Previous Trips

More photos from each trip can be found by selecting the appropriate tag on my Panoramio page at:

http://www.panoramio.com/user/363699


March 2007 - Tuscany Tour- Pisa, Florence and Rome

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Lake Bracciano view

Drove from Pisa for two days in Florence, then down through Tuscany via San Gimignano, Siena, San Quirico D'Orcia, Bracciano and three days in Rome.
The route back was up the coast road via Monte Argentario, Piombino and Marina di Pisa.

Total distance: 800km
Time: 9 days
Vehicle: Ford Fiesta
Accommodation : Hotels









September 2007 - Southern Ireland Tour
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Island view from the Ring of Kerry

Hired a car in Dublin with a plan to do a circuit of Southern Ireland.
Newgrange then up to Lough Arrow. A dawn trip to Carrowkeel Neolithic cemetery and then a bit of a Yeats mini tour with visits to Lissadell, Ben Bulben, Thoor Ballylee and Drumcliff. A quick look round the Burren and then the Ring of Kerry before heading back round to Dublin via Rock of Cashel and Carlow.

Total Distance 1600km
Time: 7 days
Vehicle: Vauxhall Corsa
Accommodation: Camping




March 2008 - Road Trip UK to Czech Republic
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Schneeburg

I set off from in my Nissan Patrol only to find snow starting to fall at Folkestone. On the other side of the chunnel I was greeted by a veritable blizzard. This snowstorm was to pursue me across Europe until I reached the Polish border, forcing me back into my car and back on the road almost every time I stopped. I traveled through Belgium via Namur and Bastogne and on to Burg Eltz where I had to walk back uphill in a blizzard for nearly an hour to get back to my vehicle.

From there I travelled across Germany via Alsfeld and Bamberg until I reached Bishofsgrun. My goal here was to investigate a cold war listening post on top of Schneeburg Mountain.

Unfortunately, whilst ascending the hill in deep snow I managed to damage one of the autolocking hubs. A roadside investigation revealed that the mechanism was slowly grinding itself to pieces with the possibility of the hub casing disintegrating and causing the drive flange to part company with the shaft.

I resolved to push on into the Czech Republic visiting Karlovy Vary, Prague, Kutna Hora and Adršpach Teplice rock-town and finally on to the Polish border. At this point I decided that it would make sense to make repairs rather than to push on so I returned to England.

Total Distance: 3600km
Time: 10 days
Vehicle: Nissan Patrol GR 4.2D
Accommodation: Camping / Hotels



May 2009 - Belgium and France Great War Road Trip
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British Military Cemetery at Tyn Cot, Paschendaele

A long weekend bike trip with my mate Roger visiting Belgium and northern France with a view to visiting some of the Great War battlefields and memorials.
Setting out after work on a Thursday evening we made it to Calais at about eleven pm. In beautiful weather the next day we visited Yzer, Ypres and Tyn Cot Cemetery at Paschendaele and finally on to Maubeuge where a great evening was spent enjoying the town street party.

Next we headed out to Cambrai via the roman ruins at Bavay and the Cambrai East Military Cemetery, and then on to the Lochnagar crater, Thiepval monument and Beaumont Hamel before staying the night in Lens. Heading home we returned via Vimy Ridge and the WWII rocket base at La Coupole near St Omer.

Total Distance:1200km
Time: 4 days
Vehicle: Kawasaki KLR 650
Accomodation: Hotels (pre booked)




June 2009 - Normandy Beaches Road Trip

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GMC Jimmys on Utah Beach

Just a trip along the beaches and sights of Normandy as part of the 45th anniversary of D-Day. We were a small convoy of two WWII GMC Jimmy trucks and a Willys Jeep, although at times were part of larger events and convoys, visiting Utah and Omaha beaches, the various museums and cemeteries, and historic locations such as St Mere-Eglise, Azeville Battery and Pointe du Hoc.

Total Distance:400 km
Time: 8 days
Vehicle: 1942 GMC Deuce and a half (Jimmy)
Accommodation: Camping









September 2009 - Road trip UK to Switzerland
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Douamont Ossuary at Verdun

Another Bike trip, this time solo, late in the year and heading roughly for Switzerland.  Initially I followed the coast south from Calais but then headed inland towards the Somme and the hilltop town of Laon and finally on towards Belgium, spending a chilly night in Bohan in the Ardennes.
After the fortresses at Bouillon and Sedan I rode to Verdun and the Douaumont Ossuary before crossing the Jura and heading into northern Switzerland.

Turning west at Neuchatel I headed back to Calais via Besancon, Epernay, Coucy le Chateau-Auffrique then back to Calais and home.

Total Distance:2500 km
Time: 10 days
Vehicle: Kawasaki KLR650
Accommodation: Camping





May 2010 - Road trip to Morocco
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Please return to the Home page and select the pages specifically relating to this trip.

June 2010 - Europe Road Trip
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July 2010 - Turkey Tour
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As I failed in my goal of reaching Turkey in the above trip but didn't want to be defeated I opted to get a 'no frills' flight to Antalya and hire a car (bike hire was more than twice as much!!) and do a tour of Turkey from there.

I had been to Cappadocia back in 2001 and loved it but had not had the opportunity to return since (failed attempts notwithstanding) so after a couple of days doing the sights around Antalya I headed off to Goreme in Cappadocia via Konya.
A couple of days here enabled me to check out all the major and a number of the lesser known sites before heading east to Nemrut Dagı. It was so impressive I visited at sunset and again at sunrise, before heading west to Cappadocia once more.
After more exploring there including the little visited but fascinating troglodyte town at Guzelyurt I headed west through Egirdir to the tourist hotspots of Pammukale and Ephesus where I picked up a stomach bug (that finally manifested itself explosively when I was in Scotland a week later trying to hike Ben Nevis).
To round things off I circled the Lycian peninsula and took my third visit to the spectacular Seljuk fortress of Alara Kale near Side.

Total Distance:4500 km
Time: 15 days
Vehicle:Chevrolet Lacetti
Accommodation: Hotels




October 2011 - Road Trip UK to Switzerland
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Astonishing technicolour scenery at Grindelwald

 A desire to see a bit more of Switzerland led me and my teacher girlfriend Karen to do a mini tour during the half term break. Across the Chunnel and via Ypres, Waterloo, Namur and Bastogne before hitting cheap fuel in Luxembourg and heading out to Burg Eltz and then Cochem in the Moselle valley.
After a few impromptu stops at Bitche Citadel and Chateau Wasigenstein it was south to Colmar and Haut Koenigsbourg before finally lighting up in Gruyere in Switzerland. Took in the excellent H.R. Giger museum and then round via Interlaken, Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen in awesome, almost technicolour autumnal colour, before heading north via the black forest and  homeward along the Rhine valley and to Bruges before returning to the UK.



Total Distance:4000 km
Time: 9 days
Vehicle: Honda Accord Tourer
Accommodation: Hotels



August 2012 - Road trip UK to Germany and the Low Countries
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Vianden Castle, Luxembourg

 Another impromptu trip with Karen, this time just doing a short loop around the low countries and Germany.
Again using the Tunnel Sous La Manche we  checked out the Blockhaus at Eperleque (another V1 & V2 rocket base) before heading for Azincourt, The Citadel at Doullens, the underground city at Naours and on to Coucy le Chateau Auffrique.
Checking out more great sights we ventured via Reims and the awesome Vauban fortress at Montmedy before heading via Vianden in Luxembourg and then up to the Drachensfels at Koln and on to Detmold O.A.M, the Externsteine and the Hermansdenkmal monument.
Further north to the Mohnesee Dam of dambusters fame and then round through northern Holland, really enjoying the great Dutch hospitality and towns. Finally back through Belgium and home.

Total Distance:2900 km
Time: 10 days
Vehicle: Honda Accord Tourer
Accommodation: Camping


(n.b. I don't have any digital image files from trips prior to 2007. Only road trips and tours outside the UK listed.)