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Malta to Sweden
  • Peter Sprot

Malta to Sweden

I'm riding a BMW GS 1250 which I used to come to Malta in March/April this year. Read more
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  • Trip start
    June 20, 2022
    Peter SprotMalta to SwedenPeter Sprot
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    Valletta Malta to Consenza Italy

    June 20, 2022, Ionian Sea ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    My ferry sailed from Malta with just a few passengers at 9am and took three and a half hours to get to Agusta on the east coast of Sicily. I followed the coast to Messina in temperatures around 32c and took a second ferry of the day to Villa San Giovanni on the Italian mainland then headed inland towards Cosenza which is where I am now.
    It has a nice central walkway which is nice clean and busy. Maybe I'm spoilt by Malta but I found this place very run down and once off the main road it is full of graffiti and tired tenament buildings. The cathedral was ok in a plain sorry sort of way. My hotel is clean and the bike is in a private garage which is part of the hotel.
    Tomorrow's ride to Bari area in the East coast is easy.

    Having bought fuel in Malta for €1.10 per litre it came as a shock to pay 2.38 per litre in Italy    Read more

  • Peter SprotMalta to SwedenPeter Sprot

    Valletta Malta to Cosenza Italy

    June 20, 2022 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 20 °C

    My ferry sailed from Malta with just a few passengers at 9am and took three and a half hours to get to Agusta on the east coast of Sicily. I followed the coast to Messina in temperatures around 32c and took a second ferry of the day to Villa San Giovanni on the Italian mainland then headed inland towards Cosenza which is where I am now.
    It has a nice central walkway which is nice clean and busy. Maybe I'm spoilt by Malta but I found this place very run down and once off the main road it is full of graffiti and tired tenament buildings. The cathedral was ok in a plain sorry of way. My hotel is clean and the bike is in a private garage which is part of the hotel.
    Tomorrow's ride to Bari area in the East coast is easy.

    Having bought fuel in Malta for €1.10 per litre it came as a shock to pay 2.38 per litre in Italy    Read more

  • Peter SprotMalta to SwedenPeter Sprot
    Church very near my hotelNice view of the rear of CosenzaPacking the bike ready to leave this morning36c and risingMy place to swim tomorrow5 euro pizza

    Cosenza to Monopoli

    June 21, 2022 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    I posted the same info twice yesterday and can't delete it.
    Today I had a lazy start and walked around Cosenza and enjoyed it more than yesterday. If I had realised it was going to be so hot I would have set off earlier. I spent a lot of today's four and a half hours in 36c temperature. It even got 37c for a while. It gets really hot when you need to stop at traffic lights or in very slow traffic.
    Today I had my first twisty roads as I came down from the mountains near Pollino national park. I ignored the ridiculous so of limit of 20kph in bend and 30 on the straight and just went at my safe speed as everyone else does.
    My route took me via Taranto so I came along the coast for an hour or so.
    I'm now in Monopoli in a four star hotel with no room internet no working restaurant, no pool, poor air con. But it does have soap in the bathroom unlike yesterday's.
    Tomorrow no riding. I went for a walk and found the local swimming area so I will go.
    I'm just back from eating one of the best pizzas ever and it was only 5 euros.    Read more

  • Peter SprotMalta to SwedenPeter Sprot
    Interesting ruin I wonder what it was
    Cathedral not special from the outsideBeautiful insideI sat for a while. So peacefulNice narrow streets. Still the odd car comes

    Monopoli District

    June 22, 2022 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    After a huge breakfast I walked to the beach and swam for couple of hours then came back to the hotel and fell asleep for a while then rode the bike down the coast and found an amazing ruin in the sea.
    This evening I walked for half an hour to the old town of Monopoli which is very pretty with the inevitable tourists. I found the cathedral which is stunning then looked for a none tourist pizzeria and had a lovely meal.
    Tomorrow I move on. It's a short ride to Alberobello Today's photos illustrate my story well.    Read more

  • Peter SprotMalta to SwedenPeter Sprot
    So many pointed roofsIt's a shame how autofocus can get in the way of a good shot😊1This afternoon's walk in 34c1This meal was so good I had to photograph it1The pharmacy sign said 31c at 9pmNight view also very prettyA lovely relaxed feeling here

    Alberobello

    June 23, 2022 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    I'm in Alberobello near Bari Italy
    You see the pointed roofs. They were designed so the owners could pull on a central rope and collapse the building if the tax man was coming. Then rebuild it when he'd gone.
    It's a very picturesque place. I prefer these towns to big cities.
    I had a walk in the afternoon then another this evening. I'm staying in one of the old houses which are called Trulli. I'm in the cellar which is more comfortable than it sounds. I'm staying here tomorrow so I'll post if I find anything interesting.    Read more

  • Peter SprotMalta to SwedenPeter Sprot
    Waiting to board
    A lot of weight on his bikeOne thin ropeWe left an hour lateNew friendsDubrovnik 07.30Stunning view all the timeToo hot to wear my jacketI am hereHow big is your bikeCan't wait to get a drink if water

    Croatia North of Split

    June 25, 2022 in Croatia ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Yesterday seems like a long time ago when I was killing time by the pool waiting till evening to go to Bari ferry terminal.
    In Italy you expect chaos and delays at any ferry terminal and while I waited at the check in which is 3 kilometres from the ferry I met three other motorcyclists. One from Croatia with his wife on a BMW GS 1250 like mine but the adventure version with the huge fuel tank one from Hungary on a nice BMW GS 850 and one from Austria in a Honda 750 scooter. The Honda guy disappeared once on board and the rest of us had a meal together and a great chat then met again in the morning and decided to travel together up the coast.
    In my last post I said I was heading for Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina but looking at travelers information they said I probably wouldn't be able to buy bike insurance at the border on a Sunday so I cancelled the hostel I had booked and decided to stay in Croatia and head north up the route 8 coast road which is reputed to be one of the best in the world for bikers and I agree. Imagine the best roads you've ever ridden then add to that stunning scenery following the rocky mountainous coast for three hours.
    The three of us had to enter Bosnia and Herzegovina for about half an hour. If you look at a map it is unavoidable. So in that half hour I had no insurance no breakdown cover etc. Not a problem for a short while and sure enough there was no insurance office open that I could see. So we re-entered Croatia where I am covered because it is on my insurance list of countries and where just waved through immigration.
    Further up the road we stopped for coffee and water as it was once again very hot, then we said our goodbyes and soon after they both turned off and I stayed on the coast road for another two hours of twisty roads. At one point I stopped for lunch and after I couldn't face putting on the jacket in the searing heat so I strapped it on the back and rode like most others in a short sleeved shirt.
    Now I'm north of Split still in Croatia in a up market hostel on a tiny peninsula. I've had a swim and a walk and decided on my destination, route and accommodate for tomorrow. 480 kilometers towards the border with Hungary. Not a problem if it wasn't so hot. I've bought water and juice. I just need to find a way to carry it. I'll attach a bunch of photos from yesterday and today.    Read more

  • Peter SprotMalta to SwedenPeter Sprot
    Croatia has perfect road surface almost everywhere. I stopped to take this photo before I joined the
    I am hereThese nice brass plates are all over town

    Varazdin Northern Croatia

    June 27, 2022 in Croatia ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    I was up extra early and on the road just after 07.30 because I knew it was another hot day.
    Five hours in the saddle which was bearable except for going through Zagreb city traffic lights and slow traffic. I'm now in the very picturesque town of Varazdin which is near the border of Hungary and was recommended by my Croatian friends yesterday. I will post some photos. One from today's ride before I joined the motorway and the rest of this lovely town. Tomorrow the forecast is even hotter than today. I have a border crossing and a three hour rideRead more

  • Peter SprotMalta to SwedenPeter Sprot

    Fadd and Paks Hungary

    June 28, 2022 in Hungary ⋅ ⛅ 33 °C

    After a late start, a border crossing into Hungary and three hours ride in not to sticky heat. I arrived at the hotel my Hungarian friend had booked for me and what a fantastic place it is. Beyond anything I've stayed in so far. Take a look at the photos. He came and picked me up in his car and took me to a local fish restaurant to try the speciality soup which was very nice. Then we drove to his friends vineyard and walked around the underground labarynth of tunnels where the wine is stored at 12c. Then to see the owners collection of classic motorcycles which was impressive. I didn't try the wine as I'm still not drinking.
    Tonight back at the hotel we ate an amazing meal. Tomorrow is another hot ride 4.5 hours ending in northern Slovakia only half an hour ride from the border with Ukraine    Read more

  • Peter SprotMalta to SwedenPeter Sprot

    Presov Slovakia

    June 29, 2022 in Slovakia ⋅ ☁️ 32 °C

    Last night's hotel was the best ever.
    https://youtu.be/WeGXDp_uOC8 ignore the commentary.
    I knew it was to be the hottest day so far so I tried and succeeded to stuff my motorcycle trousers in to space taken by my jeans in my pannier and I managed then I did the same with my boots and wore trainer and jeans with my jacket tied on the back of the bike.
    I had a late start 11am and it was already 32c and it climbed to 37 and stayed. I had several stops for fuel or a rest and at one I met some polish bikers who gave me ideas where to stay in that large country. On another rest I feel asleep on a bench for about ten minutes.
    I had sat nav trouble again today as it didn't know about a huge new motorway and border crossing. Google maps is far better than Garmin.
    If my phone could be as bright as the BMW Nav 6 I'd use it all the time.
    Now I'm in a place called Presov in Slovakia which as you will see from the photos is rather pretty. Tomorrow I head for Lublin in Poland about 4.5 hours riding so with breaks nearer 6.
    All the photos are of Lublin as it wasn't picturesque and far too hot on the motorway    Read more

  • Peter SprotMalta to SwedenPeter Sprot
    The white fluff was dropping from the tree like snowThe hotel is ok. The location is why I chose it

    Lublin Poland

    June 30, 2022 in Poland ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    I'm in Lublin Poland. A four hour ride to get here once again in unseasonal heat. The first three hours were not on motorways which was very nice and the first hour was up in the mountains of southern Poland with hairpin after hairpin which was fun but would have been more fun if there were not so many huge trucks.
    Tonight I'm in a hotel which is in the botanical garden of the town so today's photos are of trees and lakes.
    Tomorrow is a 3.5 hour ride north and I'm staying at a hotel in Bialystok. I'll have Belarus on one side and Kaliningrad Oblast in the other and neither of them are fond of the English so I'll hide the bike and use my Maltese identity.    Read more

  • Peter SprotMalta to SwedenPeter Sprot
    The fire department supplied fun for the kids

    Bialystok northern Poland

    July 1, 2022 in Poland ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    The forecast is for this hot spell to end in thunder storms tonight where I started this morning's ride, and will arrive where I am now in Bialystok northern Poland by tomorrow afternoon so I hope to stay ahead of them by continuing north in the morning. I'm only 25 miles from the border with Belarus.
    Bialystok is absolutely beautiful. Totally unexpected. A very nice cathedral and just look at the photos. Wow, I love it. My hotel is very posh. They are cheap in Poland. I was smiling to myself as a bell boy helped me unload the bike and carry my crash helmet up to my room. I've been for a nice walk and soon I'll go for a meal at one of the many places to outdoor eat. They all look good.    Read more

  • Peter SprotMalta to SwedenPeter Sprot

    Kaunas Lithuania

    July 2, 2022 in Lithuania ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    This morning I managed to stay ahead of the rain for the three and a half hours it took to ride to Kaunas in Lithuania.
    My good friend Gintaras who I met on my way to Malta in early April organised a hotel near his house, he came on his new BMW GS 1250 Adventure and took me to his go cart track where we left the bikes in the middle of the circuit and went sight seeing in his car with his girlfriend Erica. It's a lovely city. We had a meal of traditional Lithuanian food, cold beetroot soup which wasn't as bad as it sounds and meat balls in potato. We ended up at a lake side pub where I tried a hashisha. I only had one puff as I don't smoke so it made me cough. There was an American car club showing their cars. A really nice dayRead more

  • Peter SprotMalta to SwedenPeter Sprot
    Where I am
    In the short ride ferryRussia is behind meContemplating life and all its mysteriesHuge sand dunes all around here.All four of them are sucking at the pipes

    Nida Lithuania

    July 3, 2022 in Lithuania ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    It was so nice to leave the journey planning to someone else for once. Gintaras took me to the coast only a kilometre from the border with Russia. We are on finger of land which is connected at the Russian end only so we had to get a ferry then ride towards 40klm to the border town Nida. It's great riding with Gintaras he's a good confident rider, a bit faster than I normally ride and I enjoyed the change of speed. We rode as if in formation cornering together accelerating and braking together. It was easy as we are both on 1250 BMW's No motorways today it was great fun.
    Now I'm sitting at an outdoor restaurant listening to the bubbling hashishas of Gintaras and his friends, one of whom gave me several oysters he was preparing from him own restaurant further down the road. It is so peaceful here.

    I have a change of plan for tomorrow. I'm no longer heading north to Tallinn Estonia then a ferry to Stockholm. I'm catching a ferry from here to Malmö in southern Sweden and my friend Verner is driving down from Stockholm which is a six hour drive to meet me.    Read more

  • Peter SprotMalta to SwedenPeter Sprot

    Latvia and Palanga Lithuania

    July 4, 2022 in Lithuania ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    I'm writing quickly as I'm in a nice new ferry sailing to Malmö in Sweden and I will loose my internet soon.
    Another great day riding with Gintaras sight seeing and this time we included about an hour off road on roads in Latvia on tracks which were full of corrugations, gravel and dust so bad I couldn't see if I stayed too close to the other bike. Great fun sliding the big BMW. It was a while before I thought to change the riding mode to enduro. I'm not sure what it does but I could keep up with Gintaras easier with this. We visited a couple of lovely picturesque seaside towns. Palanga was particularly nice,and enjoyed some good food.Read more

  • Peter SprotMalta to SwedenPeter Sprot
    Near where I am
    Discerning chickens prefer BMWWaiting for Weiner schnitzelsTomorrow rideAnders's Vincent Rapide

    Helsingborg Sweden

    July 5, 2022 in Sweden ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    My ferry was only 6 months old and very comfortable. The sailing was 13 hours I didn't realise the time difference is an hour between Lithuania and Sweden and another hour between Sweden and UK.
    I got to Sweden. Well done me!
    Today's ride was only a couple of hours and at first it was nice to have much cooler weather at 14c then the first rain since April 2nd in southern Italy on the way to Malta. The rain got heavy enough for me to need to stop under a tree and transfer my phone and passport into a plastic bag in my inside pocket.
    Now I'm very close to Helsingborg Sweden and the Danish border staying with good friends I first met while traveling on my Velocette to Sweden in the 1990s. We had a nice meal together and where joined by a third man who was riding a Vincent Rapide.
    Time passes so quickly at times like this.
    After a long discussion plus a look at the weather and ferry timings I've decided to ride over the bridge from Sweden then through Denmark to Germany tomorrow and I've booked a hotel in Lubeck.
    I'll attach some photos from today.    Read more

  • Peter SprotMalta to SwedenPeter Sprot
    I was told my bike should have been inside and secured to the side. OopsI tried using Google lens to translate at McDonald's. I ended up with 2 coffees and no fries

    Lübeck Germany

    July 6, 2022 in Denmark ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Thanks to friend Gunter for a meal last night a place to stay and a hearty breakfast.
    I rode over the bridge from Sweden to Denmark then after a boring ride through Denmark I got a ferry which took around an hour to get to Germany. This was followed by another boring ride through the very north of Germany to my destination for tonight the rather pretty city of Lübeck which has a collosal cathedral but sadly by the time I made the half hour walk from my hotel it was closed.
    Tomorrow's ride will be a busy one through Germany into Holland. The forecast is for rain    Read more

  • Peter SprotMalta to SwedenPeter Sprot
    Grey sky seen from the 8th floor of my hotel in Lubeck this morning.
    The hotel is in a forest.It looks better than it is.Not the best carbon footprintToday's ride

    Apeldoorn Holland

    July 7, 2022 in the Netherlands ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    I wasn't looking forward to the ride down past Hamburg and Lubeck on highway number one in Germany as I know it is always very busy and today it was a nightmare. After less than half an hour I saw the sky was black ahead of me and rain was falling very hard so I stopped under a bridge and put my phone in a plastic bag with my passport in my inside pocket. I had ready a thin cheap but very waterproof jacket of the type walkers use and put that over my motorcycle jacket then set off into the mailstrom. The rain was so hard I could see only the length of two trucks in front of me. Thankfully everyone driving was sensible and we all slowed to 50kph and kept a good distance. The rain was hammering off my clothing. If forgot to change my gloves for the waterproof ones so my hands after soaked in seconds but it wasn't very cold so it didn't matter until I stopped and had to peel my gloves off. Eventually the rain cleared and we speeded up. Normally I sit around 125kph but as I was on a road with no restrictions for a few minutes I sat at 190kph and had a laugh when I looked in my mirror and saw a white van wanting to overtake
    .
    Now I'm in a not very nice hotel in a forest near Apeldoorn Holland. Two hours ride from the ferry which I'll get tomorrow afternoon.

    This morning I got an email from Google whom I have let track my whereabouts for years. Every month it gives a summary of where I've been, how far I've walked, cycled, driven, flown etc. I'll put a screenshot in the photos. As you might imagine it has been an interesting month.    Read more

  • Peter SprotMalta to SwedenPeter Sprot

    Hook of Holland port

    July 8, 2022 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    I'm sitting on a ferry waiting to sail back to UK from the Hook of Holland and I was thinking the last time I watched any TV or heard news was June 5th. There was TV in every hotel but I never switched it on.
    Not knowing the news can have a down side as I remember setting off one morning from a hotel in Poland very close to the border with Ukraine. The road ahead was blocked by a military tank.
    I thought the war had escalated.
    It had broken down.    Read more

  • Peter SprotMalta to SwedenPeter Sprot

    Home

    July 10, 2022 in England ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    I've been home since Friday night. I've unpacked and cleaned the BMW GS 1250.

    When I returned from riding my Vincent to the Arctic circle in 2008 I was able to list all the repairs I had done along the way and what needed to be done now that I was home. I could say with reasonable confidence that the Vincent had returned 55 miles per gallon and had used half a litre of oil and a can of chain spray. Back then I traveled with my friend Graham who had a new BMW 800. We both set off trips to zero at the start and when we checked in northern Sweden they where 1 mile different from eachother so of course I said Graham's must be wrong.

    Riding the BMW a longer distance from UK to Malta to Latvia to Sweden then back to UK is a different story. It has a bigger engine and I went a bit faster than I did on the Vincent. The BMW returned 60.1mpg. it used no oil and nothing at all needed adjusting. I had set the trip to zero before I started and it says I've traveled 5170 miles and was riding for 113 hours. I counted 15 countries visited.

    My next trip may well be back on an old motorcycle. Riding my Velocette Venom to Malta. Either in autumn or next spring.

    I'll attach pictures from the Vincent trip and one of the Velo which is ready to go and one of the BMW in Malta.    Read more

    Trip end
    July 8, 2022
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