[dropcap size=big]N[/dropcap]avigate your way through some of the world’s most famous roads and spectacular high mountain passes on the journey of a lifetime.
The Outward Bound Trust’s Rusty Rally returns in 2017 to challenge a new crop of participants to navigate their way through some of the world’s most famous driving roads in an old banger. It is a European adventure challenge worthy of a Top Gear special, with the bonus of luxury hotels and restaurants booked for each night of the epic journey.
In the Rusty Rally, entrants compete in teams of at least two, navigating Europe’s spectacular driving roads and traversing six countries in three days – in a car worth at most £500.
There are two established routes: The ‘Italian Route’ which will run from the 8th to the 11th of June, and the ‘Viking Route’, which will be held over the 14th to the 17th of September. The routes will be between 800 to 1000 miles and see The Rusty Rally Headquarters relocate to a different town each evening, in which competitors will get together to swap tales of adventure.
The beautiful ‘Italian Route’ travels through France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and Switzerland towards its final destination by the Italian Lakes. The rally is not a race, so teams are encouraged to stop off along the way and create their own European adventure. Teams from previous rallies have visited military sites, sampled French cuisine, cruised through the famous Black Forest, had lunch by the towering Rhine Falls, driven over one of The Alps’ highest mountain passes and relaxed by the shores of the tranquil Lake Como (a regular hangout for the likes of George Clooney).
The Vikings will blaze a trail through Northern Europe, crossing France, Belgium, Holland, Germany and Denmark on their way to Sweden in a stunning and scenic adventure north. Picture rolling landscapes, towering windmills, pretty canals, jaw dropping bridges and coastlines and beautiful Nordic towns. Drive past old-fashioned windmills and park up at the picturesque Edam cheese market for an alternative Dutch experience.
The challenge is for a good cause as well, raising funds for The Outward Bound Trust, which contributes to bursary schemes that give disadvantaged young people a chance at life-changing education. Each team will strive to raise a target of £10,000, and all of that will go to The Outward Bound Trust’s bursaries.
For the full details and to complete an application form to enter, see The Rusty Rally’s website at www.rustyrally.org.uk