15th November - This was a big one!

I opted for the easy option this morning (the high road) and the hard route (the low road) this afternoon. Two hours into the ride was a 2ft wide, rocky incline with a steep drop to one side. The third guy to go up got it wrong and fell, with his bike, down a 50ft drop! Amazingly he was not seriously hurt! We rescued the bike just as a storm came in. Then he and the rest of us ended up half way back and had to ride it again! From then on it got worse. Half way down a steep, wet hill I stalled the bike, got it sideways and then it bump started and spat me over the side...I landed very heavily, directly on the top of my head. Got a very sore neck and back now and a hole in the helmet. Very pleased I bought good kit! The ride carried on until we eventually rode the last 2 hours in the dark and the rain, at which point I thought I'd stick to Heli skiing from now on! Anyway, the most serious injury seems to be some broken ribs and a lot of sore muscles and bruises. And tomorrow is another day!

14th November

What a morning. Ninety bikes road up to the school, which I wrote about yesterday. The five riding teams (I'm in the orange team) then removed old desks and chairs from the classrooms (except the reception class who, until now, had sat on a concrete floor) and replaced them with brand new ones.

Prior to this, the school of 250 pupils had turned out to greet us, cheering, and the local choir was singing for us. I suspect that the sunglasses of most of these bikers masked a tear or two, they did mine anyway! It was a touching few hours, culminating in some of us giving rides to the kids. This is definitely what the trip is about, and is something in addition to the actual Riders for Health project. The school has one toilet (hole in the ground) for 250 pupils and the village raises its water via a pump from a borehole. Ingeniously, the pump is connected to a child's roundabout. So when the kids play on the roundabout, water is pumped into a storage tower.

Tonight, the group are going to try and raise money to fund some of the furniture. But the orange team have decided that we would like to raise enough to repair and improve the toilet block.

It strikes me that if we put as much money into this toilet as we do buying drinks (which eventually go down other toilets in the long run!) we should be able to improve things considerably.

This morning has been a fantastic experience. One of those times that reminds you to appreciate what you have and that its not "what you've got" (except, of course, for dirt bikes) that makes you happy!

13th November

This morning we crossed the Kei River by Ferry, or on what we might call a floating death trap! We had been told about the contrast from Morgan's Bay into the Transkei region, and they were right. There are huts dotted around huge areas of land, women walking, what must be miles, carrying pots on their heads and we are approached by local children excited to see the bikes riding past.

Today, riding has been one of the most challenging things I have ever done. Very steep, rocky descents and ascents that I would not have believed I could have ridden, and deep sand that makes the front wheel drift from side to side. Everyone has had a few falls, but thankfully, so far, no major injuries.

It has been mentally and physically exhausting but also very rewarding. Tomorrow is a "rest day". When the last group was here two weeks ago they visited a local school and found they had no desks or chairs. They raised £1,800 between them and tomorrow 116 sets of furniture arrive. We are going to the school to help with the delivery and also to see if there are any other projects we can get involved in which we are all eager to do. I will try to send some photos of the school if the connections are available.

12th November p.m. - What an amazing day…

Another 8am start and a total of 370km. Most of it in forest and off road tracks which was scary in parts and there were some big accidents, though thankfully no broken bones! So far I have not had a fall though there have been a lot of close shaves. But the scenery is magnificent and set to get even better as we are now at Morgans Bay on the Wild Coast.

Everyone is getting on really well and the banter is like we have known each other for years!

Tomorrow is only 77km in 8 hours! That means some seriously technical drops and stages. The scenery is supposed to be amazing so I will post some pictures.

12th November a.m. – Here we are!

Journey was long. Twenty six hours door to door, but made easy from meeting some great people. First evening was a lot of fun, with so many of us getting to know each other. The bikes are great, small 200cc Honda off road bikes that are more than capable of doing the job. The first days riding was awesome - 280km of mixed on and off road through two game reserves and some fantastic coastal scenery, made better by a mass start through Port Elizabeth with a police escort and lots of waving locals. Quite a sight.

No serious incidents and only a few people lost! Not bad for 83 riders!
It's a strange feeling opening a gate into a game reserve with a sign next to it that says "DANGEROUS GAME - STAY IN YOUR VEHICLE"!

As you can imagine there are lots of stories to tell in the bar when we all arrive at our evening destination. I am sure there will be even more tonight after a long second day through a forest section and up to the Wild Coast! I will let you know!

8th November - One day to go…

I've been last minute buying for the ride - like a helmet! I decided that as I am likely to lose a lot of weight when I'm there, I would scrap the plans to lose 10lbs before departure. How convenient!

Getting excited about the trip now but as always lots of work issues to tidy up before I can go with a clean conscience. Hopefully I have all of the electronic gadgetry worked out to keep people back here updated and jealous of me in the sunshine (hope I can cope with the heat). I will try and keep some interesting photos coming through, not just the usual "this is me with a bike"- "this is me with a beer" - " this is me with another beer" – more like "sweaty biker" and well deserved beers!

There should be some great sights to see and I am sure some great memories to bring back. I will see you all in 12 days.

1st November

With only just over a week to go, the trip is now becoming much more of a reality. I was remiss with the injections and so I'm having the final course the day before I leave for Africa. The travel plans are now all finalised and it remains to be seen how I can get helmet, boots, body armour, gloves, shirts and a few other clothes inside a 20kg weight allowance. A suggestion has been to wear the boots on the flight. Given that they are white and knee length, I think I would probably look like a trooper from star wars! Not sure if it's the look I'm after…

The new Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman adventure, The Long Way Down, documenting their journey from John O'Groats, Scotland to Cape Town, South Africa, is currently being shown on TV. Whilst our trip is nothing like the same scale as theirs, watching their preparation and observing their thoughts and feelings certainly whets the appetite to get on the bike and on the road (or is that off-road?)!