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Morning Dave and thanks for watching again. Yes there's a lot of footage to pick on this trip, and I'm hoping there's enough variety to maintain the interest. Very much a trip of contrasts (and unfinished business now!) Regards, Martin.

Oops sorry Neil, I've posted my reply up above (still half asleep! 😅

@ I’ll forgive you this once🤪🏍❤️😎

Cheers Garry, yes it's a trip that's left me with a lot of unfinished business - I saw enough of those Portuguese roads to know that it'll be worth going back. When you (and Norman)get around to a proper holiday I reckon it'd be a good plan - so much contrast. Ride safe anyway Garry, Regards from me and Chloe, (now that she's watched your latest video!)

@@martintraffordmoorlandbike7121 Thanks you two. Have a great weekend ! Garry & Ruby

Never thought of it as a minion hat Allan, but hey - if the cap fits....... 😅

Morning Mike, yes I pretty well knew that road wasn't going to let me down, even though I suspect the weather caused me to miss the best bit! ..oh well, unfinished business and all that. Thanks for watching again anyway. Cheers! P.S. The Douro and Duero wines I sampled were much nicer than the weather. 😊

Evening Peter, yes it was a great pity that the weather turned before I'd been able to ride that road's entire length - just means that I have to go back! 😊 I found so many more tremendous stretches of road on this trip, that peninsula never ceases to amaze me. 👍

Evening Stephen, yes that's the benefit of touring late in the year, having so little traffic to contend with - the one downside being the weather, although we find the sun again in the next episode (and there's a few of them still to come) Thanks for watching again anyway. 👍

Morning Peter, only just seen this comment from you. Yes, I saw enough of those Portuguese roads and villages to know that I have to go back...... unfinished business and all that. (Incidentally I've developed a bit of a hankering for a Vespa lately, so we'll see how that develops!🤔)

Good evening Peter, the more I travel around the Iberian peninsula, the more I realise just how many festivals are held in the urbanisations. There's two sides to every coin I suppose really though, yes it might seem a tad deserted in the villages, but the quiet roads are a definite benefit. Spoiler alert though, from the next episode onwards, the sun becomes more and more prevalent, and yes, I definitely have to go back, there being so much unfinished business for me in Portugal! 🤔😊 Thanks for watching again anyway Peter, it's much appreciated. 😎

Good evening David, and thanks for that. I must admit that I hadn't picked up on the UK ACT, but it doesn't surprise me as it's a rapidly spreading network. 👍

Cheers Alex, yes in these first few episodes, there's been a lot of editing to sort out the more pleasant riding (and filming) conditions. Thanks for watching again anyway. 👍

Evening again Garry, I suppose Miranda was indeed a touch more cosmopolitan, and I'm sure if I'd succumbed to the world of cocktails beforehand, I may well have found lodgings there, rather than the ghost village down the road! 😅 The 411 does have its limitations in terms of motorway speeds, but it's definitely got more capability than I expected. I think episode 3 has come out by now, oh and it looks like there may be a short domestic trip to Almeria in the new year. 🤞

@@martintraffordmoorlandbike7121 Yep, part three is up, will watch it later 🙂 I find even the bog standard 411 to be perfectly happy at 60 mph on the motorway and wouldn't want to ride any faster anyway ( uses too much fuel 😂 ), so I would still maintain that anybody can go anywhere on one, as you continue to prove. Yes, staying in an empty hotel in a village without any restaurants or shops was a bit grim. I think you solved the problem very well by finding a village with a shop and then getting something to cook for yourself. I certainly think that you would have struggled to find a decent cocktail around there if they didn't even have FOOD ! 😛 Still, as you say, you were oblivious to the delights of cocktails at the time, so you had one less thing to be bothered about. Thank me later. Fingers crossed you can talk the family into a brief trip over to Almeria. Let me know if you are going to be in the area, maybe we can meet up for lunch somewhere or something ( weather permitting ) 👍 Cheers Martin. You get another mention in tonight's video by the way. Want to keep the push towards 1000 subscribers going ! Garry & Ruby

Evening Garry, Yes, the TomTom's had the ultimate upgrade - I've sold it!😅 The Hermida Gorge always impresses me, although the current roadworks are a bit of a pain. The problem with having so much footage, I find is trying to sort out the right amount of decent stuff so as not to have the episodes too long, which as you can see, is becoming a bit of a problem, and there's going to be a fair few episodes to this little adventure! 🤦 Regards to Ruby and yourself, and we'll see how the next one goes. 😎

@@orlandoro73 well the trip went really well eventually, once I decided to head east to the sun. It just means I have to go back another time, to do Serra da Estrela credit. Thanks for watching anyway. 👍

Morning David, I'm just glad that you're able (and still willing) to watch my offerings. Yes that guesthouse was certainly a different experience. I have to say though, these first few videos are a bit of a compromise because of the weather, but it warms up eventually.... honest! Cheers David. 😎

Hello Pete, yes it's a tad frustrating the way TH-cam seem to operate. I've had a number of occasions where comments have turned up literally months later.....who knows?? Thanks for watching anyway, and glad you enjoyed it. 👍

Yes, I seem to miss Allan every time I attend 'The Duke', although we have shared a coffee at The Tea Junction in the past. 👍

Thanks for that David, I started my travelling life a little late, so I'm still learning. You're obviously more knowledgeable than I, and your input is appreciated.

Good afternoon Olle, and it's great to read your comments. Spain and Portugal (and France of course) have a lot to offer, and there's a lot to go back for. I'm glad you've picked up on the mischievous nature of my TomTom - it seems to develop a mind of its own after being in use for a couple of hours. It's been sacked now, and I'm using Google maps on my phone! 👍

Glad you enjoyed it Stephen, I'm glad I took the opportunity to have a look at Portugal, although the weather definitely had different ideas. Yes, as I've said to one or two others, I would say that during the main season it's probably a nice place to stay.

To be honest Peter, I would imagine that during the main season it'd be a great place to stay, but lone occupancy apart, it was as cold as a walk-in fridge! I honestly came away with the opinion that the place was closed down for winter. 🥶

@@martintraffordmoorlandbike7121 You wouldn't expect to have to carry a hot water bottle with you at that of year I shouldn't have thought 🤔

Nope, nor an electric blanket Peter! 🤔😅 Perhaps I should've fetched my sleeping bag in off the bike.

Good morning Peter, nice to know you're sticking with it, I have serious footage issues with this trip, hence the lengthy videos. The way things are panning out, I might just get through it all by June! 🤦 The first one was a viaduct btw, and I do enjoy the occasional bridge! 👍

​@@martintraffordmoorlandbike7121Well I for one love these longer videos of yours as they're packed full of spectacular scenery and you have that gift of conveying how you feel as you ride through. Sharing your experience with us is very special. And I don't know what camera and mic set up you are using on this but it's magnificent in both image and audio quality. I used to use BBC weather but it was rarely correct for here so now I use the Met Office and poke my head outside to get the real feel 😂 See you for our second part later today 🤗

Thanks for that Peter, it's good to know that there are people out there who enjoy my style of offering. The camera I'm currently using is a DJI Osmo Action 3, with a lavalier mic via the necessary adapter cable, and 🤞 I've found some success.

@martintraffordmoorlandbike7121 970 plus folk like what you do 👍. Well you're certainly producing great videos, Martin.

Cheers Mike, yeah the Adams property was a couple of blocks away! 😅 Thanks for watching again. 👍

Evening Glenn and welcome. I hope you find my offerings interesting. Cheers anyway. 😎

Well, this video has certainly piqued my interest. Looks to be the beginning of a great trip 👍

It was indeed a good trip Glenn, a bit of a shaky start weather wise, but plenty of good roads.

Evening Neil, glad you enjoyed it, but fair warning, there's quite a few to come so I hope I can maintain the interest. Thanks for watching again anyway. Regards, Martin.

@ Good morning Sir, You’ll maintain interest, nowt so certain; you are an excellent storey teller. Glad your back safe and sound. Really looking forward to more. Take care Neil

Hello Sanatan, and thanks for watching. I'm sure you enjoyed the ride on your Mutt, and I hope your Scram serves you well. Thanks again. 👍

Thanks Stephen, it was probably my most enjoyable trip yet, although my heart goes out to those affected by the storms down there... truly horrific.

Certainly was, a great trip! Cheers.

Evening Peter, yes it's the moment you realise that your adventure is truly under way. I hope you find it interesting and enjoyable. Cheers. 😎

Absolutely, I've been checking with Garry (Economical Rides) who lives down there, absolute tragedy. The people I met while I was down in the south are in my thoughts.

Good evening David, and thanks for watching again. I must admit that I do tend to stop at the viewpoints, whether there's a statue or not, partly at least as a photo opportunity, in particular to get a thumbnail image for my videos. On this occasion though, it doubled up as an opportunity to get some warmth back in my fingers - it was getting cold up there. I hope you enjoy the rest of the episodes though, there's going to be a few! Regards, Martin.

Now look Allan, you deliberately waited for me to leave the country so that you could sneak up to the reservoirs, so don't be looking for sympathy here! 😅😅 Seriously though, thanks for watching again, I just hope you enjoyed it. Cheers, Martin.

@martintraffordmoorlandbike7121 The N621 is a cracking road. Did it back in 2019, just pre-pandemic.

No argument here Allan, but the N317 down through Sierra de Segura really is something else. There's so many of them over there.

Good evening Nicholas, yes the whole trip was a tad grey and threatening to begin with, but as you'll see, as I got further east and south conditions improved exponentially. All told it was a great trip. Thanks for watching again. Cheers, Martin.

Good evening Chris, and thanks for your comments. You should definitely go for it regarding a trip across there - so much exploring to do. I have a collection of Michelin's orange series, and where possible, their green zoom maps. The Route 66 Café is on the main road that passes the village of Tabernas, and you really can't miss it! 😅 Thanks again for your supportive comments, and I hope you enjoy the videos - there'll be a few! Cheers, Martin.

Haha, yes Stefan and he bloody well had one of my stickers too! 😅

Good evening Howard, if you started on the 7th, you must've been aboard the Pont Aven at the same time as me! I just didn't fancy getting wet again after the experience of the approach to Plymouth, which is why I locked myself down at my first hotel. I persevered with Portugal to begin with, but eventually gave up, and ran for the sun! The riding down to and around Almeria was sublime in the extreme, but now I'm reading about the problems down there I realise we had a lucky escape. Thanks for watching and commenting anyway Howard. Cheers, Martin.

Went from Portsmouth to Bilbao

Good evening Mike, and welcome aboard! It was great to spend a bit of time with Garry, and learning a bit more about his neck of the woods. If you have the slightest inclination to ride in Spain at all, I would urge you to go through with it, as it's such a wonderful country to explore. Thanks for watching and your kind comments anyway Mike, and I hope you find my offerings interesting. Cheers, Martin.

@ evening Martin, thank you, I’m just watching your tour last year and am thoroughly enjoying it 👍next May I’m doing my first ride abroad, over 50 years riding bikes and I’ve never been across the channel, well I’m going into France to meet up with a friend who lives out there, I’m going with a couple of other bikes ( to keep me right 😉) just to dip my toes in 🤣 but I really want to ride through the rural parts of Spain, in particular the mountain roads and passes. Thank you for your video’s they are really interesting and have given me plenty to think about, all the best buddy 👍

Cliché overload coming up Mike, it's never too late, there's a first time for everything etc, etc..... I hope you enjoy the trip, but bear in mind, if you can manage the long crossing to Spain, the good stuff is virtually immediate when you disembark, and it's spectacular riding. 👍

That's kind of weird Alex, I was just watching your ride back to the ferry at Kristiansand and thinking about our similar outlook on solo touring - I really have to think seriously about a Scandinavian tour soon! I was away for 19 days, which is my longest yet. 2,900 miles altogether. Not as successful as I'd hoped in Portugal due to the weather, so a bit of unfinished business. I'm hoping you'll pick up on the fact that I've succeeded in finding a workable audio balance with the Action 3, thanks greatly to your good self. Thanks! Thanks for watching again anyway, and for your comments. Regards, Martin.

@@martintraffordmoorlandbike7121 19 days is a fair old trip👍Audio was first class and worked well. I am thinking about heading back to Norway because I barely scratched the surface but will see in the new year.

Good morning Pete, how nice it is that you were looking forward to my offering, and thanks for the compliments. The weather was great in the main, especially when I got down to the south, although what's happened there over the last couple of days beggars belief! Thanks again anyway, cheers. 👍

Good evening Peter, and again how nice to read your comments - believe me they're much appreciated. It is indeed a long crossing on the Pont Aven, around about 24hours, although some crossings can be 36hours. (A cabin is worth having!) I wondered what was happening regarding Eden North, so that's a bit of good news for those who're interested. What I use as a screen on Blizzard is a standard one, carefully cut down, and I find there to be little in the way of buffeting (good for filming). I have Kenda Big Blocks fitted just now, as I had intended to ride some of the ACT in Portugal, which sadly didn't really happen. They've been alright on the roads, but they won't give me the mileage I'm used to. There is indeed a lot of footage for me to wade through (about 500 gb) so there's going to be a few episodes. I hope you find it interesting to watch, I certainly enjoyed filming it all. Cheers, Martin.

@martintraffordmoorlandbike7121 Thank you Martin. I have seen Kenda tyres advertised for classic tyre sizes but I don't have any experience of them. The reason I ask is because I'd like to try to find a tyre that would suit some of the grittier, leafy , grass in the middle lanes I ride but also be grippy on tarmac. I'll take a look at the Kenda offerings. 👍

I understand your needs Peter, but these Big Blocks are quite an aggressive tread, and personally I think I'd go for something like the Continentals I had on Thumper (my sadly missed Bullet). They were Conti Escapes - well worth a look.

@martintraffordmoorlandbike7121 Thanks Martin. Yes I think you're wearing something more akin to trials tyres there. I need something predominantly road but with grip on looser stuff from time to time. I'll have a look at the Contis. Cheers

Good morning Dave and I hope all's well with you and yours. Nice to read your comments as always and I hope you enjoy this series (there's going to be a 'few'. All the best, Martin.

Oh we had sausages James, but I can't for the life of me think why didn't film it! (something to do with table manners possibly?! 😅) Thanks anyway, cheers. 👍

That's good to know Pete thanks....it might take a wee while though.

@@martintraffordmoorlandbike7121 Yes I would think you've plenty to keep you occupied through the autumn and winter editing your travels. We'll be patient 🤗

Hi Chris, watching twice? That's the sort of dedication I'm more than grateful for!! Things are going well in Spain thanks, (once hurricane Kirk decided to give me some peace!) I did toy with the idea of bringing my laptop with me so that I could upload videos in situ, but common sense won out, so they'll be starting in a week or so. Cheers Chris, Martin.

@@martintraffordmoorlandbike7121 Hi Martin, glad all is going well. Yes it's true to say I have watched some of your videos more than once, as there's always so much information to take in. I've found recently I'm watching hardly any TV, and mostly watching youtubers biking here and there. Look forward to tour upcoming content! Chris.

Cheers Chris, watch this space! 😎

One of my first attempts.

@@martintraffordmoorlandbike7121 fyi, you would had had read the first comment on your first video to then understand this second one. It's the heights I am not good with. Have a big fear of heights. This second video was worse the the first one. Sorry for that confusion. Watched your latest video with the bike meet up and hoping to see Cloe get the sausage. But I will have to imagine that she loved it after all the attention she got.

Well having got that misunderstanding sorted out, yes Chloe enjoyed every bit of her sausage, as always. 😊

Hi, found your comment now. I get what you mean, but as a mountaineer the whole Himalayan experience fascinated me. I don't always appreciate how it might affect viewers. Thanks for watching though, it's appreciated.

@@martintraffordmoorlandbike7121 don't get me wrong, I loved and hated it at the same time. I wish I could tell my head and body that I am safe. But it needs more work I guess. Sorry for the confusion. 😂

Hi again, no worries it's not everyone's cup of tea, but I'm grateful for you watching. 😎

Hi Neil, and thanks again. Chloe's certainly more relaxed in the chair than a campervan! Had a great ride down towards Portugal thanks, but then (ex)hurricane Kirk arrived, so I've spent two days getting to know the villagers! 😊 Off into Portugal tomorrow though, so we'll see what transpires. 🤞 Thanks again anyway Neil, cheers. 😎

@@martintraffordmoorlandbike7121 Bless you Martin; have a brilliant time. Looking forward to watching your new video’s.

Hi Garry, yes Chloe does disapproving quite well, and on a regular basis! She does indeed chill out in that sidecar seat - just doesn't seem to want to get out - unless of course there's the promise of 'a reward'! You're dead right, it was a good turnout given the fact that at 11.45 it was still raining. I was just walking across when the Carberry double-barrelled bullet turned up, sounding very much like two bullets! Just couldn't get the camera sorted in time. Having ridden over the Puerto San Glorio the other night, the 16 tooth sprocket hasn't made that much difference, plus I couldn't be arsed to pack another sprocket and the requisite tools anyway, so I think I'll manage. 😊 Miranda do Douro tomorrow, for 3 days in Portugal, then meander across to Almeria. 🤞 See you soon, Martin.

@@martintraffordmoorlandbike7121 Oh well, that's all good then. Changing sprockets en route did sound like a bit of a faff. I'm sure that first gear on your tuned Himalayan will still pull you up the side of a house, even with the bigger sprocket ! More of an issue should I do it to my OEM Euro 5 example, I would imagine. Enjoy Portugal. I was there on a bike just the once and only saw Faro because I went there for the annual bike meet on my Bullet 500. I prepped it for six months prior to that trip but was still expecting it to break down on me, like it always did. Somehow we got there and back without any issues, just needed to adjust the pushrods on arrival because it was clanging quite a bit by the time I got to Faro. Absolutely thrashed it back on the motorway, took my cruising speed up to 60 mph instead of the usual 55. Somehow we still got back in one piece. A couple of weeks later though, it did stop working once again, probably punishing me for having the audacity to actually use it ! Still can't believe that I bought another RE after that bike but fortunately they had improved massively in the meantime. See you soon Martin, Garry