Three pals and their 30-year-old Volvo have cruised through a 2,500-mile journey from Angus to the Arctic Circle.
Alan Falconer, Stephen Woods and Archie Cook enjoyed a trouble-free run to northern Norway in their Scots to the Arctic fundraiser for Prostate Scotland.
And the friends have started out on the return journey to Scotland in Alan’s 1993 240SE Estate.
As well as clocking up the miles, the fundraising tally has being steadily rising and sits at almost £4,000.
Trouble-free trip
Alan says it has been an epic adventure.
“We travelled 2,548 miles in five days,” said the 60-year-old joiner.
“The car has been the star of the show with no breakdowns.
“Archie tightened up a front wheel bearing, which started to rumble in France, but it’s been great ever since.”
The 100,000-mile estate car was given a hero’s welcome at the Volvo museum in Gothenburg, where the trio enjoyed a VIP tour.
“We travelled through nine countries on the way,” added Alan.
“En route we crossed the amazing Øresund Bridge linking Sweden and Denmark, which was a tick off Stephen’s bucket list.”
Motoring adventures
The kilted Scots made many new friends on the journey.
It’s the latest in a series of unusual charity road trips.
“We were pulled over at the Denmark border by a guard who had lived in Edinburgh playing bagpipes for six months.
“He joked he had never met three sober Scotsmen in a car before, showed us a picture on his phone of him with his kilt and bagpipes and then waved us on our way,” added Alan.
“It’s been great fun, we camped one night in France and did Air BnB the rest of the journey.”
The pals live close to each other at Duntrune and set off early on Friday morning.
They reached the Arctic Circle Centre at Storforshei on Tuesday afternoon.
“Everyone’s been really interested in what we’re doing,” Alan said.
“That’s what it’s all about, trying to raise as much as we can for Prostate Scotland.”
They are now homeward bound on the return leg through spectacular Scandinavian scenery.
The Scots to the Arctic have a Justgiving page which you can donate to here.
