What better way to spend a chilly Sunday morning in October. Up early to get everyone fed and watered and out of the house in time for the 8.30 am driver's briefing at Crystal Palace in South London. We only live about 8 miles away and still managed to be late!

This event - the first of its kind - is set to become a regular and well attended feature of the Land-Rover calendar. Originally it was set to take place mid-September but the Fuel Crisis intervened and it was postponed for a month.

I really do not envy the hardworking souls at the South London and Surrey Land-Rover Club with the monumental organisation effort this must have taken.

Well over 200 vehicles lined up for the start, every Solihull product from early Series 1s to brand new Discoverys and everything in between were represented, coming from as far afield as Glasgow.

It took quite a while to get everyone started, out of the park and on to the bemused streets of South London but the carnival atmosphere more than made up for any delays. We ended up near the back and our navigational strategy - as well as quite a few others it seems - was to 'follow him in front' this worked fine for a while until a few sets of traffic lights intervened and split us up into smaller groups.

At one point our happy little group met another happy little group coming the other way, total bewilderment ensued with both groups trying to turn around to follow the others. I'm not sure if someone actually new where they were going or just took pot-luck but we eventually found our way onto the right road.

Once out off suburbia the ride was gentle and uneventful. It really is no fun anymore if people make sure that their vehicles are well maintained and up for it. We only saw a handful of parked vehicles and these could have just stopped for supplies. I had envisioned passing at least one rig with 20 bodies under the bonnet, but nothing.

By the time we reached Brighton Sea Front the weather had picked up and we were bathed in glorious sunshine. The Club had arranged for the whole of Madeira Drive to be cordonned off four our use so we had no problems parking up when we got there.

We were issued with 'Vehicle History' sheets to complete and stick to the front of the vehicle. This was a great idea as it got everyone walking and talking. Some were pretty close to being family heirlooms whilst some others were strictly working vehicles.

There were a few trade stands on the seafront and even a live band to keep us entertained. However being in the posession of a two-year-old in sight of Brighton pier and its accompanying funfair soon drew us away from the Solihull fun to a far more costly kiddie fun on the pier.

I think without exception everyone had a fantastic day. It may only be a 60 mile drive and on tarmac at that but there really was a spirit of adventure. we eventually arrived home after 8 pm, choosing to spend the whole day there.

Make sure you book for next year I'm sure this is set to become a massive event very soon!

Thanks to everyone at South London and Surrey Land-Rover Club