Notlob, thanks, I'm recovering ok. The damage the insurance company's recovery agent has done to the bike is massive, the original damage was only the gear change, now the entire right hand side of the bike is trashed, the seat has been ripped off and ripped. I can't believe what they've done to it, and as I've told them this is their problem nothing to do with my claim, which I only did on their advice to cover the initial recovery fees as this was done by the police as they wanted the vehicle off the motorway and I was on my way to hospital in an ambulance.
As for the trip it was great, we took the Eurotunnel to Den Bosch in Holland, put the bikes on the motorail train, had a sleeper cabin, 4 of us in one 5 in the other, fantastic experience and amazing food. Got to Alessandria in Italy, rode to Garda del Riva (Lake Garda) spent 2 nights in a youth hostel, (centre of town, super cheap and clean) then rode over the mountains to Cortina, night in a ski lodge, again super cheap and amazingly clean and warm, good breakfast. Then onto Munich, again a night in a youth hostel (40 euros each) centre of the city, then onto Heidelberg, night in a youth hostel, clean cheap and good breakfast, then onto Liege in Belgium and another youth hostel (stayed in that one before) then onto Calais and home (well for me a load of hassle)