Waiting for the ferry.

Thats all the scots due back today here at the cafe before the ferry terminal. Davie palmer had a lucky escape on the way after falling asleep on the autobahn and waking up as his commando hit the crash barrier. Lucky him and the bike weren't too badly damaged.

It must be holland!

Having a beer and a meal in hilversum about 20 miles from amsterdam. I always wondered what this place was like because i remember the name from old radio sets i'd fix as a hobby. Its nice, quite upmarket and a very cafe society it would seem. Ferry tomorrow about 50 miles from here. Early night i think. International norton travel is tiring at times!

Almost Back in Holland

Well we stopped last night at Tomas and Andreas just outside Frankfurt. around 300 miles yesterday and very hot so were a bit fatigued last night. A check of the bikes and a few bottles of beer before heading for a dram at the local pub. On the road just before 10 this morning and we've done 170 miles till our lunch stop just now. Only 130 miles from the ferry so the plan is to head for an hour and find a place to stay. Weather a bit cooler but still fine.

Ready to go.

Just leaving the campsite now really hot already and it's just 10 am. Heading for frankfurt today. We're 6 miles from passau on the austrian side. I could do with some pasta or pizza this pork with every meal is becoming tedious.

Having lunch.

In Steyr again having lunch before dropping fi off at the airport. Not sure where alex and i will stop tonight.

Preparing for the off

David wearing his special rally pants prepares for the off. Its been a brilliant meeting. Now a oompah band is playing in the rally field to mark the official end to the meeting. Superb organisation now we'll wobble back towards amsterdam. Hopefully richard is improving also.

Oh dear.

Davie palmer fixing his wiring loom following an electrical problem.

Hot again-

Some very heavy storms last night but now it's sunny again. The guys are preparing to go on the run to a distillery. I'm off to pick fiona up from the airport later. No more news on richard yet.

Steyr.

In the town of Steyr having a look round. Nice place here and Scorchio. The news on richard is not good. He was being operated on this morning and is in 2 critical condition. We can only hope he pulls through.

Arrived!

So not sure what was on the roll that split but they seem concerned. The area around here (steyr) is stunning. Very sound of music like. Look forward to checking it out tomorrow. I arrived to a bit of bad news, richard from belgium had a heavy fall on the run today. No news yet as to how he is. Really hot here you sweat just standing still. Need a beer to cool down i think.

Jura services.

Its funny i've stopped at these services everytime i've passed. No reason for it just coincidence i guess. Alex just topped up with oil. We've been fed so time to get the last 120 miles before the austrian border in.

Sunny and hot!

Just under 400 miles today, now camped just outside wurzberg . A good run down most of the way in excellent weather. The last 10 miles were hell though due to a Mega traffic jam with no way through. Waiting for my beer which won't touch the sides. Hot work this motorcycling lark.

On board

Well thats us on board now, true to tradition dfds kept us waiting till the end , lucky the weather is ok. I had to change a plug on alex's norton after it fouled 10 metres from his house. Not a great start but hopefully thats the token breakdown. Good run down the road with no rain. The boats got a few bikes on, mainly german's who've been touring scotland. Hopefully no sea sickness tonight!

On the road again

At alex's ready for the off. Big surprise the commando was already loaded and waiting outside. Hopefully a nice run to newcastle now to catch the ferry at 5pm.

July Meeting of the TVNOC

Well last nights Norton meeting was quiet, must be all those people on holiday! Three Nortons made it though, Phil has finally succumbed to the 36mm Mikuni Mod which he reports has helped the bike no end.

Preparing for the off to the International Rally in Austria at the moment, I used to enjoy getting organised before a trip but now it seems like hard work. Of course taking the Commando means much more than throwing a few clothes in a bag and taking off. You have to take a fair selection of tools and spares (just in case) My theory is if you cater for most eventualites then the trip should go smoothly. Well thats the theory anyway. Almost there though just the clothes to get organised (which isn't hard, 3 t shirts and a couple of pairs of socks and drawers!!) A good tip is when you return from a journey, figure out what you didn't need in the way of clothes and don't pack them again. There are washing facilities at all campsites so the opportunity is there to keep washing as you go along. I have been tempted to take a shower with that days clothes on and plenty soap to see if I can pioneer a new keeping clean formula for travellers but haven't done it yet. Of course if its warm then another method is to put soapy water in the topbox and let it wash the clothes as you ride along using the natural vibration to agitate the clothes but haven't tried that yet either. I'm sure there's scope for a clever inventor there.

Kelso update

Well that was a pretty alcoholic weekend. The Rally itself was pretty rubbish and not my cup of tea but the company and crack in our part of the field was brilliant. Fair bit of falling over on friday with Kate and Ian amongst those who had problems staying upright. The picture is of me helping Ian stay updisde down, thanks to Ali for the photo! Of course I look totally sober and yes thats whisky in the glass. Highlight of the night was Fi trying out a new mouthwash, she thought it was water but it was in fact BBQ Lighting fluid, luckily no long term effects but brings a new meaning to the term breathing fire.Oh and Kate had to eventually be put to bed as her legs seemed to have stopped working. Brilliant time and thanks to all the culprits.

Hard work 2

Alison taking a siesta.

Hard work

Being at the rally obviously

Bob

In relaxed mode.

Bmf rally kelso

At the rally here in kelso plenty bikes and plenty plastic people to go with them. Not really my cup of tea but i suppose you have to try these things.

Goodbye.

Down at rosyth saying goodbye to our friends from frankfurt Tomas and andrea. They've had 2 great holiday with no rain while they were on the bike. Alex and i will hopefully see them again in two weeks when we pass on the way to austria for the international norton rally.

Applecross the video

Just a short video of the weekend to help capture the flavour