Motorbike Diaries (Harley Davidson Forty Eight) 
Manchester To France.....and back!

Day 1 - 3rd Sept 2016 

Destination : The Moonraker Hotel, Trowbridge 

To hear my alarm going off at 5am this morning was not one of the best moments of the holiday so far. Up, ready and out for 6am. Hard work doesn't explain it! We had to stop and check we had all our paperwork even before we left the end of our road! Then off we went. We stopped about 3 times for fuel on the way to Trowbridge which was an absolute god send. My butt cheeks were killing and my  knee cap almost pulled itself out of position. This was the first 2 hours! 

I was a pillion sat on what can only be described as a heavy duty sanitary towel for a seat. Not the most luxurious way iv travelled before, but i can't complain. The scenery was amazing. So much open space and a sense of freedom (with a bit of fear - I can't lie) 

The weather was brilliant in the morning. Sunny skies, clear views, and then the grey clouds started to rear their ugly heads. It lashed it down. We were soaking. Ryan took most of the blunt as he was driving but i could still feel the rain coming through my clothes. Oh well. Only another hour or two on the bike until we reach Trowbridge. I couldn't moan, that's what the holiday is about! 

We stopped off for some breakfast, about an hour outside of Bath at a hotel called 'The Frochester', then headed over to our quaint little hotel - The Moonraker, http://moonrakerhotel.com which was very welcoming to bikers :-)

I love good old fashioned hotels where I feel like you can learn a bit of history. The Moonraker is 500 years old and despite its age - it looked fantastic. It was packed with lots of original features that I love. Low ceilings, exposed beams, and decor that was very in keeping. i really felt like I was in the country side and somewhere with heritage older than the Hilton Hotel!

Once we unloaded the bike, we shot straight off to Bath - about a 5 minute drive. We stopped to look at 'The Crescent' - a very expensive row of traditional housing in Bath 

We meandered round the shops and took some pictures of the amazing surroundings 

Absolutely starving, we then stopped off at 'The Barge Inn' in Bradford On Avon on the way back to the hotel for some tea which was an extremely generous portion of good old hearty pub food. Steak and Ale pie for Ryan and Fish pie for moi

We headed back to the hotel for a night cap then jumped into bed after a very long day! Iv had the most fantastic first day and can't wait to see what the rest of the week will bring. 

All pictures taken on iPhone 6 or 6+

Circa 220 miles done today! 

K 

xxx