Since Aug 2023 we have driven 15 four wheel drive long wheelbase cars to Ukraine. We have also taken a large van and a minibus.

The journey

The 1500 mile journey usually takes three days, leaving bright and early from Plymouth to Dover ferries or Eurotunnel. The first evening is spent in Germany.

The second day takes us from Germany to the Czech Republic where we stay with friends in Prague. Nick and Kamila have been excellent hosts for all our trips and it’s a great pleasure to see them.

The third is a long day leaving from Prague to the border with Ukraine. We usually go to Zahony in Hungary, but sometimes go through Visne Nemeke from Slovakia. The process of crossing the border is a variable feast. Sometimes things go smoothly and I think our record is an hour and a half, sometimes we are turned away sometimes it can take up to 8 hours to get through. Persistence pays and learning from our experience means that we can negotiate the borders more successfully. However, there has been an increase in the number of problems which we face at the borders and some in Slovakia and Hungary are not entirely pro Ukraine once through the border, it’s a short distance to Uzhhorod.

On day four, we handover the car to the charity foundation which receives them and then drives them a further 750 miles to Dnipro.