September 2021 - Armchair Adventure Festival - Mount Edgecombe Park

A leisurely start from Ringwood saw David arrive from Hove and away we went heading for Plymouth for the first live Armchair Adventure Festival - last years festival was held on-line due to Covid-19 - hence the ‘Armchair’ festival .

The trip down was un-rushed (little did we know about the forthcoming chaos due to idiots panic buying fuel that was nofollow) and we stopped for a cuppa at Kilmington and made it to the Torpoint Ferry in good time and without incident.  I manage to take the road less travelled (very narrow) before arriving at Mount Edgecombe Park.   The site was great, even though most of it was on a slope, very interesting..  We met up with Colin Hitchcock on site.

 

The event was very well planned, laid out and organised with traders, information stands, a bar tent and food stalls.  There was a large Main Stage and unfortunately a fire pit quite close to the camping area**.  A good start was made with a visit to the pizza stall and then the bar.  The band later started up and after a few numbers, it was time for me to retire to bed!  The following days started very misty and it only cleared for a hour or so in the morning.  When it did clear the sun proved to be quite hot and we even manage a few of visits down to the beach and the shop which sold wonderful sausage rolls and Cornish pasties.

The Sunday morning was another early start as we now urgently needed to get fuel - I had just 65 miles worth in the tank and 125 miles to ride home.  We left the site just before 8:00am and managed to get some fuel near the Torpoint Ferry (limited to £10), and then after a few closed or overly busy petrol stations we finally found fuel at Kilmington (limited to £30). So following a wonderful cooked breakfast there we rode back to Ringwood.

All-in-all a good weekend but will have to think hard about attending next year..

** on of the down sides the fire pit was occupied on the Saturday night by a very loud group of drunk individuals who sang, shouted and talked exceedingly loud until 4:30am.  

August 2021 - Oxhill and the Overland Event 2021

I took off on the Bank Holiday Monday and headed North to ride around Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and even a little of Warwickshire.   I had to skip some of the tourist places as there were still very busy.

I then travelled over to the Shire Camping site at Oxhill.  A brilliant little site with very good facilitates (hot showers 24/7 were a definite hit).  Harry the owner was an excellent host and the site was now empty of Bank Holiday campers save for a couple of pitches.  Next morning (Tuesday) I did a bit more touring around after a quick breakfast in Banbury.  In the afternoon David arrived and we settled in with supper and a few drinks.  

The 3rd day (Wednesday) David and I did yet another loop of the countryside following a great breakfast at the Blue Bean Coffee Shop in Shipton-on-Stour.   On the way we had a cuppa at the Broadway Tower and yet another at Gilkes's Cafe in Kineton.  We arrive back at the campsite to find that we were the only campers left, so we rearranged the benches to get out of the chilly wind and awaited the arrival of Greg and Melanie who had been touring North Wales.

Once they arrive we lit a bonfire and cooked our supper and finished off any drinks left over as glass bottles were not allowed at the Overland Event next day.

An early start on the Thursday as we stopped for breakfast at McD in Banbury and then rode down to the event near Oxford.   David and I had volunteered to assist with setting up and then at 5pm we became paying event goers.   I met many an old friend during the event and made some new ones.  Its a great event with many traders and food stalls (I didn't cook a single meal) and I have a waistline to prove it.

Tiffany arranged another "Pimms Party" for those of us that were at the Overland Xpo Event in the USA 2016/18.   I even met with the irrepressible Mary Motorcycle (I collected her BSA in bits and transported to to Travel Dri near Okehampton where Craig and Maxx restored it for her.  She rode the bike around the world in 1967   ( introducing-motorcycle-may ).

I returned to Ringwood and Greg and Melanie followed on the Sunday and then they stayed with us until they rode down to Plymouth to catch a ferry to Spain and then rode to Portugal to store the bike before flying back to the USA.

 

Aug 2021 - Adventure Travel Film Festival

 Hatherop Castle School - Sorry - I forgot to take more photos again - I will do better next time

Adventure Bike Rider Festival - June 2021

The ABR Festival 2021 at Ragley Hall was very good.  The weather was not too bad.  We stayed at Tewksbury's Hunters Inn campsite on the Thursday night and we rode over to the event of the Friday morning.    There was a lot to see and do, and I managed to buy just one book.   I have just booked up for 2022 assuming that I am not travelling elsewhere else.   I was kinda hoping to be in the USA during May - July 2022.   

I forgot to take pictures again and on the 2nd day, the lens of my camera jammed.   I really must get some pictures of me.....

Ragley Hall

Colin and David with Ragley Hall in the background

Colin and David trying to fit yet another gadget to Colin's bike

 

19 May 2020 - Home

Dear Reader,

Yesterday was wonderful - sitting in the sunshine eating beef casserole, gently poured over pasta whilst sipping the rest of a bottle of vino collapso. This was the preparation for a early night… bugger-all else to do, so as the sun slowly disappeared over the hills I crawled into my sleeping bag.

The morning brought rain and the threat of high winds - bugger. So up early, packed up in the rain and rode off into the morning gloom. There was no way that I was going to ride over either of the R.Severn bridges - so it was the long way round via Hereford, Gloucester, Swindon and Salisbury.

Oh how I hate riding in high winds… I know people will say that this is nothing compared to the winds in Patagonia but that does not help at all..

I battled through but I had to stop at Cholderton Farm shop for a loverly cuppa as I could feel a cramp starting in my leg.

Arrived home knackered, my wife had already put on the heating, so I hung up the tent etc to dry and then sat in a hot bath with another cup of tea ….

Good trip - got to get out and about with the tent. 

19 May 2020 - The Brecons

Another quiet but chilly night.  

On the road a about 8:30 - I scrapped the plan route for today and headed North to the lake at Bala then a loop over towards Snowdonia and the  back to my start point for a tea and toasted sandwich .  Then headed over to the west coast and down but got bored with that so I headed inland to Devils Bridge and then south to Llandovery and onto the camp site.   

Arrived here about 4pm

The weather was kind to me today but I believe tomorrow will be a bit wet and windy - I hate cross winds so I will avoid riding over either bridge and head for Gloucestershire and then go south…

18 May 2020 - Snowdonia

Had breakfast at Bronyllis - David was not feeling so good with his back - so he decided to call it a day and ride home. I travelled North in heavy, continual rain until just outside Dolgellau - had a cuppa in the local Cafe. Now set up on campsite - all dry so far - but clouds are coming in….. some fabulous views on the way up but a shame that it was raining…. Beef stew on the menu tonight and maybe finish off that bottle of vino collapso… its just a sleeping aid……!!!

May 2022 - Nearly Wales

After a leisurely start, I met up with David at Salisbury and then rode to South Wales via Devises and windy Severn Bridge. They had closed the A466 to Tintern, so we took to the twisty roads to Usk and the to the campsite near Lowntown in the shade of the Black Mountains…. We only got a little wet on the M4.

It's now 5:30pm and the sun is warm - nearly wine-o'clock …

Tomorrow is a run up to Snowdonia.