Anyone for the Arctic?
Who’s up for kicking off 2025 with a real adventure?
For instance, how about getting hold of a cheap old Saab, Volvo or other suitable steed, and then driving to the Arctic? In winter, that is.
We’re keen, that’s for sure. In fact, we’ve already got the car…
If you’ve followed Pub2Pub recently, it won’t have passed you by that the real unsung hero of what we’ve been up to over the past few years has been our trusty Volvo 240. It’s now been the support car for seven of our grand tours, shadowing the glamorous sports cars as they undertake their trip of a lifetime to some far-flung point in Europe, and helping them out if they find themselves in a spot of bother. It’s gone about its task without fuss and without fanfare, far from the limelight, like a trusty servant.
But it deserves more. Much more. It deserves its own adventure, in fact.
So, let’s drive it home to its native Sweden this winter, and then on to the Arctic Circle.
That’s the idea behind the Pub2Pub’s Snowstorm Rally, which we’re looking to get rolling in the first two weeks of March next year. This event is a bit different to any we’ll have run before, as rather than fancy sports cars, it’s better suited to either your daily driver, or if you really want to do things properly, an old Saab, Volvo or some other classic which you found on eBay.
We’ve been pondering this idea for a while, and now, as Pub2Pub grows, it’s time to put it out there, and see whether there’s enough interest to make it happen. So, over to you. The jist of Pub2Pub’s Snowstorm Rally is simple – to drive from the UK to the Arctic and back, via the Volvo and Saab museums, and a bunch of other interesting places. The reality promises to be rather more exciting than that anodyne description, however. Think the incredible sweeps and tunnels of Norway’s Arctic Highway. Think snow tyres gripping graded ice roads, for hundreds of miles. Think of wild elk roaming the landscape, and the northern lights possibly making an appearance above. And think of the most spectacular mountainscapes around, still frozen within the midwinter snows, as they shimmer beneath a steel-blue sky, or glow eerily in the moonlight. We don’t really have to make a pitch to convince you that Arctic Scandinavia is a place you need to see; the photos should do that for us.
Or, just trust us. We’ve made three road trips to the Arctic over the years, and two of these trips were made in the depths of winter. In 2007, we saw in the New Year by taking a £200 Fiat 126 to Hell – a village near Trondheim – and then on to the Arctic. Then, in 2012, we spent two weeks in February driving a 5,000 mile lap of the Baltic, in an early ‘90s Jaguar XJ6. Both of these road trips were memorable in the extreme, and so it’s from this basis that we’d like to invite you along on our next winter trip to the Arctic.
We expect you now have a few questions in your mind, so we’ll try to pre-empt them with some answers:
What are the dates?
01st to 16th March 2025
How many miles will be driven?
Expect 3,500+ miles on the continent, spread over 16 days
What accommodation can I expect?
As with all Pub2Pub trips, you can expect at least 3* hotel accommodation every night
What cars are eligible?
All cars are welcome, though we’d love to get as many Swedish steeds along as possible. So, undertake the trip in your daily driver, your hardy classic, or a specially bought Saab or Volvo, the choice is yours
What modifications are required?
Beyond ensuring your car is ready for the trip, the only compulsory modification is the fitment of winter tyres. However, if you want to go all in, buy an old Impreza and build a winter rally weapon, we certainly won't stop you...
How much is the entry fee?
For a car and up to two people, the entry fee for the two-week trip will be £2,850, covering channel crossings, hotels, a full itinerary, on-the-road support from our trusty Volvo, loan of a two way radio, rally sticker pack, and breakfast on every morning of the trip
To get an idea as to what to expect from this trip from a driving perspective, I would suggest checking out the excellent Harry’s Garage ’Arctic Rolls’ video on YouTube, which you can find here:
Another good primer would be to watch The Grand Tour's recent Scandi Flick episode on Amazon Prime, though I suspect we'll be looking to avoid any crashes in cold war submarine pens in the course of our trip...
And if you have any further questions, or if you’re keen to get involved, get in touch via ben@pub2pubadventures.com – if there’s enough interest in the idea, we’ll run the trip…
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