Founder's fav's

The places I'd send you to, and the trips and races behind them. Twenty-odd years of riding and driving through Southern Africa and Europe. Every place has how to get there, where to sleep, and a button that plans the trip for you.

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Namibia

The Orange River roadRosh Pinah to Noordoewer, southern NamibiaMy favourite piece of road anywhere. I've said it twice now, so it must be true.Epupa FallsKunene River, far north-west NamibiaPalm trees, a river the colour of tea, and Angola just across the water.Canyon RoadhouseNear Fish River Canyon, southern NamibiaOld cars, cold beer, middle of nowhere. My kind of church.Sendelingsdrif pontOrange River border crossing, RichtersveldA border crossing on a pont that runs when the river lets it.Oranjemund and the diamond coastOrange River mouth, south-west NamibiaA town that was off-limits for most of its life, at the mouth of the river.Klein-Aus Vista and the desert horsesAus, on the edge of the NamibWild horses living on the edge of a desert, and a lodge in the mountains above them.Sesriem and the TsauchabGateway to Sossusvlei, Namib DesertThe doorway to the big red dunes, and a little canyon most people walk straight past.Skeleton Coast, Torra Bay to Henties BayAtlantic coast, north-west NamibiaFog, shipwrecks and 200 km between fuel. You'll love it or hate it.Grootberg LodgeKlip River valley, DamaralandA lodge on the lip of an escarpment, with a driveway that earns the view.OpuwoKunene Region, north-west NamibiaThe last real town before the far north. Fuel, food, and Himba country all around.Etosha from NamutoniEastern Etosha National ParkA white salt pan the size of a small country, and animals that queue for the waterholes.

South Africa and Lesotho

Augrabies FallsOrange River, Northern CapeThe Orange River throwing itself into a granite gorge.SutherlandRoggeveld, Northern CapeThe coldest town in the country, under the clearest sky you'll ever see.Piekenierskloof PassCitrusdal, Western CapeThe pass that says you've left Cape Town behind.Montagu PassGeorge to Herold, Outeniqua mountainsGravel, old stone bridges, and my first proper pass, in Ducati leathers on a 950.The Seven Passes roadGeorge to Knysna, Garden RouteForest, gravel and old bridges, the original road from George to Knysna.Prince Alfred's Pass and Angie's G SpotKnysna to UniondaleBlind corners on a long gravel pass, and the best lunch stop on it.SeweweekspoortSwartberg, between Laingsburg and CalitzdorpA gravel gorge road straight through the Swartberg.Coffee Bay and Hole in the WallWild Coast, Eastern CapeThe Wild Coast at its wildest: green hills, cows on the beach and a rock with a hole in it.The Kei Mouth pontGreat Kei River, Eastern CapeA river crossing on a hand-run pont, the old way into the Transkei.BaviaanskloofBetween Willowmore and Patensie, Eastern CapeRiver crossings, steep passes and a valley with almost nobody in it.Semonkong and Maletsunyane FallsLesotho highlandsOne of the highest single-drop waterfalls in Africa, in the mountains of Lesotho.MalealeaLesotho lowlands to highlandsMountain villages, ponies and gravel, and the Gate of Paradise on the way in.

Europe

Eisriesenwelt and Burg HohenwerfenWerfen, near Salzburg, AustriaIce caves inside a mountain and a castle on a rock. "Short walk" is a lie.Monaco and the Riviera coast roadMonaco and the French RivieraThe Grand Prix streets you can drive any day, and the coast roads either side.

Motorsport: tracks, museums, factories

Hakskeenpan and SpeedweekKalahari, Northern CapeA dry pan in the Kalahari where grown men try to go very, very fast.Simola Hill ClimbKnysna, Garden RouteWhere I race. The event to plan a Garden Route trip around.Franschhoek Motor MuseumL'Ormarins, FranschhoekHundreds of cars on a wine estate. Two things I'm qualified to judge.KyalamiMidrand, GautengThe old Grand Prix circuit, with track days and the Porsche Experience Centre.Killarney RacewayCape TownClub racing and track days on a Saturday, ten minutes from the city.East London Grand Prix CircuitEast London, Eastern CapeThe old Grand Prix track by the sea, still racing.The Nürburgring NordschleifeEifel mountains, GermanyTwenty kilometres of the most famous track on earth, open to the public on a Sunday.Goodwood Festival of Speed and RevivalWest Sussex, EnglandThe hill, the paddock, the noise. A garden party where everything runs on petrol.Spa-FrancorchampsArdennes, BelgiumEau Rouge in the flesh. It's steeper than it looks on TV. Much steeper.Tavullia and the VR46 MotoRanchPesaro, ItalyValentino Rossi's home town, where the whole village is painted yellow.Motor ValleyEmilia-Romagna, ItalyDucati, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Pagani and Maserati, all within an hour of each other.MaranelloModena, ItalyThe home of Ferrari: museum, factory tour, and test drives in the town.Alfa Romeo Museum, AreseArese, near Milan, ItalyLa macchina del tempo. Every Alfa that mattered, under one roof.Brooklands MuseumWeybridge, Surrey, EnglandThe birthplace of British motorsport, banking and all.Porsche and Mercedes museumsStuttgart, GermanyTwo of the world's greatest car museums, a few kilometres apart.The Stelvio and the Alpine passesLombardy and South Tyrol, ItalyForty-eight hairpins on one side. The road every petrolhead wants to tick off.Le Mans: the circuit and the museumLe Mans, FranceThe 24 Hours, and the museum next to the track where the legends live.Isle of Man TTIsle of ManThe most dangerous race in the world, on public roads, and you can ride the course.

The trips

Day by day, as they happened.

CDBAFebruary 2020 · 4 postsNamibia 2February 2020 · 4 days · 2 249 km · Northern Cape · Southern Namibia · 4 postsNamibia (Tortoise)January 2020 · 8 days · 2 606 km · Namibia · Etosha, Kunene, Skeleton Coast · 10 postsEU road trip 2019 & KTM factorySeptember 2019 · 5 days · 1 754 km · Austria · Italy · 8 postsWild CoastJune 2019 · 5 days · 1 914 km · Eastern Cape · Garden Route · Klein Karoo · 4 postsKTM 790 AdventureMarch 2019 · 2 postsEU road trip 2018July 2018 · 15 days · 5 669 km · Austria · Germany · Belgium · UK · France · Italy · 19 postsKTM 390 DukeMay 2018 · 2 postsSimola Hill ClimbMay 2018 · 2 postsMotor Valley & EICMANovember 2017 · 5 days · 1 011 km · Italy · Emilia-Romagna, Veneto, Lombardy, Piedmont · 13 postsNamibia 2017 (Epupa)June 2017 · 7 days · 2 908 km · Namibia · Fish River to Kunene · 9 postsKTM 690 Cafe Racer / Flat TrackerJune 2016 · 2 postsPort Elizabeth endurosJune 2016 · 2 posts

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