Welcome to White Rose Tours - if you know little about us we would like to take a few moments to introduce ourselves.

White Rose Tours was started by myself, David Galloway, in 1996.  Based in Nidderdale, just outside the beautiful floral town of Harrogate, the original idea of the company was to provide guided motorcycle tours around the Yorkshire Dales.

Firstly, I found a biker-friendly Country Inn to use as an accommodation base, then spent the winter exploring every nook and cranny of the Dales to map-out the best routes.  With most of my life having been spent away from Yorkshire, I was amazed at how little I knew about the area, and even more so by the uniqueness of its natural beauty.

After the first year, it soon became clear that there was a demand to cover other areas in the North of England.  Here geography was on my side, as our central base was ideal for touring not just the North York Moors, but also the English Lake District.  Having spent my college years in the Lakes, this was an area I knew well and so it naturally fitted-in with my plans.  Since the early days, the areas covered by our tours have gradually expanded and now include routes throughout the whole of the Northern United Kingdom and Ireland.

In 2004, following numerous requests from customers, we decided to take our tours abroad.  We had no ambitions to compete against the big motorcycle tour companies, preferring instead to take our own style of touring into Europe.  It would appear that this policy has paid off, and as we enter our fifth continental tour season, we enjoy the support and confidence of our customers who help make our tours so successful.

Now being one of the leading companies on the UK touring scene, we vary our tours yearly to offer a combination of weekend, short break and full week tours within the following areas: Yorkshire Dales, North York Moors, Yorkshire Wolds, Western Dales, English Lake District, Northern Pennines, Hadrian's Wall Country, Dumfries & Galloway, Scottish Borders, Scotland , Northern and Southern Ireland.

If you have never toured before, you may not realise that very few companies offer both Guided and Escorted tours, as we do.  Guided tours are used mainly in the UK. These are led by an experienced guide and, using a simple 'drop off' marker system, allow you to ride at your own pace, without needing maps or notes.  This is a great introduction to motorcycle touring holidays.

Like most other tour companies, our European tours are escorted, which means that whilst there will be a guide, you are responsible for your own navigation.  A tour pack of information is supplied, which includes the relevant maps and route directions for you to find your destination.  This system suits many people, as it allows them to ride at their own pace and style, either alone, or in small groups. However, if you are new to European touring, we will not abandon you, and you are welcome to ride with the guide!

We continue to keep our prices as competitive as possible , however we are not immune from increases in underlying costs such as fuel and accommodation - also after listening to customer requests,  we have tried to make crossings into Europe easier.  Therefore this year we will be offering more ferries out of Hull and Portsmouth,  and all other channel crossings will be via the tunnel.  Obviously more expensive, but hopefully less hassle.  Customers may still use alternative crossings, and we will adjust the costs accordingly.

We considered offering just a Bed & Breakfast package, but our customers tell us that, whenever possible, they prefer us to include a 3 course evening meal, leaving them only to budget for lunches, petrol and drinks.  We constantly monitor the accommodation we use, and the majority of the hotels are of a 3 star standard  or better - many with swimming pools and leisure facilities.

So here we are in out 12th year.  Despite all the changes, we have stayed loyal to our original concepts, mainly that our tours are just that, “tours”.  We do not travel at high speeds and although travelling further, whenever possible, keep daily mileages to a minimum, believing tours should be considered as holidays, not marathons.  Whilst there is ample opportunity for riders to exploit their machines’ capabilities, we want everyone to arrive at their destination having enjoyed the scenery and then being ready to relax and sample the local food and drink.  We do ride all day, but have a leisurely break at lunchtime and take plenty of coffee stops.  From the comments we receive, it would seem that we have the balance about right, with over 80% of our customers returning, some several times a year.

Enjoy our website and we hope to see you soon.

Best regards>

Dave