HU Meeting Spain (Andalucia) 2008 is on!!
 

I've started a new thread for this as Tim (thank you for pointing that out) has quite rightly said that people may not want to wade through the first 70 posts on the old thread.

Dates are confirmed folks - 12-14 September. More details to follow soon.

Looking for volunteers if anybody is local and available - please email me.

Looking for presenters:
- Tim Cullis will be doing a couple of presentations on Morocco and Garmin/Mapsource.
- If the colourful TedMagnum ever makes it back from SA he should be here.
- Maria41, also currently in SA will hopefully be here if her bike doesn't fall apart any more!! (She just sent me an email to say they are back on the road following her accident with KTM boy.)

Some of you already know that we had a small meeting last October to test the waters - Moto Andalucia. To give you an idea of what to expect at HU Andalucia 2008 go and have a look at the photos from that meeting on our newly revamped site - Moto Andalucía. You'll see some fellow HUBBers - Tim Cullis, Vaufi, motorbike mike and Smokin' Lizard.

Andy (Smokin'Lizard) and I look forward to seeing you all there. :Beach:

Alison-

it doesn't look too good for me in September :-( My missis could only get leave in September - but she wouldn't touch my bike with a broomstick... So I will probably have to cart her around in a car. Sorry to say.

After all the energy you and Andy invested in last years' meeting, I do hope that lots of people turn up. Andalucia is absolutely top for a traveller meeting, so is the trip down through Spain!

Good luck!
Hans

Hi Hans

Andy and I were looking forward to seeing both you and Bodo again and we will be sorry if you can't make it.

We met up with Jens (Germany organiser) a couple of days ago and he mentioned you would be at his meeting. I'm not sure Andy and I will be able to make it to the Germany meeting due to work commitments (work is just so inconvenient!!). Have a great time there - Jens is a really nice guy.

Good luck with your Spanish meet - pity my dates dont work for it this year - you cant get it right for everyone.....Buen viaje!

Hello. I am local and september-available but I am new on this.
What kind of volunteering are we talking about?

Morocco after?
 

Hi is there still a plan to go to Morocco afterwards as I am interested depending on dates? That is calendar dates and not the edible kind!
:palm:

Yes, it's still in the planning stages - I've got a list, just need to join the dots and speak nicely to Tim - our resident guru on Morocco. We're planning on leaving either late Sunday or early Monday morning following the meeting.

Ichallein - check your in-box, I sent you a PM last week.

morocco
 

great,
please let me know when you have more info so I can plan time off
cheers
david

HU Meeting Spain and maybe on to Moroco
 

HI all iam new to all this hopeing to get down to Spain dates are good for me if anyone is going on to moroco luv to join them but wot sort of time scale are we looking at i can do three weeks if thats ok. leaving from Swansea S.Wales if anyone wants company give me a call. Dai:thumbup1:

I'm not 100% sure if i can make it, but i could present something if you're hard up for presenters; I can present on Africa or Central Asia.
Sean

Offer to present
 

Hi, Sean, we've been away a lot this summer and just getting caught up with ourselves. Grant doesn't remember contacting you about your offer to present at the Spain meeting. If you're planning to come, we'd be delighted to have you present on your travels. Let us know.

Cheers
Susan

The Boring Bits
 

Thanks for posting Susan. I think I pm'd Sean about the same time you posted.

Sorry we haven't been around for a while either - we've been away, been working etc.

Anyway, back to the boring bits.

It's now 6 in the afternoon and 35C on my roof terrace for those wanting the current daytime temperature. Night time temps are between 20-24C.

Smokers - our region is on red alert for fires. If you discard a cigarette butt and get caught, it's 4 points on your licence (and probably a hefty fine).

Don't forget your National Insurance Health Card, or even better, private medical insurance. If you need treating for anything and you haven't got either, you'll have to pay!!

Planned Ride Outs
 

All distances are approximate.

Friday – 29km mountain trail with Alison & Andy.
First section is 25km on road from the camp site, up a category 4 winding mountain road, through the Ventas de Zafarraya pass.
We join a 29km off road track which is a mixture of hard packed gravel and loose stone, taking you up to an altitude of over 1300m.
Joining the road again, we have a 31km on road ride back down the category 4 mountain road.

Skills required: confident beginner to intermediate off road. The ability to ride on pegs advantageous otherwise you’re going to be walking like John Wayne.

There are no facilities off road so you’ll need to carry enough fluids and fodder. This is a bumpy ride, so carrying delicate equipment (cameras etc) is not recommended unless well packed. However, there are many great photo opportunities as we pass through several different landscapes from agricultural to a rocky moonscape with mountain goats and the occasional Griffon Vulture.

Saturday – Montes de Malaga with Alison & Andy
Depart 9.30am for a short 15 minute road ride to the village of Colmenar for breakfast (eg, Coffee with a Crusty Roll 2.50 Euros).
After breakfast, we take the old mountain road towards Malaga for 22kms of smooth twisting tarmac.
Descending from an altitude of 800m into the heart of the Natural Park for a 20km off road ride on hard packed dirt and gravel (corrugated in parts) taking you through dense woodland of pine trees - Montes de Malaga Natural Park, Flora and Fauna of Andalucía, Southern Spain..
There is an option to extend the off road ride by 8km where the track has a few tight hairpin bends (Alison likes to fall off here), taking you through a farm with hobbled baying horses, big barking dogs and the odd cow or two across the track. A steepish descent takes you back into Casabermeja just off the motorway.
This ride will take us through to early afternoon so we’ll take a short ride back into Colmenar where we can regroup for lunch (eg, Chicken and Chips 3 Euros).

Skills required: A head for heights – on some tracks and bends there is little more than a blade of grass between you and a steep hill. The ability to ride on pegs would help. The first section of the off road ride is a great track for off road ‘virgins’, but a little more skill is required for those who wish to take the longer route. If we have some ‘novice’ riders, Alison will take you out of the Montes on an easy tarmac track.

Again, off road, there are no facilities so you must carry some fluids.

Sunday
We will arrange a short on/off road ride Sunday morning for those wanting to linger a little longer.

Road riders – Please let me know if you would prefer a road only ride out. We are still trying to find a ride out leader, but are confident we can persuade somebody!

Trip to Morocco
 

The HU meeting and our trip to Morocco are entirely unrelated - it just seem logical that one would follow on from the other.

For those interested who have posted or emailed me, yes we're still going. No, I don't know how long for, but we've got 2 weeks off work.

No, I haven't yet got an itinerary because I'm just too disorganised, but I did get the sleeping bags out at the weekend (and Doris is being serviced as we speak). I've spoken to our resident guru on Morocco and I am hoping (batting of the eye lids) and praying (pwetty pwease) that he is going to help me out in that department.

It may well be the most disorganised trip anybody has ever been on, but I did say that nobody was in charge of the trip so all those wanting to join us do so at their own risk :).