New Event in the UK for 4x4 and Expedition Vehicle Drivers
 

Hi All,

For those of you that might not be familiar with it, the HU event at Ripley in Derbyshire has been running at the same location since 2003, with the last one a little over five weeks ago. Although it started as a gathering specifically for motorcycle adventurers, in recent years there's been growing interest from Land Rover and other 4x4 drivers.

Sam Manicom and I organised the Ripley event on behalf of HU, and since it finished we've been burning the candle at both ends planning things for next year. After lots of discussion with Grant and Susan, taking account of everything we've learned and all the feedback received, we've come to the firm conclusion that it's time for something new.

We're therefore really excited to announce that the UK Summer Travellers' Meeting is being completely re-invented to create a brand new event for all overland adventure travellers at a cracking new venue near Donington Park.

The name for the new event is HUBB UK and it's going to be taking place from Thursday 30th May to Sunday 2nd June 2013. Get the date in your diaries! :)

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/eve...ubbuk-logo.jpg

The event will have something for everyone, combining all the best bits from the past with lots of new features, and to better reflect the HU community it'll be an event aimed equally at 4x4 drivers, motorcyclists and cyclists.

There's still lots to do before we're ready to properly reveal all the details of the event, so please bear with us until early September when the event's web pages will go online and pre-registration will be up and running.

In the meantime, if you've done (or are doing) a big 4-wheeled journey, or if you have some expert technical knowledge to share, please have a think about giving a presentation or 4x4 specific demo/workshop at the new event.

Keep an eye on the HUBB or follow the hashtag #HUBBUK on Twitter for further news.


Cheers

Iain Harper
HU Event Organiser

Great idea guys

And its just up the road from me, I can turn up on thursday night and go to work still on friday

Hi Iain,
For the ones that live further than around the corner and could not join the event, is there a link or site where we can find some forwarders or adds on transports?
I am looking at sharing a container to the US and back for summer 2013.
Cheers !
Topan

You've already got it covered with this thread, which is the right way to go about finding someone to share a container.

You'll also find lots of shipping-related information under the "On The Road" menu above.

Good luck with it all. :)

Facebook Event Page
 

As well as this thread and the #HUBBUK hashtag on Twitter, another way to get updates and notification of when full details go online is to "Join" the HUBB UK event page on Facebook.

Pre-registration is now open!
 

I'm pleased to report that the HUBB UK event pages are now online.

Event updates will be posted in this thread, where you'll find a quick summary of the main event details.

Land Rover and Unimog News
 

Just updated the main HUBB UK page following confirmation that Land Rover World magazine will be in the HUBB Zone at the event and its editor will be giving presentations about winching and recovery plus travelling with children.

As well as a presentation from Rich Clafton, we now also have Unimog adventurers Merv and Sarah Colton hosting a live webchat from somewhere in South America.

Iain
The twitter link returns a 'no tweet result' and the same applies if you do a search.
Can I suggest you 'tweet' something so that we can find you:)
Cheers
Ralph

#HUBBUK and @HorizonsUnlimit
 

Ah yes, so it does. Thanks for pointing that out Ralph.

Twitter only maintains a hashtag archive for a little while, so will be tweeting with it more frequently as new things get announced.

For general reference (for everyone) the hashtag for the HUBB UK event is #HUBBUK and the main Twitter account for HU is @HorizonsUnlimit

Toby Savage and 4x4 Forum
 

With 230 days to go (and only 19 until the pre-registration price goes up), the HUBB UK event page has been updated again....

Joining Simon Ward-Hastelow from Land Rover World magazine will be Toby Savage with a presentation about his epic 2,000 mile journey across the Sahara with two 1943 Jeeps, retracing routes used by the Long Range Desert Group in WW2.

Also pleased to confirm that Tom McGuigan will be in the HUBB Zone representing his 4x4 Overland Forum and the Adventure Overland Show.

Adventure-Spec.com Sponsors HUBB UK
 

We're delighted to announce Adventure-Spec.com as the new sponsor of the HUBB UK event in 2013.

As you'll discover on their website, and on their stand at the event itself, Adventure-Spec manufactures, distributes and retails the very best parts and accessories for adventure overlanders. Based in West Yorkshire, the company was co-founded by Dave Lomax who's been a loyal supporter of Horizons Unlimited (and an ever-popular presenter) since our very first UK event over 12 years ago.

Adventure-Spec is providing financial support for HUBB UK, along with extensive event promotion, an adventure cycling clinic, several fantastic presentations, the donation of a £500 Klim voucher to the charity raffle in aid of Prostate Cancer UK, and a 3-day adventure riding holiday in Spain for the winner of our prize draw.

They'll also be screening 'Adventure Motorcycle Morocco' and bringing along their sponsored Enduro rider, Graham Jarvis, to give demonstrations of his incredible bike-handling skills and offer some expert instruction about off-road riding techniques.

As part of our effort to make HUBB UK the most enjoyable and inspiring Horizons Unlimited event ever, a great deal of work has been going on behind-the-scenes over the past couple of months to secure an event sponsor.

We'd therefore like to express our grateful thanks to Dave and his team for their generosity and continuing support.

Last Chance to Pre-Register at £45
 

A quick HUBB UK update and an important reminder....

Margaret and Mike Hingley have now confirmed they'll be presenting at the event and talking about vehicle prep, route planning, and how they explored southern Africa in their Land Rover 110.

4x4 Overlander and Vampire 4x4 Tours will be exhibiting in the Adventure Travel Zone, along with Adventure Trucks who're making a special trip over from Holland.

Today is the last opportunity to pre-register at the most-discounted rate of £45 per person. The website will switch-over to £55 at around 11pm tonight (UK time).

All the latest event info is here and the main pre-registration form is here.

Vote for your preferred Region
 

The HUBB UK schedule is going to include three 90-minute discussion sessions - each one about a different region of the world. The idea is to provide an opportunity for people who've travelled in each region to share their experience and advice with those who are planning trips and have lots of questions.

Each session will have a moderator to help things along, but other than that they'll be completely open and very informal.

We'd like to leave the choice about which regions get covered entirely up to you, so we've set up a simple voting page here.

Just pick the region you're most interested in and click the button. The three regions that get the most votes will be the ones that go in the event schedule.

Thanks.

Would love to share our experiences
 

Hi guys,

We've just arrived in Cape Town after our 6 month journey through Africa.

Looking forward to sharing our experiences with fellow members.

Hope to see you there next year!!

Congratulations on making it to Cape Town!

Perhaps you'd like to be one of our presenters?

Fantastic! I can almost see your smiles!

Time is flying by! It's only 140 days to go before the HUBB UK kicks off. It's all coming together splendidly - lots of new presenters and trade companies are now registered. Check out the Overland vehicle companies that have signed up to be with us all. And there's something very new that's going to be happening, but more on that when details are dotted and crossed!

Don't forget to sign up to do a presentation yourself. If you have a great story to tell or experience to pass on, get your ideas in.

HUBB UK 2013 Donington Park - 30th May to 2nd June

And hey, if you are planning to come but you've not booked yet, remember that you need to pre-register and pay before the 31st of Jan to snag the £20 discount. This link will take you straight to it!

HUBB UK 2013 Pre-Registration

PS Don't forget to spread the word to your overlanding mates - in time for the £20 discount preferably :thumbup1:

100 Days To Go!
 

Today marks the 100 day milestone on the way to HUBB UK.

We now have over 50 presenters packing the schedule, 25 trade stands in the Adventure Travel Zone, and another dozen stands and displays for clubs and magazines in the HUBB Zone.

As well as all those from throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the event is hosting visitors from Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Japan, Netherlands, Poland and the USA.

Don't forget that everyone who pre-registers and pays for their event pass before 31st March 2013 is being entered in our prize draw for the chance of winning a 3-day riding holiday at the Adventure Rider Centre in Spain.

Cheers

Iain

Just 100 days! What an odd, fun feeling that is. I too am chuffed with the way its all coming together. Looking forward to seeing you in... just a few days really :thumbup1:

What!? Only 79 days left???
 

It’s been an incredible month since we posted last; a really buzzy time with lots coming together, and plans for new things coming to the boil.

12 travel writers and film makers have signed up to be with us and some new companies too – just have a look at the HUBB UK page and you’ll see what I mean. The Adventure Travel Zone and HUBB Zone (info coming soon ) are going to be better than they have ever been before.

And the presentations? Just look at what is going on with those!!! The RAC Carnet department are going to be with us. They will be doing a presentation and will be on hand to answer any questions you may have. These are the people you really need to know if you are planning an engine powered trip!

Why the post now? It’s just 79 days until the HUBB UK kicks off and don’t forget, if you've friends who are planning to come but they've not registered yet, they need to crack on - register and pay before the 31st of March to be entered in the Prize draw – just 20 days left for that!

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Hi All, well just 48 days left to go and things are coming together really well for the HUBB UK. There's lots of news happening on the main HUBB UK thread so do keep an eye on that too.

The latest update is about the live music. One of Nottingham’s most in demand singers and entertainers, Steve McGill will be with us on Friday night, playing live by the Fire Drums in the HUBB Zone. Having played many of the most successful venues across the City Centre he has held residencies at Richard Branson’s Roof Gardens, TriBeCa & Bed in Manchester and in its heyday, Tantra Lounge & Bar in Nottingham for almost 10 years.

If you were at the Meet two years ago you’ll know that Steve’s voice ranges from soft to powerful and that he carefully chooses songs to suit the mood and atmosphere of the evening. He sings songs right through from the Bee Gees to Oasis, from Frankie Goes To Hollywood to Snow Patrol.

The songs Steve has covered most famously include ‘What’s Up’ by The Four Non Blondes, ‘Iris’ by The Goo Goo Dolls and ‘Man In The Mirror’ by Michael Jackson. He can easily keep us dancing with upbeat acoustic performances of pop classics.

More about Steve? He’s scored song writing success with a no.2 in the iTunes chart and constantly writes and produces for other people at his dedicated recording facility.

You’ll find a link on the main HUBB UK page to the sort of thing Steve will be playing and singing for us, but here he is singing ‘If you love somebody’ and ‘Mustang Sally’ at the Roy De Weird Memorial Concert.

Hi All, I just wanted to let you guys know that Iain is in hospital. He's been operated on for a badly ruptured and infected appendix. Not fun at all.

He'll certainly be on a ward for a few more days at least and then there's going to be a significant recovery period. However, Iain being Iain, he's already doing work from his hospital bed in a limited fashion mind!

Anyway, thoughts with him and Robyn. Get well soon mate.

Some great news! Adventure Trucks are coming over to the HUBB UK and they are bringing something very trick with them. Etricks Electric Mountain bikes! Just have a look at this link to see what the score is.

Etricks Electric Mountain???

And even more good news. The guys from Adventure Trucks are going to let a number of people test ride the bikes! I suggest you check in with them as fast as you can on arrival. See if you'll be eligible for a test ride.

Who are Adventure Trucks?
With more than 20 years of combined experience in building and traveling with trucks Adventure Trucks specializes in no-nonsense overland trucks.

They asked us to pass this message on to you:
‘We not only build the living units, we also find a truck that suits your wishes.
Adventure Trucks also does something "more" for our customers, if you buy a truck with us you get a lifetime support when you’re on the move. If needed we try to source the parts you need or try to get you going by giving support.
Before we send you off in your new "home" we give you a course in truck handling on and off road if needed and a course basic technics of the truck. Adventure Trucks is all about Overland Truck Technology.’

You can find out more about them from the link on the main HUBB UK Page.

Sorry, Mr Zippy fingers here was too fast off the mark! Here's the photo that should have gone with the Adventure Trucks post just now!

Great news! Iain is out of hospital! The road to recovery from his perforated appendix begins but he's sure he'll be sorted in time for the HUBB UK

And while here, thought I'd mention. Just 37 days to go :D

That also means you've just 30 days left if you haven't booked and want to snag the last discounted rate. HUBB UK

Which presenter shall I pick on today? How about Chris Bright! World famous? No, but the quality of his photography should make him so. Chris is an endless motorcycle traveller and he’s pretty much always on a trip, or planning the next one - he gets to some rather rugged places too.

You can see what I mean by having a look at his website ‘TheBrightStuff’ and you can get more of a feel for the man by the dedication at the base of his home page – ‘This site is dedicated to the many great people whom I've met and have helped me on my travels around this wonderful planet. A special thanks goes out to my parents and the very tolerant Aimee.’

Not only has Chris some stunning shots to share but he has a very dry sense of humour so watch out – if you make it into his presentation you’ll be double taking! :thumbup1:

Today, let’s talk fur, fire and fun! It's Danny and Fil with the Roadkill Cookout! If you've been to Horizons before then you'll know what a fascinating event this is. :thumbup1:

New? You'll be learning how to hunt and gather food on the road, and how to prepare and eat it.

First things first - catch your critters. Learn how to make a snare and set it
Next up, skinning, gutting and plucking. Then cooking in the campfire and smoking with smokey Fil

Making a special guest appearance this year is their 2013 mystery animal - any guesses?

Then the 'Rabbit skinning competition' (book your places with Danny and Fil early). Look out for the Schedule to find out what time this is happening.

Knives and rabbits supplied.

And get this - Fastest from 'Fur to Pot' wins a free weekend for 2 in the autumn at the Haggs Bank Bunk House in Cumbria. A cracking prize in a brand new venue. You’ll be one of the first to stay there!!!

Who are we writing about today? Mike Carter that’s who. If you are into travel books of any type you’ll almost certainly have heard about Mike and may well have read his book ‘Uneasy Rider’. Mike writes about his 20,000 miles journey around Europe as a pretty much novice motorcyclist. He reaches the four extremes of Europe: the Arctic Circle in the north, the Mediterranean coast in the south, the Portuguese Atlantic to the west and the Iraqi border of Turkey in the east.

And if you read bicycle travel books then you’ll probably know about his latest ‘One Man and His Bike’. What would happen if you were cycling to the office and just kept on pedalling? Mike did just that. Following the Thames to the sea he set off on a 5,000 mile ride around the entire British coastline - the equivalent of London to Calcutta. Mike’s very funny style tells the tale of drunken priests, drag queens and gnome sanctuaries. Of meeting fellow travellers and the spirit of unbelievable kindness and generosity that convinced him that Britain is anything but broken. :thumbup1:

Check out more on Mike Carter here.

His presentation? Look out for the schedule! And, Mike will be book signing at the HUBB UK on Saturday and Sunday.

Many thanks to the Toyota Owners Club for helping to spread the word about the HUBB UK :thumbup1:

Excellent news! Patrick Cruywagen Land Rover Monthly Magazine will be with us. bier

Next up - Frogs Island 4x4 – Who are they and what do they do?

Frogs Island 4x4 used to be based on an Island in the lovely village of Brightwell, where frogs roamed, quite literally, so the name stuck! Founded 15 years ago, Frogs Island 4x4 started life as a PR2 Allmakes Parts for Land Rovers and grew from a small one ramp workshop on an Island to the premises they are at today on the Milton Park Business Estate in Oxfordshire.

They tell us:
'In the past we have worked on vehicles for Film Crews following Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman and prepared their Nissan Patrols, we have also worked on Rally cars going to the Toureg and Land Rovers travelling around the world.'

'Our skilled technicians and mechanics work on all makes and models of vehicles, and with our 4 ramps and 1 ‘2’ poster there is nothing too big or too small for our dedicated team. As well as servicing and MOTs we also offer a unique range of services for those with slightly more ambition for their vehicles or 4x4’s.'

'Our dedicated parts counter is manned by enthusiastic Land Rover owners and can help give advice on all manner of Land Rover and 4x4 parts and accessories from the Terrafirma Range and also Old Man Emu Suspension, Rock Oil, Superwinch, Front Runner Expedition Gear and Roof racks and plenty more quality manufacturers.'

More from Frogs Island soon! :thumbup1: But in the meantime don’t forget to click on their logo on the HUBB UK site.

Most expedition vehicle and motorcycle overlanders will probably not have heard of Danny Bent, and if you are one of those, prepare yourself to meet one of the characters of the world of overlanding. :thumbup1:

Let me give you just a taste of this decidedly witty traveller, presenter and author is about. When Danny cycled 15,000 kilometres from the UK to India to raise money for Action Aid, it was a decision that took twenty years and one minute! The one minute was when he was put on the spot by his pupils at school, and declared that the means was by bike, and he was going to India.

What he had signed up for was slogging along roads with trucks bearing down on him, unable to see and choking in the smog; shooting down treacherous descents with 100 foot drops, shaking with cold and too numb to brake; muscle burn and saddle sores; delirium and food poisoning; thirst and malnutrition; foul and insanitary conditions; life-threatening crises; obstructive border guards, crazed dogs and inquisitive passers-by...

A passionate, and at times decidedly outrageous presenter, Danny is completely inspirational. You can check out more on this Danny Bent link. What’s he going to be talking about at the HUBB UK? You have to be there to find out :innocent:

30 DAYS TO GO!!! :D And don't forget, if you've not pre registered and paid by the 23rd of May then you lose out on the £10 discount. That'd suck!

It’s brilliant to have Morocco and GPS guru Tim Cullis back with us again. Tim’s past presentations have always gone down a storm and that’s no surprise. Tim’s first trip to this amazing land was way back in 1972 and you could say (with full British reserve) that he’s a repeat offender! :whistling: Tim is hugely knowledgeable and if you plan a trip to Morocco then you really ought to ignore the bar or any other presentations.

And as for GPS, how many of us have actually done a long road trip outside of Europe using one? This session of Tim’s gives you the chance to be on the road, in control. You’ll know what you need to do to set your kit up and how to take advantage of all the opportunities it offers you. Excellent! :thumbup:

For more on Tim, just click on his link on the HUBB UK Page.

Excellent news last night! bier Iain and I were talking things HUBB UK through with Grant and Susan - Grant's health is good; they'll both be with us all at Donington!!!! :thumbup:

Volunteering? We still need some :helpsmilie:

If any of you guys are booked but haven’t signed up to volunteer, could I ask you to have a think about it. If you’ve been before then you’ll know how important people volunteering a few hours is with making the event happen with a friendly relaxed atmosphere.

And those hours are also a brilliant way of getting to know people if you’ve never been before.

If you’ve still to book, you’ll see the place to sign up to volunteer when you are booking in. Pre-Registration for Adventure Travellers - HUBB UK 2013 Donington Park

We are looking for a total of 150 volunteers – many hands make light work. :thumbup1: Thanks VERY much to everyone who has given a thumbs up so far.

All we need is for just 20 more people to say yes to helping for a couple of 2 hour slots and the roles are all covered. That’ll be a ‘Phew’ moment. :smile2:

The Crews we are short of people on are:

The Gate Crew – You’ll be the first point of contact that people arriving will have. As we are at a new venue and as so many people haven’t been before, this crew will make the difference between people being instantly welcome and knowing what they have to do next – or feeling like a square peg in a round hole.

Campsite Crew – This is a new Crew and its happening as a result of the move to Donington Park Farmhouse Hotel. It’s a much bigger site for us to play with and on and there needs to be a centre of information and a base for heading people out in the right direction. HUBB Zone? Presentation Rooms? Vehicle parking? Quiet camping area? And so on… The Real Ale bar too of course!

Raffle Tickets sellers – We have some absolutely brilliant prizes lined up for the raffle – many thanks to everyone who is contributing a prize and I need to say that most are coming from the Adventure Travel companies that are going to be with us and to the ABRAC riders. Thanks all! But the money we collect in aid of Prostate cancer will be down to two other things – How easy it is for people to snag tickets, and how deep we are all prepared to dig! : ) Fancy flogging some tickets? Your help makes all the difference, and because people that come to an HU event are the sort of people they are, it’s not a hard task.

Presentation Crew – Last but not least. If you have really good IT skills and are used to setting up powerpoint presentations and the like then we could do with a few more people on this crew. The one thing is that you’ll be doing a fair number more hours on this crew but the bonus is that you are right there in the presentation rooms when it’s all happening. Many of the presenters are first timers and your job in part will be to help them get set up and make sure things run smoothly so they can concentrate on their presentation.

Fancy a go? Brilliant! Thanks very much! Here’s the Join the Volunteer Crew - HUBB UK 2013 Donington Park bier

This presentation from John May is going to get you thinking hard.

John’s presentation is on a vital subject that too often doesn’t get thought about in anything like enough depth by travellers in the trip planning stage.

As John says, ‘Before doing a big trip we tend to spend loads of time and energy planning the route, thinking about what vehicle to take, picking the ideal tent and so on. But what scuppers most trips is the people stuff. We tend not to really consider the questions about why we are doing it in the first place and who to go with. Picking the right travelling companions is much more important than picking the right stove!’

This presentation is designed to join a lot of hugely important travel dots! Planning to travel with other people? Don’t miss this! :thumbup1:

Hi Folks,

Merv here from Moglanders Travels. We are a couple that are overlanding through South America in a 4x4 truck since last August or so. I'm going to be virtually presenting at the HUBB UK event, and will talk about what it's like to live on 4 wheels in South America. We might chat a bit about Morocco as we spent 3 months there too.

I know when we were getting ready to go on our trip, and even before we decided to definitely go for it, we had a lot of conversations about it and did a lot of research (which means surfing the web for the main part!). I'm sure there are a few folks out there on the edge of normal life, and ready to leap into a vehicle and take to the road and just were wondering about a few things. If you want to PM me, fire me any issues you are wondering about and I'll see if I can address them at the HUBB UK event.

Hi Merv, great to hear from you. Ain't tech fantastic! Really looking forward to the linkup with you guys!!! :thumbup1::thumbup1::thumbup1:

And another post from me to say thanks to everyone who has volunteered to help since I posted my request. :clap: We now need just 7 people! Brilliant. Any takers? It's the best way to meet people and of course you'll get that warm glow that will come from helping for a few hours bier

You may remember that I posted about Frogs Island 4x4 being with us this year, well I’ve had an email through from them in which they are making some pretty special offers available to HUBB UK attendees.

I would usually have picked out key sections from an email like this to post but there’s so much info I thought, stuff it, I’ll post the lot for you to see! There’s thoughts here for anyone coming to the HUBB UK, regardless of what wheels you use.

Here goes:

We wanted to share some offers with VIP/HUBB UK customers, and also some NEWS. We have launched a new website – Frogs Island 4x4 Landrover Specialists in Oxfordshire, and we hope you like the changes. At Frogs Island 4x4 we are proud of our heritage and our experienced staff, we are always here to talk through any ‘niggles’ with your car, or even a trip or adventure you would like to plan.

As a Valued customer we would like to offer you 10% OFF* your next SERVICE and some of the following deals;
• 15% off EVERYTHING in the Terrafirma Catalogue until 1st January 2014 – including Front Runner racks and Safety Devices Roll Cages
• 15% off all Old Man Emu and ARB products until 1st September 2013
• Adventure Fridge deal of £450 + Vat, including 45L fridge/freezer, cover and adaptor (RRP £700+) – Offer until 1st January 2014
• All Workshop repairs reduction of £10 per hour* (normally £60 per hour + VAT)
• Over the phone parts searching and email copies from MicroCat – helping you fix your car! Access to Genuine Parts and Allmakes PR2 (2 Year Warranty)
• 1-1 Help and Advice by phone or in person
• Adventure Mechanical Training at £30 per hour, which is 1-1 training with our Adventure Specialist Matt the mechanic, who has travelled to Libya, Mongolia, Africa and beyond, this is FREE of charge when you have an overland fit out with Frogs Island 4x4.
• Discounted labour rate on Overland Builds, talk to us for your free adventure consultation.
• We work with all makes and models of 4x4’s

As part of the Allmakes Group of companies we offer a wide range of experience and advice on all makes and models of Land Rovers. As enthusiasts ourselves we want to see you and your members safely on the road, without a burn on your pocket! Your just need to quote your surname and this code ‘VIPHUBB UK’ to claim the above offers.

Come and visit us at the HUBB UK event for your free goody bag and join us for our Bush Mechanics seminars on servicing on the road, the old age debate of Toyota v’s Land Rover and more.

See what I mean! And if you've had a look at the Presentation Schedule you'll have seen that Frogs Island are really getting stuck in with demos and presentations. :thumbup1:

See you in a couple of weeks bier

Check the main event thread for updates
 

We'll mainly now be posting HUBB UK updates and information in the main 'Events' thread. To make sure you don't miss anything, here's a link to a good starting point....