Voyage Into The Void

The final couple of days riding before boarding at Santander saw us ride into a cold Portugal from Ciudad Rodrigo and through Braganca along the most wonderful, perfectly smooth scenic roads. It was noted on the way down just how quiet Spain looks with seemingly half its properties empty but Portugal was a different matter entirely. What this meant though, of course, was practically zero traffic on the roads at all. Seriously, we must have rode for 20 miles without seeing another vehicle on the road, unbelievable. And then another 20 miles until the next one.

Flat, perfect and empty roads are a road rider's dream and this really was a nice surprise. Based on that a Moto GP event somewhere here is a distinct possibility some day. Back into Spain then and with Leon being unable to accommodate us we stayed in a little sleepy nondescript village way down the road and had little choice other than grab a beer and sleep. The following morning highlighted that we were only one stop from enquiring if the nearby 'Club Love' had rooms but alas it wasn't to be. We did though get some good riding in the form of a revisit to the absolutely stunning area of Riano. Wow. First the big picture perfect deep blue lake, second the hot chocolate that appeared to be just that, thirdly the lovely ride trough the mountains and finally the crappy ride down to the ferry port.

Anyway, from the top bunk in our berth that's about it for now. During what looks like a boring 30 hour crossing with little to do, talk has begun about the possibility of another trip next year, maybe to Northern Europe. Life and new responsibilities seem to have a habit of getting in the way of the things I want to do though, so let's just wait and see... PS. Anyone want to buy a Multistrada..?

Thoughts Of Home

Finally away from Ketama we headed back towards Cueta for the boat crossing back to mainland Europe. More sore riding on the bumpy roads for me even with the suspension softened to the max, meant it couldn't come soon enough. With hindsight maybe those that question why on earth me and others that do this have a point. I mean, two weeks of my yearly holiday to pay good money to take what is already a highly dangerous hobby to an even higher dangerous level.

I guess once is enough to be taken outside of your comfort zone. It's full on, chaotic, dirty, unfamiliar and uncomfortable. It's only another 30km from southern Spain but it feels like another world. As before, I tend to set a goal of getting back to mainland Europe in one piece with all possessions and then start to count down the kilometres and days until home. It's a bit of a shame really as there's plenty of good riding ahead but no matter what that's how it is yet again. Getting out of Morocco and into Cueta via the border wasn't helped probably by Angela Merkel's open invite to anybody that fancies upping sticks and coming to Europe where you'll be welcomed with a Fair Trade organic carrot juice and soft fluffy pillows. Fortunately the Spanish border officials noticed Dev waving his passport above the scrum and ushered us through before our bikes were stripped like a whole chicken in a lake of piranhas.

Europe!! Unlike the trip southwards though we're finally camping again. With a big hole in my inner door mesh my fly sheet is on and we're in €10 a night territory at various campsites. Dev particularly enjoys camping whilst camping obviously... Firstly near Tarifa, now in Ciudad Rodrigo and tomorrow (all being well) in Leon, that should do us until we board in Santander and get back home.

The western side of inner Spain appears prettier than the eastern inner side, perhaps helped by using many of the green scenic routes on the Michelin map. So with my back finally getting some respite from the relentless Moroccan roads it's now my ears turn for pain what with my bloody awful again helmet along these fast roads. It's going straight on the bonfire next week. I really should get round to changing the blog title to Ian's MRTW trip (Moaning Round The World). Sorry!

Third Time Mucky In Morocco

Once as a necessary and twice now for 'leisure' - Morocco. Much of the trip in 2014 with the GS lads was repeated here. Down to Chefchauen, same hotel, tagines, wandering through the blue old town whilst holding the urge to buy an opium pipe/leather belt/picture of a camel. And off roading of course. The two mile ride to Dev's house at the very start of the trip pretty much immediately confirmed that my bike is most definitely only designed for flat Tarmac'ed roads. Shame, as £110's worth of off roadish tyres and fitting could've been saved really. So out of curiosity and with a nod to Mick on his VFR750, up the steep rocky trail we went... As expected it was pretty harsh on me and the bike. I probably did 3-5kms and climbed a pretty high but with Sando refusing his steed to jump at Beachers Brook it gave me a timely excuse to follow him back down for a simpler day taking a dip amongst the rubbish at Aktur Falls.

Any lingering suggestion that the MTS1100s could be used as a RTW bike has now been answered with a definitive no just a few days into Morocco. Like my helmet, my old Tenere actually makes better sense from here outwards. Both are fine for these conditions as travel above 60mph is rare due to traffic/animals/pedestrians and the road conditions. For most of Africa I'd have paid for roads like Morocco's with my own fingers but here, I was more concerned at what was happening to my poor back. Ouch. A long days riding loop saw us into Ketama the hashish capital of Morocco. It's rough. Not poverty on an Indian or Ulan Bator scale but pretty shit all the same. Some previous reports of thrown rocks were spotted and now confirmed by Sando with no direct hits thankfully. Things quickly change from waves and smiles from the villages to whistles and hand gestures for hashish/money/stop here.

Eventually though, of course you have to stop. For us it was outside a very plush looking hotel with 10' walls and huge iron gates to keep the outside mob out. Not for the first time for me a local that was either a nutter or just high wanted to cause a nuisance. Tricky these situations as should you defend yourself with force you'll be met with the entire local population very quickly.

Fortunately on this occasion firstly a car park attendant intervened and when that didn't work a huge security guy from the hotel planted a right hander firmly on the money once we'd become his customers. As we rode into the maximum security car park last I saw was the poor guy being dragged across the road towards the gutter. We cleaned up, dined like kings and planned our escape back to our loved ones...

First World Fun

Aside from eating a little too much, drinking beers, riding relatively expensive toys and helping ourselves to hand soap in the toilets; tickets for the Moto GP in Jerez were purchased some weeks beforehand. All just some of the many many differences to life for those lucky enough to be born in Africa's neighbouring continent.

So the Moto GP then. A cold and foggy ride there probably saved what could well have been 50,000+ ridden bikes from speeding tickets or worse. As for the racing, some joy in the earlier Moto2 race as Brit Sam Lowes (I had to look that up) led from the front and wasn't troubled throughout.

As for the main event, likewise crowd favourite Valentino Rossi did the same. It all made for a pretty boring race but the crowd went home happy I guess. I bet they all support Man Utd, no sorry Leicester City too.

Finally out of the mayhem of noise and machinery that was the bike parking area we headed south and decided on an unplanned stay in Gibraltar. Horror stories of long border crossings fortunately didn't occur so I assume diplomatic links are OK until the next military exercise upsets one or the other.

As for Gibraltar, a bit of a strange place. We came across a large Jewish contingency in a playground all looking immaculately dressed, some Spanishy looking people, some misfits from the UK who'd obviously decided that Benidorm/Torremolinos/Marbella wasn't English enough for them and finally the 'Gibraltarians.' An odd bunch, with an odd accent - similar to many of our small distant islanders I imagine, where fresh DNA is in short supply. The place is pretty tidy and you can't help but feel that they receive a hefty fat cheque from us in the cold every month for the place with nothing in return. 65p a litre of fuel and dirt cheap duty free being some of the no doubt many perks. Don't think I'd like to live there though. Unlike my last visit as a sunburnt pyjama wearing eleven year old, no monkeys to rob me of my chocolate again. After the fox incident probably just as well as a furry animal out there has a Euro size 42 boot waiting for it...

For Fox Sake

A slightly monotonous ride on Spain's roads was livened up after a return to the dish of spaghetti that is the CO-5101. At only 22 miles long it's a bit special. Picturesque, deserted and with a perfect surface it's pretty much second gear most of the way which helps to prevent it becoming spaghetti bolognaise. I've stolen the picture from an online German cyclist as my pictures are a bit dark and I was too busy actually believing I was a Moto GP rider with my knees down, which I'm sure the boy's GoPro footage will show... So then 22 miles of smiles done it was destination El Chorro on the GPS and here I am.

I love it here. Childhood memories and an opportunity to finally camp. But planning these trips in a pub at home it's always like "yeah let's camp most of the way" but in practice, after a long day on the road all you want is a nice clean bed (in a room) and a shower. A hotel is not actually much more cost than camping and you don't need to spend all night and morning unpacking/packing your gear. El Chorro is different though and even camping in such a safe place rather than a posh hotel down the road, it makes you more Ray Mears than that bell end 'Bear Grills.' We ate pizzas and drank beers accompanied by a tame fox at the little shop/reception close by. Done for the day, off we trotted back to our little cosy dens. En route Charlie points out only things that a hunter can see, namely the reflections of eyes in the forest. Some excitement later "oh yes I can see the fox, wow" etc. We then get to our tents where the 10 year olds in us start to piss off the few other campers within hearing distance.

This is made easy by Dev seemingly having suffered either a burglary or an uninvited visit by the very fox we'd all just spotted. A quick check confirmed nothing stolen, just a hungry fox sniffing around no doubt. "Silly boy, shouldn't have left your tent open!" As I helpfully offered between laughter to Dev. "Oh well it could be worse" (pointing torch at Charlie now under a tarpaulin) "at least you won't be eaten alive while you sleep..." Oh the laughter. It didn't last long. With my tent 20m or so away it was just out of range for my torch. Except for the reflective stuff next to my tent that wasn't there earlier. "Oh FFS." That little bastard fox had ripped open my tent and dragged out my helmet, fly sheet and sleeping bag. That's not all, to make matters even worse it pissed on my sleeping bag (look closely) and DIDN'T run off with my helmet. Fox, if you're reading this I sincerely hope that you are hanging up in a Russian coat shop before the end of the month. Today is the 21st.

Ordering Blind...

1) Charlie's Salmon. Oh dear. Lenny was so right, "the worse it is, the better it looks on the blog." Poor Charlie, food poisoning. Nasty. Basically he was in no fit state to stay at home in bed all day (bucket ready and near the toilet) never mind riding several hundred miles in the cold on a motorcycle. He did though after a few prolonged periods of rest soldier on, good lad.

2) My choice of motorcycle. Basically I bought it without riding it and then only rode two miles on it before the trip. Maybe it's easier to describe this like a girlfriend. She's not a looker but there's something there I think I like but I'm not sure what. One day she looks nicely different and the other I'm hoping nobody sees us out together. She doesn’t like to be cold but she doesn’t warm up easily. She’s fairly comfortable to be with but not sure we can grow old together. On the whole though things look OK. When the curtains are drawn she can give far more than I'm used to. Perhaps the sketchy history that I received with her is a good thing. I probably don't want to know... I'll talk technical later for the anoraks/future riders to laugh at. Slept in Ciudad Real. No Salmon.

Settling In

With any trip it takes a few days to settle into it. Getting into a routine, remembering how to use the GPS, remembering to lube the chain after the day's ride and how to use the panniers properly. The last one isn't usually the case but is now due to the new bike of course. They're not the bullet proof Pelican jobbies from before but they're OK for what they are. As for the riding, better. Off the motorways and into and over the snowy Pyrenees was fun but cold. Little other traffic meant no dramas or delay and with the roads all a bit damp it helpfully allowed for a slow and steady pace. After a couple of years of not riding for me I think that's a good idea. So finally into a damp/wet/cold Spain after a 6,000 feet climb off we rode south in search of warmer and drier weather. Not much to report other than Sando losing a differential oil sump plug bolt and, yes you've guessed it, all his oil. This was spotted prior to it seizing up so with Spain (just about) being first world all was sorted out fairly quickly.

Huesca was our end point for the day and following some beers we had a game of Russian 'restaurant' roulette consisting of a three course meal by each pointing at the menu not knowing what anything meant. Except Charlie's Salmon...

"Sank Yoo Very Merch!!!!!!!!!"

So then mini trip to Morocco, here we go.

Day one down to just past Bordeaux was long, boring and painful. Let's carry on from every other trip here and have a moan. It's only taken 60,000 miles and seven years to conclude that my Uvex Enduro Carbon helmet is bloody awful. Comfortable when put on, yes. Looks good, yes. Lightweight, yes. But oh my god at any speed above 50 mph it is unbearable. And so it began. First fuel stop off comes the flimsy peak. Better but a bit like awaking from surgery and being told your testicular cancer has been cured as they're now in the bin. Actually now writing this from southern Spain all vents on the helmet have been taped over and I've just bashed off the rear vent/spoiler thing. It's now bearable except for when the visor doesn't close properly and rattles around. Which is nearly always. If I wasn't so tight (actually no, poor) I'd have stumped up the £80 to have my Schuberth DHL'ed down which I inexplicably decided not to bring. Almost as inexplicable as buying a replacement Uvex after South America. Jesus. So helmet rant already done what else? Well the ride down needed to be long and as a result was, as previously stated, unsurprisingly boring. So best to introduce the other three guys from left to right;

Charlie (a young Grant from 2009's RTW trip) - Triumph Tiger 800. A 'farm boy.' Loves hunting and knows about animals that I've never even heard of. They don't sell those in Tesco's you see. Farted in the ship's shop before we'd even left port which upset the French shop assistant. "Sank yoo very merch!!!!!!!!!" That should set the tone then... Dev (Rolf Harris) - Yamaha Tenere XT660Z. Did the Morocco trip in 2014 with me and has also done the Royal Enfield Himalayas tour. Other than that has lent me a bucket load of cash for me to do my house, which I've still not paid back. A good samaritan. Sando (Not sure. The Honey Monster?) Yamaha Tenere XT1200Z. Gadget man. Loves it. Good impressionist, notably Jimmy Saville, Borat and the French shop assistant that Charlie upset on the boat with his fart. Looking forward to more. Impressions that is!

Next stop, over the top to Spain...

The Missing Link

Hello again life, it's me. Writing in the present, reading about the past, in the future. Clearly I didn't order the sticky toffee pudding then as it would be on here for all(?) to see. Not sure "before closing" was a good choice of words. The desire to be on a bike doing what I love has not disappeared. Not at all. It's just knowing what to do before the next big one in fifteen years time. I'll explain... Life now in 2016 is somewhat different to when I rode back into the UK on my old Moto Guzzi in 2011 following trip #4-Europe. Two children and a hard three years pursuing my own 'Grand Designs' has meant adventure, fun and self are words that sound familiar but I'm not entirely sure what they mean. I did though head back to Morocco in 2014 for a couple of weeks while nobody was watching on good old Des accompanied by three relatively new friends 'Dev' (XTZ660) and Chris & Adrian (big BMW GS') I didn't bother with the blog then as for such a short trip with not a lot new to write about it really felt as though I just tagged along for the ride, it wasn't difficult. This time though I will. The main reason being that I have a new (for me) bike! Forced to sell Des, the SV and the unused K100 for the house build (for a very tidy £7k) has meant a fresh look at what bike ticks what boxes. And of those boxes, trying to decide what are the most important?? Back in 2011 the V-Strom was meant to be that bike. But call me shallow...I couldn't love it for its looks. Instead I got my leg over the Italian neighbour you may recall... So considering that these pages are probably made up of 50% of me moaning about my bike what exactly do I want from a bike? What are those boxes? Have I learnt anything from so much time travelling the world on two wheels? Here's what I know.. 1) The bike needs to have character. Sound and engine type is normally the deciding factor here. 2) 95% of my riding is on good roads. I would expect the other 5% is being worked on right now by the Chinese. Somewhere. 3) Comfort, obviously. The main issue here appears to always have been wind noise and air turbulence. The choice of helmet impacts on this too. Long rides need to be enjoyable beyond 50mph. 4) Fuel range. 5) Weight. So when loaded up, it's manageable. I've seen so many people overloaded on heavy bikes it's ridiculous. More to damage/get stolen/pack, repack/pick up. 6) Cost. The bike will get damaged, why damage a brand new one? The cost needs to be compatible for use. Lastly, an important one - outside of Europe things are very different. When interested locals want to know what your bike costs, standing next to a brand new GS1200 and telling them it costs about a lifetimes wages, for them, is beyond embarrassing, it's vulgar. I've seen it and I don't like it. 7) Nearly there - Simplicity. I'm not a mechanic but I can do the very basics. But when things do go wrong the bigger and newer the bike the more difficult (and costly) the repair will be no doubt. Tubed tyres I've never understood, a pain in the arse to fix and carry spares. So there we have it, not too much of an ask. So what's the answer? It is possibly what I somehow overlooked in 2011... Any fellow bikers may want to quickly go to the toilet before I continue....

OK done? Good...A Ducati Multistrada 1100s. OK when you've quite finished let's see why (on Earth) I've come to that conclusion... 1) It's a bloody L-Twin Ducati with Termi's and a load of goodies that should go with it already bolted on! Come on. Check. 2) 'Many Roads' is the direct translation from Italian. However, caution. This (it would seem) is more akin to 'A' roads, 'B' roads, motorways and not the James Dalton Highway in Alaska for instance. So not checked. But...remember that crazy Danish guy...? 3) The big unknown as I write. There'll be more on this we can be sure. Not checked. For now. 4) Decent if reviews are to be believed. Maybe 240 miles, dodgy fuel gauge aside. Check. 5) Comparable to Des and combined with my small kit list about as good as it gets without peddling there. Check. 6) £3600. Check. 7) Air cooled. Easy access to engine. No tubes. Sensible service intervals. But tank off to get to air filter. Check.

That'll do for now. As ever my old gear is good to go and there'll be the inevitable mad rush in the days before. Curry and beers later to confirm the route and get to know the new guys a bit better? Check.