The Last Overland expedition reaches London

The Last Overland Expedition has reached its final destination in the U.K. after a 19,000km road journey across the globe.

Having crossed 23 countries from Singapore to London, the eight-member expedition team has successfully recreated one of the most historic automotive events of the 20^th century - The Oxford & Cambridge Far Eastern Expedition (The First Overland), undertaken from 1955-1956.

The Last Overland traversed the jungles of Malaysia and Myanmar, the frozen plateaus of the Himalayas and Tibet, as well as many other countries, including Nepal, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and across the Bosphorus into Europe.

The expedition team - comprising members from U.K., France, U.S.A, Belgium, Indonesia and Singapore - was warmly welcomed at their arrival party in Folkestone, the point of entry for The Last Overland Team into U.K. The Arrival Party, hosted by Goodyear, marked the penultimate stage of the journey to bring home the original 1955 'Oxford' Series One Land Rover that was used in The First Overland. Led by award-winning film-maker Alex Bescoby and Expedition Manager Marcus Allender, the team of eight also included Singaporean Larry Leong and Briton Nat George, grandson of Tim Slessor (a member of The First Overland).

In attendance to receive 'Oxford' and the team back to the U.K. was one of the three surviving members of The First Overland: Tim Slessor, now 88. A historic gathering of Land Rovers assembled from across U.K. and Europe was also present to welcome 'Oxford' to Folkestone at the Folkestone Harbour Arm. This momentous occasion was a celebration of a global love affair between Land Rover and the motoring world.

In an exciting first, Land Rover's newest model - the new Defender - was also waiting to greet Oxford and the team in a specially designed one-off Oxford & Cambridge Expedition livery.

After the welcome party in Folkestone, the team set off for their final destination - The Hilton Park Lane in London. The finish line was symbolic as it was just yards from the start line of the First Overland Expedition in 1956. The contingent was welcomed by the High Commissioner of Singapore, Her Excellency Ms. Foo Chi Hsia.

While 'Oxford' and the team of eight have safely made it back to U.K., the expedition does not end here. In the pipeline to tell the incredible story of The Last Overland are a TV documentary series in the making, aimed for broadcast in 2020, and a book written by Alex Bescoby.

"It's been described by one motoring journalist as 'the mother of all road trips', and I'd have to agree! I can't wait to share the inside story of an adventure I will never forget. It will be endearing and insightful to contrast The First Overland and The Last Overland, exploring how our world has evolved over 64 years. We want to be able to immortalise our experience, including the places we visited, many them for the first time; and remember the friendships with one another and people from around the world," recounted Alex on the documentary he has plans to produce with his team from Grammar Productions.

Photos courtesy of Grammar Productions.