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Last post. Crossed into Austria and bought vignette for 5.20. Austrian roads in very good condition with long sweeping bends to keep it interesting. Found great campsite run by Sonia and husband. You help yourself in the bar and write down what you take then pay at the end. Into Germany where you need to be very careful on Autobahns where there is no upper speed limit on many sections, drivers come up very fast so you need to watch the rear view very carefully or you get a Porsche up your exhaust. Got to Munich in one piece and found bash plate on my bike was hanging off so a quick repair with wire did the trick. I also needed some minor surgery to remove a deep rooted thorn in my side with Alf holding the magnifying glass and Ian wielding the knife. The scar won’t be too big A visit to Dachau concentration camp memorial was a sobering experience. Much of the original camp is still intact and the film clips and photos showing actual events could be positioned exactly. It was a bright sunny day so it seemed hard to believe that these events took place in this place. We must not forget that this could happen anywhere, not just in Germany. On the ride north we stopped at a ‘feng shui’ restaurant (the food tasted the same) where they had a self cleaning toilet which rotated and brushed off prior to sitting down (no need to hover girls). There were lots of roadworks on the autobahns, increasing the number of lanes, which caused large tailbacks but most drivers were pretty good and it was like Moses parting the waves riding through. Camped at Walldorf Astoria and caught up on washing etc. this was a good hub for visits to some good local attractions. A visit to Hockenheim race circuit was very good, we had a visit to the race museum and a tour of the facilities including pits and podium followed by a lap. We were ejected from the outside of the circuit at the Jim Clark memorial because we rode up a cycle track and the Gestapo said we must leave NOW! We also visited the Technical museums at Sinsheim and Speyer, both very similar with Sinsheim having a Concorde and the Russian TU144 (Concordski) on the roof amongst many other aircraft and Speyer having a Jumbo Jet mounted on its roof. The museums contained WW2 German vehicles, American cars, motorbikes, trains and a submarine, some boats, jet engines and loads of other stuff. Fantastic places and well worth a visit. Last leg from Walldorf to Liege started well but then ran into heavy rain on a road with no services for a very long way. Near Francorchamps we decided to tough it out and ride straight in. Met rest of Festers tours at Liege after a run of 5,450 miles, 17 countries and 37 days, during which Ian lost a woolly hat, a pair of crocs, a pair of glasses and Alf lost the feeling in his bum! We nearly lost my camera, Ian’s wallet and watch and an electric cable. We found a Razor, a bottle of baby shampoo, a cooking stove and gas cylinder, washing powder (x2) and a handkerchief. Signing off at the end of another great trip. Mike. #Blog #AudienceEngagement

The Spirit Run route started from a new venue this year. We have used the Fleet Air Arm Museum at Yeovilton in the past and it offered all the facilities we required to start and finish our runs. The Esplanade at West Bay and Bicton Gardens are also venues we have visited before on previous occasions on our Spirit runs. The route between these three venues was checked out, and whilst there were a large amount of A roads, there were also some fine sea views and heathland to enjoy. We were also restricted on the route selection by the number of marshals who had volunteered, and by the multitude of major road works being undertaken all over the three counties. Sunday 13th May turned out to be lucky weather-wise; sunny but not too hot as 152 entrants and most of the 60 marshals started gathering at Yeovilton at 08.00am and after breakfast were all away by 09.45. Recently appointed Yeovil Mayor, David Recardo, was on hand to start the entrants off. Turning left out of Yeovilton, and through Ilchester we turned off right at the Halfway House pub and up over the hill to reach Thorne Lane where we skirted to the West of Yeovil through Lufton and up to Higher Odcombe and down to East Chinnock. Then we followed, what is for most Yeovilians, quite a usual run down to the coast at West Bay, to park on the Western Esplanade. Drinks supplied by the ladies at Helmet City raised £35 of voluntary contributions for the charity. The second part of the run started by returning to the A35 and left up to Honiton and the A303 until we headed off left towards Exmouth across the heathland before turning into Bicton Gardens and parking on the lower lawn. (stand plates were available). Another £35 was handed over at Bicton by enthusiastic motorcycle admirers. Riders enjoyed the sunshine, gardens, and museum as well as the refreshments at Bicton. It really is the sort of venue you really need to revisit to fully appreciate all the amenities. After lunch we returned along the coast road via Newton Poppleford, Sidford and Raymonds Hill (via a bit of A35) and through the countryside to Crewkerne. We then headed towards Martock and on to the A303 for a short ride to Ilchester and back to Yeovilton for tea and cakes. After numerous consultations by the judges the award winners were presented with their trophies. Best Standard - Jody Knight 1962 Velocette ; Best Special - Andy Gale 1972 Triumph Best Japanese - Malcolm Wright 1976 Honda CB 400/4 ; Best Italian award provided and presented by Ian Matthias from MC Electronics. - Lindsey Pickford 1975 Benelli SE1, Best Norton - Norton Owners club (Wally Davis Trophy) presented by Shirley, (Wally’s Sister in law) – Alan Jones 1962 Norton Navigator Marshals Award – Tony Hawker Spirit of the Sixties Award – Anthony Samuel Many thanks go to those volunteers who assisted before, during, and after the event, and to the three venues that hosted us. The organising of the run is a team project that relies on all involved doing their bit to provide a good day out for all concerned. Let’s hope next year’s run is as successful. Where shall we go? - John Dodge Co-Ordinator Spirit of the Sixties