Absolutely fantastic, was awesome to meet you and Jase and obviously everyone else and hope yo meet you again sometime even if I have to come over there . Stay safe and happy travels mate . ❤
Cheers Matt. It was a really good few days with some really good people and like we mentioned that’s what made the ABR for us. I’ve no doubt our paths will cross in the not to distant future. Stay safe my friend.👍🏼
Absolutely great film of our weekend and so very well edited and produced! A very fair review I think and some great suggestions from Wookiee and others on a “True VIP” package! Overall for me it was a great weekend mostly due to you lot and the laughs we had but facilitated by a decent festival that has a bit of room for improvement in certain areas. Cheers!
Cheers Jay. It was, without doubt, a brilliant weekend. You and the rest of the gang are excellent company and I think we can safely say we had a great laugh. If I was in the UK I would definitely be there in 2024. Still I’m sure our paths will cross again in the future. Stay safe mate. All the best. Team Green String.👍🏼
Great video and I am with you re “bike meets”. The reason we didn’t go to ABR was precisely as you found it, queue’s, queues, queues. I have heard a lot of rave reviews from people who attended, but feel it may be more the great time they had sat around camp fires with their mates, and lots of beers. That’s the bit I would enjoy. Thanks for a bloody good insight.👍😎
As always thanks for the comment. I know you gave not only your advice but also your opinion regarding big bike meet ups and I think I can now put this whole event behind me. Done that, literally got the T shirt and no, I won’t be back. I do genuinely think the vast majority loved it and for good reason. It’s big, really big and I’m pretty confident it’s gonna get bigger & bigger and I’m sure the masses with love it, good on ‘em. I’ll stick to Horizons Unlimited meetings in the future. I can get real advice from people with real experience and best of all there is an honesty bar, which sort of sums up my point. Stay safe my friend.👍🏼
A great video to get the real atmosphere of the event. Like you suggest in the summing up a lot of people would be better off spending their money having an adventure not being crammed in with a lot of people who dream of doing so.
An excellent no holds barred review, with some excellent points made by your group. Of all the bike things I attended ,I was always amazed to find that the organisers thought that hot dogs and burgers were "meals" or on a good day hog roast buns. Like you Steve I have never liked these things but my pals always insisted. Prices also have always been high given you are a captive group after a beer and a half. I think I enjoyed it better than your whole group. I would have liked to have seen Noraly personally giving her talk . She is phenominal. Thanks for another great video young man. Take but enjoy yourself.
Thanks mate. I’m sure I’m gonna get some flak for this video! To be honest I did enjoy it but I would have had as much fun in any old farmers field, having a few beers with the lads. But at least I’ve scratched that itch and can move on. It seems the vast majority of people loved it, so I’d say it was a really successful event for the organisers. I’m sure it will be even bigger next year. I just got back from a cracking solo tour up to Finland. It involved lots of “firsts” for me. I’ll start trawling through the hours of footage soon and hopefully produce a coherent video in a few months time. In the meantime stay safe my friend.
I did VIP at the ABR in 2022 and I did enjoy it. I didn't ride the trails as I did a lot of Enduro riding when I was younger and was glad I didn't far too crowded. I did get to see and sit on a lot of bikes and tried a bike I would have never tested (Tracer 900) , did lots of talks etc. The queues weren't too bad for food and drinks, enjoyed the bands but as with you itch scratched, job done. However, when I heard John McGuiness was there I bought a ticket for the Saturday this year . We arrived early Saturday and could not believe how big it had got. I had fun but it was too big for me, I won't be going again. I did see your group there and was good to have a quick chat with Leigh and I've been waiting for a video to come out from one you Guys. Great video Steve and sorry for the essay.
Cheers Lee. I’m pretty confident that 99% of the people there had a great time and will be there next year. It’s just all a bit too expensive to travel from mainland Europe and, as a minimum, you really need to take 4 days holiday as well. Add all that up and we could have travelled to Spain, the Alps, Scandinavia the list goes on so it doesn’t make much sense. Mind you I’m glad I went it is a HUGE event and should definitely be on every bikers bucket list. Stay safe and thanks for taking the time to comment.👍🏼
We are bikers. All equal, no VIP's. Thank You for going so we don't have to. Hoping to visit the UK this summer but the ABR festival is not for me. Cheers:)
Yeah, we could have spent our time and money more wisely! But you don’t know until you go. I believe the majority of people seemed to enjoy it so I guess that’s makes us the exception. Thank you for taking the time to comment. It’s appreciated 👍🏻
We couldn't go the last 2 years. So we booked 2024. Just to check out what all the fuss is about and to say: Been there, done it. Box ticked 😅 Mid September I'm in the GT area. Let me know if you guys are up for a Hello and a wee chat. 👋
I think the vast majority of people had a blast and it is, without doubt, a bucket list item for every biker. But financially and the time needed to travel over from Germany means we missed out on our annual pilgrimage to some far off land so Jase feels a bit cheated. I don’t because I went off to Finland for a few days😁 but that’s another video. To be honest it will be very difficult to do a meet up as I’m now fully back at work and I’m on Night Shift for the majority of September and I know Jase is in the UK…its a bit of a nightmare. We literally have to plan nearly a year in advance to make sure we are both not at work at the same time. So I apologise in advance, but I do hope you have a great time back in GT. Stay in touch guys all the best.👍🏼🇩🇪🇬🇧
That was a good summary of the ABR, we went the previous 2 years, but didn't go this year .. it seemed to be growing faster than the organisers could cope with the extra demand .. we didn't bother trying to book any rides because they were all gone within minutes of opening, and found the food expensive and not very tasty .. we only came from Kent, so didn't have the extra travel expense you had .. I enjoyed listening to the talks by a few heroes of mine and had a laugh with my mates .. but we have a laugh going out for a Fish and chip run down to the coast..
I do think it’s a brilliant event and you make a good point about its year in, year out expansion. The bigger it gets it’s fair to assume the less control the organisers will have over the multiple contractors that are on site. Will they deliver what the organisers asked and paid for? Well there are a few examples, that I did not include in this video, where some contractors did fall short of the mark. (Others did brilliantly). This is not the fault of the organisers but an inevitable result due to the size of the event. You simply cannot micro manage everything. I would definitely go again if I was in the UK but the expense is hard to justify coming from mainland Europe. I’m sure I’ll take some flak for this video along the way but I do appreciate you have taken the time to watch and comment. Stay safe and keep riding.👍🏼
@@GreenString I think this is the most accurate vid I've seen of the weekend on Utube ..and sums it up as a great weekend with room for improvement .. We all enjoyed ourselves but decided to give it a miss this year and we had a long weekend riding to Luxembourg and back instead .. Living in the SE of the UK, Europe is so traffic free and enjoyable to ride in.. It was a good decision for us .. Ride Safe ..
We had the same complaints about registration and getting in on the Thursday, but sounds like they’ve taken that on board with an earlier opening time🤞🏻Will we see you next year at ABR gents?!🤔
That initial ride in on the VIP day was insane. I understand the organisers may have possibly wanted the shot of 2000 ADV bikes rolling into the festival but, in my opinion, that could have been achieved with a couple of hundred bikes. Your right in that I believe they are now allowing entry from 0900 hrs in 2024 which will prevent the choke point. This makes much more sense. Hats off to the organisers. At least they are genuinely trying to improve the festival year in year out. I believe some of the guys in this video are going next year but Team Green String will not be attending, but that doesn’t mean I will never go again. Thank you for taking the time to comment. It really is appreciated. Stay safe and keep riding 👍🏼
Really interesting 'been there, done that' review. When I saw an advert for ABR several years ago I knew it was not my thing... just way too big (unsociable b'stard me). By contrast I was at the Overlander Event over the weekend (sadly the last) and with only 400 people there, great bands, drinks at £4.50 a pint (again not my bag but seemed a fair price) and a huge choice of presentations to attend it was a great weekend....for me. It had its faults but they were far outweighed by the plusses. I also notice that HU seems to slowly be growing again in the UK, great news, and that there are a few other smaller events similar to the Ovelander which will without doubt fill the space left. As an aside, Billy Ward, who interviewed Nick Sanders gave one of the longest and funniest presentations of the weekend, he's a real character and given that he called me "lad" (we are a similar age) he falls into the category of 'good egg' in my books.
Well at least I can tick it off my bucket list. I will be definitely be going to another HU meeting, maybe try and get to the Austrian one next year. Great location and it conveniently runs at the back end of the biking season,so might be a nice last big ride out. My mission this year was to do as many organised events as possible. I even did a local navigation rally last weekend (Probably make a little video later in the year) I’ve come to the conclusion that you can take ‚em or leave ‚em. I know to a lot of bikers some events are like a pilgrimage and they love them. I got that Impression at the ABR the vast majority of people were having a great time so the event organisers must be doing something right. Right now my focus is on a big trip down to Morocco early next year. I love the planning it’s half the fun and it’s probably not going to cost much more than going to the ABR. 😁 Stay safe Neil, speak again soon.
@@GreenString Just like you Steve, I am really not an 'event' type person. The Overlander event looked interesting and there was a great vibe as well as a lot of really interesting presentations including a real corker about Morocco, the desert, minefields and being shot at!.... Don't want to alarm you, just sayin. Thing is, I am not a drinkin' and carousin' type, never really have been, so loud music and beer are never a draw for me. As for planning trips... that's what winters for isn't it?
Absolutely fantastic, was awesome to meet you and Jase and obviously everyone else and hope yo meet you again sometime even if I have to come over there . Stay safe and happy travels mate . ❤
Cheers Matt. It was a really good few days with some really good people and like we mentioned that’s what made the ABR for us. I’ve no doubt our paths will cross in the not to distant future. Stay safe my friend.👍🏼
😂 LOVED the “nice relaxing ride across Holland” 🇳🇱 🌧️
Hahaha, I know right! „If you want a rainbow you’ve got to put up with the rain“ Dolly Parton. Thanks for taking the time to comment. Stay safe👍🏻
Absolutely great film of our weekend and so very well edited and produced! A very fair review I think and some great suggestions from Wookiee and others on a “True VIP” package!
Overall for me it was a great weekend mostly due to you lot and the laughs we had but facilitated by a decent festival that has a bit of room for improvement in certain areas.
Cheers!
Cheers Jay. It was, without doubt, a brilliant weekend. You and the rest of the gang are excellent company and I think we can safely say we had a great laugh. If I was in the UK I would definitely be there in 2024. Still I’m sure our paths will cross again in the future. Stay safe mate. All the best. Team Green String.👍🏼
Great video. Nice bunch of lads 👍
Thanks, to be honest it was the lads we were with that made the weekend for me. Stay safe & keep riding👍🏻
Great video and I am with you re “bike meets”. The reason we didn’t go to ABR was precisely as you found it, queue’s, queues, queues. I have heard a lot of rave reviews from people who attended, but feel it may be more the great time they had sat around camp fires with their mates, and lots of beers. That’s the bit I would enjoy. Thanks for a bloody good insight.👍😎
As always thanks for the comment. I know you gave not only your advice but also your opinion regarding big bike meet ups and I think I can now put this whole event behind me. Done that, literally got the T shirt and no, I won’t be back. I do genuinely think the vast majority loved it and for good reason. It’s big, really big and I’m pretty confident it’s gonna get bigger & bigger and I’m sure the masses with love it, good on ‘em. I’ll stick to Horizons Unlimited meetings in the future. I can get real advice from people with real experience and best of all there is an honesty bar, which sort of sums up my point. Stay safe my friend.👍🏼
A great video to get the real atmosphere of the event. Like you suggest in the summing up a lot of people would be better off spending their money having an adventure not being crammed in with a lot of people who dream of doing so.
I think you hit the nail on the head with that comment. 👍🏼
DAVE! 😂…..great weekend with great company captured in a fantastically edited video 👌
Cheers Dave.... errr I mean Rob😁👍🏻
An excellent no holds barred review, with some excellent points made by your group. Of all the bike things I attended ,I was always amazed to find that the organisers thought that hot dogs and burgers were "meals" or on a good day hog roast buns. Like you Steve I have never liked these things but my pals always insisted. Prices also have always been high given you are a captive group after a beer and a half. I think I enjoyed it better than your whole group. I would have liked to have seen Noraly personally giving her talk . She is phenominal. Thanks for another great video young man. Take but enjoy yourself.
Thanks mate. I’m sure I’m gonna get some flak for this video! To be honest I did enjoy it but I would have had as much fun in any old farmers field, having a few beers with the lads. But at least I’ve scratched that itch and can move on. It seems the vast majority of people loved it, so I’d say it was a really successful event for the organisers. I’m sure it will be even bigger next year. I just got back from a cracking solo tour up to Finland. It involved lots of “firsts” for me. I’ll start trawling through the hours of footage soon and hopefully produce a coherent video in a few months time. In the meantime stay safe my friend.
I did VIP at the ABR in 2022 and I did enjoy it. I didn't ride the trails as I did a lot of Enduro riding when I was younger and was glad I didn't far too crowded. I did get to see and sit on a lot of bikes and tried a bike I would have never tested (Tracer 900) , did lots of talks etc. The queues weren't too bad for food and drinks, enjoyed the bands but as with you itch scratched, job done. However, when I heard John McGuiness was there I bought a ticket for the Saturday this year . We arrived early Saturday and could not believe how big it had got. I had fun but it was too big for me, I won't be going again. I did see your group there and was good to have a quick chat with Leigh and I've been waiting for a video to come out from one you Guys. Great video Steve and sorry for the essay.
Cheers Lee. I’m pretty confident that 99% of the people there had a great time and will be there next year. It’s just all a bit too expensive to travel from mainland Europe and, as a minimum, you really need to take 4 days holiday as well. Add all that up and we could have travelled to Spain, the Alps, Scandinavia the list goes on so it doesn’t make much sense. Mind you I’m glad I went it is a HUGE event and should definitely be on every bikers bucket list. Stay safe and thanks for taking the time to comment.👍🏼
We are bikers. All equal, no VIP's. Thank You for going so we don't have to. Hoping to visit the UK this summer but the ABR festival is not for me. Cheers:)
Yeah, we could have spent our time and money more wisely! But you don’t know until you go. I believe the majority of people seemed to enjoy it so I guess that’s makes us the exception. Thank you for taking the time to comment. It’s appreciated 👍🏻
We couldn't go the last 2 years. So we booked 2024. Just to check out what all the fuss is about and to say: Been there, done it. Box ticked 😅
Mid September I'm in the GT area. Let me know if you guys are up for a Hello and a wee chat. 👋
I think the vast majority of people had a blast and it is, without doubt, a bucket list item for every biker. But financially and the time needed to travel over from Germany means we missed out on our annual pilgrimage to some far off land so Jase feels a bit cheated. I don’t because I went off to Finland for a few days😁 but that’s another video. To be honest it will be very difficult to do a meet up as I’m now fully back at work and I’m on Night Shift for the majority of September and I know Jase is in the UK…its a bit of a nightmare. We literally have to plan nearly a year in advance to make sure we are both not at work at the same time. So I apologise in advance, but I do hope you have a great time back in GT. Stay in touch guys all the best.👍🏼🇩🇪🇬🇧
That was a good summary of the ABR, we went the previous 2 years, but didn't go this year .. it seemed to be growing faster than the organisers could cope with the extra demand .. we didn't bother trying to book any rides because they were all gone within minutes of opening, and found the food expensive and not very tasty .. we only came from Kent, so didn't have the extra travel expense you had .. I enjoyed listening to the talks by a few heroes of mine and had a laugh with my mates .. but we have a laugh going out for a Fish and chip run down to the coast..
I do think it’s a brilliant event and you make a good point about its year in, year out expansion. The bigger it gets it’s fair to assume the less control the organisers will have over the multiple contractors that are on site. Will they deliver what the organisers asked and paid for? Well there are a few examples, that I did not include in this video, where some contractors did fall short of the mark. (Others did brilliantly). This is not the fault of the organisers but an inevitable result due to the size of the event. You simply cannot micro manage everything. I would definitely go again if I was in the UK but the expense is hard to justify coming from mainland Europe. I’m sure I’ll take some flak for this video along the way but I do appreciate you have taken the time to watch and comment. Stay safe and keep riding.👍🏼
@@GreenString I think this is the most accurate vid I've seen of the weekend on Utube ..and sums it up as a great weekend with room for improvement .. We all enjoyed ourselves but decided to give it a miss this year and we had a long weekend riding to Luxembourg and back instead .. Living in the SE of the UK, Europe is so traffic free and enjoyable to ride in.. It was a good decision for us .. Ride Safe ..
@@Mr2OOM I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again…it’s the simple things in life that make it what it is.👍🏼
We had the same complaints about registration and getting in on the Thursday, but sounds like they’ve taken that on board with an earlier opening time🤞🏻Will we see you next year at ABR gents?!🤔
That initial ride in on the VIP day was insane. I understand the organisers may have possibly wanted the shot of 2000 ADV bikes rolling into the festival but, in my opinion, that could have been achieved with a couple of hundred bikes. Your right in that I believe they are now allowing entry from 0900 hrs in 2024 which will prevent the choke point. This makes much more sense. Hats off to the organisers. At least they are genuinely trying to improve the festival year in year out. I believe some of the guys in this video are going next year but Team Green String will not be attending, but that doesn’t mean I will never go again. Thank you for taking the time to comment. It really is appreciated. Stay safe and keep riding 👍🏼
The World According to WOOKIEE
I'm a Nightcrawler 666 fan loveeee
Youuuuu Leigh .Good video Awfull the V.I.P Tickets crap 😈🤟👍
Haha, Wookie is a living legend👍🏻😁
That a Honda t-shirt again WOW
I'm gonna get me one as well 😁
Really interesting 'been there, done that' review. When I saw an advert for ABR several years ago I knew it was not my thing... just way too big (unsociable b'stard me). By contrast I was at the Overlander Event over the weekend (sadly the last) and with only 400 people there, great bands, drinks at £4.50 a pint (again not my bag but seemed a fair price) and a huge choice of presentations to attend it was a great weekend....for me. It had its faults but they were far outweighed by the plusses. I also notice that HU seems to slowly be growing again in the UK, great news, and that there are a few other smaller events similar to the Ovelander which will without doubt fill the space left. As an aside, Billy Ward, who interviewed Nick Sanders gave one of the longest and funniest presentations of the weekend, he's a real character and given that he called me "lad" (we are a similar age) he falls into the category of 'good egg' in my books.
Well at least I can tick it off my bucket list. I will be definitely be going to another HU meeting, maybe try and get to the Austrian one next year. Great location and it conveniently runs at the back end of the biking season,so might be a nice last big ride out. My mission this year was to do as many organised events as possible. I even did a local navigation rally last weekend (Probably make a little video later in the year) I’ve come to the conclusion that you can take ‚em or leave ‚em. I know to a lot of bikers some events are like a pilgrimage and they love them. I got that Impression at the ABR the vast majority of people were having a great time so the event organisers must be doing something right. Right now my focus is on a big trip down to Morocco early next year. I love the planning it’s half the fun and it’s probably not going to cost much more than going to the ABR. 😁 Stay safe Neil, speak again soon.
@@GreenString Just like you Steve, I am really not an 'event' type person. The Overlander event looked interesting and there was a great vibe as well as a lot of really interesting presentations including a real corker about Morocco, the desert, minefields and being shot at!.... Don't want to alarm you, just sayin. Thing is, I am not a drinkin' and carousin' type, never really have been, so loud music and beer are never a draw for me. As for planning trips... that's what winters for isn't it?
@@neilmackinnon3371 Haha, very true my friend, very true👍🏼