We've now received confirmation of a new slot on BBC Coventry & Warks Radio. I'll be doing an interview with Vic Minett on her lunchtime show on Tuesday 30th June. Expect a few tales from my recent Twin Town Courier ride 10,000 km by 1968 Lambretta to 19 countries.

You can listen live on this link, or after the event on BBC iPlayer.

On the same afternoon I'll be dropping off my final packages from the twin towns of Dresden and Ostrava with the Lord Mayor of Coventry.

Out friends at Overland Magazine put on their first event for the adventure biking community over 19-21st of June. One of the reasons I had to rush back from my Twin Town Courier tour was because they wanted me there as an author alongside Tracy's Maicoletta which is a star of the Frankenstein Scooters to Dracula's Castle book. The Maico was parked for the weekend in the illustrious company of bikes used for Round The World (RTW) or major trips by many fellow authors.

What I didn't know until Thursday was that Paddy Tyson had put me down for a presentation at the event despite me explaining that I didn't really want to do one, and I wasn't even sure if I'd be back from my travels in time. After a hurried assembly of some pictures and video clips on Saturday I was pretty nervous. I felt the best way to prepare for this was to sit around the Overland campfire until the early morning with some new friends and the last of my ample Prosecco supply while Irish musicians entertained us with flutes, harps and fiddles. Oh my weary bones :)

In the end my presentation slot on Sunday morning actually worked out a treat despite being tired and emotional. Subjects covered included the mechanical inventiveness of the scooterboy, that having kids does not have to mean the end of adventuring (Frankenstein Scooters) and the thorny subjects of religion and karma. There's a short clip of the opening section below, but it got better as I went on. I'm not a match for the hilarity of Austin Vince's irreverent delivery, which cracked everyone up as the highlight of Saturday night, but you need to leave room to improve...

Overall Overland Event was a great weekend for me and young Sam: chilled-out with multi-cultural entertainment and dining options and ample camping to cope with the throng. I met so many inspiring people, not least of all former scooterboy Stephen Holmes, sportsbike riding RTW-er Bruce Smart and of course Ted Simon whose book Jupiter's Travels prompted so many of the people there to set off on adventures big or small.

Thanks to everyone who helped with the Overland Event for making it such a chilled environment .

Not being one to do things by half, for the second half of my journey I've been under some tight time pressure because my good lady - Tracy - was due to go away on Wednesday 17th of June, so I had to be back at least by then to look after my son. Or preferably a day early if we wanted to spend any time together...


I had a spare week in my initial plan to make this happen, but with all my breakdowns I was 9 days behind schedule, hence the rush through the last few countries.


The P&O Pride of Hull docked on time and after a full English and my first proper PG cuppa since I used up the last of Steve's teabag supply from Bulgaria I was set for the road. Time for a quick goodbye with the Darlo and Frontline SC lads and time to sprint home as the grey day reluctantly gave way to sunshine.


As I rolled closer to home I caught our friend Vicki walking her dog and was invited round for more tea (hurrah) and cake, but I couldn't stay long.


Somehow my wife managed to wangle getting out of work early and to be home an hour before my son got back from school.


Mmm, it's business time.

After a 550km ride from Dresden I had a night in Essen where I got to try out Airbnb for the first time.

Remaining was the short 200km jaunt to my final continental twin city in Rotterdam. With a ferry booked and my guts for my wife's garters if I was late I have never before been so paranoid about creaks and rattles from my scooter. That didn't mean diversions were out of the question though. On the way I took a small detour towards Utrecht to meet with Frank Dietz, a scooterist friend of more than 25 years. Along the way you must take time to smell the flowers. That's the rules...

After the local delicacies of Fristi and uitsmijter it was a short hop to Rotterdam where I was met by Joep from the town council for a most relaxing meeting at an outside table over a pint. Rotterdam is a vibrant multicultural city as well as Europe's biggest port.

All that remained were the few kilometres to Europort where P&O's luxurious Pride of Hull was waiting to whisk me home to my family after 45 days away. How cool then to find other Lambrettas inside from Darlington Scooter Club on their way home from Euro Lambretta in Austria.

Small world ain't it?

After a swift goodbye to Adi and Alex in Cottbus it was a rush to make an appointment in Dresden with journalist Annechristin and photographer Norbert working for the largest regional newspaper.

Despite my scooter feeling rough I pushed hard to make it almost exactly on time.

After a photo session in front of Dresden's beautiful rebuilt church and interview we discussed the chances of getting my paperwork signing for Rotterdam and Coventry. As it was a Saturday Annechristin had little expectation,  but I was optimistic. Moments later we left with all the certificates signed and stamped. Have faith.

At the end of our meeting, lighting flashed overhead and it began to rain. The weather was trying to tell me something, but what? In the end the rain saved my bacon. Don't ignore the coincidences...

That night I spent in a little hotel just outside Dresden to avoid the storms. Back in the West and suddenly the prices become outrageous.

Never mind, only 800km to do over the next 2 days to my final continental meeting in Rotterdam.

After Czech and my night in the Polish castle it was over the border into Germany for the final of Nuneaton's trio of twin towns.

By this stage I am operating entirely on fatalism, so when my first couchsurfing offer comes from Indian student Aditya I'm happy to accept a sofa in the student halls.

Entering town just before lunch on a Friday I know I've got one shot to see the council as most staff knock off early. Upon seeing a Triumph motorcycle dealership, and with Triumph's factory being so close to Nuneaton, I take a gamble on finding an anglophile behind the counter. Alexander, the owner of the shop (US Chopper), is the model of German efficiency. In five minutes and three phone calls I have the name, number and even an appointment with Kristina Neumann from the international relations department. After an entertaining meeting I leave with both her and the Lord Mayor's signatures.

As for the rest of Friday night, that starts with a home-cooked Indian meal, an interview with the local newspaper, more help from Alex, a scooter tour of the city and descends into drunken student oblivion. Absolutely top hole...

Next stop, Dresden.

Leaving Ukraine for the longer route through Romania and Hungary was the right thing to do. My scooter was running well and I had a fantastic ride through the Carpathian mountains.

The next day saw three countries pass under my tyres, eventually ending up in the Slovakian city of Kosice. Here I'd made a contact via CouchSurfing with Viktor - a young teacher and musician - who offered to host me.

Kosice is probably the hippest place I've stopped so far. After practice of Viktor's punk band we parked my Lambretta in the rehearsal rooms and went for a beer in another part of the old converted tobacco factory.

The following morning Viktor had to leave for work at 7am, abandoning me with both his flat and the keys to the rehearsal room. I was on my own to track down someone to help me with my quest.

Andrea from the tourist information office proved to be just the right lady. She managed to railroad the mayor - who just happened to be passing - to sign my certificates for Ostrava and Cottbus. After sorting things out in record time it seemed only fair to take Andrea out for lunch before collecting my scooter, returning Viktor's keys and making tracks for Poland.

One last stop before the border was Andrea's suggestion; a photo opportunity at Spis castle.

Days like that make up for the difficult ones, but there were highs and lows to come before my overnight stop in Poland...

From Poland it was a short hop to my next stop of Ostrava in Czech Republic
The city is twinned with both my nearest city of Coventry and also Dresden; which are both further on in my journey. They are united in the misery of heavy bombardment in Ww2.

My overnight stay was hosted by IT manager Radim who read my blog and offered me a room in his house. Not just any house, but one he built from scratch over several years with only the help of his father. We got on well.

Radim couldn't help with the council, but I tried the tourism office address dug out for me by Andrea from Slovakia. This first office turned out to be in the brutal former steel mill of Vitkovice. At the town hall I had more luck and got all my requirements sorted.

My last job for the day was to follow Radim's suggestion that I visited some ancient rock formations, but this proved to be a site too far. By the time I eventually found them I could not get the images I hoped for.

After criss-crossing the Polish Czech border all day finding somewhere to eat and stay began to prove a challenge, but by a mixture of  luck and judgement I ended up with an impossibly picturesque castle in Poland all to myself for less than the price of a bed in a hostel dormitory in Germany. The former Iron Curtain still has its advantages in terms of price...

I wasn't hugely happy to leave Slovakia because I'd had a great time, but after Spis castle I crossed the back-roads border to reach my destination of nearby Nowy Sacz.

As with many towns at this end of my tour I had no chance, or the language skills to pre-organise any meetings.  So far my seat-of-the-pants apathetic optimism had always turned up trumps. Why not here too?

The answer came as soon as I rolled onto the drive of my earlier booked accommodation of Gościnny Domek where I was greeted by the wonderful Hanne like a long lost relative. As an anglophile she was happy to hear of my adventure and immediately volunteered to come with me to the council offices the following day. More than that, she even loaned me some Polish money so I could go to the nearby Apollo restaurant before it closed!

The following day we bagged the council and I bought Hanne some breakfast by way of thanks. Top job. Gościnny Domek is a wonderful place to stay if you are ever passing southern Poland.

Next stop Czech Republic and another try at CouchSurfing...