Stutopia

You know the rules; pictures or it didn't happen! Looking like he is heading for with all this teasing She was the first woman in Sweden to shoot a Lynx! Before vegies go mental, I'm not condoning it, just stating a fact.

That's a great photo of a great bit of kit. It now has a couple of love marks from uneven surfaces but it copes much better than the bit of plastic that was previously hanging off there.

It's been awesome mate, and today has been the pinnacle, so far. If you ever really fancy it, I can't speak highly enough of these guys, they were superb. The bikes had only done 1500km and were fast enough to burn off the locals and the guide was excellent, spoke the Queens and even set up a fire and cooked us lunch. In fact they recommended the log cabins I'm wrtting this from. http://www.snowmobilelapland.com Normally they do a three day package, two days on skidoos (I'm shattered after one) and then the third day they take you ice drifting on a (more heavily I hope) frozen lake in some, wait for it, VOLVOS. Sadly we can only do one day but I have a feeling I'll be back again Just fell in love with another Swedish hotel worker, when she's not running the hotel she hunts moose!

So today has been absolutely epic. 6 hours on skidoos bashing the shizzle out of snow. 600cc of goodness, which is good for about 65 mph in prime conditions, plenty fast enough for a noob like me. Nothing makes you feel more James Bond than blasting over a frozen lake at 50 into a blizzard, phenomenal! We had big problems finding a skiddo tour that was still open, spring has sprung and the lakes are starting to thaw. Fortunately one local stunt bike rider was brave enough to take us out there. Up mountains, down ski slopes, along forest fire breaks, across valleys and over said lakes. The problem with a thawing iake is that there are wet bits and you can @*!# yourself if you're not careful when you see the water you naturally want to slow down, this is incorrect! Today I learnt two things: 1) if the guide does a u-turn and burns off the lake, you forget the safety briefing and proceed as fast as you can back the way you came 2) nailing the throttle is the emergency procedure for nearly all "moments" on a snowmobile.

I can't believe this hasn't gone already, it's a beauty!

This looks stunning, really nice mods you've done mate

No spoiler, no splitter. Keep a classic nice and clean! Don't want it turning into one of those "molested" examples

Well the Swedish Bar Lady is now a distant, warm memory for when I get some alone time. However, good news is that we are now in Sweden Driven 300 Ks and not been through a town with a cash point yet and need to have £300 in cash each for tomorrow AM for skidoo razzing. Sadly the nearest cash machine is 4 hours round trip away - yes 4 HOURS!!! The decision to leave the Zed behind paid off today, although the pic in the post above shows some light flake down by the sea, once we ascended 300 metres it all went a bit turbo. The friendly policeman yesterday warned us about our tyres, and we're running winters, now I know why everyone had studs in the towns - even when the roads were spotless. This is the only pic I could manage before I was too scared to drive and hold a phone together. Got some gopro for when we get back. It actually totally whited out on 3 occasions, as in, you can't see past the end of your bonnet - not the fog lights in front, not the helpful ski poles along the side demarking the road. Fully bricked it, particularly when a snow plough came barreling towards us at an insane speed Car pulled fine but brakes were simply a token gesture :scare: We foolishly pulled in to let some mental locals through that we were holding up and that was the 640D stuck, rubbish Pirellis. Fortunately, not so stuck that we couldn't rock it out. Crept down in the end and was glad to finally see bits of tarmac, albeit on the wrong side of the road, but that didn't stop me using it once visibility went up Just got time for a sauna before tea.

Any lingering regrets I had about not bringing the Zed have evaporated this morning! Got 6 hours to do today

Are the beers for you or for her? That's for my courage, for her, she'll need at least half a dozen shots

I was tempted but it meant 4 more days off work, the winter rubber came off in March and I would have been hugely frustrated by the 50mph limits all round Norway. TBF I've enjoyed the X3's softer ride and high up view for touring around doing 4-8 hour driving days and it's much easier to load and unload and it doesn't seem to mind the bits of snow and ice at all so far.

And you provide us with pictures of the view from the window? Poor show, Stu, poor show! I'll see if she's up for a selfie in two more beers.

Total whiteout! It's like being in an episode of Fortitude but with more cops You're dead right Wendy, snow FTW, beach sucks Matt - wait 'til you see the road/salt grime after 2000km. You need to book a flight and bring three buckets. I was tempted to drive through an automatic car wash today, just as a guilty pleasure

Up on top it was 1C Kev but down here in Rognan it's a sweltering 8C none of it has been really, really cold yet but it is Early Spring. Just watched a mate demolish a reindeer for tea and having a drink with a none too shabby view across the table (that's without mentioning the drop dead gorgeous Swedish bar lady )

Couple more. Been to Hell and back as well as the Circle.

Mid road trip in Norway but had to post this pic. Next time the UK grinds to a halt after 3 inches of snow I'll be thinking of this place! I'll do a proper write up with decent pics when I get back but I've been blown away by their ability to keep mountain roads open, despite 2 metres of snow and also that the whole place has 3G! We're in the back of beyond and my download speed is 15 meg! My mate who lives in the Lake District gets 0.5 over his landline Loving the trip so far, despite being shopped to the local Fedz today by a truck driver for overtaking. To be fair they were very decent and sent us on our way. Most of the country is 50mph and you can do time for being as little as 15 KMH (not mph) over the limit. So we're being very careful. Great country so far, Sweden tomorrow. The x-drive BMW X3 3L oil burner has been superb so far! PS - also made it to the Arctic Circle.

You alright mate, do you have a oil catch can fitted? Thanks That's what she 'Zed' :-/ No OCC, just the coolant overflow tank.

Got a weapon-r It's a bit bigger, we just filled it up a good way, bled it and then checked it. Seems to large enough that I have no cooling issues, touch wood. Chris @ Tarmac might be able to sort you out if you drop him a PM

Nice write up mate

Quad exhausts FTW. Better still, one for each cylinder

In the back of beyond Norway now. Having seen 40% EVs in Oslo, the Leaves have dried up, as have the Yorkshire Edition VW E-Ups. Teslas are still rocking it out here, parked behind the P85D on the fjord ferry.

I'd think brake dust fits (especially as the ferrodos are known dusters) as it would hit the barrel in a very clear line/circle (as per the pics) as the disc spins and centrifugal force throws it off outward?

Are those spots not a bit of rusty water off the disk, after the car's sat for a while, then been out for a spin, then sat again?

Do you mean for you? Or as a viable product for the marketplace?

Good luck with raising some funds mate