- Registration form
- Meeting Location - Where is it?
- Camping on site
- Other Accommodation
- Information about the area
- Membership
- Rides
- Schedule
- Volunteer to help out!
- Vendors information
- Local hosts, information
Want to know what people thought of last year's HU Ireland Meeting? Is it worth coming to the Meeting?
"Fantastic weekend. Everything about it was first class. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks also to the presenters for sharing their great experiences. I hope it's the first of many." See the HUBB for more comments.
See the event schedule for the Current Meeting Registration
The Plan
The plan is simple. Show up on Friday afternoon, meet people and setup. Travel Presentations and Tech seminars are planned throughout the meeting, starting Friday afternoon.
2011 Speakers and Tech Seminars:
Get inspired:
- The Challenges, Logistics and Enjoyment of Riding in Every Country of the World
- Peter and Kay Forwood, Australia
Worlds Most Travelled Motorcycle
- Peter and Kay Forwood, Australia
- Four great bike journeys
- Geoff Hill
Delhi to Belfast, Route 66, Chile to Alaska and around Oz
- Geoff Hill
- Irishman that doesn't drink
- Liam McCabe
Round the world, make it up as you go along!
- Liam McCabe
- "The Installment Plan"
- Stephen Potts
I didn't have time for the Moroccan trip I wanted to do so I did it in installments, flying back to the bike for each leg of the trip. As a result I rode 30 days over the winter, with my bike in Northern Ireland I would usually ride under 30 hours in a winter!
- Stephen Potts
- Belfast to Kathmandu on a Diesel Bike
- Neil Laughlin (crazymanneil)
What possesses someone to build a diesel bike and ride it half way round the world? Come along and find out!
- Neil Laughlin (crazymanneil)
- Anything I Can Do You Can Do Better
- Peter Cullen
Experiences of an Innocent Abroad
- Peter Cullen
- No licence? Ah well, it'll be grand, just do it!
- Ruth Houston
The un-planned, inexperienced, un-insured adventures south from Hanoi!
- Ruth Houston
- Belfast to Cavanacarragh (slowly)
- Drew Millar
a first attempt at cycle travel
- Drew Millar
- Not dead yet!
- Oisin Hughes
27 countries, 40,000 miles!
- Oisin Hughes
- The Pillion Perspective
- Mairead Hennessy
Smell the flowers - why you should really give it a go!
- Mairead Hennessy
- Norway, Lofoten Islands, Svalbard & Murmansk
- Declan McEvoy
An Arctic Adventure!
- Declan McEvoy
- The Gambia on a Gapper!
- Marc O'loideoin
The ultimate charity motorcycle adventure
- Marc O'loideoin
- Carl Stearns Clancy Anniversary Run
- Joe Walsh, "The Celt"
Meself and Feargal aka Glenboy will be doing a wee talk on the Carl Stearns Clancy 100 year Anniversary Run 2012.
- Joe Walsh, "The Celt"
- Away from here: the return leg
- Simon Johnston
Ireland to Mongolia and Siberia 2010.
This is a sequel, so if you missed the first round, ask someone who didn't!
- Simon Johnston
- Vietnam & Japan
- Dave Flooks
A review of some of the good bits from my trips to Vietnam and Japan
- Dave Flooks
- From sea to shining sea. Coast to coast across the US.
- Aidan McParland
A group ride across the US in summer 2010
- Aidan McParland
- Even Italian bikes provide laughs
- Paddy Tyson
Travelling the Americas with a standing joke
- Paddy Tyson
Learn:
- Personal Safety for Motorcycle travelling
- Jim McCausland
Talk and practical demonstration on personal safety on the road.
- Jim McCausland
- Camping Forum
- Leslie Madge, TravelDri-Plus
Anyone Can Rough It! But do you really want to?
- Leslie Madge, TravelDri-Plus
- Fix that flat! How to change a tyre anytime, anywhere
- Grant Johnson, Canada
Workshop - 'Basic Guide to changing and maintaining tyres.' How to prevent flats in the first place, and fix them when you get one. Grant's changed thousands, and will show you all the secrets to make it easy. The best tools and how to use them for tube and tubeless tyres. Bring your changing / patching kit with you! Hand's on practical, try it yourself. (we hope!) Plus Tyre changing competition with prizes!
Changing a Tyre, tech session UK 2009 - Grant Johnson, Canada
- Photo Composition for Travellers
- Grant Johnson, Canada
The one everyone SHOULD take, but no one does... We all want to take great photos of our trip - so why don't we? This easy clinic will transform your motorcycle travel photos from boring to fabulous! BRING your photos on a CD or Flash Drive, max 10, and we'll critique and discuss YOUR photos - what's good, and what's not - and how they could be improved.
- Grant Johnson, Canada
- Ergonomics - making your bike work for you.
- Grant Johnson, Canada
Your bike was put together by a pimply faced yoof who probably can't even ride... So how's he going to make sure it fits YOU?
- Grant Johnson, Canada
- Panel - volunteers please!
- How to get someone of the opposite sex to go travelling with you - panel and discussion. Why is it so hard? What are you doing wrong - or right? All viewpoints please!
- Horizons Unlimited - You can do it, we can help!
- Grant and Susan Johnson, Canada
How it all began, the story of Grant and Susan's trip around the world, without a plan or a clue! Plus the origins of Horizons Unlimited, what's on the site and how to find your way around it, and more...
- Women only
- a very popular session - I'm told it's a must for the ladies, so be sure to plan on being there! Don't miss a chance to talk to experienced travelling women without the men around. Susan Johnson will lead this session.
- Experienced Travellers Panel - ask the experts anything you want!
- This is always a great session, with lots of discussion - and often disagreement - between the exprienced traveller panelists!
- and more to come as we get closer to the date.
- How about you? We're all here to learn, and there's LOTS to learn! We want to do more presentations and seminars - but we need volunteers to give them! Any topic you can contribute having to do with motorcycle travel, maintenance, planning etc, lasting 20 minutes or more, would be great. Please contact me here to volunteer.
Schedule will be posted here when it's ready...
...so check back and plan what you want to see. The schedule is subject to change, so don't hold our feet to the fire - stuff happens! But we will try very hard to ensure that it goes off as planned. Check the latest schedule to be posted at the meeting on the day.
There will be slide shows and talks Friday mid-afternoon on, so come early and make it a great weekend! We recommend planning on riding Friday morning and Sunday, and leaving time for Seminars all day Saturday.
Rideouts
Rideouts are limited to 6 or 10 people per ride, no exceptions.
Ride Out Coordinator: Brian McGirr of http://www.trailbikeireland.co.uk/
The off-road ride out will leave Saturday morning at 8.00am and will be in Ballyshannon by 12.00.
Anyone wanting to return to the talks in Cavannacarragh can be back from there by 1.00pm and will feel that they have had a good day's trail riding. Those staying off- road will continue on to Ballyconnell and Manorhamilton, arriving back at Cavannacarragh Hall by 4.00pm.
A £10 donation to a local charity is requested of each participant.
Signup sheets for the ride will be available at the reception desk on arrival. First in best dressed.
Please note that you take part in this rideout at your own risk, and therefore you should ensure that your bike insurance adequately covers you for this activity. You will be required to sign a release before riding. This is a group ride, with no one responsible except YOU for YOURSELF!
Off-road - any other ideas, locations, routes, off-road tracks?
Charity
The 2011 HU Ireland meeting raised over £500 for Motorcycle Outreach, through the sale of raffle tickets and the generous donation of prizes, an outstanding show of generosity, and we and Motorcycle Outreach are very grateful - see note below. Many thanks to everyone. And if you'd like to donate a prize, please contact Grant.
Phil Wood of "Riders of the Lost Trail" very generously donated 50% off one of their terrific 14 DAY tours in Morocco, which was won by Phil Green, who despite going through chemotherapy came over from England for the event, and is raring to go on the tour - it's perfectly timed for when his chemo is over! :)
There were many other prizes donated as well, which will be posted here when I get the full list.
The winners of the big raffle prizes were an Irishman, an Englishman, a Scot and a Californian! Sounds like the beginning of a joke!
2010 events:
"Dear Susan,
I write to say that I have now counted up the donations from the Travellers Meeting at Lumb Farm and they total £877.12. Together with the £506 from the Enniskillen rally, that makes a grand total of £1,383.12.
On behalf of the Trustees and Directors of Motorcycle Outreach, I’d like to pass on my thanks to all those at both meetings who bought raffle tickets and stickers and helped us raise that impressive amount. We are very grateful for every donation that we receive; because we work directly with local health services, even a little goes a very long way with us, quite literally! £10 will cover the cost of ten visits to remote villages on the island of Flores in Indonesia, and in each village up to 1,000 people will thus have access to healthcare, medical advice and health education which they would otherwise be denied.
Anyone wanting to see where the money is spent need only click on http://www.motorcycleoutreach.org/Testimonials.html where there are several stories dictated directly by grateful people who have been helped by Health for All, the project that we support on Flores. Health for All ensure that a small fleet of motorcycles are maintained and made available for use by local doctors, nurses, midwives and other healthcare workers to enable them to get to outlying villages beyond the reach of other means of transport.
And really it is on behalf of those people, in Flores, that I write to thank Horizons Unlimited for your continuing support of Motorcycle Outreach, and to thank each and every one of those HU travellers who came to the Meetings and made a donation.
Our best regards
Barbara Alam & Craig Carey-Clinch"
Free stuff - A 'Scratch Patch'
We all know how expensive these overland travel dreams can be, but also how you often manage to accumulate travel equipment and bits and pieces that just end up gathering dust. That thingiemabob that you have been meaning to give away for ages could be exactly what some broke newbie is in need of before a first trip.
The 'Scratch Patch' is a place where people can put those extra inner tubes for the bike that they already sold but forgot to give to the new owner (clearly labelled as to size of course ); that jerry can that you bought that doesn't fit your mountings; that Lonely Planet for Mongolia - anything that might be a big help to someone else.
(of course, anything that does not find a home by the end of the weekend will need to be reclaimed)"
Bring your left-over/unwanted junk - oops, I mean, Good Stuff! :)
Camping
Camping is included in your entry fee. NO 4 wheeled vehicles in the main camping fields, there will be an area specifically for you.
Dogs - Noisy dogs will be ejected.
Food
Available ala carte on the day. (NOT lunches)
Travel Equipment Vendors
We're looking for Travel Equipment vendors to come and display your products, and sell as well. Please contact Grant.
Books and videos - get your signed copy direct from the Author!
HU's Achievable Dream will be available!
Schedule
All times - and everything - approximate! 
An up-to-date schedule will be posted at the Meeting.
Friday
CHECK-IN and sign up! You MUST be registered to go on a ride or for entry to any events, seminars etc.
Friday afternoon
Speakers presentations after lunch, exact time to be determined
Friday night
18:00 Dinner (no pre-order, first in best dressed)
19:00 Speakers presentations start sharp at 19:00, so be sure you've eaten early!
Saturday morning
8:00 - Breakfast
8:30 - 9:00 Late Check-in.
7:45 Ride briefing. Be fueled up and ready to ride if you're going. And please BE QUIET!
Saturday Lunch
Local restaurants, ask on the day
Saturday afternoon,
Rideouts - details here if you're riding on your own.
Be fueled up and ready to ride if you're going.
On road runs - we'll post a sheet of paper up for you to add your name to a destination, volunteers to lead appreciated!
Tech Seminars in the afternoon. If you want to volunteer to lead a seminar or breakout session, on any appropriate topic, please contact us. We have had lots of interest in seminars, ranging from 30 minutes to several hours, on subjects from GPS to packing lists to tire changing.
Saturday dinner
18:00 Barbeque! Sausage, burger, chicken with pasta/salad and chips and coffee/tea and biscuits. Not pre-ordered, first in best dressed!
19:00 sharp:
Speakers presentations
21:00 (not sharp) - Raffle prizes - you have to be there to win!
Sunday
Breakfast served from 8:00, £5
Miscellaneous notes:
Organizers will be there most of Friday so turn up any time that day. Extra hands to help set up will be most welcome!
Registration
See the next years meeting for information on how to attend this terrific event!
Membership - Show you're proud to be a Horizons Unlimited Traveller!
Just to clarify the membership situation: Currently there is no requirement to be a member to access the website, the HUBB or to receive the monthly e-zine. For now, what you get for your membership contribution is our sincere gratitude, good karma and knowing that you're helping to keep the motorcycle travel dream alive.
We will also upgrade your status in the HUBB to Contributing or Gold Member. In addition to recognising your contribution through your status, this will allow you to upload a custom profile picture and custom avatar, store more private messages, upload more pictures, add events to the calendar and create polls.
If you wish to buy a t-shirt, mug, fleece jacket or other Horizons logo product from the Souk, you can purchase Member or Gold Member logo products at the basic price. Just let us know and we can arrange access to the Members Private Store.
Note that new Memberships with your Meeting Registration are applied as of the Meeting date or as soon as possible thereafter, not earlier, unless you make a special request in the Comments box when you register.
T-Shirt Deal
Cotton: Top quality heavy cotton t-shirts in black or grey.
Synthetic: (Dri-Fit) t-shirts are in a beautifully made wicking material, and make great travel / riding t-shirts as well as all-round wear t-shirts. Available in a variety of colours at most meetings, and always black or grey. The order section will list the colours available.
Note that we will have a very few t-shirts extra at each meeting, but very limited - we can't carry many! So please pre-order and pay in advance so you can be sure of getting what you want.
2012 Tshirt slogan "The open road is calling, and I have a world to ride!"
Back:
(large, full back)
Front:
You can help!
If you have a few minutes, please download the poster (Adobe pdf format) and print off a few and hand them round your club or your local bike shop or anywhere seems like a good place.
(You may need to right click and choose "save target as...")
Poster in pdf format (400kb) full colour Event poster.
Thanks for the help!
The Meeting Location
Getting There - GPS, Maps
Enniskillen, Northern Ireland
Google Map to the Meeting.
Note: You're looking for "Cavancarragh" or "Cavanacarragh" which is in the extreme top left corner - Google maps don't always align correctly. :( The larger version is better. View Larger Map
Postcode: BT94 5GU
Irish National Grid : IH 29420 44376
British National Grid : NV 39615 08832
Lat / Lon hddd.ddddd : N54.34723 W7.54839
Mapsource Map
Click the map above for a larger version.
Distances from:
Belfast approx. 80 miles on the motorway, or 95 miles on more interesting roads.
Dublin approx. 105 miles
Larne (Ferry) approx 100 miles
Getting there over the water:
"We suggest contacting Rita Ganghi of Nutt Travel at: +44-(0)2870-351199 or mobile: +44 (0)7545 745791. Ask for Rita and be sure to mention "Horizons Unlimited" to get a special deal just for us. They invariably have cheaper ferry deals than even the ferry companies themselves."
Nutt Travel has also very generously donated a great prize for the Charity Raffle, so be sure to contact them!
And we'll be getting there via Nutt Travel ourselves. (Grant and Susan)
If you have any links or details for the area please let us know.
Other Accommodation Possibilities
If you have any information for the area please let us know.
Information about the area
Fermanagh Lakelands Info
Discover Northern Ireland Info site
If you have any more links or details for the area please let us know.
Local Hosts
Thanks go to Drew and Liam and all their helpers for volunteering to bring Horizons Unlimited Travellers Meetings to Ireland!
If you have any questions, contact with vendor, venue and speakers questions.
See you at a meeting this year!
Grant and Susan