October 3rd Event Pre-sale: Reserve Your Lone Rider Books In Advance!

Reserve your copies of Lone Rider in advance to be signed in person by Elspeth Beard on October 3, 2026 when she visits Bob's in Jessup, MD for our 2026 Motoberfest! Choose Store Pick Up at checkout and your book(s) will be waiting for you on October 3rd! Pre-Sale ends September 18 so don't delay!

What to Expect October 3rd:
10AM -11AM - Meet & Greet Elspeth
11AM - Presentation
2:00PM - Book Signing

Options available: Lone Rider: The First British Woman to Motorcycle Around the World (paperback), Lone Rider - The Photographs (hardback coffee table book), or a set with one of each

About Lone Rider: The First British Woman to Motorcycle Around the World

In 1982, at the age of just twenty-three and halfway through her architecture studies, Elspeth Beard left her family and friends in London and set off on a 35,000-mile solo adventure around the world on her 1974 BMW R60/6.

Reeling from a recent breakup and with only limited savings from her pub job, a tent, a few clothes and some tools, all packed on the back of her bike, she was determined to prove herself. She had ridden bikes since her teens and was well travelled. But nothing could prepare her for what lay ahead.

When she returned to London nearly two and a half years later she was stones lighter and decades wiser. She'd ridden through unforgiving landscapes and countries ravaged by war, witnessed civil uprisings that forced her to fake documents, and fended off sexual attacks, biker gangs and corrupt police convinced she was trafficking drugs. She'd survived life-threatening illnesses, personal loss and brutal accidents that had left permanent scars and a black hole in her memory. And she'd fallen in love with two very different men.

In an age before email, the internet, mobile phones, satnavs and, in some parts of the world, readily available and reliable maps, Elspeth achieved something that would still seem remarkable today. Told with honesty and wit, this is the extraordinary and moving story of a unique and life-changing adventure.

About Lone Rider - The Photographs

Since the publication of the book, Lone Rider, in 2017, there were many requests to publish more photographs from Elspeth's 1982-84 journey around the world. Lone Rider-The Photogrpahs includes 450 photographs, most of them in colour. The book starts with Elspeth's early childhood, then moves on to her first motorcycle adventures before the round-the-world trip itself.  The final sections cover the aftermath of the big trip, including the conversion of Munstead Water Tower into a unique and award-winning home, rebuilding the faithful BMW R60 and the gear and equipment worn and used back in the early 1980s. The last section covers her hectic life since Lone Rider was published in 2017.