I am please to say that the race dates for the 2016 NW 200 road races have now been confirmed as the 10th - 14th May. These are the dates we anticipated and so our itinerary stands as published.

The races are just a part of our tour as we also spend time touring the beautiful Antrim coast and Donegal. If you have never toured the Antrim coast you will be suprised by just how beautiful it is, from the coastal roads you get great views of Rathlin Island and on a clear day, the Mull of Kintyre is clearly visible. Also along the coast are several attractions. There is the famous Carrig-a-Rede rope bridge. Erected in 1755 by salmon fisherman to check their nets, it is today more of a tourist attraction for those with a height for heights, as it is some 20 metres long and spans a 30 metre gorge from the cliff to Carrig-a-rede island.

Further along the coast is the World Heritage site of the 'Giant's causeway' consisting of some 40,000 hexagonal basalt columns. This being Ireland, there are many legends which enevitably involve giants (see Wikipedia) but really are the result of volcanic activity millions of years ago. I remember as a child visiting Fingals cave on the west Coast of Scotland where the same unusual rock formation can be seen.

Passing Bushmills distillery (if you can) you come to the coastal towns of Port Rush and Port Stewart. Along with Coleraine these form the triangular route of the NW200 road race circuit used today. Some 9 miles long, along with the IOM TT course is one of the few road racing ciruits left. Racing first started in 1929 and has evolved over the years whilst producing some of the greatest road racers in the world - the best known perhaps being the local Dunlop family.

Alhough we have always enjoyed pretty good weather over the years, there is no doubt that the actual main race day Saturday has not, and so in 2014 the organiser gained permission to change the race day with regard to any poor weather hence the following statement

" In exceptional circumstances the following changes may take place in line with road closing legislation from 2014. The organisers of the NW200 may in these exceptional circumstances, move a practice or race day, either one day forward or one day back, giving 24 hours notice to the Department of Regional Development, (DRD). This gives the organisers of the event, Coleraine & District Motor Club Ltd, flexibility to allow for extreme weather conditions which may affect racing or practice sessions"

Other than the Antrim coast, we will also be touring the beautiful county of Donegal. 'Up here it's different', the saying goes, and it's true. County Donegal is the wild child of Ireland. It's a county of extremes, with a rugged interior of remote mountain passes and windswept moors. A delight to ride through as we make our way to the spectacular Atlantic coastline land with its sandy beaches and rugged cliffs.

Our tour departs from SW Scotland on Tuesday 10th May and returns Monday 16th May -  afull itinerary is available at http://www.motorcycletours.co.uk/tours/current/antrim,-donegal-and-nw200-races.html . If interested, we urge you to take advantage of this year's tour as we do not anticipate running this tour in 2017.