Just a quick note to all the riders, teams, and spectators, have a great and safe Race Week! Keep an eye on my twitter where I should be live on Thursday and Saturday!
It’s gonna be great. And if you can’t get down there check out the BBC for live coverage of ALL practice and race sessions!
Let’s go Tyco BMW!
The Solar Event of the decade is how it has been described and this morning from about 8.30 am until almost 10.00 am a partial solar eclipse occurred over our skies. The previous two days could only be described as glorious in relation to the weather so it was very disappointing to wake up to a grey, overcast and ultimately rainy morning.
Obviously the eclipse won’t stop on account of the weather however a small miracle occurred and just as the eclipse was reaching its maximum point a little break opened up in the clouds giving a good view of the event and even letting me snap a few photos :
I also put together a time lapse video, unfortunately the cloud cover is too much for my GoPro but it does show the difference in light quite nicely and let’s face it time lapse videos are cool! Check it out here : (The water does get dried off giving a proper view when the rain stops)
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhJKeaxNr-c]
It has been a year or two (2013 actually) since I have went near this show, but I ventured back today for a look with huge hopes that it had improved since my last visit.
Thankfully it has. I will address the 2 bad points firstly that I came away with today – firstly £12 entrance fee is just crazy. That is only slightly cheaper that the NEC’s Motorcycle Live which was simply outstanding. This show is more like a gathering of dealers, with a range of their bikes that they want to sell you. Nothing new, nothing revealed, just a load of nice and shiny bikes all in one place to tempt you out of a few hundred quid for the next 36 – 48 months, therefore I think it is a bit cheeky to be expected to pay such a high entrance fee to essentially enter a huge multi-manufacturer’s show room.
Secondly, on your way in you will pass by the ‘Jumble.’ Make sure you go in because there is simply some stunning vintage bikes and cars in here and a few interesting vendors. However Bad point 2 is also in here. Some of the vendors are just selling junk, and they genuinely don’t seem bothered.
My eye was taken by two quaint little signs, neither of which held any real world value, I just thought they would look rather cool in my garage. Heres’ how the conversation went….
Some how I missed these photos in my ‘To Attend To’ folder on my computer, so for that I can only apologise.
A few very quick words will have to suffice as I am so far out of date, but another spectacular NW200 this year and I look forward to the next. Thoughts and Prayers of course with the family of , Simon Andrews, the rider who was tragically killed at this years event.
NW200 2014 Gallery :
2014 marked the first year of the new look NI International Air Show (2014) which was rebranded to in my own personal opinion the rather cheesy ‘Air Waves’, what with it being an Air show and also beside the sea. (This section of the Northern Irish Coast being the only one with waves to mention with the exception of storms of course.) Now that I have my reservations of the name expressed I will move onto more important things, the show itself.
One word should suffice as an review, and be enough to ensure your attendance next year – ‘Excellent!’
The venue has relocated to the East Strand of Portrush over looking the Causeway Coast, and it worked really well!
The display line has now moved to the eastern side of the peninsula to bring the display line much, much closer to the crowd and have the Giant’s Causeway and Dunluce Castle as a backdrop. It also means spectators can now view from the beautiful Blue Flag beach and enjoy even more exhibition space. This map shows the main layout of the event;
I am too late to be writing reviews and the like for this event, however it is never too late for photos and I have included a pretty big selection of the images I captured on the day, which follow below, but I do think it is important to emphasise the main points :
1. The event was excellent.
2. The range of aircraft was fantastic.
3. The sight of the 2 Lancaster Bombers was simply outstanding.
4. The display from the Red Arrows was amazing! This was their 50th Anniversary display and although they are always worth watching, this display is something special!
5. The other aircraft were all amazing, and being a fan of helicopters I certainly was treated well!
6. The rest of the events organised for families, visitors and spectators were good and I have no doubt will improve as the years go on.
I am certainly looking forward to the show again next year!
I have decided to dabble a little into Moto VLogging, and I will be commencing series 1 of it soon!
I have realised that I often have a lot to say and I also really enjoy my bike so why not get out, show you guys some of the stunning countryside we have and put the world to rights through the power of speech and the medium of video!
I hope some of you at least will join me on this journey so just subscribe to this blog, bookmark the page or subscribe to me on YouTube to ensure you get all the updates as they happen.
Now it is just a matter of waiting for the kit to arrive!
Oh and if you’re wondering the chariot I will be riding will be a 2014 BMW F800GS Adventure Travel Edition.
For the past couple of months I have been doing a local photography and tourism competition…
Basically it ends in about 24 hours and I am currently sitting in 8th position, and I wanna stay in the top 10, so if you aren’t up to much and want to have a look at a few of the things Northern Ireland has to offer, then check out the link to my galleries and hit me up with a few likes!
Thanks in advance!
(GUY MARTIN vs The FASTEST WOMAN in the World)
The search is on to find Ireland’s Fastest Drivers & Riders.
GUY MARTIN vs The Fastest Woman in the World
Route : Traditional Mournes.
Distance : 60 km
Time : 1.25 hours with few stops (longer to factor in meals and stops for photos / walks etc.)
Bike Restrictions : Any bike should cope, good well maintained roads throughout.
A short time ago I posted a little write up about the ‘Alternate’ Mournes. The idea being to show people the other side of the Mournes that are often missed out by visitors, whether on a bike or four wheels. The ‘Alternate’ Mournes takes visitors from Newry, Co. Down and goes up, it takes in places like Slieve Gullion, Meigh, and Forkhill, places that are often avoided to their shady pasts. The ‘Traditional’ Mournes takes people from Newcastle, Co. Down and then up, and as you can see from the map below it takes in places such as Tollymore Forest Park, Spelga Dam and Silvent Valley.
[googlemaps https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=203898877343929949576.0004d52a0cc9548e7e80a&ie=UTF8&t=m&ll=54.171951,-5.997269&spn=0.118896,0.223632&output=embed&w=425&h=350]
The Mourne Mountains in Northern Ireland are by no means strange to bikers from across the world. Just look at Newcastle, Co. Down’s Main Street on any given Sunday (or any given sunny day) and you will see rows of bikes lined up outside the Town Hall, awaiting or having just returned from a zip through the Mournes. Look across the street at anyone of the Coffee Shops or ice-cream shops and you’ll find the riders of said bikes enjoying a much needed treat, or getting the energy levels up before starting off on their journey.
Bikes from across the country and beyond congregate here, the riders all united by their two wheeled machines. And it is from here that the journey begins.
Many bikes have left the coast at Newcastle and ascended into the mountains, where well maintained roads twist upwards and onwards. The sights are enough to guarantee a return by any visitor, especially on a bright sunny day, the landscape here is truly breath taking.
But there is another side to the Mournes, after all this is the Kingdom of Mourne, not simply a one way route. However this other side of the mountain range is effectively untouched, but it is no less beautiful. There are sights on the other sode of the Mournes that will leave you breathless as quickly, maybe even more so, than anywhere else on the range.
Most riders go Newcastle and up, may I suggest that you try Newry and up.