2010 Tour Dates

 

I’m writing this in September 2009, so at this stage the dates below are slightly tentative.  The dates for the 2010 TT races are firmly fixed, but there is still time for a little movement on other tour dates, as ferries & hotels are not confirmed yet.  As usual, if I get a group of 5 or 6 wanting to book early together, I can change the dates a little to suit you.

 

The 2010 dates below are entirely feasible, avoiding BMF events, bank  holidays, school holidays and family commitments.

 

For full details, refer to 2009 tour dates and descriptions.  Pricing to be kept reasonable, and roughly in line with previous years.  I’ll be introducing a discount scheme for returning guests, like Exodus & Explore do.

 

 

 

January / February / March 2010 – a week long slot anywhere in here to experience my first adventure tour to Sri Lanka.  Well, it’s not my first time of course; I’ve been there twice already, doing my research.  My first trip there was a long time ago, but you can read about it here http://www.adventuremag.net/leopards-lions-tour-sri-lanka-motorcycle/forum/viewtopic/209/212782?siteid=1&topicdays=10000

I went back again this Summer (2009) when we toured around most of the island.  I have the bikes and the contacts out there now, as well as local guides if required.  So, who’s up for the inaugural adventure tour there?  Honda Baja 250s, bumpy rough roads and maybe a few unsurfaced trails for 1000km or more.  What’s it all about?   All sorts, with plenty of variety.  HOT WEATHER – 30C plus.  Great beaches, jungles, tea plantations, mountains, game reserves with Elephants and Leopards, and posh colonial hotels or more budget guesthouses according to group preference & budget.

 

23^rd - 25^th April 2010 – Best of Three, National Paks of Northern England

The first “Best of Three” Tour.

 

3 days, 3 National Parks using the best back roads I can find.  Very little motorway work, but lots of twisty B roads, white roads and mountain passes.  The first UK Tour of the year.  Usually a reunion for all past Bike Tours UK guests & friends.  These weekends always sell out in recent years.  I prefer to take no more than about 15 bikes.  Small groups are far more fun and much more manageable.  Accommodation is in country pubs / small hotels with just half a dozen rooms or so.  Not posh, but good food, Real Ales and a fantastic atmosphere that you just cannot buy from a four star chain hotel.

 

15^th & 16^th May 2010 – The BMF Show

Not a tour, but well worth a visit to Peterborough.  The biggest outdoor motorcycle show in Europe.  As usual, I’ll have a stand there.  All old customers and potential new friends come along for a chat and a look at the tour photos.

 

 

21^st – 23^rd  May 2010  - The second “Best of Three” Tour

Another one, just like the April Tour

 

Depending on interest from tour members, I usually run one with a base in The Lake District, and the other with a base in the Yorkshire Dales, although the routes and roads ridden, remain pretty much the same.

 

Sometimes one tour is aimed slightly more at novice riders, while the other is for my hardened regular road hounds.

 

Novices are never excluded, but just bear in mind, these roads are tight, twisty and demanding; but ultimately very rewarding for the true biker.  Just don’t try and keep up with quicker guys if you’re new to this game, with just a few weeks’ riding experience.

 

 

Isle of Man TT Races 2010 – 4^th to 12^th June – RACE WEEK

Bookings for 2010 are coming in now, and if past experience is anything to go by, this tour could well be almost booked up solid before Christmas.

 

I have 25 bike tickets for Race Week 2010, five of which may carry a pillion.  Sailing Dates are 4^th  to 12^th  June 2010.  Excellent daytime crossings.  If coming from overseas, you will need to add a day or two either side of these dates, to arrive, and pick up rental bikes etc. 

 

Once again, we have our regular support crew (Stuart & Jane) in their big silver & blue camper van.  They can carry all the luggage and camping equipment.  The camper van goes out 1 day before to set up camp – on 3^rd June.  Many TT guests also leave Nottingham with me on 3^rd June, in order to spend one night in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales National Park, close to our port of departure on Friday morning.

Once again, it will be camping extravaganza for TT 2010.  Hotel & guesthouses prices have become unrealistic in recent years. As always, our campsite is right on the race circuit with good race viewing, plus the excellent spectator locations of the Crosby Straight and Union Mills very close by.  2010 camping price approx £499 (2010 ferry prices not yet known), with discounts for returning guests.  Extra nights in hotels on the mainland, and hire of camping gear may incur a supplement.

 

Setting up a TT trip can be a nightmare – in this package, everything is done for you.  Ask me for the full range of services.

 

Iceland – 16^th to 21^st June 2010 – “Longest Day” Tour

I love this place!  As adventurous as Morocco, but very different again.

 

Trail riding across lava flows, past geysers, iceflows and boiling mud pools; all in 24 hour daylight.  How bizarre.

It’s a half road / half off-road tour.  Like Thailand, this is full on adventure, with unsurfaced roads, variable weather, and either very expensive posh accommodation (which I will not use, partly because they just don’t build hotels where we go), or basic lodges or camping.   Semi adventure bikes such as Suzuki V-Stroms, Kawasaki Versys & KLR 650s and  Yamaha XT660Rs available for our use.   Dates?  Whenever it can be squeezed in between the other tour dates.  Email me or phone to express and interest and I’ll pull a group together.  It can be run as a relatively affordable 4 day “long weekend” trip, or a more major undertaking of a week or more.  Daylight tours from around May to September, outside here we’re talking almost permanent darkness!   The 2009 tour was simply amazing.  Probably the best motorcycle experience I have ever had.  Read about previous tours here http://www.adventuremag.net/longest-iceland/forum/viewtopic/209/212866?siteid=1&topicdays=10000

 

and here http://www.adventuremag.net/great-pretender-iceland-yet-again/forum/viewtopic/209/212948?siteid=1&topicdays=10000

 

 

French Alps 2010 – 25^th June to 4^th July

I’m working towards the dates above, for the now infamous High Alps Tour.  Stunning scenery, challenging riding equal to anything in the world, and fine dining as well!  We have a base in France (Bourg St Maurice), but we’re just half an hour from Italy.  Experience regular ride outs over the famed mountain passes of France, Italy and Switzerland.  On one day we ride up to 10 cols in 3 different countries.  Very affordable for what you get, with camping options, self-catering Chalet or budget hotel.  Save yourself a packet on normal tour prices, to spend it as you wish on dining out, fine ingredients from the supermarket, or simply blow it on beer & petrol J   This is a tour of around 2200 miles (Nottm to Nottm), although somewhat less if you already live in the south of England.  We spend 2 days getting down to The Alps, 7 or 8 nights in Bourg as our “base”, then a two day ride back home to Blighty again.

 

Yes – France is now longer the bargain it used to be.  We’ve been shafted by the poor Euro to Pound exchange rate, and French prices seem to have increased considerably as well.   Nevertheless, this trip can be tailored to suit most budgets.

 

17^th – 19^th September 2010  - The THIRD “Best of Three” Tour

Another one just like the April & May Tours.

 

These are popular, and in times of recession sell out far better than an expensive tour down to Western France & Spain.  Once again, it will probably be based in The Lake District like the perfect example a couple of weeks back, but don’t rule out an entirely different location, just for a change.

 

As always, the accommodation is generally pub rooms or small family-run hotel.  However there’s usually a camping option on the very same tour, for those who want to save a few bob, or just enjoy the Great Outdoors even more.

 

These 3 day UK “mini-tours” of around 550 miles serve three purposes;

 

1. They are a perfectly good little motorcycle holiday in their own right.
2. They serve as reunions for past guests and old friends. People bond well, and enjoy each others’ company.
3. They introduce new guests to the Bike Tours UK style.  If riders warm to our type of riding, the comfortable but far from pretentious accommodation, the camaraderie and blatant political uncorrectness, then they’ll go on to book places on the more challenging Alps Tours, or even the full-on Icelandic and Sri-Lankan epics.

 

 

 

Dordogne, Pyrenees & Picos. September, most years.

 

Dates upon demand. A very pleasant tour down through Western France, with 2 nights in the popular Perigord region (the “Dordogne” in English terminology), 1 night in the Pyrenees, finishing off with 3 days in the Picos mountains of Northern Spain.    Highlights include an open canoe descent of the Dordogne river, excellent French cuisine, the traverse of the Pyrennes, and finally the splendour of the Picos.

 

Whereas all my other tours sell out now, demand for this tour has dropped in recent years, so it will only run if I get sufficient interest.  It’s never going to be a cheap trip, as we have half board accommodation (meals & wine included) in 3 star hotels, and also the return ferry with cabin accommodation (Bilbao to Portsmouth) accounts for nearly half the entire tour cost!

 

Confirmed numbers by April 2010, or before please.  The earlier you book, the better chance of getting a place, and a proper cabin on the outward journey!

 

November / December 2010

Thailand dirt bike tour again. 

A private tour for a 40^th Birthday group, but may involve some of this years Iceland riders.  Applications invited from known customers from previous off-road tours.  Like Iceland, this one can be quite arduous.  For Adventure People only.  Anything can happen, and it often does J

 

Tours to Sri Lanka are likely to replace my Thailand Tours in future years.  This is one last chance to enjoy the Bike Tours Thailand experience, before a possible change in direction.

 

 

DIY Tours

I can set up the Alps trip, the Best of Three trip, or even the Picos Tour at any time over the summer period (April to October) for small groups of riders wanting to do their own thing.   I book your ferries, arrange all or part of the accommodation, supply marked up maps, route notes and suggestions on things to do and places to ride to.  All for a bargain, all-inclusive price.   These DIY trips can be particularly good value, especially if you’re camping.  I don’t want to do too many of these because, in many respects, they take more time to set up and organise, than the tours I lead in person.

 

Contact me to chat about it.

For fuller tour details and photos, see the dedicated section of my website, on the left hand side, or click here   Most tours remain the same from year to year - just the dates change slightly.