I've been home for over a year now and so it is definitely time to get out and about once more...
so, where to go this time, well, I still have a vivid memory of when I was twelve and discovered that Timbuctoo was a real place - and NOT just a place name made up by grown-ups, I decided then, that one day I would go to Timbuctoo.

Quite a few years have passed since that decision, and now I'm a bike rider and so I'll be riding to Timbuctoo.
As Thelma is a bit heavy in sand for me, I've bought a second-hand F650 GS to tackle the Sahara Desert with...
for those who are fans of Thelma - don't worry, this is just a temporary retirement for her during the winter weeks that I am away.

I'm going to set off from the UK on 27th December, the first port of call will be Barcelona for the Start of the Paris-Dakar Rally, which combined with the New Year's Eve celebrations will mean quite a party.
I'll be going to the BMW party, and then nursing my hangover I'll be continuing southwards, in search of a ferry to north Africa and warmer weather.