Friday 27th May 2016

An evening with Kingsley Holgate: PH Blog

Want to get across Africa? Here's a man who most definitely favours Defender over Hilux

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Sitting around the grandiose table in the Royal Geographical Society, a burly South African gentleman with an epic beard holding an ancient Zulu talking stick transports us from London to the Kalahari Desert. Suddenly we're sitting around the campfire, listening to predators howling in the darkness as he relays his expedition stories.

Kingsley Holgate isn't a name everyone will be familiar with, especially in the motoring community. But this modern-day David Livingstone has explored every country in Africa, set out to discover the heart of the continent and, on the way, helped deliver malaria vaccines, spectacles and Life Straw water purification devices as part of his work for his own Kinglsey Holgate Foundation. Oh, and he likes an old Land Rover or two as well...

Having owned plenty in his lifetime and described the vehicle as "a way of life" he is an obvious choice as a brand ambassador, telling tales of swapping insults with Toyota drivers and the realities of dealing with bureaucracy and corruption. As he says, a spare seat can go a lot further than a bribe.

"Local knowledge is local safety," as he puts it.

Paying tribute to the end of Defender production, and the switch to the more modern Discovery, Kingsley and a team drove 10 Land Rover Series Is up the Sani Pass through the mountains of Lesotho earlier this year. After first being conquered by a Land Rover back in 1950, the 1,332m climb is being modernised and losing some of the rugged charm that made it such a challenge back in the day. As a swansong for how it should be done and the kind of trip that sealed the Land Rover legend you couldn't find a more fitting tribute.

Nikolai

[Sources: Mountain Passes SA]

 

[AndySA]

This Gentleman is an absolute legend, I have been following his exploits for years.

[only1ian]

Hiked the drakenbergs around Sani Pass, beautiful. Its an epic drive fron Durban at Sea level to 13300ft at the top of the pass in 8 hours. Sad to hear it's being modernised although it was an absolute death trap!

Although after a drink at the pub at the top the way down seemed much safer....

Edited by only1ian on Saturday 28th May 04:01

[luckystrike]

As a complete aside those photographs are incredible.

[Touffaye]

I have had a few Defenders in Africa but, if you want the real deal and the most reliable of all 4x4s, go Lancruiser 76-79 series. They are more comfortable (all relative), extremely tough and, super reliable. You just cannot kill these things. Put a bakkie on top of these and you're in 4x4 heaven.

[gforceg]

All that and a dab of oppo.

Possibly...

[sisu]

Touffaye said:

I have had a few Defenders in Africa but, if you want the real deal and the most reliable of all 4x4s, go Lancruiser 76-79 series. They are more comfortable (all relative), extremely tough and, super reliable. You just cannot kill these things. Put a bakkie on top of these and you're in 4x4 heaven.

It is the Aga Stove of off roaders.