12-14 July, 3 great days of adventure travel!

As always, we're back in Enniskillen, where you never know what will be the surprise of the event

A few comments from 2012:

"...one of the best meetings I have ever been to!"

"...sincere thanks for a truly fantastic weekend at HU. Norman and Maggie"

"...I learnt so much, met some truly inspirational people and enjoyed an insight into the world of biking"

More comments on last years thread at: http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...d-2012-a-61824

So what are you waiting for? Sign up and be sure to get in!
Pre-Register now at Horizons Unlimited Motorcycle Travellers' Meeting, Ireland 2013

__________________
Grant Johnson
Seek, and ye shall find.
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Inspiring, Informing and Connecting travellers since 1997!
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

I wish this was a month earlier as I will be in Ireland in June for a family gathering. I won't be on the bike though.

We're not fussy what you're on, we've had people walk, bus, 4x4, whatever to get to a meeting. As long as you have the thirst for travel, it's ok! Maybe you need to change your dates?

__________________
Grant Johnson
Seek, and ye shall find.
------------------------
Inspiring, Informing and Connecting travellers since 1997!
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

I can't change my dates as they run in line with the family gathering which is the reason I am going to Ireland. I will be at one of the Australian gatherings in 2013 though. I will have to wait till 2017 to attend the Irish one as that is when I am planning to ship my bike over there.

This is always a great meeting, Though the inspiration is addictive!

Said he from Argentina... :-)

Hoping I'm not home in Ireland by then, but if so, then I'll see you there.

Merv and Sarah.

will you and susan be there grant? i need yous to sign my dvds so i can sell them on ebay... or i mean cherish them cough cough

Sorry, unlikely this year, we're looking to be pretty much flat out and spending way too much getting to what we can. We WILL be at the HUBB UK, so there's your chance... though be aware my sig on the DVD's might lower the value. Spoiled, marked and all that...

__________________
Grant Johnson
Seek, and ye shall find.
------------------------
Inspiring, Informing and Connecting travellers since 1997!
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

G8 summiteers eat your heart out. The only place to be in Fermanagh, Ireland this summer is Cavanacarragh Hall on 12/14 July!

The end of February and we have had a week of reasonable weather (well in Norn Iron anyway!) Thoughts are turning to summer, motorbikes and travelling.

And that means the 4th Annual Horizons Unlimited Ireland gathering taking place on the weekend of 12/14 July 2013 just outside Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh.

Same location as in previous years….how could we move away from that fantastically friendly welcome at Cavanacarragh Hall, the great food and the craic. A weekend with like-minded people is guaranteed …and did I mention the Guinness?

Early days as yet here is a selection of the presentation panel to whet your appetite.

Sam Manicom

A traveller, writer and, though he won’t admit it himself, an all-round nice guy. If you have read any of his travel books you will want to meet him. If you haven’t, you certainly will after being enthralled by his presentation.

Liam McCabe

As with Sam, if you have experienced Liam’s presentations in previous years, you will be beating the door down to get in. If you haven’t, you are in for a treat.

Paddy Tyson
Born in Fermanagh, Paddy currently works for Motorcycle Action Group as the national campaigns co-ordinator, is an adviser to the Ted Simon Foundation and is the editor of OVERLAND magazine. He also drinks a lot of tea!

Geoff Hill and/or Gary Walker

Geoff and Gary will continue the Carl Stearns Clancy Centenary Run which started in Dublin on 23 October 2013. They hope to complete their RTW in New York in June 2013 and should be back on these shores by July to relate their adventures to us in Enniskillen.

Brian Foster

An Aussie who rode his yellow R100GS PD from Kathmandu through China, the ‘Stans” and Iran to finally reach his gaol, St. James’ Gate in Dublin (see, I told you there would be Guinness!) During his journey he rode the Karakoram, Pamir and Wakhan highways. Have a look at his blog to read more about his 15000km journey –

The rider | briansworldtour

Brian flew himself and his bike home from Dublin but we have persuaded him to come back and regale us with his stories and photos of his travels.

Paul Burns

Paul will be telling us about his recent trip around South West America and has titled his presentation “USA and PSA—From Folsom Prison to the Cancer Ward” The clue is in the title. Do come along as Paul has some great travel stories and also has some very important information to share with us all.


Roddy Warriner

Roddy works for James Cargo Services, a freight forwarding company which has a department specialising in moving 2,3 and 4 wheeled vehicles all over the world. Roddy is the man to talk to if you want to discover how to get your precious bike to anywhere in the world.
There will be many other presentations. The arm-twisting and requests are already in progress (are you listening Kev?) to assemble an eclectic (like that word!) mix of interesting, inspiring and informative people to give us the benefit of their experiences. Watch this space!


Overland magazine (arguably the best UK magazine on the market for those who travel, or dream of travelling, by motorcycle) recently introduced a subscription scheme (£25 for three issues and a rather nice t-shirt!) As an incentive each subscriber will be entered into a draw to win a set of Stahlkoffer luggage to fit their bike. The draw for the winner of this fantastic prize, valued at over £600, will take place at the Horizons Unlimited Ireland gathering in Enniskillen on 13 July. Co-incidentally this will also be Overland’s 2nd birthday so you might be able to cadge a cup of tea from Paddy Tyson, the editor!

As many of you may know, Grant Johnson, joint founder of Horizons Unlimited, was diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer in 2011. Thankfully, after many rounds of tough chemotherapy, followed by surgery, Grant is now continuing an optimistic recovery. Raising awareness of prostate cancer in our biking community is both important and timely and the Horizons Ireland team have therefore decided that our nominated charity for 2013 should be “Friends of the Cancer Centre” a local charity based at the heart of the Cancer centre at Belfast City Hospital.

Friends of the Cancer Centre - Home

This charity has one clear objective…to make a real and meaningful difference to the thousands of local cancer patients and their families. A charity raffle will be organised over the weekend of the event and you can make a donation on the day. In keeping with our anarchic spirit, this charity initiative will be known as “Help the FOCCers”

Numbers we can cater for are, of necessity, limited so why not get the diary out, put the date in and register now.

Registration form is here:

Horizons Unlimited Motorcycle Travellers' Meeting, Ireland 2013

For those who would wish for a non-camping (or glamping ) weekend I have a list of all B&B accommodation within a 5/10 mile radius of the event. Contact me or check on the site if you need these details.

Now that you have your diary out here are a few other UK dates for you.

After many successful years in Ripley, the UK Horizons Unlimited gathering has been re-invented and is now known as HUBB UK. The gathering will take place near Donington Park from Thursday 30 May to Sunday 2 June 2013. The new format will encompass motorcyclists, cyclists and drivers of 4X4 and other expedition vehicles and is guaranteed to be a cracking and inspiring weekend. To register and for more information on this exciting event go to:

HUBB UK 2013 Donington Park - 30th May to 2nd June

The ABR magazine Ireland Rally will take place in the beautiful Mourne Mountains on 10-12 May 2013. Sure you know it makes sense. The registration thread is:

ABR Ireland Rally 10 to 12th May 2013 - Official Sign up Thread

You may be interested in a wee bit more information on several of our intrepid Irish presenter's plans in the next few months!

Geoff Hill and Gary Walker will be continuing the Carl Stearns Clancy Centenary Run on 24 March by heading off from Belfast to Cairnryan on the 11.30 boat. Their journey of three months, which will retrace much of Clancy's original route, will culminate in New York in June when they will present the pendant and other memorabilia to a museum. En route they will meet up with many USA and other bikers who will join them on the road.

A formal sendoff has been organised at Adelaide Insurance offices at 10.30 am on Friday 22 March and all are welcome to this.

An informal "happening" will "happen" at 10.15ish on Sunday 24 March on the Fortwilliam roundabout over the Belfast M2. Those who can make it along will meet up with Geoff and Gary and "escort" them down to the boat and send them off with our best wishes. Why not take some time out and come along to either or both these events.

Frank McNelis will also be off in the next few weeks on a two month adventure down to Zambia in Africa. Frank's focus will be bring the good wishes and donations raised by both himself and pupils in St Ciaran's School in Ballygaley Co. Tyrone to a similarly named school in Mulenga Zambia. All funds raised will be used to help fund a much needed school building project and, as would be expected from an altuistic individual like Frank, he is funding all his own costs thus ensuring that ALL funds raised go to the project. Frank will be back in time for the Enniskillen gathering in July and is a "must see" presentation. For any who are so minded, why not go to Franks Just Giving page and add a few shekels to the donations. The Just Giving page is

Pascal Canavan is fundraising for DAFA, Direct Aid For Africa


Now there are two great reasons to get yourself registered for the event of the summer in Enniskillen ( G8 summitters....who are they)

Registration page is

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/mee...p#registration

I have just received Issue 5 "subscriber" copy of Overland Magazine Without doubt one of the best magazines on the UK market if you are in any way interested in travelling on two wheels. The photographs alone make the cost of the magazine worth it! The articles are also inspiring. Am I biased? Probably not least because the editor is our very own Paddy Tyson but I still stand by my view Have a wee look at the Overland website

OVERLAND magazine : Adventure Motorcycle Travel

and don't forget that anyone who takes out a subscription will be entered in a draw for Stahlkoffer luggage to the value of £600 at the Enniskillen gathering. Good luck!

Are you keeping an eye on the intrepid duo of Geoff Hill and Gary Walker as they retrace the C S Clancy route? You can get regular updates direct to your email by going to Adelaide Adventures and entering your email address on the "Receive Updates" box.

Geoff and/or Gary are hoping to be back in time for 12/14 July to give us the inside track on their adventures.

Is it not time that you registered

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/events/ireland-2013

Many of you will have met Grant and Susan (founders of Horizons Unlimited) at previous Horizons Unlimited Ireland meetings and have been asking for an update on Grant's condition.This is the most recent information I have received.



Grant continues his recovery from prostate surgery, with some setbacks. He woke up in early February thinking he was having a heart attack! After a full day in the ER getting various tests, it turned out that the unbelievable pain (he was on a morphine drip for much of the day!) was pericarditis - an inflammation of the muscle surrounding the heart!

This condition, which we can't determine a cause for, seems to take a long time to completely resolve. He's still on prescription anti-inflammatory medications, and unfortunately the doctor has said he needs to avoid any exertion that causes his heart rate to get too high, as the inflammation could damage the heart. We were starting to get into serious walking but have eased back on that now. On the bright side, his PSA continues to be undetectable, and his testosterone levels are back to normal.'

Fantastic news!!! And for those who haven't linked up with Susan and Grant Johnson yet, Grant was hit badly by Prostate Cancer. He is in part the reason that the charity of the Ireland event this year is "Friends of Cancer Centre" in Belfast.

May 1 and 72 days to go.

We have a few more confirmed presenters on the running list for the weekend.

Claire Elsdon is currently on a wee jaunt down through Africa. She is in Malawi at the moment and will be returning to UK for a few weeks in June/July. Then back to Malawi to continue her travels (as you do!!)

Have a wee look at her blog Claire Goes Bikeabout

This is what Claire wrote on her presentation summary !

"A tale of rejecting all that is normal, convenientional and socially acceptable and choosing life instead! Quitting my dreaded job, moving house, rehoming the cat and generally breaking loose all just to feel the wind in my hair, experience real life and remember what really is important. Choosing hardships over an "easy life" and reacquainting myself with the joys of deprivation - like not having Marmite! Meeting incredible people who blow me away with their even more incredible generosity, kindness and hospitality...mixed with a few deviants here and there of course too! Learning to trust my instincts (even if I can't always explain them) as well as the Universe."

Interesting eh?

Bernard Smith is equally interesting. He and his blind partner Cathy (you did read that correctly!) rode round the world on "Bertha" an 18 year old BMW R100RT. The story of this inspirational trip is now in print and is an absolute "must read" . The book title is "Touching The World" and, for me the unique aspect is the insight given by Cathy into how she experienced and "seen" the world on the journey. Cathy sadly died in January and Bernard thought long and hard before agreeing to come over to Enniskillen to tell us about the trip. I am hoping that he will bring along copies of the book and, if so, I definitely recommend you buy a copy! Lets all give him a really warm Irish welcome.


Have a wee look at Bernard's blog http://worldtour.org.uk/

Not registered yet? It's about time you did

Register here http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/eve...gistration.php

is there a ride out after if so where to?

You picked a heck of a weekend!

UPDATE !!!

Even more exciting presenters signed up

There's no expense spared getting the best

Kevin Emans and Mark Kemp

The highs and highers of an 8 week ride from Magadan to Dublin via the Road of Bones (including the old summer road), the western BAM road then down into Mongolia before turning west towards home, both of us on KTM 690 Enduro's

Here's the RR :

http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthr...hlight=siberia


Neil Laughlin

Belfast to Kathmandu on a Diesel Bike. A software engineer by trade, Neil has an interest in electronics, travel, alternative fuels and motorcycling. Hence the project of a diesel motorcycle was born. Taking the machine on a long journey seemed the next illogical thing to do. But what would possess someone to build a diesel motorbike in their garage and ride it to Kathmandu? Come along and see…

The blog is here :

SuckinDiesel.com | A state of wellbeing or good progression.




Only 6 weeks to go. Time to register here :

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/eve...gistration.php