Solo Adventure from London to Cape Town via West Africa (www.rtwdream.com)

[Bongoburns]

More the merrier. Hope your well.

Yes Tommy am well and have been on a lot of solo adventures including Scotland, Peak District, Norfolk etc and am going to start and plan my solo adventure abroad next year by going a bit further than Europe cos am daring

[Tommy]

More the merrier. Hope your well.

Yes Tommy am well and have been on a lot of solo adventures including Scotland, Peak District, Norfolk etc and am going to start and plan my solo adventure abroad next year by going a bit further than Europe cos am daring

How about India? I really fancy this trip but doubt I will have any holiday left over after persuading my company for three months off work.

In saying that, sometimes we miss what's on our doorstep, the Alps and Pyrenees have some of the best scenery and roads in the world and their so close.

Which rally's are you attending next year?

[gebrauchtwagen83]

Fantastic tommy. Good luck . What bike are you using.

[Tommy]

Fantastic tommy. Good luck . What bike are you using.

Thanks danca, I will be using my BMW1200 GSA, though this could very well be my downfall (literally), when riding through the Congo.

I'm just hoping the rainy season will be over by the time I arrive.

Was very tempted to take something lighter but I just couldn't leave my faithfull at home.

Cheres, Tommy

[Simon_100]

Hi Tommy,

Looks like a fantastic trip. If you're skippimg Phil's place in France then I guess you're also skipping my place in the Pyrenees.

But fear not - Picos Mestizo and I will be in Santander for the MC Piston classic rally at Santander that week so unless you're going to Bilbao let's meet.

Moreover, if you fancy following us into the dark heart of Spain to see the HISS 2013 location on the Sunday then you're welcome to tag along - it'll be on your way!

Regs

Simon

[Tommy]

Hi Tommy,

Looks like a fantastic trip. If you're skippimg Phil's place in France then I guess you're also skipping my place in the Pyrenees.

But fear not - Picos Mestizo and I will be in Santander for the MC Piston classic rally at Santander that week so unless you're going to Bilbao let's meet.

Moreover, if you fancy following us into the dark heart of Spain to see the HISS 2013 location on the Sunday then you're welcome to tag along - it'll be on your way!

Regs

Simon

Hi Simon, good to hear from you. Here are my plans/route whilst in Spain:

I arrive in Bilbao on the 6th October at 1730.

I then head South and will be camping at Riaza, Ctra de la Estacion s/n, E-40500, Riazza (Segovia) GPS 41.26944, -3.49749

On the 7th October I will depart the above campsite and head to a campsite in Ronda near Malaga (a long ride).

On the 8th October, I will be catching the ferry to Morocco.

It would be great if we could meet up somewhere along the way, but be warned my route through Spain will be brief. I prefer to keep the spain adventure for the next Hiss.

Do these plans/route suit yours at all?

[Simon_100]

Hi Tommy,

No dice I'm afraid - although our routes coincide, probably at Burgo de Osma, a lovely little town where we may stop for lunch on Sunday the 7th, by which time you'll be well down south!

Talking of which, your ride to Ronda will certainly be a trek - especially as the last section to Ronda itself is quite hard going no matter which way you go - but worth it, see below.

I guess you'll be going the dirct route, i.e. Ciudada Real - Cordoba - Antequera, from which it's probably better to head west to Campillos and Olivara, and double back at Algodonales. The alternative via Pizarra is really lovely, but as I say, hard work after a long ride!

Your other option is the western route via Avila, picking up the Autovia de la Plata and heading down through Seville. This is almost all autovia, which makes sense on this jaunt, but I highly recommend a little detour: instead of heading to Palancia via el Barco de Avila turn off that road onto the N592 towards Talavera. You have an awesome fast ride over the eastern end of the magnificent Sierra de Gredos! NB don't try and head back to Palencia via Arenas de San Pedro, both the town and the road are jam packed with Madrileños taking the waters, especially on a Sunday! It's better to head on down and join the A3 just before you reach Talavera and head south-west from there - autovia all the way to beyond Seville.

Getting to Ronda from Seville is easy-peasy, taking the same road as above via Algonales. All this effort will be worth it though, Ronda is a nice place to stay and the A369/405 route cross country to Algeciras is sublime - one of the best rides I had on my tour this year - I sure wish I was coming along with you Tommy!

Simon

[Roadcat]

Hey Tommy,

Great website. I look forward to following your travels as they unfold.

You sound like you have quite a lot of riding experience, so I was wondering what sort of mileage you're planning to cover daily if you intend to get to Cape Town with only 43 days of riding?! (Of course you've bought yourself so room with those 17 border crossing days). My experience of riding through Africa is that you're NOT going to cover nearly as much mileage as you expect and if you do it will be at the cost of not being able to take the time to visit places that catch your interest.

Best of luck, mate - sounds like a great trip.

[Tommy]

Hey Tommy,

Great website. I look forward to following your travels as they unfold.

You sound like you have quite a lot of riding experience, so I was wondering what sort of mileage you're planning to cover daily if you intend to get to Cape Town with only 43 days of riding?! (Of course you've bought yourself so room with those 17 border crossing days). My experience of riding through Africa is that you're NOT going to cover nearly as much mileage as you expect and if you do it will be at the cost of not being able to take the time to visit places that catch your interest.

Best of luck, mate - sounds like a great trip.

Hi Roadcat, fair comment and in fact there is a big question mark if I'll actually make it all the way down to Cape Town. I recently spoke with two abr's who chose a similar route and it took them 5 months, though they did redirect to the East side half way down. In saying that the Brew ha ha author managed it in three months, though he did fly part of the way.

As mentioned on the website, my round the world adventures have to be funded some how therefore work commitments and time restrictions will make my adventures intermittent. The route you have read on the website is some months old now and I'm currently replanning a more direct route which I hope will allow more relaxation/socialising time off the bike.

In answer to your question, I plan on riding 200-500 miles a day up until Mali. Once I reach Mali then it will be varied depending on the terrain and estimate anything from as low as 60 - 250 miles a day.

If you have travelled in Africa you will know that one thing that may slow an abr down (apart from the terrain of course) is visa applications. I'm a stickler for planning and research to the point I actually feel I have already travelled this journey, but by doing this I have managed to obtain some tricky visa thus allowing more time on the road or to explore.

I have been very lucky to get so much time off from my work therefore will indeed be making the most of this experience by seeing the "real" Africa. My aim is to enjoy the ride and liberation this adventure will create.

Look out for my detailed route on the website over the next couple of weeks.

Cheers

[Tommy]

Hi Tommy,

No dice I'm afraid - although our routes coincide, probably at Burgo de Osma, a lovely little town where we may stop for lunch on Sunday the 7th, by which time you'll be well down south!

Talking of which, your ride to Ronda will certainly be a trek - especially as the last section to Ronda itself is quite hard going no matter which way you go - but worth it, see below.

I guess you'll be going the dirct route, i.e. Ciudada Real - Cordoba - Antequera, from which it's probably better to head west to Campillos and Olivara, and double back at Algodonales. The alternative via Pizarra is really lovely, but as I say, hard work after a long ride!

Your other option is the western route via Avila, picking up the Autovia de la Plata and heading down through Seville. This is almost all autovia, which makes sense on this jaunt, but I highly recommend a little detour: instead of heading to Palancia via el Barco de Avila turn off that road onto the N592 towards Talavera. You have an awesome fast ride over the eastern end of the magnificent Sierra de Gredos! NB don't try and head back to Palencia via Arenas de San Pedro, both the town and the road are jam packed with Madrileños taking the waters, especially on a Sunday! It's better to head on down and join the A3 just before you reach Talavera and head south-west from there - autovia all the way to beyond Seville.

Getting to Ronda from Seville is easy-peasy, taking the same road as above via Algonales. All this effort will be worth it though, Ronda is a nice place to stay and the A369/405 route cross country to Algeciras is sublime - one of the best rides I had on my tour this year - I sure wish I was coming along with you Tommy!

Simon

Many Thanks for the route Simon, I have replanned to take in some of your recommnedations. Cheers