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DAY
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MILES
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So what am I doing having a six month
holiday given up my job, leaving my house, family and friends?
Well after working continually for 30 years, with a maximum of 4
weeks off a year. The need to travel, to have a break and have a
change, something I can look back on. (Or just my mid life crisis!)
I feel now is the time to do it, combined with the fact there are
a large number of HD rallies to attend this year. So I have rented
out my house and I am setting off for my adventure driving my
Transit van carrying my old shovel and towing my caravan.
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HD 11100
TRAN
102460
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1 SUN
13/05/07
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Left Green Pastures campsite in Ower
at 11.30 pouring with rain, well it is the 13th what can you
expect? Stopped at M25 services for lunch in the caravan, cheep
skates! Continued on to the Black Horse Farm caravan park at
Folkestone. Very nice site good old caravan club only £12.50 per
night, shame the average age is 70! Now downing Bacardi while
watching TV, a lovely night now the heavy rain has cleared.
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T 160
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2 MON
14/05/07
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Left campsite at 8ish to board ferry
by 9. Nice crossing managed to down a full English easily! Now the
fun begins 250 miles to cover driving through heavy showers
dragging all my possessions for the next 5 months. Tomtom worked
very well, found campsite no problem deep down in the woods in the
middle of know where, not a party animal in site! Satellite disc
would not play the game too many trees, Shar will have to miss
east enders for a while!
Stayed at De Vlinder-Hoeve, Kring van
Dorth, Near Grossel.
(Diesel is 75p and petrol is £1.03
per litre in Holland)
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T 260
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3 TUE
15/05/07
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Woke up to a brighter partially
cloudy day, after unloading shoveley we set off to explore the
local area. First to the tourist info in Gorssel, who hadn’t heard
about the 10,000 bikers that will be invading this quiet area?
Then in was off to ride around the lake at Bussloo, what a lovely
venue for a rally, deserted now apart from school kids practicing
archery and scooting around on bicycles without pedals. We
returned via Deventer a larger town the only interesting sight was
two ladies of the night doing their day shift!
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HD 26
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4 WED
16/05/07
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Woke up to heavy rain all morning,
went shopping for gazebo then food shopping, ended up taking the
end of the supermarket canopy home by mistake! An alloy support
had punched my hi top and was left dangling. I quickly removed it
and left! Visited the campsite bar for a few grolschs to calm
down.
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5 THU
17/05/07
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A dry day at last! Got train from
Deventer to Amsterdam. Wow what a buzzie place, heaving with
people. We took the usual cannel cruse very enjoyable! Then it was
off for a wonder accidentally coming across the red light
district, past the elephant club were they were actually queuing
up to get in! After an afternoon taking in the many sites we
stopped for a relaxing meal in one of the quieter squares. On the
way back to the station we did a bit of red light window shopping
and visited an educating sex museum very amusing!
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6 FRI
18/05/07
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Rode to the famous bridge at Arnham
meet Sam the official tour guide a very nice man with a lot of
information and a few yarns about the tragic events. We then
visited the airborne museum at Oosterbeek very interesting and
moving!
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HD 100
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7 SAT
19/05/07
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Day off to relax at campsite
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8 SUN
20/05/07
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Visited Harley day at Arnhem 2000
thousand bikes all parked up around the church and market square.
Sat on shovely in the sun listening to bands play, watching the
sights and burn outs lovely!
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HD 80
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9 MON
21/05/07
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Caught train back to sin city. Did
the tourist coach trip to see traditional windmills, village life,
cheese and clog making. Then a boat trip from Marken to Volendam
nice!
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10 TUE
22/05/07
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Day off to relax at campsite and swim
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11 WED
23/05/07
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Day off to relax at campsite and swim
we are now so relaxed we are comatose’d
Rode to super rally site no queue to
get in but only one camp site open and no beer!
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HD 30
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12 THU
24/05/07
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Today we are awaiting a phone call
from the others to say they have arrived! Sitting on the edge of
our chairs waiting to “scramble”. Message comes through and we are
off to the rally. The place is now heaving with bikers, camp up
then off to explore. In the evening there were several bands to
watch and beers to drink! Until the early hours.
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13 FRI
25/05/07
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Played tour guide today by taken 12
bikes and 17 people to Arnham to show them the sites. After a meal
in the in the square by the rebuilt church it was back to the site
to catch action DC playing and a few more beers.
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HD 80
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14 SAT
26/05/07
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Playing taxi today in the van,
shocked to see the queue of new forest members that had formed at
the exit, we now totalled 18 for the short journey to Devetenter
station (standing room only). After a nightmare train journey due
to engineering works we eventually arrived in Amsterdam. Here
everyone seemed to veer off in different directions, believe it or
not everyone managed to make it to the pre arranged meeting place,
miracle or what. A good time was had by all! Arriving back at the
now heaving site, no time to rest straight back to bands and
booze!
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15 SUN
27/05/07
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After a rainy start things improved
to allow us to look around the lovely location and to photograph
all the goings on! Followed by watching two excellent tribute
bands, to the Doors and Led Zeppelin, the evening was rounded off
by a DJ.
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16 MON
28/05/07
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After breakfast we packed up said our
goodbyes and returned to the caravan to re group ready for the
next journey, feeling glad not having to ride 400 miles home! We
have enjoyed staying at this quite well kept site, and were
surprised when the owner who rides a triumph sprint told us he
only gets 2 or three English people staying there every year.
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17 TUE
29/05/07
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The journey to Bosbad Hoeven campsite
the venue for the Benelux HOG rally went well, and by 3 o’clock we
were all set up ready to explore. Another lovely wooded campsite
(so still no sat TV) with good facilities for kids (and HOGies)
plus a large water park.
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T110
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18 WED
30/05/07
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Day off to relax at campsite and swim
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19 THU
31/05/07
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Day off to relax at campsite and swim
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20 FRI
01/06/07
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Rode to Willemstrad a lovely stare
shaped fortified town surrounded by a moat, with a harbour over
locking the main sea channel. Then back to the rally site to
register, meet Ian and Justine from the new forest and a few
familiar faces from Bridgewater. Nothing really happened until 11
when a lively band got everyone up dancing.
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HD 50
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21 SAT
02/06/07
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We joined the ride out to the Texas
Hoeven pub where an attempted at the world record for riding bikes
through a pub was being attempted (809 in total). Off to a bad
start a marshal at the first junction then nothing at the next
roundabout, whilst deciding which way to go I realised I was now
Road Captain to 400 and I had no idea where I was supposed to be
heading! After setting off the correct way some of the locals told
me to turn around, there was then total confusion for 5 minutes to
the real Road Captains arrived! On reaching the pub we had to wait
an hour to ride through the pub as the bikes had to go through one
at a time cheered on by a large crowd. With all the stopping and
starting Ian’s starter gear on his road king that had been fitted
just before leaving home came lose and horrible grinding noises
were heard! We later discovered the bike had been recovered by
the local dealer and repaired, all within 2 hours whilst Ian and
Justine were provided with a beer! WHAT SERVICE! The day was
rounded off by a very unusual fire display; they were playing
steel drums surrounded by fire! Then by two soul bands.
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HD 70
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22 SUN
03/06/07
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Off on ride out to Breda city centre
all went smoothly today! Nice country side, people waiting along
the route to greet us, stopped by the church and soon every café
in this pretty town was full of bikers. Stopped off at the HD
dealership on the way back for a nose but very expensive! A small
group of us meet up at the lake side bar for a quiet farewell
drink then early to bed to prepare for the next big journey.
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HD 30
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23 MON
04/06/07
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A trouble free run down to Brussels
airport to drop Sharman off on my own now for 2 weeks. A beautiful
day driving down lovely country roads shame I’m not riding!
Staying off the toll roads I end up stopping at a lovely but basic
campsite off the N77 at Arcis-sur-Aube.
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T 284
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24 TUE
05/06/07
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I carried on like yesterday keeping
off the toll roads, another nice drive through lovely countryside
except ending up going through centre of Clermont-Ferrand. Stopped
over night at camping municipal Du Mas at Issoire.
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T 260
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25 WED
06/06/07
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What an amazing roller coaster drive
today! The A75 motorway runs through alpine type scenery with
steep cliffs and rocks. The Transit struggled up the hills of over
1100M in altitude One stage I was down in second gear! First I was
driving into fog or was it low cloud? Then came the heavy rain,
quite scary on the steep sharp bends! Next came the Millua viaduct
wow! 2.5 k long and 270m above the river. I thought by the time I
get to the coast and spot the med it would be lovely weather, but
instead as I reached the beach at Sete there was only thunder,
lightning and heavy rain! But at least I had made it this far with
no problems! The evening turned out nice and I finally got sky TV
working.
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T 206
HD 11678
=578
T 103865
= 1405
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26 THU
07/06/07
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Took a ride to the Cap de Adge a town
with a large posh marina a real tourist magnet. Browsed the
designer shops I have never seen so many restaurant in a small
town most completely empty! Not my thing but it dose have lovely
beaches.
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HD 30
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27 FRI
08/06/07
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A lovely ride to Carcassonne castle
today. The hill fortress that dates back to the 6 century BC
although mostly built in the 13 century, an amazing well preserved
medieval city.
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28 SAT
09/06/07
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Day off to relax at campsite, beach
and swim.
(Diesel is 82p and petrol is 87p per
litre in France)
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29 SUN
10/06/07
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Drove to Santa Susanna on the Costa
Brava. Camped at Bon Repos right on the beach fantastic.
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30 MON
11/06/07
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Rode along the coast road to Llaret
de Mar and Tossa de mar. Then on to Sant Feliu de Guixols one of
the best biking roads in Europe 25 miles of bends with fantastic
views.
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31 TUE
12/06/07
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Day off to relax at campsite, beach
and swim.
(Diesel is 70p and petrol is 78 per
litre in Spain)
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32 WED
13/06/07
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Visited the hill fortress at Tossa de
Mar.
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32 THU
14/06/07
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Packed up and drove to Murcia, camped
at camping La Paz 8 miles past town, starting to get very hot!
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33 FRI
15/06/07
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Drove to camping Los Jarales in
Fuengirola Costa Del Sol through the Sierra Nevada mountains very
steep hills another roller coaster ride but nice scenery. Meet
friendly British people who live and work here, plugged sky box
into next doors 1.6m sat dish so all TV channels again.
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34 SAT
16/06/07
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Rode to Marbella then up into the
mountains to Mijas a lovely little mountain town and then my first
cruise along the sea front in Fuengirola
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35 SUN
17/06/07
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Day off to relax at campsite then BBQ
with Danny and Andrea who live on the site.
HD=955 T=2283
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36 MON
18/06/07
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Picked Shar up from Maliga airport.
Went for a walk along the beach, discovered a lovely restaurant
over looking the sea. Decided to return that evening, very nice
meal even saw dolphins swimming by not far off shore.
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37 TUE
19/06/07
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Decided to revisit Mijas today for a
better look. A very quaint place with horse drawn carriages and
donkey rides, decided to give the donkeys a break!
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38 WED
20/06/07
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Ronda is our destination today, a
village way up in the mountains, and I mean way! Lovely scenery if
you are brave enough to look down the sheer drops. Another pretty
interesting place.
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39 THU
21/06/07
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HOG Rally begins today, Made a phone
call to track the others down, meet up in there hotel in Fuegirola
place is now full of Harleys. The rally site has a large outside
stage and a row of themed buildings with restaurants of different
nationality’s and about 6 Spanish HD dealers, we get offered
coffee and cakes at HOG hospitality then free drinks curtsey of
the magic group in the posh chill out area with the rest of NF
crowd. We then watched the bands to the small hours.
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40 FRI
22/06/07
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Lazy day today by the time we reached
the old hill fort for the custom bike show it had
finished, on to the rally site to catch Craig Jones stunt show and
watch the bands the best being never the bride.
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41 SAT
23/06/07
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Lined up for the parade with the
other 7000 Harleys, spent an hour doing a lap of the town ending
up with very hot engines, but the folks from the town and seafront
seamed to enjoy it. Walked to the seafront for a paddle and a meal
at an English restaurant then back to watch a Bon Jovi tribute
band and finally an old favourite Roy Wood.
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42 SUN
24/06/07
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Time to pack up and rest again for
the next adventure. A last meal at the beach restaurant,( no
dolphins to be seen this time) to round of the week.
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43 MON
25/06/07
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Took Shar to Maliga airport then
drove back up the coast to Freds house in Denia mostly motorway
apart from an interesting part between Maliga and Almeria were the
new road is still under construction, very tight and bendy. Very
hot with the temp in the cab up to 45 degrees.
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