Round the Bloc Tour 2010

[Ghostrider]

May 2010

Some of you may have seen my blog from last year’s trip called ‘Round the Bloc Tour 2009’, the link is pasted below if you fancy a read. A quick summary of that trip is as follows: Left the UK from Dover June 09 and travelled through France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Italy to Ancona and caught the ferry to Greece. Crossed Greece and took another ferry from Athens (Good job it’s not this year otherwise will be dodging the rocks and Police baton charges). Island hopped to Chios and then into Cesme, Turkey. Travelled through Turkey and spent a couple of days in Istanbul. Left Turkey and entered Bulgaria, then Romania spending a day in Bucharest with a friend. Following this entered Hungary then onto Slovakia and stopped again at Auschwitz in Poland. It was following this I made a decision to come home. The original plan was to carry on north into Eastern Europe and back to England via Scandinavia and the Arctic Circle. I realised that the original plan was just too much for one person in one trip.

http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?t=185579

So onto 2010 and to finish what I started. This year’s grand plan is to take the ferry from Harwich to Denmark. Ride into Copenhagen and over the Malmo Bridge (Oresund Bridge) and travel up through Sweden. Cross the Arctic Circle on the Swedish/Finnish border and then travel down through Finland crossing the Baltic Sea, Helsinki to Tallinn in Estonia. Then travel down through Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and into Poland. Stopping at the Hill of Crosses and the Wolf’s lair. Travel home across Poland into Germany stopping in Berlin. From Berlin back to the UK via the Channel ports.



The ferry is booked for the Demark crossing on 1st June. I will be following up on the lessons learnt last year. I have bought a smaller tent and lighter sleeping bag and have been through the equipment list crossing off all those things I didn’t use last year e.g. kettle, razor etc. I have not planned the trip to the extent of last years and will take it as it comes. The only thing I have to do is be back for work on the 17th.

I have been told about problems with mozzies in Sweden and Finland and see other riders have had problems. I am one of those people who the mozzies always feast on so any advice will be grateful. I have a built in mozzie net on the tent and will certainly be keeping the bike gear on; day and night.

This weekend I am off camping for a night with my daughter as pillion to test everything out and ‘shakedown’ the bike.
Will keep you posted on the shakedown and the preparations. Can’t wait to get started and get riding. I already have a bottle of Champagne cooling in the fridge for when I get home.

Ghostrider

 

[Ghostrider]

Shakedown

Just got home from my shakedown to North Kent. Had a great time with my best friend and all the kids (loads of beer and BBQ's). The bike and all the kit seems to be working well. The best addition to the 2010 kit is a pair of £9.99 padded cycling shorts, seems to have cured the numb bum syndrome.


Maybe one day this cheeky little chap will follow in my footsteps!!

Two weeks to go to the start date.

Ghostrider

 

[sijohnston]

enjoyed last year's report, so will watch with interest. i thought you might have lost the stabilisers by now though?

 

[Dogknob1]

All ways fancied doing that route good luck with the trip and look forward to reading about it.

Cheers Duncan

 

[Ghostrider]

Thanks

I had a go on both bikes and found the big yellow one suited me more. Anyway made young Oscar cry when I disappeared on his bike.

Thanks guys

Ghostrider

 

[Argonaught]

Good luck on the second leg!

Best of luck for Part 2 Geoff! I'll be following your progress on this blog over the course of the trip with jealousy thinly masked as interest.

Ride well Sir & Bon Voyage!

Jason

 

[Ghostrider]

D-Day -2

Less than 48 hours to go till the ferry to Denmark. The panniers are packed and waiting to be fitted. The excitement is building and I can't wait to start. I have still got two days of work, leaving early on Tuesday to catch the ferry. The packing is a tad smaller than last year, taking my own advice and leaving most of it behind



The next update should be on the road
Bon voyage

(Gonna miss little ROO, my baby is away and not back till after I go. xx)

 

[wheeledwidewebb]

Hero.

 

[Gundog]

..........

 

[Ghostrider]

Day one

It all started so well. Got up for work nice and early, little bit of a hangover from finishing up that bottle of red wine. Left on time and did my day at work. All the time I was watching the Beemer from the window packed and ready to roll. At 1pm I was changed into the bike gear and ready to go. A couple of work friends arrived to see me off (thanks guys). It was then that I felt the first drops of rain falling. Anyway had to get going needed to get to Harwich for the ferry. As I headed towards the M25 the rain got harder and harder. When I reached M2/M25 it was gridlocked. I filtered my way in and out through the traffic all the way to the Dartford Tunnel tolls. What a relief to be in the tunnel out of the sodding rain.

It was still raining just as hard on the Essex side. Time to get motoring as I had been held up. Five miles later I was presented with a sea of brake lights, a rear end shunt glass all over the carriageway. This just the aftermath of another accident further on. An Essex Police Subaru Impreza came flying past on the hard shoulder and within a few minutes I had filtered my way to the front. A Ford Fiesta minus it front wheel sat in the middle and fast lane. The cops tried to push it out eventually getting some bloke in a transit van to drag it out of the live lanes. The best thing was it was being filmed by one of those ‘fly on the wall’ following the traffic cops programmes. Ghostrider has got himself on the telly at the front of the traffic queue.

Fifteen minutes later with the carriageway clear we are off again. Oh by the way it is still bloody raining. So I am now thinking “Am I going to get to the ferry in time”. So I blast it down the M25 and onto the A12. It was raining cats and dogs, I could feel the water sloshing around in my boots, Gloves have become sodden. Eventually got to Harwich topped up with fuel and checked-in. Handy having a bike filtered to the front with all the other bikes. Then had a 40 minute wait IN THE RAIN to load onto the ferry.

Once on the ferry we had to strap down our own bikes whilst the crew turned the cars around behind us, some twat in a van nearly ran over my helmet. I was soaked to the skin. I made my way to my cabin and have hung up every item of clothing to dry. The heating is on full blast and I am in the bar writing as it is too hot in my cabin. Cabin is good up to 4 beds with its own bog and shower. That hot shower felt good. Put on some dry shoes and trousers, wet t-shirt and went on deck to see us leave. It was still raining. Phoned Mrs G to say bye bye. Had a quick walk around and realised it was a Danish boat and what didn’t I bring...Danish money, bollocks. Had to wait till 8pm for the bureau de change. Then went to the cafe for tea. Get this Cheese roll, crisps and a coffee 99DK in English that’s £14 yes £14.
Bought some internet time to post this and have a quick MSN with the kids. Gonna have an early night, no beer because I already have one mortgage and don’t want another (£5 a pint). I’m sure my liver will thank me later. There a singer later in bar doesn’t look like my sort of music (No drum kits or heavy metal guitars).

In keeping with last years blog I will commenting on the European women whilst on my travels and all other things that us motorcyclists like to look at. So, there is no crumpet on this entire ship apart from one hippy bird with the words ‘give random acts of kindness’ stitched on her bicycle pannier. She asked me to swap bikes you can imagine the reply, it had ‘off’ in the sentence.

Right I’m off now to get some kip and will try to update you in the next couple of days. Lets hope that rain stops, just looked out of the port hole and its thick fog (Iceberg ahead-Titanic thoughts enter my head).

Ghostrider AKA Geoff

PS Love you babe (Mrs G)
PPS Jerry, watch that saturated fat, wine is OK
PPPS Its still bloody raining

 

[wheeledwidewebb]

Hope things improve on the weather front for you, looking forward to the next, happier, installment.

 

[captainconrad]

Hope its going well mate used one of those nagas in a chilli bugger me that would dry u out

 

[Airheads]

Hope the weather has got better and things are going to plan....In view of your last comment - I'm on the red wine!

 

[Ghostrider]

Hi everybody - Mrs Ghostrider here.

Heard from Geoff last night - he has been throwing up and sitting on the loo most of the day and the previous night on the ferry to Denmark. He is feeling very weak and cannot keep any food down.

He is going to try and get the ferry back to England as he feels that he will not be able to ride any further on this trip. He's not a happy bunny

 

[captainconrad]

Boll***s

 

[wheeledwidewebb]

really sorry to hear that, what a pisser.

 

[Airheads]

Nightmare!!!Talk about bad luck, hope the Ghostrider gets back ok....

 

[Airheads]

Nightmare!!!Talk about bad timing. hope the Ghostrider gets back OK....

 

[everywherevirtually]

Blimey that's bad luck. Maybe the Scandinavian Ghostrider heard there might be another Ghostrider in town and poisoned his food.

Joking aside is another North Sea crossing the best thing when you are feeling like that? He'd be better staying put in Denmark and resting.

 

[Ghostrider]

Its over...

Hi all

Nightmare just about explains it.
Awoke during the early hours with the raging D&Vs on the ferry. Spent most of the night in and out of the bog, thankfully I had a fully equipped cabin.
Landed at 1300 and went ashore still feeling awful. Decided to spend the day in Esjberg and found a suitable place to hole up with attached facilities.
By the end of the day I was feeling no better. I had a decision to make
1. hotel for a couple of days - but the trip end is time critical.
2. Get on the motorway - not an option at this stage.
3. Get the ferry home with cabin - best option.

Spoke to Mrs G at home and had a long discussion and decided to come back to Blighty. Got another ferry booking at a ridiculously expensive price.
Once on the ferry got under the duvet and stayed there until an hour before we reached Harwich. (again very pleased it was a fully equipped cabin). Made my way home to Kent and went to bed to emerge 24 hours later feeling a bit better.

Its safe to say the trip for this year is over

The Artic Circle will have to wait...Next years trip is already being planned for and Mrs G has denied permission for two big trips in one year.
2011 is going to be with Enduro-Cambo two weeks trail riding in Cambodia.

Sorry to disappoint you blog readers, I am gutted not to have finished the Bloc tour.

Ghostrider AKA Geoff

PS I will be back