The Sahara Challenge
Bailey of Bristol, in association with the Caravan and Motorhome Club, will be embarking on a new and inspiring 3,500-mile intercontinental caravan and motorhome adventure in March.
The ‘Sahara Challenge’ will set off from the company’s South Liberty Lane production facility in Bristol on Sunday 8th March, travel through Spain and Portugal across the Strait of Gibraltar into Morocco over the Atlas Mountains and as far south as the edge of the Sahara Desert – the birthplace of the original caravans – before arriving back in Bristol on Friday 27th March.
This time the company will be taking two caravans (a pair of Discovery D4-4 models) pulled by SsangYong towing vehicles and one motorhome (an Alliance SE 76-4T). The marathon journey will take 20 days to complete with the team experiencing a range of potentially extreme road and weather conditions along the way.
As with all Bailey leisure vehicles, the ‘Sahara Challenge’ caravans and motorhome are built using the company’s patented Alu-Tech body shell construction system. This award winning technology creates vehicles that are more robust, more durable and yet lighter than those manufactured using conventional methods to keep owners comfortable, safe and secure all year round. To date over 65,000 Bailey caravans and motorhomes have been built using this method and are currently being enjoyed all over the world.
This latest long-distance endurance test follows three similar journeys taken with Bailey leisure vehicles in recent years:
West to East Challenge 2015: 3,500 miles from the west coast to the east coast of Australia through the centre of the country with two Bailey Alu-Tech caravans
Arctic Adventure 2017: 5,000 miles from the UK to Northern Finland inside the Arctic Circle and back with two Bailey Alu-Tech caravans and one motorhome
Bristol to Bosphorus 2018: 5,000 miles from the UK to Istanbul and back, taking in 21 countries in 21 days with two Bailey Alu-Tech caravans and one motorhome
The Sahara Challenge vehicles will be driven by, amongst others: Simon Howard (Marketing Director, Bailey of Bristol); Nick Lomas (Director General, the Caravan and Motorhome Club); Lee Davey (Freelance Journalist and Bailey Brand Ambassador); and Andy Torbet (Outdoor Adventurer and new Bailey Brand Ambassador). Throughout the journey, the core team will be also joined by a wide range of guests including media representatives from both inside and outside the industry.
Talking about the forthcoming trip Bailey Marketing Director Simon Howard, said:
“Since the introduction of our Alu-Tech construction system over ten years ago we have continued to put our leisure vehicles through their paces both on the proving grounds and cold chambers, as well as on a series of real-life tests across the globe.”
“In addition to providing a thorough technical examination of our products, the twenty-day adventure will also show that you are really only limited by your imagination as to where a caravan or motorhome can take you, and that we love using our vehicles as much as our customers do.”
Nick Lomas, Caravan and Motorhome Club Director General said:
“We are delighted to be supporting the Sahara Challenge. Here at the Caravan and Motorhome Club we want to encourage as many people as possible to have leisure vehicle adventures – whether they are touring 3,500 miles or 35 miles – we want to inspire future generations of new touring holidaymakers. The Sahara Challenge will be the adventure of a lifetime, there will be varying weather and road conditions, there will also be so many iconic sights and landmarks to experience along the way. Leisure vehicles really open up the world for adventure.”
As they travel towards the Sahara, the team will post regular blogs/vlogs and social media updates via the Bailey and the Caravan and Motorhome Club social media channels using #SaharaChallenge
Bailey of Bristol would like to thank the following organisations, in addition to the Caravan and Motorhome Club and SsangYong, for their support of the Sahara Challenge:
