Mini Minor

to Asia Minor There & Back. Written by Nicola Susanne West, 128 pages, 25,4 x 20,3 cm, English

Oblivious to the sound of chalk scratching on blackboard, Nicky stared wide eyed into the pages of the atlas. The Mediterranean landscape beckoned, and it occurred to her that Egypt - land of mystery, Bedouin tents and Turkish delight - didn't seem very far away at all...Thirty years later and determined to help Willow Foundation, Nicky decided it was the perfect time for a sponsored run with a difference: a never-been-done-before trek of 11,063km in under 40 days, driving all the way to the Great Pyramid and back in a 50 year old Mini - ten countries, three continents...A lone expedition, it would undoubtedly be an epic and arduous drive, without a support crew, enduring potholes, sandstorms and occasional wayward camels; but it would also be an incredible adventure, with every mile the car covered helping children devastated by life threatening disease. This book follows Nicky's journey from preparing the Mini, to crossing the scorching sands of North Africa and the Middle East, all the way to the exhaustion and sheer elation of finishing with a wave of the chequered flag at Castle Combe racetrack. It is an inspiring and informative read.