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Malta via The BalkansMalta via The Balkans
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Malta via The Balkans

May - July 2019
This is my first solo motorcycle adventure.
My aim is to ride to Malta via Croatia Montenegro Albania Corfu Italy etc.
I have no fixed timetable other than to meet Mandy in Dubrovnik. Read more
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  • 36footprints
  • 12countries
  • 53days
  • 297photos
  • 0videos
  • 3.4kmiles
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  • Peter SprotMalta via The Balkans
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    Day 28

    Etna and the ferry to Malta

    June 8, 2019 in Malta ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    I waited until almost 3pm before setting off from that idilic farmhouse in the hills just outside Spadafora Sicily. It was very hot so I abandoned my plan of a stroll round Noto and opted instead for a ride up mount Etna which I thought might be cooler. And what a ride it turned out to be. Everything was going just great until I reached the base then my sat nav decided it was time for another adventure so it took me up a road which became narrower and strewn with dumped rubbish until my way was blocked by two burnt out cars so I turned around and asked the sat nav to behave so it then took me for 45 minutes up one of the best roads of the trip. Perfect road surface with a mixture of fast and slow sweeping bends and many hairpins. The road had in several places been cut through the lava and not long ago. It was about 4.30 as I started the assent and the road was completely empty. Just me, it was incredible. At the top the tourists had all gone and everything was closed except the cafe bar where I met some Italian bikers who were not very chatty so I left them alone and just had a quick latte coffee and set off for another uninterrupted ride back down.
    I stopped for fuel just after 6.30 and didn't have time to waste to get to the ferry for 8.30 one motorway toll had a cue over a kilometre long so I turned into an Italian bikers and jumped it. The fee was 1.20 euros, hardly worth collecting.
    I boarded the new ferry to Malta at 8.20. it is called Saint John Paul ll Google it, it is not cheap but quite impressive. It was very full with no room for any more bikes or cars when we sailed.
    I love arriving in Malta so the drive at midnight from the port to the house was great. I couldn't settle once I arrived so I did all my clothes washing and had something to eat thanks to Laurie for getting me some milk and bread.
    It's funny how I don't get hungry when I'm on the bike. There have been several days when I have had only one meal.
    So now I relax for a while. I hear there is a classic car show in Valletta tomorrow and I'm just about to go and buy a ticket for a concert next Friday which features the man who sang the part of Freddy Mercury in the film Bohemian Rhapsody. He is singing at Fort At Angelo which is a five minute walk from the house.
    I will make an occasional post while here but not so frequent as while traveling.
    When I do travel back to the UK I'm thinking of going via Sicily, Sardinia, and Corsica, rather than ride up Italy. Stay tuned.    Read more

  • Peter SprotMalta via The Balkans
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    Day 29

    Valletta and the car show

    June 9, 2019 in Malta ⋅ ☀️ 37 °C

    Malta is experiencing a heat wave. 34c today dropping tomorrow.
    I love the ferry ride to Valletta. I have a card like the London Oyster card which I use to travel on the bus or the ferry or to rent a electric assist bicycle. As I'm over 60 traveling this way is very cheap.
    As you see in one of the photos the American university of Malta is now up and running in Cospicua.
    I went to see the classic car show in Valletta opposite parliament buildings. The standard was as expected very high.
    Not many tourists today, only one cruise ship so it was nice to walk around despite the heat.
    I read in today's paper Ryanair are starting a new airline based in Malta called Malta Air. Ten new planes and 60 destinations.
    Malta just gets better and better, every time I come there are improvements.    Read more

  • Peter SprotMalta via The Balkans
    1
    Day 35

    A few photos from Malta

    June 15, 2019 in Malta ⋅ ☁️ 32 °C

    I've been to Valletta several times, always in the ferry as it is such a pleasant ride and very quick. Mostly I stay near the house going for several walks a day trying to stay in the shade. I have used the bike only once since I arrived. Might go for a ride tomorrow. Everyone here rides in shirts and tee shirt. I know it's wrong but I've been doing the same and it's surprising how much heat you feel from the engine on your legs!
    Last night was the Queen tribute concert which was better than I expected. The Maltese backing band where superb.
    Today at a cafe the man in the next table had a pretty young bird with him so I borrowed her for a photo.    Read more

  • Peter SprotMalta via The Balkans
    1
    Day 40

    Agrigento Sicily

    June 20, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    My alarm was set for 02.45 and I was at the ferry for 03.30 queuing up with quite a few other bikes. When we arrived at Pozzallo it was 07.10 and a comfortable 24c. When I was waiting to get on the ferry in Malta I had set the destination of my hotel in Agrigento into the sat nav which turned out to be a mistake because for some weird reason the sat nav thought I would be getting off the ferry at Catania (a long way north) so it decided to go via Catania to Agrigento. It took me about 15 minutes to realise I was going in completely the wrong direction so I entered the same address again and this time it behaved and turned me around but took me to a farm about 2 km from the hotel! So I put my phone in its mount on the handlebar and Google maps took me to the correct place. Luckily I wasn't in a hurry as my hotel said don't arrive before mid day.
    As it was getting hot I rode with my jacket open and as I rode through the city of Gela I got stung by something. I couldn't stop because of the traffic and never did find out what it was.
    The very posh, but cheap, hotel let me check in early and I quickly realised it was an 8 minute walk to a McDonald's so I had lunch, then a siesta in my room. Then I dressed like the locals do in shorts and tee shirt and rode the bike the 2 kilometers to see the Greek temples from 5th century BC. As the photos show they are amazing....Tomorrow I head for Marsala in the wine district.    Read more

  • Peter SprotMalta via The Balkans
    Day 41

    Technology

    June 21, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    As I was riding today I was thinking about the difference from when I rode the Vincent to Malta ten years ago.
    With the Vincent I could see my speed in miles per hour and if I look down near my right foot I could see a gear indicator. If it was horizontal I was in top gear.
    For fuel I had to remember to reset the trip then I'd fill up at 150 miles.
    Don't get me wrong, I love the Vincent and everything about it, but to show how things have moved on look at the photo to see what information is available at a glance:
    My current speed shown on the big display and true speed shown on the sat nav. The speed the cruise control is set at. The speed limit for the road I'm on. (This is shown in two places)
    The revs of the engine and which gear I'm in.
    The distance I can go with the fuel left in the tank
    The air temperature, the time
    How much battery is in my mobile phone and is signal quality.
    If I get a message it would ask if I want to see it.
    How far in time to my destination. When my next turn is, what my next turn is.
    If there was a problem ahead it would/might but not very often tell me and offer a detour.
    I can honestly say I do use all of the above and if I put my mobile phone in the cradle I would see even more.    Read more

  • Peter SprotMalta via The Balkans
    Day 41

    Marsala Sicily

    June 21, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    What an unexpected treat Marsala is.
    I'm in the old town a short walk from the sea and it's lovely. To get here i passed through some not pretty suburbs. There are very few tourists and it has everything the more popular cities offer. I walked to the archaeological museum which from the outside was bland, inside it was beautiful. Everything was so well displayed. From there I walked back into town through Garibaldi's gate who you can read about here https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expedition_of_t…
    Then to the cathedral where I sat for a while until a coffin was brought in followed by about 200 mourners many in dark suites and sunglasses it was like a scene from the godfathers. So I walked along the waterfront for a while which was nice and quiet. I'll have time to see more this evening and tomorrow morning as I have arranged with the hotel to stay until early afternoon when I ride to Palermo to catch a 13 hour ferry to Sardinia.    Read more

  • Peter SprotMalta via The Balkans
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    Day 42

    More from Marsala

    June 22, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    Last night I joined the Maltese motorcyclists who are staying at the same hotel. We had a really nice meal and a good laugh. This morning at breakfast there were five Italian motorcyclists, the two Maltese and me. I was invited to join the Italians who were going on a ride into the hills. It was nice to be asked but I declined as I want to relax here and explore a bit more of Marsala until it is time to go to Palermo. I found a couple more churches one of which had a huge crack being the altar going up and across the ceiling.Read more

  • Peter SprotMalta via The Balkans
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    Day 44

    The island of Sant' Antioco, Sardinia

    June 24, 2019 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 20 °C

    Before I tell you about this lovely little Island tell me say something about the ride from Marsala to the ferry port of Palermo in the north of Sicily.
    It was 39c for most of the ride so I have stopped wearing the motorcycle boots and trousers preferring jeans and trainers to help cool me a bit and it works. My jacket was open enough to let air flow. As I rode for nearly two hours I noticed another bike behind me. He didn't overtake and followed me all the way to the port. It turned out he's on the same ferry and had also ridden through the Balkans starting in Germany. We got on well and stayed together on the ferry only saying goodbye as we set off. While waiting to get off the ferry I got talking to a group of English bikers who had freighted their bikes to Pisa in Italy.
    This Island I'm on now is of the south west coast of Sardinia and is connected by a land bridge. It took just over an hour to ride around and it has lovely beaches, hills, cliffs, two towns and good roads. The standard of the roads are better here than Sicily and the driving is much calmer. My first impression of Sardinia is I like it a lot and will return.
    This hostel is called Muma and it is also a museum. It is more like a hotel as I have my own air conditioned room. It costs more than hostels normally do but it is worth the difference. No other bikes here today. The staff helped decide where to go tomorrow and which route to take. I walked around town finding the old church which was closed for renovation so I walked a bit further to the old fort which was also closed. This evening I walked to the recommended restaurant which was closed but several others where open so I found the fish I wanted.    Read more

  • Peter SprotMalta via The Balkans
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    Day 45

    Nuoro

    June 25, 2019 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 19 °C

    It was 32c and rising as I left the hostel MuMa and it rose to 39 as I traveled inland. Nuoro has a couple of interesting claims to fame. One is that just around the corner from my bed and breakfast lived the first female Italian Nobel prize winner for literature Grazia Deledda. The other is that there are over 1000 people in this town who are over the age of 100. Maybe this is something to do with it having a huge hospital.
    This northern town is quiet pretty on a hill side with mountains on one side and rolling hills all around. There are a good supply of restaurants bars and cafes with reasonable prices.    Read more

  • Peter SprotMalta via The Balkans
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    Day 46

    Zonza in the Corsican mountains.

    June 26, 2019 in France ⋅ 🌙 27 °C

    Last night I stayed at a resort hotel in the northern hills of Sardinia. The views were amazing as it overlooked a huge lake with a dam at the end and compared to tonight's accommodation it was quite good. More about that later.
    Today and for the next few days it is more about the journey than the destination insomuch as the roads through the mountains are a motorcyclists dream come true with amazing views around every bend. Mind you really have to concentrate as there are no barriers and a lot of steep drops. I stopped at one bend to take a photo and walked to the very edge and looked down. There were three cars about half way down stuck in trees. They looked like they had been there a while.
    I chose Zonza because it is up in the mountains and a couple of hours ride from the ferry. I thought it might be a bit cooler at 850 meters above sea level which it is compared to the 37c at the beautiful port of Bonifacio which reminded me of coming into Valletta harbour Malta. I chose my hotel because it was the cheapest I could find in the area at 61 euros. I've stayed in four star hotels for less. I should have spent more and found a room with a fan as it is still around 32c here. What can I say about this hotel. I have a balcony which looks out on the busy main street and is above the noisy restaurant and I have my own shower (which is in the bedroom).
    I've thought of something nice about it. The toilet which is also in the bedroom has a soft close lid.
    I think this town must be a motorcyclists place to stay as there are quite a few here. I got talking to a couple who flew from Idaho USA and rented bikes similar to mine in southern France and will be here a couple of weeks. A group of French bikers from Leon are staying at the hotel and one of them told me which ferry to book to avoid the strike so when I leave I will be going to Toulon rather than my intended Marseilles and a day earlier as it is not every day. He also helped me adjust the chain on my bike as it is a two man job.    Read more

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