The annual pilgrimage to the Birmingham NEC to check out the latest and greatest bikes from the major manufacturers - not to mention yet another chance to point my camera at girls without getting a slap in the face.

The 9th annual Bike Show held in the historic St. Nicholas Market in Bristol. Organised by the Motorcycle Action Group (MAG), the show was it's usual mix of custom and classic bikes laid out in the historic surroundings of the market in the centre of Bristol.

Situated in the counties of Devon and Somerset in South West England, the park contains a variety of magnificent landscapes. Although it is one of the smaller National Parks (267 sq. miles) the central plateau of open moorland is remote and spacious, whilst to the north the moorland terminates in towering cliffs above the Bristol Channel. The rocky headlands, steep wooded ravines, plunging waterfalls and jumbled heaps of fallen rock make this an area of outstanding scenic beauty.

I bought the bike (BMW R1150GS), so I thought I'd better learn how to ride it properly. The course is run over two days at the Seven Sisters Enduro Park (South Wales) by Simon Pavey and Nick Plumb, both BMW sponsored Paris-Dakar competitors, ably assisted by Mark Fearnley and Nick Palmer.

The bikes used by the students on the course were BMW F650GS's, which coped surprisingly well for a bike that isn't considered a 'pukka' off-road/enduro bike, whilst the Instructors all used the R1150GS/ADV. After having seen what they could do with those bikes, I would never again doubt the capability of the Big Twins at handling the dirt.

I had loads of fun, fell off too many times to count, got covered in mud, but more importantly I learned a massive amount in just two days on how to control a motorcyle off-road. I would seriously recommend the course to anyone - even if they haven't any ambition to ride off-road, as the skills you learn can help you to become a better rider on the road.

The Yorkshire Dales became a National Park in 1954 because of the range of wildlife, habitats, beautiful scenery and local history.

But enough of that waffle, the Dales has some of the best biking roads around. Whether you ride a sportsbike or a tourer the roads could almost have been designed just for our use!!

The Elan Valley (Nr Rhayader, Mid Wales) has been called the Lake District of Wales and is one of the most un-spoilt areas of the country. If you get the chance it is well worth the trip, particularly the 'mountain road' to Aberystwyth.

The 23rd Bristol Classic MotorCycle Show, at the Royal Bath and West Showground. Held over two days, it is the premier event of it's type in the southwest.

An excuse to wander around pointing my camera at girls without getting a slap in the face. Oh, yes - I believe there was also some bikes there as well.

A meeting organised by the National Sprint Association, held on a disused air-field at Weston Zoyland near Bridgwater. Some great racing from a variety of bikes, with riders of all ages from under 14 to over 70!!

Held at the Westpoint Exhibition Centre, this show is a fun day out for all the family. This years attractions included an excellent stunt show with performances from Jason Finn, Sonnie Ferguson and Neil Porter.

The 8th annual Bike Show held in the historic St. Nicholas Market in Bristol. An eclectic mix of Sports Bikes, Customs, Scooters and every other type of bike you can imagine - check out the 2CV turned into a sidecar outfit that you 'drive' from the chair!

A mass demonstration organised in protest at the plans by Michael Meacher (Secretary of State for the Environment) to ban motorcycles from National Parks.