WELCOME HOME DÁIDEO

But you see the only snag was that when we made our way to the terminal for the ship at about 20:30hrs it was the wrong ship. Looked like ours. Berthed near ours. Same company as ours. But not ours. Not to worry, there were about 50 bikers assembled or assembling there and the hours passed pleasantly enough as we waited for the ship to arrive. One of the bikers was a Norwegian with a TransAlp fully loaded for camping who had decided to travel to the West of Ireland and Kerry via Scotland and Northern Ireland but had no maps with him and had dropped into his pal on route to get a new wheel fitted. I wondered why I had brought an Ordnance Survey map of Ireland with me on this trip but at least now I could and did donate it to a worthy cause. The ship arrived over an hour late and there were major delay getting booked on due to a computer fault. We secured the bikes, went to the bar for a while and then retired to our bunks. The weather forecast was not good…

And they were not wrong. The ship shuddered and shook as it ploughed it's way across the North Sea in gale force winds. Our cabin was facing the bow and sometimes we could see the sea and sometimes the sky. Water lashed across the deck when we hit major waves. Next morning, though I surprised myself by going for breakfast just before the restaurant closed. Many of the pre booked breakfast vouchers went unused that day! Otherwise we stayed in our cabin until the last possible minute and were glad to get to the car decks to retrieve the bikes. When we got to them there were additional tie downs attached at every conceivable angle. Clearly the crew had worked on securing the bikes after we left them. (AJ: loose end 1 tidied up). Nothing had moved and we ventured forth once more onto English soil at about 16:00 on 26 June 2007:now heading resolutely homewards.
We were delayed a bit at the Tyne Tunnel as we did not have the 2x20p tolls readily available but once through it we set course for Morley 192 kilometres away and on the M62. We very quickly adapted to driving again on the left hand side. At Scotch Corner we stopped at the A1/M1 services, where we had the first decent bit of grub in 24 hours. Amazing how good a chicken burger can taste!

Off again on the uneventful, but busy, motorway and arrived at our Travel Lodge at about 20:45 hrs. After a hot snack in the Little Chef, which was, well ... less than excellent, we adjourned for the night. We watched reports on the evening news of 250 people being evacuated from their homes near Rotherham in South Yorkshire after cracks appeared in the Ulley Dam following severe flooding that had killed three people. One was a 68 year old man and another was 14 year old Ryan Parry who was swept away by the River Sheaf in Sheffield. Another man, in his 20s, was killed in Hull as torrential rain brought chaos to much of England and Wales. The M1 was closed in South Yorkshire because of the flooding. Police said the situation was exceptional and advised people in the Sheffield area not to travel unless they had to. The weather forecast was not good…

And they were not wrong. Wednesday 27th June, 2007 saw us getting into all our wet gear before venturing along the M62 and onwards to Holyhead. We had 266 kilometres ahead of us and it looked bleak. The rain lashed down. In some ways the traffic jams on the M62 were a help as they slowed all traffic. It was difficult to see where we were going at any speed. B described it as ‘a horrible run along the M62 in what was the worst weather I have ever seen’.

At one point, I think along the M6, the weather eased and we picked up speed. We were doing about 70 mph and I was a reasonable distance behind B. Without warning his back box came adrift from its moorings (AJ: loose end 2 tidied up). It somersalted slowly in the air before landing on its lid in the middle of the lane and then started snaking its way back towards me. If I was doing 70 mph towards it and it was doing say half that towards me then we were closing at 100 mph, I think (that's 160 kph in new money!). The trick was to guess correctly whether to aim above it or below it before were reached each other. The lorry immediately behind me did not allow for a stop option. I went right, which also proved to be correct as and the box snaked left and I stopped in the hard shoulder further on. Amazing the effect shock has on the body! A passing motorist warned B that he was now a few pounds lighter and he too stopped further on. I made my way (walked would be an exaggeration) back to where the box had come to a rest, also in the hard shoulder, and retrieved it. It was intact other that a mighty pattern of scratches on its lid.

That proved to be our final adventure of the trip. B got a luggage strap at the next service area and we continued on – in the rain once more – to Holyhead. There we adjourned to … yes, you guessed it, McDonalds’s, where we spent some time - more time than I had ever spent in a McDs - eating our way through a three course meal and lots of coffee while we dried off. Considering the torrential rain we had experienced, we were not too wet overall.
The Stena crossing to Dun Laoghaire was uneventful and we made our way along the Western edges of the city to our homes. Aoife had organised a great pary to welcome her Grandad home and he appreciated it : still talks about it to this day (well done the organiser(s)).

For me the welcome was no less warm but the party waited until 23 September when all the family gathered round. That was a great afternoon. Thank you all.

B is busy plotting the next route and has sold the Blue bike, to replace it with a more powerful and brand new version for his next adventure. Thanks B, great trip in great company.

And so the story of this Blog ends. Thank you for being part of it with us. You have helped stretch it out and we got another five months out of it. To D and V who gave us the time off and put up with all the planning, preparation and fallout: THANKS. Thanks to AJ for showing me how a Blog works, and to Sharon for insisting that this trip have one. Thanks to Cecilia and Seamus for their consistent comments which kept me going and to Sinead for her enthusiasm (even if she sneaked in a few canaries while I was out of the way). Thanks to those who sent quiet emails and presumably don't want to be named. And if you have been even more quietly reading this and not made any comment so far don't let that stop you now!

From that warm June morning on a Dublin quayside to this cold November night, it's been a pleasure.

Until the next time............................................................

John

PS: where does Route 66 start?