Hitchcocks Forum

I'm sure I'm not the only person looking forward to resuming European riding this year (in my case mostly the Portuguese/Spanish border mountains, and other Peninsular War locations - although not on the Bullet).
Hopefully you are all aware from press reports and other news media that when setting off to the EU you need a passport that will still be valid for at least 6 months after your intended return date. A potential problem is that the EU now only considers a UK passport to be valid for 10 YEARS FROM THE DATE OF ISSUE = any previously-extended expiry date is no longer accepted, and this type of expiry date extension has previously been quite common.

There has been quite a lot of publicity about very long pandemic-generated delays at the Passport Office and their courier (TNT), so I'm sharing my own recent experience: it has taken just 2 weeks from my online application to delivery of my new passport today!

To minimise problems, I had the necessary new photo taken at a local shop for about a tenner, including their instant online verification that it would be acceptable, and I used Roysl Mail's Track & Trace to post them my old passport in a sellotape-reinforced envelope.

I renewed my passport online, it cost me nothing. (I did lose the will to live registering on the Government website though until I realised it required a space in the middle of my postcode.)

Martin C wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 03, 2022 11:45 am

(in my case mostly the Portuguese/Spanish border mountains, and other Peninsular War locations - although not on the Bullet).

I took my Bullet to the Picos last year. Couldn't have picked a better bike for those roads. Seldom got out of third (not because the bike couldn't go faster. Because I couldn't ride it faster).

Mine expired last year and I do need to renew it. I went into a local Wilko to use their photo booth. After five minutes of faffing about with seat height, arranging shopping inside, taking off my coat, rearranging my collar and hair, I finally sat down and began the involved touch screen process. Unfortunately when I got to the part where I needed to pay, it said it could only accept the £8 required in coinage and couldn’t “do” a debit card. I was about £1.50 short. I got dressed again, gathered up my shopping and sheepishly left the booth.

The Picos mountains in Northern Spain are superb to explore. I went there a few years back and I’d really like to go again but unfortunately I don’t think my worn out spine would cope with the distance on a bike. I’m more likely to go in the Liege (my little trials car) though, which is how we did the journey last time. Poole to Gijon on an HGV ferry, through the Picos (mainly using minor roads, including some off tarmac ones) then over the Pyrenees and up the length of France to Calais for the ferry back across the Channel. We covered 3,000 miles in eight days, including the trip to and from the UK ferry ports.

Luckily enough I don't need a passport to get to some of my favourite roads and scenery

The Antrim coast really is a beautiful place

Part's of Wales are pretty good as well have a look at some of Paul Bullet Whisperer's video's

I have actually been to Wales and Scotland quite a few times both for work and pleasure reasons and found myself spending almost six months in NI during the troubles (although much of the latter was in the air by night). Nothing wrong with any of those places but the Picos really are something special….and the roads are far better maintained.