Land Rover adventure through Africa

AUTHOR: Peter Fleming and his book In the Middle of Nowhere.

Peter Fleming, from Waikanae, has self-published a book featuring a rugged Land Rover journey he did through Africa many years ago.

The book, In the Middle of Nowhere, retraces his five month journey between 1980 and 1981.

Peter had been working in Oman for about four years with British Aerospace while converting old Land Rover into a campervan during his spare time.

Together with Dawn Quinn-Havey, who was his girlfriend at the time, they set off in the Land Rover with no precise plans other than eventually arriving back in England.

Their journey took them south through Sudan, across the Central African Republic, through Nigeria, across the Sahara Desert and into Morocco.

Peter described the evolving adventure as "brilliant" and noted it was undertaken in an age when there was no internet, GPS, mobile phones, ATMs and through a route that was open and peaceful.

The trip had many highlights from the people they met including pygmies in a small village, through to stunning scenery as well as a few challenges including getting lost in the Sahara for a night, tipping the Land Rover on its side, being hijacked on a ferry across a river, to navigating rough roads and tracks.

But overall the pair felt safe and welcome and their trusty Land Rover withstood the many riqours albeit with a few repairs here and there.

The pair kept a comprehensive daily dairy and took about 500 photo slides.

Peter wrote the bulk of the book in 1981, which included the Sudan experience, but didn't come back to the project until about 2015.

With the daily diary and his memories he was able to finish the book, which had started out as way to cover the many photographs taken on the trip as well as create a story for him and Dawn.

He was pleased with the book which he felt was "readable and interesting" and "ideal for a bit of armchair travelling."

Peter said as parts of the book covered Nigeria and Sudan, and because of the current problems in those countries, he was donating all the royalties to relief organisation Medecines Sans Frontieres.

The 314 page book is available via Amazon in either paperback version or e-book.