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A few very quick words will have to suffice as I am so far out of date, but another spectacular NW200 this year and I look forward to the next.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.
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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.
Today celebrates the centenary of the Ulster Covenant in Northern Ireland. The Covenant was signed in 1912 by almost 500,000 people to express their opposition to Home Rule.
Today will see almost 30,000 marchers and supports of the Covenant and orange order descend upon Belfast to march all around the city in the largest open air parade for over 20 years.
Good luck and have a good day to all those involved.
It is also a highly contentious march that having looked at twitter already looks like there are already trouble makers around looking to stoke the fires of the past and cause as much disruption as they can, of course partnered with the traditional Belfast riot.
Therefore lets all hope that calm rules today and this event does not become a media frenzy on the trouble that can still dominate Belfast.
Oh and if you would like to sign the Covenant you can do so 100 years later at Ulster Covenant 2012 – Sign here
Any Apple Launch Day now is a big one, and this one was the biggest so far. Queues have been reported as 83% bigger for this release of the iPhone 5 than they were for last years iPhone 4s’ event.
I have to agree with this, as I opted to sleep in a little as last year wasn’t really that much of an issue, so when I arrived at the queue this morning at a little after 05.30 am at the Apple Store, Victoria Square, Belfast I was horrified and also a little impressed to see no less than 300 people already in the queue!
At shortly after 11am I left the store with a little bag containing a white 32Gb iPhone 5 – Sweet!
And that is exactly what it is – SWEET!
Let the games begin!
After a tremendous opening ceremony last night I just thought I would say ‘Happy Olympic Games Everyone,’ good luck to all the competitors from every nation, good luck to all their families, friends, teams and coaches. Everyone deserves to come home with gold, however that can’t happen, so remember this you have made it! Well done and have fun.
Oh and Come On Team GB, especially everyone competing from Northern Ireland!
And finally if I get any good tips or value bets I’ll let you know, and before I forget, damn isn’t Jessica Ennis hot as hell!
