The long way round to the International Rally
|
|
With the storm well out of sight Monday saw me preparing for the next leg of my trip. To recall that the first week involved visiting the As I had 4 days to get to the rally in Holland I decided to take a tourist route and found my self heading in the opposite direction and bearing south to Koblenz. My plan was to head to Trier via Cochem and follow the path of the river Mosel. I was told it was a stunning road and I wasn’t disappointed, miles and miles of fantastic and interesting quiet roads. All along the valley were dotted what appeared to be small castles above the vineyards. This has to be to date one of the best roads I have travelled along. |
|
The plan was to carry onto Luxembourg (just to add another country that I have rode in) and I managed to reach a small campsite just outside the capital by around 5 in the afternoon. I was amazed at the cheap price of fuel and cigarettes but astounded to see that a tin of beans with bacon, mushroom and sausage (what we call a big breakfast) cost 3.20 euros almost £3! So I settled for bacon and eggs for my breakfast. The campsite was very cheap at 6.50 euros and free hot water and showers. The owner was a very cheerful man who was Dutch but spoke perfect English. I pitched up alongside another English family who were on a camping trip with their young children and we chatted and compared our 2 trips. The older boy enjoyed sitting on my bike and having his picture taken. |
|
|
|
|
|
Tuesday morning saw me heading up thru Luxembourg towards Bastogne in Belgium, which as you know was the famous “Battle of the Bulge” and very well portrayed in the TV series “Band of Brothers”. I secured my bike and spent a couple of hours walking around the town reading the various plaques and information boards and also visited the museum. There were many US veterans and families in town that day. Some of them researching their family history and by chance I got talking to one, as it happens he was admiring my motorbike. So we chatted for a while and then said “hey you speak pretty good English” and I replied “that’s because I am English” we laughed about that one and soon we were chatting like old friends. As I went to leave he said “take care on the roads because back home I run a funeral parlour” very sobering words indeed!
|
|
|
|
Then the weather changed for the worse and soon it was back in full waterproofs. I did try to follow the information boards down to Noville and the crossroads at Foy (again portrayed in the Band of Brothers) then I couldn’t find anymore boards and the rain was getting heavier I decided to head on up north. By 6 o'clock I was starting to feel tired and once again used the satnav to find me a campsite, once again very reasonable at 6 euros a night. I got talking to the only occupant of the campsite who was living in a caravan. He was a Dutchman working in Belgium (it was then it dawned on me that I thought I was in Holland but not quite, I suppose its not having customs at borders that its quite easy to enter a country and miss it). |
|
Wednesday lunchtime saw me arriving at the rally site a little bit early! I think they were surprised to see someone arriving so early as they were still finishing off the last little bits of the rally site. The Dutch made me feel very welcome and were quite happy for me to make camp in the corner of the rally site. They invited me over that evening to eat with them and enjoy some very cold beers. |
|
The first thing I did on Thursday morning was to capture an area in the corner for my centre, the Northern Raiders who were arriving on Friday. With the area all cordoned off with red and white tape I quickly set about my domestic routines, washing my clothes! Because of the bad weather I had been unable to wash my spare clothes and to be honest I thought I was starting to smell a little because people were starting to go around me and avoiding me like the plague! At times I was wondering if it was my deodorant as for the first time I was using this magical rock salt deodorant, I’m always very dubious of products with the word “Magical” in them. |
|
|
|
Later that day I ventured into the nearest large town in search of a replacement laptop power supply as my cheap e-bay charger had decided to stop working. I was pleased to find a computer shop that supplied a replacement though I did set the voltage 1 volt higher than recommended and smoke came out of my laptop, luckily I spotted it in time to prevent any permanent damage When I arrived back at the rally site I was invited to join a dozen riders who were going to give special school children a ride on the back of their motorbikes |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
When we arrived the headmaster gave an introduction in both Dutch and English (though I was the only Englishman there) and rally members presented 4 footballs to the children. The children’s face lit up with excitement when they were told to go and choose a motorcycle to ride on. I was paired up with a young lad and as we set off I asked if he wanted to go a little faster, he replied “yes yes faster” so I let a little space build up between bikes and quickly twisted the throttle only to hear the cries of “Slower Slower” I wasn’t really going that fast and I was only in second gear due to none of the riders or pillions wearing helmets. This was possible because the road we took the children along was a private road. We returned to pick up more children and after 30 minutes all the children had been on the back of the bikes. I must say, it puts a lump in my throat as I type this, when I think of the sheer delight of those children as they went down the road, smiles as big as dinner plates! |
|
Friday morning was an early start for me, I had offered to meet the Newcastle ferry and lead centre 4 back to the rally site. So setting off at 7am prompt I made good time considering that I would have to ride in morning traffic and arrived at the port for just after 9. Whilst waiting for the ferry (normally due in around 9.30) I reached into my backbox and poured myself a coffee, it was only then that I noticed I had a couple of text messages. They read “Boat delayed due to technical reasons, due to dock about 12.30” and the texts had been sent just after 7 ! So I was left with just over 3 hours to kill, I first lay next to my bike and tried to get some sleep but the locals kept staring at me. So I thought I would ride into Amsterdam, the theory sounded good but in practise it was a nightmare. I often ended up in cycle paths, dodging mad Dutchmen on pushbikes and at one time actually ended up riding on the pavement ! In the end I had a quick look around Amsterdam and then headed back to the ferry port just as the boat started to unload. Centre 6 asked if it was ok to join on the back of centre 4, yes sure no problem, looking back in my mirrors I could see at least 30 bikes following me. So we set off for the 2-hour journey to the rally site but we hit Friday afternoon traffic and I swore that I would never curse UK traffic again. The motorway was just jammed packed and stop start. On top of that I missed a turning and with 30 plus bikes following me I just had to carry on and re-route as we went along. Thankfully after a couple of hours the traffic was getting lighter and we were making steady progress. I think we arrived at the rally site around 5pm and I was truly exhausted but pleased we all arrived without losing a single rider. |
|
|
We all settled in quickly and I was pleased I had managed to reserve a big enough space for all the tents to get pitched Saturday morning saw the group split into 2, one group heading out towards Germany and my group heading for an old favourite of ours Arnhem Janet led us there and without any major hiccups we were soon drinking coffee in the main square We spent a good few hours browsing the shops and then headed back to the rally site |
|
|
Sunday morning once again seen the group split into 2, one group heading down Germany towards the black forest whilst my group was heading to Amsterdam for a few days camping. Once again Janet led the group and I was very happy to take up my normal position of tail end charley. We quickly got settled into the cabin accommodation (well I didn’t, first I pitched my tent, then I moved the tent before finally deciding that I would like a cabin to. So tent packed up and eventually settled into a cabin). |
|
The following day we took the tram into Amsterdam for some sight seeing. Of course Si and me were once again hunting out the landmarks for the competition Whilst the others were keen to find Hard Rock Café, after hours of walking around my feet found themselves in tatters and blisters were starting to appear.
|
|
|
|
|
The following day I was in no fit state to go anywhere and was happy pottering around the campsite and catching up on some reading. The others Tony, Stella, Janet, Steve, Si, Andros, Rosie and Lats headed off for another day in the city |
|
|
Wednesday morning saw Tony, Stella, Si and myself heading towards Afsluitdijk bridge ( try saying that when you’ve had a few beers!) we took the boring motorway route and soon did the obligatory photo stop for the landmark competition. On the way back I led them off to some small country roads and we all agreed that it was a spectacular ride with outstanding scenery and interesting villages.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
That evening I was preparing to ride to the Hook of Holland to catch the night ferry to Harwich. So I said my goodbyes and set off in moderate traffic and was soon at the port. A quick meal of fish and chips and I was set to board for night crossing. Once on board and after a couple of cans I was ready for my bed and had a fantastic nights sleep. The ride back up north took about 5 hours with a few breaks in between and after 3 weeks of being on the road I was keen to get showered and into fresh clean clothes.
|
|
I’ve been back 2 weeks now and have had plenty of time to reflect on yet again another fantastic trip. Even the weather, which at times was really miserable, couldn’t put a damper on this trip. I now have the dates and locations of the V-strom and VSOC rallies, so I am already planning in my head a rough plan of where I want to go and what I want to see. The overall trip was about 3000 miles and this time I actually stayed at campsites for more than 1 night (my normal trips involve, ride to a campsite, stay a night and pack up and ride to the next one) but I have to admit it was much better staying 2 or more nights in one location. It seemed to recharge my batteries and give me time to relax and enjoy the surroundings. The 3-week trip cost me around £800 with about £200 on fuel costs. The rest included campsite fees and food this also included the replacement power supply for my laptop. I know as a club we still have lots going on for the rest of the year but I’m really looking forward to planning next years European trip . Ride Safe Will English |
|
