Why I Chose the Royal Enfield Himalayan as My First Adventure Bike | Road Trip Through Tudor England

Thinking of buying your first adventure motorcycle? In this long-form motovlog, I break down why I chose the Royal Enfield Himalayan 411 as my first adventure bike — after weeks of researching, comparing, and eliminating other beginner-friendly motorcycles.

This isn’t just a bike review — it’s a real-world, 50-minute motorbike road trip vlog through Tudor England, exploring historic locations like:

🏰 The Vyne
🌳 Ankerwycke Yew (where Henry VIII courted Anne Boleyn)
📜 Runnymede, site of the Magna Carta
🇺🇸 JFK Memorial on US soil in Berkshire

Along the ride, I explain how I narrowed it down to the Royal Enfield Himalayan 411, comparing it against many other lightweight adventure bikes and beginner motorcycles like:
✅ Honda CRF300 Rally / Kawasaki KLX300 / Yamaha WR250R / Suzuki DRZ400
✅ KTM RC390, Yamaha R3, Kawasaki Ninja 400, CFMOTO 450SS, Svartpilen 401, Suzuki SV650
✅ RE Scram 411, Triumph Scrambler, Honda CB500X, Kawasaki Versys 300 / 650, Yamaha Tenere 700, CFMOTO 450MT, RE Himalayan 450, Suzuki V-Strom 650 / 250

This video is perfect for:
🧑‍🏍 New riders looking for their first adventure motorcycle
💡 Anyone comparing A2-compliant bikes or planning a round-the-world motorbike trip
🛠️ Riders who want a budget-friendly, easy-to-maintain, reliable daily commuter that also handles off-road
🗺️ Viewers who love UK motovlogs, scenic rides, and British history

If you’re just starting your riding journey or planning an epic trip, this video walks you through the real-world decision-making process and trade-offs that go into picking your first adventure bike. No fluff — just honest insight, good roads, and some unexpectedly royal stops.

👉 Subscribe & Stay in the Loop
🔔 Subscribe for weekly motovlogs, beginner bike tips & RTW prep: youtube.com/@sam.whiting
📸 Instagram for behind the scenes: @sam_whiting99
☕ Buy me a coffee & support the journey: buymeacoffee.com/samwhiting

#RoyalEnfieldHimalayan #BeginnerAdventureBike #UKMotoVlog

So, here she is right behind me. My new motorbike, which is hopefully going to take me around the world. My first bike and maybe my last bike. Who knows? Here she is. Not the mini in the background. So, this is my Royal Enfield Himalayan. Old style. Old style. So, a lot of people say this is an amazing beginner bike. Um, and I want to in the course of this video go through why it was the perfect beginner bike for me. Okay. Um, we have to bear in mind a few things when I was looking for a bike. What was I looking for? Well, most important for me is the fact that I want to go around the world on my motorbike. So, at the start of next year, I’ll be heading off to Africa and I’m making some plans to maybe go to the Middle East at the end of this year. All overlanding if possible. So, I need something that’s capable onroad and off-road. But in the meantime, I need something that can be a daily driver. It’s the only thing I have. I don’t have a car. I refuse to go on a push bike. So, my motorbike is the only way I can get around, right? So, it needs to be something that’s suitable for commuting because I do have a real job, unfortunately. Um, and uh it needs to be something that can handle a bit of luggage as I’m going around because I’ve got other things to do in my life. As much as I don’t want, it’s also got to be comfortable. Um, I probably haven’t mentioned it enough, but I did break my foot in Indonesia. I think I broke I broke it. I broke my ankle. Pretty bad. They had to reconstruct my heel. So, it needs to be something comfortable to ride on and something that can uh handle I can handle with my foot injury. And of course, it’s got to look good. Uh now, it’s actually not my favorite style of bike. I’m going to talk more about some other bikes which I prefer the look of and what my heart really wanted uh since I was growing up as a kid. But since a lot of people call me granddad for my kind of old school old school approach to life and dress sense, then uh I think this one fits me kind of well. Now, this video is not a review of the Royal Enfield Himalayan 411. There are more than enough of those on the internet and by more qualified people than me. What this is is a video about how I personally came to the decision to get this motorbike and why other ones weren’t right for me. And maybe that will help you. It’s going to go through some other motorbikes in the same category and some that aren’t in the same category as these kind of uh adventure bikes and lightweight adventure bikes for beginners and why they weren’t the right pick for me in the end. And at the very end, I’m going to talk to you about one motorbike which I wish I got instead but couldn’t. I’m going to tell you why. So, stick around and maybe that might be your next bike. Now, if you know me at all guys, you know I always give you more than you bargain for. So, we always have a little side quest. Uh, today’s side quest, uh, it’s Operation UT. No, uh, not that kind. So, um, we’re actually going to go down to the Ankorwick U, uh, which is near the beautiful scenic village of Slough, also known as Slough, and, uh, it’s one of the oldest trees in the UK. Um, we’re also going to check out um where they signed the Magna Carta. Magna Carta. Hardly now. And we’re going to finish off at a little piece of actual genuine real Bonafide US soil. Not like an embassy, not like a US controlled area like a military base, but genuine US soil. So, we’re going to go there at the end because the bike that I really wanted, I can’t buy in the UK. But, God bless America, you can buy it there. So, maybe it’ll be one I get in the future. First things first, uh it’s the question you’re probably all wondering. Granddad, why didn’t you buy a sports bike? Um, which is a good question. Uh, and the answer is is cuz I’m not old enough to have my midlife crisis yet. I’m saving it for later. All good things comes to those who wait. But there’s a couple things that put me off it. Uh the main one is like a practicality one. Um I’m gonna go around the world on my bike or hope to um and do lots of touring and a sport bike like that is just not good for off-roading. Obviously, they’re built for the track. Now, that’s not to say it can’t be done. Um actually when I was first looking into bikes for like round the world trip um I saw um this guy on Instagram. He’s a Spanish guy. He’s called to ninja. Uh and he has gone all around South America and Africa on a Kawasaki Ninja which is absolutely crazy. Um so it can be done. Another guy I saw in India went touring all over India. in 1200 km on uh a KTM RC 390. Um my friend Liam, he even went touring and I think he actually had a KTM RC390 as well and he said he loved it, but apparently it makes your back very sore and it’s also a lot of pressure on the foot pegs. Um I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it enough, but I have actually broken my foot and I’m in the UK for the purpose of recovering from it. I don’t want to put my foot under unnecessary stress. Uh it’s bad enough. Uh I had to pick up a job as a bartender. So I’m on my feet for like 30 to 40 hours a week anyway. Uh so I’m already giving my body a pretty big challenge to recover. So I don’t need to have an extra challenge with my foot recovery in my spare time. Now another type or whole category of bikes I discounted completely that I was pretty tempted with was 125s. 125cc bikes. Now, I think overall I probably regret not getting a 125. Um, however, because my situation of wanting to get out and get gone as quickly as possible to start touring uh around the UK, around Europe, and around the world, that was what told me that a 125 wasn’t the right idea. Um, again, I didn’t want to get a 125 and then be inclined to sell it pretty soon after. It’s not that I would outgrow the bike. It’s more that just the capabilities of the bike um weren’t quite there for me as the only person I could actually overtake on the road. Looking back, I think in an ideal world, a 125 would have actually been perfect. But I think talking about why not getting a 125 um wasn’t right for me and why I regret not getting a 125 is something for another video. So, if you’d like to see that, uh, and you want to drop your comments on whether it is or isn’t worth getting a 125 as your first bike when you can just do direct access, then drop it down below. Now, that’s not to say that crazy round the world trips can’t be done on a 125. Uh, actually, uh, I got in touch with Kiki Rides and I Love Motors, who were the first people to ride from London to Cape Town on a 125. And I asked them for like their thoughts on on it and they said, you know what, they actually loved having a 125. It made them feel much more integrated while they were traveling because most people except foreigners don’t have these big motorbikes that go around the world on. Um it was also convenient for them due to the lightweight, easy to pick up and things like this when they drop it inevitably. Um and uh it was uh just I think a fun challenge, right? But overall they said the times where they would have wanted a bigger bike would be those long stretches on the road where they just want to get home um or the capacity for for more luggage and to be more comfortable going up hills and stuff. So since people have already done it, I thought, okay, it’s not for me. I’ll let them have the glory. I’ll find someone else’s footsteps to walk in. This is another reason why you don’t need a big bike in the UK. I wouldn’t worry about it. Again, classic. This is actually a 60 mph road. Natural speed limit. Uh but there’s gravel in the middle. Can’t see cuz the hedges are so high. It goes through someone’s farm. It’s classic. So, you don’t need a big bike cuz these ones also HTVs. they sometimes try and squeeze up them. [Applause] So, and that’s what I mean, especially in the UK, you’re hardressed to outgrow the bike. I mean, I think probably probably people that like spend a lot of time on a 125, I think they’re probably better riders overall, aren’t they? Oh, the UK has some amazing roads and some amazing countryside. I’m so lucky. I mean, what a beautiful place to to ride around, especially when there’s not much traffic. We’ve got the beautiful bank holiday. Uh, sunshine streaming through the clouds. It’s blistering hot, you know. Perfect. I’m actually only wearing a t-shirt. Um, you know, but honestly, look at this. I mean, it’s so beautiful, so picturesque. Very, very lucky to live where we live. And there we go. Very nice to see a St. George’s flag out. Sometimes it does feel like stepping back in time a little bit when you go around these little villages cuz they’ve got the old old worldy signs and all that kind of stuff. So, I just got off the bike at uh this viewpoint to show you why I didn’t get a bigger bike, but look at this. I’ve had a head-on collision. Didn’t even realize there’s a wasp. I’ve taken a wasp straight to the gonads. I’ve got balls of steel cuz I’ve knocked it unconscious. But just mad is when I was in Indonesia and I was I was mountain B biking down a volcano. It was like a 4-day thing and on the second or third day I had a head-on collision with a hornet and it got stuck in my leg in the exact same place. I’ve got a waspshaped mark there. That’s wasp eyeballs all over my all over me pieces. This gu is not doing too well. I I’m I’m concerned it might be game over for him actually, but we shall give him an honorable funeral. There you go. It’s what he would have wanted. Anyway, um why didn’t I buy a bigger bike? Uh I didn’t have enough money to. No, that is part of the answer to be honest. But why didn’t I buy um something like a CV500X for off-roading, a Suzuki Vstrom, a beautiful Africa Twin or something like that, or a Tener? This is what people seem to think is perfect. The thing is, it’s too much bike for me to handle. Um I know I’m going to drop it loads. I need something that can like tick along at slower speeds while I’m getting used to off-roading and stuff. Um, and I need something uh just yeah, easy to manage. And that’s what the Royal Enfield Himalayan was to me. Uh, a lot of people have said they have these bigger bikes, but they choose to go out on the Himalayan. Um, and it gets that endorsement time and time again. So, that’s kind of why I went for something smaller instead of one of these big, powerful, very sexy motorbikes like the Tennere. I feel like something like that, a Tenner might be something uh for me to look out at in the future is one of my biggest fans. Uh wasn’t even the road. I’m in the Levi. Some people e driving a Tesla. That’s all you need to say. Electric. No thank you. The place actually where I’ve stopped is uh this is called White Hill. um just outside of Kings, but uh it is the area of Watership Down where they where that guy wrote that book about the rabbits. Um I’m not a literary uh connoisseur. Um but I have heard of it. So that might be interesting. So there’s lots of nature here. It’s an area of outstanding natural beauty. Uh but for that reason, I can’t take my motorbike down that byway, which is very sad. It’s almost 2:00 and today I haven’t had any coffee. That is incredibly unlike me. So, I think what we’re going to do is we’re going to head to the pub. Uh going to see if they do a coffee there. Um and get something to eat and then we’ll be on our way. Um, and on the way there, I want to talk about another bike which I really wanted, um, but I didn’t think was right for me in the end, especially right for me personally as like a longd distance adventure bike. Now, that bike is the Suzuki uh, DRZ. Now, this is a small little bike, but it’s super super popular. It’s got like a real cult following. And when I first read this bike, I thought, “Wow, this is perfect.” Um, it was described as like a a thumper, perfect for beginners, um, indestructible, reliable. Uh, and I thought, hey, this has got me written all over it. Um, but there was a couple issues. First of all, they’re not the easiest to find in the UK. um at least not the DRZ for off-roading. There are lots of them used um as uh what you call them like supercross bikes. Um but I don’t know if there’s any difference between the supercross kind of versions and the off-road versions except for the tires. So that was one concern was I didn’t want to get something that was kind of spec for the street. Ultimately that bike was just too off-road focused for me. Uh, I don’t think it was comfort enough. If I just wanted something as like a green laning machine, something for like days out of the weekend, then honestly, that probably would have been the one I got because it seemed perfect to learn how to work on, reliable, fun, easy to ride. But as an allpurpose thing, whenever I need something like to get to and from work as well, it’s my uh daily daily driver. I need something a little bit more flexible. Okay, so me, myself, and my very bad haircut are now in the village of Overton in a car park in the village of Overton. And this is the pub from the back. Uh, and I’m going to go and have a coffee or maybe get told it’s locals only and I can’t come in. Carling £48. You know, it’s a good one. Oh yeah. Do you do food at all? Not on Mondays. Not on Mondays. Then I’ll go some. Thanks very much. Right. That won’t be the lunch stop. They’re very nice, but only serving carling. So, I’m caffeinated and my blood sugar is back to baseline. So, we’re going to go on to the next stop on the road trip. Now, of course, we’re going to go to one of the UK’s oldest trees, uh, where supposedly Henry VII, uh, that’s the one with the lots of wives, um, apparently courted one of his wives, Amberlin. Um, she didn’t last very long. I’ll tell you more about that in a minute if you don’t remember from primary school history. Um, but we’re going to a house with a bit of a tuna theme. Uh, it’s a house called The Vine. Now, this was a house built in the 1500s by a guy called um William Sandies and he was kind of like a new um generation of kind of nobility in the UK in England um not in the UK in England specifically because uh he kind of gained influence from basically being kind of the first glazer uh the first brown noser He was uh got his political sway from basically sucking up to Henry VII. That’s what I can find. It’s not from a noble birth, but from basically uh buddying up with someone who has got noble birth, in this case, Henry VI. So, he played his cards right. Um the house was in the family for uh from the 1500s when it was built up until the point where um old Oliver Cromwell um sought to bring down the monarchy. Um at that point the house was bought by an independent party a family called the shoots. Um they also had some political influence. Um the one of the shoots to the air to the guy that bought it um was a close friend of uh Horus Walpole and he was a guy that kind of led the Gothic revival in literature and architecture and the arts in the UK. So this place originally had a lot of political sway. He visited here before with Amberlin or supposedly uh around that time. It’s known they were hosted there at least once um or thought to have been hosted there at least once and likely more than once. And then um after uh England was turned into a republic temporarily, it became a place of art and culture for kind of uh politicians uh who would come there almost as a retreat. Um so we’re going to go check that out. It’s a National Trust property. Uh it was given to the National Trust in um I believe somewhere around the mid 1900s uh and has stayed at the National Trust since then. So, just before we do get to the Vine, while I’m waiting at these traffic lights, what I do want to talk to you about is another bike that I wanted to get, but I decided it wasn’t right for me. And that is a Yamaha WR 250R. And again, this is one which at the end of the day felt too like off-road focused for me. Um, it’s the kind of bike where if I was just going to Africa or I was just touring on it, it would probably be ideal. But because it’s something I’ve got to use in the UK in the meantime and knowing that when I first start and I first kind of grow and learn how to do touring and and ride a dual sport and and off-road and all these kinds of things, I knew I’d be doing a lot of on-road stuff as well. I wanted something that was a bit more road focused. But these look amazing. I think these are super sexy bikes. And actually I had on Auto Trader books marked uh a WR250R and they were police ones. They were actually ex police ones, but in the end by the time I come back from living abroad and ready to get a motorbike, they were gone. And again, they’re pretty hard to come by in the UK. But these ones have amazing reviews. If they were a bit easier to come by, this one probably would have been a top contender. It is quite impressive that, you know, even in the 1500s, they did have the foresight to build such a large car park, knowing that in sort of 500 years, it would become a bit of a local tourist hot spot. I mean, I personally believe I should be able to park in the disabled bay because of my foot, but I don’t think it’s Have you ever seen a motorbike with a disabled badge? It’s open till 3 and it’s £19. So, um, there’s the map. It’s a 15-minute walk. I’m not going. I’ve got a motorbike. I think we’re going to go and look at it from the road. So, there it is. That actually is the vine. Um you can see I don’t know how well you can see but it’s got red bricks which looks normal today. Um but apparently it is not that normal. Um when this was built that was incredibly expensive to make and it was basically just a shell of wealth. Um that’s probably one of the reasons why um William Sandies ended up being such a good friend of Henry VII. That’s just my suggestion. Anyway, so that’s what the vine looks like. It’s actually closed now. So, I’m basically just doing a a tour of kind of historic car parks of the UK. Um, not going in, but that’s what it looks like. That would be nice to get the drone up. It’d be good to get the drone up from here, but I don’t have one. Here’s one you’re probably thinking, why didn’t I get that? And that is the CF Moto 450 MT, the Ibex, the one that looks like a bit bit like a Tennere and a bit like a KLR 650. Well, that one also I was super super tempted with, but for the same reason uh that I didn’t get a couple other bikes, um I didn’t go with that one. And that is again because of the size. It is a bit bigger, a bit less manageable for me. Uh especially as a beginner. I’m like really focusing on the fact that I’m going to enjoy the ride a lot more if I’m on something that gives me confidence instead of going for something which has maybe more capability um but is not right for me personally. And the other thing is I watched a comparison review between the Himalayan 450, the new style one, and the 450 MT, the CF Moto. And that was because what put me off is that they said that the um the 450 MT is much more geared towards an aggressive riding style, which I’ve got no problem doing, but I’m just concerned that it would be too much too soon. Something’s on fire there. Um it would be too much too soon. and they said it was a high revving uh off-roader. So, you need to have it more in the high end and carry more speed to get the most out of it off-road. Whereas the Himalayan 450, they said it was a lot like the 411 in that it had a lot of the power low down. It was more torquy kind of power as opposed to like a a horsepower kind of power. While I’m on the way, I want to continue with a bit of the TUDA theme. Um, now ankawick u is a very very old tree. It’s actually thought to be maybe one of the oldest trees in the whole of the United Kingdom. It’s been estimated to be at least 2,000 years old. Um, that is incredibly old. That’s almost as old as Jesus. It’s very old. Um, so it’s been around uh for a long time. And supposedly Henry VIII was used it at a to a place to court um and Berlin. That was his second wife. Uh and they used that area because it was close to the some royal grounds. I think he had quite a lot of them back then. Um but it was away from uh the public eye. So it was he could do what he liked in relative uh in relative privacy. this whole period uh due to history and just after it’s so strange cuz in the UK we get taught about it from such a young age where we kind of just sort of think like can’t be that special because you hear about it all the time in school. You learn about it from so young. Well, that’s a nice view. Um but actually it was crazy what happened there, you know. Um he had six wives in about 10 years. What player? Um although most of them didn’t have a particularly nice fate. Uh you know how the saying goes, divorce beheaded died, divorced beheaded survived. But you hear so much about it, you forget how influential that was. You know, um because he wanted a divorce, Henry the we’re not Catholic anymore. Um that’s what sort of sparked the uh Church of England. And then we have um the the um the removal of the monarchy in the UK. Um and we had the English Civil War. Uh it’s just crazy really because you kind of forget about it. The UK is steeped in history and that is one of the way reasons why I’m going around to a lot of these spots. Now, here’s another thing I like about learning more about the history and the geography and and the nature around us is it gives you a new appreciation of where you are. And I think it is important, you know, love where you live. I love to travel, but I I don’t travel and I don’t want to see the world because I don’t want to be in the UK. I want to do it because the world’s so big and I want to see everywhere. There’s so much out there. Um, so many I don’t know if hidden gems is the right word, but there’s so much history and culture and and everything is out there, but you just have to go and find it. What really irritates me is people that slag off the UK. They say there’s nothing here or nothing to do or that it’s boring or that there’s nothing interesting. I guarantee you those people have never put the time and effort into actually going exploring the area where they live. um they haven’t put the effort into finding out about what’s around them. Cuz as soon as you do that, there’s so much stuff. I mean, I’m doing it for these videos and it’s given me a new appreciation of how much like culture and how much of world history um the area where I come from has influenced. It gives you kind of a new kind of proud pride of where you are. And I think you should be proud of where you are. I feel like now is a good time to talk about the elephant in the room, or rather the Honda in the room. Why didn’t I buy a Honda 300 Rally if I want to go off-road round the world? It’s like the bike to be on, right? Um Itchy Boots went all over Africa on a 300 Rally. Um Jacob Bloom um friend of my friend uh he is traveling the world on his and he’s all been around India and crazy places on his 300 rally. Uh and you can check out his vlogs on YouTube as well. He’s been all over America I think as well. Absolutely phenomenal what he’s doing and he’s a super nice guy. Gave me like loads of tips for my upcoming round the world journey and we might even link up uh at some point and do some traveling together. But why didn’t I get that? Well, to be honest, a lot of it came down to my foot injury. When I sat on one, um, it was quite high seat height. No problem for me. I’ve got long legs. The problem was, um, it really hurt my feet to put the pressure through my toes. And that was even while it was on the side stand uh and then just kind of rocking up into this kind of neutral position where I’m standing kind of two foot because I was on my tiptoes to do that. It put a lot of pressure through my toes and my foot wasn’t fully recovered. That really put me off and it made me kind of put into perspective um the kind of issues I might have with my foot going forwards. I don’t want to have to put my foot down, put all the pressure through my toes, and then have this bolt of pain. Um, it’s really going to put me off and it’s going to knock my confidence when it comes to riding. I actually have ridden a Honda Rally and I have ridden one off-road. The first time I learned to ride a motorbike, I mentioned in my last video, was in Thailand and I did it with an English guy and he put me through my paces and I basically did uh CBT in module one with him. Um, it was almost identical uh but slightly more in-depth than what actually I did when I did my training in the UK. Um, and I rode the Honda Rally and I loved it and I felt comfortable on it straight away even though it was much bigger than the KLX 150 I was on. And actually it fit me really well. It was a really really good size for me. Um so this is another reason why my heart is telling me that’s probably the right one. But it was just the pain from from kind of having to stand on my tippy toes uh when in that neutral position that put me off. On the same subject, the Vogue Rally or Vogue Rally. Um, it’s like a Chinese knockoff of the Honda Rally, but it has some very, very positive reviews. I also sat on one of these and um, I liked it. I like the feel of it. I like the styling. And apparently, it’s very wellmade. Cynics will tell you that because it’s Chinese, it’s no good. But I guarantee uh you look at what you’re watching this on, it was probably made in China and that probably doesn’t cause you too many problems. Uh so I wouldn’t say it’s the Chinese aspect, but it is untested. I don’t know anyone who’s done any proper off-roading on this and any long distance stuff. And it’s not the capability of the bike that I’m concerned about. I’m pretty sure it will be just as capable as a Honda Rally. It’s the durability. Honda is kind of like the gold standard for like reliability and bulletproofing bikes or at least those whole Japanese bikes in general. Chinese bikes, they don’t have a reputation for reliability. That concerns me when it’s my only mode of transport and I’m going around the world on it. It also concerns me about the parts availability. When I first read about this, I thought, parts availability, what does that matter? I’m going to be in the middle of nowhere. So, if I need a part, I’m going to have to get it sent to me anyway. No matter what it is, whether it’s Royal Enfield, um, Honda, or whatever, they’re not going to have the exact parts I need. But, when I looked into a little bit more detail, it came down to this. It’s less easy to bodgege parts for uh that Vogue uh than it is for something like the Honda which is built on a platform which is shared across a lot of other similar bikes and hasn’t changed that much and is well established pretty much everywhere. Uh everywhere people ride Honda motorcycles. They’re the leading uh motorcycle uh brand in the world. They sell way more than any other type of motorcycle brand. And because of that, mechanics everywhere are familiar with the way in which um Honda engines and Honda parts work. That means even if they can’t find something specifically they need for your bike, they can probably bodgege it. And that is a big very important thing uh when you come to being in the middle of nowhere. And also as someone who’s not mechanically inclined, needing someone else who can budge it for me. This is Windsor Park and all the lakes here and this whole area is actually man-made. Um it’s called the big lake is called Virginia Water. Uh and it was all made by um King George III and um it’s much loved by the Rolls apparently and there’s a couple statues of some of the kings around here. So we’re going to see if we can find them before we move on because we’re very close now to the Ankawick tree. is pretty close this whole place to Windsor Castle, which would explain why it’s so popular with the royals. King George, he was the king, um during some quite significant historical events. He was a king during the American War of Independence, uh which unfortunately we lost. So, can’t win them all. You know what they say. Um, he was also the king at the start of the industrial revolution. That one was quite significant. I’ve heard that that’s important. Um, and he was uh afflicted by several bouts of mental illness. Um, so King George IV um was often in power even though his dad was the king. And there is a statue uh and on that statue there is a amusing inscription. And this is actually it. This is the statue of King George. That was very good timing. Now this is King George uh on top of his copper horse. And there’s an inscription on there which says um to my uh the best of fathers. And that was an inscription from his son, uh, King George IV, which was, uh, apparently ironic because they did not get on. Um, that said, he’s got a nice horse. And there’s something to do with the position of the foot of the horse on statues. Like, if they’ve got one foot up, it means they went to war, but they didn’t. The horse didn’t die in the battlefield. If got two feet up, it means the horse died in the battlefield. And then if the horse has got both feet down, it means that the horse didn’t go to war and didn’t die from any war wounds. So I think I think that’s right. You’ll have to fact check me in the comments. So there we go. That’s interesting. Let’s go and see if we can find another statue of Princess uh Queen Victoria’s uh husband, uh Prince Albert, who um is famously named after a piercing on the male genitalia. I might have to go through the other the foot entrance because it’s not picking me up. This is the problem with the bikes is that they don’t often let you through. Oh, look at this [Applause] guy. He let me through. Used the buzzer. Thank you. Look at that. That’s just what I need. One of my loyal subjects. He’s helping me out. Fantastic. Very happy. I had to follow someone through the gate on the way in as well. I’m led to believe it’s um a giant statue um of a bell with a piercing in it. And let’s let’s see. It’s quite a nice area. Hey, this is not it. This is saying private again. Oh god. Not very good at directions. This is what I mean. I’m going to be so lost. Where am I going? Will I go anywhere? Can’t go bloody anywhere [Applause] here. I think we’re going to give up on the Prince Albert statue. Look at this Magna Carta Lane. That’s a pretty cool name for a road. And uh let’s see if we can get there. Uh I wouldn’t be surprised if the actual just tree is closed. Uh that’s kind of what they like to do is just close things that should be public. Now, where is it? Let’s have a look at the map. Number nine. Here we go. Let’s see if we can get there. And there’s your weather forecast. Cow’s lying down. It’s going to rain on the way home. That would be bloody lovely. Except this one. This one doesn’t think it’s going to rain. He He’s expecting good weather. Oh, okay. Okay. Apparently not. Bank holiday has to rain, you know. Right. So, it says it’s here somewhere, but I did marine biology in my degree, not trees. So, I’m not qualified to know which one it is. So, I might could be any one of these. There’s a lot of them around. I mean, this is just tree central. So, I’m going have to do some some investigating. I suppose it is a UT tree. So, it’ll probably be when I go up and ask if it’s waiting for a 14-year-old girl, then that’s probably So, behind me is Anchorwick U. What better for a motorcycle vlog than to end it by hugging a tree, but this time not at 200 mph, more at 2 m hour. Um, but yeah, it’s amazing because this tree, it’s outlasted like the Roman Empire, the Saxons, the Normans, the Tudtor. It, you know, it’s people estimate to be 2,000 years old. It was carbon dated to be at least date back to 1160. Um, so that makes it almost a thousand years old for sure. But uh I read that they are not sure that that is actually how old it is because the inside of the tree, the heartwood, the middle part of it has rotted away. Uh and that’s normal with YouTubes apparently. So they can’t count the rings like you would if you want to age a tree in your back garden. Um and the sample they took that was carbon dated could have been like a part of a new uh stem that was growing up inside of a utree. Um which is common apparently as well. So, I mean, that’s fascinating really. And when you stand here and just I was walking up, it’s quite sobering to be honest because it’s like where I’m walking now, you know, one of the most infamous kings of England could have walked before. And that’s one of the things I love about the UK. I mean, it’s just like you forget sometimes when you’re walking around uh that they have this stuff here. The tree as well could have been the location. It’s rumored to be the location that King John met the rebels and then signed the Magna Carta. Um, crazy. This tree could be the site that basically modern democracy was founded. It just blows my mind. And if you had no idea, you didn’t look up into these things, you wouldn’t know as you walk past just like any other tree. It’s crazy, really. apparently um it’s like an ancient uh English tradition kind of more like a Celtic tradition I think to tie a piece of fabric around one of the branches of a utree and make a uh a prayer or a wish and that’s what people have done here. They’ve got some wood here and people have tied that on here and they are called cluties but I don’t have any fabric with me so I can’t make one. Uh anyway, all that I’m praying for is that you like this video and that you want to click like and subscribe and watch the next ones and that will be more than enough for me. Uh I hope you’re enjoying the journey. I’m going to see if I can get around closer to the tree and um there is also like ancient ruins. Um so I’m going to see uh it’s an old like um chapel or or nunnery or something like that. So I’m going to have a look an old priaryy if there’s some ruins as well and see if we can have a poke around there too. There’s actually a path that leads right under here. There’s no fencing at all actually. And here it is. This is the Anchorwick U. So crazy really. I mean it’s huge and very very old. It is amazing actually. It’s weird. It’s just a tree. But um just makes you think about like the enormity and the scale of time and how the scales we experience in a human lifetime are nothing in the grand scheme of things. It’s 500 years ago and this tree is still standing strong. you know, 500 years ago, Henry VII sat underneath this um vaping and blowing smoke rings to impress Amberlin. You know, it’s crazy really. I’ve got it mounted on a tree branch. Uh I’m going to hug the tree now so you can see reference for size. Uh and I’m exactly 6t and not a centime shorter, no matter what people tell you. It’s a big tree. And actually, you can see this is what we were talking about about the heartwood, like the middle core of the tree being gone. Uh, you can look right inside. You can even go inside the tree. So, you can see this is like a fresh stem. And then this is all sort of rotted away a little bit. But that is incredible, isn’t it? inside a tree 1215 Magna Carta sign here maybe even it’s it’s crazy. So these are the ruins of the old priaryy. Now this used to be quite a large complex sort a nunnery really. Um and now this is all that remains. They must have been very short because I don’t really think through. So it turns out nuns are very short. they need to eat more protein. But these are the remains. So now I would be inside the nunnery and then it would go out all over here and there would be farmlands and and and outuildings and it was used uh they would like row uh stitch uh and make religious robes, write religious texts and they would also uh fish in the tempames and they would uh farm the fields and it’s amazing. I love going to these ancient places. Um, and this priaryy dates back to 1160. I don’t know if the grass on the roof is original. Uh, but that’s some great green eco-friendly architecture. Um, as is, I suppose, the flowers inside. We’ve left Ankawick uh the Ankwick U and the priaryy and now we’re heading to our final destination uh on today’s side quest and that is the official site of the Magna Carta signing on the bank of the Tempames. Here it is. I’m just walking up to it now where they signed the Magna Carta. Now, I’ve driven past this a few times, but I’ve never actually been here. Yeah, they’ve got a little uh kind of uh memorial here, the chairs to signify the site where that document was signed, which showed that the king was not above the law and that the the rule of law, not the rule of the king’s will, was final. And I suppose since it’s been a long old day, it’s only right that I take a seat. The chairs are original. Since the dawn of time they’ve been here, or at least since the Magna Carta. And there we go. Can you imagine sitting in a field doing something like that, signing that? It’s incredible. I’m sure these wicker statues have some significance. Although that significance I’m not sure. This one looks like he’s holding a giant mustache above his head. Oh, it’s a bird. I’m a marine biologist, not an ornithologist. Now, we’re just on our way. Just on our way to see if we can track down the JFK memorial. Uh, it’s not actually signed. There’s no sign around. So, I’m just going to see if I can find it. I think it’s down over in this corner. And then I’ll tell you what bike I wish I got. So, this is it. The final stop on today’s journey. Just behind me there is where they signed the Magna Carta. And as I go through these gates, I will be stepping onto American soil. [Music] And that’s it. I’m in the US. Simple as that. It’s not a joke. This is the JFK memorial. It was built in 1965 following JFK’s assassination. And uh as a special tribute, the queen has given a permanent uh perpetual lease of this land to the US for commemorative purposes. So, this is actually US soil, not an embassy, not a military base, real US soil. So, what bike did I want that I could get in the US that I can’t get in the UK due to the emissions regulations? Well, that is the Suzuki DR 650. Let me tell you why I wanted a Suzuki DR 650. Well, they’ve got an amazing reputation and it’s a tried and tested platform. People have bought these and been around the world on them already and the formula hasn’t changed in ages. So, a lot of people know how to work on them and a lot of parts are available. Plus, this one can do it all. It’s I think it’s a bit more off-road focused. Um, but because of the size of the bike, it can handle on-road sections with no problem at all. And apparently it’s very comfortable for long distance. It can take a lot of luggage cuz it’s got the bigger engine and it’s got a good range because of the fuel tank. My only concerns with this would be that it doesn’t have it might be a bit too big for me for the very start and it might be uh a bit too much power. But I’m out of breath going up there. And I still and I still haven’t found it. Where the bloody hell is it? As it’s um such a iconic bike and tried and tested, that’s what I really wanted. But the emissions regulations meant I couldn’t buy it in the UK. So I’ve gone for the Himalayan. But if I ever make it to the States, I’d love to do all across the states and South America as well. Um then maybe I would invest in one of those. But what do you think? Did I make the right choice? I mean, one of the things that really sold me on the Royal Enfield Himalayan 411, the old version, is that it was everyone I spoke to that really knows a lot about motorbikes says they love it and that they choose that over other bikes in their garage. So, I thought, wow, if it gets the respect and the kudos from real experienced bikers that have ridden, have access to bigger, meteor machines, then it must be good. And everyone says how fun it is to ride, and I am finding it fun. Did I make the right choice? Was it the right bike to buy? What did you get for your first bike? Or are you still looking? And if you’ve got any other questions you want me to answer in the next video, then pop it down below. If you like this video, then please drop a like, comment what you want me to talk about next, and subscribe for more. Thank you so much for watching. It helps a lot and I love making them for you. And I’ll see you in the next one. [Music] Whoa, my hair is so bad. Oh my god.