Journey to the Arctic Circle
In the summer of 2018 I embarked on a two month road trip of Denmark, Sweden & Norway in my 1986 VW T3 Syncro – Click here for the full story & Youtube episode.
Life took an unexpected twist after returning to the UK when I received a job opportunity back in the Arctic Circle for the start of 2019. I had fallen completely in love with Norway and the prospect of returning filled me with excitement. However, it was already late October and I’d just committed to work in the UK ( sixty plus hours per week ) until December 28th ( to offset the cost of the two month adventure I’d just completed ). Further still, the new position began in January giving me just one week between finishing work in the UK and hitting the road to begin my new life abroad ( this also meant preparing the thirty four year old van to tackle the two thousand mile journey during the arctic winter ). As always I planned to live in the van full-time but it was in no way fit for life in -20…in fact it wasn’t even insulated. Moreover, I’d just put a further 20,000 miles ( 32,000 km ) on the van and it desperately needed repairs/servicing.
My Syncro works extremely hard but in return I always ensure that I make time for extensive preventative maintenance/servicing every three/four months. On this occasion it was going to be difficult to fit all this in. The first port of call was replacing the old Propex 1600 heater with a more refined Eberspacher B1 unit, which at the time I really couldn’t afford…but in hindsight I’d have paid double ( truly amazing ). Second, a twenty-four hour insulating frenzy that was never going to be perfect but at least offered some barrier from the cold. Three, book the van into a different garage almost every day in order to fix everything that was broken, upgrade with the new parts I’d been ordering throughout the year and carry out essential servicing. Four, pack the van with everything I needed for ten months away in just one afternoon ( …and by pack I mean literally chuck in the back ). Five, sit on the sofa with family and feel a bit sad that I missed spending enough quality time with them at Christmas…again. Finally, I started up the van, waved goodbye to my life in the UK and began the adventure of a lifetime. At this point I’ll let the photos & Youtube episode document the most challenging ( and amazing ) drive of my life….
