Lorne to Torquay The weather forecast was 17 degrees and light rain for most of the day. Luckily it was wrong and after a cloudy start it became sunny and warm, showing off the great views of the Southern Ocean as we continued on our journey north east towards Torquay. We passed Split Lighthouse at Airey’s Inlet and on to Anglesey where we had some lunch at midday before seeing the resident kangaroos on the golf course. A long climb later and we were on Jarosite Road leading to Bells Beach where we took the Coastal Path giving us a lovely view of the surf coast and monstrous waves coming in. However many times I ride this path I still love the views and the peace of it. As we were about one kilometres from town ... read more

Great Ocean Road. Port Campbell. Great breakfast in Warrnambool this morning and then stocked up with emergency rations at Coles before heading out on quiet roads before joining GOR after 32km. Shortly before a cafe stop for light lunch/snack at Barrewarre. The weather is wonderful to us who have escaped a wet and windy UK and a snowed on Nebraska with full sun and a max of 32 degrees. As we got close to the coast again after 48km we were stunned by the beauty of the colour of the rocks and the many rock formations close to the coast which have become islands due to sea erosion. There was the Bay of Islands, London Bridge and the Arch to name just a few. Eventually we made Port Campbell after 70km and 330m of climbing and ... read more

Majorca 3 We woke up today to an overcast sky and were expecting a poor day. However it was quite warm at 10 degrees when we set off on our bikes at 10 o'clock and the day improved as we made our way through Alcudia to Lluba for lunch. Again we encountered a large group of Team Sky riders going the opposite way and I thought I would take a photograph but with all the excitement all I took was a video of the Tarmac. I had to take a photo of a disused windmill instead. It was either that or another twisty gate. We passed along a very fertile plain which reminded me of Banks and Crossens near Southport growing potatoes, lettuce, beans and artichokes etc. We also passed some very variable ploughed land, some ... read more

Majorca January 2016 A week in Majorca in January is a nice choice when the Lancashire weather is doing its worst with cold, frost and rain. Majorca, which had rain three days before our arrival, greeted us with brilliant sunshine and temperatures in the mid teens. Nevertheless we needed long gloves and leggings, as you may expect in winter, but on several days we took off a layer and had fingerless gloves after our alfresco lunch in the town squares. The first three days found us doing a total of 150 miles heading out of Pollenca in the north of the island. Port de Pollenca is a nice seaside town with loads of excellent restaurants and cafes with shops selling everything you may need. Car and bike hire is a big thing here, as is selling ... read more

Sicily Day 12. Wed. 21 Oct 2015 On the road to La Chiusa The meal in the hotel last night was exceptional with three courses plus fruit for a sweet and a small shot of sweet white wine. The first antipasta course was enough for a meal in itself before we even looked at the others. Luckily we had time to make room for more and cram it in ready for the next day. The breakfast was also quite good with a good variety of breads, ham, cheese, cakes, cereals, yoghurt and fruit. Following some heavy rain overnight we awoke to a cloudy morning with a few sun spots visible and our washing of last night still wet through. Never mind, bag it up and hopefully get it dry tonight. Outside our hotel was a van ... read more