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This site is about adventurous and fun Motorcycle Tours in England, the Isle of Man TT races, France, Spain and Iceland.
On my tours, the sky is always blue, the sun always shines, it never ever rains and there is fine Ale to be had every evening. And we never tell fibs.
These are mainly exciting road trips, but several off-road or trail tours options are also offered. Most biking holidays are escorted, although in some cases I can offer self-guided or "DIY" versions if you prefer. All bike trips tend to have an element of "adventure" and unpredictability. I'm not jumping on the current popular adventure bandwagon here; the Bike Tours UK motorcycle experience has always been like that, way before TLWR came along :) All my tours are also designed to as affordable as possible; a limited budget shouild never prevent you from enjoying one of my biking trips. The focus is always on the quality of riding, the interesting, not-so-obvious routes we use and the great camaraderie normally found amongst like-minded riders.
NEWS - I've now drawn up my tour programme for the 2013 biking season. See 2013 Tours at the top off the right hand margin. Click here
SEE SIX GOOD REASONS TO VISIT ICELAND in the right hand margin.
I am in Morocco until 29th April - I'll be free to discuss all tours from then. Text me if urgent 07973 429631
URGENT - just ONE chalet remains free on my classic High Alps Tour - so there's room for 2 or 3 more riders, then it's full.
TT Races - I have 4 spaces left - so almost full. Any surplus tickets to my requirements will eventually be cancelled, so if you want to come along, please get in touch ASAP.
Iceland - the JULY trip is starting to book up first this year, the flights are booked, so once again, get in touch to grab your place. This is probably the best adventure you can have in within Europe, and I recommend you visit soon as it's just on the cusp of becoming a mainstream tourist destination. At present it's great value (cheaper than France), but as a result of increasing numbers of visitors, they've decided to treble the VAT on tourism from this year. What? Yes - really. However the way I run my tours there, this will have only a limited effect on us.
Are websites outdated now? Certainly this one's got a bit messy and long in the tooth, so for a fresher approach, if you use Facebook, there are lots of trip photos, tips to be had, and copious good natured banter here There are plenty of recent touring photographs from all the bike tours, and a wide range of chat & feedback from the great people who've been on them. What more could you want in the way of genuine feedback? Just ask questions & get involved.
Don't forget, The Alps offer some of the best riding in the whole world. A recent issue of Ride Magazine has just been raving about some of the high passes we ride; the Col de I'Iseran, the Madelaine, and Grand St Bernard and the Petit St Bernard, the Cormet de Roselyn, but of course they don't even know about the hidden gems like the Colle San Carlo! Have a look at one of them here, a guy just filmed it on this year's tour; see this You can be there next July with us. Dates for 2013 are 28th June to 7th July. See more info here
I can customise many of these tours to suit your small group, if you have 6 people or more, and can sometimes change the dates a little to suit you.
For Iceland, in my opinion, the existing 6 day camping adventure, with 4 days gravel road riding, to the exciting inland sites of Hveravellir and Landmannalaugar is about the best thing you can do, given the time frame and moderate cost. But, if you have a small ready-made group, I can adjust the duration, route and accommodation to suit your preferences.
For my 2013 season, as expected, it's more or less the same thing. Same destinations, similar dates & continued competitive prices. We ride to the Yorkshire Dales, the Lake District and Wales, plus the Isle of Man TT Races, the French Alps and of course the splendid new big adventure that is ICELAND. (the place, not the shop.... although Mums are most welcome)
I occasionally throw in some surprises and variations to keep my regular Bike Tours guests on their toes.
For 2013 I'm re-introducing the Picos tour to Northern Spain.
Motorcycle Tour Dates for 2013
See list to the top right hand side of this home page. Within this website you will find;
1. A wide range of Motorcycle Tours, both UK. European & Worldwide. Click Tours
2. Help in organising your own bike tour if you prefer this option. DIY France
3. General information related to Motorcycle Touring in the UK and elsewhere. UK info
4. Lots of tips to help smooth the way if it's your first visit to the UK
5. I no longer providemotorcycle rental directly- but go to http://superbikerental.co.uk instead.
6. Advice on trail biking and UK based trail days & weekends
7. A vast of range of light-hearted chat, gossip, advice, and links, loosely connected with the world of motorcycling or just the great outdoors. Just browse around! This is more of a Club than a commerical enterprise - and better for it In My Humble Opinion.
Bike Tours UK Ethos
I've come to regard my motorcycle trips as Adventure Motorcycle Holidays, at the slightly livelier end of the biking spectrum. These are sometimes full-on, active tours, with scarcely a moment to catch your breath. The emphasis is firmly on the quality of the riding, and top destinations, not necessarily high on creature comforts & the poshest hotels. We sometimes use up-market hotels with swimming pools, but this is not usually my main priority. If it's clean and comfortable, and in a great location, that will do for me. And if it saves you a few quid as well, then that's an extra bonus.
Bike Tours UK is small business, running a just small number of tours per year normally - as much for my own pleasure as yours. I only go to places that I know well, and areas I enjoy riding in myself. I don't do boring, flat, straight-road tours. I try to offer very good value, and retain the feeling of, "the good old days" of pure biking fun. Like it was when you were still a teenager, and went out riding with your mates dressed in jeans & trainers, perhaps a few years ago now. Personally, I love camping trips, and if I won the Euro-Millions* , you'd still find me shacked up in a tent. However, I offer hotel & self-catering options as well. Read the website fully. You should be able to work out if you're a Bike Tours UK sort of person or not.
*Lottery win? It ain't gonna happen; I haven't bought a ticket for 8 years. My wife says, "it's a Tax on the Stupid".
Let me quote something to you. While in The Alps a couple of years ago, we met another British motorbike guy on our campsite. He'd booked his own solo Alpine motorcycle tour, purely on information gleaned from this website. He thanked me for the info, of course. He said he had considered booking a place on my Alps Tour, but he thought this "might be too formal and organised". My group of clients fell about laughing :) How rude!
Bike Tours UK is more like a club. Yes, I organise it all, set up the trip, make it all work, and I'm around to help resolve any problems should they occur. But, the trips are in no way sterile and prescriptive. Plans are all very loose and there's plenty of space for people to do their own thing. There's no tight formal itinerary and we enjoy many spontaneous activities "on the hoof".
If you're the type of person who likes to rise at the crack of dawn, and have every minute of the day pre-planned for you, with pre-set times, tight itineraries and pre=ordained places for coffee and lunch, then these tours are possibly not for you. You could be twitching with frustration within a couple of days. Some might say "chaotic", but I'd say it's like being out riding with a group of friends rather than a fully-regimented Motorcycle Package Tour. I don't care much for "package tours" myself, although we sometimes use them for long-haul family holidays when the price works out cheaper than a flight only!
I like to thinjk there's still room for you to be a "free spirit" on my tours.
Bike Tours on Facebook
Look up Bike Tours UK on Facebook - I have a group page on there. It's a good place to display tour photos, and read comments from peopel who have been on each tour. A picture tells a thousand words - which is also what a phonecall gives you! Study the tour photos and I think you'll get an idea of what these motorcycle tours are all about.
Ferry Ticket Booking feature You can book your own cross channel, or other European ferries directly through this website. The prices you can find here are very competitive indeed. Try out the system, for a no obligation quotation.
I've placed this "DIY" touring information in this new section here | 
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