2009 Tour Dates

This a short summary of dates.  Full details, photos and prices can be found in articles to left hand side, example here 

January 12^th to 22nd  2009 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 24^th, 25^th & 26^th  2009 – “Best of Three”    Based in Dent.

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 BBC TV series, “Mountain”. 

Click here for full details and photos

May 8^th, 9^th & 10^th – 2009 Another “Best of Three”   Based in Ravenglass, The Lake District.

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.  Many regular guys & girls 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 16^th & 17^th 2009 – 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.  Mark Halliday & Quentin have their Off Road Tours stand next to me as well.

June 5^th  to 13th 2009 The Isle of Man TT Races

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 30 places on this trip.  Most people join our camping group, the gueshouse accommodation in Douglas is now full.  The dates above are the sailing dates to the Isle of Man.  If coming from overseas, you’ll have to allow an extra day or two at the start and end of you trip – to pick up and return rental bikes.

See here for full details.   

June 18^th to 22nd – 2009 Iceland again.  

Long weekend adventure to the interior of Iceland, on th elongest day of the year - to experience 24 hour daylight (maybe 24 hour sunshine, maybe).

Geysers, glaciers, ice-caps, boiling mud, river crossings, active volcanoes, 24 hour sunlight.  Ask me about it.  It's a tough one, using dirt bikes & quads, with large sectiosn in off-road wilderness.  Camping & huts, of course.  There are no hotels in the interior of Iceland.  Thi stour is already full, bu tI can organise a second event according to demand, or send individuals out there, care of my trusted colleague Haddi.  I'm slowly building an Icelandic section here

 

June 27^th to July 7th 2009*

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.

*The first group of people (already booked) intend to return by 5th June, so there is th eoption this year of a shorter or longer trip.

I can also set up this Alps Tour 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. 

As usual, family commitments, a tour of Sri Lanka & kids off school.

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 around Derbyshire have been popular in the past, and these can still be provided, by prior arrangement.

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

A word of caution 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 incidents where there's been a loss of bike control due to inexperience on the part of the rider. No-one got hurt, but enough damage was done to my bikes to prevent me offerign Motorcycle Hire ever again.