Ride Round The World – Page 49 – Because survival is insufficient

Day 1 – LHR

12 Sep

Ok, all I’ve done is drive to Heathrow, but let’s call this day 1 of the African adventure, just so that I have an excuse to see if I can get spherical panoramas working on the blog.

Complimentary upgrade to a club room at the always excellent Sofitel, good workout in an empty gym, complimentary glass of Erdinger with smoked almonds and honey glazed cashews in the Perrier-Jouet champagne bar, complimentary hors doeuvres and champagne in the executive lounge. I like the word complimentary. Later perhaps I’ll watch tv in the bath, just because there’s a tv in the bath…. And some people dont like travelling!

Post from RICOH THETA. #theta360uk – Spherical Image – RICOH THETA

Off-road Africa… from the air?

10 Sep

In preparation for travelling through southern Africa I picked up the 3DR Solo drone.

Very pleased that my “upgradeable, future-proof” drone will now most likely not receive any software updates, warranty support, or replacement parts, after the lead developers and CEO of 3DR all suddenly left the company, and 3DR is now focusing on corporate customers for site surveys. Regular consumers are out of luck. Just glad that I bought after the recent 50% price drop, even if that “special offer” turned out to be a “get rid of them before they’re worthless” fire sale.

Now just hoping that my Solo makes it as far as Africa without getting broken, so that I can try to do some aerial filming.

Here’s a quick clip of one of my training flights back in England.

African Adventure

28 Aug

The plan:

Fly to Cape Town.
Collect a Ford Ranger with a tent on the roof.

Then visit:

Namibia
Zimbabwe
Zambia
Botswana
Swaziland
Lesotho

Including

The Fish River Canyon
Sossusvlei
The Skeleton Coast
Etosha National Park
Victoria Falls
Livingstone
Okavango Delta
Moremi Game Reserve
Isandlwana
Sani Pass
Cape Agulhas

and back to Cape Town. At least, that’s the aim, subject to luck and fortune.

You’ll be able to see where I am thanks to my SPOT satellite tracker. Just click “Where I am right now” at the top of this page.

Touring the Balkans – part 3

13 Jul

Day 8 – Davos to Basel via the Swiss alps – 300 miles
A tour around the Furka, Susten and Grimsel passes, which all link together into a perfect loop of biking heaven. Except, on a summer Staurday there are so many bikes out it becomes a pain. Switzerland is utter crap compared to the pure joy of biking in Kosovo, Montenegro, and the Dalmatian coast.

I don’t often take selfies, but when I do…

Furka Pass

Swiss-style Rosti for lunch

Basel

Day 9 – Basel to Sheffield – 700 miles
Obligatory photo-op at the old Reims GP circuit on the way back to Calais.

Touring the Balkans – part 2

13 Jul

Day 5 – Kotor to Mostar to Split – 225 miles
Great view, great weather, incredible ride from Kotor into Bosnia. Average food. Still a whole day to enjoy the coast road back in Croatia and on to Split.

Early start leads to stunning views, stunning roads, and not a car in sight

The new “old” bridge in Mostar

Full English breakfast, Bosnian style, in the old town alleyways near the bridge

This was just after entering Bosnia, where the customs officer at the border said, “British? Ha ha! Breexeet! Big mistake ha ha ha! Have nice day”….

The sensational Croatian coast road heading north towards Dubrovnik and Split – flat-out biking heaven

Day 6 – Split to Lake Bled – 325 miles
Not much of a ride, but an incredible view from the hotel room, and afternoon enjoying the lake, and dinner on the balcony as the sun sets.

View from hotel room at Lake Bled, Slovenia

Dinner on the balcony at sunset

Day 7 – Bled to Davos via the Grossglockner and the Stelvio – 400 miles
Can’t beat an early morning ride to get somewhere interesting for breakfast. Such as the Grossglockner pass, currently empty apart from me and some furry little gofers that seem intent on running under my wheels.

The Grossglockner

Apfel strudel and coffee for breakfast at the Grossglockner

Sunrise at Lake Bled. Apfelstrudel at the Grossglockner pass. Bratwurst at the Giovo pass. “Warme kuche” at the Stelvio pass. Schnitzel at the Davos Hilton. Got to love Slovenian lakes, Austrian mountains, Italian hairpin bends, German food, Swiss hotels, and of course, German motorcycles.

The Stelvio Pass