One year after purchase, has my Land Rover proved its worth?

When there's snow on the ground, how much does a 4x4 really help?

The first 'accessory' I bought for my Land Rover Defender was this – a Sankey ex-army trailer.

Now that I live in the wilds of Shropshire, and have 3.5 acres to look after, a go-anywhere working vehicle sounded like a good idea. The search took me to south Wales, where I found M304VEJ.

If all goes to plan I should soon be moving to an old stone cottage situated down a long, unmade track. Four-wheel drive and decent ground clearance might be a pre-requisite for any winter trip further than the front gate, so I'm wondering about adding a 4x4 to the fleet.