Travel Through The United Kingdom on a Harley-Davidson

By Peter & Kay Forwood

The United Kingdom on a Harley (12/1/10 - 14/1/10)

Distance 129 km (553150 km to 553279 km)

This is part of the sixteenth section of our around the world trip.
Complete Trip Overview & Map

Coming from Norway or read our previous visit to the United Kingdom

12/1/10 Two hours later, a train, and boat, plus a short walk and we were back at Grant and Susan's place.

13/1/10 It snowed overnight and continued all morning, and yet again Gatwick Airport closed and remained closed all day. The motorcycle sat outside in England's coldest winter in 30 years according to the weather bureau's report. We rested inside, watched the second of Grant and Susan's two DVD set "On The Road" (Part of the Achievable Dream series of DVD's) enjoying it as much as the first. We have been travelling inside a window of opportunity, a 14 year window, a time when our parents have been healthy and active and our three children have been young adults finding their way independently, but that window seems to be slowly closing. Both Kay's and my mothers are still looking after themselves, but both are now quite "mature", plus our first grandchild was recently born, and there are prospects of our other two children marrying Bonnie getting a laugh out of Kay's retort on half a dead bike

Bonnie getting a laugh out of Kay's retort on half a dead bike

in the not too distant future with possibilities of more grandchildren, so being away from Australia for 10 months of each year is becoming more selfish. Bonnie, a professional editor, normally working on documentaries, has assisted Grant and Susan put together the "On The Road" DVD set, and has somewhat voyeuristically got to know most of the participants of the video. The second of the two DVD's finishes with an excerpt of an interview where I state our trip will likely finish with either the death of the motorcycle or my death, with me naturally preferring the death of the motorcycle. Bonnie was therefore surprised when we announced, in the future we would only be travelling for six months of the year, starting now. Feigning concern that the DVD would already be outdated, her comments raised Kay to wittingly retort that, "As the motorcycle's original engine recently died, the motorcycle is now half dead, so we are going to travel just half It snowed in London the day we returned

of the time". Bonnie is currently working on the next two DVD series, "Gear Up", so I hope our change of plans hasn't changed her view towards our trip, editors have enormous powers to "cut".

14/1/10 We had planned to leave for France yesterday but our moving from travelling for a lifestyle back to travelling in trips kept us in London. Being in Australia for six months of the year clearly exceeds our family's obligation or tolerance for our staying with them, so while we were recently in Australia we looked at alternatives, and one was the purchase of a rural block of land, within a reasonable distance of Brisbane, where our children live. 65 Hectares (160 acres) of a steep sided valley dropping to a seasonal creek with 4x4 access, no electricity, no structures, heavily timbered with no improvements caught our eye and with the the economic downturn happening, our ridiculously low offer was recently accepted. Buying land half way around the world is no easy matter so while we had the use of phone, scanner, printer and internet, we attempted to accomplish as much as we could. The land project, like our travels, Lunch of cod tongue, a Norwegian delicacy

Lunch of cod tongue, a Norwegian delicacy

is designed as a continuous work in progress, never to be completed. Perhaps a caravan, then a shed, and should we live long enough, a house might appear on the block, but then they might not. We chose the location for remote solitude close to facilities, and everyone is welcome to visit, particularly those strong young ones, as there could be much to do, or perhaps we will just sit out front of the caravan listening to the bell birds, watching the kangaroos and koala that live in the area. At least now, while we are travelling the world, or whatever we do within reason, we will be sequesting carbon, as seven hectares of timbered land is considered to equal the average Australian's carbon footprint, so, counting ourselves, three children and one grandchild we should be carbon negative, plus we have carbon surplus for another three grandchildren.

15/1/10 The snow of two days ago had melted and was washed away by yesterdays rain and with as much done on our property purchase we no longer had an excuse to continue to accept the hospitality of Grant and Susan so at 9.30am in near freezing temperatures, fully kitted up for the weather, we rode to Dover and caught the midday ferry to Boulogne, France, and started heading towards Morocco.

Move with us to France or go to our next visit to the United Kingdom

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