3500km Knights of the Island rally hits John O'Groats but none of the team had heard of it before
A German vehicle rally billing itself as "the ultimate adventure road trip in the UK" arrived at John O'Groats but none of the drivers had heard of the iconic British location, said the organiser.
Knights of the Island is open to vintage cars, motorbikes, vans and trucks which have to be at least 10 years old and the team travels through whole of Great Britain across 10 days.
"We love it here, you don't see nature like this every day. And luckily the weather is also anything but British," says 25-year-old Jan Lammert from the Black Forest. He is driving the trip together with his father in a 2002 Mitsubishi Pajero converted into a Caper.
There are 75 rally teams from all over Europe involved in the adventure. The route led the rally drivers, who started in Dover, through the Scottish Highlands and finally to John O'Groats. Team members Jan and Jürgen, Tim and Sven, as well as the team "Die Chaoten" from Hamburg say they "are thrilled by the fantastic landscape of Scotland".
None of them, however, had heard of John O'Groats before, but the feeling of being there was "still very special", they admitted.
"You have to realise where we are right now. We are here in a small beautiful place, at the northernmost point of the UK. This is insane," said Florian from Hamburg who is part of Die Chaoten. They are driving the rally in an old VW T4, built in 2001.
The fact that it is forbidden to drive on motorways during the rally does not always make it easy for the teams. This is because the participating cars have to be more than 20-years-old. The brothers Tim and Sven are on the road with their Volvo 240 built in 1992. Tim said: "Especially roads like the Applecross are a real challenge."
The oldest car in the rally is a Citroën Traction Avant, built in 1954, but a 12-tonne and 10-metre-long MAN Kat, built in 1989, also started. For car lovers, this journey is also a bit like a visit to the museum. "There are cars that you wouldn't have expected to make it this far," the drivers joke.
The teams have now left John O'Groats as they have to be at the finishing line in Newcastle today (Tuesday) when the adventure comes to an end. But everyone agreed: "We'll be back!"
