With 2026 being the second ABR Festival I’ve attended I knew what I was in store for.

After my first ABR Festival last year I decided to get a Super Thursday ticket so I could get there early and get set up before the main festival started. Although it’s fair to say there is a huge amount of stuff to do already on the Thursday! It was going to be an exceptionally hot day today (around Ragley Hall 36 degrees “feeling like 38”) so I decided to leave London early and get up to Warwickshire as early as I could. I got up at 4am (my second 4am start in two days) and packed my bike. Heading out of London around 6am it was great to be on the road again with my camping equipment and bike!

It’s always great to be riding a bike but it was sad to be finishing this trip and riding home.

Waking up in the hotel I got packed up and headed down for breakfast. We were booked onto the 10:15 Stena Line ferry which was really busy with quite a few coach trips but it’s always exciting to be taking a ferry somewhere, even if it was headed home.

The plan for the day was to take the ferry over to Holyhead and then ride back via the M40. I wasn’t really looking forward to the traffic, especially as the ferry was landing at 13:45 and we’d be hitting rush hour during the ride home. But it was just the last push home and a very small price to pay for an amazing week away with great memories.

With our adventure almost at an end we headed for Dublin for one last night.

With one of our group already en route back to London we awoke to a stunning sunrise over our campsite in Connemara. Although we’d only had one night in this campsite it was great to get there because it’s in such a beautiful location and was quite busy but not too busy.

The site is settled in the machair dunes and is a carbon-neutral site with a private beach on which you can have fires in firepits, a sauna, and beautiful views.

What a difference good weather makes as we rode the stunning route from Galway into Connemara along the coast.

Waking in the cottage we got ourselves packed up and had breakfast. The girls had got me a gift for organising the trip which I was really touched by. It had been so lovely riding with them so it was sad that it already has started to feel like we were nearing the end of our adventure. Usually by the 5th/6th day of riding every day my body starts getting used to being on the bike consistently and all the aches and niggles from consecutive days on the road start to fade and I get into the flow of a trip. I’d also really miss riding with the girls as they’re exceptional company and lovely people. This was to be the last full day together because one of our number would be leaving the next morning around 4am to ride to Dublin, get the ferry to Holyhead, and then ride back to London in a one-er! But we still had today together, the weather was amazing, and we had some fantastic roads in front of us.

Waking up in our glamping pods the weather was bright and sunny, but the wind was to make an unwelcome return.

The plan for today was to ride up to the western tip of Connemara and stay in a coastal campsite. After a leisurely breakfast of scrambled eggs we then saw to the bikes; fixing a puncture in one and then adjusting the chain slack on two others. After settling up for our night’s stay we headed off north, with the plan to reach the coast in Connemara after riding along some coastal roads in the shadow of the Iorras Beag / Errisbeg mountain.

None of us got much sleep in the battering wind and come 6am it was getting worse so we had a decision to make, and pretty quickly.

It had been a noisy and blustery night with heavy rain and high winds and a 6am check of the weather forecast showed that the highest winds hadn’t even hit us yet. So I quickly got packed up and loaded my bike before saying to the girls that I’m going to help them pack up although we needed to do that now. Because the winds were so high we carried stuff into the toilet and shower block for shelter from the elements and packed up in there, clearing the camping field quickly. Although not before two of the group’s tents had been damaged by the wind; suffering snapped poles!

Today we were riding the Ring of Kerry, up to the Dingle peninsula.

We woke after a pretty good night’s sleep and had breakfast in the camp kitchen before packing up and heading off to the Ring of Kerry. As the campsite was actually on the north of the Healy Pass (which we had to reroute past yesterday) we could pick up a little bit of the narrower part of the Healy Pass [1] heading towards Kenmare [2], before we made for Moll’s Gap [3] and then joining the Ring of Kerry at Sneem [4], the “knot in the Ring of Kerry”. Moll’s Gap takes you a little further north than the Ring of Kerry but takes you through a spectacular mountain pass before joining back onto the Ring again. I’d ridden some of these roads before and couldn’t wait for this section.

Our first proper day in Ireland was to be mostly travelling down to Kerry, through sunshine and rain.

We got packed up in County Wexford and headed off down to County Kerry, via Cork. Initially the plan was to ride along the coast via Skibbereen although the weather was windy and heavy showers were hitting us from time to time so it ended up being a lot slower progress than we expected. In fact at one point we needed to quickly take shelter in a filling station to avoid huge hailstones! So we headed for Bantry where we’d pick up the coastal route around the Ring of Beara and up over the Healy Pass. I’d ridden the Healy Pass before and it’s absolutely incredible so I was very excited to get to that section of the ride. Our campsite was just over the other side of the pass so it’d be only 30 minutes or so over the top when we got there.

In June 2026 4 of us took our bikes to Ireland to ride the southerly part of the Wild Atlantic Way

After planning this trip for a long while it was finally the day! Our ferry was booked from Fishguard to Rosslare for 14:00, arriving in Rosslare at 17:30. One of our group was riding a 125 so headed off the day before, spending Sunday evening nearby, but the rest of us headed off early doors. Meeting around 04:30 and getting on the road by 05:00, we headed off along the M4, bound for south Wales for the ferry. We had plenty of time to stop and check our luggage on the way which turned out to be a good plan as the weather closed in on us and started dumping cold rain as we drove through Bristol and into Wales.

Over my trip to Iceland I learned some lessons.

1) Solo Doesn’t Mean Alone — Even as a solo traveller I exchanged stories with other bikers, swapped supplies with fellow campers, and found camaraderie with ferry companions.

2) Tools Can Fail You at the Worst Moment — The Garmin wouldn’t route, drone was grounded by the wind, there was often no mobile signal. But had an InReach Mini 2.

3) Growth Comes From the Edges of Comfort — During the ride I faced harsh winds, cold, long days, unexpected detours, yet came home more skilled and confident — and already planning the next trip.

Although I change this packing list depending on where I’m going and what I’m doing, this is my moto camping checklist.

Packing the right kit makes all the difference between a smooth, enjoyable adventure and a stressful trip. A good checklist helps you stay organised, organise luggage space, and ensure you don’t forget any essentials. From camping gear like tents, sleeping bags, and cooking equipment to bike-specific tools, spare parts, and personal items, having everything planned out in advance means you can focus on the ride and the experience. Here’s a practical checklist to help you prepare for your next moto-camping journey.

Over my trip to Iceland I kept some notes about my experiences.

One thing I learned is to not necessarily focus on the Ring Road, (Route 1). Many guides talk about completing the loop although don’t treat it as a target to get around. Use parts of it to get to places you want to visit. If you’re riding the Route 1 as a goal then you could be focusing more on getting it done rather than exploring and getting deeper into areas. Especially being flexible due to weather is important. The smaller roads are quieter and nicer, especially in the far north.