48 Artemis to Athens

13 June 2022

We made it!!

Only a short ride into Athens this morning…taking small roads to avoid the traffic…but there is a big hill in the way coming from the coast (& airport), and all the roads converge as they round its Northern point. So…only one way to go….over it!!

The road was closed with chains…but we jumped over them…..and wound our way up and over….to be greeted by one of the most spectacular city views! 

What a way to arrive as the road became a rocky track…

…..and we bumped our way along, excited at the view of the Acropolis in the distance.

And once we turned off…it was a plummet into the city…..followed by a a very busy, but gentle downhill all the way to the acropolis hill…

…..and as close to the top as we were allowed!

Felt good to get here!! 3,300km and over 35,000 metres of climbing!! And Iain had been there for over 1,200km and around 15,000m of that!! Its been a blast – thank you – and he even coped with the early starts (not his strong point!). 

As he wrote himself….

The last 14 days by the numbers. In gross: 1230kms travelled, 14800m climbed, 4 countries crossed, 38 snakes dodged, Chased by 364,892 dogs. Averages per day: 5.8 beers pp, 2.1 instances of passive aggression, 22 darts punched (one-sided data), 3.2 times questioning why the fuck we’re doing this.

….but I know he loved it really!!

After a few photos…..

…..we celebrated with a few beers, and made our way  to our apartment, barely a stone’s throw away!!

And then we were off again…to the airport…to find the new arrival!! It took a while to be fair…but we did!!

5 Comments

  1. Alan Young

    Well done those lads!! A few beers but perhaps fewer Retsinas to celebrate your arrival in Athens? A well earned rest on the cards too I hope. Hopefully “Grannymoth” has arrived safely too?

  2. Martin wilyman

    Well done guys epic journey
    Some well earned beers are due to celebrate
    Hope Ian manages to enjoy headingly
    I won’t mention the cricket
    Have a great holiday with Liz and enjoy homeward stretch

  3. Chris

    Brilliant! You guys (and Martin) deserve plenty of re-fuelling time….. . Well earned. And a great blog thank you Neil to follow some of your adventures.

  4. Chris

    …. And a few extra comments for discussion over beers in Blighty…
    – how do you pack into such small saddlebags (including a spare battery!)?
    – great route planning – you really had some amazing routes along coasts, through mountains, and interesting detours,
    – flexibility shows, getting away from main roads, tunnels etc, even if you end up covering some extra kilometres

    Plus taking about beers in Blighty, a beer tasting session is hatching, including a visit to the local artisan brewery Box Steam Brewery, … plus some local ales from Bath Ales and Abbey Ales!

  5. Anna

    WOOOOHOOOOOO!!!!!

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