Fun in the Freebie - Italian Alps 2012

After a 2nd successful trip down to Italy in my Freebie, I'd just thought I'd share my holiday vid. Don't ever let people tell you the Freebie is not off road capable... sure, it's not as capable as a Defender, but then they can't travel to Italy and back at 30 MPG and 75 MPH!

If you're interested I went with Alpine Rovers and have made great friends with them, and the other people on the trip..both this year and last. I deffo recommend them!!

Turn the volume on, and watch the vid

Fantastic vid, looks like you had a ball!

Looks very cool....I wanna go! Looks like just the sort of trip I need to justify my freelander purchase. It looks like it was fairly gently off-roading - did you need any special equipment/driving skills?

Do you think it would be suitable for a family holiday, and take a toddler along?

Matt

mattaitch said:

After a 2nd successful trip down to Italy in my Freebie, I'd just thought I'd share my holiday vid. Don't ever let people tell you the Freebie is not off road capable... sure, it's not as capable as a Defender, but then they can't travel to Italy and back at 30 MPG and 75 MPH!

If you're interested I went with Alpine Rovers and have made great friends with them, and the other people on the trip..both this year and last. I deffo recommend them!!

Turn the volume on, and watch the vid

Click to expand...

:clap2: wow, that looks beautiful, i wonder if i can convince my fiance that this kind of holiday would be a good idea:confused2:

Liking that vid
Looks stunning out there and my kind of holiday..

Brilliant vid. How far was the return trip so I can work out how many litres of diesel I would need in my D2?

Gosh! Thanks for all the kind comments about the vid.

mattiker - The Freebie is standard apart from an EGR blank, a leisure battery and roof tent and extra electric sockets for charging bits and bobs (and for the fridge!!). The great thing about Alpine Rovers is that they cater for all 4x4s and can tailor their routes for the vehicles taking part. They are also great at accommodating families, and do stop regularly to ensure the kids get time to explore and stretch their legs.

Whenever we've gone with them they have had families with kids as young a 5 year olds and TBH shouldn't be a prob.

Mike and Mandy who run Alpine Rovers are excellent and I totally trust them each time they say my Freebie will be fine for a certain track. We went a little more rougher this year as my confidence was higher, but they know you also have to travel back in one piece. Fun is the key, and I guarantee you'll have a fantastic time!


videoman... Here's the route I took, with a stop over near Dole. It's approx 900 miles from Dunkirk... allow a day and a half and 3 tanks to get down there...we spent around £350 for the whole trip.

Wow amazing

brilliant vid. I shall have to look into going!

There's no denying that Northern Italy is great.

But you could also try the Austrian Alps.

I'm now addicted to them - especially the mountain passes, and the little unofficial off-road tracks that link what on the tourist maps are shown as dead-end valleys. Ssh - Its meant to be a secret.

The Alps really are the tops.

Singvogel.

We're thinking about doing Italy again next year, but will hopefully pass up through Austria, Switzerland, Germany and Belgium on the way back up so I'll check out the roads through Austria.

The other trip we're considering is Romania with Transylvannia Tours, but will take the D2 for that..it looks a bit more heavy going, and need the extra space for a longer trip.

You can do Dunkirk to Salbertrand (Italy) in one day at a push but I'd recommend staying at La Plage Blanche near Dole on the way down... remember you'll be driving all week so there's no point pushing yourself at the start of your holiday.

It costs about £100 in tolls to get to Italy, and the Tunnel De Frejus is £35, but worth the money as it knocks about 2 hours off the journey.

Also factor in a new air filter for when you get home - it's dusty!!!

Last thing... make sure you have half decent all terrain tyres. When it rains it can get slippy on the rocks and gravel. I run Matador Izzarda at 215 / 65 16. I bottomed out only a couple of times, and nothing serious. It always sounds worse than it is!