Trans-Africa By Motorcycle: A Father's Diary

Most people would regard it as irresponsible madness for a father to take his 17-year-old son, riding old and somewhat worn-out XT500 motorcycles, on a four-month ride across Africa. But Lawrence Bansby did. In this era of celebrity, fully-supported long-distance motorcycle journeys with 4X4s carrying spares, a camera crew, full medical kit and a great deal of money, Lawrence and his son Gareth set off on their old but bullet-proof XT500s, with a handful of spare parts and the three Michelin maps that cover Africa. The plan was to travel North from their home in Natal, South Africa then West through Zaire, Central African Republic, Nigeria, Niger and, finally, across the Sahara through Algeria but it was not to be… wars in Sudan and Zaire, murders of Europeans in Algeria forced them further and further East until they found themselves in Eritrea on the Red Sea coast, with war-torn Sudan blocking their way to the West and the closed border of Egypt to the North…

For all bikers who have embarked on long-distance adventures, those planning a trip of their own or the arm-chair traveller who always thinks, “What if…” this diary is a must: an amazing read – touching, interesting, exciting, filled with insight about the countries they travelled through and the people they met along the way. Unlike many travel diaries of this sort, however, Trans-Africa by Motorcycle – A Father’s Diary is the account of a growing relationship between a father and son, of seeking adventure together despite the limitations of finance and equipment, of achieving that which, at heart, every father secretly wants to do with his son or daughter.