I spent twelve weeks on the road, starting in Scotland, going to Ireland and then catching a ferry to Cherbourg. I explored Normandy, then Germany, Austria and Italy – enjoying the food, sunshine, and sights. From Italy, I rode to Sardinia and Corsica, back to France, then Spain, and finally returned to Scotland via Ireland.
The trip covered over 6,000 miles, and I had no punctures, breakdowns, or falls. The only issue was one morning in Italy when the bike wouldn’t start. The ECU I think, but disconnecting and reconnecting the battery fixed it. Otherwise, the bike performed flawlessly, whether on fast motorways or slow country lanes. It handled the mountains easily, from the Alps in Austria to the mountains in Corsica, and always with plenty of torque and power for touring.
I like to stay flexible rather than plan every detail. My rough plan was Normandy → Germany → Italy, then possibly Bari → Greece → Türkiye → Iraq → Saudi Arabia → Jordan. However, the Türkiye-Iraq border was closed due to unrest, so I switched to Plan B: Sardinia and Corsica. It wasn’t the long winter escape I wanted, but flexibility is key, and there’s always next year.
Costs: I don’t track every expense, but with my Revolut card, I could see most spending. Fuel was all by card, while food and campsites were a mix of cash and card. My ballpark costs are:
| Fuel costs: | £1033 |
| Ferries, food, camping (and hotel) plus entertainment: | £1417 |
| Total spend for 12 weeks & 6k miles | £2450 |
Well, that was another successful trip. Not as long as the last one, but still a good trip. Next year in 2025 I will be making another trip, maybe somewhere between four and six months. I’m still thinking about Türkiye – but I also have a longing for Norway and I’d like to go back to Sweden as well as Morocco again. There are so many places I want to visit that I cant decide, but over the winter I will have plenty of time to decide, plot and plan… Wishing you all – an awesome 2025.
