Kev went to Siberia the first time in 2012. He did the Road of Bones then and ever since I had it in my mind that I’d like to do it.
So when he came home from his second trip to Siberia in 2014, we decided that next time I’d go too and we’d do the Road of Bones.
In the early 1930’s Stalin decided to build the Kolyma Highway, M56. Forced labour was used to construct this 2,000km stretch of road in the Siberian wilderness. The inmates of labour camps and later the Prisoners in the Gulags were chained except when they were working the 12 hour shifts. Many died while working and many others were shot dead for not working quickly enough. Any worker who died was ‘buried’ where he fell. Hence, the name “Road of Bones” as the skeletons of thousands of workers are buried in the road.
The Road of Bones is the stretch of road that runs from Magadan to Yakutsk. In 2008 the route was changed to go farther north between Kadykchan to Kyubeme, through Ust Nera. This road, the M56, is now a maintained gravel road, with small stretches of tarmac.
The old road through Tomtor is now completely unmaintained and is known as the Old Summer Road.
This stretch of road, 420kms, has become a challenge for 4 x 4 drivers and bikers to complete.
When Gary heard we were going back to Siberia he decided that he’d like to do it his jeep. Then 2 germans that the BAM riders met in Vladivostok in 2014 said they’d come too.
We met in March this year and it was agreed that Gary’s jeep and trailer would leave Ireland in June, drive to Germany to pick up Fritz and Thomas’ bikes and then go to Warsaw. We would fly to Warsaw and meet the jeep and bring it over the border into Russia. In Moscow we would leave it with a driver, who would then drive it to Magadan.
We would fly home for 4 weeks while the jeep made it’s way east and then fly to Magadan to begin our trip.
Because the jeep and trailer were going Gary said he would carry extra luggage/camping equipment for us to leave our bikes lighter. He also had an extra tent on the jeep so said we didn’t need to bring one, We were planning on leaving the bikes in Mongolia at the end of the trip so we could head back next year so we kept our luggage relatively light and brought full camping gear with us. We figured we’d be better to be self sufficient just in case.
The Germans however brought loads of stuff and Thomas didn’t have any luggage racks or means to carry luggage on his bike at all.
Thomas was doing a 3 week trip in his mini in the US immediately before our trip and flew to Magadan from there. So when it came to our weekend bringing our bikes over the border into Russia he didn’t really have time to come with us. This was going to be a problem as the bike owner had to be there with the bike to bring it into Russia. He decided to put his bike into Fritz’ name as Fritz was going to be there.
We then needed to find a driver to drive the jeep and trailer 10,000km from Moscow to Magadan. The boys had met a guy called Sergei in Tynda in 2012 and 2014. He had been very friendly and helpful both times. So he was going to drive the jeep but then his mrs got pregnant so he said his brother Andrei would do it. So we agreed to give Andrei a jeep, trailer, 4 motorbikes, all the relevant documents and €2000 worth of rubles to bring them to Magadan, having never met the chap! I can’t tell you how hard this was for the germans to get their heads around!!
So when he came home from his second trip to Siberia in 2014, we decided that next time I’d go too and we’d do the Road of Bones.
In the early 1930’s Stalin decided to build the Kolyma Highway, M56. Forced labour was used to construct this 2,000km stretch of road in the Siberian wilderness. The inmates of labour camps and later the Prisoners in the Gulags were chained except when they were working the 12 hour shifts. Many died while working and many others were shot dead for not working quickly enough. Any worker who died was ‘buried’ where he fell. Hence, the name “Road of Bones” as the skeletons of thousands of workers are buried in the road.
The Road of Bones is the stretch of road that runs from Magadan to Yakutsk. In 2008 the route was changed to go farther north between Kadykchan to Kyubeme, through Ust Nera. This road, the M56, is now a maintained gravel road, with small stretches of tarmac.
The old road through Tomtor is now completely unmaintained and is known as the Old Summer Road.
This stretch of road, 420kms, has become a challenge for 4 x 4 drivers and bikers to complete.
When Gary heard we were going back to Siberia he decided that he’d like to do it his jeep. Then 2 germans that the BAM riders met in Vladivostok in 2014 said they’d come too.
We met in March this year and it was agreed that Gary’s jeep and trailer would leave Ireland in June, drive to Germany to pick up Fritz and Thomas’ bikes and then go to Warsaw. We would fly to Warsaw and meet the jeep and bring it over the border into Russia. In Moscow we would leave it with a driver, who would then drive it to Magadan.
We would fly home for 4 weeks while the jeep made it’s way east and then fly to Magadan to begin our trip.
Because the jeep and trailer were going Gary said he would carry extra luggage/camping equipment for us to leave our bikes lighter. He also had an extra tent on the jeep so said we didn’t need to bring one, We were planning on leaving the bikes in Mongolia at the end of the trip so we could head back next year so we kept our luggage relatively light and brought full camping gear with us. We figured we’d be better to be self sufficient just in case.
The Germans however brought loads of stuff and Thomas didn’t have any luggage racks or means to carry luggage on his bike at all.
Thomas was doing a 3 week trip in his mini in the US immediately before our trip and flew to Magadan from there. So when it came to our weekend bringing our bikes over the border into Russia he didn’t really have time to come with us. This was going to be a problem as the bike owner had to be there with the bike to bring it into Russia. He decided to put his bike into Fritz’ name as Fritz was going to be there.
We then needed to find a driver to drive the jeep and trailer 10,000km from Moscow to Magadan. The boys had met a guy called Sergei in Tynda in 2012 and 2014. He had been very friendly and helpful both times. So he was going to drive the jeep but then his mrs got pregnant so he said his brother Andrei would do it. So we agreed to give Andrei a jeep, trailer, 4 motorbikes, all the relevant documents and €2000 worth of rubles to bring them to Magadan, having never met the chap! I can’t tell you how hard this was for the germans to get their heads around!!