The Snowstorm
Rally
'No photograph can capture the experience we all had. The pleasure of travelling with like-minded people, new friendships made and seeing things you'll never forget. Thanks again, see you on the next adventure' - Linda, Team Focus RS
* * * The 2026 Snowstorm rally will be taking place in early March, and is now open to entries - feel free to get in touch if you wish to reserve a place on the trip * * *
Who’s up for a real adventure?
Pub2Pub Adventures is built on adventure. The clue is in the name. And when it comes to adventures, the Snowstorm Rally is the big one. We’re talking about an epic 4,000+ mile road trip into the deep frozen north, beyond the Arctic Circle. A road trip to a world where pristine snow smothers the landscape, and where temperatures can plummet to 20 below zero. A world you won’t believe you’ve driven to.
It’s now well over a decade since we first drove to the Arctic in Winter - in a Fiat 126, naturally – and Europe’s far north has been drawing us back ever since. This led to us launching the inaugural Snowstorm Rally in March 2025, and it was a great success. Eighteen cars ranging from transaxle Porsches to a chunky Range Rover made the trip, driving ice roads, pushing deep into the Arctic winter at its picture-postcard best, gazing upon the northern lights, and generally having an adventure of a lifetime. It was one of our best trips ever. So, of course we’re bringing it back for 2026.
And we’d love it if you could be part of it.
Naturally, the Snowstorm Rally is a rather different prospect to our usual tours, and so you probably won’t be wanting to bring your TVR. And so car-wise, that leaves you with several choices. Firstly, you can bring your daily driver – we’re cool with that. Plenty of people took this approach on the 2025 event and had a great time, because let’s face it, driving to the Arctic in winter is one hell of an adventure whatever vehicle you do it in. Alternatively, feel free to use the trip as an excuse to buy something cheap and Swedish – a Saab 900, say, or a Volvo 850. Or, think outside the box, and get whatever you fancy – an old Impreza maybe, or an Audi S4. Or even a Fiat 126, if you’re a glutton for punishment. The only proviso is that whatever vehicle you opt for, you’ll need to fit winter tyres for the trip, as not only do they add a significant safety margin, but they’re also a legal requirement in many of the cold parts of Europe during the winter.
So, once you have your steed, and you’ve fitted your winter rubber, what can you expect from the Snowstorm Rally? Quite an adventure, that’s what.
In its early stages, the Snowstorm Rally travels from the UK to Denmark, before crossing the Oresund bridge-tunnel into Sweden. From there, it’s up to Stockholm for a day off the road taking in the sights, before getting to grips with the adventure proper, when we head inland, into a world of frozen lakes and endless forests. After entering Norway, we pick up the Arctic Highway and follow it up and over the Polar Circle, to the mesmerising Lofoten Islands, before joining the long, beautiful road south, through the mountains and fjords of Norway.
'...a truly epic road trip. An unforgettable experience, made more enjoyable by the friends we have met.' - Denise, Team Gerty
But that’s just the route – what are the highlights of the trip? Well, where do we start? There’s the chance to drive on frozen lakes, and perhaps spot the northern lights in the Arctic skies. There’s the car culture, from the Saab and Volvo Museums, to the various independent collections along the route. There are amazing ships to visit, from the Polar ship Fram to the Vasa galleon, U-boats to tour, and more aviation collections than any road trip has any right to. And then there’s the quirky stuff – from the Ikea museum to forests stuffed with rusting classics; preserved U-boats to the ABBA Museum, the village of ‘Hell’ to Malmo’s disgusting food museum. Viking ships and ski resorts; winter fairs and husky sledding - It’s all there.
But really, that’s not what the trip is about. The Snowstorm Rally is all about adventure, it’s about taking a car to the frigid edge of Europe. It’s about taking on the conditions – the compacted snow roads, the ice roads and the endless wildernesses, and seeing it through. And ultimately, it’s about having the adventure of a life time. Bucket list stuff, really.
Now, here’s a quick Q&A on the rally, which will hopefully answer some of the questions which are now running around your head:
What are the dates?
The trip will be taking place over the first two weeks of March 2026. However, we’re changing things up in comparison to the 2025 event. In order to add the stunning Lofoten Islands into the itinerary, we need another two days ‘up north’ in comparison to the first Snowstorm Rally, taking it out to 18 days on the road. This means for those who need to balance leave days, 12 days off work will be required to make the trip. Which is quite a lot, so for those who are holiday-challenged, we’re also offering an option to undertake the drive with only 10 days leave. Here are the two options:
Option One – Friday 27th February, to Monday 16th March (18 days, including 12 working days)
This is how we envisage most people will make the trip. Leaving the UK on Friday morning, we’ll take Le Shuttle across the channel and head for a hotel just inside Germany for the first night, before carrying on to the Hamburg area for the second night. From there, the trip will continue to Scandinavia. A similar pattern will be taken on the return drive, with a hotel in Lubeck on the final Saturday evening of the trip, and a last overnight stay in The Netherlands on the Sunday evening, before returning to the UK early afternoon on the Monday. Naturally, due to the moderate pace of the trip to and from Scandinavia, there will be plenty of suggestions for things to see and do on these legs of the trip.
Option Two – Saturday 28th February, to Sunday 15th March (16 days, including 10 working days)
If you wish to do the trip but don’t want to take more than 10 days off work, here’s the answer. The downside is, it involves a long, approx 9-hour drive on the first and last day of the trip – from the UK to near Hamburg on the first Saturday, and from Lubeck back to the UK on the final Sunday. Think of this as the Snowstorm equivalent of the drive to and from the Alps for a ski holiday – you won’t see much on the drive, but you’ll get it done, and then get to enjoy a slower pace as we head up into Scandinavia.
Whichever option you choose, the whole rally will come together on the first Saturday evening near Hamburg, for the trip to the Arctic.
How many miles will be driven?
Depending on the route options you choose, expect to cover over 4,000 miles on the continent, spread over either 16 or 18 days
What accommodation can I expect?
As with all Pub2Pub trips, you can expect at least 3* hotel accommodation every night, with many of the hotels having indoor swimming pools, saunas, spas, gyms and suchlike.
What cars are eligible?
As mentioned above, all cars are welcome, though we’d love to get as many Swedish steeds along as possible. So, undertake the trip in your daily driver, your hardy classic, or a specially bought Saab or Volvo, the choice is yours. On the inaugural trip, we had Nissan Juke daily drivers, a specially brought Jaguar XJ6, a Camel Trophy-spec Range Rover, several transaxle Porsches, a Jeep Cherokee, a Mk4 Golf named Gerty, a Ford Focus RS, a Porsche Cayenne, Volvo XC90s and a brace of Volvo 240s. In short, the only real limit here is your imagination.
What modifications are required?
Beyond ensuring your car is ready for the trip, the only compulsory modification is the fitment of winter tyres. However, if you want to go all in, buy an old Impreza and build a winter rally weapon, we certainly won't stop you – one thing we loved on the first Snowstorm Rally was how everyone customised their cars for the trip in their own unique way, which made for a fantastic spectacle on the roads of the Arctic.
How much is the entry fee?
This depends on whether you’re going for the full 18 day trip, or the shorter 16 day version. For a car and up to two people, the entry fee for the 18 day trip is £3,200, covering channel crossings, hotels, a full itinerary, on-the-road support from our trusty Volvo, loan of a two way radio, a rally sticker pack, and breakfast on every morning of the trip. If you opt for the 16 day version outlined above, then the entry fee drops to £2,950.
Whichever option you choose, just get in touch to reserve a place on the trip, with a £200 deposit being payable in the summer of 2025. This is fully refundable should your circumstances change, up to when the balance of the entry fee is due, three months before we hit the road.
Still keen? To get an idea as to what to expect from this trip from a driving perspective, I would suggest checking out the excellent Harry’s Garage ’Arctic Rolls’ video on YouTube, which you can find here:
https://youtu.be/VIdNcbsgOiM?si=UpMKCoW37Ia5-N-n
Another good primer would be to watch The Grand Tour's recent Scandi Flick episode on Amazon Prime, though I suspect we'll be looking to avoid any crashes in cold war submarine pens in the course of our trip.
And if you have any further questions, or if you’d like to reserve a place on the trip, get in touch via ben@pub2pubadventures.com , and hopefully, we'll be seeing you on the snowy road to the deep north next March.
'It's hard to put into words the gratitude we feel for all Pub2Pub's efforts, and the amazing camaraderie we have enjoyed on this epic trip. We loved every minute of it.' - Eric, Team Lexus
