What a year! Â We finish 2013 at the opposite temperature spectrum to where we started. Â We began the year in the French Alps, took a self-guided cycling holiday through the Medoc region outside Bordeaux, Andrew disappeared to Norway for 2 weeks motorcycling from London to the Arctic Circle and back, and then a happy and [...]
[vc_column_text pb_margin_bottom="no" pb_border_bottom="no" width="1/1" el_position="first last"] The time has come. Â The panniers are packed. Â And in usual fashion, I'm now running late. Â Of course, I have to have some photos with the family before heading off and Sasha kindly takes to the camera while Mia climbs all over the bike. Today I head off to [...]
Needed for a week in Germany means an opportunity for a great ride from London and Frankfurt and back. Leaving London for a Saturday afternoon chunnel crossing to Calais, and it couldn't have been easier. First time using the eurotunnel and it was great. Even arrived a bit early and was ushered straight onto the [...]
This weekend we headed up to Ambleside in the Lake District to get out of London and do some walking. Tim and I took the opportunity to ride up, leaving after work on Thursday to travel to Leicester, and then through the Peak District and up to Ambleside on the Friday. Tim had hired himself [...]
Midweek holidays are definitely the way to go. And all the better making it a ride out! […]
Had a great afternoon at Freshwater Beach today. Met up with a couple of friends for a late swim and some dinner. Freshie had some good waves for a change and the Waboba even got a workout for some classic catches in the surf. Took the opportunity to test out the GoPro camera in the [...]
Finally, after an almost 6 week break due to snow and ice, I was able to get out on Saturday and go for a decent ride. I was invited out for the day by a mate at work who was going to check out a couple of rural properties up near Peterborough (about 160 miles [...]
What’s more fun than riding a motorbike along country roads? Riding it off-road of course. I was off to Wales this weekend for a Friday/Saturday off-road skills course on the border of the Brecon Beacons National Park. Leaving work for the ride into Wales on Thursday was a nightmare. London traffic was a killer and [...]
Here are a few great videos of a recent trip Daryl Beattie took along the boarder track between Victoria and South Australia. Definitely something I would think about doing in the future. Great to see the Australian bush, even though its not the same as the lush green English countryside. Day 1: Day [...]
Over 1400 miles in 6 days through Lakes, Lochs, Highlands, Moors and Peaks. It’s always exciting getting packed for an adventure, and for the next 6 days we will be atop the mighty bumblebeemer for a loop up the west coast of England into Scotland’s highlands and back down the east coast to London. London [...]
600 miles on the clock in the first week, first service done, and now it time to put a few more miles under the belt with a trip to the Isle of Wight for Cowes Week 2010 sailing regatta. To make the most of the opportunity I headed down on the Bumblebee... mer after work [...]
Well the day finally arrived. It was time to trade up and trade up I did. A few weeks ago I bit the bullet and went for it. After visiting a couple of showrooms and negotiating a few deals, the day had arrived to place the order. Having ridden a GS for the last year [...]
Today we were off to Wimbledon. After entering the ballot for tickets last year, we managed to get ourselves tickets to the Court 1. And what a great day it was turning out to be. The temperature was in “heat wave†territory for the UK at 27 degrees, and the sun was shining. The perfect [...]
After almost 2 years of scooting around, Sasha has finally made the time to learn to ride a real bike. Over the weekend, she hired a manual Honda CGF125 and we headed out for some test rides. Hurdle number 1 was getting the bike to a location suitable to learn (read: crash) which meant I [...]
Out of the blocks early again this morning to ride about 20 mins to Mont-Saint-Michel just on the Nomandy side of the Brittany border. The ride out of Ducey and through the surrounding fields is great and then you just see the abbey, enormous on the horizon on the other side of clear flat fields. [...]
Great nights sleep in the village an we were up to a hearty breakfast before getting back on the road headed for Bayeux. First stop was the British war cemetery just outside town. Massive cemetery and within walking distance of the British war museum. We didn't go into the museum but we wandered around the [...]
Today we started with an early 5:45am start in Portsmouth for the ferry to Le Havre, on the Normany coast of France. Stayed at the Portsmouh Travelodge which is the optimal place to stay for access to the ferry wharf. With the bike packed, a 45 second ride from the carpark had us handing over [...]
There is a suit shop near work that, for as long as I have been in London, has been in a constant state of closing down. And a closing down sale to go with it. For the last while it has just been a running joke with the locals so maybe it's been like that [...]
Today was just a day of relaxation. Sleeping through breakfast we knew we were off to a good start. Massages were our first and only planned activity for the day. An hour of oriental massage of Sasha and Swedish for me. It amazing how quick an hour goes when you are in a vegetative state. [...]
Awesome! What, you want more? Fine. Today's we had an afternoon boat dive on a reef off a neighbouring island. We were quickly down to about 14m and the coral and aquatic life was excellent. It was my and Sasha's first time at a boat dive and it is definitely the way to go. No [...]
Another great start to the day with a morning dive on the house reef. No theory today so it was just suit up (although no wet suit required for 30 degree water) and swim out off the beach. We went down to about 11m and swam around for about 50 mins. Around the reef in [...]
This morning we were up early (early in holiday speak) for a quick breakfast before SCUBA diving. Sasha had never done it before so we had booked ourselves in to a resort dive where yu can go with an instructor and don't need to have done the course. It was great! After a bit of [...]
Missed breakfast today and didn't everyone know about it. We rolled in to lunch to be met with "sleep in today?" and "you missed breakfast" by the staff in the restaurant. Not to mention they also seemed to know that we had been snorkeling yesterday. Coming from London they are bordering on stalker, but it's [...]
Well here we are in the Maldives. Pretty hard to fault a place like this. So far we have done a bit of snorkeling and swimming but mainly just watched the world go by. During the day there are small fish in the shallows being herded by small sharks. Great to watch. And of an [...]
Not that we have made any updates recently, but if you haven't already checked it out, you can read stories and see photos of our trips around Europe and beyond at globaltreka.com. Contact Sasha or I for the password to the site if you don't have it already.
This year we did the London to Bright Bike Ride raising money for the British Heart Foundation. It was a great 54 mile ride with some moderate, and one devastating, uphills and long downhills to get up some speed. It started in Clapham Common which is very near our house and the first 20 miles [...]
In June we headed to the Peak District for a camping weekend. We stayed at the Rivendale campsite between Ashbourne and Buxton which is about 3 hours drive from London. On Saturday we did a day walk up on The Roaches which is a rocky outcrop in the lower “white peaks†area of the Peak [...]
This weekend we had a short break in Krakow with friends. We had a great time touring around the city. It was just a weekend away so was plenty of brunching and city walks to be had. We spent the first day wandering the streets of Krakow, which has more of a town atmosphere than [...]
Over the long weekend we rode from home in London to Oxford. The map said it was 99 miles and we were going to tackle it in 2 days.After a bit more of a sleep in they we had planned (you can’t rush these things) we headed off about 10am Saturday morning. Today was going [...]
With a recent tent purchase, Easter was going to be the time to test it out. We headed to the New Forest, south west from London, for the Easter long weekend.We arrived late Thursday night and set up camp. Within an hour from settling into the tent for the night the rain began. Nevertheless we [...]
After passing my motorbike test at the beginning of March it was time to hire a bike and head out of London to explore the countryside.So I hired a red BMW F650GS (actually 800cc - go figure) and Sasha and I spent a day out on the bike.The day started with brunch at the Windmill [...]
We hooked up with some friends (Tim, Bettina and Jay) to spend Christmas 2008 with Bettina’s family in Germany where we trotted out some trifle for dessert... which was promptly renamed “Kangaroo pudding†by the grandparents to overcome the language barrier.Christmas day was spent indoors, with goose being the main meal of the day. The [...]
After our ride from Vienna to Budapest we headed straight to Croatia for some R&R.Flying into Split we got a ferry straight out to Hvar for 4 days at a beach resort to unwind. We had great weather and spent lots of time by the pool or in the crystal clear water of the Adriatic [...]
We covered over 400km in 6 days on a bike. Check back soon for an update.
For something a bit different we signed up with Exodus for a Finnish Wilderness Week group trip. We had a very active week and the people we met throughout the week were great. From snow shoeing to snowmobiling to ice climbing it was the best way to enjoy the snow covered forests of northern Finland.As [...]
Happy New Year!!!This year it was great to have some visitors from Sydney in Will, Julia and Camille. While we had plenty to do in and around London we managed to arrange a rendezvous in Paris for New Years Eve. We found great little place for dinner and then headed to Plac de la Concorde [...]
Hi everyone. This weekend we shot off to Denmark to catch some Christmas markets. We saw a few of the different Christmas markets set up around Copenhagen, the little mermaid and generally walked the streets to see what was going on.
August bank holiday long weekend and we are off to Wales. We hired a car and headed off to see some of the sights of the Wales countryside.Heading across the border into Wales there was an instant change in the countryside. From the English villages we hit the open green fields of Wales, dotted with [...]
With Andrew heading to New York for work, it gave us the opportunity to add a few days of holiday onto the end of the trip and take in the sights of the Big Apple.We walked the streets of New York, strolled through Central Park and did a lap around Liberty Island.COMING SOON - The [...]
Following our trip back to Australia and having 39 degree days, we headed to Iceland to try -5 for a 4 day long weekend. We hired a 4WD and toured around, staying at a hotel in a deserted fishing village, driving through the snow, and finally walking the streets of Reykjavik before commuting back to [...]
The Jordan trip was definitely one of the biggest highlights of 2006 for me. I travelled there when another Eid celebration was underway – the breaking of the fast at the end of Ramadan. It’s an interesting time to be in a predominantly Muslim country and special bonus points go to our excellent driver and [...]
Well, our Spain trip did not enjoy very auspicious beginnings. Todd came over to join us for a week of exploring the vibrant and historic Andalucia region and after a few requisite days of dragging a sleep-walking brother around to “enjoy†the sights and pints of London (that time zone difference thing really does upset [...]
This is what I call travelling in style – 5-star accommodation and corporate seating at the Dubai World Cup! We flew into Dubai on Good Friday, just in time for the big event at Nad Al Sheba Racecourse and you could virtually smell the oil money upon landing. The race itself is the richest in [...]
