Biking Over Yonder

Motor biker Stephen Matthews recently departed Gibraltar to cross the Strait into Morocco as he continues his journey around the world on two wheels.

Mr Matthews is raising money for Katharine House Hospice in the UK, a place that took care of his mother as she fought the battle she eventually lost with cancer.

He states that his mother spoke highly of the hospice and he wants to support it so they can continue to make a different to their patients and families.

The solo journey on his trusty Honda CRF250L will take about three years, if not longer. Starting in the UK, he made his way down through Europe before hitting Gibraltar and onwards to Africa. He will cover Asia, Australia and the Americas.

“Gibraltar was a clear destination for me,” he told the Chronicle.

“The journey is motivated by the death of my mother who was born in a military hospital in Gibraltar.”

“I was very keen to see where my mother lived for the first few years of her life,” he added.

It was Mr Matthews first time on the Rock and pledges to return once again. “I crossed over the runway with my motorcycle during rush hour, which might not have been the wisest decision as it was quite frantic!,” he said.

“Riding on the runway was novel and not something you do every day.,” he added.

His first impressions of Gibraltar included an interesting mix of nice looking modern buildings very close to the older buildings. “It seems that Gibraltar has everything it needs in a relatively small parcel of land,” he said.

“It was nice to hear a familiar UK accent in the petrol station,” he added.

While on the Rock he visited the place where his mother spent the first 22 months of her life, near St Bernard's Chapel on Europa Road, and “thought about Mum and how my Grandma would have lived from day to day with the family in Gibraltar.”

Taking a selfie he described it as a “simple photo but means a lot to me.”

He also took photos of the macaques and soaked up the views.

Having departed the UK last month he still has many months ahead left of his adventure, so far, “I am loving the journey and the freedom of exploring countries on two wheels.”

“The first few days in Europe, I was finding my feet and getting into a new routine.”

“The first few days in Africa will be similar but with a completely different culture to explore and understand,” he added.

Mr Matthews’ target is £3000. “I'm incredibly grateful for the kind donations so far. It means a huge amount to me,” he said. To donate or for more information go to http://BikingOverYonder.com