GREAT ESCAPES FOR CHRISTMAS
I would just like to apologise to Rudolph, Mrs Rudolph and all the little Rudolphs since, as we all know, every time someone mentions Christmas before December 1, an elf kills a baby reindeer.
However, if you’re stuck for a good bike adventure book to buy as a present, look no further.
Sam Manicom needs little introduction to most fans of this genre thanks to his four books recounting eight years of globetrotting, which started with learning to ride, buying a bike, jacking in the job and heading off to travel all the way down through Africa.
The result, Into Africa, is a cracker, as are Under Asian Skies, Tortillas to Totems and Distant Suns. A new kid on the block is Jacqui
Furneaux. After her marriage broke down, she went backpacking, bought a Royal Enfield in India, and spent the next seven years riding around the world on it, covering 42,000 miles and 20 countries in seven years.
The result, Hit the Road, Jac!, is a hugely enjoyable tale of nights spent in police stations, brothels, toilets, up trees and, much of the time, on the ground by the side of the motorbike.
Another unstoppable spirit is former Para and Commando Steve Smith, whose Steve and the Tiger is a gripping account of riding a Triumph Tiger 800 the length of the Americas.
Steve writes just the way he talks: direct, candid, funny, brave and upbeat. Hit by problems which would have left the rest of us sobbing by the roadside for our mummy, he just laughs, shrugs and finds a solution.
Gone Riding by Dom Giles takes in a six-month trek from Alaska to Panama and down through Africa. It’s a great read: witty, humorous, thoughtful, articulate and self-deprecating.
The Road to Mali, by Craig Carey-Clinch, is something a bit different. The first half deals with his involvement with motorcycle politics with fellow campaigner Simon Milward.
After Simon was killed in a bike crash in Mali in 2005, Craig and friend David French set off to ride to the site of the crash as a tribute.
In Notes from the Road Vol III, Derek Mansfield buys a Moto Guzzi Stelvio which then promptly breaks down as he rides it home from the dealer. Naturally, he then sets off on it to Mongolia. And, finally, let’s not forget Overland Event organiser Paddy Tyson, whose The Hunt for Puerto Del Faglioli is an inspired, wise and witty romp through Canada, the USA and Central America on an apparently completely unsuitable Aprilia Pegaso 650.
So, fill your stockings right away!