Thirty years after taking a Land Rover to the top of Ben Nevis, a group of intrepid 4×4 enthusiasts made a more sedate journey to a restaurant near Glamis to recall a motoring feat unlikely to ever be repeated.
Inspired by previous petrol-powered ascents of the 4,409ft-high mountain including the first in 1911, when a Model T Ford made it all the way to the top of Britain’s highest mountain the Angus group chose the legendary Land Rover as their mount in early June 1984.
At the weekend reunion in the Park Tavern at Roundyhill in Angus, tales were swapped of the huge effort required to get to the top of the mountain and how experts from the Solihiull marque were made to eat their words.
One of the group, David Orr from Kirriemuir said: “There were 24 men in the Kirriemuir team that reached the crown of the Ben at 11.45am on Tuesday June 5 1984.”
He said the Angus adventurers had sought the advice of Land Rover in the lead-up to the challenge but had been told by the firm it was it unlikely any four-wheel drive vehicle would reach the summit, given the state of the Ben Nevis track at the time.
The Kirrie machine was fitted with special tyres to help it through the boggier peat areas and the Angus group then successfully ploughed on to the peak, raising almost £7,000 for the bone marrow unit at the Glasgow University.
Mr Orr said: “I think it’s a feat that will never be repeated as you can imagine the John Muir Trust, who now own the Ben, would not want to have anyone driving up there.”
“It was great for the 15 of us to share our many memories of the trip. Indeed, there were many stories told that many of us who were there had never even heard before.”