2008 Tour Dates

January 5^th to 15^th 2007 Northern Thailand. 

Half on road, half off-road on the jungle trails and mountain roads of the Mae Hong Son province.  Approx 1100 kilometres, riding up to 2200 metres above sea level to the summit Doi Inthanon – Thailand’s highest mountain.  Wonderful riding and a true exotic adventure; riding enduro bikes through the Burmese border regions to make a circular tour.  Visit remoteThai hill tribe villages, stay in local style lodges, and ride miles and miles of single track dirt trails.  5 star riding adventure.  1 star comfort!

Click here for full information.

April 18^th, 19^th & 20^th – “Best of Three”  FULL

550 mile long weekend trip.  3 days 3 nights, 3 National Parks.  I lead you through a labyrinth of twisty back roads to the hidden places and knarly technical passes that make up the best of British biking.  We stay in traditional country Inns offering good food & Real ale!  As Scotty says, “Bill’s tours have a certain farmyard factor”.     The Derbyshire Peak District, The Yorkshire Dales and the English Lake District.  As featured in the TV series, “Mountain”.  Of course.

(a standby date for an extra tour is 25-27 May)

Click here for full details and photos

May 9^th, 10^th & 11^th – another “Best of Three” FULL

I often run the same trip twice – exactly the same.  Sometimes with a slower or more novice group on one tour, and my regular die-hards on the other.  The “Best of Three” has become a bit of an institution.  My regular guys come back year after year and treat it as an annual reunion at the start of the biking season.  It’s always a bit of a party!   If the tour is made up mainly of regulars, we sometimes do a variation on the ”Best of Three” route using a base in the Lake District, rather than the Yorkshire Dales.   We may choose to tour the Northern Lakes, Scottish borders, Cheviots or North York Moors – just to add a bit of variety for the repeat guests.

Again see this section, click here for fuller details.

May 17^th & 18^th – The BMF show. 

Not a tour as such.  Just the biggest open air motorcycle show in Europe I believe.  I have a stand there, and Bike Tours UK guests tend to come along and chat about past trips, as well as plan for future ones.

May 30^th to June 7^th  The Isle of Man TT Races (Full)

Race week spent at the greatest road racing event in the entire world.  A “big” trip in comparision to my normal escorted tours.  I have 40 places on this trip.  Most people join our camping group, but I have accommodation for the first 10 applicants in Douglas.  The dates above are the sailing dates to the Isle of Man.  If coming from overseas, you’ll have to allow and extra day or two at the start and end of you trip – to pick up and return rental bikes.

See here for full details.  Maybe 2007 dates are still there - don't worry, 2008 trip is just the same, just slightly different dates.

June 19^th to 23^rd – Iceland  (Full)

Long weekend adventure to the interior of Iceland.

To be confirmed.  Geysers, glaciers, ice-caps, boiling mud, river crossings, active volcanoes, 24 hour sunlight.  Ask me.  It might be a tough one.

 

July 12^th to 22^nd  (almost full)

The tied &  tested, and now famous French Alps tour.  2 days ride to get there, 2 days ride to get back and clear week in the middle based in Bourg St Maurice.  We ride the serpentine mountain roads and high passes of France, Switzerland and Italy.  Highlights include; riding the Col de L’Iseran at 2770m above sea level; riding a circular route around Mont Blanc, pulling in 10 mountain passes and 3 countries in one 200-mile ride; or a day’s skiing or snow boarding on the glacier above Tignes / Val D’Isere.  There’s time to both ride AND relax in our week in the Alps.   Hotel accommodation, self-catering chalets, or camping options available.

I can also set this up as a “DIY” tour for you at any time of year.  Instead of following me there, I pre-book all your accommodation and ferry tickets for you, supply a set of route notes and tour ideas, as well as marked up road maps – and off you go!    Photos, videos, film on DVD on request.

Click here for full details, photos and lots more information.  Read all sections to left and right of main text.

Late July / August – not much. 

Family commitments & kids off school.

September 2nd  to 12th (depending on boat schedules) – Dordogne, Pyrennes & Picos.  Places left

Preferred dates for Picos Tour seem to be 2nd to 12th September now.  About to be confirmed, in consulatation with tour members.

A ferry crossing from Portsmouth takes us to Caen, Le Havre or Cherbourg, and we cruise down through Western France to the Dordogne region.  We have 3 nights on the banks of the famous river, with time to visit the ancient castles and also do a descent by open Canadian canoe if this takes your fancy.  We cross the Pyrenees nountains, and enjoy a one night stay on the French / Spanish border.  We then ride through th eRioja region to our base in the Picos de Europe.  Again, a 3-night stay in this stunnuing region, including a circular tour pulling in all the best bits, including the Cares Gorge.

We return to the UK via a “mini-cruise” aboard a long distance ferry which brings us all the way back from Spain to England.

Guid eprice of £800 dependign on room level and cabin share arrangements.

Click here for fuller details.

Late September / early Oct

I sometimes run a third “Best of Three” tour, depending upon weather & demand.  If people email me, and want to do one, then it happens.

Mid-late November into December

Thailand Enduro tour again.  Preferred date actually January 2009 now.

See full Thai section  by clicking here 

Prices for 2008 should remain in line with 2006 & 2007 rates.

These are tried and tested tours around areas which are particularly suited to motorcycling. They all have a high level of appeal FROM A RIDER'S POINT OF VIEW.

Day trips have been popular, and these can still be done, by prior arrangement.

These take place around Derbyshire, and have been popular amongst visiting businesmen from overseas, but also as gifts for husbands, brothers, fathers or sons.

A word of warning though.  I don't want to sound too negative here, BUT, please, if buying a tour or a period of motorcycle hire as a gift for someone else, please please please make sure they've had some recent riding experience. 

I've had a couple of bikes thrown down the road by people unaccustomed to riding a modern motorcycle.  No-one got hurt, but some seriously trashed machinery resulted, which was costly and very time consuming to get repaired.