I have added this page to keep you up to date with any latest news and gossip if you have any comments which you wish to include please feel free to e-mail me.
Cheers , Dave

 

1st February 2012

Phew where did January go? Always a busy month, it has been more so this year, due to the extra time spent building a new web site, which hopefully you will get to see soon.

Thanks to everyone for their feedback on a bluetooth connection for my helmet, I finally decided on a Sena SMH10 Duo MkII which has been recommended by several people and seems to get good write ups. Not received it yet but will let you know how I get on. Thanks to brother Wayne for putting me onto his local bike accessory shop ' Ultimate Bike Gear' who were really helpful and gave me a good deal.

Things have also moved on the satnav front, as I have managed to save a bit of money by buying a second hand Zumo 660 from one of my wealthy customers (cheers Dave). The unit comes with lifetime mapping and for some reason German audio books! Speaking of Germany, my jacket is now back there having new zips fitted, I don't think I am going to like them any better, but at least they should keep the rain out.

Received quite a few emails from friends with regard to the the various new laws coming into effect in (yes you guessed it ) France, their capacity to churn out new rules and regulations is incredible.

From what I understand, from Jan 4th 2012, satnavs in France must have the speed camera warnings switched off. Apparently though, the Satnav makers can call the speed camera areas 'danger areas' and that is OK, so they are all busy updating the software. Also, a French lawyer has said that the police cannot check your device at the side of the road as it infringes your privacy rights. I find the whole thing rather strange as France is one of the few places to warn you in advance that there is a speed camera ahead. I am sure this is yet another rule that will dissapear into obscurity, but until such time I would suggest you switch off your safety camera warnings (settings /proximity points/change).

Also from January 2013, we are told that bikers will have to wear at least 150 sq cm of reflective material. I presume they are referring to the scotch tape type stuff stuck on hi-vis vests etc. Once again I guess we shall cross that bridge when we get to it.

I am pleased to say that despite all the doom and gloom our bookings are slightly ahead of normal for this time of year. The financial situation in Europe is to say the least messy, with many countries increasing VAT by around 2% , hopefully these changes will not effect us this year but will no doubt work there way through for 2013. Southern Ireland is one of the first to go ahead with an increase of 2% to 23% as from January 1st this year.

On the cheerful side, although it is predicted that winter is going to return this week, time marches on, and already it is so good to see the nights get lighter. It will soon be time to brush off the cobwebs, drag out the bike and look forward to next years tours. Yes I know there are plenty of you that ride all year round, but I admit I am a bit of a fair weather rider. Anything under 10C then it has to be serious to get me out on the bike! Speaking of which, it will soon be time for my yearly pilgrimage to Arizona, but I will add a few lines before I go.

cheers Dave

1st January 2012

A big thank you to everyone who toured with us in 2011. Although we spend a great deal of time making all the arrangements and planning the routes, it is our customers that make our tours sucessful, and I am pleased to say once again we are so lucky in having such a great crowd. Also thanks to everyone who has helped us this year, all of whom are customers but have become friends over the years, we would struggle without you.

We continue to listen to our customers and hopefully make the touring experience better. The choice of departure points North or South proved very popular and is something we will continue. However,for 2012 ,those using the Southern departures will have the convenience of the Eurotunnel, which will speed up your crossing and get you on your way that much quicker. On all North Sea and Spanish crossings we have reserved upgraded cabins to give you that bit more room and where possible no more bunk beds!

We welcome two new guides, in the form of Alison & Roy Adams. We first met Alison & Roy many years ago when they came on tour from their home in Norfolk. In 2004 they moved to the beautiful Scottish Borders and started a motorcycle training school which they run to this day. Both are advanced riders and were IAM observers. Roy presently rides a Honda Pan ST1100 and Alison a Honda CBF1000. Due to their intimate knowledge of the Borders, they will guiding the Northern Counties Tour.

Could be a year of big expense as I need to replace helmet, sat nav and possibly my jacket. The jacket was new this year, but has one of these new wet suit type rubber zips down the front, and due to it sticking I have already taken a lump out of it. Most manufacturers are giving a silicone stick to lubricate the zip, but when it suddenly starts raining, the last thing I want is to look for that. So, if you are thinking of buying one with these, I would say don't bother, unfortunately all the manufacturers in a lemmin style are following the fashion.

The helmet (Shoei Multitec) is great, and my only reason for replacing it is due to its age and some extremly hot days on my head causing the lining to become a test bed that Louis Pasteur would be proud of. I noticed at the show, that Shoe have a new Multitec out early next year with improved ventilation and a built in sun visor, so will perhaps take a look at that.

My Garmin 2820 sat nav has served me well and I would not have considered changing it had the bluetooth not stopped working (my own fault I switched it off and it won't come back on). Typically, having lost the ability to receive calls whilst riding, there were several occasions when people were trying to get hold of me and could not, so it has come time to trade up to a 660. I will also probably go blue tooth to my helmet, so appreciate any advice people have regarding the best device? Needless to say I will have to buy another lifetime map update, if anyone is thinking off doing that, now may be the time as I see there is 20% off until the 11th January. I recently updated my mapping to 2012.3 and was pleased to see that they seem to have a much better software and it loaded without problems. If you have a slow connection like mine, it still takes several hours and pushed me over my broadband limit, but it is a definite improvement.

Finally, may I take the opportunity of wishing you all a happy, healthy, and hopefully prosperous New Year, we look forward to seeing you in 2012

25th November 2011

Just back from the NEC Motorcycle Show which I thought very good. We missed out last year due to the snow, doesn't seem possible that the weather should be so much different this year. Plenty of new models to look at (models of bikes that is) with Triumph being the first port of call. I am not a keen fan of the present BMW GS style, but there is no doubt that it has struck a chord with many people and is the market that all the manufacturers are trying to capture. Having looked at the present BMW GS, Honda Cross runner, Kawasaki Versys 1000 and Triumph Explorer, I actually felt the Triumph was the best, with the Kawasaki second. Purely a personal choice but think the Triumph will do well, and how good to see a British manufacturer back on top. For our job, I still think the Pan takes some beating and if I were to buy a second bike there was a nice Tiger 1050 in red which I rather liked. Was also good to catch up with friends at the show and run into many clients some whom we have not seen for a few years.

Things have quitened down a little after the initial rush for the Portugal tour, however, I am pleased to say that the bookings are still coming in. There are still places left on all other tours, . but as usual the single rooms are going fast. I think a lot of people are mystified as to why we get so many few single rooms, well its all down to the hotels who consider single occupancy of a room a loss of revenue, so I am afraid is out of our hands. However, we always have plenty of people happy to share a twin room and it all helps to save you money.

Our last mail bulletin threw up the usual number of 'undelivered' advices, people obviously move companies, change address's etc so if you would like to continue receiving information regarding our tours please let us have your up to date address.

We would like to welcome Keith and Gail back to England from France, I am not sure if this move has been sponsored by Kawasaki (see below) but they obviously have not realised that they are responsible for upsetting the recent Governments immigration figures.

16th November 2011

It is with great regret that I must advise you that the 'Tiger Twins' have been disbanded - this long time partnership has been broken up by Harry buying a Kawasaki GTR 1400. The exact reason for this we are not sure, but feel a certain bearded gentleman living in France may of been a bad influence. Mick has said it will not make any difference to their friendship, and that no doubt he will still have to buy the beers.

Anyone who read my birthday comments will have seen that the only good things I could see about reaching 60 was free prescriptions and a bus pass. Well seems I missed out on the bus pass, as in true government style they have moved the goal posts - now got to wait till I,m 63 .. needless to say I am gutted....

12th November 2011

It is nice to see such a positive response to our 2012 tour schedule, especially with regard to the tour to Portugal and Spain, which sold out in 24 hours, a record even for us! I know quite a few people who wanted to go on the tour will be disappointed, but we have many more tours that I know you will enjoy. Should you have any questions that are not answered on the relevant tour page please do not hesitate to contact us.

9th November 2011

I am pleased to say that we have just updated the website with our 2012 tour schedule, I hope you find something to interest you. I have checked and double checked all the details, but if you find anything awry, broken links that kind of thing please let me know.

2011 tour Blog

5th October 2011

The Scottish Borders tour signaled the end of our touring season for 2011. We went out in style managing to find the only wet location in the UK whilst the rest of you sweltered in tropical temperatures! We got off to a bad start when just 1 mile from the hotel Bill Vivian look a low speed tumble (now at Bills age he should know better) although he suffered some bruises and did a little damage to his bike, he enjoyed his weekend, as only Bill can. Despite this, spirits were high in anticipation of a dry weekend but the ache in my wooden leg told me all was not well and rain was not far away.. Sure enough Saturday dawned damp and dreary with rain forecast so following the saying "If Mohammed won't come to the mountain" - and all that - we headed south to look for the sunshine.

With the tour in full cry, we swept aside the minor inconvenience of barriers across a bridge (well the work was nearly finished) before entering the Northern Pennines whose roads soon put a grin on everyone's faces. Briefly re-fuelling at the Hartside cafe we continued down Teeside before entering a glorious sunny Yorkshire Dales. The rest of the day was one of the best I have had in a long time as I took the group along some of my favourite roads and Dales. Unusually our group grew by one, as around Settle I was aware of a strange bike suddenly dropping in behind me. At the next stop, it became evident that the interloper was Jane, who has been one of our guides for many years. Many of you have been asking me where she had got to, it seems pressure of work has kept her away, and she was enjoying a rare ride out when she spotted the group. With many friends on the tour she was able to catch up with the news and I hope she will find the time to join us again.

Suddenly realising how far we were from home we headed North returning to the hotel tired but satisfied with the days ride. I must admit I would not have tried this had I not had such a together group, the Dales roads (especially the ones I go on ) are not easy and special praise goes to Graeme & Sally Capon who were hustling their Triumph Rocket Trike around as if it were a toy.

Sunday had us beat with rain in every direction, so we donned our waterproofs and headed for Keilder Water, which somehow seemed appropriate. So despite the weather a most enjoyable weekend.

30th September 2011

Seems we have brought some of the Spanish sunshine home with us as we bask in what appears to be an Indian summer. I know many of our clients coming on the Scottish Borders tour this weekend have already set off and are no doubt enjoying the sun shine as they head North.

We had another full tour for the Spanish Pyrenees tour and from the compliments we have received everyone really enjoyed themselves. Although I have been going there for many years I still enjoy the scenery and never tire of the roads. Unfortunately some of our favourites such as the N240 along the Yesa reservoir are being bypassed by modern dual carriageways, and every year another gorge road is replaced by a tunnel. I guess it is great for the locals who can get around quicker, but from a bikers point of view it is a shame to lose them. However, there are plenty of great roads left, and every time we go we find something new. This year it was a single track road Gorge road, not good if you don't like heights, but a stunning ride and one for the memory bank.

We could have been excused for thinking that we had headed North not South the first few days, although sunny, a cold wind kept the temperatures below average. Thankfully as we crossed through Andorra into Spain we enjoyed a return to normality and apart from one misty morning, enjoyed a nice riding temperature for the rest of the tour. Seems we hit it about right as only the previous week the temperatures had been uncomfortably high. Judging by the countryside Spain has had a dry summer and I could not believe how low the reservoirs were, especially Embalse de Yesa.

Having traveled the Pyrenees we crossed the plains of Navarra and vineyards of Rioja before arriving for our last day in the Picos de Europa. Many who have not been there before, would have loved to have stayed a few more days, as would I, but that is for another day and we reluctantly had to board the ferry back home.

15th September 2011

Today is my Birthday ! I am told 60 is a milestone or should that be a millstone? However, I am pleased to say I feel no different and now I get free prescriptions and can have a bus pass the world is my oyster..... Thanks to everybody for their cards and best wishes, I really appreciate it.

Tomorrow we head out for or last European tour to Spain, just a few days after our last and very enjoyable tour to the Italian Dolomites. Bike wise this was our largest tour of the year, but we had a good group of riders and everyone very much did their own thing. My thanks to Keith who formed a breakaway "you must buy a Kawasaki GTR1400 group", and of course the ever patient John who rides tail end charlie for me,it is friends like these that make my life that much easier.

Mixed weather for this tour, started off very hot and sticky but an overnight storm in Austria cooled things down a bit for our Italian leg. You will see from the photos that we were left with a little cloud on the mountain tops, but this soon cleared to allow people see the Dolomites in their full splendour. I must admit when you visit places as we do several times, you tend to take the scenery for granted, however, it was so refreshing to hear and see the reaction of people who had not been there before, the Dolomites never fail to impress.

For many the highlight of the tour was our day riding through the Dolomites before passing over the Grossglockner to Zell, the combination of fantastic scenery and great roads made this a day to remember.

The tour continued with a visit to the fascinating walled town of Rothenburg and a final night listening to a band by the Roman gate of Trier, which I had gone to great lengths to arrange, but no one seemed to believe me. A good tour group along with good hotels, food, and lots of laughs made this a most enjoyable tour. We even had our own resident "Emergency Bikers" - remind me not to get ill in Yorkshire !!!

If you would like visit the Dolomites along with the Italian Alps, we are planning a tour called the "Italian Mountains" for early September 2012.

29th August 2011

Many people have been asking for an update on Charlie Lamb, well I am pleased to say he is home safe and sound. He had a rather interesting and rapid return via ambulance, probably faster than he could of rode it, but then we don't all have flashing blue lights to get round the M25.. He is signed off for a few weeks, but hopes to be back in the saddle for our final tour of the season in October. Once again he wishes to thank everyone for their support and good wishes which helped them when they were effectively alone in a foreign country.

Talking of foreign countries, another of our regulars Robin & Izzie Norton are heading for Australia to have an extended tour "down under". Whilst they are there you can follow their adventures through a blog which can be found at www.getjealous.com, called two up down under (all separate words). We wish them all the best and look forward to hearing of their adventures next year.

24th August 2011

Well I got a new set of tyres fitted very reasonably from Bike Tyres, Leeds. I am too lazy to take the wheels off myself, so take the bike in and let them do it, I must say they always look after us well and its a pleasure to stand and watch how much care they take . Having previously run on Bridgestone 020's I have switched to 023's, whilst our tail end Charlie John has fitted Michelin Pilot 3's so it will be interesting to see how they compare.

The Austria & Black Forest tour was yet another good weather tour with just half a day of rain on our arrival in Austria, this was despite having our resident bad weather Jonah "Jersey Geoff" with us. He also had good weather in Portugal, so perhaps he is loosing his reputation at last. We had the obligatory ride up the Stelvio, which thankfully was not too busy. Not a pass I particularly enjoy, but the return via Livigno makes up for it with great roads and stunning scenery. On our departure we took the opportunity to ride the Silvretta pass before heading for the Black Forest. The heat continued to build and so most people had a day off the bikes, went sight seeing in Freiburg or just chilled out by the lake.

Quite a large tour this, so was good to see people splitting into groups and appointing an official "person who we can blame for going the wrong way". We also had "little bruver" on tour, so along with "Jersey Geoff" it made for some entertaining tales. I should mention that not everyone gets a nickname, just some of the more colourful characters!

Finally, those on tour will know that Charlie Lamb was taken ill and rushed to hospital on the last night. He suffered from a blood clot which had to be dissolved before having a stent fitted. I am pleased to say that everything went very well and Olwen and Charlie will be back in the UK tomorrow (25th Aug). Both Olwen and Charlie have asked me to pass on their thanks for all the good wishes, and were keen that I should emphasise how important having the correct travel insurance and motorcycle repatriation insurance has been for them. I am sure once the bikes have returned they will be keen to enjoy the rest of the summer.

3rd August 2011

Just back from the Rhine Valley Tour. This is a tour that never fails to please, the combination of picturesque villages, fairy-tale castles and some excellent biking roads are a perfect combination for a really good holiday. With the exception of a heavy shower on the way down, we saw no rain, although it was a little dull, which although perfect for riding, did not let everybody see this part of the world at its best. However, we had a lively crowd and judging by the disappointed faces when we had to leave, everyone enjoyed themselves.

Despite returning to a full set of teeth, I was struggling to smile after having new front discs fitted and a service and been presented with a bill for over £700 ! I think you could probably get a full set of discs and pads for a car for less than that ! New tyres next, apparently these prices have also gone through the roof, and then new back pads... I suppose I should not complain, the Pan never misses a beat and having sold my old ST1100 is approaching 77,000 miles.

A few days off before we are away to Austria, just time to do my VAT !

20th July 2011

Guess four in a row was too much to ask, and the forecast for our Dales, Lakes and Mountains tour was awful, and it more or less was. However, by careful checking of weather forecasts we managed to avoid the worst of it and were rewarded with some good sunny spells and dry roads. I must admit I got a little carried away on the Sunday and ended up in Scotland, but then the Scottish Borders never fail to impress.

Not a great one for having my photo taken but have included one from the last tour to show all those on the Italian & Swiss Alps that I have a full set of teeth again !! Unfortunately no sooner had we left the jetty in Hull that one of my front teeth broke in half, apart from developing a whistle and a crooked smile for the tour, it makes you self conscious to say the least.

If you are wondering why I have not posted anything on the wall of Face book lately, its because I can't. I believe Face book have made some changes and being a luddite I have not yet figured what to do yet. However, I am sure someone more switched on than me will put me straight soon.

15th July 2011

Reading down the page it is more like a weather report than a news page, however, although bikers are a hardy lot, there is no doubt that good weather and dry roads is what everyone wants on their tour and as the one thing we have no control over, we hope for. So we were delighted that for the third tour in a row, the Italian & Swiss Alps enjoyed dry days, blue skies and sunshine.

Having taken the Northern crossing we met up with those who had crossed by ferry or Eurotunnel at our first nights hotel. The journey was uneventful, but apparently the new Reims bypass was playing havoc with the motorists sat navs, leading them to pull over and scratch their heads, apparently incapable of following a road sign. Our journey continued across Switzerland to our first hotel base in the Italian Alps. On route, we stopped at some services to eat, where the record for the dearest lunch must have been achieved. An eye watering 29 Euros for 2 burgers, a red bull and bottle of water - on the plus side, they did say the burgers were good !

After a couple of hard days many chose to rest, have a look around the town or just relax in the hotel grounds. The more ambitious headed for the Stelvio pass, whilst a few of us checked out the Gavia Pass. This is one pass I had wanted to do for a while, but had always been thwarted by poor visibility, but the day was perfect and the scenery stunning. The next day we too checked out the Stelvio, not my favourite pass, but understand that people want to ride it at least once in their life, thankfully it was quiet and so a lot more enjoyable than normal. We were told that on the previous Sunday, there had been so many bikes, that the police were making the road one way and taking bikes down in groups of 150 + .

All too soon to leave Italy, but a wonderful day riding over the Swiss passes of Furkha and Grimsel to our next hotel. Again another rest day, where hardly anyone rode, taking instead to the trains and cable cars which offer such wonderful views. Leaving the mountains behind, we took a cross country route across France to our final nights hotel before next day going our separate ways back to the ferries.

Not an easy tour this one, but it was never billed as such, Mountain passes require plenty of concentration and make for slow progress, but the satisfaction of riding demanding roads and the stunning scenery are what makes the Alps so special.

Although I always put the best of my own pictures in the web gallery, I am aware that many of you have pictures of your own that the group would like to see, so if you would like to send some of the best (no less than 1024 x 768 pixels) we will add them into the gallery. Due to constraints on my time, this may take a while, but they will stay there till the following year.

Finally thanks to Steve Riches who was on our Northern Counties tour in 2010, who has told me that we are now apparently on Google Earth. You may remember that I mentioned in the news at the time, that we followed the Google street level car whilst using the B7060 just north of Selkirk. Well I have just checked, and sure enough, fame at last. The track starts just south of where the B7060 joins the A7, where you can see us waiting for the group to catch up, we then follow the car before overtaking it half way along. So if you were on that tour, check it out

PS: Just seen the weather forecast for our weekend tour, seems my black cloud has returned uck !

30th June 2011

Once again left it a little late to write about our last tour, however I have been busy trying to clear my desk of paperwork before heading out for Italy and Switzerland tomorrow. It is hard to believe that we are already into Tour 6, which is half way through our season.

It was our first tour to Portugal and although we had been there last October to do a recon we were really delighted that it was even better than we had remembered. After a straight forward crossing to Santander from Portsmouth we disembarked to rather gray skies and threatening rain clouds, however these were short lived, and when clear of the Cantrabian Mountains we were treated to sunshine and blue skies which were to remain with us all week. Once again the Spanish did their best to make Garmin look inefficient as they continue to build new roads faster than Garmin can map them, so we were treated to the usual riding across open fields syndrome. But it was a straight forward run, giving us plenty of time to enjoy a beer or two in the sunshine before our evening meal. One of our party went for a walk and arrived back late for dinner, and was promptly rewarded with chips instead of mash, which we had, so was the subject of howls of protest and threats if he did not share !!

Next day, (chipless), we completed our journey across Spain and entered Portugal for a two night stay in the Serra da Estrela Mountains. The hotel which we had previously visited in low cloud, did not disappoint, and provided not only great accommodation, but a wow factor with stunning views as far as the eye could see. Some made for the pool, whilst others enjoyed a cold beer or two (at reasonable prices for a change - France take note).

The next day was a ride-out, not only beautiful views but some stunning roads which were definitely designed to get rid of the motorway flats on your tyres. Not sure who these roads were built for as there was practical no traffic, but if it was EEC money, it was well spent. Lunch was at a little village cafe, where they seemed un-phased by 20 odd bikers looking for food, and had us fed and on our way without even breaking into a sweat (France take note).

The next stop was in the Duoro Valley, a last minute change took us on a lovely cross country route and onto some spectacular roads clinging to the valley walls before depositing us to our hotel alongside the river. Our bikes enjoyed as good a view as our rooms, looking across the Douro river to the 'Sandemans' vineyards. An excellent evening meal was followed by an impromptu gathering on the roof terrace to enjoy some more Portuguese wine, the balmy temperature and riverside views.

Our final destination was the Picos de Europa. Although an area we know well, I still find the scenery stunning, especially with the sun shining and blue skies. We arrived to find the village main street being 're-built', however, the hotel was ready for us, politely telling the cars to park elsewhere as the carpark was reserved for the 'motos' - how refreshing to be given priority for a change. The next day was classic mountain weather with low cloud, most headed for the coast where the forecast was better, whilst I headed into the mountains and found a stunning valley, one for the memory bank.

Our last day saw us say goodbye to Keith who lives in France, and Geoff and Dave who live in Jersey as we headed for Santander to take the ferry home. A really enjoyable tour, and one we shall repeat soon.

5th June 2011

An enjoyable tour to one of our favourite places the Mountains and Gorges of the Auvergne region. Our first tour using the system of a Northern & Southern departure and meeting up on the first night. Seemed to work well and generally making life easier for everyone. Leaving Zeebrugge was a bit of a Baptism of Fire for some, as the weather was far from kind and large motorcycle rally near Bruges meant there was bikes everywhere, however, as we headed south the weather improved allowing us to peel off the waterproofs and enjoy a beer in the sunshine before sitting down for an evening meal.

Billed as a tour suitable for people touring in Europe for the first time, and with relatively low daily mileages, our next two days across France were very relaxed, with the opportunity to enjoy some lovely roads and beautiful French Countryside under blue skies. Only disappointment was our intended visit to Puy de Dome which is now closed to traffic and will only be accessible by train from 2012, which is a real shame as it was a great ride up and we would have had marvelous views.

The next day saw us head for the Millau Bridge and Tarn Gorges, which despite a poor forecast turned out to be another lovely day. All went well, until unfortunately coming out of the Gorges, someone took a low speed spill at a hairpin. This resulted in a trip to the hospital for a broken collar bone and a rather second hand bike. However, I am pleased to say he was flown home within 48 hours and no doubt the bike will be recovered in time. Fortunately such incidents are very rare, but just shows to prove the importance of having correct insurance cover, filling in our personal details form correctly and carrying all your documents on your bike.

The next day was a rest day for many, as we awoke to rain and cloudy skies - however, it was short lived, and the more hardy set off to visit the cliff village of Rocamadour. The following morning was a return to blue skies, which were to stay with us for next few days as we returned across France to the ferry port. On the way we took time out to visit the massacre village of Oradour -sur-Glane, the Loire Valley the magnificent Chateau de Chambord (till the policeman told us to move on - no sense of humour these French) and the castle used in the BBC programme 'Merlin'.

Many people ask me which my favourite place to tour, and to be honest I am not sure, as everywhere has its own character and attractions, but the Auvergne region is certainly in the top few. Apart from the rolling countryside and dramatic Gorges, the super smooth bends that go on for ever make it hard to keep a grin of your face. This particular tour will be remembered for the constantly increasing cost of beer, till we reached the dizzy heights of 8 Euro a pint - and the cry went out from my fellow Yorkshireman "How much" !

25th May 2011

Just back from the NW200 & Donegal tour a day late, which means its all a bit of a rush as I head for Hull tomorrow for the Mountains and Gorges Tour. The delay was due to the un seasonal high winds which swept through Northern Ireland and West Scotland causing the Fastcat ferries to be cancelled. Some of the group went onto standby for the conventional ferry whilst the rest of us decided to retire to the bar and spend another night in Ireland until the wind decreased and the ferries returned to normal.

Unfortunately for race fans, Saturday was a bit of washout, the combination of rain, a bomb hoax and then finally oil been dropped onto the circuit meant that the racing had to be finally abandoned. Thankfully the rest of the weather was typical for our trips to the Northwest 200, with an odd squally shower and long sunny periods which meant that we were able to enjoy a tour of the Antrim coast on the Friday and a full day riding in County Donegal on the Sunday. The Donegal tour is always a bit if a day off for me, as the tour is led my Uel Irwin from Northern Ireland tours who is a great host and always manages to find new roads and sights for us to see.

Finally our congratulations to Azure and Mark who got married last week and came on tour for their Honeymoon, we wish them all the best for the future.

17 May 2011

Thanks to those that came and said hallo at the Peterborough BMF show, it was a drafty affair stood in that cattle shed all weekend. As usual I managed to spend more than we probably made, but resisted buying a new helmet although it was a good price. However, I did buy a new visor and anti-fog visor which was actually more expensive than most of the helmets ... I feel the show has declined a little and was disappointed not to see more manufacturers, especially Triumph, represented. I did get chance to sit on the new Honda Crossrunner, I am not sure if I like it or not, however, it does seem a lot of money, and should you really have to pay extra for a centre stand ! perhaps I am just out of touch.

12th May 2011

Our second tour of the year last week as we descended on our favourite hotel between the Lakes and Dales for the GPS Basics Course. Heavy showers signaled the end of the long dry spell, however, thankfully they passed through during the night and whilst we were in the classroom, leaving our Sunday run dry and sunny. I found the course very enjoyable, and it was good to see everyone get to grips with the basics of making routes and downloading them into their Garmin's. The final exercise of the day was to load a route through the Dales and Trough of Bowland that I had 'prepared earlier'.

The next day saw us take a deliberately circular route, with everyone taking turns to lead the group using their Garmin, everyone did well, especially Olwen who doggedly followed the route although the road became not much better than a footpath with grass down the middle ! A slight mistake on my behalf, as I had not noticed that mapsource had cut across a corner using a road I had never rode before, however, I think I got away with it !!

It was interesting not being at the front for once, and was impressed by how everyone rode, however, one particular rider was a joy to follow, so much so that I let him lead for quite a while. I am not going to name names, however, turns out he is an x police rider and I believe a RoSPA instructor. If there was ever an advert for training then I guess this guy is it.

Getting back to satnavs, the general opinion seems that the updating of mapping is going much smoother, and providing you have not filled your satnav with music choosing the 'Western Europe' option goes onto the Zumo 550. I would recommend ticking the option to load the files onto your computer as well. Should you want a mapping region outside Western Europe, you can then load this onto a SD card and plug it in when you need it. I am told that the latest mapping 2012.1 has just been released, but I think I will give it a miss for the moment as I have already made up the routes for this year. I don't claim to be an expert on the Garmin, but if I can help in any way, don't hesitate to give me a ring. Thanks to Robin Norton for advising us of a website where you are able to purchase a visor cover to shade the screen of your GPS. The site address is www.gps-shades.co.uk.

Finally the stock of hi-vis vests we bought in 2008 (was it really that long ago) has now run out, I think we have a few XXXL sizes left, if anyone would like one let us know.

4th May 2011

Well seems like we brought the good weather back with us as the sun has not stopped shining since our return, with the weather centre confirming that it as been the warmest April since records began. So good was it that I had to take the SORN of my bike thee weeks early and back date the tax to the beginning of the month (not easy for a Yorkshireman). However, it was well worth it, as we had a great days ride in the Forest of Bowland and Yorkshire Dales.

The good weather stayed with us for our first tour of the year, the 'Forgotten Scotland' tour. Always a favourite of ours, the combination of traffic free roads, great weather, good food and a 'together' group of riders made this one of the best weekend tours we have had in a while. The icing on the cake was a good run over Alston Moor before returning to reality as we met the Bank holiday traffic in the Dales.

Only drama of the weekend was a puncture. Thankfully the tyre stayed inflated until our return to the car park, where it went flat. Keen to try out our new tyre repair kit we set about removing a woodscrew. After reluctantly reading the instructions we successfully installed a plug and re-inflated the tyre and headed for the bar, only to notice it had deflated again. As the customer had put in Ultra-seal (the tyre said tubeless) we could not understand why the repair had failed - until finally noticing the wheel was spoked - derr - the tyre had an inner tube ! I guess we have become so used to tubeless tyres these days, having a tubed tyre on a modern bike (Aprilia 650) rather catches you out.

I was interested to check out one of the bikes on tour, the new 6 cylinder BMW 1600GT. Certainly seems very nice, considering the old 6 cylinder Honda's and Kawasaki,s were so wide, it is remarkably slim. In contrast, amazingly wide (well at least the rear tyre) was the other new bike we came across, the new Ducati Diavel. On trade plates, I presume it was been taken for a test ride. Not my cup of tea I am afraid, but judging by the rave reviews in the press, a fun bike to ride.

14th April 2011

We have enjoyed our time out here and finally got the Triumph fixed allowing us several ride-outs. Yesterday was the longest, some 300 miles, 25 miles of which was dirt roads (see picture of the month). It never fails to amaze me how large America is, and in the Southwest where large areas are practically uninhabited, 90% of the roads are unpaved. This means that bikes like the BMW GS and Triumph Tiger are particularly suited, and I must admit, although I have the older 955i model, I have been impressed how well it performs and how much I have enjoyed riding it.

After waiting 3 weeks for a new regulator the local Triumph dealer was not my favourite person, however they re-deemed themselves when I attended their open day last weekend to find not one but every Triumph model available to test ride. I was like a kid in a sweet shop, but having not yet ridden the new Tiger 800 or the 800XC they were my first choice. I must admit I was not disappointed and thought both bikes excellent, but if I was to buy would choose the standard 800.

March 16th 2011

Hallo, from sunny Arizona, no real news to give you , but thought I had better sign in.
I had hoped to post a photo from out here of the Triumph Tiger I have bought which I intend to use to ride some of the back roads and visit the ghost towns, but unfortunately its broken down !!
Limped to the local Triumph dealer who advised me that the regulator/rectifier was faulty - seems this is a fairly common fault , and not helped by its lack of cooling due to its location tucked between battery box and frame- especially in the temperatures experienced in this part of the world.
A new part is on its way, but it seems that although the USA can put a man on the moon, getting a part from Georgia to Arizona in 2 weeks is a little more tricky!

I will keep you advised.......

9th February 2011

This weekend saw our first 'Winter get Together '. The original idea was for a meeting and evening meal, however, due to the distance some people had to travel this turned into a two night weekend break , which was really great as it gave everybody plenty of time to relax and catch up with the latest news. It was so good to see so many familiar faces again, and if people would like to do it again, we can make it a regular event. Although not planned that way, we used the weekend for a celebration of our 15th year of organising tours. I trawled through our years of photos and put out a selection from each year onto a display board - it really is amazing how long some people have been touring with us - and I even found a few old ones of myself - complete with Mexican style moustache ! We also took the opportunity to hand out some of our Anniversary T shirts, if you have booked a tour with us we will be in touch to find out if you would like one, and if so, your size.

Being the Lakes, it had to rain, fortunately it only rained once, unfortunately it was from the time we arrived to the time we left. Once again a couple of 'proper' bikers turned up on their bikes whilst the rest of look enviously out from our warm dry cars ...........

Unfortunately due to operator error (too much wine perhaps?) most of my photos did not come out, so thanks to Robin who came to the rescue and sent me some of his. Pleased to say from our point of view that the tours are filling nicely. Two tours are full, another 99% full, and most of the others have a healthy amount of bookings. The Euro to pound exchange rate has improved, but petrol continues to rise by a silly amount, rather making a mockery of our estimated costs. These have been further distorted by some ferry fares which have risen over and above inflation rates. Incredibly we have only this week got the ferry schedules and fares for our NW200 tour to Northern Ireland - how these companies can run a business like that I do not know.

Finally its that time of year when I go away on holiday - yes I know - my life is one huge holiday, however I am going anyway. As many of you know, we go to Tucson in Arizona, so I am hoping for slightly warmer temperatures. Whilst we are away the office will once again be manned by Dorothy and Keith who will be able to help you with any bookings or questions that may arise. With modern communications, I of course can monitor everything and will be answering all emails. If you really get bored and want a chat, you can call on Skype, (whiterosetours) I usually switch it on at 0800 hrs which is 1500hrs your time.

10th December 2010

Hope some of you made it to the bike show, the bad weather stopped us going, which is a shame as I heard it was much better than last year. With the snow and freezing temperatures, I guess you could be excused for not thinking too much about biking, however, I know for many of you, booking a tour gives you something to look forward to, and I am pleased to say despite all the doom and gloom forecast for 2011, bookings are at their normal level. As usual one particular tour has caught peoples attention, and this year it is the tour to Spain & Portugal, which unfortunately is already full - however, we will be returning to Northern Spain on our Pyrenees & Pico's Tour in September.

Many people ask me what I do during the winter months, and to be honest I sometimes wonder myself, however, a great deal of time time is spent planning routes, writing route instructions and more mundane tasks like accounts and VAT returns. Without a doubt, the best of these is planning routes. Computer software such as Map Source, Auto route and Google Earth have made things much easier, however, nothing quite beats a mug of tea, and a really good quality map. Therefore, I am delighted to tell you that we have just teamed up with the motorcycle specialist map and guides firm 'Mapsman', to supply us, and our customers, with any mapping needs.

Founded in 2005, Mapsman is owned and run by Chris Cook. A biker himself, Chris has a passion for finding great routes and has put together a collection of maps and guides to satisfy even the most adventurous of motorcyclists. Having supplied Chris with our proposed 2011 tour routes, we have set up a link on each tour page which will take you to the White Rose Tour section of the Mapsman site. Here you will be able to buy - at a discounted price - a bundle of suggested maps to cover the tour. If you do not wish to buy the whole bundle you can buy the maps individually, and along with any other purchases you make on the site,will receive a 10% discount (before P&P) by using the promo code of 'White Rose Tours' on checkout.

Now that we are no longer posting out a brochure, should you wish to be advised about the latest developments, it is essential that we have your correct email address . When we sent out the last news letter, quite a few were returned as being 'unable to deliver,, so if you have recently moved, or just changed your email address please let us know. We have done a simple leaflet which includes next years tour dates - a PDF of which, can be found on the front page - so if you would like some copies for your club or local dealers, please let us know and we will be happy to post you some.

Well I am sure you will have seen that the 2011 tours are on the website. We have introduced a couple of new tours and returned to a few old favourites so I hope you find something to interest you.

You will also see that we are trying something new next year by offering a choice of a Northern or a Southern crossing. With customers from the whole length of the UK and Ireland,  we understand that many of our northern clients dislike the ride down to the channel ferry ports – likewise it does not make sense for our many clients from the south to ride north to join a tour at Hull. Therefore, where possible, we have arranged the first and last night’s hotel to be within riding distance of both Calais & Zeebrugge/Rotterdam.  Whichever you take, the distances to the first night's hotel will be similar, and we will all meet-up in time for a drink and get-to-know-you session with your fellow riders and Guides, before sitting down to an evening meal. As always, there is the option to make your own crossing arrangements, and at the time of writing, we are re-activating our Euro tunnel account should you wish us to make a booking for you.

2011 also marks our 15th year of organising motorcycle touring holidays. We would like to say a big thank you to all our customers whose loyalty and support we have enjoyed over the years, and with special thanks to those who help-out with escort and guiding duties - we really could not do without you.  As a small token of our thanks, and to celebrate our 15th year, we will be giving away to all those on tour, and whilst stocks last, an anniversary T shirt. We will also continue to give out complimentary hi-vis vests and lanyards to anyone who would like them.

Many things have changed over these years, and perhaps no more so than the use of the internet. Although in its infancy when we started, it now seems impossible that we could do without it, and today is our prime means of contact with our customers. With this in mind we have decided that we will no longer produce a brochure for mailing, instead allowing you to download the information directly from the website. However, comprehensive as our website is, should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call us, we are always happy to help you.

2010 Tour Blog

This weekend saw us complete the touring season with a long weekend in Wales . The golf fans amongst you will no doubt have seen the weathers attempts to wash the Ryder Cup down the "valley" fortunately we faired a little better, but it certainly rained. It was a story of good day followed by bad and everyone got well and truly soaked on their journey down. However, the Saturday was set fair and we were able to enjoy a really good day riding the roads to the south and through the Elan Valley. True to forecast, Sunday saw the return of heavy rain and so we retired to read the Sunday papers and re-assemble at midday. Seemed the rain gods felt sorry for us, as the weather improved and on entering the Snowdonia National park the clouds rolled back and sun came out giving us an dry afternoon's ride. Like all tours its the people who make it, and with great food and a lively bar the weather did little to dampen peoples spirits and the weekend was a good laugh.

The previous weekend saw us on home ground at the Nidd Hall Hotel for the 60,s weekend. With dry but cold weather we headed for the Dales and I took the opportunity to visit a Dale or two I have not ridden for a while. Our tour base being a Warner's hotel, everyone could enjoy the extensive facilities, which included on the Saturday evening, entertainment by the sixties group "The Fortunes" The sixties theme continued as the following day we went over the North York Moors and called in at Goathland village backdrop for the TV "Heatbeat" series.

Most years, one tour seems to catch the imagination of our customers, and this year it was the Italian Lakes & Mountains. Filling up in days of going online, meant that unfortunately we had to turn people away, even so we had 28 bikes which was more than enough. 1.1/2 hours late and with light rain, the omens were not good as we left Zeebrugge, however we were soon removing the waterproofs and enjoyed three gorgeous days as we crossed France, Switzerland and the Timmelsjoch to our base in the Dolomites. So good was the visibility that I saw mountains I had never seen before, although I have used the route many times before.
On our first day in the dolomites we woke to low cloud and rain, definitely not a day for riding, so it was a day walking round the local town and enjoying the hotels leisure facilities - timing could not have been better really, giving everyone a chance to recharge their batteries after the previous days. The following morning saw the sun return and calling us to the roads - what a stunning day - regardless of how many mountains you visit, you never fail to be impressed with the Dolomites, (take a look at the photo gallery).
Our next stop was Lake Guarda, which rather disappointingly hid itself under a heat haze, so leaving their bikes behind, most people went on a boat trip, whilst a few of us went on a ride out. Unfortunately, one of the bikes, a Goldwing, would not start, having played up on previous days it finally gave up the ghost with a distinct smell of burning. On our return, the bike had been collected and taken to the main Honda dealer where it was found to have a serious electrical fault. Chris who's bike it was, ended up having to fly home leaving the bike to be collected and returned to the UK. Full marks to Carole Nash whose breakdown insurance Chris had, and a big thanks to "Gilli" who organises things for us in Italy. Our return brought us back through the Mont Blanc tunnel, whilst some rode over the St Bernard pass to meet us in Chamonix - we entered the tunnel in Italy in bright sunshine and came out in France to low cloud, drizzle and a 10 deg drop in temperature - needless to say that was a shock to the system. Nothing for it but to retire to the bar and enjoy the excellent food which makes this one of our favoured French hotels. Our return across France was uneventful and in bright sunshine arriving at our last nights hotel to find not one but four different tour companies there, including our friends from Ride with Us who were on their way out - so it was good to meet up and have a chat.

The Mosel Wine Festival weather continued in the same manner as the rest of August with sunshine and showers, however being German showers they were heavier and longer, and its fair to say had this been a Moto Grand Prix it would have been declared a "wet race". Fortunately, there was plenty of bright spells, and the showers did nothing to dampen the party atmosphere of the Wine Festival. For many, the highlight of the weekend was the Sunday night firework display which as usual was spectacular and very noisy!

Back briefly at my desk after our Northern Counties Tour and frantically trying to get my VAT returns done (yes I am afraid we are not immune) before leaving for the Mosel Wine Festival next week. Sunshine and showers were the norm for this tour, with an occasional over zealous black cloud dumping its contents on us, however, this was balanced by some lovely sunshine and mainly dry roads in an area that I believe, has some of the most diverse biking roads in the country, The tour started in Northumberland, which was a first for us, as we have always struggled in the past to to find decent accommodation. However, having done so we were able to tour the whole breadth of the country from East to West taking in Northumberland, Scottish Borders, Galloway & Dumfries, the Lake District and Yorkshire. Although I know Northumberland reasonably well, it was good to call on friends Roy and Alison from Coldstream Bike Training (CBT - get it!) to show the way, as they ride the area daily whilst training up the next generation of bikers. Having visited Alnwick and Bamburgh Castles it was across to Holy Island for a brief coffee stop visit - never have I had such a punctual return, must have been the thought of the incoming tide lapping across the causeway that concentrated the minds. Saying goodbye to Roy and Alison at Selkirk we headed West into beautiful evening sunshine and our next overnight stay. One of the highlights of the day was that we were "Googled"... whilst traveling down a country lane we came up behind the Google camera car and followed if for some miles - I considered doing a wheelie to impress, but A) I do not think my pan could do one, and b) I am not sure I would know how! - not to mention if I made a mess of it, the world would see me in a big heap in the road... so I stayed behind grinning like a cheshire cat before other taking and giving someone else a minute of fame. Not sure how long it will be before it is on the Google maps, I know most things are about 18 months old - however for the record it was the B7060 just north of Selkirk. The rest of the tour was most enjoyable, some great hotels and even better food meant that the trousers have mysteriously shrunk once again. A final day in the Dales, proved very popular and brought a really enjoyable tour to an end.

I hope to use the short time I have at home to load some more of the pictures you have sent to me onto the gallery - if you have any you would like to share please send them to me on a CD and I will load what I can. Alternatively if you join the White Rose Tours group on Face book, you can keep in touch with other people you may have toured with, and exchange photos etc there.

The Austria & Switzerland tour enjoyed some beautiful weather with just the one day of rain in Switzerland, which gratefully cooled things down after what has been several weeks heat wave in Europe. (them guys in the Tour de France, mad or what?) You will see from the gallery photos that the scenery in Austria was at its best with the majority of people happy to relax and ride the less demanding but never the less rewarding passes. I was quite shocked to see how low the water level of the Kaunertal reservoir was, a feature which seems to be common everywhere - perhaps its global warming, or maybe just too many people using too much water in their modern appliances. I rode the Furkha and Grimsel passes for the second time in as many weeks, however, I am no less impressed than the first time I ever saw them - and in my opinion- along with the Susten pass, are some of the best in Europe, despite what "Top Gear" says. Our first day in Switzerland saw people leave their bikes and head for the trains and cable cars of the area - quite a few disappearing into the clouds on the Jungfrau rack & pinion railway. Despite restricted visibility everyone felt it was a great day out, and for some, finding Basil Fawlty alive and well and running a shop on the summit was worth the cost alone. (its a long story, but one I am sure you will hear from John Clark when you next see him). The next day we planned a ride out, but had rain, so had a short ride to the Tummelbach falls, which I must admit were pretty dramatic. Leaving Interlaken behind, the sun reappeared and stayed with us as we enjoyed some lovely biking roads across France back to Calais.
Our arrival at the final hotel near Troyes was the end of an era for the older of my two bikes, the ST1100. Keith, a friend of mine living in France had expressed an interest in buying it, and it seemed an ideal solution for the both of us to leave the bike there, with another friend Mike who rode the bike on the tour, becoming pillion for the journey home. I must admit a tinge of sadness, having bought the bike 1 year old and with just 4000 miles on it at Cusworths in Doncaster, it never let me down and was the bike of choice for my UK tours. The final mileometer reading was 92,600 miles, during which time the only things I replaced other than consumables, was a starter relay and the wheel bearings, in fact even the exhaust system was still original. It,s good to know that the bike has gone to a good home, and that it will be enjoying a good retirement riding the back roads of France. (pause.. for blowing of nose and wiping of tears)

The beginning of July saw us head back into Europe after Scotland, on the Zeebrugge ferry for our Source of the Rhine Tour. A new tour, the idea was to follow the river Rhine from its beginnings in the Swiss Alps to its end in the lowlands of the Netherlands. Happily along the way there is some great scenery and brilliant roads to ride. What we did not quite expect was a heat wave, with temperatures rarely below 25C and often in the high 30,s - not ideal when wearing motorcycle gear, but guess one should not complain, and with several "days off" it was great to relax and soak up the sun. It was also nice to enjoy a fast run along the B500 in the Black Forest, despite having ridden this several times, its always been less than perfect, with rain or thick fog. So good were the conditions, that one of our party rode it several times, using the excuse that he had not seen us go into a cafe, and was looking for us - but we know the truth..... the temperature peaked in the Netherlands and a cold beer on the Hull ferry was much appreciated. During the tour a mysterious boiled egg thief was sought, as people returned to the egg boiler only to find their carefully timed eggs had disappeared. The culprit was never found, but the word on the street was that she may have had red hair (whoops!)

previously............

Just back from a most enjoyable tour of the Scottish Highlands. As you will see from the pictures we had a mixed bag of weather with everything from beautiful sunny days to low cloud and drizzle, but on the whole pretty good, with little rain and some great biking roads. The hotels we used were a mixture of old favourites and one or two new ones which worked out well. All had great food, which unfortunately caused my trousers to be a little on the tight side by the end of the week. We always tell everyone that although we make all the arrangements and plan the routes, it is the people on tour to make it what it is, and I am pleased to say we had a really good group who never stopped laughing and made the most of every minute.  I think one of my favourite moments was at the "Electric Brae" on the Ayrshire coast. An optical illusion, this section of road looks to rise when in fact it falls - a fact I was finding hard to convey until a car driver obligingly stopped and free wheeled backwards uphill - the look on peoples faces was priceless.

It may have escaped your notice, but the tours are coming thick and fast and we are now half way through our tour season. Unfortunately we have to close many of the tours well before departure dates in order to satisfy ferry and hotel operators, which means anyone expecting a last minute booking are disappointed. So if there is a tour you are interested in, please contact us asap and we will hold you a place.  You will see we have one last Double room left on the Mosel Wine Festival tour - this really is a great short break holiday and one we we will not do for another 2-3 years. The Northern Counties has a little room left, and takes you on some of the most scenic roads in Northern England. An excellent tour to try if you have never toured before combined with some great hotels and good food. Finally I am being pushed to release the rooms we are holding at the 4 star Nidd Hall for our 60,s weekend. Anyone who have stayed at Warner hotels know how popular they are, and so once again if you are interested please contact us asap.

Finally managed to work my way through the paperwork to give me time to write a little about the last few tours. As always May is a busy month and I have just arrived back from an enjoyable (if eventful) tour of the Pyrenees and Costa Brava.  Although we have been to the Pyrenees many times, a few days on the beach was a new venture and one that worked well, giving everyone time to recharge their batteries before returning up the scenic A75, over the Millau Bridge and along some lovely cross country French roads.
The Tour started with our usual St.Malo crossing, down the west coast of France to the Bordeaux area. The next day we passed through Lourdes to climb the "Col de Tourmalet" - with blue skies and the sun shining I was looking forward to the crossing - as often it can be covered in cloud and rain - only to be confronted with the"Col de Tourmalet" FERME sign (closed to you and me). I must admit looking at the more than usual snow covered peaks I was not altogether surprised, and so we back tracked to take a longer but lower route to the Bielsa tunnel. Seemed that France was not keen to see us go, as no sooner had we left Bagneres, than yet another sign told us that the Bielsa tunnel was closed for repairs !!  At this point a lesser man would have slit his wrists, but seeing as I could not find a knife there was nothing else to do but take a 100 mile detour through the Vielha tunnel. To be honest it went well, until the mother of all thunderstorms dropped torrential rain on us and threw some lightening in for good measure.  But of course we are British, and so unbowed we made it to the hotel where a hot shower, lovely meal and several beers (and a sense of survival) made this journey the topic of conversation for many days. In comparison the rest of the tour was easy going, with dry roads and scenery that only the Pyrenees can supply.

I did say this was an eventful tour, and unfortunately one of our party was taken ill and had to go into hospital for a short while, however, I am pleased to say he his back home and well on the road to recovery and itching to get on his bike again.  We had someone who had to go looking for a tyre, (his new bike must have been shod with super soft rubber), someone else clipped a white line whilst passing an unmarked police car (40 Euro fine), the same person hit a stone and fell off at a roundabout.  He is now approaching Triumph with a view to patenting his indicator lens cover made out of one swimming goggle, As usual I will not mention any names (Mike). The final thing was the last morning when a bike would not start - however I am pleased to say that it did start eventually and they were able to catch a later ferry.  Despite these bits and pieces, a good tour with a great crowd and lots of laughs. We also had a first on this tour, as Karl Boddy & Fiona Barlow got married the weekend before we left, and this was their honeymoon. We wish them all the best for the future.

Its always amusing to hear the tales from other riders whilst waiting for the ferry, however, some make you shake your head - as we heard of a rider who had been caught doing 90mph on a D road (usually 60mph) his fine? - a cool 750 Euro's.......

The NW200 & Donegal Tour saw us take our annual pilgrimage to Northern Ireland, the weather was its usual mixed self and although colder than normal kept pretty dry, especially for the racing and our day tour out in Donegal. A small group from a bike club near Cheltenham won the unluckiest riders award - firstly having one of their party took a fall due to a car driver incredibly stopping dead on a dual carriageway, another having their bike break down, a third collecting a stone through the radiator on the way home and the last limping home due to a an electrical fault. Thankfully they all have a good sense of humour and enjoyed their trip despite these things.
Anyone who read my comments on the NW200 last year will know I was not impressed with the organisation - I still think it is a bit slow, but was a great improvement and there is no denying we saw some great racing. Uel, our Irish guide took us on a different route this year and it was nice to take a back seat for a change and sit back and enjoy the scenery. I keep thinking I will give the NW200 a miss, but I must admit I still find the Antrim Coast a lovely part of the world and the tour if anything gets more popular each year.

Pleased to say all went well at the GPS Course despite my not been there (perhaps they are trying to tell me something) and from the feedback I have received everybody managed to go home a little wiser. One thing that came to light, is that quite a few people had not plotted a route on mapsource before , and so were able to do it for the first time. Despite running over, I believe the general feeling was that the course could have been even longer - and so if we get sufficient demand, we will repeat the course towards the back end of next year and include a tour to put new found skills to the test.

Happily I did make it back in time for the Scottish Borders Tour. One of my favourites, as riding on empty roads on a Bank Holiday some how gives one a feeling of superiority as you imagine the masses nose to tail in traffic jams. However, the weather was true to form for a Bank Holiday with showers on the Saturday but dry if a little cold on the Sunday. Needless to say Monday dawned without a cloud in the sky!.  Once again an enjoyable tour, with a good crowd of riders.

You will remember that I mentioned that Garmin were to release a budget sat nav for bikers - the Zumo 220.  Well seems Garmin's idea of a budget model and what was expected by everyone else is rather different, the model has been priced in the USA at 600 dollars, which at today's rates, means when it becomes available in March, it is likely to be £380. With numerous other Garmin models available at £100 or less, I do not see how making a model suitable for bike use can quadruple costs - yet again another case of ripping the biker off I think.

Last week we went to the MCN show at the Excel centre in London, quite a long day for us, but enjoyed the walk round and was able to talk to some fellow tour operators we have not seen for a while. I - like many others judging by the dealers face - were disappointed not to see the new VFR, as Honda in their wisdom were sticking to their release date the following weekend.  However, I actually did get to have a sneak preview whilst delivering brochures to a dealers - my immediate thought was how ugly the silencer was, but then it is the current trend.  But the quality of finish certainly looked good and thank goodness they have not gone the same way as everyone else by sticking plastic brake fluid containers on the handlebars as if an afterthought.  No doubt time and sales will tell if the bike is going to be a success, but I think the small fuel tank has already put quite a few people off.  I was also told that Honda's reason for not going to any shows was so they could save money which could be used to reduce the cost of the new VFR ! - and that a new Pan is still 2 years away.

Previously ......

Thanks to everyone for their help with our attempts to set up a Face Book page - we have tried several options and have decided to go with a group page. If you would like to join the Group, you will first need to be a member of face book then either follow the link from our homepage or search for White Rose Motorcycle Tours.  Once your membership has been confirmed you will have access to our discussion board and be able to contact fellow members.

Just back from our annual pilgrimage to the Expro show in Birmingham. This is a trade show, so you are not able to buy anything (phew) but its interesting to see all the new products that will be available in the shops soon.  As usual the show was dominated by Chinese manufactured small cc bikes and scooters, however there was some nice clothing and many new crash helmets.  However the most unusual, which I assume are new, I certainly have never seen them before, were some decorated in pictures of fruit, strawberries, apples that kind of thing - with a label saying smell me!  Yes, they really did smell of the illustrated fruit !!!!!! - now quite why you would want to ride with the smell of strawberries in your nostrils is a complete mystery to me.

Good morning - I hope you are all well and survived the recent spell of bad weather.  I must admit I was starting to get cabin fever, never get far at this time of the year - but was unable to even get out and deliver brochures to the local bike shops.  As you would expect all the shops are quiet, so now could be the time to pick up a good bargain - I see the low value of the pound against the yen has driven the price of japanese bikes up, especially the Yamaha R1 which I believe is 25% more expensive and even some helmets now looked decidedly expensive. Good news for BMW and Triumph though, who seem to be going from strength to strength - owning two Pan Europeans I am a bit of a Honda fan, but I think they are seriously loosing their way - especially with the new VFR, so I may have to look in that direction for my next bike.

In the constant attempts to part you from your money I see that Garmin are releasing a new sat nav, the Zumo 665 - having read a few reviews I can not see any great advantages for updating from say the 660 - as it is aimed more for the American market where you can get XM (satellite) radio and weather updates.  Indeed in one review it says the battery life has been reduced from 5 hours to 3 hours so that seems a distinct disadvantage to me. Whilst trawling the reviews I also came across the news that Garmin are launching a "budget" sat nav for bikers - the Zumo 220, not sure what price this is going to be, but I consider all the present Garmin and Tom Tom models overpriced.  If you have just bought yourself a sat nav and would like to know how to get the best out of it, why not join us on for our GPS Basics Course in April, we still have a few places left.

Bookings for 2010 are going well, and I am pleased to say the tours are filling up nicely. I am sorry if the tour you were interested in is full, remember, if there is anything you are interested in please pick up the phone and let us know, we will hold your place for a week, whilst you check to see if you can get time off work and get the relevant paperwork to us.

I am afraid to say that Tony, a regular with us for many years, has finally lost his crown to a new upstart who has broken his record of 7 by booking 9 tours with us this year - what was wrong with the other 3, I am not too sure.... (must of heard me - we are now up to 10) . However, I am pleased to say that Tony will be riding with us this year and has threatened to make a big comeback. Once again I will have the invaluable help from Jane and John who will be helping me in my attempts not to lose anyone.

If you are thinking of signing up for the Garmin lifetime map update be prepared to lose several days of your life trying to achieve this, if you have a fast broadband connection it may not be too bad, and if you have dial-up broadband do not even consider it !! 

Having spoken to a Garmin representative at the NEC and to members of their help team in the past, it appeared that I was unable to update my Garmin 2820 mapping to the lifetime map update scheme, and that I would have to purchase the new Zumo 660, this I was reluctant to do, (a) because I have become attached to my 2820 which has proved ultra reliable (should I have said this )  and (b) it would involve spending even more money buying yet more leads from Autocom.  This turned out to be incorrect, and it is indeed possible to update the maps on the older models, although you have to select the countries you wish to get coverage of due to memory limitations. I am sure things will be a lot easier on the Zumo 550 where you have much more memory and a SD card.

2009 Tour Blog

So the October Getaway tour concludes our programme for this year. Despite some early morning cloud the weather cleared to give a good two days riding the Dales of Yorkshire, Lake District and some excellent roads in the Northern Pennines. It was good to see so many familiar faces and welcome along some new ones - the good food and accommodation at our favourite hotel completing what was an enjoyable tour.

The Mountains of Spain was our last European tour of the year and one of our biggest with regards to numbers.  To be honest having experienced the wonderful smooth roads of France and the stunning scenery of the Alps I felt that in my mind Spain no longer lived up to my expections - however I was wrong, and it really was as good as I remembered from my early trips many years ago.   I am not sure what it was, the erie silence as we rode up through the clouds to the sunshine above, the beauty of the Pyrenees & Pico's, or just the the sheer enjoyment of riding some great roads for hour after hour and hardly seeing another vehicle.  Put this together with great hotels, good food and above all a great crowd of riders and it made for yet again another enjoyable tour.

Only down side, was our wait on the dock side in Santander to board the ferry, followed by an equally long wait to get off in Plymouth - you really must do better Brittany.

So its official, the UK is grid locked and I experienced what I can only describe as one of the worst journeys of my life as we rode back to Yorkshire from Plymouth. What a mess our roads are in, and a disgrace when you consider the money that is extracted from the motorist, I know it was a Friday afternoon but stationary traffic on and off for over 300 miles is not acceptable. It is no exaggeration to say I must have filtered for more than 50 of them 300 miles and half expected to see an odd skeleton or two on the M6 hard shoulder of a frustrated car driver who never made it.

The Italian Dolomites tour started for most with an overnight ferry from Hull to Zeebrugge, the sea was a little rough but lulled us to sleep until early morning when I can only presume the ship ran over a whale, submarine, fishing boat or maybe all three, judging by the noise and bump! 

The next day took us across Belgium to our first night stop in the Vosges mountains where we met our colleagues who had ridden down from Calais having absorbed a vast quantity of French rain. To be honest the forecast was not good, with a front that was scheduled to follow us eastwards and true to form as we rode out of it, kept catching us up making the journey to Italy pretty awful. Rumours that the rain clouds were attached to my bike by a rope are all lies .... Thankfully, the weather came good when it really mattered, and for the rest of the tour we had beautiful blue skies and perfect riding weather.

SW Ireland was our destination last week, and for once our luck ran out with the weather. Whilst you sat sunning yourself , sipping wine and eating burgers off the Barbi, we were treated to a little of the Irish mist......In fairness our journey across to Kerry was dry and bright and we had time to make a detour to ride part of the "Ring of Kerry" and enjoy the views before arriving in Killarney proper. The next two days were disappointing, so little riding was done, instead many people choosing to visit local attractions such as "Muckross House, Gardens and farm, which I must admit were quite interesting.

Despite the forecast - the following day we headed for the Beara Peninsula - seemed the gods had forgiven us, and as we rode up the Healy Pass the clouds rolled back treating us to some wonderful views and a good days riding. Our journey back to Dublin was dry and sunny, giving us the chance to see the Wicklow Mountains at their best. Despite the weather, everyone enjoyed themselves, and I personally always enjoy the wonderful scenery in that part of the world. If you are planning a trip to Ireland, it is no longer cheap. Petrol is on par with the UK and the price of eating out can only be called horrendous !!

Another great weekend for our Dales, Lakes and Mountains Tour as the sun shone and the tarmac was sticky - well that bit is a bit of an exaggeration because the Dales roads could never be described as sticky unless you count the numerous dead bunnies !!  However, we did enjoy some good riding.  Saturday saw us head for the Lakes, needless to say due to the good weather, the roads were busy, but it gave us chance to relax and enjoy the scenery before taking to the back roads and heading up Honister Pass. Having told everybody to take care, I suspect they thought I had over-egged things slightly, however, I am sure I heard a sharp intake of breath as they crested the ridge by the slate mine and took a look down the other side. Leaving the lakes behind we took to the Northern Pennines to ride Hartside, down through Teeside and back through the Dales in time for dinner.  Sunday saw us move into the Dales proper, as we criss crossed from one Dale to the other picking up a mixture of scenic and "playful" roads.

Recently had the opportunity to spend some time in France checking out new routes and places to see. Unfortunately many of the places we wanted to visit clashed with the "Tour De France" race. It seemed unlikely they were going to change their route for us, so we dodged back and forwards to avoid them.  I really have nothing but admiration for them guys, some of the routes they tackle are hard enough on a 1300cc motorbike never mind a push bike. Apart from 5 minutes getting off the ferry, the sun shone every day, with temperatures in the mid 30's and an unbelievable 18C on Col de Bonnette (2802M) generally accepted as the highest road in Europe.  Col de Bonnette was part of the Route de Grande Alps, some of which I have done before, other bits which were on my wish list. 

Just one tour since I last wrote, and that was the Mountains of France tour. Although we did this tour a couple of years ago, and have visited the Auvergne region many times before, I really enjoyed this one. I never tire of the traffic free roads and smooth tarmac that the French seem to excel at. One exception is the Tarn Gorges I suppose, but then the scenery and twisty road to the top makes up for it.  With a very "together" group of riders we made the most of every day, and even discovered some great new biking roads amongst old favourites. We had a virtually rain free tour with blue skies, and at times, too high a temperature, fortunately we were able to quench our thirst by large quantities of beer and the excellent local cider.

On the morning of our departure to Chamonix we were delayed by one of the bikes having picked up a puncture. Having had problems in the past with local companies unwilling to come out, I suggested that " breakdown assistance" be called, after all that's what you pay your money for, this turned out to be a big mistake as the lady concerned spent 30 minutes giving every possible detail to the guy at the other end (several times). Fortunately she has more patience than me as I was ready to tear the phone out of the wall when he asked if she had a spare wheel ! - he then advised that he would have to wait till the office opened (1 hour later) to confirm her details. When asked that surely it was a 24 hour service the answer was "no - we just answer the phone 24 hours" - so there you have it.  The company concerned? IAM Surety ......Having given up with them, she limped to the nearest Kawasaki garage and had a new tyre fitted within the hour.

Proceedings were delayed further when another bike would not start, fortunately they had the fault diagnosed and were able to join us the following day (faulty starter switch).  Rest of the tour went smoothly, and as I said I really enjoyed the trip - the thoughts of riding across the Auvergne with perfect skies, lovely smooth sweeping roads and even the smell of freshly mown grass will keep me going through many a winter evening.

A special "Happy Birthday" to Geoff Stewart (Jersey Geoff to his friends) who just had the big  60 - amazing he does not look a day over 65.....

Its been a fairly busy month with three tours taking us half way through our 2009 touring season.  I am pleased to say all three tours were blessed with good weather and were different but enjoyable in their own way.  Our Rhine Valley Tour must go down as an "umleitung" tour, for those that do not know, that is German for diversion - and the Germans do seem experts at closing roads and diverting you into the blue wide yonder to find your own way.  However, in this case our first road blockage was caused by a two lorry collision on the Autobahn blocking the carriageway completely. In true German efficiency, the middle lane of the motorway was left clear for the emergency vehicles which allowed us to the front, but it soon became obvious that we were going nowhere and radio reports from a Belgian lorry driver confirmed at least a 4 hour wait to clear the debris.  Fortunately in true German logic, after an hour or so,without drama or fuss or removal of barriers, all the traffic was turned round and sent off at the previous junction - why the hell can't we do that !!

Our stay in the Rhine Valley was as usual very laid back, and it was so pleasant to ride the river valley's with their fairy-tale castles and half timbered houses in lovely sunny weather - fortunately it was not the really high temperatures you were experiencing back in the UK - think that would have made riding pretty uncomfortable.  We had our usual visit to the Nurburgring, which was particularly busy and to be honest looked pretty hairy due to the amount of traffic.  My only regret was not been quick enough with the camera to catch the "ring taxi" do a 4 wheel drift in a cloud of smoke as it passed through Adenau.

Although we had been warned about yet another diversion near Monschau, I was keen to ride the 258 again with its long swooping bends - eventually getting to the diversion - the trusty Garmin found a way through, only to be confronted by a total road closure which forced us on a long detour into Belgium.   Germany 1, Brits 0.

No such problems on our Scottish Highlands Tour - my only fear was the poor weather forecast and of course the dreaded midges..  I need not of worried, the further we got from our original departure point in the Scottish Borders, the better the weather got, and tales of flooding and cancelled TT races seemed to be a different world. The midges were kept at bay by a spray I had found on the internet called "stop bite" and made from Bog Myrtle.  It seemed to work, but to be honest I was not going to pull even the ugliest sheep smelling like that...

We had the odd moments of drama, with a couple of punctures, some over ambitious navigation leading to someone nearly running out of petrol and a minor off on gravel leading to some damaged pride.  Nothing serious I am pleased to say and the Gentleman concerned ( will not name you - Alan) has already chopped the bike in for a brand new one (said the ash trays were full anyway). We did have an odd shower, but with mainly sunny clear days and traffic free roads, it makes you realise you - that when the weather is right -Scotland takes some beating.

The Scottish Tour finished at the hotel we use between the Lakes and Dales which meant I had a free day before our scheduled weekend Yorkshire Dales tour. I spent the day riding around my old haunts in the Lake District, I rode over Wrynose and Hardknott passes, something I have not done since I was at college, and re-confirmed that I would not personally take a group over them.  Its not that they are just steep and twisty, you get lots of that in the Alps, but the road surfaces are unnecessarily poor - I thought the same in Scotland, why is it that the road user is taxed almost to a point of extinction and yet we still have minor roads that are no better than cart tracks and main roads that are now so poor that they are dangerous to ride on. Of course should the legislation to reduce speed limits to 50mph on county roads be implemented, no doubt the quality of road surface will fall further - no such problem in the Lakes where they seem to be putting a blanket 20mph limit on many of the roads....

Anyway, the Yorkshire Dales Tour was billed as short weekend break suitable for first time pourer's, so it was nice to see lots of new faces. Having explained the "drop off" system we use on guided tours, our merry band set off,only for some to miss the second marker - fortunately we got back on track and everyone got to see the Dales at their best. Judging by the comments everybody enjoyed their first touring experience and we hope to see them again.

Just back from the NW200 & Donegal, compared to previous years the weather was disappointing, but to be honest it never stopped us doing anything, and everyone enjoyed themselves. Saturday being race day we rode to the circuit where the weather was far better than forecast, unfortunately the organisation was not, and proceedings dragged on so slowly that the final two races (one of which was the main race of the day) were  cancelled to allow the roads to re-open.  We will return next year as we consider this one of the best road races around, but come on organisers, get your act together.

Go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/northern ireland/nw200/ to watch the highlights.

Sunday saw us take our usual tour into Donegal. Although I have been there many times, I have always happy to take a back seat and allow Uel Irwin of NI Moto tours act as our guide, his local knowledge once again ensuring we get the most out of the tour.   The day started in the walled city of Derry with Uel giving us a brief history of the city (I never knew one city could have so many different names) before riding westwards through the the Glenveagh National Park and past Errigal Mountain to lunch by the Atlantic Ocean.   With blue skies we finished the day riding down the side of the Foyle river, topping up with petrol before our return to British prices - ironically with the devaluation of the pound against the Euro there is now little difference.
Talking of pounds I think I put a few on, they certainly know how to feed you over there.....

May Bank Holiday saw our traditional return to the Scottish Borders always a favourite, we were blessed with sunny days and dry roads - I never tire of this part of the world with its traffic free roads and wonderful scenery - even the policemen are friendly as they chatted to us by St.Mary's Loch and seemed interested that we could keep 20 odd bikes together without loosing anyone. Only fly in the ointment was intermittent water supply in some of the hotel rooms, as way of compensation we were supplied with free wine, which of course led to calls for the water to be cut off completely!  Having stayed there last week, I am pleased to say everything is back to normal the fault being traced to the new plumber shutting off a valve. .

.So the Taste of Wales kicked off our 2009 touring season, and what a lovely weekend it was, not even a spot of rain. We had a mixed crowd of regulars and new customers, and for me an easy weekend, as Jane one of our guides, led the group whilst I kept an eye on things from the back. We will be returning to Wales October 1-4th  2010 for a long weekend, which will allow us two days of touring.

If you have read last years blog (see below, under Austria & Switzerland) you will remember my comments regarding having new tyre's fitted by a firm, who very kindly stripped the front axle bolt on my Pan.  Well attempts to get any kind of admission of guilt or even a simple apology were not forthcoming and I really do not have time to take it to the courts, so I am stuck with paying myself. For legal reasons I can not name the company, all I would say is if it is a company that fits tyre's and its in Saltaire, near Shipley - stay away. picture of bolt

My thanks to John Brown who brought a couple of  points to our notice

1. The new EHIC cards that replaced the old E111 actually have an expiry date.  I must admit I had not noticed, however please check you card to ensure it is still in date.

2. If you have an older vehicle (over 10 years) and require breakdown insurance through "Gold Cover" - the premium is now double not 50% extra as previously

The other week I was at "Expo", a trade exhibition held each year to showcase products for the motorcycle dealers. My intention was to source a new jacket, but was disappointed that many of the companies, who are usually there, were missing - a result of the present economic situation and the high cost of exhibiting I suppose. However, a few things did take my interest. The first was the amount of Chinese manufactured motorcycles and scooters, one particular electric scooter caught my eye, and if I commuted in a city I think would be a really good idea, however at some £7000 not particularly cheap!  Looking at all the various motorcycles I could not help feeling a little bit of déjà vu as I remember the arrival of some of the first Japanese motorcycles in this country (when I was but a lad) – very much like the Chinese bikes of today, they were low capacity, go to work bikes, and were not taken seriously by the British motorcycle manufacturers - however as history as shown, it was not long before the Japanese increased their bikes right across the range and effectively destroyed the British motorcycle industry.  With the present high value of the Yen against the pound looking to increase the costs of new Japanese bikes, I wonder if the Chinese are set to be the new force in the biking world?

The other thing I noticed was the Scotoiler Automatic chain lubrication e system.  I believe it was on display at the NEC, but I did not notice it.  With both my bikes having shaft drive I have no real need of one, however I did have a scotoiler on my VFR and found it invaluable.  A visit to their website will no doubt tell you all about it, but if it does all that it says it does it should be a useful accessory for touring holidays.

Thanks to Keith White who brought this to our attention.

"The lead story in the Irish Times has one of the most striking headlines of the morning. "Irish will need passports to visit Britain from 2009," it says. reports that the Irish government has instructed its civil servants to "draw up a plan for dealing with the ending of the common travel area between Ireland and the UK".
The paper says it's "all part of a British policy to introduce electronic border controls over the next two years".

It points out that Ireland is planning a similar system.

The papers says it won't mean that border controls will be introduced between the two parts of Ireland, but it will mean "that anyone traveling between Ireland and the UK by air or sea will need a passport".

Obviously we do not know when this is likely to come into force - however if you have booked or are going to book our Southern Ireland Tour it would be wise to carry a valid passport.

A big thank you to everyone who came to see us at The Manchester Motorcycle Show.  It was a little disappointing that there was hardly any other touring companies at the show, but good for us as we had many enquiries and received enough bookings to make it worth our while. No doubt the present economic climate kept exhibitors away, but it is the usual story, if you don't use it you will loose it , and it would be a shame to see the one show we have in the North disappear.

We have also been out and about dropping brochures off at the various motorcycle dealers who very kindly display them for us.  Having talked to the dealers, I do not think they are feeling the economic doom and gloom that the press and TV constantly spread, although if you are thinking of buying a new bike perhaps now would be a good time, as they suggest the high value of the yen and Euro against a poor pound will mean imports could rise considerably in price.

I am pleased to say our bookings are at their normal levels, as usual some tours fill up quicker than others, however there are still plenty of vacancies.  Despite our best attempts to get the hotels to allocate us more, Single occupancy rooms are always the first to go, and we have already run out on some tours.  However, If you are willing to share, there is a good chance we can get you on the tour of your choice.   There is no doubt that the devaluation of the pound against the Euro is going to effect the costing of European tours - however our first European tour is not until the end of May, so we have decided to nothing about it for the present time and will review costs tour by tour, however the general feeling is that the pound will recover to around the 1.20 mark. 

previously........

Since I last wrote I have been to the motorcycle Show at the NEC - I know I am a Yorkshire man, but this seems to be getting really expensive, especially if you take the car, buy a programme, watch one of the special shows or dare to eat!  Obviously apart from looking at any new bikes I like to see what the "opposition" is doing.  Actually, none of us think of each other like that, every tour company has their own style and way of doing things and it is for the customer to choose what suits them best.  It is also good to talk to others and find out that they have problems just like yourselves, however we were all concerned that our friends Rob and Sandra along with Freedom Touring seem to have disappeared, so if you read this Rob give us a call.

From the 1st January due to a change in regulations we can no longer sell travel or breakdown assistance directly to you, however we still continue to recommend Gold Cover Insurance Services as our preferred supplier of Travel Insurance and European Motoring Breakdown Assistance. They provide insurance which is tailored specifically for motorcycle tours and holidays and can be arranged on a single trip or annual multi-trip basis.

If you would like to take advantage of this insurance, please call 01892 559530 and request Whiterose Goldcover for the best quote and immediate cover.

2008 Tour blog

Well no doubt the return to wind and rain after the short "Indian summer" will make you realise that I am back home again - in all fairness we did have our fair share of good weather on the "Tyrol, Lakes & Alps" tour not even having to break out the waterproof's, however, it was surprisingly cold. 

The tour nearly did not get off the ground as we were booked on the Channel Tunnel the Tuesday after the fire.  Knowing how long it took to open the tunnel last time, we took no chances and rescheduled our crossing to a 5am ferry (yawn..)  fortunately the early start and a fine day got us across France in plenty of time to have a beer or two before catching up with our sleep.

On arrival in Austria, we were told that the next day would be good but to expect bad weather the day after - so keen to get some passes in, we headed for the Timmelsjoch.  Couple of years since I have done this, and then the visibility was poor, so was good to see it at its best.  The predicted bad weather never arrived and if anything it got better, so next day we were off to Silvretta and the Alborg pass before going up the lovely Kauntertal valley.
Unluckiest person of the trip was John, having got lost, he finally found his way and emerged blinking from the Reschenpass tunnel and straight into the hands of the police, where he received a fine for not having an Austrian vignette!

Low cloud greeted us as we left Austria for Lake Guarda.  The Gavia and Croce Domini passes awaited, I had been looking forward to doing these for some time, however the low cloud meant visibility was poor, I think actually this could have been a blessing as much of the road has sheer drops and no barriers. Our journey was temporarily halted when we came face to face with a funeral party, whoever it was must have been popular, or perhaps there is nothing else to do around there, as the whole village had turned out, forming a long procession behind the coffin and a group of priests bearing a huge crucifix.   The head priest must have been a biker, as he gave us a broad smile and wink as he passed by.

Our stay in Guarda was at a lovely hotel high above the hustle and bustle of the lakeside road. A boat trip to Sirmione proved popular, whilst others just chilled out in the lakeside villages and watched the world go.  Several of us went out for ride outs, finding some really nice roads, including the one to Tremosine which will feature in the new James Bond film. After French prices the bar was popular, so much so, the hotel is looking forward to our return. (especially Mr Gin & Tonic, Will) .

Our final base was Chamonix.  Getting past Milan surprisingly unscathed, we passed through the Mont Blanc tunnel to immerge into this popular tourist town. A trip on the cable car up Agui du Midi and train ride to the Mer De Glace were on the cards, although I have done this before I still find the views stunning.  With temperatures up the mountain below freezing being promised, I finally admitted defeat and bought a fleece to keep warm. Once again, a great crowd, who were a pleasure to have on tour.

I did the Cochem Winefest and Chateux & Battlefields Tours back to back, and they could not have been more different.   Our base for the winefest in Cochem was a 4 star hotel overlooking the river, the weather was sunny and warm and to be honest very little biking was done, with everybody in party mood. What we had not put in our tour description was that the package included free drinks Friday and Saturday evening - I think you could say we got our money's worth! 
Saturday morning was a vineyard walk followed by lunch - unfortunately this was a little disappointing, however at least it gave time for the riverside cloud to burn off and leave perfect blue skies for our afternoon river cruise. The winefest finished on Sunday night with a fantastic firework display.  The hotels situation meant we were in the middle of the action, and had one of the best views without even leaving our hotel balconies.

The Chateux & Battlefields started with one of those days when you wonder what else can go wrong next?  We met the group off a delayed channel tunnel train in pouring rain and a strong side wind,  having lost half of them at the first roundabout, we reformed and made our way southwards on what is always quite a long day.  Despite the weather we made good time until losing one of our number to Garminitist, followed by another to Aprilia failure that left Kevin without a bike for the rest of the tour.  Weary but not broken we arrived at the hotel, and after a shower and a few beers were back to full fitness.

The weather continued to be mixed, however never stopped us from doing anything, and the first day we rode around some of the fantastic Chateaux of the Loire valley.  The second day we visited the village of Oradour-Sur-Glane. Oradour-sur-Glane village was the site of one of the greatest atrocities of the Second World War, when occupying SS troops massacred the entire population in reprisal for French resistance. The village has since been preserved exactly as it was then, and is well worth a visit.  We found some nice twisties on the way home and Kevin not to be left out of things, played shotgun fending off crazy french drivers at the back with his hire car.

There is so much to see in the Loire valley that we could not hope to get more than a snap shot of the area, and soon it was time to head north to our next base in Honfleur for the Normandy beaches. The day dawned sunny and bright and we enjoyed a ride along the Normandy coastline visiting what WW2 attractions we could.

If you were on the trip you will remember that one of our number Jeff Bailey admitted himself to A&E feeling unwell, it turned out that Jeff's lung deflated on the journey down (told you it was one of those days) - anyway Jeff rang me the other day to say that he was back home and recovering.   It seems after we left him in Tours hospital he was there some 17 days. Apparently they wait 3-4 days to see if the hole that causes the lung to deflate heals itself, if not they operate and close the hole by means of a graft.  Jeff had to have the operation, and was full of praise for the French medical system. He was also full of praise for the Gold Cover travel insurance that had looked after him, and sent a taxi to Tours to bring him home to the UK.  Thankfully he also had BMW recovery for his bike which was waiting his return. Once again, showing just how important it is to have the right kind of cover.

Jeff also tells me that a collapsed lung is more likely to happen to tall, skinny men - guess I am safe then.....

previously............

Well its been a busy month, seeing us do a further three tours. The first being a tour to Bavaria.   Following a Hull Rotterdam crossing, we had an overnight stop in the lovely Mosel valley before making our way down the "Romantic Road" to the walled city of Rothenburg.  To be honest the road was far from romantic as we rode through heavy rain, however it was not to last, and having arrived in Rothenburg, the sun broke through giving us a lovely sunny evening to enjoy a beer or two whilst looking around this beautiful walled city.  The following day saw us skirt Munich before arriving at our base for the next few days, a hotel set in a typical Bavarian village. 
Our stay in Bavaria gave us chance to visit Hitler's summer residence, known as the "The Eagles Nest", the house as such is a little disappointing, but there are some great views. Whilst others visited nearby Saltzburg, Fussen and Dachau, some of us headed south to ride the "Grossglockner" alpine Road.  This is a toll road, but lived up to expectations, and is probably the best 18 Euros I have spent in quite a while.  Apart from some fantastic views, the road surface is excellent and unlike passes like the "Stelvio" the hairpins are open, allowing you to enjoy them to the full.  Although the road gets 1000,s of visitors per year, we were rather surprised to find a queue of traffic waiting to pass through the tolls. With a helicopter hovering above, we at first thought there had been an accident, however, after working our way to the front we were confronted by a police van behind two racing cyclists - the shake of the head from the police van confirmed my worst fears - we were not to pass - so we pulled over for an early lunch - allowing us a "bike free" ascent of the pass. 

Just 5 days later I was under way again - this time for Austria & Switzerland.  Before I went, and seeing as its a twisty part of the world, I decided to have  a new front tyre fitted. My usual dealer was unable to source a tyre so I went to a nearby company who specialise in such matters. The "do it has you wait" turned into a mornings wait, and it was obvious that something had gone wrong - on asking I was assured that all was well and that the axle nut being made of a different material to the front wheel spindle (really?) had seized.  I was told "that it was not their job, but been professionals they had eased the bolt and coated it in copper grease" . So being the trusting sole that I am, I went to the dealers the next day and asked them to remove the front wheel spindle and check it.  To our horror we found that the bolt thread had obviously been cross threaded and stripped,( probably by using a air gun) and that they had cut three v grooves into the bolt to turn it more into a "self tapper" to make it grip, not very reassuring as you head for the Stelvio pass !!   I will say no more at this stage, but if things do not work out, I will be naming and shaming the company concerned and will put a picture of the "altered " bolt on the web site.

Anyway I digress - what a great tour we had, the roads, scenery, accommodation, a great bunch of people, and above all wonderful weather, made this a tour rather special.  That's not to say we did not have our dramas... you can not ride some of the most spectacular passes in Europe on a motorbike without expecting some kind of injuries, and this time we had not one, but two people break bones!!   The first was Pam, who stumbled in the bar, put her hand out to break her fall and broke her wrist instead ( she was only drinking orange juice-honest) and the second was Steve who broke his ankle whilst playing crazy golf - now its not for me to say, but there was talk of sabotage because he was winning ...  Seriously, it was a shame that they had their holiday spoilt in such a way, but just goes to show that accidents are just that, and how important travel insurance can be.  I am pleased to say that both Pam and Steve are well on their way to recovery, and we hope to see them back on tour soon.

One thing that did come to light, was that although Steve had breakdown assistance insurance, because his bike had not broken down, or was damaged in any way - his insurance company (AA) would not repatriate it. I know since that incident several people have checked their own policy, and they have been told the same, so its something you should check before going away.  I am pleased to say that our own Gold Cover insurance would repatriate your bike if you were unable to ride it, regardless how you had injured yourself.

Just three days at home this time, before I headed for the Mosel Valley and the Balloon Festival in Bernkastle.  Like most of the tours to the valley this was a very chilled affair, it must be all them fairytale castles and half -timbered houses that take you back in time!   I,am pleased to say we found the odd road or two to put a grin on every bodies face and a look of terror (see picture gallery) on the few who ventured onto the Nurburgring.  Our visit coincided with the annual Hot Air Balloon Festival hence the tour name, however due to wind, launching was restricted to one morning - (so I,am told, I was in bed).

previously........
So what's been happening - well since I last wrote we have been to Spain, the Auvergne region and Isle of Skye - diverse scenery to say the least, but all great in their own way.  One common feature to them all was the weather - which I would say "could have been better, but could have been a damn sight worse".  Anyone who knows me,or reads this page on a regular basis will know its one of my favourite topics (moans) as I am never happy unless its sunny with cloudless skies - of course then its too hazy for photographs.

Seriously though, as we set off on the Spanish Pyrenees Tour the forecast for our journey across France and beyond was horrendous, and the long range forecast suggested nothing short of an "ark" would be a suitable means of transport - but it never happened! - as each day brought more bad news, we enjoyed near perfect biking temperatures, dry roads and clear skies - ok, not wall to wall sunshine, but as I said "could have been better, but could have been a damn sight worse"

Ok that's enough about the weather.  Having got south of Bordeaux we struck southeastwards until the snow capped Pyrenees rose up before us, I don't know what it is about seeing mountains like that, it sends a little jolt of adrenalin through your veins, perhaps in anticipation of roads to come?  Stopping briefly for lunch in Lourdes, we started to ride the Pyrenees proper as we climbed the "Col de Tourmalet" (ok, ok, it rained, but it always does) before sweeping through the Bielsa tunnel and into Spain.  The next 4 days saw us take a leisurely tour of the Spanish Pyrenees, you just forget how quiet the roads are there, and its not until you come up behind a vehicle, that you realise this is the first you have seen for the last hour.   Needless to say the Pyrenees offer some really lovely sweeping roads to ride, one of my favourites been between Sort and Seu D'Urgell - however, if you are going that way, take great care between Vielha and Sort just after Port de la Bonaigua as they are building a new road and the road can best be described as "temporary".

It was whilst in Spain that I came across a new biking pastime. Each evening after dinner, and surrounded by empty wine bottles and half drunk pints of beer, a group of bikers would be seen huddled together furiously manipulating some object in their hands, could it be a Rubic cube? (they are making a come back), or maybe a "Game Boy" ? - No, it was a "Garmin party", as they were just programming their sat navs for the next day!  The amazing thing was that although they had all downloaded the same routes I was using, every Zumo took a different way - however we knew that Mikes was wrong, as Libya was defiantly not a waypoint. One interesting feature about sat navs, is their ability to get you lost - on the plus side many people said they would never have found some very scenic back roads/goat tracks had they not had them.

The tour continued through Andorra, and leaving the Pyrenees behind, we spent the night at the beautiful walled city of Carcassonne.   A further days ride across the Midi-Pyrenees took us to the Auvergne region where we joined up with the people on the Cantal Mountain tour, who had just arrived.

As usual, we enjoyed our several days here - the area offers such diverse range of scenery and roads - why is it that the French can lay such lovely tarmac compared to our crappy tar and chipping's?  Had a great day out at Millau Bridge and up the Tarn Gorges unfortunately spoilt slightly by Tony (who comes on practically every tour) taking on a herd of cows - needless to say the cows won, and Tony had a minor off.  I,am pleased to say the bike was only slightly damaged, but Tony broke his leg. Now at home, Tony is cheerful and on the mend, although out for this year - hence the recent single room vacancies. As expected everyone was very sympathetic and he received, cow key rings, cow postcards and was told generally to moo...ve along......

A couple of years since we last went to the West Coast of Scotland, and during our first day up the Ayrshire coast on our W.Scotland and Skye Tour, we were treated to some beautiful views of Ailsa Craig, Arran and the Mull of Kintyre before crossing the Firth of Clyde and into Argyll.
After that, being Scotland, the weather was mixed, but as usual the scenery was tremendous and never ceases to impress.  If you are going that way, allow extra time on the A830 from Fort William to Mallaig as they are spending some serious money on a new road and its all stop and go.
A ride through the "Great Glen" brought us back to the Trossachs, before getting our passports stamped and returning through the Scottish Borders to our final nights stop in the Lake District.  Lovely scenery, nice roads, good food and hotels and a great bunch of people, what more could you want?

By now, most of you will have received our latest news bulletin regarding having to have a hi-vis vest whilst abroad - if not, this is what I sent

Many of you may have read in the motorcycle press that a new law came into effect on 1st July 2008 in France and Spain regarding the carrying of a warning triangle and hi-vis vest for use in the case of breakdown.

Although I believe this as been the rule for cars and lorries for some time; the new law makes a point of saying all vehicles, which obviously includes motorcycles.

Having spent a great deal of time trying to get clarification on this law, I finally got to speak to a representative of the French Embassy, who confirmed that the law did include motorcycles.  When pressed regarding how one finds room to carry a warning triangle, I was told that obviously motorcycles were not expected to carry a triangle but a hi-vis vest was advisable!

Although I can not confirm that the police will apply the same common sense approach, it makes sense to carry at least ;a hi-vis vest in the event of a breakdown, especially on motorways.

previous.......
Last week saw our traditional visit to the NW200, due to the clash with the BMF show, I have considered dropping this from the calendar , but if anything the demand to attend the races and see this scenic part of the world increases.  Since we first started going , the amount of people attending the event seems to have increased dramatically and many people are preferring it to the TT, being less hassle.

To be honest we have had pretty good weather over the last few years, but this year it excelled itself, with not a drop of rain from leaving to returning home. The Antrim coast was stunning and you would be hard pressed to see Donegal looking much better - anyway, we will be running this tour again next year should you be interested.

previous ......
Nearly a month since I last wrote, during which time we have started the tour season. .   For us, this was a departure from our normal first tour in the Scottish Borders, as we headed for the Dales and Moors of Yorkshire. However, I am pleased to say that all went well and the weather was pretty kind to us.  From the feedback I have received, everybody loved the location of the hotel and I am told the food was great (unfortunately I did not stay, as I live so close).  The weekend having a 60's theme - entertainment was provided by various groups, including "Herman's Hermits".
  Saturday was spent riding the roads of the North York Moors (the beauty and diversity of landscapes of which, I think, surprised quite a few people) and on the Sunday it was into the Yorkshire Dales until approaching rain from the West forced us East to find some dry, "bike friendly" roads.  Although we will be back in the Scottish Borders next year, I think this venue could become a regular for the future. 

One final point - if you have any digital photos from the tour can you pick out the best and send them to me for the picture gallery

previous.............
A big thank you to everyone who came to see us at the Scottish Motorcycle Show - I was amazed at how many people were there, so much so, that we eventually ran out of brochures.

Talking to people at shows, one topic that crops up the most, is people considering touring on the continent for the first time.  If you have not done this before, the thought of riding on the wrong side of the road, strange road signs, a different language and various horror stories you have read about, are going to make you apprehensive - but there really is no need.  Like most things in life its a matter of common sense.

If you have never ridden any further than your local bike meeting place then you need to increase your mileage - we do not ride huge distances, but whatever tour you go on, in order to get anywhere - you are going to do 200 or more miles per day. Finding out that you are in agony after just 50 miles is going to make you miserable and pretty unpopular with your fellow riders who have to keep stopping for you.  Like anything, the more you do, the better you get - so the more miles you do the more the more comfortable you get with your bike and hopefully become a better and safer rider.

If possible do some touring here in the UK - either by yourself or on one of our short break tours - that way you can see  a) if you like touring    b) if you like riding with other people  c) whether your bike is suitable for touring  d) whether your luggage arrangements work  e) you have the right riding gear?

Once you feel ready to try the continent, I suggest you go with a reputable tour company for your first tour - it does not have to be us - every tour company has its own style, ask around and go for the one that suits you. Most tour companies will indicate that a tour is suitable for "first time abroad" riders or similar. The obvious benefits of this are that all the ferry and accommodations arrangements are made for you, allowing you to concentrate on what matters which is enjoying yourself.  You will also be accompanied by a guide who is there to look after things and generally make your holiday go smoothly.
I actually think it is easier riding on the continent, there is usually less traffic, people are much more bike friendly and the roads are superior to ours.  I find riding on the right more natural, my biggest problem is remembering to ride on the left when I get home !

Having done that first tour no doubt you will be a lot more confident - you can then decide to tour on your own, go with a tour company again, or both.  For many, going on organised tours is the best of both worlds as all the mundane arrangements are taken care of, group rates ensure we are able to secure superior accommodation, and much of the guess work has been taken out of the best routes and things to see.  During the day you can ride on your own and yet socialise with like minded people over a beer or two in the evening.  Many of our customers come with us year after year, some several times a year, many of whom have become firm friends

If you want to call us - this time of year, I am usually at my desk from 9am to 9pm (tel 01423 770103) so please give me a ring I am happy to chat and hopefully answer any questions. If the phone is engaged please leave a message - once again providing we can understand your message we will ALWAYS PHONE YOU BACK

all the best
Dave