Motorcycle Tours - About Us

The tours are all based on Stuart Jenkinson's over 40 years' experience of motorcycling throughout Europe. This experience now exceed s 700,000 miles on one machine alone, and extends from the North Cape to Crete and from France to Turkey. It includes also Hungary Czechoslovakia and what used to be East Germany. From this broad background destinations and routes are selected which include some of the most exciting riding and most spectacular scenery on the continent, with an absolute minimum of boring riding on the way to them.

All the tours are planned and guided, NOT REGIMENTED, by Stuart himself. Having now shared this experience running organised tours for other enthusiasts for 25 years, and having a return booking rate of over 50% every year, many clients having done 6, 7 and 8 trips with us, often two in a year, we feel that we can justly claim to be No.1 in the field. We prefer to say that we are NOT in the package holiday market. What WE well are exclusive holidays, to motorcyclists who enjoy touring. We have a tour to suit everyone, from the first-timer abroad to the hardened distance traveller.

One of the most important features of our tours is that although we advertise them as guided tours there is no obligation at all to stay with the guide if you prefer to ride alone. Our very detailed and highly regarded route sheets give you complete freedom to travel at your own pace, stopping as and when you wish for coffee, meals, shopping, sightseeing, photography etc. The daily distances in the tour country itself are such that on the days we move on to a new stop you could usually arrive there by midday, but this is not meant to be the object of the exercise. It is not uncommon for riders to plan short diversions from the recommended route to visit towns for example that we pass by, because our routes deliberately avoid major towns, We take minor roads and pass more through small villages, as far as possible.

It is common for tour members who are new to the continent to travel with the guide for the first day or so while they get used to riding on the right, using foreign filling stations etc. But the strangeness quickly wears off and very soon people are travelling as if they were touring by themselves. The only requirement is that members of the group arrive at the new evening destinations at a reasonable time to take up accommodation that has been reserved. And besides, if we can all eat at about the same time and place it is an occasion to talk about the days travel and pick up details about tomorrow's programme. A good arrival time to aim for would be 6.00 ish for say a 7.30 meal. But you should note that it has been known for last meal orders to be 9.0 ish. (if in doubt refer to your guide).

All prospective clients are invited to a Presentation Meeting early in 2008. There will be two of these meetings to choose from and it is considered ESSENTIAL for drivers, and desirable for passengers, to attend one. Much detailed information about individual tours and touring in general will be available at these meetings, eg. about the weather to be expected, the nature of the roads and the accommodation to be used, the daily distances, what to take in the way of clothes, equipment etc, and on how to carry it. Videos and exhibitions of photographs will be presented. You will be able to chat with your guide, and often with members of previous tours. Examples of previous route sheets can be seen and those with no experience of foreign touring will be given all the help and advice they may need.