Off-Roading Again!

We spent Thursday afternoon at the Land Rover Experience at Dunkeld yet again.  This time we were sampling the delights of the Range Rover Sport TDV6, a snip at only £52,390!

It was a lovely day, with the sun burning down (quite literally as I was distinctly red at the end of the day!).  Before we left we were shown a day-old deer, hidden amongst the long grass in the off-road area.  All that could be seen were two ears sticking up and it could just be seen with the aid of strong binoculars.  No-one was allowed any closer for fear of disturbing it.

Off we set with the air-conditioning on maximum, heading up the A9, turning off towards Dalguise, before looping round and returning to the A9 at Ballinluig.  After that it was back to the LRE Centre and onto the off-roading part.

First thing we did was to check the young deer again, as we drove slowly past the bottom of the hill it was hiding on. Still there and seemed to be okay so on we went.

After getting used to the vehicle's astonishing ability to go up and down seemingly impossible slopes again it was on to something different, the rock crawl.  They have a section of rather large rocks and boulders that need two people to get the vehicle across safely, one to drive and one to direct. Ross got out to do the directing, while I sat in air-conditioned comfort watching him and our Instructor, Rob, slowly cook in the sun. It was only a short distance to go but took several minutes as I slowly trickled the Sport forward, turning the wheel when directed, literally inching forward as Ross made sure I didn't damage anything underneath.  Rob was also busy making sure that Ross didn't make any expensive mistakes!

Boulder section clear and we were off into the forest section where it was at least a little more shady. Up and down slopes, squeezing round trees, and enjoying the sight of deer and other wildlife amongst the trees.  It makes a nice change to see a forest with different trees from the all too common pine trees seen nowadays.

Sadly it was soon time to head back to the Centre, but not before having to wait for some of the local deer herd to lazily move out of the way.  They had decided to use the track as a resting place and, while Land Rovers can go virtually anywhere, there are some limits!

Again a big 'Thank You' to all the staff at the Land Rover Experience Centre at Dunkeld ( Tel: +44 (0)844 848 4455 )  who made our latest visit such an enjoyable experience. Also a big 'Thank You' to Land Rover Ltd. who have been so good at letting me loose in their fantastic vehicles. They really are The Best 4x4 By Far.