http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Johnny-Boy/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Johnny Boy en-us Sat, 28 Nov 2009 14:13:59 +0000 Sat, 28 Nov 2009 14:13:59 +0000 It was about 630am 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 Childrenrsquos 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 couldnrsquot help her because my back seat was promised to Joanne http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/South-Yorkshire/Sheffield/blog-260575.html 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 5am and straight to bed to be woken by my alarm at 10am and climbing into my leathers and additional cold w http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Lincolnshire/Mablethorpe/blog-258194.html Sunday the 9th of March saw a few members of our branch meeting up at one of our usual meeting places Mc Donaldrsquos at Barlbrough. I decided to take my Honda ST1100 Pan European out this day because Irsquod 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 945 there was only Keven there waiting whi http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/North-Yorkshire/Scarborough/blog-255271.html I donrsquot know where to start with this one because this was one of the best weekends I have ever had in my lifehellip so here it is from the beginning.This was the lsquoS no Rally 2008. Thatrsquos 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. Irsquod made pervious arrangements to meet up with http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Derbyshire/Peak-District-National-Park/blog-242569.html With the lsquos 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 Donaldrsquos just off the M1 at junction 30 a re http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Lincolnshire/Mablethorpe/blog-241259.html 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 Saturdayrsquos 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 Sa http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/North-Yorkshire/Filey/blog-205671.html What a good weekend Irsquove just had up there in Orkney Irsquove got friends up there that I dive with onersquos 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 hersquos now got a BB up there and would welcome bikers. I went up for 2 reasons a Irsquove always wanted to take the bike up there b http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/Scotland/John-O-Groats/blog-224937.html Austria 2007The 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 9months Irsqu http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Austria/Tyrol/Landeck/blog-221698.html 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 didnrsquot want too large a breakfast though because I always seem to feel uncomfortable on the bike if Irsquove 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 smal http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/Rhineland-Palatinate/Ruppertshofen/blog-215530.html 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 http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Lower-Normandy/Honfleur/blog-215396.html South Yorkshire Motorcycle Egg Run in aid of Sheffield childrenrsquos Hospital The Egg Run started in 2000 to raise enough money to buy 300 chocolate Easter eggs for Sheffield Childrenrsquos Hospital with the help of South Yorkshire Police Motorcycle section and a few other motorcycle clubs in the area this has now grown into an annual event with around 200 motorcycles taking part each year http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/South-Yorkshire/Sheffield/blog-143515.html Once again I was up early taking ldquoChetrdquo my German Shepherd Dog out for a walk before I headed off for the day on the bike. Today was the Bike Safe course that Irsquod booked onto quite a while since and something that Irsquod been looking forward to. The course was run by the South Yorkshire Police and was to commence at 8am sharp from the SY police workshops at Chapletown near http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/South-Yorkshire/Sheffield/blog-158236.html 6am saw me getting out of bed on this Mayday bank holiday and walking the dog. Actually Irsquod been awake since 5am because Irsquod set the alarm wrong and kept hitting the snooze button for an hour. Once back home I had a bit of a snackette just to have something inside me to take me up to my breakfast after the ride through to Scarborough. I wheeled my Honda VFR750 out of the garage ple http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/North-Yorkshire/Scarborough/blog-156957.html 4am saw me clocking off at work and heading home eager to get some sleep and join the other members of the Honda Owners Club Three Shires Branch later that morning for a run out to Mytholmroyd near Hebden Bridge for the Dock Pudding World Championships. We met up at a 24hour caf on the A616 near junction 35A of the M1 at around 10am where a few of us had a snack or breakfast or just misse http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/West-Yorkshire/Mytholmroyd/blog-151931.html 7am saw me up and taking the dog out for his walk on this frosty morning the grass white over and the ground hard but despite that the sky was clear and the sun was rising. Today was to be the first ride out of the year with the Three Shires branch of the Honda Owners Club. Most of the party had camped out over the night at a farm on the B6056 near Eckington Sheffield but at this time of yea http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Derbyshire/Peak-District-National-Park/blog-125578.html As I approached Arromanches les Bains my first sight was the 360degree cinema which was on top of the hill overlooking Arromanches and gold beach as it was named at the time of the DDay landings on the 6th June 1944. I'd visited the cinema a few years earlier so I decided not to waste the lovely weather but continue into the town center. I rode down to the car park by the museum and pulled up http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Lower-Normandy/Arromanches-les-Bains/blog-91281.html Departing Honfleur I headed west along the D513 coast road towards my final destination for the day. I followed the coast road passing through Villerville and on to Trouville Sur Mer on Sea then Deauville Villers sur Mer Houlgate Cabourg and finally towards Ouistreham when I recognized a landmark that Irsquod only seen in films or documentaries. As I approached Ouistreham I recognized t http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Lower-Normandy/Ouistreham/blog-91214.html The ferry arrived in Le Havre on time at 730am French time and soon I was on my way down the ramp out of the ferry and exiting the ferry terminal. I had already programmed the Sat Nav to the French map and set the time zone and my first destination Honfleur. The road out of the terminal was quiet busy as a set of traffic lights near the terminal kept holding up the queue. After filtering thr http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Lower-Normandy/Honfleur/blog-90588.html The Saturday finally arrived and I was about to head off down to Portsmouth to catch my ferry to Le Havre. Irsquod originally planned to take my Honda VFR 750 on the trip but having recently bought a Honda ST 1100 Pan European and rode it back up from Teddington SW London I had decided to take the Pan because it was an excellent touring bike and did the ride back from London with ease.Irsquo http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/South-Yorkshire/Wombwell/blog-90391.html Going back to planning the South China Seas Trip I decided to sell my 23year old Honda VF750 Motorbike to fund some of my spending money for the trip but first I had to get it through its MOT test. So off I went up to the local bike shop for the test and thatrsquos when it happened. The bike sailed through its test because basically it hadnrsquot done any mileage since its last test becau http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/North-Yorkshire/Yorkshire-Dales/blog-86281.html