Update - July 28th 2015
Its been hard at times to get enough time online to get everything done and im sorry to say its this site that has born the brunt of that. So i will try to update you on what has been happening for the past 5 days.
Its a day off today so im trying to catch up on everything and chill out at the same time. Hopefully there are enough hours in the day to do that.
Tip........ updates are cronological so start reading from further down
July 27th
flabbergasted, astounded, beyond belief, I dont know what to say any more because i don't think you will believe it could get any better than it already has, but it did. There were times today when i couldnt stop laughing, there were times i just cried. I have done 250 miles today either on the very edge of the coast on mountain bends. thats not just either or, thats also both at the same time.
I'm just chopping todays footage down to a 5 min clip you can all watch, just so you can see what i mean
July 26th
Todays update
It was a lovely unrushed, calm and beautiful ride today. I was out on the road by 8am and there was hardly a soul on the road, it was bliss to run along the coast without the hassle of traffic and to be fair, it stayed pretty much that way all day. There was the odd young idiot overtaking through towns but on the whole I think everybody was just taking in the views and enjoying the ride or drive as much as possible.
I spent all day riding up the coast road to split, there is a quicker way but why take it when you can get the views ive had all day. The biggest thing I found was that the sea has such a pull on your eye that every now and then when the road heads inland you scream OMG as the mountain comes back into view. I must have done that at least 10 times and it was there from start to finish. I just forgot about it
I stopped a couple of times along the way, it was a short run today, I think I had about 3.5 hours on the bike in total and arrived here just before 2pm. My first stop was coming up a hill a bit inland but with great views of the mountains and a large lake. It seems I wasn’t the only person in need of a drink and a rest as soon there were 5 other bikes parked up and everybody doing the same. My next stop was not for another 90 mins, I would have stopped sooner but there was nothing along the road to pull in to. Yes I past village after village perched on the water’s edge and there were plenty of signs pointing in to restaurants, however, if I don’t know if its 100m or 1 mile away, if it has parking, if its dingy, or just sells oranges, there is a very strong chance I’m going to keep riding, and so 90 mins later I finally came to a road side café to grab another heat quenching drink. There were at least 100 auto service places along the route, but less than a handful of road side cafes for the whole route.
Reports of a beached whale in the sea near the Hajduk Split Stadium are grossly over exaggerated, it was just me sunbathing or rather getting a base tan ready for some proper sunbathing in two days time. Im just turning a bright pink now as I type
Yesterdays update
I suppose I better start at the beginning………….
Friday night
Steve called me about 6pm and told me to be reading in 10 mins, he turned up in his nice posh Audi and took me up to his local bar somewhere up in the hills. A quite bar which is not something you ever associate with Steve but the scenery makes up anything else. We had a couple of pivo’s then headed down to meet his wife and daughter. The view from Steve’s place is something you would never tire of waking up to. I have a pic but as it was getting dark you may not get the full effect. I had a great evening, reminiscing about people we know and places we have been and trying to entertain his daughter, I must have done a decent job as armed with her stethoscope she informed me that she thought I was Ill and I should stay there a week so she could look after me. She is a very bright 3 year old and Steve is going to have his hands full with her as she grows up.
Saturday
The ride through Sarajevo was pretty simple, I saw enough buildings with the pock marks of war to remind me that this was once a very terrifying place to live. However today is different and Sarajevo is now a modern city with old parts, I suspect it’s a great place to live as long as you are working and bring a wage home.
Once outside the outskirts of Sarajevo it was back to the beautiful country side. I have grown to love the country side around Bosnia and Croatia, when you think you have seen it all, they give you something else to awe at. At times yesterday I felt like I was riding through wormholes, one of the videos ive posted shows me riding through some trees in what looks like a forest, I enter a tunnel and come out on the other side in the middle of the mountains. On another I’m riding along pretty mundane (for here) roads, ride through a tunnel and come out to see a large lake stretching out in front of me. I rode down through a gorge, a bit like cheddar gorge in England but a million times longer, bigger and more spectacular.
Todays (Friday) trip also had a bit of a border issue, the normal road from Sarajevo to Dubrovnik takes you into Croatia as expected but then back into Bosnia for 10km before crossing back into Croatia. Given my last experience with crossing into Bosnia (you must buy insurance) I decided to take another option that took me up into the mountains again but on a single track road (mostly) full of pot holes and cars\trucks careering towards me and not giving an inch. Still, you’re reading this update so I obviously managed to make it up and down.
When I finally arrived at the coast road in Nuem I was blown away again. This stretch of road takes beauty to another level. I got over the border crossing in to Croatia without any issues at all, stopped to reset sat nav, put helmet back on and carry on riding. For the next 50km (30 miles) I rode along with my mouth open wide not even noticing I hadn’t put the music back on. Seeing is believing and of course there will be a video posted as soon as possible.
To finish off another fantastic day I took a walk down into Dubrovnik with the intent of going for a dip in the Adriatic, what I wasn’t expecting when I got there, was to find myself walking through kings Landing, luckily I had taken the small camera so there are pics to view later also. I walked through for an hour or so and then found a bar on the cliff face, you only had to duck through one of the holes in the wall to reach it, there wasn’t anything in the way of a beach but there was plenty of rocks you could jump from into very deep water and some man made steps hewn into the cliff to help you get back out.
I have also taken the decision to start heading home again. The reports im getting about Montenegro and Albania is that there are quite a few wild fires going and nobody thinks it’s a good idea to head that way unless absolutely necessary. It would take far to long to head round and then get back on track with the original plan so im heading up to split now and ill work things out from there
July 25th
Not sure what to say today, its been supercalifragilisticexpialidocious all day long (never thought id use that in a sentence.
Although the website claims the internet is free in all rooms (there is no cost) it only works by reception, i cant even get the signal in the room.
So for now id just like to let you know im off down the beach for a well deserved dip. Hopefully ill find my way back and do a proper update later. If not ill make sure i do two tomorrow
July 24th
Today is a day off, and the first real chance to properly get my thoughts on the trip down on paper without it blowing off an Alp. Every time I’ve started to contemplate this amazing trip, I keep getting distracted by some other incredible sight rushing by as the milometer keeps climbing up. To be honest, I am finding the whole experience a bit scary at times, and I’ve done some crazy things in my past. But on reflection, this might just be the craziest thing of all. I felt more confident mentally when I knew David was coming along with me, but the reality is that the trip is no different. I get up on a morning, get on the bike and go visit the places and people we had planned. I park up wherever I’m parking up for the night, take a shower, eat and sleep.
While that sounds about as mundane as a ride to work in the morning, this trip has been anything but ordinary. Although the journey from home to Mons is a simple journey of which the most memorable part is the smell of manure that emanates from the Northern French farms, I had the excitement of riding to a great adventure that has so far turned into something much more than I could have ever expected. I even saw brighter skies over Belgium than France. No, you didn’t read that wrong. That must be some kind of miracle. But joking aside, the trip has just got better and better, with each day revealing a whole new surprise, a breath-taking discovery. You start to think ‘I must have ascended into heaven, this place cannot be real’, you turn another corner and you pinch yourself again, and when you figure out you’re not dreaming (and, looking at the places I’ve seen so far, it’s no mean feat), you can’t help but let your jaw drop in awe.
Another thing I’m finding surreal is that the moment you cross a border, everything changes. Serbia could be considered a place from the past that’s somehow cropped up in the present, especially when you ride through country town after country town. But as soon as you cross in to Bosnia you find yourself in the modern world again. While the roads are the same size, the houses become much more cramped and the towns they’re in are flat-pack, more reminiscent of towns back home. Despite the stark differences between the countries I’ve been through so far however, every single one has had its own unique quirk that I’ve grown to love while riding through. France likes roads with unobstructed views of the countryside, so you never get totally bored by the road, while in Belgium you get to see tree lined roads and…not much else. Ah well, Belgium is Belgium. But the contrast is something to behold. Road side hedges are trimmed and then left wild. House styles change, some to cope with the heat and others the cold. I almost feel privileged to see these differences and to be able to compare them with my own little island. With the exception of Yorkshire (which is God’s own county and I will not accept anyone telling me otherwise) there is nowhere in England as beautiful as some of the places I have ridden through so far; I’m truly blown away.
I’m one week into the trip now and, while the bike has been totally reliable, it seems the destinations that lie in wait on my journey aren’t. I am due in Dubrovnik (better known to the wider world as King’s Landing in Game of Thrones) tomorrow then Montenegro and Albania the day after but I have heard that wild fires have caused some road closures which may, unfortunately, affect the route. Whether I’ll have to change the route completely or partially is a matter for then, but what I know now is, however scary things might get, I’m not coming home yet.
Update - July 23rd 2015
Last night was one to forget - fast. I went with the cheap room and got exactly what it said on the tin. Upon inspection, there was no air conditioning, not even a fan was anywhere to be seen despite the stifling 37 degree heat. The view was pretty impressive but the temperature was unbearable. Obviously, sleep was limited to say the least, even a freezing shower at 3am didn’t work.
The morning, unfortunately, kept up the same trend; I rode to the Kalemegdan but the guard wouldn’t let me in to the car park - motorbikes NOT allowed. I found another parking place not far away but after that issue I didn’t have time to get round all of it. I took a few photos but I was quickly back in the saddle again to ride through Belgrade. Once I got out on the open road things started to pick up. I managed to get a bit cooler, although it took 80mph wind resistance and a wide-open jacket to do it, such was the heat.
I found my way over the border, but then another problem arose. I ended up having to pay for some insurance as I didn’t have a green card (turns out you really do need it), so once I went through the Bosnian border I was 20 euros lighter. However, once I rode through it, the insurance faux pas didn’t matter at all. Bosnia might be the place I retire to - have a look at the video of Divič and you’ll see why. I even had to go back to the start of it and make sure I got video just to make sure everyone saw it.
From there it was mountain roads littered with villages, so many that you couldn’t ride for 20 feet without hitting the next one. Although this leg of today’s ride wasn’t long in terms of actual length, the constant 30mph limits through villages drastically reduced my overall speed. Not a problem at all, as it gave me even more time to take in this astonishing country. The mountains were a great ride, not as tight and twisting as some of the others I’ve been on but still a very interesting ride – a lot of that had to do with a colossal thunderstorm which would have been very welcome in my hotel room in the early hours, but not so much on mountain roads at 70mph. I suppose you can’t always get what you want.
The ride down to Sarajevo was breathtakingly beautiful, expect a video of it later but as you know one a day is as much as I can manage normally. You ride down between two sides of the mountain until eventually Sarajevo reveals itself in the distance. Words simply cannot do it justice so you’ll have to wait for the video but, trust me, I have
Update - July 22nd 2015
Change of plans for today. Stana was stuck in Bosnia still, so i am now in Belgrade and not Novi Sad. I will try to see Stana when i get to Szeged on the 2nd half of the trip.
Well from the amazing and sometimes scary yesterday to the amazing and very very calming this morning. It was sad to leave Deja but my run through the south of Slovenia was very pleasant, I rode down the side of the river Savinja, at times finding i had to speed up to reach the legal speed limit and stop slowing other road users down. Of all the places i have been in the world (so far) this is the most beautiful (just like Yorkshire)
This afternoon was all about getting to Vuckovar on the easten side of Croatia, the run through was fast and warm, at 10am this morning the road signs were already telling me it was 34c. At least the allow you to travel like an adult at 80 (UK take note) Once i got there i instantly found myself remembering driving down the exact same road 23 years ago during my tour of Vuckovar in 92. While it didnt have the same eerie feeling it had the first time around there was still plenty of reminders of those days (video to follow)
Now i am in Belgrade, i havent had time to wonder around yet, ive had to jump in the shower and cool down as its now 37c here, and visit the bar to grab a fresh orange and lemon drink with enough ice to sink the titanic of which i am currently sucking to try and cool my core temp down to a much more normal level.
wonder what tomorrow brings
Update - July 21st 2015
Its a day off today and im spending it in Celje in Slovenia at Deja's and enjoying every moment. The sun is shinning and I'm melting in the heat but so apparently is everybody else.
Yesterday is what you came to read about and how it went going over the Grosslockner. If i die tomorrow and have one opportunity to come back and spend a day riding the bike, it would be on this road. It has everything you could ever want as a biker. Its smooth, it has a million bends that at times flow so smoothly you almost make a mess in your pants (it was that good i had to check twice). The views are amazing, the scenery unbelievable and the ride is the ride you have been dreaming about since the day you first sat on a bike.
On top of that i went over three other mountains yesterday. I have no idea what their names are but they were equally amazing in different ways. On the 2nd hill climb of the day i followed three Harleys up, listening to their exhaust and wishing i was as light as they were. On the 3rd trip i nearly spoiled my pants again (brown pants) on the way down in to Italy, the road narrowed, the surface became slippery and the bends hairpin with one after another after another. My 4th and final climb was in Slovenia, by the time i got there i must have already done 400 hairpins so was glad to find that the corners on this pass were not all 180 degrees. I will put video of all the runs up on here at some point but due to editing and uploading i can only manage one a day at the moment.
So there you go, yesterday was biker heaven. I would like to thank two guys i met half way up (Rob and John) for showing me to the bikers point (see the pics) and for allowing me to ride along with them for the next couple of hours. I had a great time and learned so much from you both. My cornering skills are now 100 times better than they were on Sunday night.
Update - July 19th 2015
Im going to run out of superlatives to use very soon so you will just have to forgive me for over using them and over repeating over and over again
Today started out slowly with a couple of hours motorway riding down past Munich but once we got to the mountains life got a whole lot better.
I stopped off at Kitzbuhel on my way down and took the Mascot (who ive named DC) to the starting gate at the top of the Hahnenkamn for a spot of lunch. On the way back down i stuck my head into the Huber and found Dieter working so popped in for a coke and a catch up. I also stopped of at Sigis but the legendry (in his lunch time) raphael wasnt anywhere to be found.
Over all it was a pretty easy day, only 4.5 hours on the bike and plenty of breaks along the way. Tomorrow should be a much tougher day so keep tuned in and see how i get on
Update - July 18th 2015 - 2000 CET
WOW
what a day, It started off with a nice boring ride along the motorway from Mons to Namur but after that it just got better and better. I rode some fantastic roads from Namur to Vianden in Lux and then even better ones from Vianden to Trier.
To top all that off Carsten Schommer met me for lunch with his girlfriend and boys. It was a great pleasure to meet them all and catch up with another old friend
My ride to Stuttgart after that was a bit boring but i just needed to eat up the miles and get in for an early night tonight.
Tomorrow will start slow with motorway down past Munich but should get better after that as I climb up the mountains towards Kitzbuhel and Bruck
Internet here is rather stone age so pics and vids will have to wait until im back in this century
Update - July 17th 2015 - 2100 CET
Pretty easy day today, Managed to get round the M25 without to much drama but had to take a detour on the M20 around Ashford. Train ran smoothly once i got there although it was 10 mins late to start moving but considering what has been going on latelty with the eurotunnel we can chalk that one down as a win and do a little jig. Mons has lost none of its spendour (not my words) its roasting, far to humid and somebody has gone and put a huge sun flower maze in the middle of the town square.
Steak on a brick was great just as i expected it would be. As many times as ive been, there is still nothing quite like a waiter bringinga freshly cut 500g steak for you to cook on a red hot brick. "ealth and safty" can go take a leap on this one, im big enough to realise the brick is very hot, after all its cooking my ruddy steak. I did wash it down with a Leffe Blonde and that tasted very nice also.
Im now sat at Erics and chilling out with a cold pepsi (sugar free of course) catching up with the latest news and generally having an great evening.
Time for me to go now but tomorrow is another day and another journey. Ill tell you all about it later
Update - July 17th 2015 - 0700
Thats it then, its go time. The door is locked and im ready to rock. Have to call into work first to make sure everybody knows what to do but im not going home again for another 31 days.
Phoebe has given me a Mascot to take along with me. I will try and take as many pictures as i can and post them along the way.
Update - July 13th 2015
I'm ready, everthing is packed and ready to go. All i need to do is load it onto the bike.
The bike is also ready Over the past two months that bike has had, a new chain and sprockets, new tyres, new breaks and a full service. Thank you to Doubletake Motorcycles for all their efforts to get the bike working smoothly. Long may it stay that way.
So thats it, the bike and equipment are ready to go, all documentation is ready and printed off where required.
Update - July 10th 2015
Routes are now final, I will be shaving a day off early missing Switzerland and Liechtenstien and I will also by giving Greece (and therefore Turkey) a miss as its too unstable there at present. Its a shame that i will be missing out visitng four countries but these things cant be helped. This gives me an extra 2 spare days and could be very usefull when i get to the black sea and want an extra day on the beach :-)
On the plus side i have found that i can visit Italy on my way to Slovenia (Stage 4)
I have also found that i can visit the Bone Church (Sedlac Ossuary) in the Czech Republic. (Stage 17)
Update - July 8th 2015
Bike insurance renewed - Check
Breakdown cover for whole of Europe - Check
Update - July 6th 2015
With the current situation in Greece i feel that it is probably not a good idea to visit this summer. With that in mind I am going to change my route and go straight to Burgas in Bulgaria from Skopje. Ill also hold my day off until i get to the beach
Update - July 3rd 2015
I have decided to take a quicker route to Slovenia and miss out Switzerland and Liechtenstein, I can go thorough these two countries on a future trip around Italy and North Africa (probably 2019). it does give me an extra "free" day just in case
Update - June 23rd 2015
Travel Card with 500 Euros pre loaded - Check
International Drivers Permit - Check
I have decided to take some loose euros with me to change at border points for those countries that dont take Euros. its proving far to dificult to get hold of some of the currencies i am going to need, so this seems the easier option.
Update - June 17th 2015
GO GO GO
The trip will start on Friday 17th July.
Update - May 29th 2015
Still not sure when the trip will be starting. Work has asked me to be flexible and wait for a gap that is suitable for them to give me 4 weeks off.
Update - May 28th 2015
What a fantastic weekend
I managed to leave work at lunch time on Friday and head straight down to Folkestone and the Eurotunnel to catch the 1520 train to Calais. Once out on the other side the run up to Mons went very well and I arrived at Erics around 7 30 just in time for dinner.
A couple of things to note.
Getting onto the train at Eurotunnel can be a bit of a pain as a bike rider. Firstly the ticket you get to hang over your rear view mirror is for cars, there is nowhere to hang it on a bike. You can try but I suspect you will be breaking sharply and having to jump off and chase it down the road before you have got 20 metres. I ended up having to put it in my pocket with the information end sticking out so that the staff could see what train I was meant to be on. Needless to say that is most of the ticket and very little is actually in your pocket. It doesn’t make for very safe riding. The Second problem is Passport. You need to be able to get to it very quickly or you’re going to get some very irate drivers behind you. On this trip I had to carry it in my mouth and show it to both the French and English checkpoints. I guess I was lucky they didn’t want me to take my helmet off but as sure as eggs are eggs I’m bound to get one jobsworth on one trip that wants me to. For my next trip I will be taking a thigh bag and putting it in their or a small tank bag where I can access it easy. Lastly I’d like to mention parking on the train. Having never taken the bike on the Eurotunnel I was very keen to see how it all worked. The parker got us to pull into the left hand side of the carriage and park the front wheel right up against the lip of the walking section. This apparently gives the bike some stability if the train has to stop suddenly. I also took the decision to put my bike on its centre stand but there were another two riders there with me that left theirs on the side stand and there was no problem at all with them staying upright throughout the journey.
Riding through Europe does mean you have to concentrate a bit more on the rules of the road. Riding on the right hand side is not difficult but you have to make sure you know the speed limits and road rules for each country you ride through. As you ride out of France at 130 kmh the Belgium police will give you a ticket as their limit at the border is only 110. Just be careful and make sure you read every road sign.
Anyway, back to the trip. I spent Friday night at my old residence in Mons, not my old flat but at Eric’s downstairs. It was very strange pulling up at the flats after a couple of years away, and even stranger walking into Eric’s and seeing my old bed, wardrobe and draws in the spare room just as I left them in 2013.
On Saturday after breakfast I set off for Luxembourg but took the scenic route through France and the Ardennes Forest (Route Map) I got into Lux at 2pm having had a great ride through the forest. I nearly got caught out on a corner that looked pretty easy coming down the hill towards it but then found out it was a 180 turn and I needed to throw the anchors on quickly to stop myself coming off the road and heading head first into the trees.
After some lunch and a couple of cold cokes David and I heading into Lux for a site seeing tour. I spent a month here working in 2010 but I never saw half the stuff David Managed to show me in one afternoon. Luckily I did take a pocket camera and took a hundred or so pictures to capture the afternoon. I’ll try to get them (at least a couple) put on the site soon for you to look at.
On Sunday it was time to head to France again and meet up with Michael for dinner. I didn’t leave until just after lunch and took non motorway route through Boullion and Riems (Route Map) to the outskirts of Paris. It was great to catch up with Michael and find out what each of us had been up to over the last 5 years. I even got to have breakfast with him and his family on Monday morning before heading back to England and my normal daily life.
Update - May 20th 2015
European Test
This weekend (arranged at short notice) I am doing another full test of bike and equipment, but this time I will be riding around Europe. Obviously I’ll be catching up with some friends along the way.
I will be leaving work and heading straight to the Eurotunnel at Folkestone. This should take about 2 hours but I might take the opportunity to fill up a flask and grab a sandwich (for the train) at the service station near Leeds Castle on the M20. I can head straight through check in and passport control then, choosing the next available train.
I have never took a bike on a train so I’m interested to find out if anybody parks their bike with just the side stand. I know regardless of what anybody else does I’ll be putting mine on its centre stand and getting the tablet out to watch a film or something while I drink my coffee and eat the sandwich bought earlier.
Once on the other side I can head up to Dunkirk and onwards towards Lille and finally Mons for my overnight stay and a chance to catch up with some old work colleagues. This should take about 90 Minutes and is a pretty easy and straightforward ride. The only concern will be the bumpy Belgium roads and how I and the bike handles those. This will test out the Europe side of my Sat Nav and of course my wrong side of road driving capabilities.
Saturday will see me heading to Luxembourg following the route I will be taking on the full trip later this summer. It’s only a 2 hour trip and should be over by Lunch. David is there and hopefully will have something planned to do for the rest of the day and evening.
On Sunday I was hoping to head up to Cologne to meet up with a couple of friends there but they are both otherwise occupied this weekend so will have to return later in the year to see them. Instead I will be heading towards Paris for the evening which will enable me to catch up with a friend I met out in Afghanistan many years ago. He and his fellow crew looked after me when I first got to Kabul and made the job very enjoyable.
I have changed the way I am packing my kit. I am taking a large holdall with me to pack all my clothes in. This will be held in place across the pillion seat and hopefully double up as a back rest. That will allow me to pack some waterproofs and extra bike suit into the panniers. It also means that I don’t have to drag 3 luggage boxes in and out of hotel rooms every day. I will just have the one bag and should make life much simpler.
Right, enough talking from me, enjoy your weekend and ill put an update on next week to let you know how it all went
Update - April 19th 2015
The trip is still on.
I have thought long and hard about if i should continue with the trip but after talking it through with David we decided it would be a shame not to finish the job.
Update - April 9th 2015
Sorry for the delay in updates but sometimes normal life takes over and our dreams have to take a back seat for a while.
Update from bike and equipment check in Wales.
The wales trip did not quite go to plan.
I met up with David (the other rider) at the hotel in Cardiff on Thursday evening and over a drink or two we discussed what we wanted to get out of the next few days and of course what we wanted to get out of the main trip this summer. After a good nights sleep and a full fat breakfast on Friday morning we set of for Caerphilly Castle but never got there. With 1 mile to go David caught some oil on a tight left hand bend, caught the slide quickly but in the process ran over the central line of the road and straight into a car coming the other way. The bike and car were right offs but luckily David only suffered a dislocated thumb and some bruising to body and ego.
After spending a few hours with the police and ambulance services david was finally taken to Cardiff A&E where they xrayed and pampered him. We talked about what to do next and it was decided that David would get the train back to London and get his thumb sorted out and I would continue on the trip.
The rest of the day was spent trying to catch back up with the plan, I made sure David got on the train and then headed back up to Caerphilly Castle. We felt it would be a shame not to get a few photographs of it considering how the day had tunred out. Once that was done i made a quick dash over to St Davids and then followed the original plan up to Aberystwyth for the evening. Coming up the coast road was spectacular, the views were amazing and ill try to put some video footage on later.
Saturday was not just meant to be a day out riding but we had also planned to do some zip linning at ZIP World Titan. I headed up towards Snowdonia and again was amazed by the scenary. Wales is truely a beautiful country and if you havent visited you should, soon. The sat nav found Titan with no problems and once there, it was easy enough to work out where i needed to check in and get my zip linning equipment. They even have helmets for go pros so i was able to put my camera on and capture some footage for you to look at. (see videos). The experience at Titan takes a couple of hours, From kitting up and taking the minibus to the top of the mountain, the 3 rides and walks between, but is well worth it. The 3 rides are great fun and the speeds achieved are impressive. I had finished my rides by around 1pm and popped into the cafe there for a bite to eat and a nice cool drink. At this point i figured id done enough riding to make sure that the days events at Caerphilly Castle had not diminished my enjoyment of riding a motorbike and that it wasnt going to be something that stuck in my mind like a bad dream. So with that in mind i decided to head home, back through glorious Wales and the brecon beakons, over the 7 bridge to England and home.
The bike (mine at least) behaved superbly during the whole trip, My Sat Nav never got me lost and all the charging and entertainment equipment we took worked perfectly.
Now we just need to decide what happens next
Update - March 31st 2015
Full Bike and Equipment Test in Wales
This weekend will see us head off to wales for a full 5 day bike and equipment check. We are packing as if we are going to Europe. This is to make sure that we have everything we need and nothing we don’t. We will be testing out the ride of the bike over a full 4 day period and riding for about 1100 miles. We will be testing not only the bike but our bodies. We need to make sure we are capable of riding three days in a row and not just the bike. We need to test the Sat Navs, Cameras, Comms Systems and charging equipment. Everything that is going on the Europe Tour is going on this test. We will let you know how it goes.
Day 1 128 Miles
Start Point
The trip officially starts in Cardiff on Friday Morning but of course we still have to get to Cardiff. I will be travelling via Stonehedge and Bristol (coffee with Don Robb). I might have a quick stop at Caldicot Castle before reaching Cardiff and checking in for the night.
Day 2 - 240 Miles
Stage 1
Our first day of planned riding will see us visit Caerphilly Castle, The National Showcaves Centre and Kidwelly Castle then head out to St Davids and up to Aberystwyth for the evening.
Day 3 275 Miles
Stage 2
Saturday sees us heading for Zip World Titan at Blaenau Ffestiniog and flinging ourselves down the zip lines. After that we will be riding around Snowdonia and North West Wales before finishing the day in Chester
Day 4 232 Miles
Stage 3
On Sunday we are going to head back into wales and go visit the Elan Valley Visitor Centre. From there we will head back down on to the Brecon Beacons before turning north and heading through Hereford, Leominster and finally Worcester for the evening
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Day 5 141 + Oxford to Home
Stage 4
While we are heading home on Monday we will still have time to head out to Stratford Upon Avon and take some back country roads around Cheltenham, Gloucester, Chipping Norton and finally Oxford before we split up and head our separate ways home.
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