Notes From The Road Volume IV

5.0 out of 5 stars David Coulson
Suddenly a piece of music or art or literature can arrive that becomes a landmark for it's genre. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Jupiter's Travels and now Notes From The Road by Derek Mansfield.
5.0 out of 5 stars Paddy Tyson, Overland Magazine
Just occasionally a book arrives on the motorcycle travel scene that is different, brave and definitely intriguing. This book is an observational classic, the acerbic wit pin sharp.

5.0 out of 5 stars  Sam Manicom, Author, Into Africa, Under Asian Skies
Like Dr Who’s Tardis! Small on the outside, big and unique on the inside. I learned, I laughed, I sympathised, and I was surprised. It’s very easy to give the book 5 stars.
5.0 out of 5 stars Nathan Millward, Author, The Postie
I loved it… one of the best written books I’ve read… humorous, adventurous, informative. Exquisite writing… amazing …Well recommended.
 

NOTES FROM THE ROAD Vol. IV were formed mainly inside a motorcycle helmet on a journey from London to Ukraine via the Baltics and the Balkans. Twice.
Within the first thousand miles the petrol-soaked Google map dissolved and GPS became increasingly intermittent. A thousand miles later road signs changed from Latin to Cyrillic and the skills for dead-reckoning, remembered from the author’s nautical past, turned out to be less than adequate.
No matter. The interior of a motorcyclist’s head is lit with flashing synapses long after the ignition is switched off. Thus the author, whose memory is on the brink of age-related failure, stopped regularly to make notes. Reviewing these later he realised they made little sense, but were not without humour and distilled here take the reader on an increasingly surreal journey of language, customs and culture.
Since 2010 the author has travelled in more than 56 countries on four continents; many, more than twice. Some 65,000 of these miles were travelled solo, on a motorcycle.