In tonight's program, Clarkson, May and Hammond play with a real railway train

[KeithMacdonald]

Just seen in "The Grand Tour: Sand Job".

 

In which our intrepid trio (James May, Richard Hammond, and baboon-in-chief Jeremy Clarkson) are waiting at the railway station in the small town of Choum in Mauritania.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@21.2977431,-13.0675461,530m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en&entry=ttu

 

Think Casablanca in Morocco, then left-hand down a bit for 1000Km south-west down the coast of West Africa.

 

For starters, James May gets to play with a real train to unload their cars. Although Hornby does get a mention. The program suggest they are then going to go to Dakar, about another 1000Km south-west down the coast. But then, mysteriously, they go north-east to Choum Tunnel, an abandoned railway tunnel.

 

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@21.3304232,-13.0051636,4900m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en&entry=ttu

 

And then further east to the rather wonderful "Eye Of The Sahara" or Richat Structure.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Richat+Structure/@21.1379503,-11.5204202,45351m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m6!3m5!1s0xe811f4e324b6875:0xc77fc467300cc46d!8m2!3d21.1146745!4d-11.3942791!16zL20vMDIxNmw5?hl=en&entry=ttu

 

Ref:  https://geologyscience.com/gallery/geological-wonders/eye-of-the-sahara-or-richat-structure/

[Hroth]

Entirely consistent if James May is doing the navigation as, according to both Baboon and Hamster, as well as driving more carefully, May has no sense of direction...

 

[Ryde-on-time]

If anyone fancies a trip on it!

 

https://www.youngpioneertours.com/tour/mauritania-iron-ore-train-tour/

[KeithMacdonald]

Having seen quite a few of the Grand Tour episodes, one can usually spot when a contrived bit of muppetry is about to happen. This time, one of them was the visit to the British Embassy, in the hope of blagging some gin & tonic or beers in a dry country.

 

It looks like Colin Wells (the real ambassador) played along with the pantomine very nicely, as he didn't even appear to notice that the terrible trio had knocked over his sideboard display of Ferrero Rocher chocolates (you're spoiling us)

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/people/colin-wells