It may have been five years in the planning, but Dan Spokes's trans-continental journey to Russia was well worth the effort
It took five months for Dan Spokes to drive his Bristol bus from the UK to Siberia and back – but it took nearly five years to plan it. "We bought the bus for £2,500 in 2003," says Dan. "But then spent £25,000 and four years doing it up!"
As a classic-car restorer Dan had some prior experience, but the bus project was something else. "We handcrafted every panel," says Dan. "We did it up inside and out."
By the time the bus was ready for the road it had a full-size kitchen, shower, flushing toilet and collapsible roof to contend with the overhangs on the Karakoram Highway, though this proved unnecessary. "The planning went well, except for our dealings with the Pakistani Embassy. Our applications just 'disappeared'. In the end we had to change our route."
Dan ended up driving across Europe, through Turkey, up into Georgia, down through Iran and into Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Russia before returning via Scandinavia. But he wouldn't change a thing. "We experienced everything from 50°C in the Turkmen Desert to the Arctic Circle."
The highlight of the trip was the people along the way. "Everywhere we went people smiled and waved," recalls Dan. "The bus became a real celebrity." In Georgia they received a heroes welcome: Tbilisi is twinned with Bristol and they headed there to deliver hearing aids. Five TV channels turned up to film the bus's journey.
Officials were equally friendly – bar one Swiss policeman who deemed the bus '10cm too high for Switzerland' and turned them out of the country. "We got pulled over in Uzbekistan and were asked to return to the border checkpoint," says Dan. "Not because we were in trouble, but because they wanted us to have lunch with them!"
Has Dan got any advice for those following in his bus tracks? "Planning is key. Everything was scheduled. We had specific days on which we had to cross borders. We also had to budget carefully for petrol: it ranged from 2p a litre in Iran to £1.50 a litre in Norway. But it all worked well; it was a very practical and reliable vehicle for the trip. I'd recommend it. In fact, anyone want to buy a bus?"
