The heart-warming motorcycle adventure to the Arctic

Gordon Stuart tells the heart-warming story of his incredible motorcycle adventure through Northern Europe…

I pulled my bike to the side of the road, coming to a stop with gravel and dust at my feet. I removed my helmet and felt the cold mountain breeze across my face. As I got off the bike I turned back to see the road I had just ridden: A coating of snow either side; wet from the countless waterfalls that drain from the snowy mountains and empty, twisting beyond the spikey peaks in the distance. Having battled with the stifling heat of London traffic, Antwerp, and Hamburg; fought the wind on the 8km Øresund Bridge; and shivered my way through countless mountain passes and tunnels, I was here… nearly 3,000 miles from home, in biker’s paradise… living the dream I had been having for the past 4 years.

I was in Finnmark, Norway’s far North, the top of Europe, and deep inside the wilderness of the Arctic. The ambiance of Oslo was a distant memory, and the tourist-filled fjords of Norway’s west coast were far from my mind. My view was like a postcard but I reminded myself that my journey wasn’t a trip of leisure, but one of challenge, hope, adventure, and altruism. I had a goal too: to reach Nordkapp – the most northerly point in Europe.

It was almost 4 years ago when I first started dreaming of Nordkapp. A late night conversation in 2010 with my brother-in-law sparked my quest for this obscure location. He was undertaking the Mongol Rally, albeit by car, the following year. Having always been a biker, I toyed with the idea of entering too but I soon found the restrictions on the size and age of the vehicles that could be used ruled out what was sitting in my garage. Whilst a charitable event, the entrance fee seemed high and it was money I felt should go straight to the charities. After exploring the maps we had to hand, the investigation led me to one conclusion: I was going to do my own solo charity motorbike ride but I wasn’t going to go to Mongolia. I was going to the Arctic!

For years beforehand I had wanted to raise money for charity but I never found the right opportunity. There was one charity in particular that had a place in my heart – Cerebra (www.cerebra.org.uk). Cerebra are a UK-based brain injury charity that supports children and their families, who has suffered brain injuries. My little brother Robbie suffered a brain injury at 9 months old, and Cerebra have done amazing work to help him and my family.

Only a few months after coming up with the original idea, in May 2011 I set off from my hometown of Whitley Bay in the North of England, heading for the Arctic. At the time I was riding my daily commuter, a Kawasaki ER5. However on day 7 in Northern Sweden I had a crash which caused me to be delayed by 4 day,s and ultimately limp home having failed to ride to the Arctic. I raised £1,700 for the charity, and had great support from my friends and family, but in my heart I failed and it was a horrible feeling.

Fast forward to early 2013 and a lot had changed. I’d got married, graduated from university, and got myself a grown-up job as a Project Manager. Another late night conversation, this time with my wife, reignited my Arctic flame and my destiny. I decided I was going to give it another go, and make sure Cerebra would benefit from my adventure. This time I gave myself 14 months to plan the trip and get the support I needed to make it a success. I set up Facebook and Twitter accounts, started writing weekly blogs, and used the skills I’d learnt in my job to make sure every detail had been thought of, and no matter what went wrong on the trip I had contingencies to ensure I got to the Arctic.

I also bought myself a new bike. The Kawasaki had been a great workhorse for 6 years, but I needed something a bit bigger that would be more comfortable over long distances, hold me and my gear and was within my price range. After much investigation and research, I took an 8 hour train to Swansea in winter where I bought, picked up, and rode home my new baby: a blue and white 2009 Suzuki GSX650F.

Over the months I networked with bikers from across the globe, gained supporters, and got some local motorbike companies on-board as corporate sponsors, to help me fund the petrol costs for the 6,000 mile adventure. I set myself a target of £2,500 to raise for the charity – over double the cost of running the trip (funded by me and my corporate sponsors)… my mantra was the famous ‘You’ve got to spend money to make money’.

Setting off

Suddenly, I was sitting on my bike on a cold Saturday morning in May looking at St Mary’s lighthouse – the icon of my hometown of Whitley Bay and the starting point of my Arctic Ride. With barely more than a tent, sleeping bag, camera equipment, and some spare clothes on the back of my bike, I was ready for the 6,000 mile, 3 week adventure that lay ahead. I was joined by Cerebra, friends, family, sponsors, and supporters at my starting point… I kept a brave and confident face, but inside I was nervous and apprehensive. I love nothing more

than riding my bike but the pressure was on, having failed in 2011. I’d already reached my £2,500 target before leaving; I had thousands of followers on social media all cheering me on but I was also leaving my 6 month pregnant wife at home.

I pulled away from the lighthouse in convoy with 15 or so of my biker buddies but 30 miles later only one remained who would join me for the rest of my 360 mile ride to Dover on Day 1. The weather was awful for riding. Torrential rain and dense traffic made the ride South a real chore. When the weather did ease I was greeted by the rush-hour traffic of the M25. Even though only a 650, when the bike was fully loaded it felt heavy and very wide.

The following few days I spent almost 100% on motorways as I rode East through France, Belgium, Netherlands, and Germany, before heading North into Denmark and Sweden. I did several 500+mile days to get me up to Scandinavia in my timeframe, but being fresh into my trip made them slightly easier. By the end of Day 4 I was camped in Oslo and said goodbye to motorway riding for the foreseeable future.

For the next 10 days I headed North through Norway. The route was filled with snowy mountain passes, tunnels, hairpin bends, and wildlife spilling onto the road. Choosing to travel in May and early June was a risk. I had been told before I left that the weather in Norway, especially the Arctic North, was variable at best: There was a real chance the mountains passes could be icy or closed due to snow.

Unlike my last trip, luck seemed to be on my side. As I rode North through Norway I followed a high pressure weather system which kept me dry, and importantly brought the temperatures up enough to ensure there was little snow on the roads. Word about my trip got out to some of the motorcycle community in Norway and I was lucky enough to be chaperoned in some counties by local motorcycle clubs, who also arranged beds for the night on a few of my stops.

At 11am on Day 13 I reached the Nordkapp. The emotions going through me were mixed. I was so proud that I had made it here as an ambassador of Cerebra, and that I’d achieved my aim, but also I was mentally tired: my body was hurting, and I had to ride another 3,000 miles to get home.

The roads back were quiet and full of twisty bends. I was averaging 350 miles a day, but I soon realised this was my reward for making it to Nordkapp, and I began to enjoy the ride and took in some of the sights along the route back.

On Day 21 I arrived in Amsterdam where I would catch my ferry home to Newcastle. It felt strange to be going home not only as I’d been on the road, camping for 3 weeks straight, but that I no longer had Nordkapp in my sights… I’d done it, and I was already beginning to dream of my next adventure.

Support Cerebra

A great way to help the charity is to buy Gordon’s brilliant DVD for just £10. This inspirational movie is a must for any would-be adventurers, and also helps to support Cerebra. Watch the trailer below, and buy the DVD here: arcticride.blogspot.co.uk/p/film.html

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Gordon has already raised over £4050 for this very worthy charity. Imagine what could be achieved if all of us donated just £1… Please help him raise even more for the thousands of children with brain-related conditions by sharing this story using the Facebook button below.

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