A taxi driver from North Derbyshire is taking on a month-long road trip challenge across Europe in an £150 old banger in memory of his grandad.

Ryan Dethick, 32, and his close friend Carl Troke, 37, set off on the Poles of Inconvenience Challenge in their 2003 Seat Arosa on 12 July.  

The aim of the Top Gear-style challenge is to travel as far and wide across the continent as possible, collecting ‘poles’ in difficult-to-access locations in return for points. 

They are competing against 51 other teams from across Europe. 

The duo, from Bolsover, are fundraising for Ashgate Hospice after the charity cared for Ryan’s grandad Peter Dethick towards the end of his life.

Carl was keen to support a charity that he says does “an amazing job” in the local community.

So far, they’ve driven about 6,000 miles through the likes of Spain, Andorra, France, Switzerland, Slovenia, Serbia, Bosnia and beyond. 

Ryan said: “There’s a reason it’s called the Poles of Inconvenience – it’s not for the fainthearted! The poles are all around Europe in places that are extremely inconvenient to get to. 

“If you had a big jacked-up Land Rover you’d be okay, but the idea is that you take a really bad car and still try to get to them. 

“It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster so far; you’re going to have good days and bad days. There are times when it’s stressful and there’s plenty of long days of driving when you get fed up. 

“But you get to some of the poles up in the mountains and by waterfalls which are beautiful! We’ve even been followed by some massive wolves near one of the locations!” 

Ryan had been planning to take on a similar challenge for a decade or so but said he was held back financially and physically in the past – having weighed just short of 45 stone during the pandemic. 

Now, after losing almost half his body weight in just a few years – he was keen to realise his ambition while supporting a cause close to his heart in the process. 

Ryan and Carl, who have aptly named their team, “Yep, it’s broke”, will keep going until the challenge ends on 7 August. 

They have been journeying across the continent in a car that Carl fixed during his spare evenings — using only scrap metal.

“I feel amazing now I’ve lost so much weight,” added Ryan. “I’ve still got a few more stone to go but it’s dropping off, especially walking up on some of these mountain paths! 

“The challenge properly started when we bought my neighbour’s car that had been sitting there for six months – it wouldn’t even run when got it. We basically had to rebuild the car. 

“Since we set off, we’ve had four breakdowns – one major, three minors – and there’s little things about the car that are horrible. 

“The front seats don’t move forward; we’ve got ants in the car and Carl woke up with them all over him one morning! It’s been great fun and an eye-opening experience for sure.” 

Ryan’s grandad Peter, also from Bolsover, died in 2022, aged 86, 16 years after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.  

He was able to spend his final days at home with his family thanks to the care of Ashgate’s Palliative Care Specialist Nurse Team. 

So far, their JustGiving page has raised £370 towards funding palliative and end of life care across North Derbyshire, to help Ashgate be there for future families like it was for Ryan’s. 

‘Raising funds’

Ryan said: “I was really close with my grandad. Every weekend I’d go to his for the day and we did all sorts of things, like bike rides and loads of stuff. 

“He was at home and the hospice helped to facilitate the carers, Grandad was so happy with the care and the communication was brilliant.  

“We came out on the challenge and wanted to do our bit in his memory while raising some funds for the hospice.” 

As the trip nears the end, the duo will hope the car makes it through Moldova, Hungary, and Slovakia, before crossing the finish line in the Czech Republic. 

Make a donation to Ryan and Carl’s fundraising page as they take on the Poles of Inconvenience Challenge.  

Ashgate Hospice is backing Hospice UK’s campaign for fairer funding for hospices and is urging the public to write to their MP and show them how much hospice care matters. 

Find out more about the campaign on the hospice’s website.