The build up to the trip provided skinned knuckles, hair stuck down with old engine oil and the general aroma of panic. How do you make a 1985 London ambulance fit for a 7000km journey!

Before setoff we had some major engine problems, so much so, that we thought it less risky to buy another engine out of a monster truck project than to repair the existing one. With the help of a comprehensive Haynes manual and some willing friends, a jerry rig was erected from scaffold poles, A frame ladders and an old wooden horse, a structure probably not fit for heaving engines out of ambulances, but with friends, family, hope and prayers the engines were swapped and the lumberbus sings to a different tune.

Words: Hugo Pullen | Photos: Dora Damian

This trip has been in the pipeline ever since Hugo bought Bertie off Peat the Pipes. It finally materialised when Dora met Hugo and their travelling dreams came to fruition in the form of a 7000km pan european tour in an upcycled 1985 Bedford CF Ambulance (Bertie).

So it is time we say goodbye to the charming small town of Wimborne, Hugo's home for the past 24 years.

The aim is to breakdown in as few countries as possible...

Expect to see us on the side of the road in Amsterdam; on a recovery truck in Berlin; being towed by horses through Lublin and pushing the home straight from Bucharest through the Alps, France and finally the UK. We will also be able to offer the unique experience of cruising around with us - if you think you are brave enough to travel in Bertie the lumberbus check in on Blablacar.com. Alternatively, contact Hugo or Dora.

“What is that feeling when you're driving away from people and they recede on the plain till you see their specks dispersing? - it's the too-huge world vaulting us, and it's good-bye. But we lean forward to the next crazy venture beneath the skies.”
― Jack Kerouac, On the Road

Words: Hugo Pullen | Photos: Dora Damian