Story added: 26th September 2025

Coverage from Canaryball Rally 3 

Follow coverage from this year’s Canaryball Rally as an epic team of fundraisers from Norfolk explore Europe’s most scenic landscapes on this once-in-a-lifetime journey.

Departing at 7am on Monday, 29th September from The Nest, our team of drivers will cover 1,872 miles across five countries, including Switzerland and Belgium before returning on Friday 3rd October.

Sponsored by DMD Installations and Ovamill, this is the third installation of Canaryball Rally and promises to once again deliver lifelong memories whilst raising ten of thousands of pounds to support the Foundation’s life-changing work in Norfolk.

Following along as we document the team’s progress throughout the week 👇 . You can show your support by making a donation here.

Canaryball Rally – Day Three: Sausages, Switchbacks & Surprises

St. Mortiz, Switzerland > Zurich, Switzerland (via the Stelvio Pass)

Day Three began with another hearty breakfast in St. Moritz. Most of us had arrived in the dark the night before, so waking up to blue skies, sunshine, and a helicopter casually airlifting logs was a bit surreal. The tourists were already drifting about in designer sunglasses, looking very at home, whereas we Canaryballers were frantically trying to work out if croissants counted as one of our five-a-day.

We thought this was going to be the wow moment of the day. We were so wrong.

Within minutes of leaving, the convoy was greeted with yet another horizon of snow-capped peaks and rolling green valleys, the kind of view that makes you simultaneously want to cry and invest in a drone (good job we had one!) Every corner revealed another picture-perfect scene, and with the weather being spot on, we wondered if the scenery might get boring. Spoiler: it didn’t.

Then came the day’s headline act: the legendary Stelvio Pass. Immortalised by Top Gear and feared by satnavs everywhere, it’s a dizzying collection of hairpins, switchbacks, and “are we nearly there yet?” corners. By the time we reached the top, it felt like we’d climbed the Stelvio three times already.

Of course, no Canaryball day would be complete without at least one unforgettable moment. Enter the team who managed to perform a U-turn on the Stelvio Pass. Yes, really. A manoeuvre so bold (or bewildering) that we’re fairly sure it’s never been attempted before, and if it has, the driver probably still hasn’t lived it down.

At the summit, it was a bracing minus 2 degrees, and bizarrely, a bustling mini-market in the clouds. Souvenir stalls, bratwurst vendors, tourists from all over the world… and a very territorial sausage seller who scolded one of our team for daring to use his bin without buying his wurst. “No sausage, no rubbish!” might be the new rally motto.

The entertainment didn’t stop there. We spotted the Slovenian ski team practicing on skates, and a slightly unnerving “Do Not Feed the Bears” sign. (To clarify: there were no bears spotted, but several Canaryballers did start eyeing each other suspiciously over bratwurst).

Driving down the Stelvio was just as spectacular as going up, and the general verdict was unanimous, absolutely breathtaking. After that high point (literally), the road to Zurich brought us back to earth with yet more stunning scenery… until Zurich rush hour traffic smacked us with a dose of reality. Nothing says “welcome back” quite like sitting bumper-to-bumper after conquering the Alps.

The scavenger hunt kept spirits high throughout the day. Highlights included:

• An attempt of yodelling (We have the video)
• Yet more pictures of cows, because what’s Switzerland without cows?
• A triumphant selfie with a cyclist at the top of Stelvio.
• Proof of a team enjoying a proper Italian espresso (because points taste better with caffeine).

As the day closed, there was just one thought on everyone’s mind: only one more day to get those points on the board before the Canaryball Rally winner is crowned tomorrow night. No pressure then.

Miles done so far: 1,137 

Day One Recap | Monday | Coats, Chaos & Channel Tunnels

Norwich, UK > Troyes, France

They say all great adventures start with a bang and ours started with 14 brightly coloured cars, a surprising amount of multi coloured clothing, and a man called Dom forgetting his coat.

7:30am. The Nest.

A slightly foggy Norfolk morning greeted the brave souls of Canaryball Rally 3, but spirits were high (and tyres were freshly pumped). With 14 rally cars lined up like something out of a budget Fast & Furious: Norfolk Drift, we hit the road, fuelled by coffee, adrenaline, and the collective hope that no one’s sat nav would send them to Norwich instead of Northern France.

And we were off!

Sort of.

About 20 minutes in, the live tracking app pinged with the first hiccup of the day, a car had mysteriously vanished from the radar. Had someone taken a wrong turn? Engine failure? Alien abduction?

Nope.

Dom had forgotten his coat.

In a rally spanning four countries, involving over 1,800 miles of motoring mayhem, Dom decided the most strategic moment to realise this was… after setting off. Cue an emergency detour and what we assume was a world record for the fastest coat retrieval in Norfolk history. One hero, one jacket, and a mild telling-off later, we were back on track.

Meanwhile, our support crew were proving they have the easiest job and the best Instagram game with snapping glorious photos of the cars as they went by.

The Canaryball Scavenger Hunt was also launched, a chaotic blend of dares, tasks, and point-scoring madness. Want to win? You’d better be ready to hug a stranger, sing karaoke in various languages, take a photo of a French man with a very large baguette, or convince a passing lorry driver to honk in the name of charity.

By some miracle (and a lot of cruise control), we all made it to the Channel Tunnel early. Yes, early. A rally first. Either we were super organised or all very excited about French pastries, probably both.

Once in France, the real challenge began: 250 more miles to Troyes, navigating unfamiliar roads, unfamiliar road signs, and very familiar arguments over the pronunciation of “Troyes”. (Is it “Twa”? “Troys”? “Troy-ez”? No one knows. We went with all of them.)

After a long day, everyone rolled triumphantly into our first hotel. The evening drinks were flowing, the laughs were plentiful, and the leaderboard? Still wide open.

Tomorrow, it’s on to Day Two. More miles, more mayhem, and hopefully no more forgotten clothing.

Miles done so far: 453

P.S. Dom has now got his coat. It’s become a sort of mascot.