LONDON - 5 June 2009
I have been remiss in posting this last blog but the excitement of being home has delayed its preparation.
After leaving Dubrovnik we headed up the beautiful Dalmatian Coast, torn between wanting more time to explore and getting home to our families. The latter won and we covered the ground in good time staying one night near Trieste. For all of us, the moment of elation was crossing the Italian border back into France. We literally punched the air. No anticlimax at the end of this journey. We had made it and despite taking 42 days, crossing 17 countries, 24 border controls, taking 3 ferries and riding 9,500 miles we arrived back on schedule to the day. We experienced temperatures from 9° – 40°C and on the days we rode, which was 80% of the time, we travelled the equivalent of London – Edinburgh on B roads.
Much to the disappointment of many observers there was not a single argument in the entire trip.
I asked everyone to recount their memories. Available space has reduced the content:
How it all began – Tim von Halle
The first inkling that this journey might take place was by way of an email received in May 2007. It merely said " I feel another ride coming on." Short and to the point; very Nick Laing. A surge of excitement and it was only a question of where, when and with whom. Nick's plan was to circumnavigate the Mediterranean (no suggestion of going anywhere else!).
The key to the success and enjoyment of such a trip lies in the organisation and the mix of participants. We put together six very different individuals aged from 52 to 61 - not exactly spring chickens. Our itinerary was meticulously planned and we are all still aghast that we never once deviated from our scheduled stops. This did not happen by accident, this was a result of planning - well done Nick.
The low points - Charlie Brocket
Riding in a sandstorm with 40-50 mph crosswinds and little visibility was something new. Maintaining this for four hours, keeping the bikes upright and avoiding static sand on the road and dropping them was an achievement. When we emerged my Harley had all its frontal chrome reduced to a stainless finish, the horn and two cameras were useless. We showered later in our clothes.
And the high points - Charlie Brocket
The oldest church in the world, St Catherine’s in Sinai (330), and the churches of St Simeon’s, Syria (470) and St Sophia, Istanbul (570) were unforgettable. The sheer scale and artistry of Leptis Magna in Libya justifies it as the greatest archaeological site in the world. The beauty of the wilderness of Sinai was awesome as was the landscape around the King’s Way from Aqaba to the Dead Sea and the chaos and breath-taking contents of the Cairo Museum.
On a different plane, but equally memorable, was our beautiful Turkish guide, Ozgul, and the sheer comfort of my Harley seat.
What would I have omitted? – Myles Sandys
Having just reviewed my photos and read my diary it is difficult to single out any particular item or moment. Perhaps the crippling bout of "Gyppie Tummy", the filthiest pizza ever cooked (was it cooked?) or maybe the suicidal pursuit after the Algerian police. Perhaps I would have omitted the collision with a sand dune in the middle of the road during the storm but I handled it so superbly it deserves to remain in memory. The odour from my boots every evening can be deleted as can the reminiscence of some of the bathrooms, however the whole trip was so faultlessly planned and such a privilege to have been able to join I would leave it all as it is. Finally I would say that what made it so memorable was travelling with five really special people. The one really useless piece of kit? A packet of laxatives.
My best piece of equipment – Vic Norman
It’s very hard to choose which item was of most use. The Satellite navigation device? No, because it was of no use in North Africa. What about the spares and puncture repair kit or the medical supplies to cover every possible ailment known to man? None were needed. And so the list goes on: spares for the bike, clothes, gadgets and more.
In hindsight it was my Touratech duffle bag whose huge capacity swallowed a lorry load of equipment. Its clever sealing system, with no zips to break, kept out a heavy sandstorm that had reduced visibility down to only a few yards. It is so secure and practical that I am now going to use it on all my travels. Much better that Louis Vuitton.
Wished we had more time in....bed –
Nick Hanbury-Williams
More often than not we were on the road by sunrise. As a slow starter, this meant I woke at 4.30 with the first call to prayers. The logic of the early starts was to do as much riding as possible before the sun got too hot, to avoid riding these roads at night and to give us time to see sites along the way. Whilst we tried to go to bed early to compensate, there was always a raki or grappa that we needed to honour. This did not sit well with early starts. Other than more time asleep, I would have loved to have spent more time in Egypt and Turkey.