Amy Shore, Photographer
Photographer Amy Shore recalls a week-long trip by Mini and motorcycle from Scotland to Cornwall.
“Scotland is one of my favourite places in the world, I did a big trip on my own in my Mini, but I think doing the Great Malle Rally is my most memorable Detour.
Malle are motorcycle apparel makers and they’re all about adventure travel. Every year they host the Great Malle Rally. They go from the most northern point of Scotland, Castle Mey, to the most southern point of the UK, Lizard Point in Cornwall.
Over the course of seven days there's about 100 motorcyclists that do it and you have to be on something interesting, a bit cool and quirky. Each night you all sleep in teepees, and you have chefs cooks for you and it's just really cool. It sounds a lot more luxurious than it actually is. It's kind of rough and ready but a nice way of doing it at the same time.
The first time I did it I was working for BMW and split my time between an R90 and a classic Mini convertible. I think motorcycling or driving a classic convertible opens up an experience where you can really feel your environment.
Motorcycling is for me the best way to experience a road trip because the only thing you're focusing on is the riding and you're constantly aware and alert. You just focus so much on what you're experiencing and what you're feeling – the road surface, the weather. It's almost like meditation in its own way. I think motorcycling is the most naturally mindful experience of a road trip you can get.
And when you stop then you've got this sense of community. We would stop regularly throughout the day for lunch and coffee breaks and to make sure that everyone was accounted for. And it’s at those points where my camera would come out or when we were sitting around the campfire talking to the other riders about the shared experience.
The great thing about photographing motorcycle road trips is that there is such a human element. There’s a real atmospheric feel to all the photographs and it isn't just about getting a nice shot of a car on this hill. It’s capturing people in life and movement.”