In a video, which has been described as ‘Top Gear meets Thelma and Louise‘, three adventurous grandmas set out on a road trip across Europe.
The three grannies, 75-year-old Pat Jones, 79-year-old June Glass and 73-year-old June Lomas – who was designated driver – have managed to prove, travelling Europe is just as fun whether you’re 17 or 70.
Setting off on ‘The Gran Tour’ for Rentalcars.com, the three OAPs travelled from drizzly Eccles to sun-soaked Catalonia, swapping their weekly tap-dancing class for the trip of a lifetime.
Check out what they got up to here:
Pat and the two Junes collected the keys to a shiny new Mercedes A-Class rental car after they landed in Barcelona, which June L was given full control of, due to the other two women not being able to drive.
Speaking about her responsibility, June said:
I’m quite a confident driver at home, but driving abroad on the opposite side of the road in a brand new automatic, was an entirely different thing.
I was quite nervous at first – going round roundabouts is hard. I’d only been in the car a few minutes when I’d clipped the wing mirror. We made so many memories on the road – I wasn’t expecting the drive to be such a big part of the trip.
Each of the three women were given the chance to choose an activity, with grandmother-of-three Pat choosing a sunset cruise on the Balearic sea.
Classic Gran activity.
Unfortunately, June L wasn’t so keen on the idea.
She admitted:
That is one thing I am not partial to, sailing. I’d rather swim behind the boat than be on it.
Luckily for her, there was a whole range of other activities to take part in, including street dancing with Spanish teenagers after a wild night out, making traditional giant heads in rural Catalonia and getting blasted with 120mph winds on an amazing indoor skydive experience.
I’m actually pretty envious of this ‘Gran Tour’.
Looking back on the fun-packed holiday, Pat said:
I loved all the scenery, we had so much freedom to get out and explore. The funniest thing was when we painted and wore those big heads – we couldn’t stop laughing.
The scariest thing was the skydiving – after I’d done it I felt incredible. One of the Junes is 80 next year and she did it, so I thought ‘I’ve got to do this’.
I didn’t even have a passport before we went because it had run out. I normally get around with my bus pass.
June Glass was the oldest of the three grans, and the only great-grandma of the group.
The three had all met before at a local tap dancing class, but while the two Junes were already firm friends, it was their first time truly getting to know Pat.
Seventy-nine-year-old June G mentioned how the trio are now all firm friends:
I joined a tap dancing class when I was just shy of 40, so I’ve always been adventurous, on the go.
June, Pat and I are friends for life now. I only met Pat a couple of years ago although she’s lived a quarter of a mile away for years.
She continued:
My number one highlight was the skydiving. I was terrified at first and I didn’t want the other two to think I was frightened, but I thought ‘I’ll do it if it kills me.’ Everything we did was amazing.
I would say to anyone, go and do what I did. One of my granddaughters has always wanted to do a hot air balloon, and she says she’s so proud of me. I said to her, ‘Go and do it while you can, don’t wait until you’re almost 80.’
I have to admit, they’ve sold me on it. I’m ready to pick up my Mercedes – or any other car – and go!
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.