Red Tape and White Knuckles is the story of the journey by motorcycle traveller Lois Pryce down the length of Africa.

Ever since reading Jupiter’s Travels by Ted Simon the possibilities of overland travel has excited me but, unlike Lois, aside from a bit of safe European travel that is about as far as I have got.

There are certain places in the world that the thought of travelling solo through fills me with equal measures of fear and dread, Africa being one of them. Why would I want to do that when I can travel in relative safety through Europe? It seems I’m not the only one as several of Lois’ friends, including several accomplished motorcycle travellers, voiced the same fears to her before her journey.

However, Lois is made of sterner stuff, it’s one thing reading about it and it’s quite another actually doing it. So, even with some misgivings, largely fuelled by the aforementioned friends, and the fear that the sickness due to the intense heat she experienced on an African holiday would be repeated, Lois set out on her biggest challenge to date, for which I admire her enormously.

Have a look at a map of Africa and not only are you struck with the sheer enormity of the country and the distance to be travelled but also that for the majority of Lois’ journey she would go through third world countries without any of the amenities we take for granted in the West.

Lois has a knack for describing her challenging journey and the people she meets on her journey with honesty and humour, and it made for a really good read but it also convinced me (if I needed any convincing) that Africa would not be somewhere I would choose to go.

One thing that would drive me mad on an overland journey, like this, that involves multiple border crossings, is the amount of red tape and as a result the hours on end that are spent dealing with the officious border crossing personnel. Add to that the searing heat and I come to the conclusion that you would really have to want to do a journey like that really badly.

As far as Africa goes add into the mix desert riding, unstable countries with gun-toting rebels, snakes and the shortage of food and you realise that this is not a journey to be entered into lightly.

Being a woman travelling on her own was not without its challenges either, especially in the Muslim countries where men and women’s roles are pretty much predefined and any alternative from that viewpoint can be treated with suspicion and hostility.

Getting to Cape Town at the end of her journey having overcome lots of challenges must have been the most amazing feeling and like other motorcycle travellers the dust had barely settled before Lois was thinking about where she could go next.

All in all if you have any interest in motorcycle travel at all then I am sure you will enjoy this book and be just a little in awe of Lois and what she has achieved.

You can buy the book from Amazon by clicking here

Lois’ first book Lois on the Loose told the story of her trip from Alaska to the tip of South America and I recommend that also.