World Record Challenge

A brief introduction to some of the countries we Visited from May 2002 until today
	Disclaimer: We try our best to keep the site current but it is not always possible because of limited internet access or extended times on our bikes. We hope you will understand and forgive us.
Thank you to all the British Embassies and consular department around the world for your up to the minute travel advice, enthusiasm and support which was always appreciated www.fco.gov.uk	British Ambassador Mongolia
	Note: In some countries we simply transited from border to border. As a consequence we did not have the time to truly experience the culture, history or cuisine of that particular country.
Lonely Planet: In conjunction with the FCO website we also used the Lonely Planet Guide Books and the lonely planet web site to assist us with all travel planning and cultural information. Together the FCO and Lonely Planet guide books provide the complete and current picture.	Lonely Planet Guide Book

	Poland: We traveled from Slovakia to Poland visiting Krakow and Warsaw. Krakow is famous for its splendor and history. The old town sits proud and stunning on the banks of the Vistula River and with a skyline predominated with Gothic cathedrals and churches it has to be one of the highlights of Eastern Europe. Poland is a quickly developing country, but we hope change is not so rapid; as it is Poland's history and culture that leaves you lusting for more.


Slovakia: We spent three days hiking the middle and high Tatras and enjoyed some wonderful weather and incredible scenery. Camping and food was inexpensive and facilities a plenty. We enjoyed the company of a German Ladies Motorbike club who were touring Europe on a diverse assortment of motorbikes. After a few days exploring this rich and beautiful landscape we then rode north into Poland.


Telc Southern Czech	Czech Republic is not only rich in history but it also boasts some of the most beautiful scenery and towns in all of Europe. Prague like a peacock, displays some of the greatest architecture in the world. Czech cuisine is inexpensive, varied and exciting. The Czech Republic is a country that we have fallen in love with, and still one of the cheapest destinations in all of Europe. If it is winter sports or relaxing summer holidays then the Czech Republic should be one of your first tourist destinations. The Czech people are resilient, hospitable, full of character and extremely proud of their heritage - We have thoroughly enjoyed our stay here in this rich and cultural country.


Germany Monika and I Visited BMW Munich and was presented with a lovely souvenir to commemorate our circumnavigation of the world and Guinness World Record. We then experienced some wonderful days riding along the banks of the Rhine, the mighty river that gives western Germany a touch of class. You can enjoy a majestic cruises along the river for one hour or a week, or simply marvel at the baroque architecture, dine in incredible restaurants or riverside cafes or ride along the banks of the Rhine and enjoy some of the best scenery that Europe has to offer. Great cuisine, amazing hospitality, superb terrain, wonderful camping and all at a reasonable value. Don't ride through Germany - Stop and embrace it !	Traditional Carpenter


House of Commons London	England and Wales We made a brief return to England and thoroughly enjoyed a wonderful few days with our families in Plymouth, London, Stafford and Wales. We also experienced one of the must do experiences when in England and that is a sight seeing tour of London and received an incredible welcome from the officers and soldiers of the 26 Engineers Regiment British Army when we visited their base in Salisbury.


Switzerland (54) - Fast Transit but stunningly beautiful, have spent many days in Switzerland before the record quest and certainly one of the highlights in Europe.


	Liechtenstein (53) - Fast Transit

Austria -Regrettably we had a Fast Transit through Austria. Beautiful scenery and certainly one of the top European tourist destination in summer and winter. We look forward to returning soon.

	San Marino (52) - Fast Transit


Iran (51) For the latest travel news and political news we strongly recommend that you check with your Embassy and Travel Advisory before planning your journey to IRAN. "BMW Tehran - Mr Nuriani of Nuriani Enterprises" bestowed on us exceptional hospitality, kindness and genrousity. Special thank you to the Staff at the British Embassy Tehran for the kindness and prompt support during our record challenge and for being there in our hour of need.


	Turkey (50) Immediately we found our selves embraced in Turkeys culture, history and cuisine and simply found it impossible to leave. We can only comment on our own experiences so far, but in the short time we have been here, we found Turkey to be Friendly, cultural and exciting. The whole turkey experience is like a great adventure novel with each turn of the page it continues to captivate leaving you spell bound and lusting for more.

Macedonia (49) After the shortest of visits to Albania we returned to Greece and rode North to the Macedonia Border and on the way visited the beautiful towns of Pirsogianni and Kastoria . Confusingly we saw two or three Welcome to Macedonia Signs deep inside Greece before we eventually crossed the real border. Again because of our Government Warnings we made our visit short and returned to Greece.

	Albania (48) We thought long and hard about visiting Albania such is the instability of the country. After a final consultation with our "Government Web site warnings" we decided we would enter the country visit the first city to obtain a Albania Sticker for our bikes and then exit the country. Unfortunately there was no Albanian Stickers or "Welcome to Albania Signs". Here Monika is parked by the fist sign en-route to our first Albanian city.

Greece (47) We departed Italy from Brindisi Ferry Port and sailed with bikes to Igumenitsa and arrived on time at 5.30 AM. Our aim was for to visit Albania and Macedonia as quickly as possible and then tour beautiful Greece. It wasn't long before we where cruising high in the mountains, swimming in the beautiful lakes and experiencing scenery and riding that was simply out of this world. Greece is a wonderful country, tremendous history and culture and one that we would dearly love to return to.

	Vatican (46) The worlds smallest country, given independence by Mussolini 1924 and the home of the Catholic Church. Incredibly our visit was at the same time as the Pope was giving an audience to the Pilgrims and worshipers from around the world. Absolutely incredible experience and just another day in our BMW World Record Tour.

Italy (45) We arrived in Italy from Spain and visited Pisa, Florence and the capital Rome. During our time in Italy we realized that it was certainly great to be back in Europe. So many beautiful places to see and discover. It is regrettable that In one week we could only scratch the surface of this beautiful country.

	Monaco (44) Unfortunately our schedule allowed us just 24 hours in Andorra but it was time enough to visit the mountainous region of Northern Andorra. Our next destination was the world famous Monaco and Monte Carlo.

Andorra (43) After a cultural couple of days and one press conference hosted by Ms Carmen Rosa BMW Spain and our translator Eva. We had the pleasure of exploring Barcelona and discovering all that this incredible city has to offer. We then rode north across some spectacular scenery, destination the beautiful country, famed for its motorcycle riding and scenery, that's Andorra.

Valencia Spain	Spain Sept 04 (41) After just five days in Portugal visiting Vila Real, Porto and Lisbon we entered Spain via the town of Badajoz and visited Madrid, Valencia and Barcelona. We received the kindest of welcomes from BMW Group Spain and gave a Press Conference in Madrid and Barcelona. We later Visited the historical town of Valencia and rode north east to Barcelona . Special thank you to BMW Groups Portugal and Spain for your hospitality and generosity.

Portugal Sept 2004 (42) We arrived in Northern Portugal from Southern Spain and visited the beautiful towns of Villa Real, Porto and Lisbon. A Beautiful country rich in history and culture and one we would love to experience again. Special thank you to BMW Club Porto and Team BMW Porto for your hospitality and cultural music CD.	Porto City Portugal

	Spain Aug 2004 (41) After visiting Paris France we rode south entered Spain from San Sebastian and rode South East to Villa Real Portugal.

France Aug 2004 After the briefest of stays in Luxemburg we rode south for a small family reunion with my sister Jane and dad and enjoyed the culture, cuisine and art of this truly amazing country.	Eiffel Tower Aug 2004

	Luxemburg Aug 2004 (40) After a 1100 mile ride from Slovakia across the Czech Republic and Germany we arrived in Luxemburg our 40th country. Regrettably we did not have the time to explore this small and beautiful country.

Romania (39) Aug 2004 Departed Bulgaria for a fast transit across Romania so we could meet with our family in Paris France. From our short stay Romania we have to say it was incredibly beautiful with some excellent riding however at times the highways and b roads were in extremely poor condition with no visible sign at all of highway maintenance.	Entry to Romania from Bulgaria

Balchik City Aug 2004	Bulgaria (38) Aug 2004 After a fantastic time in Serbia experiencing their culture we arrived in Bulgaria to enjoy and experience some great scenery. We had a few days on the beach north of Sofia and attended a Bulgarian motorcycle Rally.

Serbia and Montenegro (37) July 2004. Had a incredible good time hosted by the many motorcycle groups of Serbia. Special thank you goes to the Belgrade Motorbike Club "Arc Angel" and the Novisad Motorcycle group.	Serbia July 2004

Sarajevo	Bosnia July 2004 (36) After riding south through the Adriatic Coastline we arrived in Bosnia and Herzegovina in July 2004 and experienced some historic and traditional landmarks. The hospitality was generous and the cuisine excellent.

Croatia June 2004 (35) After our bikes arrived from USA We crossed Czech republic, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, Slovenia and then arrived in Beautiful Croatia June 2004.	June 2004

Whitehouse USA	USA November 2003 We spent twelve months discovering the United States and only touched the surface. Where ever we went we were the recipients of incredible generosity and kindness. A country which simply has everything. The USA has a rich and complex culture and a wondrous and diverse landscape. We found the people to be honest, religious and giving, and they have a love of sports, music and the recreational outdoors. If there is one country we would like to explore again it would be the United States of America.

Canada October 2003 Yukon to Nova Scotia We returned to Canada after touring Alaska and commenced our fourth crossing of North America our destination St Johns Newfoundland. We had a fantastic time with our family in Edmonton and thoroughly enjoyed the riding, scenery and hospitality of the Canadian people. Canada is without doubt one of the most beautiful countries we have ever seen. Where ever we went the hospitality was warm, friendly and courteous. Certainly one of our favourite countries and one we we are desperate to return to.	Aunty Joan Canada

	Canada Sept 2003 British Columbia to Fairbanks We arrived in Vancouver Island and headed North through British Columbia and onward to Alaska and Prudhoe Bay. We then travelled from the west coast to the east coast and visited every province of the country.

USA Aug 2003 Butte Montana to Vancouver Canada. After our second crossing of USA we departed Virginia for Alaska visiting Custer's Memorial, Powwow Indian Event, Sturgis, Crazy Horse Memorial, Mount Rushmore and met motorcycle stunt riders Evil Knievel and Robbie Knievel

	USA July 2003 Lake Tahoe to Virginia Beach Virginia. Picture features fellow BMW riders. Chris, Monika and Benka. Benka (right) and Chris are Guinness world record Breakers and they offered some great advice, we have nothing but respect for two of the nicest people you could ever wish to meet.

USA June 2003 Alamo to Grand Canyon	June 2003

May 2003	Mexico We returned to Mexico from Cuba and headed North West to mainland USA experiencing some of the most wonderful scenery and riding of our world tour. Monika and I received generous kindness and hospitality during our time in Cancun from Mr. Jorge Pinto and his wonderful family.

Cuba We flew to Cuba from Cancun and stayed for six incredible weeks. We visited almost every part of the island. Special Thank you to "Adolfo Priesto" and his family for making our stay such a memorable one. Thank you as well to the Harley Davidson Club of Cuba. The scenery was outstanding, the people warm and the historical attractions, old houses and relic cars made for a memorable and exciting visit.	May 2003

Feb - Apr 2003	USA Feb April 2003 Our arrival in Key West marked the first of our coast to coast crossings of North America, riding from the southern tip of Baja California across the USA to the beautiful Florida Keys.

Baja Mexico Baja California was our first chance to completely rest after six long months crossing the former Soviet Union. It was the first time we had seen sun, surf and sand since the record challenge began but we didn't rest until we completed the world famous "Baja 500" Route.	Jan - Feb 2003

Dec 2002	USA We arrived in America at Los Angeles Airport after a one month tour of Japan. We were generously hosted by Al and Julie Jesse - Arizona who generously provided accommodation until our bikes arrived 3 weeks later. We then commenced our North America section , a journey involving 4 coast to coasts and every mainland state of the USA and every Canadian provinces.

Japan We arrived in Japan by ferry from Vladivostok and spent a month touring this beautiful country. Incredible hospitality, amazing culture, wonderful riding. Thank you to Mr. Kato - BMW Japan for your hospitality and thank you to the Chizuko family and Peter Shackley for making our stay so wonderfully memorable.	Rodney Shackley (Left) Nov 2002

October 2002	Russia - Siberia We entered Siberia from Mongolia and headed east to Vladivostok. In Vladivostok we were hosted by the world famous Iron Tigers Motorcycle Club and they treated us like every other biker who visits Vladivostok, absolutely brilliantly.

Mongolia Incredible adventure, amazing culture and wonderful people.	October 2002

September 2002	China - Beijing During our time in China we visited the the Great Wall of China, Summer Palace, Tiananmen Square and were the recipients of some amazing hospitality. It is our dream to return to China to experience more thoroughly its culture, history and landscape.

Mongolia We entered Mongolia from Siberia and it soon became one of our favourite countries, it was everything we dreamed it would be and much, much more.	August 2002

August 2002	Russia - Siberia We departed eastern Kazakhstan and headed for Novosibirsk Siberia. Monika and I was the recipients of the greatest Hospitality and Kindness from the Management and Staff of BMW Novosibirsk.

Kazakhstan We entered Kazakhstan from Siberia and and had one of the most memorable experiences of our world record challenge. Wonderful country, lovely people and a fantastic adventure.	August 2002

July 2002	Russia We returned to Russia after 3 weeks touring the Ukraine and headed north to the capital city. Geoff Mead Sky News and Mr. Vladimir Vidulov and Ms Olga Pelz BMW Russia ensured our stay was hospitable, memorable and exciting. BMW Russia serviced our bikes and offered Tire and Service support for our crossing of the Soviet Union. The architecture and monuments of St Petersburg and Moscow are grand, impressive and plentiful.

Moldova Our shortest time in any of the countries we have visited. We spent one hour crossing the south east corner of the country	June 2002

June - July 2002	Ukraine We arrived in Ukraine from Belarus and made many new friends in Odessa. The cities of Odessa and Kiev are historical and beautiful and the kindness, generosity and hospitality from the Odessa Motorcycle Club will stay with us for ever.

Belarus A three day transit of Belarus. To our surprise this small country was more how we imagined Russia to be, with its many relics and statues from the former soviet occupancy.	June 26th 2002

June 22nd-25th 2002	Lithuania A 3 day transit of this small country. The picture shows Traki castle. They say the best things come in small packages and so it proved to be. Lithuania is a wonderful experience and like Latvia and Estonia it is really worth the visit.

Latvia A 3-day transit of this small country. We were lucky to be there during their National Celebrations. Beautiful scenery, friendly people and some amazing architecture.	June 22nd-25th 2002

June 18th-22nd 2002	Estonia Beautiful country. Culturally and architecturally Tallinn is very similar to Prague. We thought Tallinn was one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Certainly one of the hidden jewels of Europe and on par with Prague in the Czech Republic.

Russia We entered Russia from northern Norway just before Russian national day and rode from Murmansk to Estonia via St Petersburg.	June 2002

June 2002	Norway - NordKapp Incredibly beautiful with a unique and wondrous landscape. Norway has fantastic terrain that provides incredible riding to match anywhere in the world.

Sweden We arrived in Sweden from Denmark and and rode north to our next destination Norway. Sweden is an amazing country and Stockholm with its meandering waterways is truly worth a visit.	May 2002

May 2002	Denmark We arrived in Denmark from Sweden and spent just one day there. We visited the capital city and experienced a little of their culture and cuisine.

Sweden We arrived in Sweden from Finland and rode west to catch the ferry to Denmark. Enjoyed the beautiful and historical surroundings of Stockholm. We was generously hosted by Sven and Nadja Dehlen	May 2002

May 2002	Finland After arriving from Poland by ferry we spent two days touring the southern part of the country. Beautiful and very similar to Norway, Sweden and Denmark.

Sweden Picture shows us in Stockholm a wonderful city immersed in culture and tradition.	May 2002

May 2002	Poland We arrived in Poland from Germany and had three fantastic days in Warsaw hosted by our friend Richard JakobeK. Wonderful people, historical scenery and excellent cuisine.

Germany Check Point Charley Germany. One of the most famous landmarks of the Cold war. Regrettably we made a fast transit of Germany but we will certainly return to explore more thoroughly.	May 2002

May 2002	Holland We had just one day in Holland here the picture shows me, Richard (left) and Zwerver our host and first Global friend of the Record Challenge. We stayed for one night in the small town of Tilburg before moving East into Germany

Belgium Arrived in Belgium from France and continued North to Holland -- our destination Tilburg.	May 2002

Richard Jakobek May 2002	France Arrived in France after a short crossing on the channel Tunnel in the company of intrepid and good looking Adventurer "Richard Jakobek". We traveled from Dover to Calais and then headed North to Belgium

England Departed England from the BMF show. Had a wonderful send off from members of the GS motorcycle club and friends. Pictures GS Club and my Dad. We received a special send off from TV celebrities and world Adventurers "EASY RIDERS -MONDO ENDURO and TERRA CIRCA Clive, Austin and Gerald .	GSCLUBUK, Dad, Kelly,

May 2002	Wales Unfortunately we had to say good bye to our friends and family. Final picture with my Mum.

Scotland A Short time spent in this wonderful country. Entered from Ireland and rode south to England	May 2002

May 2002	Northern Ireland After departing Dublin we headed to Sligo on the western coast of Ireland and then rode through Belfast to catch the ferry to Scotland.

Ireland First night camping of our world record challenge. Had a fantastic send-off from Maxwell's BMW and then rode to the seaside town of Sligo.	Maxwell BMW Motors May 2002

May 2002	Czech Republic Monika and I said good by to family and friends from Brno Czech Republic. Brno, Prague and the Czech republic is not only rich in history but it also boasts some of the most beautiful scenery and towns in all of Europe.

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