Bulgaria and back on a WR250R to join the ABC/BBS crew

[beddowsm]

Who's doing the "controlled" wheelie in the beach race?

[nethen1]

That was Scott on his loaned factory CCM... rode it well.

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A flying pig ... just for good measure !

[Brenhden]

This is awesome, I'm so jealous you have time for a trip like this (thumbs)
Thanks for taking the time to share it with us.

[catcitrus]

The return trip was a slightly different route--and there was the "curious incident of the dog in the early morning"--not funny really--I'll get to that!
being retired I have time, but not a lot of money--so cheap travelling is the order of the day--with good kit there is no need for it to be a chore--and I certainly wouldn't hotel it anyway--too restrictive--living in different boxes every night with the uncertainty of whether your bike and any gear on it will be there in the morning!. I don't do WiFi so things are quiet--but I may start to do a bit as it certainly keeps you in touch--and checking weather reports and so on is useful in planning your day, clothing and route. I can text anybody, and they can reach me if required--thats good enough.

[Brenhden]

I hate that 'will the bike be there in the morning?' feeling...

[catcitrus]

The next instalment--number 8b?
Saturday was a rather sad day--all the lads with BBS had taken their bikes to Matt's warehouse for packing and then returned with hand luggage for the shuttle to the airport. Brian--the retired property dealer from the UK/Spain/Turkey (where he has a 60ft motor launch parked) drove off on Friday in his VW transporter headed for Turkey--and more riding with mates--he'd driven from Spain to get to Bulgaria!. He is in his early 60s but has done Romaniacs etc several times and rides offroad every day--according to the Bulgarian guides he was the best rider !!--so there is hope for you all yet! He is a really down to earth Yorkshireman and a pleasant guy who simply gets stuck in.
I was the last to leave and headed south for the border--and the plan was to get south of Thessaloniki on the Aegean coast and find a campsite (using my new found Garmin option!). It worked well and heading down the coast in sight of Mount Olympus I found a site right on the coast. It was barely open but accepted me no problem. A local restaurant provided an excellent meal with great service--but not cheap (spoilt by Bulgaria!--anything over 10 euros is expensive to me!). I went for a walk on the beach and dipped my toes in the sea--quite warm. The beach was virtually deserted--here is a shot of Mount Olympus still puffing a bit.


The next morning I headed for the showers--they were in a somewhat "tired" state!--This where the dog tale comes in--I made the mistake of leaving my tent open and on return noted some "deposits" in the vestibule. I found a rather ill and messy small dog curled up in my sleeping compartment!. It would not move--and when I tried to grab it I was met with a snarl and bared teeth--I eventually got it to move by thumping it on the rear. I was then faced with a mess to clear up--lots of washing and disinfecting--and fortunately my down bag was spared. NOT a great start to the day-and a hard lesson--packs of stray dogs are a real problem and the authorities do nothing--do not leave your tent open or food about. This episode took me a while to get over as the mess was basically a bit stomach turning. Fortunately I'm a country boy and once cleaned out and disinfected and aired everything was back to normal..Sorry about the graphic details but be warned.

I set off for Meteora-Another pic on my way down the coast--Olympus puffing.



What struck me was the number of newish hotels in this area--with no real signs of visitors--I know its early season, but not that early?

--and as you are probably aware by now the weather was being kind. As mentioned before its a world heritage site and is in the Bond movie "For your eyes only".
Amazing sandstone erosion that rises straight out of the plain to the East.




THE LIFT!!!



I then headed west--The road from Meteora E92 sweeps through green vallies, but then to get over the top to Metsovo and then to Ioannina there is a fabulous mountain road (No 6?) In not bad condition, virtually zero traffic--lots of bends and lots of high views--unpredictable with no run offs and limited armco--so if you push a bit be on your game!

[catcitrus]

This Vid has surfaced--wish I had been with them on the genuine offroad! Maybe next time--and get a bike shipped!(but would need to be in a "b" group!!)

[catcitrus]

just about the last entry or two now:
I arrived in Igoumenitsa fully expecting to camp just up the road--I was "early " again!

However, the girls in the Speedfast booth--again really smart and helpful--sorted me out with the midnight ferry at no extra cost. The facilities were a bit spartan but I managed to get a filled bread roll and watched a ManU match on the tv--slightly better than watching paint dry!
I eventually went "dockside" at about 9 pm as it was getting dark--but there were NO facilities--just one nasty portaloo--what are they thinking. You can get back "inside " but have to show your passport and ticket both ways. I was lucky and a dutch couple in a camper invited me in for an "aperitif" and some snacks . We had a great chat about the world, Europe, and Greece. They had been touring the mainland coast with their English Cocker spaniel--they had been surrounded by a pack of wild dogs on a couple of occasions--its a problem.
The ferry loomed out of the night like a mobile disco, moored with minimal fuss, and the few vehicles were soon on board. I headed for the Pursers desk after a nice chicken salad on board--and managed a 2 berth cabin for 70 Euros--with a "window". A nice shower and then kip for just about all the trip. We docked at about 3 pm and I fought my way out of Ancona using Italian traffic driving methods--they expect it!

A quick trip up the coast to Cervia and I found the campsite that I used on the way down--much quieter this time. Unfortunately it started raining that evening and just kept going the next day with thunder and lightning. The campsite was inch deep in water everywhere--the tent held out, but all I could was wait it out. It cleared the next day and I had to decide on the route home from here. I had contracted a bit of a cold so my initial plans too go via Hitler's mountain retreat in Austria seemed too much of a push and out of the way--and I didn't feel up to visiting --I had seen it from the meadow below but never gone up.

I decided to head for Milano and then go north.

A pleasant day really even though I was on main roads--but about 20 euros in tolls!. I eventually headed into Switzerland via lake Como and bought a vignette--no choice, one price--for a year--and 40 Euros--robbing !"£$s. However, its not worth getting caught. I was impressed by the main A2. I liked the green power pylons that blended in, and there was a general air of relaxed , but effective, business. I eventually got to Lucerne via the Gotthard road tunnel. Now the pass was closed otherwise I would have used it. The tunnel is 16 kms long and very hot and intimidating--glad to get out--I had to stop for fresh air!


Arriving on the outskirts of Lucerne I used my new found Garmin search and went for a campsite by the Lido and lake. This involved going right through the city in rush hour--not fun really--pedestrians are suicidal and just walk onto crossings.

A nice campsite--if a little expensive at over 20 Euros--but a cafe, shop, showers and so on.
Bumped into a Green Army supporter and we chatted the evening away.

[catcitrus]

So to the final leg:
I left Lucerne--and it was still dry! I headed for Strasbourg but decided to take the earlier Col so left for Colmar and then the N59 over the top--this is a great little road with good bends--but trucks do use it. I do believe its high enough for skiing at the top. So around Nancy, through to |St Dizier and Challons-en- Champagne towards Reims. It threatened rain so for the first time since the start of the trip, the full army Goretex went on . Needless to say , and despite the forecast from my son via the BBC, I only saw a slight shower. This time , as I was on the N44, I kept an eye out for camping signs--and sure enough I found one in a small village about 12 kms outside of Reims to the East. Gated with a code and good basic facilities--for 8 euros! An enquiry and a short trip to a bigger village got me to a Supermarche, a cashpoint, nice bread, jambon, boursin, tomatoes, and some tartes de Pommes for breakfast! I had a little rain overnight but the morning dawned clear. From Reims I set off for Calais--this area of France is just rolling fields and vast acreage of cereal crops--so nothing much to report.
I was really glad to reach Calais--the little Yam had nearly done it! A tip here--if you are early--and I was at least 3 days early--go to the ticket office to change your booking--its cheaper and less hassle--I was on a ferry in 40 minutes--but it cost me about 38 quid.
The crossing was uneventful except that I had a bit of a disagreement on securing the bike.
Now I've mentioned this before--P and O now expect you to secure your bike--but even though I'm ex RN I don't do it. The reason is simple--I'm not insured on the ferry and safety at sea is the responsibility of the crew--both myself and my bike are simply cargo. If I was a complete numpty and did a poor job, there was some rough seas, the bike goes over, damages other bikes, spills fuel, there is a spark and the whole cargo deck goes up--whose fault and responsibility is that? I've written to P and O before and got some non committal reply basically stating that they have had too many claims for damage and so leave it to the individual-a cop out for commercial reasons-but I doubt whether that would stand up as a reason in a Board of Enquiry after a disaster !! One of the deck hands must have mentioned that I wouldn't do it to the Bosun, and he came over citing the same reason. I simply said that a) I wasn't insured and b) safety at sea was his responsibility--at that point he walked off in a huff--the guy is between a rock and a hard place--the crew did it for me in the end as requested!
A good meal on the ferry set me up and I did battle with the Friday evening traffic around the M25 and up the A1--getting filtering practice--I have soft panniers!
I got home at about 7 pm on the Friday--basically a week to travel door to door at a leisurely pace.
Saturday was a gear sort out day, Sunday I went the the MCN show on the Yam--not cleaned etc--but again not really dirty. Monday I dropped the oil and checked it over--nothing on the magnet again--no real problems and little spanner work required--didn't even need to adjust the chain--I had used two small tins of the WD chain wax on the trip-- available on offer at Lidl--did the job well and no real fling. The Mefo explorers would do the trip again! I had oil on board--but didn't need to use it on the whole trip--the level was static and the tailpipe a light grey/brown--and I have removed the Cat--its burning well. It still sounds a bit clanky--but thats largely the reflection from the bashplate.
I would certainly do the trip again--but if no offroad was planned then the Triumph would be better. However, trips to altitude and with gravel roads then the Yam would do it easily--and certainly would cover most gravel trails with perhaps slightly more aggressive tyres.
Finally thanks to the ABC crew and Dave (BBS) for their help, support and camaraderie--and a great bunch at the Boutique chalet hotel.
I'm actually getting itchy already for another trip--can't sit around!

[geoff barnett]

An epic trip. Well done Chris.