To Mongolia and back, in a 1998 Suzuki ‘jeep’

Doc Martin has enlisted his father, Con, as co-driver for a 20,000-mile round trip from Cork, across deserts and mountains, in an ageing 4X4. He tells John Daly why.

Some people look for a little more than a sun lounger and beach bars for their annual holiday, and Doc Martin, a broadcast assistant on Cork’s RedFM, has planned a slightly more challenging summer break than the rest of us.

Before the month is out, he’ll be on the road from Cork to Mongolia to raise funds for the Cork City Hospitals’ Children’s Club.

That’s 10,000 miles across often relatively uncharted and hostile terrain, driving a 1998, 1.3-litre Suzuki Jimny. “It’s all about charity, and definitely for a good cause that does such fantastic work,” Doc says of his motivation for travelling halfway around the world into the unknown.

But expecting a 20-year-old jeep to last 10,000 miles seems a risk. Doc says:

“The vehicle is in great nick; just put in a new clutch. And, in fact, we’ll be driving back 10,000 miles, as well,” he says, unconcerned. ‘We’? “Oh, yes, my 62-year-old father, Con, is coming along as my navigator,” he says.

“The pair of us are reasonably mechanically minded, and we’ll be ready for any breakdowns.”

Twenty thousand miles in the same cramped confines would test any relationship, but this Doc-and-Con combo seems confident.

“If we get to Rosslare without an argument over directions or road signs, sure that’ll be a great start,” Doc says with a wink.

The drive is scheduled to take six weeks and will see this father and son crossing two-thirds of the world’s landmass, including three deserts, five mountain ranges, and a dozen countries.

“We’ll be crossing Turkey, Iran, Azerbaijan and a few of the ‘stans’: Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan,” Doc says.

“We’ll be driving on reasonably decent roads across Europe and Turkey, but, beyond that, we’ll really have to be ready for anything — fields and open ground in a lot of places.”

The journey also involved plenty of jurisdictional bureaucracy, in the form of travel permits and visas for countries without an embassy in Ireland.

“That part of the preparation has been ponderous, in that we have to use London embassies, and, indeed, we’re still waiting on the final visas from Uzbekistan and Mongolia,” Doc says.

Further problems may arise, because the visas are time-specific and so allowance must be made for delays. “Some countries only give visas for a predetermined period, and so you need to allow time for breakdowns, delays, or other unforeseen events,” Doc says.

Pictured with their 98 Suzuki Jimmy ( 1.3L ) before their mammoth return trip to Mongolia to take part in the Mongo. Rally, Doc Martin with his father Con at J.P Brennan’s Auto Service’s Croughevoe near Mitchelstown, Cork . Picture: Andy Jay.

Ah, are we talking war zones and bandits, then? “There’s no doubt we’ll be passing through areas that aren’t your typical holiday-type places,” Don says with admirable understatement. “We will probably have to be ready to hand over the odd bribe and such, which is likely the form there.”

He places a fair degree of trust in being able to play ‘the green card’, the international welcome generally given to Irish people, even in some of the world’s more reclusive regions: “There is no doubt the Irish passport does help, and we’ll, hopefully, back that up with a bit of a smile and a wink.”

But Doc and Con don’t resemble international arms dealers, and especially not driving a clapped-out, 1998 Suzuki Jimny.

With a sponsorsorship list that includes Prompto Despatch, Autoright Cork, Ramen, Living Dreamz Furniture, Tadhg Hawes Motor Parts, Dessies Tyres and Cork’s RedFM, this epic journey is for a good cause.

“Some people have suggested that we should be aiming to raise €10,000 for 10,000 miles, and we will do our best to get the maximum for the Cork City Hospitals’ Children’s Club.”

Underlying every mile of the road, a simple philosophy will guide their efforts:

“We believe the world is far too safe and organised, that we’ve come to live in ever-decreasing circles of freedom. Fear of litigation, greed, and a spineless refusal to take responsibility for ourselves have robbed us of one of the most interesting things in life: the unexpected.

"The un-route rails against this: it forces you to be lost, to not know what’s around the next corner, to embrace the unknown.”

Donate at gofundme.com/corktomongolia and follow Doc’s and Con’s journey on Facebook, Instagram, and corktomongolia.com.