Best way to learn/get into off roading?

Hi guys,

I'm a 25 year old doctor living in the West Midlands. I love cars, although I have no been driving for very long, and I am specialising in tropical medicine ie. working in often under developed parts of the world, and have learnt already that among the most important pieces of equipment there is... the Land Rover.

What's more I've also learnt how drivers who don't know how to off road can quickly end up knackering the thing and stranding 5 of us out in the jungle in the rain.

So I've decided that learning to off road might not just be good fun but also pretty practical for myself.

How would you guys advise I get started? I have zero prior experience, I don't have an off roader or access to one and my budget is very limited, so that's a good start...

If your going to be using if for those reasons in the jungle, then I would seriously consider starting with a BORDA course. They will teach you everything you need to know in a short amount of time in a variety of vehicles that they will supply you with. It's not particularly cheap though.

I think I'm experiance and I still learnt more than I thought I would about aspects of offroad driving I hadn't even considered.

I did mine at a place called 'experiance the country' in Milton Keynes. I thought they were good

Deasy said:

If your going to be using if for those reasons in the jungle, then I would seriously consider starting with a BORDA course. They will teach you everything you need to know in a short amount of time in a variety of vehicles that they will supply you with. It's not particularly cheap though.

I think I'm experiance and I still learnt more than I thought I would about aspects of offroad driving I hadn't even considered.

I did mine at a place called 'experiance the country' in Milton Keynes. I thought they were good

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Hey, thanks for the reply!

I had seen about these BORDA courses and just wanted to check that they were the real deal and not just a bit of a ploy. If they're genuinely a good way to get started, I guess I'll go for that.

The question is how to continue getting regular experience after that at anything like an affordable price?

Ciaran said:

Hey, thanks for the reply!

I had seen about these BORDA courses and just wanted to check that they were the real deal and not just a bit of a ploy. If they're genuinely a good way to get started, I guess I'll go for that.

The question is how to continue getting regular experience after that at anything like an affordable price?

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Definitely +1 with daisys suggestion.

After that, then its pay and play days. Turn up in your motor and pay a fee(usually around £20) and have a drive round. In a nut shell

The cheapest way if you want a Land rover would be to buy a disco1 or a series vehicle i think.

PS.

Drop a quick post into the "Introduce yourself" section annorl

Hi Ciaran, welcome to LZ

I wonder if you could get some training paid for by one of the NGO's who you might be working with? Does your Uni/teaching hospital have an outreach/career development type chap?

I'd be ringing WaterAid, Medicines San Frontier etc. speaking to one of their coordinators to see what sort of skills training they provide, or recommend etc.

I imagine mechanical skills would be just as important as driving skills for your situation, so buying a cheap disco and throwing it round on play days would be a win win for the old skill set, because you're bound to break it

Ciaeran,

Look down the list of clubs here:

ALRC Member Clubs

Look at their website, go to a few events and tell them your plans the nearest club will most definatly help you. You can do all the courses in the world and be certified NOTHIMG counts for actual time doing what you want to learn. For £20 a year turn up when you can and take part will be your best by far route into genuine offroading.

Jai www.reconrovers.com

jai_landrover said:

Ciaeran,

Look down the list of clubs here:

ALRC Member Clubs

Look at their website, go to a few events and tell them your plans the nearest club will most definatly help you. You can do all the courses in the world and be certified NOTHIMG counts for actual time doing what you want to learn. For £20 a year turn up when you can and take part will be your best by far route into genuine offroading.

Jai www.reconrovers.com

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Hi, you could try Midland Rover Owners Club, next RTV event is 12 January.

Thanks for the replies guys!

Pumpy said:

Hi Ciaran, welcome to LZ

I wonder if you could get some training paid for by one of the NGO's who you might be working with? Does your Uni/teaching hospital have an outreach/career development type chap?

I'd be ringing WaterAid, Medicines San Frontier etc. speaking to one of their coordinators to see what sort of skills training they provide, or recommend etc.

I imagine mechanical skills would be just as important as driving skills for your situation, so buying a cheap disco and throwing it round on play days would be a win win for the old skill set, because you're bound to break it

Click to expand...

I'm an employee of the NHS, this organisation can't afford to hire enough doctors to stop hospitals around the country from being shut down, I don't think I'll have much luck there haha

In terms of NGOs, MSF aren't particularly helpful with that type of thing, they're a very rigid organisation, you sign up, do your time, and that's it. It's a good idea though, I'll look into others!



You guys are recommending Discoverys, are they a better starter than Defenders?

Ciaran Go to Midland club and have a look see!! Good bunch I hear!!

I worked an an NGO 2004-5 Kabul and Gardez. I passed my driving test built my landrover had it for 6 days then shipped out. I had previous experience driving offroad luckily for me. Also No training course I know of puts you in the real life situation. Many will say assess and then decide and find an alternative. I can tell you real life means you have to get to X at a certain time. The option for not driving in 5 meter visability over a virtually impassable mountain pass with 15 foot snow drifts at 3.00am because you have to deliver 23 jingle trucks of pre-fabbed buildings to site by 10.00am means you in your lil toyota hylux is gonna be leading the way and towing aiding the 20 trucks the whole 125 Clicks over a mountain pass the army have classified as impassable until furthur notice. Preferably without being shot at, falling off a cliff (this happened to another convoy) or ending up in a mine field.

Trialling will teach you how to respond to terrain all different kinds if you can make it. dont buy ANYTHING. You dont need fancy suspension or anything most NGO's will have a basic model spec probably a Toyota hylux or surf maybe a Landrover usually 300tdi basic spec.

Go to the club take their advice (for trials they may pursuade you to go for 2 inch suspension lift) which is aimed to improve the vehicle for trials not what you wish to do tho.

Hi, if you do decide to pop along to MROC on the 19th keep an eye on the website and Facebook page as the venue may shift if we keep having the amount of rain we have had. Land owner may not want us their but we have a back up site that's not a problem.