Our Favourite Photos
We took over 5,000 photos when we were on the road for 265 days. Blimey! Here are Steve’s favourite per stage. Mega!!
Go YouTube Crazy
We uploaded 156 youtube clips on our journey. Get yourself a cup of tea, sit back and enjoy …
In the news, around the world
Everyone loves fire engines right? Here are a few clips from around the world of Martha and the team on television news. First up, Singapore …
Dedication’s what you need…
High Point: Being a World Record holder!
Low Point: Saying a final goodbye to Martha
Challenge: Records are there to be broken but I honestly think ours is almost impossible to even have a sniff at breaking.
Christmas Presents: Get the 2012 Guinness World Record book for everyone you know! We made it into one of the best books in the world!
A fitting end: After picking up the Guinness World Record with some of the team I headed back to Wimborne. Just me, Martha, the record, and the open road. It seemed very fitting to park the truck at my family home for her final day.
In an11th hour stop press moment we arrived at Guinness World Records to an incredible reception from their entire office! Just a week before we were working around the clock for 4 days to assemble what looked like a final year FTFE dissertation. To confirm our miles and route we needed to collate an incredible amount of evidence for Guinness. For myself, James and Amy it seemed nothing had changed. Only a day back from the big adventure and we we still dashing every where in the truck, working to the early hours on routes and customs documents and still wearing our FTFE crew T-shirts! Not the return to normality we were hoping for! Read more →
We did it !!!
After 9 months the Follow That Fire Engine arrive back in Greenwich.
Your crew ..
Steve Moore, Chris Moore, Ross Shepley-Smith, George Troughton, Ben Battye, Ben Haslett, James Morrow, David Orders, Ailsa Fereday, Paul Barham, James Stevens, Michelle Mahoney, Lyndsey Baker, Seve Poderoso, Amy Harpin, Louise Mahoney, Fuad Sulejmanovic, Kate Bartishel, Chris Hallward, Rob Poderoso, Valerie Keith, Gemma Rowlan, Steve Shoppman, Matt Haynes and Mehul Patel.
Day 265: Où est la piscine
High Point: A vintage fire fighters helmet from 1931 that had been handed down to fire fighters in Voray sur l’Ognon was presented to Steve, very humbling. Steve says it’s easily the coolest thing we’ve ever been given!
Low point: Steve winning no swear Friday yet again, even after a strong start from Matt, potty mouth
An early visit to St Remy fire station to start the day, where the fire fighters and mayoral representative provided us with a tour of the fire station and a well needed cup of coffee, the fire fighters were amazed at the miles that the crew have been covered in 9 months.
They very kindly presented us with a commemorative plate and fire station tops, unfortunately Steve was given a captains shirt, and cap, so was unbearable, he even had the audacity to ask the captain for his actual rank badge, which he obliged with. His cap no longer fits his head! ;o)
Day 264: Donde est Andorra?
Barcelona to St Remy
High Point: The drive through the gorgeous Pyrenees Mountains on route to Andora
Low Point : The meat in my salad has yet be confirmed as chicken, beef or pork…. oh dear L
Crew Point: Congratulations must go to Matt Haynes who has also impressed the crew with some incredible FTFE firsts…
- Turning up on his first crew day in one of the worst Hawaiian shirts ever made.
- Declaring himself an afternoon driver only.
- Deciding the daily truck checks were “not his speciality” and watching from the cab.
- Asking the crew after 5 minutes of his first day in Martha “Is this it? What do you do now?” None of us knew how to answer it …
- Setting a world record opening hour tally in “no swear Friday”
- Needing the offer of beer to finish his first blog.
Disclaimer
It should also be noted he has organised some cracking press in both Spain and France and his enormous generosity to the charity!
Day 263: Having a Mayor
High Point: The reception we received in Torrevieja town square
Low Point: Eating six bags of prawn crackers
No Point: Police escort out of town but still being stuck in traffic (although it was a nice touch)
Location: El Chaparrel to Barcelona
Authors Comments:
When Steve mentioned his plan to drive a fire engine around the world firstly I thought he was nuts, but then I already knew that! Secondly I thought, is he going to ask me to tackle the tricky parts of Russia, the wonders of Asia? No Steve knew I would suit the short burst at the end and all the associated glory! Read more →
Day 262: Circumnavigation for the nation
Day 262: Circumnavigation
High point: Hitting our second antipode which means we’re even closer to completing full global circumnavigation, oh yeah!
Low point: Waking up freezing and convinced our tent was going to blow away in the gale force winds
No point: Why do Mehul and Steve keep speaking to the bewildered locals in French? Who is Delboy and who is Rodders? “Mange tout Rodney, mange tout”.
Quote of the day: ‘Merci beacoup’
I’m a big fan of camping but my four seasons sleeping bag just doesn’t cut the mustard, on top of that the wind howling all night and rattling the tent didn’t make for the best sleep I ever had, but I mustn’t grumble.
So far we have raised GBP £120,000
