Spain

Arriving back in the UK can feel a bit like wading into a swamp. It is wet and cold and difficult to get things done. At every turn you seem to sink a little further in. Working through bureaucracy and chores is tedious and boring. On the first day back, the engine light in our beautiful Range Rover came on. This turned out to be a serious engine problem, the timing chain was stretched. The engine was removed and some substantial fettling took place. Not only were the timing chain and guides replaced but also three injectors and most of the valves. A trapped cooling hose was replaced and several other faults rectified. Finding a garage up to the job and booking the car in took a couple of weeks. The actual repair work took another three. So, for most of our time back in the UK we were driving a hire car. The Landrover garage, A1 Landrovers in Bury, did a particularly good job and the car is driving beautifully now.

For our next trip we are planning to ride to Turkey on our bike. First it needed a full service. This should have taken a day. It also needed a new rear tyre, chain and sprockets. Two or even three days even if they needed to wait for parts. I have used Craig’s Motorcycles in Dewsbury before but probably will not again. It took them over three weeks. What was worse, in my mind, was that they started making up stories about the delays. It does not take a week to get a replacement hose clip. I would have been happier if they had at least been honest with me. Eventually, I had to drive over there and have, what would be described in diplomatic circles as a frank discussion. The bike appeared a few days later. This messed with our schedule. You cannot just jump onto a fully loaded bike with pillion and set off down the road. I had not ridden for over nine months and needed a bit of time to practise and get familiar with the bike again.

Meanwhile we had the usual round of doctors, dentists, opticians and so on. I saw a consultant dermatologist about the rash on my legs. We now have a diagnosis and some cream that appears to be keeping it under control. This is a great result. I also saw a physiotherapist about my neck which had been stiff and sore for several months. Several rather bruising sessions later it is feeling much better and, if I keep doing the exercises, will improve over time. Diane got some new spectacles which she doesn’t like and also arranged some major teeth work for later in the year.

We mostly stayed with my baby sister, Helen, in Todmorden. Her husband, David, is in the latter stages of MND. A particularly cruel degenerative condition that means he has been unable to move at all for a couple of years now. Obviously, the whole household is organised around David’s needs so living there can be a bit fraught. There is a constant progression of carers, other medical professionals, friends and family. We tried to help out where we could but occasionally needed to have a night away on our own.

We keep our belongings in a storage unit. To be honest there is not much. Some kitchen gear, skiing gear, motorcycle gear, two portable fridges and a few cloths. All stacked in boxes apart from the fridges. We would like to get rid of these but, so far, have been unable to sell them. Every time we come back, we end up spending hours organising the stuff in the storage unit. Similarly, whenever we leave we need to pack for the trip and pack everything else into the unit. Occasionally feels like we spend a lot of time packing and unpacking.

There was a mini heatwave. An unprecedented three days of sunshine in Todmorden. We had been doing our best to get organised and, at last, were about ready to drag ourselves out of the swamp. Everything packed we said our goodbyes and set off. Still feeling a bit wobbly on the bike. We took our time and visited a couple of friends as we headed south. Our overall plan is to visit Turkey. To avoid central Europe, which is cold at the moment, we are going to sail to Spain and then catch several ferries across the mediterranean. First step was the Plymouth-Bilbao ferry. Or at least we thought it was. Arriving in Plymouth we discovered a suspiciously deserted dockyard. Closer inspection of the tickets revealed that we should really be in Portsmouth. This was a bit awkward. Best option was to ride to Portsmouth. There might be enough time.

Three and a half hours of flat-out riding. We did not break any rules but I did use everything I had ever learnt about making progress. There were some excellent overtakes, brilliant use of lanes and even some filtering. The single fuel stop was a well-executed splash and dash. Diane was paying for the fuel as I replaced the filler nozzle. Working against us was the time of day. Many people coming home from work. Also, roadworks. There seemed to be temporary traffic lights everywhere. Finally, the motorway to Portsmouth was solid roadworks with speed limits as low as 40mph even on a three-lane carriageway. We were fifteen minutes late. I felt it was a heroic effort. We had been fast while staying safe and were ultimately thwarted by traffic and road repairs.

An hour later, we had booked the next ferry, found accommodation and were sat in a pub with food and drink. Next day we explored Portsmouth. We walked along the sea front. Walked out onto the south pier. Walked back and collected the bike. We could only park it at the hotel until 3pm so we headed round to the dock. Then we waited half an hour for check-in to open and hoped we could get on the ship early. No chance. Once checked in we had to wait three hours for security to open. Then a bit longer to start boarding. We finally got to our small cabin about 9pm, not long before the ferry was scheduled to sail.

The crossing was uneventful. Two nights on board and docking at 7am. We were happy that we had made it to Spain but we were a day late. Instead of three leisurely days through the foothills of the Pyrenees to Barcelona we had just two days to make the next ferry. In the event, this proved to be not much of a problem. We skipped the mountain roads I had planned and used more motorways. These are not like the baren, boring three-lane motorways in the UK where the most interesting part is watching BMWs undertaking the lane hogs in the fast lane. Instead, we had wide open smooth tarmac sweeping through the mountains with barely another vehicle in sight. The morning was cold and wet. Another reason to be happy about avoiding the high mountain roads where snow might still be possible. In the afternoon the sky cleared and the sun came out.

Half way stop was near Jaca in a lovely little village where all the restaurants were closed. We sat outside and ate bread with cheese and some local wine. Still one of my favourite meals. Next day was an easy ride to Barcelona. Again, we arrived a bit early for the ferry but this time was a very different story. It was only a short time before we were allowed onboard. We were settled into our much larger cabin and had eaten dinner even before the ship had sailed. . Next stop, Italy.