Category: general

The Overland Event in Great Missenden

I’m home washing clothes and repacking after a fantastic weekend at the Overland Event. The weekend was packed with inspiring talks, people who had ridden across the world on motorbikes, scooters, post bikes… you name it. Your imagination is your limit when it comes to ways to explore the world. Needless to say, my journey to Ireland feels rather tame after meeting all these people. But one day, that will be me… just need to practise a bit of gravel riding and rough camping and I will be good to go 😉

Christopher proudly presents our tiny tent where he slept like a baby
Christopher proudly presents our tiny tent where he slept like a baby
The campsite in sunshine... we did have some rain, but not enough to discourage us
The campsite in sunshine… we did have some rain, but not enough to discourage us
Tyre work shop - I'm quite confident I could do this... if I had tubed tyres... perhaps my next bike will have such...
Tyre work shop – I’m quite confident I could do this… if I had tubed tyres… perhaps my next bike will have such…
This bike has been around the world
This bike has been around the world

This bike belongs to Jacqui Furneaux, who rode it around the world, a journey that lasted 7 years. Her talk was one of the many inspirational talks that we listened to, the title was “Plan? What plan? How to have fun whilst going with the flow”. At the moment she is writing a book about her travels, keep an eye out for it!

Another talk was “Africa with Autism”. Melanie Cowpland was sharing her plans for a future journey, taking her daughter with her in an Ural with sidecar, travelling from England to South Africa. I will, for sure, follow their progress. Search on Facebook for Africa with Autism if you want to know more.

John is packed and ready to go, around the world, estimated travel time 2-3 years!
John is packed and ready to go, around the world, estimated travel time 2-3 years!

Another amazing person I met was John, who built his bike with what he could find and it will take him around the world, a journey he is doing in memory of his late wife. He has an extensive website with lots of information, about the bike, his plans and his progress: Townie v the World

The Overland Event sponsored MoR, Motorcycle Outreach, who have projects going in Tanzania and Indonesia, supplying bikes, training riders and mechanics so that nurses and doctors can reach remote villages with medical aid. The organisation was founded by Simon Milward, who travelled around the world and sadly died in an accident not being able to complete his journey. His story is told in “The Road to Mali” which was launched at the event. I look forward to read it.

Another cool thing was that there was possibilities to test ride a few bikes, there was three different Triumph’s and the CCM. I was keen to test ride the CCM, which is a UK manufactured bike, witch seems to have a lot of potential for traveling and fun riding on and of road but it was fully booked for the whole weekend when I finally got hold of the coordinator. I did however get to take the Triumph 800 out for a ride, it is very smooth, hardly any vibrations in the foot pegs which is my Achilles heal, but rather top heavy which I don’t like at all.

If nothing else, it makes me look good.
If nothing else, it makes me look good.

This is just scratching the surface of what we experienced during this weekend. Now it’s time to end the day with a movie and some wine, tomorrow I set off, Going West.

A little bit of everything

I’m home for now so I take advantage and write a bit more extensively today.

First leg finnished
First leg finnished

I headed out to collect my bike and start riding quite promptly after finishing my studies, we had moved and there had been too much to do for too long. While I am an experienced rider and know very well the healing and relaxing feeling that riding gives me, my relation to camping is not as solid. However, I have to say that it grows on me. After last year’s good experience during the Emigration Tour I had decided to camp this year as well. June can be cold the best of years, and this is not a good year, at least not weather-wise. To prepare, I bought woollen thermals, to ride and sleep in, and yes they were needed, I slept with them all nights and with another layer of thermals on top of them. My sleep was good, very good and I am grateful for the lack of rain throughout this leg of the trip.

My major problem on this trip was that my phone cable kept losing contact so the phone failed to charge. Therefore, I could only occasionally use the GPS. I had maps so I would always find my way, but when I have got used to riding roads like this with TomTom it is sad to not be able to.

Somewhere in the Netherlands
Somewhere in the Netherlands

Christopher and I did some backroad riding around Bruges and some roads ran straight through farms while others crossed forests. We found Damme, an absolute pearl, riding along one of the many waterways around Bruges. In Damme we had coffee and pancakes, our aim was actually to cross into The Netherlands to experience some roads marked as scenic on the map but due to extensive roadworks we did not manage. We were pleased with what we got still, including the pancakes.

pancakes with weird stuff, hen & mushrooms and curry-banana
pancakes with weird stuff, chicken & mushrooms and curry-banana

We did a photo shoot by the canal in Damme and Christopher took some good images of me riding.

Note the two storks on the roof
Note the two storks on the roof
Cute cottage and cool biker
Cute cottage and cool biker

When entering Bruges, we did another photo shoot to capture the amazing entrance through which the traffic passes after crossing the bridge over the circular canal. While we were preparing for the photo a lady passed on a bicycle and asked, in Spanish, if I could take a photo of her 🙂

Entry into Bruges
Entry into Bruges

Although Bruges is very touristic and expensive, it is also very pretty. We did what everyone else did, photographed ourselves by the mirror sculpture on the square, then we realised that one can enter and see people posing from the inside, one mirror is see-through. Great fun.

My photographer and I
My photographer and I

No visit is complete without a run and Bruges proved to be a good location for running. The park along the outer canal was excellent for a midday run, despite the heat the trees provided enough shade to still make it bearable.

Ride & Run!
Ride & Run!

The final day of this leg was the crossing of the English Channel. Christopher by bus and me with Lazy Cat. It was a very windy day and I arrived early for the ferry. Despite seeing many bikes before Calais none headed for the ferry, my guess is that they opted for the tunnel (which, btw, was double the price when I booked). This was my first time taking the ferry from Calais and I have now seen with my own eyes the immigrants trying to get lucky and get a ride with someone. A scary sight indeed. Life is very unfair, few people think of that when being on the lucky side. I was indeed very lucky, not only had I a passport and ticket, I also had a thermos with coffee and a chocolate bar.

Warming myself in the wind, after having shown my ID three times
Warming myself in the wind, after having shown my ID three times

The staff on the ferry where thrilled that their only biker was female. My bike was tied for me and when I left the ferry they took every measure to help, they were even impressed that I had untied the bike myself and put the straps back. While riding towards Calais and during the crossing to Dover I had my own theme music, in my head. It was a Swedish pop song from the 80s called Dover Calais by Style. I’ll link to it for those who like to freshen up their memories of the 80s. They have powerful hair, that alone is worth seeing.

England welcomed, grey and drizzly, but apart from the weather I had a smooth ride. I am home for now, washing and repacking. This upcoming weekend we head to Great Missenden for the Overland Event, hopefully it will not rain and we will have lots of fun. I have also sorted out a zillion things and gotten a new front tyre. It was no problem to make an appointment at Zenith Motorcycles and I got a warm welcome. It is the first motorcycle business I have come across which is run by a woman, for that alone I am glad to have found it. Apart from getting a new tyre, I also learned something new, locking the back wheel is better than front, at least it makes it harder for the thieves to carry the bike away.

Disc lock in rear wheel
Disc lock in rear wheel

That is all for now, time to step into my running shoes and get some fresh air, relatively speaking. Thank you for reading!

Touring Belgium

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In Bruges I meet up with Christopher who came over with the buss from London. We are spending a long weekend in this lovely city and use it as base for exploring the Belgian country roads. Yesterday we took the back roads to Gent for a city stroll and lunch. Parking is no problem in this country, we could ride straight into the center.

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After being cold for a few days we are now in the heat of summer. Today we have been exploring Bruges further, I’ve done some running and we have sampled several beers. Life is good!

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