Ted Simon
We are delighted to welcome Ted Simon to the Gathering. He'll give a couple of talk shows in the Cinema and will be around just to hang about with us all, drinking coffee, eating cake!
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Welcome Ted!
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A little bit about Ted that after studying chemical engineering at Imperial College he began his newspaper career in Paris with the Continental Daily Mail. Back in England, whilst undertaking National Service with the RAF he founded Scramble, a magazine for recruits, which caught the attention of Arthur Christiansen, redoubtable editor of the Daily Express, and worked in Fleet Street for ten years. He eventually became Features Editor of the Daily Sketch, and shortly before that paper was amalgamated with the Daily Mail in 1964 he left to found and edit a man's magazine, King, which survived for three years. He moved to France and contributed to various English newspapers and magazines, including The Observer and Nova. His first book, The Chequered Year, or "Grand Prix Year" (U.S. 1972), was an account of the 1970 Formula One season.
In late 1973, sponsored by The Sunday Times, Simon began travelling around the world on a 500 cc Triumph Tiger 100 motorcycle. For four years he travelled over 64,000 miles (103,000 km) through 45 countries. Most accounts from his trip are detailed in his book, Jupiter's Travels, while some of the book's gaps are filled in its follow-up, Riding High. His books and long distance riding inspired the actors Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman in their 2004 journey from London to New York on motorcycles (Long Way Round), during which they arranged to meet Simon in Mongolia.
Ted's new book will be on sale
Braddon Johnson
Having just returned from motorcycling the length of the Americas with partner Shona, Brad is better known as an endurance runner. How to get fit, or how to 'endure' would be a suitable title for his talk at the Gathering. As he says, more through tenacity and determination than inherent athleticism, Braddan has none the less achieved a thing or two when it comes to endurance. Partaking in numerous long distance running events over the years he’s completed the infamous Dragons Back Race (North to South Wales on foot, off road), Australia's answer to the Marathon Des Sables (The Big Red Run), an Iron Man, a couple of 100 mile non stop events and too many shorter (but still pretty long) events to mention.
The recurring theme is about strength and ability, health and fitness, to keep going when it starts to feel like the odds are stacked against you. A few relatively simple things that can be summed up are ‘routine’ but really it doesn’t have to be anything of the sort. Decent regular diet. Focus on strength training, cardio and flexibility. And that’s it.
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Braddan’s talk is an informal chat about the benefits of introducing some basic diet and fitness routine to daily life and how that can potentially significantly improve your adventure potential.
Duncan Gough
Duncan has been a traveller since the age 3 when he was transplanted from Wimbledon to a farm in 100 acres of Rhodesian (Zimbabwe) bush. He has travelled and worked across South Africa and Kenya. Lived and worked in Greece, Italy, France and Spain and has 10 published books on travelling Spain and Portugal. He runs excusive guided tours and provides selfguided itineraries for travellers of Iberia.
Tom & Lauren
At the end of 2023 Tom and Lauren sold off the vast majority of their worldly possesions and packed what was left onto two small 125cc motorcycles and set off for Africa. Both were overland amateurs and with limited travel experience, and Lauren with less than 8 months motorcycle riding experience, were firmly in the deep end.
An 11 month journey covering nearly 23,000 miles through 25 African countries would follow, traversing mountains, deserts, snowstorms, jungles and everything in between! Seeing all sides of humanity from kindess to crime it would be an unforgettable experience. The trip was Paused in Zambia and will pick up in October 2025 to reach Asia and a return to Europe.
Chris Moss
Chris Moss is one of the most experienced and influential motorcycle journalists in the UK today. His understanding of bikes, kit, the stuff that every biker needs to know is legendary. For 40 years, Chris has been the 'go-to' writer and rider that all the manufacturers hire for their product launches. Equally famed for his story-telling, as humorous as it is informative. Chris will be offering up two talks in the Cinema
pic: Chris Moss with Valentino Rossi
As Chris says....
My life with motorcycles started off in 1977, and man were things different in the biking world back then. The bikes, the kit, the law, and the whole attitude to motorcycles and motorcycling wasn’t at all like it is today.
I’ll admit, some stuff was a bit better and I remember the roads being a fair bit quieter than they are these days. But thinking of the bikes, the gear, and the general public’s perception of biking, I’m relieved things have moved on as much as they have.
Of course, you’re never fully aware of just how much things are going to change in the future, so back then, just like today, bikers were generally happy with their lot. However, looking back, riding bikes could be a lot harder work than it is now.
GET MOSSY'S BOOKLET
Dr Sasha Carter
An indespensible guide to safe travelling
I came to both medicine and biking later in life. I rode my 125 for a year and a half partly terrified of being on 2 wheels and partly thrilled by the fact I had my CBT. Things changed massively once I started riding bigger bikes. This is when I finally ‘got it.’ The freedom and pleasure gained from riding a motorbike is so exhilarating. I had spent years travelling when I was young but now I can do it on my trusty Kawasaki. But alongside these wonderful trips we need to be aware of medical complications that may arise. I worked in A&E and Intensive Care for many years before settling into Intensive Care and Anaesthetics.
This is not a first aid course (yawn) but tips on how to deal with common medical problems you might face as well as preparation for travelling on that marvellous adventure.
Austin Vince
Austin Vince is best known for his long distance adventure motorcycle expeditions; twice round the world as part of the Mondo Enduro and Terra Circa trips, which were both produced as TV documentaries. Mondo Enduro was probably one of the first of the contemporary motorcycle film documentaries made, before my own series broadcasts in the mid ’90’s and long before the ‘Long Way Round’ campaign, of which he was a consultant.
His wikipedia information describes him as a writer and presenter of the Routes series on Discovery Channel, but his full time job, mostly, is as a maths teacher in a North London public school. He has also served in the Royal Engineers.
Vince attended the private Mill Hill School in North London then was sponsored through university by the army but became a pacifist while there and had to pay them to get out. After university, he returned to Mill Hill as a teacher and used to teach at St. Johns School in Northwood. He is married to one of the most experienced long distance female motorcyclists in the world, Lois Pryce, who has completed several notable expeditions of her own, notably a solo expedition across Iran. He returned for a second stint at St Johns School in Northwood before leaving in 2016 to pursue his passion for motorcycle adventure trips (mini mondos) in the Pyrenees. Participation on these short orienteering journeys are possible by clicking on his website.
Martin Duran
Martin Duran is your man for everything you need to know about IAM. Having always had a passion for anything motorised with wheels, in his early twenties (not long ago he insists!), Martin Doran became a member of the BRDC, Silverstone Racing Drivers Club, where the Club provided tuition and the opportunity to race saloon cars and single seater Formula Ford FF1600. During the weekends, four wheels would regularly be swopped for two.
Following a Bike Safe Course with West Mercia Police, this set him on the road to the IAM and advanced riding and driving.
After years of training IAM members on both road and circuit, Martin was approached by the IAM to become one of their first civilian Examiners and in addition to examining, is also actively involved with Masters Mentoring and IAM RoadSmart Car and Bike Skills Days on race circuits throughout the UK.
Vaughan de Grave
As a sports and events photographer, I specialise in capturing candid moments in a manner which encapsulates the feeling of the moment. My goal is not only to photograph the action, but to do so in a way that tells a story. At this event, I aim to share my expertise through several short photography courses with small groups. The focus of these sessions will be primarily (though not exclusively) smartphone photography with the aim being to elevate your smartphone snapshots to compelling photographs which will hold the viewers attention. During each session I will guide attendees through the basic principles of photography such as composition, basic camera settings and how best to take advantage of the available light.
By emphasising the importance of small changes to composition and subject positioning in relation to available light sources alongside the effects which can be achieved through a basic understanding of camera settings I will help participants discover how to bring their photos to life.
Whether you're photographing a sports event, a family gathering, or a day out with friends, my goal is to give you the tools needed to create visually engaging images which will, if nothing else, impress your mates more than a simple snapshot.
This is brand new to the Gathering and what a find!
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Meet Green Man Survival aka Mr James Dixon who has kindly agreed to hold the following proposed sessions run over both days of the weekend. This will allow learners to cover the fundamental aspects of travelling in a wilderness environment.
Workshops on Fire Lighting, Water Purification and Tarp set up,
I would have a maximum group size of 8. This would enable participants to get hands-on with the learning, and the small group size helps keep the sessions shorter and more manageable.
The survival mindset show & tell does not need to be capped to a maximum number, just the capacity of the venue.
Fire Lighting and Stick Stove Masterclass (1 hour)
This small class will cover ignition sources and rescuing a wet lighter. It will also focus on the use of ferrocerium rods for lighting fires. Tinder, both man made and found in nature; along with tool use to harvest and process the required materials. The learners will have the opportunity to light small fires and examine stick stoves, Kelly Kettles and understand the importance of a simple robust steel container.
Tarp set ups (40 mins)
Here the learners will understand the importance of risk assessing a suitable camp location. 3 tarp set ups will be demonstrated, utilising a tree or a fence post, two trees, and also a motorcycle. The learner will investigate the risk of using a motorcycle and understand how to make this safe. Basic, but releasable knots will be practiced to aid in a speedy fixing and breaking of camp.
Water Purification (30 mins)
The learners will examine various filters and understand the pros and cons of each. The purification process of boiling will also be touched upon. The six contaminants will be discussed and how to most effectively process water to eradicate any risk. If a water source is not available we will make one!
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The survival mindset and travelling prepared (40 mins)
This will be a simple show and tell style talk with a Q&A session to wrap up.
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All web details, click on button.
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