Maps and Stats

Posted on Wednesday, 21-December-2011 by Chris Desmond
2022 Europe by Bike

2022 Europe by Bike

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Stats Caribbean

Caribbean Countries 2023

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Caribbean

Caribbean by Air 2023

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Posted in Maps | Tagged | 1 Comment

Hastings, United Kingdom, 25 Aug. – 06 September 2023

Posted on Wednesday, 6-September-2023 by Chris Desmond

Zagreb to Regensburg to Veghel to Hastings to Perth – time to head for home 1,700 km to Hastings. Then flights from Heathrow to Kuala Lumpur and KL to Perth 14,800 km. Not the favourite part of my journey dealing with airport bureaucracy and being cooped up in a metal tube.

Zagreb to Regensburg – freeway all the way, now that Croatia is in the EU no need to get a stamp  entering Slovenia, tunnels and mountains beautiful scenery. Overnight stop in Regensburg.

2023 Tracks
Heading out of Zagreb
Tunnels
Toll
Old EU signs
Border
Another Border
Tunnel
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Tunnel
Tunnel
Tunnel Toll
€10.50
Mountains
Castle
Mountains
Clouds
Tunnels
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Bridges
Detour around Roadworks
Backroads
Backroads
Food

Regensburg, Germany to Veghel, Nederland – a regular rest stop for my weary A.

Smart Car, capable of 150kph
Farms
Solar and Wind
Dark clouds
Blue skies
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Grapes
Take your pick
Frankfurt
Traffic jam
Traffic jam
Expensive
Truck park
Hoilday traffic
Nederland
Horses

Veghel to Hastings – part of my annual commute. Book your Tunnel Ticket from France to the UK a few days before your departure date as the price can double if you leave it too late. Started out in a drizzle which means I had to get fully dressed including my helmet before going out, luckily it only started after I had loaded my bike, not nice. Cleared up after an hour. Next the Antwerp nightmare, traffic backed up for 10 km and a sign said 38 min to the other side of the city but they now have a Bus and Taxi lane which I rode down and avoided the queue hahaha. Still slow going and more traffic around Ghent. Arrived at the Tunnel check-in and managed to get on an earlier train, boarding took ages with the new Brexit rules meaning that everyone has to get their passport stamped. I thought that was the end of my troubles but then just a couple of miles from the finish I got stuck at roadworks for 30 min hahaha.

Veghel Centrum
Heading out of Veghel in a drizzle
Antwerp traffic jam
Blue skies
The Tunnel Check-in
Boarding Pass
Passenger Terminal
Immigration queue twice, France and then UK
Crawl
Crawl
Scanners
Finally
Wait
Only 2 bikes
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English countryside
Last fill – Expensive
Rehydration therapy
Rehydration therapy
Rehydration therapy

Heathrow to Kuala Lumpur to Perth – Malaysian Airlines has one of the fastest journey times, one of my favourite airlines.

Heathrow
Onboard
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Halfway around the Globe
Kuala Lumpur
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KL to Perth
Perth

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Posted in Croatia, Germany, Netherlands, United Kingdom | 1 Comment

Croatia, Zagreb, 20 – 24 August 2023

Posted on Thursday, 24-August-2023 by Chris Desmond

Cervignano to Zagreb – this time I took the freeway all the way rather than the back roads through Slovenia, too hot to dawdle. The Slovenia vignette is €8 for 7 days and I can use it on my way back in a few days. This stop was to visit friends which meant eating and drinking large quantities, it is a Croatian tradition and I always do my best to oblige the locals.

Slovenia up ahead
Enter Slovenia
Mountains
Church
Croatia Border
Tolls
Tolls
Croatian Welcome
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Cevapi and Chips

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Posted in Croatia | Leave a comment

Italy, Cervignano, 16 – 19 August 2023

Posted on Saturday, 19-August-2023 by Chris Desmond

Misano to Torriana to Cervignano – late start from Misano so I stopped at Torriana for the night and continued on  the next day. Freeway all the way, blue skies and 34c a bit warm in the sun with my jacket on.

Breakfast
Traffic jam
Fill up
UFO
Rivers
Farmland
Farmland
Farmland

Cervignano

Breakfast
Nice
Lunch
Lunch
Lunch
Tiramisu
Espresso
Cervignano
Cervignano
Cervignano
Cervignano
Cervignano
Cervignano
Cervignano
Cervignano

Pordenone

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Posted in Italy | Leave a comment

Italy, Misano Motor Racing Circuit, 13 – 15 August 2023

Posted on Tuesday, 15-August-2023 by Chris Desmond

Fraforeano to Misano – freeway all the way and a very congested freeway it was. During the school holidays the whole coast is packed with people from all over Europe. I got around the traffic jams by riding down the emergency lane, one of the benefits of riding a motorcycle hahaha.

Heading out
Farmland
Tolls
???

Misano Motor Racing Circuit – I was invited by my Norwegian friends to join them at the circuit where they were participating in a Rehm Race Days meeting. The Lady of the house was riding her track bike a BMW S1000 RR with slicks. These race days are amazing and a great way to experience riding/racing  on a MotoGP track.

The Camp
This thing is huge
Norwegian Brown Cheese Spread
Fried Eggs and Brown Cheese
On the track
No.66
Misano Beach
Misano Beach
Misano Beach
Misano Adriatico
Napoli Restaurant
Napoli Pizza
IPA nice
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The Racer
The Bike
100 Octane

While there we went for rides to San Marino

The View from San Marino
The View from San Marino
The View from San Marino
The View from San Marino
San Marino is on a hill

and Santarcangelo di Romagna

Santarcangelo di Romagna
Murale “Utopia” di Ericailcane
Santarcangelo di Romagna
Santarcangelo di Romagna

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Posted in Italy | Leave a comment

Italy, Fraforeano, 09 – 12 August 2023

Posted on Saturday, 12-August-2023 by Chris Desmond

Pfaffnau to Fraforeano – meant crossing the Alps from Switzerland into Italy, this is always a highlight. I never go through the tunnels, always over the top of the Alps, this time through the Gotthard Pass, beautiful views, winding roads and blue skies, motorcycling heaven. There is no toll for the Gotthard Tunnel, I noticed a long queue of traffic waiting to enter, it happens every year at this time.

Heading out
Mountains and Lakes
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Tunnels
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Enter Italy
Autostrada
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I spent a few days in this area looking around.

Portoguaro – a medieval town used by the Doges in Venice to get away from the humidity.

Breakfast
Lunch
Vino Rosso
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Coffee
Dessert
Portoguaro
Leaning Tower of Portoguaro
Portoguaro
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Nutria
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Posted in Italy | 1 Comment

Switzerland, Pfaffnau, 06 – 08 August 2023

Posted on Tuesday, 8-August-2023 by Chris Desmond

Veghel to Pfaffnau, Switzerland – gloomy with intermittent rain, not nice. Stopped here to visit friends.

Hiding in the Bushes
Greenhouse
Enter Germany
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Monster
Wind Turbines
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Roadworks
Colourful
Basel traffic jam
BASEL
Tunnels
Rosti with sausage
Chocolate
Punjab
Very good

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Posted in Switzerland | Leave a comment

Netherlands, Veghel, 30 July – 05 August 2023

Posted on Saturday, 5-August-2023 by Chris Desmond

Gothenburg to Busdorf to Veghel – I took the ferry from Gothenburg to Frederikshavn for a change instead of riding back through Malmo and the Øresund Bridge. Arrived at the Ferry boarding area at 1030, first one there and there is nothing else, just a toilet but they did have free Wifi. A few motorcycles turned up at 1100 and cyclists, no point arriving early, the ferry only came in at 1115 unloaded and we started loading immediately and left on time at 1215. Very slow going at first through the islands then upto 30kph, smooth ride could hardly tell we were moving, ship was packed with people and kids running, screaming, crying everywhere hahaha, off the boat at 1525 early I thought it would be 1600. Straight into rain, miserable for the next 1:50 hours and then fine weather stopped at the 2hr 200km mark and filled up, I was soaking wet and had trouble getting gloves back on, used tissues to dry visor and Garmin and instruments, off again, speeded up to 120-130kph reflected in the fuel consumption which dropped to 17km/L, another fuel stop, struggled again to get my gloves on, arrived at 1925 exactly 4 hrs. After several days of rain and gloves that are no longer waterproof blisters developed on my right palm making it very painful to grip the throttle.

Stena Line, Gothenburg
Express Ferry
First in Line
Big Door
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A few more join the queue
Trailer Loader
Open Sesame
Strapped down
Don’t forget your deck
Heading out
Gothenburg
Gothenburg
4 Wheels
Sailing
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Little Lighthouse
Little House on the Island
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Sun Deck Bar
The Bridge
Cold and Windy
Decks
Packed
Screaming
Rain, Rain go away
My prayers were not answered
A few minutes relief from the rain
Enter Germany

Busdorf to Veghel – Not a fun ride with the drizzle and blisters on my right palm, 571km in 5:45hrs. This is supposed to be the height of summer in Europe hahaha. Veghel is where I make my pit stop and my friend who is the pit boss for Dutch F1 legend managed to find a bike shop that was open (most of them close for Summer as all the employees head for the Sun). I had new tyres fitted, rear brake pads, helmet and a new set of Goretex waterproof gloves (total cost €1019).

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Enter Nederland
Cameras
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Support the Farmers
The Bird and the Kangaroo
Blisters
Vos Oss Motoren – Bike Shop

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Posted in Germany, Netherlands | Leave a comment

Sweden, Gothenburg, 29 July 2023

Posted on Saturday, 29-July-2023 by Chris Desmond

Oslo to Gothenburg, Sweden – short ride 3:25 hours, the only reason for this stop was to visit the Volvo Museum and to catch the ferry back to the mainland (Denmark). Interesting museum of not very exciting cars, the complete opposite of the Ferrari or Lamborghini museums hahaha. Volvo pioneered the use of seat belts which are now standard and many other less obvious safety features in cars. In 2020 they restricted the top speed of all their cars to 180kph thus saving millions of lives. I wonder how Volvo would go about designing a motorcycle hahaha.

Heading out of Oslo
Tunnels
Blue Skies
Enter Sweden
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Tesla Fuel Stop hahaha
Bridges
Gothenburg

Volvo Museum

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Posted in Sweden | 1 Comment

Norway, Oslo, 23 – 28 July 2023

Posted on Friday, 28-July-2023 by Chris Desmond

Trondheim to Oslo – heading inland, no more jagged mountains, many rivers, some holiday traffic, slow going 80kph most of the way, got up to 1000m at one point cold 12c, uneventful ride.

Heading out of Trondhiem
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1053m
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Only 2.7% available on Sunday

Oslo – capital of Norway, population 1.5 million people, organised, clean, good public transport, expensive, many parks with interesting sculptures.

Oslo has a tradition of sending a Christmas tree every year to the cities of Washington D.C., New York City, Edinburgh, Rotterdam, Antwerp and Reykjavík. Since 1947 Oslo has sent a 20 to 24 m, 50 to 100-year-old spruce, as an expression of gratitude toward Britain for its support of Norway during World War II.

First an oil change on my bike then a tram ride into the city.

Oil change
Many Electric Cars
Colourful
The Cathedral
Inside
The Organ
Art
Oslo Mall
Liquor Store
Only available at Vinmonopolet
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The History Museum, Fram Museum and the Kontiki Museum

History Museum
Silver Horde from 1028 AD
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Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The National Treasure
The National Treasure
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The Bus
Museum Island
FRAM museum
Polar Explorer
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Kontiki and Ra Museum
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Tour Busses
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Vigeland Park and the Monolitten and Blue skies

Vigeland Park
Sculptures Everywhere
All shapes and Sizes
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Monolitten
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Akershus Fortress and the Resistence Museum

Akershus Fortress
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The Resistance Museum
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City Hall
Citry Hall Square
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.Trams
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Street Benches
National Theatre
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The Palace

Edvard Munch Museum – most famous painting “The Scream”

Munch Museum
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The Scream
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The Scream 1
The Scream 2
The Scream 3
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View from the top
The Opera House
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The Opera House
The Opera House
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Posted in Norway | 3 Comments

Norway, Trondheim, 18 – 22 July 2023

Posted on Saturday, 22-July-2023 by Chris Desmond

Tromso to Ulvsvag to Mosjoen to Trondheim – two overnight stops along the way to Trondheim.

Tromso to Ulvsvag – once again a great ride, overcast and cold with a few drizzles, mountains, fjords and a ferry crossing Tysfjorden, there is no other way to get to the other side. I arrived at the end of the road and there was a queue of cars waiting, a guy comes around with his phone and you tap and pay with your phone using NFC cost 5 euro. This is a fairly big ferry because trucks have to cross as well, in fact all traffic has to use the ferry. I was on the top deck and took off my helmet and gloves but after we started moving there was a freezing cold breeze and as my hands and face started going numb I quickly put my helmet and gloves back on hahaha, trip time 30 minutes.

Heading out of Tromso
Overcast 14c
Drizzle
Fjords
Mountains
Glacier
Rivers
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A town below
Pretty
Big Bridge
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Tunnels
Blue
Bridge
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The Ferry arriving
The View
Unloading
Danmark Motorcycle Club
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Going the other way
Look at the queue waiting
Jaws opening
Home sweet home
After a long cold day
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Cabin by the fjord

Ulvsvag to Mosjoen – another cold drizzly ride with one section at 800m and 12c freezing as I did not have my heated gear on and only heated grips. Many tunnels and bridges and some narrow roads.

Heading out of Ulvsvag
Roundabout Art
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Narrow tunnels
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Drizzle
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805 meters
High Plains
Freezing
Arctic Circle
Arctic Circle
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Blue Skies
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Mosjoen to Trondheim – similar to the previous rides, roads a little bumpy, warmed up towards the end.

Shoe Dryers at my Hotel
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Tunnel Construction
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Trondheim – population 213,000 fourth largest urban area in Norway and home to a number of Universities. Busses are the best way to get around, everything is clean and organised with many restaurants in the city area. It is 63° North of the equator similar to Fairbanks, Alaska but being on the coast the weather is milder.

Still alive
Restaurants
Colourful
Food
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Art Deco
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Town Square
The Man
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Nidaros Cathedral
Nidaros Cathedral
Nidaros Cathedral
Nidaros Cathedral
Nidaros Cathedral
The Crypt
Scotland
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Modern Church
Tyholttårnet
View from the Top
Cruise Ship
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Pizza
Art
My Favourite Fountain
Art Gallery
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Going for it
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A sign of the times
Soon to be a Wall
Kristiansten Fortress
Kristiansten Fortress
Kristiansten Fortress
Kristiansten Fortress
Baby Cannon
Napoleon
Shrapnel
Nazis
Cannnon
The View
Kristiansten Fortress
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Food
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Posted in Norway | 3 Comments