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Went out for a drink to Porto, haven't done that in ages on a saturday night but a friend was staying overnight there while bringing his new car from Germany to Lisbon and me and my brother had to look at the amazing new set of wheels. This turned into a later night than I was expecting so it was a struggle to leave the house by 9:30 or 10, I was set on taking the long scenic route to my home instead of the motorway, and I did. A short 30 or 40 minutes on the motorway to get going and then off in search of twisty roads. I took few pictures at first, it was too cold for me to feel like stopping and taking the warm gloves off and go for the phone which was inside my jacket. First stop was for lunch at a small rural cafe on the N2, Portugal's longest road A bowl of hot vegetable soup to warm up, it hit the spot before a pork sandwich Two other customers showed up for a taste of my sandwich Not a bad view, the whole time I was there I think only two bikes passed, and two cars both arriving to the cafe, very quiet for a sunny sunday. I think both the MotoGP and the cold morning stopped people from getting out. Better for me! A while later, a brief stop for a picture stopped over a dam Later still, stopped by Portugal's geodetic center, in Vila D'El Rei On some of the smaller parts of the N2, stopped for a short walk on the Penedo Furado viewpoint. I was going south and it warmed up a little in the afternoon, suddenly no more cold. Back on the road And no more pictures, sun was starting to go down so pressed on home, perfect winter weather today!

I managed to grab a week of work right at the tail end of the season, went to try and statrt sorting through stuff at Mother in law's house but just spent a couple of days eating and drinking with friends... The weather has been shitty all week but cleared a little on saturday so I quickly planned an afternoons loop on Kurviger, transferred it to the phone, posted a message to some mates to see who else was up for 3hrs of dodging "Les Chasseurs" on the backroads of northern Burgundy and, as I expected, they all had some dodgy excuse for not joining me... The loop I had planned was towards the north north west with it's farthest point somewhere south west of sens. The cloud cover was patchy and temps were around 8 or 9c (46 -48 f for those still living in the third world...) but there was a clearly difined South West / North east weather front moving south across the region during the afternoon. I got my thermal pants out of the cupboard and got properly togged up before leaving, but added the top box at the last minutes cos I didn't think I'd be able to stand the thermal liner in my jacket for vey long. I hit the weather front between Joigny and Courtenay, It was a clearly defined line of cloud, at ground level, like a wall and boy was I glad of my thermals then! I even had the heated grips on full for a while and it was clear that in some of the dells and dips the verges still had last nights frost on them which hadn't thawed from the previous night. Added to the carpet of fallen leaves of varying thickness,the frosty patches made for some "interesting" moments in a number of places... I managed to find a couple of clear patches where I could stop in the sun. even managed to find a hunters cabin, but they were out all over the place so I wasn't about to break in for a look. ( there've already managed to kill at least 3 people so far, one of whom was driving a car along a nearby road...along with numerous cats, dogs etc) Was out for about 3 hrs in all, Stopped at the BMW dealers on the way home cos my 12 v socket plug crapped out and I knew BMW uses the same sockets. Nice place, but they won't work on anything but a BMW, even just to fit tyres for example. They were happy to take my money for a 12vplug though. Got home in tame to shower and change befor going out to eat at a friends house. A free feed is always a good end to the day

Can't believe that MotoBummer and I got out to ride yesetrday...in November! 70F / 22c out and sunny. Only got in a couple hundred miles and a little bit of dirt road riding...

Sunset in Southend on Sea this evening that looked very like a nuclear bomb going off over the Isle of Sheppey in one picture. Is the other disc above the nuclear explosion the moon?? Also The Kursaal, scene of crime for Doctor Feelgood, now sad and abandoned. I was about 4 feet from a seagull this evening, he was flying but due to the wind he was flying into, he was stationary right in front of me, a very odd feeling being eye to eye.

After a bit of searching on Google Maps and Google Earth I found an old abandoned country house that I'd never visited. It wasn't too far away either, which was great because it was bloody cold. The building itself was part house and part cave.......so no telling how many rooms were actually built into the hillside. The main construction was in pretty good order, but all access points had been secured. Though I was able to get some shots through the broken windows. And after checking the house out I found another construction behind it.....and more caves! First off......a short vid! Now onto the house.......Bit of a rough track to get to it as well! There'll be some beak cleaning going on tomorrow for sure! As you can see, it's in pretty decent order! A few shots through broken windows! It's not the same when you can't get in......cos you don't get the buzz of walking into the unknown! Then it was round the side and onto the hill that it was built into! And you can see the building that was behind it...... ......so it was clamber down the bank to access it! Where you could see the cave built into the hillside! Once again, all secured! Then back onto the bike and away! As you can see, there's no van there! And no riding buddies to hold my hand either! It's as real as it gets! You Casuals could learn a lot from this you know!

Its something to do on a quiet evening........ passes the time.

we went off to fleetwood today for a look around and some dinner and not very warm out so we were soon in the caffee (much warmer) which was packed out they must have had the same idea as us to get out of the weather, anyway we finally found a table and ordered a fish and chips and a lasagn with chips and salad plus two milky coffee's . so after that we had a ride to cleveleys to have a look at the shops, there we were met with a biting cold wind (even colder than fleetwood ) so needless to say we didn't stop too long and we were soon on our way home

Just a bimble about this morning seeing as it was sunny. I popped down to Kelvedon to have a look at the packhorse bridge that I heard about years ago but had never actually seen. I had to wade through shit loads of nettles and general nature crap to even see a little bit of it! Then a general wander about went into the ancestral Powell village of Rowhedge which is usually empty to find it rammed with people watching some sort of rowing competition. By the time I'd stopped and got a camera out it was all over..

The difference is that's a quality top box on a quality bike not a chinese knock-off on a chinese bike

The Triumph looks nice with that topbox, Chris! Not like some others …

I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but take a lok around you mate! Have you seen the folk in here?! No one normally constituted would put up with it... .

Mr Slowlys laptop bag was stolen 4 days ago and the ‘find my’ locations services had its last location in a vast scrubland of 3 metre high sharp pampas grass. He and the police searched for it until all hope was lost. This morning I woke up with a strong feeling Id find it. I persuaded Mr Slowly to take me there and I found it in the first bit of grass I went into. This is the size of the scrubland it was in. Mental ay. I shall be checking any seats that are pulled out for me arent ducking chairs edit: it was only the ipad I found the laptop and bag are a gonna. Heyho, it was the ipad that upset him most.

www.smellybikers.com

Heading daaaan saaath today. The plan is to park van at Dawlish and then we can have a mooch on the bikes. While we are here though we are picking up the NC23 CBR400RR which @oldgrump has very kindly got running tickety boo for me. We are also going to call in to Gosport to visit Andys dad. Not sure how this is all going to happen but we are here now in Dawlish at the campsite. Heres a pic of our set up we took at the services. And hopefully a video..... I will upload more as we go Video is short. Dont know why as i recorded longer than that.

A short wander around WWT Llanelli, it was cut short cos my fekin' back was killing me Anyway, some duck and stuff, oddly for November in Wales there were Bees, Butterflies and Dragonflys as well as Lilly flowers Green Plover aka Peewit aka Lapwing Carrion Crow - Corvus Corone Female Tufted Duck Male and Female Gadwall Young Mute Swan Common Darter Oakmoss - Evernia prunastri Speckled Wood Buttefly Male Gadwall Lilly flower Common Darter - Sympetrum striolatum Arty Farty Grassy Arty Farty Leaves Aty Farty Wetland Grassy Arty Farty Bullrush - Typha angustifolia Female Greenfinch - too many lost to bumble foot Arty Farty Wetland shot Fekin Tufted Ducks everywhere (Coot in the background)

I’ve got love for the Transalp, though, even with the beach freezer from the 80’s as a topbox …

A little dryer, and NOT on a weekend during hunting season I would too. You really don't want to be in the woods here on a hunting weekend, doubly so in the afternoon when they've all consumed copious amounts of wine at lunch. I just saw on the news this evening that another one got shot today. Not dead but in ICU at the moment.

yep just noticed sorry, must try harder could do better

Excellent Chris......pics are superb! The only thing is the Top Box Nazis are going to kick off again.

This was a very quiet and peaceful place to walk all that was there were birds chirping and squirrels hopping from branch to branch That was until me and my mate turned up

Good. You can keep it.

Very windy here at times.....not sure if iam going out as the scoot gets blown about.

On another bike site I go on it was a relatively regular complaint from new members that they were sick of all the pervy sites in the header/footer adverts when they browsed the site. It was then pointed out to them that they would be based on their own personal internet history.

I remember the Kurzel, I went on the airplanes but didn't know they went upside down when you turned the steering wheel and I lost all the change out of my pockets As kids we used to jump over the fence at Debden station, ride the underground train to Stratford jump onto the British Rail train to Southend and pay at Southend saying we just came from Westcliff

My ride today didn't go as planned. I started off by going to get fuel and while there a copper pulled in which immediately reminded me i hadn't taxed the bike so went home to do it on but it just wouldn't let me do it. No problem i thought i'll just nip down the post office only to find out not every post office will do vehicle tax anymore. Took me over an hour to get it sorted and ended up riding to Builth Wells on the A470 to make up time instead of all the back roads i'd planned to do and it rained most of the way there. I Started the trails at Builth wells quarry this and the two lanes after they were all quite sloppy my worn out C02 rear tyre was letting me know every inch it travelled how worn it was, but at least the rain had stopped Don't look too bad here but the fields were wetter than an otters pocket Looking back from these lanes i headed to one that follows the A470 from Newbridge on Wye towards Rhayader which was nice and easy its been graded to suit pushbikes as its part of a cycle route now after this had a look at a lane i haven't done in years just outside Rhayader it's only short but after travelling up it a bit i stopped because it was too deeply rutted for the 650's fat ass and the rear tyre had no grip to stay on the sides of the ruts. I walked up to see how far the ruts went and for once listened to my own advise and turned back next was the lane i know as Piano keys it heads up to the top end of the Elan valley and its a cracking lane for the bigger bikes at least it would be if it hadn't started blowing a gale and raining this was the last time i got the camera out, my waterproofs had starting giving up at this time water getting through to my arms by the time i got to Claerwen Res after riding down the Elan Valley i could feel the wet getting to my body. Riding the track let me experience a strong head, tail and side wind as its snaked its way around the res, at the end of the track i decided to call it a day and headed home the quickest way possible which was the road to Tregaron, Lampeter, Llandovery and then back down the A470 over the beacons. even with shit tyres and the wet these roads were a dream to ride on the dog ran when i got home i was drenched only thing that was dry was my head It was the wettest 187 miles I've done in a long time The dog ran great right up until i got back to Merthyr where it coughed and died but started back up again straight away wondering if it sucked some shit through the carb i'll check it tomorrow

Well let's see now, I retired (officially) aged 50 years and 3 months. I may have inferior DNA but I'm not stupid................

Meat and not the kind your usually gagging on

I don't like Lasagne but you cant beat proper chip shop chips

Nice one Pedro, how much is a pork sandwich ? (asking for a friend)

Not to mention belonging to a quality bloke...

it's got to be an improvement on my previous steed, right?

It was sorted early thing yesterday, running smooth and crisp like always.

They road had just been plowed and the ripples were made of soft, silty dirt. Not really rough at all. Fun road to ride.

And of course the ground is perfectly flat isn't it?

Are you always worried people might miss out on your ride reports without a little warning?

The royal mail (Ye Posteman Patteth) amongst other things, read the first photo.

Imagine Bob in his early years with dreadlocks playing rasta...

There are other sites?

Be nice if people dint dress up like freaks! Style means nothing anymore!

That takes me back @yen_powell . Southend was almost my second home in the '90's . I used to do a lot of trips to Shoeburyness delivering ordnance and used to stay in a guesthouse on the sea front, can't remember the name now but the owner was the son of an Italian guy who fought with the allies in WW2. They were very proud of his choice not to stick with the Germans.

bet that bike can wheelie

bollox ... it was welsh twat getting bummed into the middle of next week in abandoned villages by midget Dagos with an audience of dead dogs.

Yesterday before Id done any searching for a DIY store I asked @XTreme on here how to find one. Mr Slowly came into the room and said wotcha doin? I replied asking Pete about DIY stores, he said have a look and see if theres something called a Leroy Merlin nearby. He’d seen one in Granada so “Leroy Merlin” was repeated in the conversation several times. I opened a new page and got as far as typing ‘Le’ before Leroy Merlin was the suggested search. That type of thing with adverts and search suggestions happens all the time, it freaked me out at first but now I dont mind, saves times having what your searching just pop up in front of you even if it means your conversation is always being listened to! Many people dont realise its a thing, I think its way over the creepy line and you should be asked explicitly if you want to opt in but as usual money money money money. If you google how to stop my phone listening the instructions for switching this freaky stuff off are there. The only thing I find annoying about it is I have to spend a lot of time talking about guitars with my son and I am fed up being bombarded with guitar adverts when I dont play, search for or buy guitar stuff!

From wikiwossname. I never noticed a Tesco Express. Decline and closure (1973–1986) The Kursaal as a whole had been in gradual decline since the early 1970s, with the outdoor amusements closing in 1973.[15] At the end of 1977 the decision was made to close the ballroom, with the main building finally succumbing in 1986. The outdoor amusement area was later redeveloped for housing. Main building reopening (1998) In 1998 the main Kursaal building was reopened after a multimillion-pound redevelopment by the Rowallan Group containing a bowling alley, a casino and other amusements.[15] The building originally contained a McDonald's, but the fastfood chain left in 2008.[18] The bowling alley closed permanently in 2019, and the casino closed permanently in 2020. This currently leaves only a Tesco Express store occupying part of this historic building.

We ended up getting the number one spot on Google searches for the term "Sad Cunt in a Van" after that fiasco!

you ungrateful cunt , all the effort i put in this year with my trips to keep this place going .... unbelievable !!