1 Planet 2 Wheels: Rains, Trains and automobiles and more rain

Firstly I just have to say that the weather has been shit just lately.

Ok, after a call in at Stirling, Scotland to see the historic battlefields it was a quick trip down the M6 motorway to make some distance and visit a friend of a friend in Rhyl, North Wales. George spent a great deal of time riding with my mate Jeff when Jeff used to live in Liverpool. George and his wife Valerie spoiled me rotten with great food and a guided bike trip out into Snowdonia mountains. It was great to meet George in person, I'd seen a few photos of George and Jeff out on some heroic trail rides when the lads were a tad younger. Although I only spent a few days with George and Valerie they are such a lovely couple that I felt connected and sad to leave.

After a couple of days of mud plugging in Wales I headed for Winchester and my cousin Nick's place. It was nice to catch up again and also took a day trip into London to check out the sights, there's a lot going on in this city!!

With a ticket on the Channel tunnel train to France booked it was on the road again and Unfortunately several big days of motorway riding, I wanted to get across to Sweden in good time and allow more time in the North. It was a tough few days as motorway riding is not much fun, especially with heavy traffic and on top of this I had the most rain I've ever experienced during this entire trip of almost 2 years of riding! I guess I've probably had more than my share of good weather so my luck had to end at some point.

So it was fantastic to finally make the house of a long time ago friend from back in the University of Canterbury Tramping Club days. Pernilla and her family live and work in Stockholm but they spend as much of the summer as they can at a holiday house an hour south of the city. It's a beautiful spot amongst the islands of the archipelago. Once again I was spoiled rotten with fantastic food and a bed, a day out kayaking and also a day in the city. Not to mention some time just chilling, was great catch up with Pernilla after all those years, I can't thank Pernilla and Erik enough for time I had at there house.

With George out on a day ride ( he rides a Honda VFR800)

I loved the Norton Navigator that George had recently restored, and the neighbours seemed interested too!

The send off party in Rhyl

In Wales I found the most challenging riding so far this year, with all the rain I was forced to abandon one trail as the water in the mud holes was too deep, the DR stalled in the middle of a large one.

Interesting thatched roofs in the English countryside

Buckingham Palace

While at cousin Nicks I had a chance to catch up on some jobs. Up in Scotland the DR started to have problems in the rain, one day it quit 3 times but then ran again. I had ago at squirting water at individual components but nothing seemed to indicate a problem. Some research led to possible carburettor breather lines, if they hang down too far they can suck water so I trimmed then back. Since then I've ridden in several days of torrential rain so think it must have done the trick!!

Hard to believe but in just 35 min or so you can scoot under the English channel aboard a train within a tunnel!

Not so ideal camping, but I was tired and needed to stop

Now this is pretty cool, that's a real Viking ship! It's hard to make it out in the dim light but you get a sense of size by the person standing on the left edge of the pic. The Vasa sunk on it's maiden voyage and didn't even make it out of the Harbour in Stockholm, It simply capsized in a light breeze due to bad design in 1628 and was re floated in 1961. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasa_(ship)