Bill
Thanks for the DVDs - it only seems like yesterday.
I realise we were lax and never kept our promise to give you some feedback. It was helpful in deciding whether to book with you. So use as much or as little of this as you want to. We're also happy to talk to prospective customers if they want to.
We chose to go with Bill rather than the other tours for the main reason that it was based in one place.
We did a farmhouse B&B on Romney Marsh to start so we were fresh for the 200 mile first day. Day 2 started with waiting for everyone to cart luggage down the stairs, tie it on wait for the late ones to check,recheck etc and made us realise we'd have got cross if every day started like this. The run down to Bourg was uneventful, and a few bonds were formed with a few gents making sure the ladies got to use a proper loo rather than the filling station hedge! Trying to keep around 85mph to stop Val being blown off the back of the Thundercat meant we were mostly at the back with Roger the "Scooterboy". Bill always said he'd wait if we had to turn off, and he did. His father-in-law was also around and would often slow down for the 2 or 3 of us to catch up. This was actually better than a 65mph congo we heard other groups do.
We opted for the hotel as we went with a friend and his partner who didn't want to rough it in the cabins. The hotel was good, but after seeeing the cabin that "George & Mildred" had, that was equally as nice, and handy for the supermarket to get the beers in! The first day started off with heavy rain, but after lunch Bill took us up a local hill where we had a photo opportunity for the wives/partners to take photos of us practicing a hairpin bend against a scenic background. This was excellent practice where you learned the bike wasn't going to fall over at 10mph. It was also good to practice without a pillion. The next week was a mixture of organised rides and some DIY trips. You soon learned that some people like to race as quickly as they can, while others are happy to lift their eyes to the view. What you mustn't do is to let yourself be forced into a pace your not comfortable with. We took Bill up on his option of a "shortcut over a mountain on one trip. 3 miles of gravel with hairpins...umm not sure the 'Cat was the best bike. I soon donated Val to Bill as hill starts on boulders with pillion is not the place to have your first off road experience! After that my confidence was boosted and I even started thinking about what Thailand was like! It was really good being able to decide what you wanted to do. We went out one day with Robin, from the hotel, as he managed to get permission for a few hours off. We had hoped to get the cable car up through the glacier to the Grande Motte at Tignes but it was closed for servicing as the main season didn't start until 1 July. Val soon learned to take photos on the move, as you simply cannot stop every time.
For the 2007 trip Bill had organised a trip up the Aravis and through the Glieres, where the French resistance hid out during the War. The hotel we stopped in was not far away from Annecy, but by the time we got there we didn't feel like going out again.If we were doing this again I'd suggest getting a hotel 100 miles nearer England as we seemed to be hanging around on the Aravis so we didn't arrive too early.
We really enjoyed the banter and camaraderie. Sharing the views and experiences adds to the enjoyment and Bill's knowledge of the area meant that we weren't constantly navigating.This made the trip of a lifetime worth every penny.
After leaving the main group (after the official tour), we made our way over the Jura mountains, into Alsace & the Vosges staying at some lovely Logis de France hotels, doing around 150 - 200 miles a day. This was an excellent few days, the highlights being the Grottes de Tresor, Colmar, Balon d'Alsace and the trenches museum at Le Linge. We were glad we did this as it proved that had we been touring for 10 solid days, a significant part of your time is packing, loading, unloading unpacking and you also spend half your time checking to see nothing's come loose. It's also an effort to get your leg over!
We're thinking about the Picos now. I reckon the 'Cat's got another life left!
Love Val n Tel xxxx
PS - we might get a comment from "George & Mildred" soon...
Bill,
I will get Graham to write about our adventures in England and Europe. We loved the experience. Graham still likes to tell about his IOM trip, and we always yap on about the French Alps. It was a number one tour to us. We loved the camping experience, especially being able to sit outside on the veranda at night and sup the local wine and beer.
Regards: Graham & Mary (aka George & Mildred) | 
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