowed us to pass the whole pack and meant we finished in first place, but sadly a navigation error (my fault) meant we missed a Waypoint and placed 12th. Maybe tomorrow with a day of dunes might bring a top ten place!
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Day 4 - Our fastest day so far, no car trouble, only one pee stop and a great track that took us through mountain passes, gravel plains and soft sandy routes. Superb fun with no wind and no sand storms! Longest single dune climb I have ever done (7km) of slow incline up a big sand monster, car started to struggle near the top but made it no problem. Awesome technical dune section that allowed us to pass the whole pack and meant we finished in first place, but sadly a navigation error (my fault) meant we missed a Waypoint and placed 12th. Maybe tomorrow with a day of dunes might bring a top ten place! . . . #marocchallenge #marochallengespring2024 #landrover110 #td5 #dualcab #defender110 #theadventuretruck #landylove #defender #greenlane #landroverclub #td5mafia #defendertd5 #landroverlove #dcpu #adventuretruck #landroverlifestyle #landroverphotos #landroveroflisbon #defender_life_style #venturatruck #travel #adventure
1 year ago
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6/9
Day 3 - Billed as a nice easy day, started well with epic landscapes and bone jangling rocks. Within a blink of an eye a wild sand storm enveloped us and reduced our speed to 10kmh for many hours.

We had GPS issues (my fault) and as such found ourselves facing the wrong way into traffic, chilled, and then were forced to always follow someone else to the finish line. We came 17th today, so are improving!

Ventura running smoothly with her new heart pumping diesel, just an increase in squeaks, bangs, knocks and pieces falling off. She still goes one! Tomorrow we aim for top 10.
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#marocchallenge #marochallengespring2024 #landrover110 #td5 #dualcab #defender110 #theadventuretruck #landylove #defender #greenlane #landroverclub #td5mafia #defendertd5 #landroverlove #dcpu #adventuretruck #landroverlifestyle #landroverphotos #landroveroflisbon #defender_life_style #venturatruck #travel #adventure
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Day 3 - Billed as a nice easy day, started well with epic landscapes and bone jangling rocks. Within a blink of an eye a wild sand storm enveloped us and reduced our speed to 10kmh for many hours. We had GPS issues (my fault) and as such found ourselves facing the wrong way into traffic, chilled, and then were forced to always follow someone else to the finish line. We came 17th today, so are improving! Ventura running smoothly with her new heart pumping diesel, just an increase in squeaks, bangs, knocks and pieces falling off. She still goes one! Tomorrow we aim for top 10. . . . #marocchallenge #marochallengespring2024 #landrover110 #td5 #dualcab #defender110 #theadventuretruck #landylove #defender #greenlane #landroverclub #td5mafia #defendertd5 #landroverlove #dcpu #adventuretruck #landroverlifestyle #landroverphotos #landroveroflisbon #defender_life_style #venturatruck #travel #adventure
1 year ago
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7/9
Bivouac - God knows how many people in one tented camp for the night. Maybe 400 people, 200 tents, amazing food, ice cold beer and a welcome retreat from the endless Sand storm that raged all night.

Garage Iriki set themselves up in support of @marocchallenge and do the most incredible job of piecing all the broken wagons back together. I needed only the smallest assistance to fit a new fuel pump. I’d liken it to heart surgery in a sand storm…I was the anaesthetist, I thought it best to let the pro do the technical stuff. We nailed it and the car was back in the road in a blink of a sand filled eye.
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#marocchallenge #marochallengespring2024 #landrover110 #td5 #dualcab #defender110 #theadventuretruck #landylove #defender #greenlane #landroverclub #td5mafia #defendertd5 #landroverlove #dcpu #adventuretruck #landroverlifestyle #landroverphotos #landroveroflisbon #defender_life_style #venturatruck #travel #adventure
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Bivouac - God knows how many people in one tented camp for the night. Maybe 400 people, 200 tents, amazing food, ice cold beer and a welcome retreat from the endless Sand storm that raged all night. Garage Iriki set themselves up in support of @marocchallenge and do the most incredible job of piecing all the broken wagons back together. I needed only the smallest assistance to fit a new fuel pump. I’d liken it to heart surgery in a sand storm…I was the anaesthetist, I thought it best to let the pro do the technical stuff. We nailed it and the car was back in the road in a blink of a sand filled eye. . . . #marocchallenge #marochallengespring2024 #landrover110 #td5 #dualcab #defender110 #theadventuretruck #landylove #defender #greenlane #landroverclub #td5mafia #defendertd5 #landroverlove #dcpu #adventuretruck #landroverlifestyle #landroverphotos #landroveroflisbon #defender_life_style #venturatruck #travel #adventure
1 year ago
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8/9
Day 2 - A day of exciting sand rivers, fast tracks and huge distance. We found ourselves pushing as far south as the rally goes, and heading into a tented camp (Bivouac) for the night.

Ventura let us down despite looking amazing with an over heating fuel pump that needed to be swapped out that night, so we placed a casual 24th (better than last!)

Lada Niva in final shot is coolest car in the race. They are winning their class and beat us on day 2!
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#marocchallenge #marochallengespring2024 #landrover110 #td5 #dualcab #defender110 #theadventuretruck #landylove #defender #greenlane #landroverclub #td5mafia #defendertd5 #landroverlove #dcpu #adventuretruck #landroverlifestyle #landroverphotos #landroveroflisbon #defender_life_style #venturatruck #travel #adventure.
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Day 2 - A day of exciting sand rivers, fast tracks and huge distance. We found ourselves pushing as far south as the rally goes, and heading into a tented camp (Bivouac) for the night. Ventura let us down despite looking amazing with an over heating fuel pump that needed to be swapped out that night, so we placed a casual 24th (better than last!) Lada Niva in final shot is coolest car in the race. They are winning their class and beat us on day 2! . . . #marocchallenge #marochallengespring2024 #landrover110 #td5 #dualcab #defender110 #theadventuretruck #landylove #defender #greenlane #landroverclub #td5mafia #defendertd5 #landroverlove #dcpu #adventuretruck #landroverlifestyle #landroverphotos #landroveroflisbon #defender_life_style #venturatruck #travel #adventure.
1 year ago
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9/9
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