Well enjoy being 'Kind of the Road' whilst you can, as it will be a shock to the system when you get back to old blighty with our roads, not to mention the rain which hasn't stopped all day today!! Bet you enjoyed that wine; you must have been drunk after the first glass :-).

See you soon and remember to put 31st for get together in your diary x x x

Thanks Hel,
No dramas not over yet see todays blog!!!
xxx

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Hi Karen,
Yeah will seem strange battling through so many cars and lorries just to get home, hopefully the weather will be kind to me on Mon afternoon!
xxx
31st set aside no worries

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DAY 21 - SAT 24TH OCT 2015 - PEDROSILLO EL RALO TO REINOSA - 174 MILES APPROX.



As I awoke this morning I could tell moves were definitely afoot, or should I say abottom, in the bowel department! However I'm afraid it turned out to be a bit of a false dawn and once I'd been to the loo I'm afraid I could only claim a very limited success.
After doing most of my packing and togging up I wandered down to the bar area and thankfully the three people sat at the bar all had a slice of toast, jam, butter and a cup of coffee in front of them, so I simply pointed at their breakfast and then pointed at myself and the girl behind the counter immediately understood and got things underway. Just another funny little observation about bars and counters on the continent. In the UK if the barman wants to leave the bar area he or she simply lifts the section of bar which is hinged with may be a little shoot bolt for security. But I noticed certainly in Spain and Morocco this is not an option and the employee is forever having to stoop down as they attend to various chores on both sides of the bar/counter. Perhaps a little more secure than the UK system, I don't know?
Since having my new sprockets and chain I haven't really checked it at all. So as I was in no hurry I had a good look and it didn't seem to need adjusting but it was as dry as bike that's been on Moroccan dirt roads for a couple of weeks!! All I had was my, now, half litre of engine oil in its plastic dispenser. I couldn't pour it on the chain as it would've used loads and made an awful mess. Thankfully I'd taken a few of those very thin one size fits all polythene gloves at my last garage visit. So I slipped one on and then poured a little oil into the palm of my hand and gently applied a small amount at a time, moving the bike forward a little each time in order to expose a bit of new unoiled chain. I also checked my engine oil level which may have dropped marginally so I topped that up whilst I was in 'maintenance mode'!
On the road, nothing much to report really. The bike is running perfectly. I keep trying to adopt slightly different riding positions in the hope my aching right leg syndrome doesn't develop, but no luck in that department I'm afraid. So I pressed on to my target destination, a delightful little town called Reinosa, tucked away in the Cantabrian mountains but within an hour or so of Santander (tomorrows destination). With the help of my sat nav I found a nice cheap clean hotel right in the centre of town called the Abrego.
After going through the booking in formalities with the receptionist she handed me my room key and then showed me another key on a ring and as I understood it, she was indicating there would be no one in reception later and that if I wanted to go out I had to take the key she'd shown me in order to get back into the lobby of the hotel and thereby gain access to my room. I had also been told the street outside was pedestrian only and I'd have to move my bike to find somewhere to park. So I grabbed my helmet and rode round the block a few times and found a good spot close to the hotel. Within 10 minutes I was back at the door, which was now locked and the lobby was in darkness. Bo----ks! I didn't realise she was shutting up shop now, otherwise I would have taken the key she had shown me. Never mind, I thought, it's just their afternoon siesta and she'll be back at 5 or 6 this evening.
So I took the opportunity to go to the local Lidl store and get a few food supplies for my 24 hour overnight journey back on the ferry tomorrow. All safely stuffed in my rucksack I travelled about 4 miles out of town to what I guess you'd describe as being a nature reserve next to the River Ebo. I spent a pleasant hour or so walking round that and as 5pm approached I made my way back to my hotel. Still all in darkness, double bo----ks, never mind I'm sure someone will show at 6pm! Then it dawned on me it was saturday and in Spain, apart from restaurants and bars, basically everything shuts down at saturday lunchtime and that's it until monday morning. Sure enough 6pm came and went, no sign of anyone, treble bo----ks! My only saving grace was, unlike in Fez, I'd learnt my lesson and this time I had one of the hotels calling cards with me and a phone number. Where was my phone, in the room of course, quadruple bo----ks!! In the end I approached a young couple with a kiddie, knowing that a lot of the older Spanish people don't speak a word of English.Thankfully the girl did have enough of a smattering to understand my predicament and using my calling card and her mobile she phoned the number. Thank god someone answered. After a short conversation the girl told me to remain where I was and someone would be with me in 10 minutes. Sure enough the same girl who booked me in turned up and in broken English asked if I had left my key in the room. I said 'No' I had it on me. I pulled it out my pocket and handed it to her. She then dangled the keyring in front of me and to my horror and embarrassment there were two keys hanging there, one for my room and one for the hotel front door, quintuple (or whatever the correct term for five is!) bo----ks!! I profusely grovelled and apologized for spoiling her weekend, but she said it was okay and left me feeling relieved but bit of an idiot!
Not content there I gave myself another scare a bit later when I went to check my return ferry ticket for tomorrow only to find a sheet of paper from my printer indicating I should have caught the thursday 22nd Ferry from Bilbao to Portsmouth. Oh Christ what have you done now Dave you tw-t!? as I urgently shuffled through my other papers and there at the very bottom was my confirmation paperwork regarding tomorrows sailing, I'd obviously been looking at alternatives and as the Bibao to Portsmouth was an option I'd obviously printed it off and then it just got shuffled in with the rest of my paperwork. Anyway as I believe Dickens, or Shakespear or someone said,'Alls well that ends well !'

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Looks like you are still with the silly open face lid,,,,lol,,,great trip you are having looking forward to the next chapter.

Hi Low!
I'm afraid so. Proud to be british you see and also when approaching the locals in Morocco I'm sure they prefer to see a smiling face rather than the aggressive look of a full face.
Glad you're still enjoying the blog

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That was one of me first adventures I was planing to do that didn't happen, I couldn't find a way to get across from Tunisia to marroco so I ended up in albania and Italy still had a great time, I know what you are thinking don't ask,


I bet you will have the bug now, on the ferry back you will be planing you next one,,,,I think,,,,

DAY 22 - SUNDAY 25TH OCT 2015 - REINOSA TO SANTANDER - 50 MILES APPROX.



I seem to be getting all mixed up with my UK and continental time differences and some how contrived to set my alarm for 6.30am instead of my intended 7.30am wake up call. The only bonus was when I turned on the TV the Malaysian Moto GP was just about to get underway! So being as I didn't need to leave until about 11.30am I settled down to watch Danny Pedrosa win with Jorge Lorenzo finish second and Valentino Rossi finish third after causing Marc Marquez to crash, well that's how I saw it. I wouldn't be surprised if 'The Doctor' doesn't get 'struck off' for that incident!
My savior from last nights shenanigans was sat at reception and with a knowing smile, as if to say, 'You stupido Englishman!', ushered me through to the breakfast room. Being the only person in the room I was treated to unlimited coffee, toast, jam, butter, orange juice and croissants, so I duly filled my boots, well my tummy to be more precise! And as I rose to return to my room, the compacting effect of what I'd just eaten on top of everything else I'd consumed over the last few days finally had the desired effect! After a couple of false starts yesterday I could tell this was the real McCoy and ten minutes later I emerged from the loo a much relieved man and a few pounds lighter to!
Anyway no more toilet talk, promise! It was time to pack and get kitted up. I had originally planned to leave earlier and take a detour around the nearby lake, in fact I'm pretty sure it was a reservoir resulting from the damming of the river Ebro that I'd visited further upstream yesterday. However the weather was quite damp and overcast, so I skipped that plan and headed straight for the port. Once on the road, the weather quickly brightened up and as I'd left in plenty of time I left the autopista and instead opted for the old twisty road that ran roughly parallel. The sun had at last put his hat on but the roads were still a bit damp so I had to be a bit cautious regarding lean angles, but the way the old road followed the sinuous stream and railway along the valley floor was so much more fun and in keeping with the surrounding scenery rather than the new autopista which was just blasted into the mountainside so that it could bludgeon it's way straight through to the north coast. Although my new route was far more picturesque the opening of the new road had obviously taken it's toll on the old, as every so often I'd pass a closed hotel, garage or shop that had obviously depended on passing lifeblood of vehicular traffic. The bonus for me was that between the towns along the route I virtually had the road to myself.

THE OLD ROADS ARE THE BEST!
My nirvana was gradually dismantled as I approached Santander and the traffic began to build. Now I've grown to begrudgingly love and respect my sat nav but just when you become reliant on it, just like a woman, she lets you down (only joking ladies!). Sure enough it took me to a point along the road immediately adjacent to the harbourside and indeed there was the Brittany Ferries Amorique right in front of me. The only problem was a 15 foot wire fence preventing me getting to it! Using my loudest four fingers in the mouth wolf whistle I managed to attract the attention of a flourescent jacket-wearing employee on the other side of the fence, who directed me back in the direction from whence I came. By now 1.15pm checking in time was rapidly approaching and once again that feeling of mild panic began to creep up on me. Calm down Dave. I headed back out of town. After a mile or so I managed a U- turn and headed back into the city centre this time ignoring my sat nav and instead concentrating on the signs for the ferry. Again I made the same approach but this time I spotted the entrance gate (which I have to say in my defence was not very obvious at all). Safely through, checked in and passport control negotiated I pulled up behind a couple of Harleys dressed up like christmas trees, and that was just the riders and their partners! I was fortunate enough to pull up to another trail bike, a 2005 BMW F650 single. The first thing he said after asking where I'd been was that my engine sounded sweet as a nut I said ' I wish my seat was as sweet'! We had a laugh about that as he explained that the legendary BMW comfort certainly didn't apply to his bike either! As we chatted, Gareth, unsurprisingly lived in Wales and was a member of the Trail Riders Fellowship and that he and some other mates and members had spent a few days riding some of the dirt roads in eastern Portugal. Exhausting but great fun as he went on to tell me he had a much more hardcore Husquvarna enduro bike at home but had bought the BMW as he had to ride on tarmac down to Portsmouth from North Wales and then on to Portugal itself, where it then became his trail bike.
I have a lovely double cabin all to myself and as soon as I'd changed out my bike gear the first thing I did was wash my long-sleeved thermal under vest as when I put it on this morning it was positively humming and I just couldn't stand the thought of putting it on again for tomorrows final leg home!

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HiLow,
I'll be honest, I won't be planning anything until I get the comfort of my seat sorted out properly!!
Dave

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DAY 23MON 26TH OCT 2015 - SANTANDER TO PORTSMOUTH - 780 MILES APPROX
PORTSMOUTH TO READING - 55 MILES APPROX



I spent a reasonably relaxed evening in the lounge area of the ship as this is where the wi-fi hotspot is located. Therefore I was able to update the blog, albeit I had the old problem where somehow the link dropped out so when I went to upload, everything I'd scribed for the last 45 minutes was lost! Back to square one it was then! Consequently I didn't actually go to bed until midnight. Never mind , I thought, I should sleep well, especially as I spent the best part of an hour in the evening doing exercises in my tiny little cabin! Even though the sea was relatively calm it was a broken nights sleep and when I arose I felt I could've done with a couple more decent hours, but I'm one of those people who, once I'm awake, I might as well get up, otherwise I just lay there or toss and turn. Mind you after an invigorating splash in the shower I felt good to go! So I had breakfast made up of the supplies I'd purchased back in Reinosa and then read my first British newspaper for 3 weeks and went back to my cabin for an hours snooze to make up for last night! I then spent the rest of the time bringing this blog up to date.

ENGLISHMAN LEAVES SPANISH SHORES ABOARD FRENCH SHIP HOMEWARD BOUND!
27 hours at sea on board the Amorique and at last I was able to tog up for the last time. If you have to wait around quite awhile before riding, putting the right amount of kit on is an art! I think there are 2 schools of thought on this subject. 1) Put on what you feel comfortable in at the time, start riding, get cold, stop soon after you get going, place on extra layer(s), set off again! 2) Put on extra layers, become all hot and bothered, start riding, cool down, keep going until your destination! I am of the latter school in case you were interested! Having said that within 4 miles of leaving the terminal at Portsmouth I was pulling in to a garage to fill up the bike!
Wanting to be home before dark I must admit I didn't hang around, so after a fairly rapid but uneventful journey I rode into my close with a strange mixture of emotions. Relief at making it home in one piece, sadness that this was the end of my Moroccan odyssey, the pleasant anticipation of being back in my own house and in my own bed later, the excitement of seeing other members of my family who I'd missed, and dare I say it, I was actually looking forward to getting back to work the very next day, sad I know!
As I wheeled my bike into the garage and kicked out the side stand I actually patted the tank a couple of times and whispered under my breath, 'Thanks old girl, you got me out there, you got me back', and I then kissed the windscreen! I really felt quite emotional, again a bit sad I know!!
Once in my humble abode, a lovely surprise, my sister who'd been popping in from time to time whilst I was away had left a fresh loaf of bread, milk and a packet of chocolate Hobnobs, I tell you life doesn't get much better! So after a lovely cup of proper proper tea and a couple of biccies I got cracking with the unpacking and put a wash on. Then it was a half hour slump in front of telly but with eyelids drooping I crawled up the stairs and crashed into my lovely warm bed. Within a couple of minutes I was in never never land dreaming of the endless possibilities for next years adventure!

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Good to see you back home safe and sound fella. It was a good trip
I still have about 5 weeks left
Go steady

Wayne

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The Balkans
https://new.horizonsunlimited.com/poi_entity/8417

Wow, what an adventure. Elliot has been inspired and would love to do something similar one day. He might just need to learn to ride a motorbike first though ;-)

See you soon Dave x x x

In case anyone is still reading this i still haven't finished just haven't had time to do the conclusion of the ride and a reflection/summary of my experiences, so if you're still interested i will be doing this over the next couple of days!

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Hi Wayne thanks for your concern! I am indeed home safe and well ! So which countries do you have left to make your way through before you get home? Is the weather being kind?
dave

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haha, your welcome

I am currently in Sarajevo and tomorrow I am moving on, still more places I want to see in Bosnia, then I drop into Montenegro, the Macedonia and after that I don't know.
But I am doing a live report so all info as and when.
Weather has been good after the first 3 days.
I enjoyed your report

Wayne

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The Balkans
https://new.horizonsunlimited.com/poi_entity/8417