Contact Tom or Susan anytime Monday to Sunday 01257 410686 [email protected]
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All the best to everyone.
ps. I think my Facebook account has been hacked again so any friends requests are not from me.
Since my test ride I have watched a few videos on Youtube which are saying that the new 1300 is absolutely brilliant and how everyone should have one. It makes you question your own assessment but as it was a first impression and how I honestly felt I am sticking with it. There is one video however that I feel was the most honest and agrees pretty much with what I felt which is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZKP-7gMdsA.
I suppose it was not the best day to be out on a bike but when you get an option to test the new 1300GS I suppose you just have to take it. The word I would use for the bike is refined, probably too refined to be honest and dare I say perhaps lacking a bit of soul. I know I only had a couple of hours and the weather wasn’t the best but somehow I was glad to get back on the old gnarly 1200. I may be looking to upgrade to a 1250 so any advice or opinions would be welcome.
We are currently in Santiago de Compostela enjoying a day off the bike along with a few hundred weary pilgrims. We have definitely found some interesting places and new routes on our travel so maybe we will put something together once we return home.
If Carlsberg did ride-outs then today would definitely be one of them. Honestly if we had roads like this in the UK I would hardly ever be home. In the last couple of weeks we have ridden down the length of France and onward to the Spanish coast. Rode across the Pyrenees Mountains and are currently in one of our favourite hotels in the Picos de Europa national park. For most people who have toured with us it should not be a mystery to which hotel we are staying in. Tomorrow we head further west toward Santiago de Compostela before turning south for Portugal so we still have a few miles ahead of us. We are certainly not rushing back to the UK as I am reliably informed that it is peeing down as usual in Chorley.
Here are a few photos from our latest holiday/recci trip to France and Spain. If everything works out then maybe we will have a couple of new tours for next year.
They all said the weather is not good and it’s definitely going to rain. Susan said “I’m staying at the hotel in a nice warm room” I said “Bollocks to that I’m here so I’m going for a ride”. There were right, it rained and even though I didn’t hear any singing it was ‘Three Degrees’ at the top of the pass.
You have probably noticed we have not posted for some time but this is because after being hacked twice and Facebook sending out some very dubious messages I have been considering just deleting our account. As you can see I haven’t so I thought I would post a quick catch-up to let you know how things are. Most of you know we retired the guided side of the business at the end of last year but continued with the self guided tours which are doing very well. Do we miss seeing everyone? Well the answer would definitely be yes. We will be tempted to start again next year? Well that has got to be probably not. We have already been to Spain for a couple of weeks in February and recently returned from a driving holiday around the Greek islands. We are currently on our first biking trip of the year and are staying in one of our favourite hotels in Austria which is very excellent unlike the wet weather that has followed us all the way from Chorley. All the best to everyone I hope you are having a great year.
I am not sure if our Facebook account has been hacked so if you receive any messages from us on the platform it is not us. We never use messenger to communicate only email or phone so ignore everything else.
Well here is a post that is tinged with more than a little sadness as Susan and I officially announce the retirement of the guided tours side of our business. We will still be offering our self-guided tours but after 15 years and hundreds of thousands of miles we feel it is now time to move on. It has been an unbelievable adventure and we will always carry the memories of the places we have visited and the people we have met along the way. We would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who has supported and travelled with us over the years but will add an extra special thank you to those who have been with us for almost the whole journey.
We are immensely proud of the community that has grown around our tours and the friendships that have been made, some of which we know will continue forever.
Susan and I are not retiring from the world so no pipe and slippers but just feel it is time to take a different path and make some new adventures of our own.
All the best to everyone and again thank you.
Tom & Susan
The tour has finally arrived at the last hotel in the Picos de Europa national park and tomorrow we head for Santander and board the ferry back to the UK. Although today is an official rest day it has been anything but for most of the group as they have taken the opportunity to ride around the park or visit the nearby cable car. I on the other hand I set off on a route that I only planned this morning and have to say that I had an absolutely awesome day. Honestly I can’t believe that it has taken me so long to find this route and I can say without doubt that it will be part of any future Northern Spain tour. Although I have attached some pictures they really don’t do not do justice to what was some of the most stunning scenery I have seen for some time. If anyone thinks that after all the miles I have lost my passion for motorcycling then think again!
We are now in Guadalupe which is the most southerly point of our Mountains of Spain tour. Unfortunately the weather has definitely taken a turn for the worst but today has been much better than forecast so fingers crossed for tomorrow.
Well thats our little break over. We are off to Santander today to meet the Mountains of Spain group.
Although our few days away was not supposed to be a recci trip it is somehow working out as one as we have found new interesting roads and some great hotels. Our first night in Macon was nothing to write home about but our second in Avignon was really good. The old medieval walled city has everything going for it and the Gay Pride event which was taking place when we visited only added to the experience. We then moved to a small harbour village on the Spanish coast which will definitely be part of some tour in the future. We are currently in Ainsa which is just below the Pyrenees and although we have been through here many time in the past this is the first time we have stayed here. Tomorrow is a trip down memory lane as we are staying in the Parador Santo Domingo de la Calzada which is one of the hotels we used when we first started the business but have not revisited for some time.
Brace yourself Mountains of Spain Tour. I have found mi self a new look!!
Yesterday and just over an hour after leaving a nice and sunny hotel we were donning waterproofs and making our way through a biblical thunderstorm. Later in the day everything cleared and we stopped at the medieval town of Cluny and visited the hotel we use for our Burgundy self guided tour. Details obviously available on the web site.
Today was very different as we entered the Vecors National Park and rode the famous Combe de Laval balcony road. Although the views are fantastic you don’t get much time to look at them as there is just a small wall between you and a thousand foot drop off the side.
The wasp sting tally is now up to eight as today one of the little gits went up my sleeve again and stung me three times before I could get the bleedin thing out. Excellent!
Sad day today as the group leave the last hotel and head back to the UK. I have to say that this tour has been very enjoyable with a great group of people and excellent riding. We have had a few little issues along the way but this is all part of touring. Susan and I have now got six nights in between tours so we are heading south today to have a few days R&R before meeting the next group at the Santander ferry port.
I think it would be fair to say that over the years I have had some fun at the expense of BMW riders, especially the ones on the GS. I have even suggested that the best after market accessory would be a sidecar full of spares and for the ultimate experience you could have a BMW mechanic in there as well. The thing is I now have a BMW GS and to be honest I think it is quite excellent. There! I’ve said it. You can’t get away from the fact that it sounds like a Massey Ferguson tractor but it pulls like a train and goes around corners like one as well. This bike is so easy to ride that I would say it makes you look a better rider than you actually are. Just to be clear though the above is not an apology in any way because I have enjoyed the banter over the years but from now on I may just take a back seat on the matter.
Today we had a very enjoyable ride-out through the Tuscan countryside which culminated in a wasp finding its way through my visor and stinging me on the face. Little bastard, I hate them even more now!!!
We are now on day 8 of our Dolomites – Slovenia – Tuscany tour and enjoying a day off the bikes. Most of the group have headed for Venice today with just a few, including me and Susan opting to just sit back and relax. Tomorrow we head for Tuscany and the town of Siena.
For anyone looking for a tyre recommendation then you could try the Michelin Road 6s. I have had to change the tyres on the GS because they will not last for two more tours back to back. Shame really as there is still quite a bit of life left in them. The picture shows the old tyres which have done over 6500 miles with pillion and luggage so not bad I think. They also feel very stable and reliable when riding.
On other matters it is now cloudy, windy and raining in Chorley so normal service has been resumed. Summer comes and goes very quickly in these parts.
We arrived back in Plymouth yesterday and following an overnight stay near Bristol we made our way up the M5 and M6 back to ‘SUNNY’ Chorley. All along the motorways there were overhead signs saying ‘Heat Wave Alert – Plan Ahead. So I did. I have been out and got a load of beer, checked the barbeque gas, put up mi parasol and bought some sun cream. Well done Highways Agency, thanks to you I am now well and truly sorted.
We have finally arrived at our last hotel of the tour and tomorrow we head for the ferry back to the UK and despite a few traumas this tour has been a very enjoyable experience. We have had some seriously warm days with temperatures almost hitting 40 degrees but everyone has coped brilliantly. I would put Spain and Portugal as probably the best place in Europe for riding a motorcycle and I am looking forward to being back here in a few weeks time.
So apart from a petrol leak and a flat battery Friday passed without any major dramas so normal service was resumed. Yesterday was absolutely brilliant as a group of us rode around the Serra de Estrela national park. The hundred mile circuit around the park just has to be one of the best ride-outs of the year and I love it.
So day two and the thing we never want to happen, happened, an accident. Fortunately accidents do not happen a lot but they can and do and it is something you have to deal with. Fortunately the rider was not seriously injured but did need hospital treatment and will be flying home in the next couple of days. Yesterday however was going swimmingly until the usual lunch stop café was closed and it was at least 45 minutes later before we found somewhere else to eat. Now that is a crisis!
Well yesterday was quite a day to forget so a quick summery. The ferry was almost 2 hours late and it took about the same time to get the bikes unloaded. So me and Susan had been waiting at the meeting point for what seemed like days. Finally the bikes arrived and two of them collided in the garage resulting in both riders and pillions on the floor. Next we get a phone call from one of the bikes that has broken down inside the port. Finally we get under way and due to some very careless marking we lost a couple of bikes plus the back marker on the very first junction. So this morning it was time for a reset and everything was going well until? Details to follow.
After another days filtering we finally arrived at the town of Bayonne and instead of having a quiet relaxing meal in our favourite Italian restaurant we were faced with a full on festival. Trying to get through the crowd was almost impossible as it would appear that every single person was very pi**ed. Look at the pictures and you will see that even the tree was blathered. The whole place smelt like a toilet with people just using any doorway our wall to relieve themselves. It goes without saying this was not our kind of place so with the hotel restaurant closed and bar closing we ordered a take-away pizza and went to bed. In summary not our best night.
We had quite a grueller yesterday as the French motorway system almost ground to a halt. We must have done about seventy miles of filtering which although at a resonable speed is still bloomin hard work. We were compensated though by a very nice evening in La Rochelle.
Last night we had a very pleasant evening in the town of Blois on the Loire River and for a change had a very acceptable Indian meal. The town has plenty going on and could possibly be included in a future self-guided tour. Today we head for the coast and the harbour town of La Rochelle.
| Monday | 09:00 - 18:00 |
| Tuesday | 09:00 - 18:00 |
| Wednesday | 09:00 - 18:00 |
| Thursday | 09:00 - 18:00 |
| Friday | 09:00 - 18:00 |
| Saturday | 09:00 - 17:00 |
| Sunday | 09:00 - 16:00 |
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Over the years we have had lots of things block our path but today was a first.
With this totally unexpected weather the bike just had to come out for the first proper ride-out of the year. I ended up riding through the Trough of Bowland which as you can see from the drone video was absolutely beautiful. The only downside was that the farmers are busy muck-spreading time at the moment so it was a pretty smelly affair. You may notice that the FJR is still going strong and with the way it’s running at the moment there is every chance it will be the bike of choice again for this years tours. Speaking of which there are only 10 weeks to go before we start the season with our tour to Morocco which I am sure is going to be a real adventure.
Watch extracts from our Italy & Slovenia tour video.
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