Pensioner plans to drive husky sled to Arctic Circle

Mr Brown will be trained in how to handle the dogs and the sled

A Lanarkshire pensioner is heading to Greenland hoping to drive a sled pulled by huskies to the Arctic Circle.

Lorne Brown, 78, from Dullatar, is taking on the challenge to raise money for the Guide Dogs charity.

He will first have to learn how to handle the animals and sled in order to get his husky driving licence.

He will then face sub-zero temperatures and live on a diet of fish, caught through holes in the ice, on the 10-day trek.

Mr Brown, a former newspaper editorial artist who retired for the second time last year, told the BBC Scotland news website: "It is just one of those crazy things you decide to do when you realise you are getting older.

"I was working at my computer one day last year and I thought, 'what am I still doing here at 77. I need to get out of here'."

After giving up work Mr Brown said he wondered what to do with himself before coming across a magazine article about husky dogs in Greenland.

"I liked the look of it and so off I went," he said.

"I really enjoyed it and now want to go back and get my driving licence."

Driving school

Mr Brown's daughter Christine has a partner who is blind, and it was her who suggested he combine his planned adventure with raising money for the charity.

He has already received about £2,000 in donations and is hoping to reach a target of £5,000.

The driving school is in Tasiilaq, East Greenland.

Here Mr Brown will be trained, introduced to his Inuit guides and equipped with a tent and huskies.

The licence will allow him to drive a team six dogs and co-drive a sled dragged by 10-16 huskies.

He has also had to learn how to ski and plans to play his bagpipes, which he is taking with him, while "at the top of the world".

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version