Mission Mongolia: Two Men, One Van, No Turning Back

It was an empty landscape now with huge horizons in every direction, a compressed, steam-rollered desert where man had no place. We lacked the skills to carry out even basic xes. If the van stopped working we were stuck. No one knew where we were and our last mobile phone signal had been 150 miles ago. Fifty-something and tired of arguing over the day's headlines, journalists Geoff Stayton and David Treanor found themselves volunteering for redundancy. Rather than easing into retirement with the odd round of golf, they decided to buy a van and drive to Mongolia. Lying in wait on their hilarious journey through Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Siberia and across the Gobi Desert are bent border guards and roads submerged in mud with no signs for hundreds of miles, but also welcoming and curious locals, eager to help them on their mission. AUTHOR: David Treanor was a BBC journalist for more than 25 years, regularly editing news bulletins for the Today programme and Radio 4's Six O'clock News. The journey was made in support of edurelief (www.edurelief.org) and Save the Children. SELLING POINTS: * Will appeal to travel and adventure enthusiasts, fans of Top Gear specials, 4x4 media and anyone who enjoyed Long Way Round. *