We have just finished a 8.5 month tour of Europe in our Camper with the wife and two small kids- got down to Sidi Ifni in Morocco and Syrian border of Turkry and everywhere in between.

Top tips

Take gaffer tape – lots
Take tons if fuses – all types including the big 300amp one to main battery
Big batteries 2X110Amp ones + solar panel if your wild camping for any time
Take a gas alarm – we were gassed and robbed in our sleep – don’t mind the laptop and camera going but you cant replace the kids, luckily the kids were still there.
Avoid Italy as its thats where the above happened.
Defo get to Morocco and Turkey, other highlights were Slovenia, Bulgaria and Greece…

You do not need half the stuff you pack – sending massive packages home of too much stuff is cheaper in Croatia than Slovenia- so it pays to shop around – so to speak.

PM me if you want to see our blog from the trip.

If your getting back into it – try a few bikes if you can but for that money I would look at boardman bikes at Halfords – always get a good write up as the highly specced for the money – there’s a linky on this page with 20% off.

Also a plug for the Manchester mountain bikers you can find them on meet up. Good bunch to get you out regular in the area you going to be riding.

Welcome back by the way – new suspension bikes are awesome & disc brakes are defo something to look forward to.

Bang on with the first three. Most risk the €200 fine to smuggle in food and wine from France.

I think the swiss are the most positive nation on earth and don’t blink an eye at 2000m climb just to see the view. Loads of energy.

Would love to live there but for the cost – hope Mrs Flamejob gets a proper package otherwise it can be a bit glum.

Downside – Humor, if found can be a little odd & its a bit rigid and you may find it claustrophobic after a while

Samsung LED C6505 with 100Hz and internet. easy – we have it in our kitchen & 4 other couples / families have bought it based on seeing what it can do.

Samsung LED C6505 with 100Hz and internet. easy – we have it in our kitchen & 4 other couples / families have bought it based on seeing what it can do.

Just seen this – have been slipping slowly back into the grip of the fags over the last few months but only when drunk – thinking it wouldnt harm. I had stopped for a couple of years as well. I realised today I was hooked again because I had cadged two menthols off a collegue… Menthols! Minty fags are so very wrong.

Back on the wagon again.

Another advantage of the trailer was I could tow them behind the Bullit – which looked a bit mad.

The bike seat combo on the Bullit was super boingy – but needs must. That also looked daft.

me no care – lurvely!

Harry’s 4 and rides a Isla Benin20 he’s getting used to the gears, mainly he stops to change the gear and sets off again. On the steeper ups I use a bit of old windsurfing downhaul rope tied to my seat post loosely lashed to his stem. Works fine when pootling up hill and its taught – just have to watch out for slight downs as tries to overtake you…

much less cluncky than a trail gator.

got both for different reasons and neither are perfect for all conditions. We had a crozer2 so I could tow both Harry and Lilly. We used to put Lilly in her Maxi cosy car seat and strap that in for extra head support when she was very young and not able to sit up.

We did some big rides to deserted beaches in morrocco – definately stong enough cope with a little rough stuff. Another bonus was that you can strap body boards, picnics and enough stuff for a whole day out. Plus you get super fit dragging them about…

Hasrry is just 4 and cant type yet, he’s on the Isla Benin 20. So I will do the review for him… We did 35Km recently and he loves it. It’s very well made. The benin is the first Isla to get full diameter bars so you have to be sure that your kid can get their mits round them and reach the brakes. If so then the CNOC 16 will fit better.

Plus Isla bikes do a buy back – so no need to ebay once finished with.

Just taken all the old paperbacks to the Charidy shop as I will never re read them – dont have time to get through the new ones. Now only need the one bookcase rather than the 3. Like ebook & digital magazines.

Plus you can set it up how you like if your not so keen on the black type on white background which some dislicksics struggle with…

20-30mins away from Grenoble is Alpe D’huez where they run the Marmott road race and the Mega Avalanche, both are pretty hardcore for hills – but there are oodles of mountain bike trails in the valley around Bourg d’Oisan.

Oh and Chios, 20Km from Turkey, only Greeks and Swedes go there for some reason. Very quiet and very beautiful – wild camped on a beach for 6 days with the whole bay to ourselves. Very big mountain in the middle for two wheel fun – you just need to avoid the hunters shooting you.

Lefkada has Vassiliki on it, good trails and windsurfing – the windsurfing schools run daily group rides into the hills and you can rent kit. Then its a short hop to Kefalonia (captain watsits mandolin) where the beaches around Fiskardo are beautiful. No massive tourist dross…