UK Trip Part II

It may or may not come as a surprise to people reading or following this blog, that I - a lady nudging sixty - love motorbikes. I can't ride a bike (not for lack of trying!) but I've been Grant's constant pillion for the past twelve years. He started riding when he was eight (that's not young: all our grandchildren can ride by the age of three!) but when we got married, he had to shelve his passion for two wheels and focus on being a husband and later a father. When we were married 31 years, we both decided to buy a motorbike: a Harley Davidson. We have since progressed to a BMW motorbike and whenever we're in South Africa, we try to fit some biking in between living in our home and visiting family.

When Grant suggested a trip to Isle of Man this year to see the greatest bike races in the world - the TT (Tourist Trophy) - I readily agreed. I'd heard so much about this event (Grant has been before) but nothing prepared me for the masses of private motorbikes careering around the track in between formal races or parked in the streets of towns across the island. There are about 140 bikers who take part in the TT races. There were about twenty thousand bikes which people had brought across on the ferry for their own pleasure. Ironically of the nine people who lost their lives this year, in four separate accidents, all were tourists.

A few of the thousands of private motorbikes lining the streets of Douglas, Isle of Man 

The private bike riders at the race starting line making use of the opportunity to blow the cobwebs away on the track

You can watch the races at designated areas anywhere along the track, but as we stayed in Douglas, we chose to sit / stand behind the stone wall surrounding St Ninian's Church. Apart from being along the first straight after the riders start their race, the church ladies supply all manner of hot beverages, sodas, home-made cakes, hamburgers, salad rolls, crisps and chocolates, etc while the races are on. It was also safe so people with children and/or dogs could relax while we all felt quite sheltered from the fickle English weather. 

   This little lad enjoyed riding his bike around the church courtyard while his sister in the pushchair against the stone wall, looks on

The first stretch of the race track as the bikes/sidecars pass the church. The spectators have a first hand view of the event while remaining safe and warm behind the wall. No matter how many times I tried, or what settings I used on my camera, I couldn't capture the machines as they roared past. (note blur in third photo - that's a motorbike!) 

I hope you're all having a wonderful week.