Shed Envy

There is a local gentleman, Tony East, who opens up his private motorbike collection during TT fortnight. It is simply stunning and this Tony got a severe dose of shed envy - see what you think.

Arrival at Mecca

It is hard to describe the excitement as the Ferry draws close to Douglas on this bright and sunny Saturday. Riders and drivers are called to the vehicle deck and we unlash and prepare the Gray Ghost for take- off. The ships ramp lowers, engines fire and we are off onto the hallowed tarmac of the Isle of Man. This is an almost religious pilgrimage for many returning for their 20th or 30th time. The record goes to one chap who has not missed a TT since 1947.

This is our second trip to the Island and that initial virginal uncertainty has been replaced by a more mature knowledge of what is to come. The goose-bumps are still there as we head west through legendary TT landmarks Braddan Bridge, Union Mills, Ballagarey, Crosby, Greeba Castle and Ballacraine. Our home for the next 16 days is just north of Peel on the west coast. We are returning to our original homestay hosts from 2010 with whom we have kept contact. We are greeted as warmly as relatives at Christmas. We share life stories from the past 2 years and settle comfortably into familiar surrounds.

It is nigh impossible to describe in words what the IOM is like at TT time. The island is dripping in its own history from Viking times but for these 2 weeks motorcycling and the 105 year history of the TT will be told and retold a thousand times in pubs, cafes and roadside as people from all over the world are drawn to this little island in the Irish Sea for the world's greatest motorcycle race.

We don’t waste time in doing our first circuit of the’ Mountain Course’ as it is known. This public road is 37.75 miles in length, contains over 220 bends and ascends Snaefell the highest mountain on the Island. Outside of the villages the open road has no speed limit and for TT fortnight the section across the mountain is restricted to one-way traffic. This is the fastest section of the course. When the road is closed for racing it is impossible to get from the north to the south of the island so for TT fortnight the lives of the locals are dictated by the TT. This is accepted without complaint such is the power of the TT at the IOM. In recent years all of the major sections of the course have been identified with bright orange signs showing the direction of the bends.

We head own to Castletown in the south for a pre TT classic bike race meeting on a 4 mile closed road circuit. The bellowing megaphone exhausts from Nortons’ and Triumphs’ start to tune our ears for the assault of the next fortnight.

Heading to the Isle of Man

We called into the Historic City of Chester on our run north. If you are into Tudor buildings then this place is for you. Whole city blocks have been preserved with these striking black/white fronted buildings. The city cathedral and city gates are also well worth a look. We were however being drawn to Liverpool so our time was short. Liverpool did not disappoint.  The name itself conjours images from shipping & industry to Architecture, football  to Rock & Roll. We tried to fit as much as possible into the time we had available and were very fortunate in having local friends who kindly shepherded us around the main city features. The 'Three Graces' on Albert Dock, the Gothic styled Anglican and contemporary styled Catholic Cathedrals (incidentally nicknamed 'Paddy's Wigwam') and the ornate Philharmonic Bar are several fine Architectural examples.

Being teenagers in the sixties the Cavern and memories of the Beatles early years formed our main images of Liverpool. The Cavern has been rebuilt mostly in its original location and with the same bricks forming the famous vaults. It is still a live music venue and bar so it was great sipping on a pint and listening to live music - Beatles renditions of course.

Saturday 26 May had long been flagged in our calender as Isle of Man crossing day. It is hard to describe the excitement this conjours - remember sitting in a packed grandstand waiting for the players to run out onto the field in a Rugby Test, State of Origin League game or AFL final ? Well the feeling is similar. You wake up like a kid at Christmas. Time passes slowly, you are packed early. Down to Albert Docks and join the line of bikes. Stories are exchanged and all the time the excitement is building.

The massive Mannanan Ferry (built in Tasmania) arrives in the Mersey and backs up to the dock and lowers its 'boomgate' to discharge the returning passengers. Slowly the lines of bikes are directed on board. Then it is our turn. Easy does it on the wet steelwork. Not the place to drop your bike. Get the bike into its slot. Engage gear, rest on side stand and she gets lashed to a cushioned rail. We are told that the Steam Packet Ferry Co (a monopoly to the IOM) have 11,200 bikes booked to be taken to the IOM in 2012 - a recent  record. The seas are benign and the sun bright, we are on our way. Farewell Liverpool, you have been great.

North Wales

In the blink of an eye our time in Wales is over. We have covered over 1,000km in this small but beautiful country and have visited some truly magical places and as always met many friendly people. We moved our base from Rhayader in mid Wales to Betwys-y-Coed in the Snowdonia National Park area of North Wales. This little village is set in a valley of two rivers running through town with sheer hill sides behind. Add in the bluestone cottages and pubs and you have a classic Welsh setting. This place is a mecca for adventure seekers trekking, climbing, mountain biking or canoeing across the diverse National Park region.Highlights for us included a train trip to the top of Mt Snowdon  (at 1085m the highest in Wales), the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct (a masterpiece of late 18th century engineering) and the adjacent village of Llangollen, Caenarfon Castle and the seaside towns of Conwy and Llandudno.

In some parts you could liken the countryside to the high Australian and Victorian Alps but at lower altitudes it is unbelievably green. Local stone has been put to good use in the buildings and endless boundary fences that give the place its character. Some of the A roads are magnets for English Bikers from Liverpool and Manchester who slip across the border for a ride over these more sparsely populated and more challenging Welsh roads. The Ponderosa Cafe at the top of Horseshoe Pass is similar to Brisbane's Maiala Cafe atop Mt Glorious with lines of Sports Bikes cooling down after a hot run up the mountain.

The Snowdonia area has been heavily mined for its slate deposits over centuries and many areas bear the scars of this activity. The area is also used extensively by the RAF for low level pilot training from their nearby Raf Valley base at Anglesea. It is quite something to get buzzed by a couple of Hawk Jet fighters about 300 feet overhead.

 As we head back into England the BMW has clocked 2,276 trouble free kms on this trip and is on the cusp of rolling over 50,000km in her life. We look forward to many more.

Cornwall to Wales

Newquay proved to be a good base for further exploration throughout Cornwall. We rode down to Lands End and had the obligatory photo taken with the bike at the signpost. The wind was blowing so hard the seagulls were flying backwards.The arrival of the Olympic Torch was 2 days away and the whole south coast route was adorned with Union Jacks and bunting. A visit to the Minack Theatre just north of Lands End was recommended and it did not disappoint. Google it and be impressed by the labour of one very determined lady. It is simply stunning.

We followed the Coastal (B) road north and in places this was barely wide enough for the bike let alone a campervan and lorry which came head to head. Coastal ports at Falmouth, Penzance and St Ives were all interesting and distinctive. You could spend a week dropping into and out of all of the little bays along these rugged coastlines.

We left Newquay for the run north visiting Port Isaac on the way. For those in the know (not us) this is the setting for the fictitious Portwenn of the BBC series Doc Martin. This fact had this picturesque bay swarming with camera toting location spotters. On this fine Sunday the roads of North Cornwall and Devon were also swarming with motorbikes breaking out after the cold and wet northern winter. They were intrigued to see our Australian numberplate and bemused on how far we had traveled.

Despite warnings to the contrary Wales has treated us with fine weather throughout. This small but beautiful country deserves to be better recognized as a holiday destination. From a motorcycling perspective the roads are in good order and far less populated than England. Their road gradings however only extend to (A) and (B) grade. The (A) roads are invariably smooth, 2 lane line-marked and well maintained. The (B) roads however vary from just below the (A) standard to what in Australia we would describe as goat tracks. These roads are often populated with great numbers of sheep which display the same level of intelligence as their Australian cousins. The rewards of traveling these roads however is the stunning scenery in very rugged terrain. The run around the five reservoirs of the Elan Valley was especially enjoyable as were the mountain descents into Aberystwyth and Tregaron.

 We have now based ourselves in North Wales in the Snowdonia National Park and look forward to more great weather and roads before we head onto Liverpool and the ferry crossing to the Isle of Man.

Bike collected and hit the road

Well the big day arrived – how would the Gray Ghost be after her long sea journey. Connected the battery and she fired first hit of the button. Good girl. All of the bikes had lost significant tyre pressure on the journey so a trip to the garage for fuel and air was warranted. A planned trip in the afternoon up to Norfolk was cancelled when the weather set in – a relaxed lunch with a few brews was a far more civilised way to pass the time.

Set off Tuesday to do battle with the greater London traffic on our way down to the South West. We had to keep reminding ourselves that it was late spring even though the temperature was still in single digit C. Our first night on the road was in a beautiful listed (historic) village pub in East Coker outside Yeovil. A highlight on the road was passing Stonehenge – just sitting beside the road like a selection of kids building blocks. We had visited this fascinating site on our previous trip so just admired it from a distance this time. We had heard that England was suffering its worst drought in many decades but the green rolling hills belied this – it is certainly a green drought very unlike what we suffer in Australia.

We left the quiet villages for a run down the motorway to Cornwall with an uninspiring look into Plymouth on the way. Home for a couple of nights is the ‘surfing capital of England’ at Newquay.  It really is a very pretty section of coast with steep cliffs leading down to a proper sand beach and a blue sea. The waves aren’t impressive and the surfers have full wet suits but it is still surfing. The bike is running smoothly. Fuel is about one pound forty pence a litre for super so that’s a bit over $2 in AUD so not too bad.

England Early Days

After 22 hours on a Jumbo Jet to Singapore and an A380 Airbus we safely arrived at Heathrow on time at 6am London time. Despite dire warnings about Customs delays we were through in the blink of an eye. Our first of many trips on the Underground system took us to Katrina & James place which was to be home for the next three days.

London weather was kind and we spent our few days playing tourist and getting our bodies back into sync. Highlights on this, our second trip to London, included the London Eye, Greenwich Village, Royal Observatory and parklands, Tate Modern Gallery, British Museum, St Pancras Station and  St Paul's Cathedral. It is impossible to ignore that London is to play host to the Olympic Games. The countdown clock at Greenwich showed 77 days to go and the city is abuzz with construction activity to have everything in readiness.

Sunday was our travel day after bidding farewell to our wonderful hosts and departing London for the sea port of Felixstowe.