The Incredible ABR Festival 2026

If you were at ABR you’ll know just how superb it was, in spite of the intense heat! Not ideal timing was it, but everyone I spoke to agreed that it was so much better than rain and storms. Other than the bog of doom of course. That could have been worse.

*The buzz for the full event was just amazing. Really good people went, and I’ve had so many magic comments from people. It was brilliant to link up with so many friends. Thank you very much to everyone who made a point of heading over to the authors tent to say hello and have a natter.

And the chance to meet so many people I’d not linked up with before, just fantastic. Old friends and new, you guys keep my faith in human nature absolutely on point!

Get this. One of the people I met was a massive surprise. Many of you know I was born and initially brought up in the Congo in central west Africa (then Zaire, and now the Democratic Republic of Congo). The surprise person I met, arrived to live with her family in the last place I lived with my parents. Small world or what! I only missed knowing her out there by a year. My mate in the USA, Chris Smith (also brought up in Congo), had suggested she hunt me out. Just super. We could have chatted for hours of course.

*I don’t know about you, but one of the reasons I love the ABR Festival so much is that it gives me the chance to link up with some simply incredible motorcycle travellers. Many of them have recently returned from mega trips or are actually on them, and popped back for ABR. What an inspirational, enthusiastic, caring, sharing bunch they are!

*I need to give a huge thumbs up to absolutely everyone who was a part of the ABR team who were doing all they did in such heat! What a juggle – especially with the constant last minute weather changes. Very much respect to them for getting so many things right! It must have been brutal out there for them all.

A great respect for all the Marshalls who were out on the trails. What a full on job that was. And on a personal note, thanks very much to them all for inviting me to eat dinner with them on Wednesday night! Cheers. Enjoyed that a lot.

I had a constant stream of thumbs up comments from people. It is true, not everything went according to plan, but we all know that the ABR team will be watching and learning, and striving to make it better next year. I’m impressed with how they do that. It’s a chunk of why the Festival has grown to the size it has.

*As for the presenters, what an amazing bunch of people covering a wide range of topics. It’s super to have the chance to meet and spend time with them.

*I would like to thank everyone who came to my presentation on the Ducati Stage. What a super audience you guys were! Cheers! Billy is simply amazing with all the introductions isn’t he and that huge screen was so clear wasn’t it.

*The session being interviewed with Simon and Lisa Thomas on the Bridgestone stage was as things usually are around them, a hoot! Everyone of you guys who turned up to sit in, and for the super comments afterwards, cheers!

*My session interviewing the amazing Ted Simon on the Travellers Tales Stage, in spite of the heat in there, was really good fun to do. I was having a bit of a chuckle about it being set up like Moroccan desert tribes’ people tent. It was right at home in the heat!

Isn’t Ted on the ball. I loved the fact that he was willing to share stories that didn’t make it into his books, nor in previous interviews I’ve seen. Some had us chuckling and others had us all double taking!

*The area where the authors tent was with the bars, the music, the Travellers Tales Stage and the huge shade awning received lots of thumbs up comments from friends who have been to the ABR Festival before. A really nice atmosphere there. It was great fun to be book signing alongside of Ted Simon, Elspeth Beard, Jacqui Furneaux, Sir John Blashford Snell and Harrison Ward ‘The Fell Foodie’. What super bunch and all with great books! If you’ve not read them all then may I suggest…

*And talking of which. I had a wonderful team of volunteers to help me. I would not have managed to sell so many books and t-shirts without Matt Booth, Rich Carter (Grizzleymotorbiketours), Melanie Turp, Pete Hastelow and Greg Turp. Thank you guys! I really enjoyed the time with you, and thank you for making sure I wasn’t getting sunstroke out by Libby, was drinking enough and eating enough! That heat was brain addling, and I was having so many great conversations…

Double powered thanks to Matt Booth. Get this. The man has a crystal ball! It got to 48C inside the authors tent at one stage! Matt anticipated what was going to happen and as he was heading over by car, he brought two electric fans with him. The huge thing though was that on the way he bought a FRIDGE! And somehow managed to get it into his car. His story about doing that had us all cracked up! Thank you. All of our lives were much better things!

*The exhibitors? Just wow. (I find myself using this word a lot in relation to the festival) A real village of full on possibility. Equipment, bikes, gear, tours… And some really good food!

*Hmmm, this is getting really long! 🙃But it’s that kind of event!

So much happening! I was blown away to have so many of my photos in the Photographic Exhibition. The feedback comments from people who stopped by were amazing. Blown away I am.

*Some of the photos on this post are from friends. Thank you all for taking and sharing them with me! I was so busy with presentations and the authors tent I didn’t get the chance to take many.

*Yeah, loads of thank yous! I’ve no doubt I’ve missed several that I should have included. They will come to me with a forehead smack later 😊 For sure I need to thank Steve from Mitas tyres for lugging all the books and t-shirts up!

Cheers everyone. I look forward to the next time we can all link up. If I’m invited back then hopefully I’ll see you there

PS For those of you who had your motorcycles stolen from outside of hotels after the Festival, I am so sorry. Presenter Henriette Thimm ‘For The Love Of Wheels’ (what a moto traveller) is one of them. Fully locked and locked to another bike! Such a grim thing to have happened. I hope you all get them back.

Well done to ABR’s security team for not letting the scrotes get away with it on site.

Before I set off on my trip, a wise person said, ‘If you can make it across Europe without your bike being stolen, you’ll make it round the world without it being stolen. Hmmm. Got to make it just across the UK now!

On an upwards note, it’s a beautiful day out there. 😊 Happy travels to everyone on the road! 👍👍