Jeremy Clarkson has given an update on Diddly Squat
Jeremy Clarkson has admitted to feeling “old and broken” after being compelled to part with a cherished piece of equipment at his Diddly Squat farm.
The ex-Top Gear presenter regularly posts updates about his farming journey – an endeavour he began six years ago, which has since spawned a hugely popular Amazon Prime show. “Since I started in the fields six years ago, I’ve realised that farming is ideal for those who don’t like to work up a sweat,” Jeremy says. “Only mattress testers have an easier, more sedentary life.”
Joking that he expends “about two calories an hour,” he reveals that most of his agricultural duties are performed whilst sitting down. He says he is either operating a tractor, or he’s drowning in never-ending bureaucracy to satisfy Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) requirements.
Amongst Jeremy’s collection of agricultural equipment, the most unusual is his Supacat – a six-wheel drive, semi-amphibious military machine that he previously used to gather timber from the woodland, reports Gloucestershire Live. Supacats were initially designed to “recover broken Land Rovers from the battlefield”, Jeremy observes, so there’s no question about the Devon-manufactured vehicle’s ability to perform in challenging environments. Yet, there’s a problem.
Writing in the Sunday Times, he adds: “But it is quite difficult to get in and out of if you are old and broken.” It’s for this reason, Jeremy explains, that he’s been obliged to replace the army surplus vehicle that he purchased for £9,000 several years ago. He had grown particularly attached to the Supacat, setting a high bar for any replacement.
“It’s useful because it has big, fat, soft tyres. It doesn’t get stuck or damage the earth,” he said shortly after acquiring it. “No matter what the weather’s doing I can fire up the Supacat, attach the trailer using an extremely manly Nato hitch and head off for firewood.”
Amongst the options he considered was the £44,000 fully electric Polaris Ranger XP Kinetic Ultimate. Yet Jeremy’s primary concern centred on its electric nature, which eliminates the audible cues of a traditional petrol engine at work.
“You know instinctively when you have applied the correct amount of power because you can hear it. But in an electric vehicle, there is no sound. You press the accelerator and nothing happens,” he explains.
Instead, Jeremy chose the petrol-driven CFMoto UForce U10 Pro – which, amongst other advantages, comes in considerably cheaper than its environmentally friendly rival.
In contrast to the Supacat, the Chinese-built CFMoto provides greater comfort, especially welcome for a 65 year old frame. Two premium bench seats can carry up to six passengers, whilst power windows and a clever push-button electric gear shift minimise the need for manual effort.
Jeremy observes: “It has been on the farm for a couple of months now and I must say it’s very practical, very robust and extremely useful.”
The only downside he’s found so far is how popular it’s become with some members of the Diddly Squat team: “On day one, my dogs leapt into the pick-up bed and since then have pretty much refused to get out.”
