Mac 4x4 2006:
‘The year we went to Ireland'

For our Mac 4x4 2006 Gallery - CLICK HERE

“The actual preparation for this event starts months in advance by trying to obtain sponsorship from friends, family members, etc. I also recieved corporate sponsorship for this years challenge. I would like to take this moment to say many thanks to K&N Filters, Safari Snorkels (c/o Arbil), Adcom Computers (www.adcomcomputers.co.uk), Fibreglass Grating (www.fibreglassgrating.co.uk), Overlandby4x4 (www.overlandby4x4.com), 4x4 Emergency Support Network (www.4x4esn.org.uk), Bunny Basics (www.bunnybasics.co.uk) & Bofa 4x4 (www.bofa4x4.co.uk) for all their support and donations. Once the vehicle has been prepared with sponsorship decals, ropes, shovels and all the relevant equipment we are required to bring, the excitement starts to build up – And then the moment comes, the day of the Mac 4x4 !!

 

In this year's event we covered approximately 950 miles, with much of which were on the public roads in Wales, England and this year 'Ireland’. Well, what a weekend!! Having set off from home mid-morning on Friday 10th March, we met up with some dozen other Mac4x4 entrants at Chieveley Services on the M4 and then headed towards Clyro, near Hereford for the start on the Mac4x4 2006.

 

 

After scrutineering etc the first vehicle set off just after 8pm. At the start each car was handed a Road-Book and the navigators were called into action to plot a route to the next Control Point. Clues had to be acquired en route – as proof of passage – and we were heading west. The first major Control was near Haverfordwest in Pembrokeshire; there we went to an off-road centre and to negotiate an extremely difficult off-road course and note details on control boards. A swift cup of coffee followed, then another Road-Book was thrust into our hands and the navigators had to graft again. Where to next? We didn’t know!

The first major Control was near Haverfordwest in Pembrokeshire; there we went to an off-road centre and to negotiate an extremely difficult off-road course and note details on control boards. A swift cup of coffee followed, then another Road-Book was thrust into our hands and the navigators had to graft again. Where to next? We didn’t know!

 

We were off to Fishguard, my family’s hometown! In fact joining the queue for the ferry at Fishguard port was the correct answer (if the maps/plots were properly read!)! We were off to Ireland! – This was great news as myself, nor my co-driver, had ever been there! The early hours of Saturday morning saw the 57 vehicles, plus the Mac4x4 support vehicles, boarding the Stena Europe to Rosslare, which meant that we had about 3 hours on board the ferry, where some grabbed sleep whilst others plotted their next route on the maps that we were handed on entry onto the ferry.

 

What was to lie ahead of us? The day unfolded; more Road-Books, more navigation, and more clues to be found. A couple more off-road courses were included as was a wonderful tour through the beautiful Irish countryside. The dry morning turned into an afternoon soak – thus ‘off-road’ was particularly moist – which is an understatement! In the latter part of the day we were notified that we had to report at Dublin Docks for 1930hrs – and to ‘cut and run’ if we were running late but, whatever, we had to be on the ferry. Our seamless entry into Dublin city was fine – but where were the Docks?

 

 

A lack of signage and lack of local knowledge to their whereabouts then put us under a ‘little’ pressure to perfect our navigational map skills; a trio convoy of Welsh 4x4s (Our vehicle, my Mum & Dad’s, in vehicle 15, and another fellow Mac 4x4er in their Land Rover , in vehicle 8) had a ‘more than interesting’ tour of the city – our arrival for the ferry was timed at 1927hrs – no probs, PHEW!!!!

The Saturday overnight crossing from Dublin to Holyhead saw a brief opportunity for a cat-nap. We had a briefing, once the ferry had started its journey. The organisers had a nice surprise up their sleeve. They told us that once the ferry had ported we were off to ‘Anglesey Race Circuit’ for a well-deserved rest.

 

Between our team and my parent’s team we raised over £2,000 - I would like to say a big thanks to the generous donations from friends, family, work colleagues, companies, and many more people. But the true winner of the 2006 event of course is the Macmillan Cancer Relief Charity. A projected amount of £56,000 has been raised for Macmillan Cancer Relief from this year’s event.” We are now currently seeking sponsorship, financial donations or contributions for Mac 4x4 2007 in order to maximise on the opportunities for the Macmillan organisation. We would be very grateful if you would look to proffering some type of sponsorship in support of their participation of the event and its worthy cause. No amount is too small - or indeed too large. If you are a company who wish to make a donation, and you wish for your company logo to be displayed, suitable arrangements can be made. So please support us in our venture to raise sponsorship for the Mac 4x4 2007 by making a donation via www.justgiving.com/team13

Feel free to browse the official 'The Macmillan 4X4 UK Challenge website', to find out more about it.