The best laid plans of mice and motorcycle travellers...

Revisiting the security aspect of the trip, we are reminded that the trip plan (see right) was always meant to be flexible.

Recently (in last three months or so), things have become a little more febrile in West Africa and the UK government has revised its travel advice for the area - advising more caution and outlining more areas that either should be avoided altogether (red) or should only be visited if absolutely neccesary (amber).

Nigeria

Cameroon

Now, we know that this is ultra-cautious advice, but it behoves careful wanderers to be aware of it. We are aware, and we'll be keeping a close eye on it as we approach the region. We may not make South Africa (we'd have to pass through Cameroon to get there) - but we'll decide on that in six or so months when we're closer to the scene. We have contacts in the area that we're communicating with, too, so we'll be properly clued in to the situation.

After all, six months touring Sengal, Mali, Cote d'Ivoire and Nigeria won't be too onerous. 😊

But we'll see...