Team Blacksheep
Pete Dixon Steve Riddolls is raising money for Help for Heroes
Participants: Pete Dixon aka Willy Eckerslike, Steve Riddolls aka Lord Bath,
Story
Please follow the link below and see what we're up too
We were born at an early age, infact we were quite young at the time. We are hoping to grow up one day, but don't want to rush our childhood.............................................................
Pete.
Pete started his working life as a apprentice sailmaker, this was cut short by the unfortunate death of a partner in the sailmaking business.
Determined to go to sea Pete then signed on with a Charter Fishing boat and worked as Boatman for a few years. The lure of commercial fishing took over and Pete soon found himself working on a Welsh Prawn Trawler around the Western Isles. Eventually after many adventures around the British coast Pete returned to work out of his home port. Marriage came next to Tina and with children on the horizon, Pete got a lucky break courtesy of a family friend and started work offshore as a Roustabout. Working his way through the ranks to his present day position of Drilling Supervisor.
Steve
Reading Pete's piece, I wonder what I've been doing all my life.
I left school with encouragement to further education, but not for me, I was going to milk cows for a living, why did anyone want to go to university??
After 7 years averaging about 4 hours sleep a night I realised why, milking cows, a social life and playing alot of rugby did not mix.
Time for a move, so I set off on my travels with South Africa in mind. With some pride I can tell you that after 7 years I had travelled a total of 27 miles. I had reached Malton.
I worked on several farms, set up a business manufacturing clay pigeons and ran a farm shop before returning to Whitby, collecting a wife and 2 children on the way.
So a trip to Austria (edit by Pete...................Austria??......... you mean Bavaria, the navigations going to be worse than I thought ) could be life changing, but apart from raising money for an excellent cause I have another motive, talking to Pete's sister, she is very worried about him because in her own words "Peter does not eat his greens", so I'm attracting more sponsorship for every lettuce I can get Pete to eat while we are away
Ps I drive a landrover.
We are looking fwd to the H4H 4x4 challenge but don't expect win any prizes! we are far too easily distracted to concentrate on the navigation prize. We are however hoping to find the rest of the Teams on an evening at least. We are also hoping to send a daily email to update people on our progress, if you are sponsoring us and would like to receive emails please send me your email address to
We are also on twitter http://twitter.com/H4HBlacksheep and we will update regularly with progress and info.
We will be doing the event in a Land Rover Defender 90 County 58 plate, we have added a few modifications like a winch and er........er .........thats about it really, so we are pretty standard.
Our aim is to travel light, so we will both be taking a toothbrush and a spare pair of shorts just in case.
We intend to find food etc as and when the opportunity presents itself, ( being Yorkshiremen through and through we'll just scrounge off the other teams by pretending we know them)
Due to the amount of driving only the duty navigator will be able to drink, ....................which on reflection is maybe not the best idea.
If you have a business and would like to sponsor us we are willing to unashamedly advertise you on our Land Rover, so sponsor us and send a sticker. We will display the stickers for one month before until one month after the event.
ITINERARY
Provisional Itinerary – H4H European 4x4 Rally 2010
Saturday 19th June 2010 - Day 1 - , 'Prelude to Invasion' – 144Km (90 Miles)
1200hrs at a secret location in North Wiltshire we assemble at the ex-Headquarters of part of the invasion preparation.
After visiting Aldbourne, Wiltshire (home to Easy Company, 101st Airborne Division – famed by the ‘Band of Brothers’ book and television series) we engage 4-wheel drive and traverse the off road byways of Salisbury Plain (a WWII training area – and still in use by today’s armed forces as a major military training ground). We will call at the Help for Heroes offices at Tidworth thence travel onto , and time allowing; will visit the and Southwick House, Headquarters for Supreme Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower during the invasion. We board the overnight cross-channel ferry to .
Overnight - Brittany Ferries 'Portsmouth-Caen' Route
Sunday 20th June 2010 - Day 2 - 'Fortress - 40Km (25 Miles)
At we visit and its museum, followed by a coastal drive to Arromanches. Situated on the Normandy coast, famous for the D-Day landings, Arromanches is not only perfectly located to visit other battlefield sites of Normandy but is home to a fascinating museum and impressive 360 degree, 9 screen cinema, showing wartime footage.
An early finish today – with an option to visit the 360 degree museum.
Overnight - Arromanches
Monday 21st June 2010 - Day 3 - 'Moving Inland' – 233km (145 Miles)
To St-Marie du Pont, then St. Mere Eglise – the first town liberated by allied forces. Then on to Carentan, the Norman town that was one of the Allies’ earliest objectives. We will see the site of Easy’s battle as they entered the town on June 12 and the square from which General Maxwell Taylor presented awards to his men for their performance during the invasion. In the afternoon we head to an off-road centre and return to Arromanches early evening.
Overnight - Arromanches
Tuesday 22nd June 2010 - Day 4 - 'Remember September' – 718Km (449 Miles)
An early start and a drive to Eindhoven, Holland after which we follow “Hell’s Highway,” the route followed by the British XXX Corps as it attempted to reach its embattled 1st Airborne Division, Arnhem,
Overnight -
Wednesday 23rd June 2010 - Day 5 – 'Operation Market Garden' – 150km (94 Miles)
We will visit the at Oosterbeek to pay homage to the men who fought in Operation Market Garden, the largest airborne operation of the war.
A 4x4 scenario is planned for the afternoon after which we will visit the famous bridge over the ; the objective of Operation Market Garden.
Overnight -
Thursday 24th June 2010 - Day 6 - 'The of the Bulge' – 334Km (208 Miles)
Back into , this time for a special visit to the . Our destination is the site of an epic eight-day stand against the Germans in December 1944.
Overnight -
Friday 25th June 2010 – Day 7 - 'The Bois Jacques and Beyond' – 134Km (83 Miles)
Friday starts with a visit to the of the and General Anthony McAuliffe’s headquarters during the siege. The afternoon will find us at Bois Jacques, Halt Station and Easy Company’s foxholes overlooking the . We conclude our WWII tour of the Bulge.
Overnight -
Saturday 26th June 2010 Day 8 - 'The Last Patrol' – 422Km (263 Miles)
From we head south into , ; an area famed for its wine and Maginot Line fortifications.
After that, the journey passes through Haguenau, the site of some of Easy Company’s final battles and several daring patrols thence into and the beautiful Schwarzwald (the ).
Overnight – Calw-Altburg in the
Sunday 27th June 2010 - Day 9 – 'The Atrocity of War' – 456Km (285 Miles)
We move on from the . On April 29, 1945, as they advanced towards the Bavarian Alps, the allies liberated a satellite of the concentration camp at Landsberg.
We will visit , site of some of the most nefarious acts against humankind during the war. Our goal approaches as we travel south-east through routing along the scenic Alpenstrasse and arrive at our destination – .
Overnight -
Monday 28th June - Day 10 - 'The Eagle’s Nest' – 25Km (16 Miles)
Our final day of the rally ends at Adolf Hitler’s Alpine retreat at , where we will visit the Eagle’s Nest and the remains of the vast Nazi Party complex liberated by American Forces in May 1945.
Evening – Meal, prize giving and farewells
Overnight -
Tuesday 29th June 2010 - Day 11 – Decamp and onward travel
Distances
Overall from UK to Berchtesgaden = 1658 miles
Return options:
Berchtesgaden – Calais = 1141Km (713 Miles) - 10hr 9min
Berchtesgaden – Koblenz = 658Km (411 Miles) – 6hr 3min
Koblenz - Calais = 495Km (309 Miles) - 4hr 29min
Links
http://www.bellautoservices.co.uk/ Top Sponsor take a look
http://www.firstfour.co.uk/ Genuine good service
http://www.wheatsheafegton.com/
http://www.aislabylodgecottages.com/
http://www.trotoncharters.co.uk/
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