BootsnAll Travel Blogs

The next few days were a mix of sunshine and rain so I didnt get too much use out of the hostels rooftop loungers.
I spent a lot of time walking around the city – which I quite liked – despite not expecting too (after talking to other travellers who didnt really like the place), but time is of the essence, so I packed my gear and moved on again (not getting a chance to drive over the SHB as it was closed for resurfacing 🙁 )
Next stop was Manly: its a nice beach and town just north of Sydney. I got there in a smidgeon of rain and with strong winds…all made up for by the fact that it was heaving with totty competing in a Surfboat competition! Pretty crazy event launching the boats into the surf as it crashed onto the beach.
I had to leave though, as it was all full of the beautiful people and I dont fit in.

Heading north I stopped at Putty beach, but couldn’t get in the campsite as it was fully booked. Sat on the beach for a while, then headed along the coast trying to find somewhere else. Eventually I gave up and headed into Terrigal, where I booked into the YHA hostel (using a girl called Kim’s phone…thanks!) nice bunch of people here – irish guy and some english. Had a great time playing in the surf that afternoon: big stuff and a crazy ‘reflection’ wave from the shore, so just as you prepare for the wave in fron, you get smacked on the back of the head by the one from behind!! We all headed to the local bar/hotel that night : it was packed with lots of girls in full slap and guys in vests (singlets) had a canny night, then left them there and went for a walk and sit on the beach by myself. Eventually when I got back to the hostel I watched the tennis with Kim.
Next morning, I said my goodbyes, packed and headed into Gosford to pick up my coat and beanie which were being sent from Foster YHA (I’d left them there a week or two ago) $22 later and were reunited 🙂

Heading further north I drove the Gateshead, into Newcastle, where I eventually got parked and headed into the tourist information place…only to bump into my new found stalker: Kim! Lol …she had picked up her kids and was spending the day in the ‘toon’
There’s not a lot in Newcastle and few links to ‘OUR toon’ so I left, bypassed Wallsend, passed Gosforth and Warkworth and then stopped in Hexham for fuel! …weird!

Still raining as I headed West (gonna start heading inland towards Alice Springs) so I stopped in Denham – a little town with little interest…. I stayed in a caravan that night as my tent was still wet and it was raining. ,..and I got a special deal.
Up early and continue West on the Barrier Highway I drover as far as I could, wthout falling asleep. I was going to stop in one roadside rest area, but the mud and amount of ants was bewildering…so I continued on to Meadow Glen ….which didnt have the mud, but did have the ants 🙁
…I slept in the car.
Up very early and onwards thru Broken Hill (stopping for groceries and to book a flight from Heathrow to NCL on my return) and to Yunta, where I parked in the town (not that there was much of one) and chatted to a couple of couples who had also stopped for the night. Nice guys (grey nomads) so we shared a beer and watched the trains passing thru. and took photos of a great sunset.
After tha it was to Port Augusta, via Peterboough and some lovely scenery(chatted to a couple at a monument pass while making coffee) bought a rear wheel cylinder for the car as I think the one is leaking slightly and I dont want to be caught when I get into the outback (It’s ‘Australia Day’ today) then North up towards Coober Pedy though I still havent decided which way to go
I stopped at Woomera (the Aussie range and nuclear testing facility) in a barely used campsite. chatting to a couple of aussies and a dutch guy that evening – one of the aussie girls gave me a map for the Oodnadatta track, so after ringing the guy at the Pink Roadhouse there, I decided to head that way tomorrow (its featured in one of my 4×4 mags and looks interesting)
Another early start (is there another kind?) and I headed to Roxby downs, let my tyres down a bit and started on the Oodnadatta track …turs out its a big wide gravel motorway, so not technical at all.
Was nice to pass Lake Eyre and some great scenery, but at last I arrived at the Pink ROadhouse.

Danny, Tucker and me decided to go over to Northern Ireland to watch the NW200 – sounded like a great idea, though with Gillys birthday, we’d actually have to come back BEFORE the racing!!!

anyhoo, we rode over to Stranraer on the Saturday morning – and -after coffee and brekkie sarnies for me and Danny whilst gay Tucker had a Latte and pancake – got ABSOLUTELY drenched in wild rain and winds. Luckily though, we got to the ferry port early and found ourselves on the EARLY ferry rather than the one we expected (our intended ferry ran almost 3 hours late we found out later!!)

we dried off and had coffee on the ferry and by the time we disembarked at Larne (Belfast) the rain was almost stopped. We navigated thru to Hannahstown to stay overnight at Col and Maureens house, where Maureen had cooked a fab beef dinner for us.  A shower each (with Danny using his Lacy Louffa and me finding out that Col has one too!!!)Then it was off to Belfast for a night on the lash!

all well in the morning, Maureen produced the most gorgeous brekkie for us all including poached eggs!!! …what a darling! then after taking an AGE to get ready, we set off to the Dundrod (UlsterGP) circuit for photos and a racing start, then back to Larne and a trip up the famous Coastal road to Bushmills where we had booked a room in the hostel.

as we arrived I asked a guy stood outside a pub, where the hostel was, to which he opened a set of double doors and we rode THRU the beer garden, thru more doors into the hostel courtyard!!!!! PERFECT!!!

we got sorted in our ensuite room

“and then headed out for a beer

and then a walk to the Giants Causeway…..which turned out to be further than we thought so we got as far as the Visitor centre, then stopped, had a beer and got the steam train back!

more beers that night and an expensive – but VERYgood meal at a local restaurant

next morning ans we were up and out for 10am after a brekkie at the copper kettle next door. We rode along the coast to Coleraine then hit the twisties all the way down to Omagh where we had a nice sarnie and more coffee. Then back up to Portrush for a looksee (and to collect the brake fluid we were using to keep Tuckers Aprilia clutch going!) Back on the road we stopped short of Bushmills to checkout the great looking Dunluce castle overlooking the sea (though it should be noted that Danny missed the first turning and Tucker missed BOTH! .,….despite me waving like a loon at the junction!!!

Back at Bushmills we had supper and ……yep, MORE beer. We also met a group from Yorkshire…or was it Lancashire 😉 and had a laugh with them (we’d seen them in another pub we’d gone to to watch the football …which wasnt actually ON the TV :$ )

another late night for me and an early night for the two ‘ladies’ then we were up and out to go to the Causeway proper (very nice) and then the rope bridge (which Danny bottled) and then lunch at BallyCastle. A quick ride to Ballymoney (losing Danny on the way and meeting EVERY tractor in the northern hemisphere on the way) we visited Joey’s (Dunlop
) garden memorial then returned to Portrush to the race paddock. We had a walk around the garages and met Les Shand who Danny used to sponsor via his ‘bike bits company Faster By Design, then we headed back to Bushmills to drop off the bikes, get the bus back and watch the racing practice. burgers, doughnuts and coffee later and the practice ended under a red flag (we later learned a rider had crashed heavily. We walked into the town looking for food and beer, but found neither, so got a taxi back to Bushmills and after the LONGEST wait for chips takeaway, ate them in the local pub <thanks> and had a few more beers

Next morning we packed and left the SMELLIEST room in the world (courtesy of Tucker) and headed back down the coast to Larne.

A great trip …but maybe we should stay for the actual racing next year???

fairly uneventful trip today: went to the hills/mouintains around the city via various sites within the city (including the library which is a new building designed around the Roman Colosseum - its big airy and completely free to residents (up ... [Continue reading this entry]