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John Awty
Born August 1956 and grew up and lived in South Yorkshire all my life. I've worked as a Labourer, Excavator Driver, Heavy Goods Vehicle Mechanic and currently a HGV Driver. Now divorced but have two grown up children, Mark and Michelle and three Grandchildren, Keane, Aliyah and Heath. Last but not least, "man's best friend" and mine, my German Shepherd Dog "Chet" who welcomes me back from any trip I go away on and every morning I return home from night shift.Johnny Boy
My main hobby over the last 11-years has been SCUBA Diving but in more recent years I’ve got back into my love of motor bike riding. I am a member of the British Sub-Aqua Club, Thorne Branch where I am an Advanced Diver and an Open Water Instructor. I set up this Travelblog ready for my dive trip to Singapore and mini tour of Malaysia and Thailand in 2006, but more recently I’ve been using it to chronicle my ride outs both by myself and with friends who I’ve met within the Honda Owners Club where I’m a member of the Three Shires Branch. Please check out the Three Shires Website at www.threeshires.hoc.org.uk/ I currently own 3-bikes, all Honda’s, a 2000 model ST1100ay Pan European, a 1994 model VFR750fr and a 1974 CB350k4
Oh the picture bye the way was taken on a dive trip to Scapa Flow in Orkney in August 2003. The Dark mass on the Left of the picture is the bow of the wreck of the SMS Dresden, one of the German High Seas Fleet that was interned after the first war and scuttled by her crew on the 21st June 1919. Although it can’t be seen, I was next to the shield that bares the coat of arms of the German city that the ship was named after.
Updated 22nd Dec 2007
Travel Blog Posts
Egg Run 2008
Published: March 29th 2008Europe » United Kingdom » England » South Yorkshire » Sheffield
March 23rd 2008
It was about 6:30-am when I got a text from my friend Sue, asking R U awake? I thought "well I am now". This was the day of the 2008 Egg Run in aid of Sheffield Children’s Hospital and Sue was concerned about riding her bike in the snow which had fallen over night and was looking for a ride as pillion, but on this occasion I couldn’t help her because my back seat was promised to Joanne, Lyn’s daughter. I got the VFR out and headed off to meet up with some of our members at our meeting point, the Blacksmiths at Renishaw. Shortly after 8:00-am, 5 bikes all but one with pillions, left the Blacksmiths and headed to the M1 motorway junction 30 then north to junction 33 where we turned left onto the ... read more
The Bra Wire Run
Published: March 25th 2008Europe » United Kingdom » England » Lincolnshire » Mablethorpe
March 16th 2008
Well what a name to give to a rideout but it will become apparent as you all read on. We decided to go for a rideout today but there were no plans for a destination when we made our arrangements, there were some suggestions but nothing confirmed, so this morning I got home from work around 5-am and straight to bed to be woken by my alarm at 10-am and climbing into my leathers and additional cold, wet weather gear, I headed off to meet the others at one of our regular meeting points, McDonalds at M1 Junction 30. Arriving at McDonalds, I saw the familiar group of motorbikes parked up but was surprised not to see Paul’s Pan European ST1100, (you couldn’t miss it really because it was an ex police bike) in the car ... read more
Scarbrough March 2008 Rideout
Published: March 12th 2008Europe » United Kingdom » England » North Yorkshire » Scarborough
March 9th 2008
Sunday the 9th of March saw a few members of our branch meeting up at one of our usual meeting places, Mc Donald’s at Barlbrough. I decided to take my Honda ST1100 Pan European out this day because I’d had a new rear tyre fitted and I just wanted to bed it in a bit ready for the 2008 touring season. When I arrived at the meeting point around 9:45 there was only Keven there waiting, which quite suppressed me because normally I’d expect Paul and Lisa to be there very early, unfortunately they were not to join us on this ride out, the reason becoming apparent the next evening at the branch meeting. While we were at the meeting point, a silver Honda VFR joined us with a guy who was Paul’s mate, he wanted ... read more
'S No Rally 2008
Published: February 4th 2008Europe » United Kingdom » England » Derbyshire » Peak District National Park
February 3rd 2008
I don’t know where to start with this one, because this was one of the best weekends I have ever had in my life… so here it is from the beginning. This was the ‘S no Rally 2008. (That’s no rally) I manage to get Thursday night off work because we were over manned, which gave me all day Friday to get ready for this event. I’d made pervious arrangements to meet up with my mate Paul at the M1 junction 35 and got the bike ready with ample time to spare. So off I set up to my local butchers to collect some Black Pudding for everyone at the rally when the phone rang. I was sat at the traffic lights in Wombwell with “Johnny B Goode” (my ring tone) playing out in my pocket ... read more
Mablethorpe Sand Racing
Published: January 31st 2008Europe » United Kingdom » England » Lincolnshire » Mablethorpe
January 28th 2008
With the ‘s no rally coming up in just over a week I suggested a ride out the following Sunday (28th), just to blow the cobwebs off the bikes and to give new members the opportunity for a ride out with the club. Someone suggested the Sand racing at Mablethorpe as a destination and with me as the leader. Sunday arrived and I headed off to Mc Donald’s just off the M1 at junction 30, a regular meeting point for ride outs, having walked the dog beforehand. I was the second to arrive and I knew some of the regular riders wouldn’t be able to make the ride out but I was quite surprised to see 6-bikes turn up with a total of 9 riders in the party. We set off towards out destination around 10:15 ... read more
October 5th 2007
Austria 2007 The Austria part of my trip started with me leaving my Rhineland digs and travelling down the banks of the River Mosel stopping at several places to take in the sights before cutting over land to Saarbrucken where I met up with Graeme and the rest of the group and spent the night before we all made the rest of the journey to Landeck, Tyrol in Austria. Over the previous 9-months I’d met everyone in the group with the exception of Paul, so I knew I was with a good set of riders. That evening we went out as a group for pizza and a few beers then a good night’s sleep before the next day’s riding. The next morning we’d decided to make a start into the days long 350-mile journey, riding for ... read more
Arriving in Germany
Published: October 30th 2007Europe » Germany » Rhineland-Palatinate » Ruppertshofen
September 30th 2007
This morning saw me up very early and getting a shower then my breakfast. As this was a budget hotel, then a budget breakfast was served. I really didn’t want too large a breakfast though because I always seem to feel uncomfortable on the bike if I’ve eaten a lot before hand. My route today was to take me out of France, through a bit of Belgium, Luxembourg and into Germany to a small village called Ruppertshofen where I was to stay at a B&B dedicated to bikers for 4 nights. After breakfast I took a look outside, it was damp and misty so I changed into my waterproofs before setting off to Germany. My first stop was Devant Luchy where I needed fuel before going much further. It was a Sunday and most of the ... read more
September 29th 2007
Well after a couple of days fighting either cold or flu symptoms I finally managed to get on my way down to the ferry at Portsmouth to make the crossing to Le Havre and the start of my holiday to France, Germany and Austria. I took my usual route down to Portsmouth avoiding any motorways and allowing more time for stop, the run was quite pleasant and uneventful although it was damp conditions but with only occasional bits with heavy spray. I arrived at Portsmouth with 1 ½ hours to spare which gave me time to chill out and have a drink and pick up an electrical adaptor before boarding the ferry for the crossing to Le Havre. Once off the ferry and heading out of the port, I was amazed at the queue of trucks ... read more
Honda Owners Club National Rally
Published: December 22nd 2007Europe » United Kingdom » England » North Yorkshire » Filey
September 21st 2007
Having just renewed my Honda Owners Club (HOC) membership after my first year as a member of the HOC, I decided to go along to the HOC National Rally at Filey, North Yorkshire, on the Friday evening then on the Saturday’s ride out over the North Yorkshire moors. There was just one slight problem with the Saturday ride out for me, I had to go to work Saturday night. Fortunately my job on Saturday evening was shunting trailers in the distribution depot yard and not driving on the road. I’d worked Thursday night into Friday morning so after a good day’s sleep I got the VFR out and met up with Paul and Lisa on their CBR1000 and Martyn on his Pan European ST1100, quite close to where I live on the Dearne Valley Parkway. Our ... read more
Orkney 2007
Published: December 4th 2007Europe » United Kingdom » Scotland » Caithness County » John O'Groats
July 6th 2007
What a good weekend I’ve just had up there in Orkney, I’ve got friends up there that I dive with, one’s a guy that first took me to Orkney in 1999 to dive on the wrecks of the German high seas fleet that was scuttled on 21st June 1919, and he’s now got a B&B up there and would welcome bikers. I went up for 2 reasons, a) I’ve always wanted to take the bike up there, b) I’ve got a dive trip planned for August and the dive operator, which is a partnership has split up, so I needed to sort it all out and make sure all would be okay when we get up there in August. I planned to come back Sunday morning but Orcadian hospitality got the better of me. I wanted ... read more
Tot: 0.162s; Tpl: 0.007s; cc: 18; qc: 86; dbt: 0.0632s; 1; s:apollo w:www (50.28.60.10); sld: 1; ; mem: 6.6mb
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