1

Maybe i am just a cycling snob but anything with motorbikes, 4wds and even worse off road motorbikes i would not go near. Sorry for replying negatively but all that has nothing to do with bicycle touring as far as i can see and is more a way of making money disguised as a fund raising exercise.

2

Yes you probably are a cycling snob and you do sound negative, I do both cycle and motorcycle touring and there is a lot in common including routes, equipment, paperwork such as where and how to obtain visas for difficult to get to places and what is the best season to be travelling.

Added to that many of the people who attend these events enjoy hearing about other people's overland adventures no matter what their mode of transport, last years event included a presentation by Mathew Quarterman about his cycle journey through South America which was well received by everybody.

Yes this event is about making money to keep the horizonsunlimited website going which is a valuable source of information to overland travellers using all forms of transport, just like Lonely Planet selling guide books to keep this one going.

3

I share tourersteve's dislike of 4x4 drivers and off road motorcyclists because here in the UK they're so antisocial and cause particular problems for cyclists.

However the horizonsunlimited crowd seem rather different, and most 4x4 drivers and motorcyclists I've encountered while bike touring (outside Europe at least) have been interesting people I've enjoyed talking to. Their forum isn't full of rabid petrolheads, and while I don't have an account there, I sometimes have a look around when I'm researching a trip.

I suspect though that an event in the UK for 4x4 drivers and off road motorcyclists will mostly be full of the people I have such a problem with. The ones who've done interesting trips will be few and far between.

4

I've not heard of this event before so thanks for posting, I'll check it out. Indie long distance overland travellers do face similar problems and issues of route choice and paperwork, tech and gear, all with their own particular spin depending on mode and pace of travel. Sounds useful for sharing experience cross 'discipline'. Are the dates and so on on the site?

5

Adventureproject, yes dates and a booking form should all be on the site.

pq, virtually all of the 500 plus motorcyclists who attend this meeting each year at its former site near Ripley have done, hope to do or have an interest in overland travel, crossing continents not churning up the byways of Britain, There might be a few trailbike riders there but most will be on bigger adventure bikes as they now seem to be branded loaded up to the gunwales with camping gear and spare parts, the people who have done or hope to do interesting trips will not be few and far between but certainly in the past have been the vast majority, I hope the same can be said of any 4x4 drivers who attend.

I incidently am not connected to organising this but have attended a few times giving my time as both a volunteer and giving talks, the only thing that will keep me away this year is that I hope to be elsewhere, central Asia sounds nice.

Edited by: markmanley

6

Mark!
Happy to hear from you! This is Salva.
I hope to meet you again on the road some day, but anyway if this travelers meeting is the way, welcome! I do not agree with other posts, actually I have many good friends which travel by motorbike or 4x4 or backpackers, some of them jumped on a bicycle even!
Best regards, my friend,
Salva, in Colombia now