Travel Features

GUIDE TO THE WORLD- By Alastair McFarlane of MCi Tours

UK
Let's face it, if you don’t like it or it rains you can always go home.
Trouble is it does rain a lot in Blighty so maybe that’s a good enough reason to venture further afield…

ISLE OF MAN
Great if you like camping and lousy if you get foul weather. The tug boats that take you there are an overpriced joke and the price of mediocre accommodation in TT week is extortionate. But there is nothing quite like the atmosphere in Douglas viewed through the bottom of a pint of Bushy’s Piston Brew. Go stay with Rosie at the Sulby Glen Pub on the Sulby straight and tell her that Alastair from Back Street Heroes sent you. The breakfast is enormous!

Got a fast bike? As yet there are still sections of the TT circuit that are not subject to speed limits but the course is demanding. Definitely something you should do at least once in your life and it is a strangely addictive place…

MCi TOURS
This year our Tour Brochure includes a range of properties owned by UK motorcyclists who have moved abroad. It's a great way to discover new places (with a few friends?) and the owners are usually prepared to go out with you. Check out our Small & Rider Friendly packages www.mcitours.co.uk for further details.

If you prefer to be part of a group then our escorted tours www.mcitours.com (all led by Alastair on his bike) are a good way to experience these fascinating destinations in the company of like-minded individuals.

On all of our Self-Guided and Escorted Tours we make sure that your Tour Pack includes all relevant information. All you need to do is turn up at the ferry port knowing that everything has been organised for you in advance!

EUROPE IN A NUTSHELL...

IRELAND
Cheap fuel and a national economy fuelled by alcohol. The Irish drink. A lot. Which is perhaps why the insurance premiums are so high and the accident rate disproportionate. Roads have improved immensely in recent times thanks to massive EU grants.
The ferry access from Holyhead takes less than an hour on the new generation High Speed Ships. After arriving at Dublin you can cover a lot of Southern Ireland in a long weekend. Head for Galway (famous for music, drink and the craic) and some spectacular scenery on the West Coast. The Cliffs of Moher and the lunar landscape of the Burren are not to be missed. Head further south to Killarney and ride the Ring of Kerry for the experience of a lifetime.

FRANCE
Our nearest neighbour just over hour and ten minutes on the new SeaFrance "Rodin" and "Berlioz" fast ferries. Save an extra 10% on webfares by using our discount code MCi 06 valid thru till December 2006 http://www.mcitours.com/Pages/ferry.html. By our standards France is hugely underpopulated and there are some amazing roads in the Pyrenees and the Ardeche. Be careful of three figure mph speeds, there has been quite a clampdown during 2005/2006 - especially on the autoroute up to Calais... Northern France is a bit flat and featureless unless you want to do the Battlefield tour thing. Vimy and Arras are good starter destinations as is the whole of Normandy www.mcitours.co.uk/Pages/SRF11.html. If you like Chester then Rouen is a great place for a weekend away - lots of half timbered buildings.

Main reasons for going to France are the empty roads, excellent food and wine and genuinely biker friendly population. Cars actually pull over to let you pass and the standard of driving is much higher than at home -¬ they understand lane discipline. But then you can ride a scooter at 14 in France so most people have had a bike at some stage and understand your vulnerability. Everyone with a sports bike buys an aftermarket end can and there are some nice tricked up bikes if you visit the race circuits. You don ’t know what you are missing!

GERMANY
Talk to any squaddie about time spent in Germany and they will all say that they didn’t want to come home. It’s warmer, cleaner and in places stunningly beautiful. Ride the Black Forest, the roads around the Nurburgring, the Mosel Valley or along the Rhine ¬- this really is biking Nirvana. More custom bikes then you get at home and some pretty weird VW trikes in abundance. A lot of weekend warriors who only ride Saturday or Sunday, biking is a pastime rather than transport for most German bikers. It is still one of the few places in Europe where you can ride a Hayabusa flat out on public roads and not go to jail. Having said that when there are speed limits Germans always obey them. Gatsos are becoming increasingly a scourge in urban areas (but they shoot from the front so it's not that much of a problem).

The roads out towards the east tend to be less busy and offer some amazing experiences. Most Germans aged less than forty speak perfect English. Roads are maintained with teutonic efficiency and even in German the road signs and numbers are easy to follow.

Check out our biker friendly accommodation in the Harz http://www.mcitours.co.uk/Pages/SRF6.html

SWITZERLAND
Pretty weird bunch the Swiss. Most of them drive like tw*ts and hate it when you overtake at any speed in excess of the limit. They will not pull over for you and at times their manoevres can be life-threatening (sometimes deliberately). They also charge you a packet to use their roads ¬ you have to buy a road tax sticker at the border and it’s about £18. But then when you get out on to the Swiss passes the views and the roads are sublime.

Base yourself in Interlaken and you can ride seven different Swiss passes if you have a week to spare. But make sure you turn your engine off at traffic lights (yes really) or face a fine and beware of tunnels that have bends, gradients and sometimes turn-offs inside them. The eleven mile long tunnel through the Gotthard pass is best avoided ¬ you will taste the pollution for three days afterwards. Fantastic scenery, beautiful clear blue lakes and rivers but best visited from July onwards ¬ earlier than that and some of the passes may still be blocked by snow.

Note that Switzerland is NOT part of the EU so you need your passport. New regulations mean that your E111 (now EHIC) medical insurance IS NOW VALID ¬although you are still well advised to take out separate medical insurance and pay for it.

BELGIUM
Another strange place. Belgians are completely unpredictable whether playing at home or away. They reverse out from driveways into main carriageways with impunity. Their give way sign is a set of crocodile teeth painted on to the road that you don’t see until too late and to add to the confusion their motorway signs are green and signs on dual carriageways are blue. Just like the Swiss and maybe that says a lot about both nationalities.
Belgian police are unforgiving and like to nick Germans who stray over the border in their Mercs doing more than the enforced 75 mph motorway speed limit. Bike cops have orange helmets and police cars are white with orange stripes. They love mobile GATSOs and are very sneaky about how they use them.

Roads are crap ¬- even the main E40 has pot holes and really bad ponding in bad weather. Trams have priority and wet tram tracks are lethal. The roads around the Spa race circuit are worth the trip but it has rained every time I have been there which dampens things a bit. Bruges is beautiful and Brussels is a dump.

AUSTRIA
Some of the best roads in Europe and some of the worst accidents. Their evening news always has recent video footage of the latest carnage. Maybe that’s why they pride themselves on rigorous enforcement of speed limits and white line infractions. Not so much police as traffic Gestapo. Shame because the roads through the mountains are utterly thrashtastic.

Another place where you have to buy a vignette road sticker (£4) but there are not that many places that sell them. Heavy spot fine if you use the motorways without one. Police wear beige uniforms that make them difficult to spot from a distance. Even more difficult when they hide behind trees to nick you with the latest laser techno-wizardry.

ITALY
Utterly barmy. Leave a gap and a car will fill it. Italian drivers are very macho and hustle and jostle for position irrespective of busy traffic conditions. On mountain roads it is not unusual for cars to come at you on your side of the road ¬- they do like to drive fast. Most traffic police will be more interested in your bike than speeding. Everybody speeds -¬ it’s an inbuilt national characteristic. Can be dangerous and always a bit of a worry. Sadly our Lake Garda tour for 2006 is now full http://www.mcitours.com/Pages/T5.html - so make sure you book early for next year!

On a recent visit to Tuscany we saw more accidents in a week than you would witness in twelve months back home ¬and I mean accidents that had recently happened and all of them pretty serious prangs. Head for the less busy parts or just stay up in the Dolomites,¬ it’s safer. And don’t even think about riding a bike in Rome. (Or Venice for that matter ¬ you will get your feet wet…)

SPAIN
Not at all what you would think. Northern Spain has great roads, a good general standard of driving and usually quite moderate temperatures. The Picos de Europa is like riding through a time warp, its mountainous terrain unchanged in centuries. The scenery is awesome but the roads can be a bit gravely in places. Biggest dangers in the Picos are loose cows and the odd slow moving horse and cart. We are running an escorted Picos and Pyrenees Tour (9-19th September 2006)- check out this link for further details:
http://www.mcitours.com/Pages/T10.html Throughout Spain there are incredible relics from the past. The Roman aqueduct at Segovia dominates the skyline, the Cathedrals at Burgos and Santiago de Compostela are huge and imposing and there are more castles forts and medieval towns than you could even begin to contemplate.

Forget the Costa del Sol, Spain has some lively cities and a tremendous cultural heritage that you can explore and a motorcycle is the perfect transport. Either ride through France to get there or travel Portsmouth/Bilbao or Plymouth/Santander. Neither of the two available ferries are cheap. Petrol is though at¬ approx 65 pence a litre at the moment (April 2006).

HOLLAND
Flat, featureless, straight roads and full of dykes. So why bother? Because the Dutch are cool, know how to party and have very liberal attitudes towards drugs and sex. Just like most bikers that I know… Assen for the GP (June) or World Superbikes (September) should be high up on your list of things that must be done. Groningen and Assen town centres become one huge party for the weekend ¬ a kind of bleached version of the Notting Hill Carnival with similar excesses. The GP in June is known as the Dutch TT and these two events both enjoy massive Brit support.

As it’s flat everywhere, Dutch people ride around a lot on push bikes but¬ beware - accidents with push bikes are automatically your fault. It’s doubly unfair because most Dutch people are permanently pissed or off their heads and ride a push bike to avoid being breathalysed. Well that’s my theory anyway. Want to go to Assen?

The GP is 22-25 June 2006 http://www.mcitours.com/Pages/T11.html and the World Superbike Series is 1-4 September 2006 - check out http://www.mcitours.com/Pages/T12.html. MCi Tours has a limited number of places available based in Groningen from £299 each, ferry ticket, grandstand ticket and three nights B&B in a decent Hotel all included.

EASTERN EUROPE
A lot more people are venturing east to the former Soviet controlled economies of the Eastern bloc. UK Passport holders can secure entry without a visa provided that the passport has six months unexpired to renewal. There are no long queues at border crossings and western visitors are now positively welcomed.

You can have a brilliant cheap holiday in Slovenia, Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic - see Slovenia/Croatia Tour in May 2006 http://www.mcitours.com/Pages/T3.html

The roads are no worse than inner city roads in the UK and there a major projects for infrastructure improvements in all of these countries that are desperate for EU membership. Sure you need to take good care of bike security (just like back home) but you can ride a modern sports bike in all of these countries and you don’t need a traillie to get about. Not unless serious back roads are your thing. The other great myth is the quality and availability of fuel. No problem. The only thing you might struggle with is the use of credit cards -¬ not all garages are geared up for plastic transactions. Fuel in all these countries costs less than 60 pence a litre. Cigarettes are usually less than a pound a packet. And beer is -¬ get this ¬ - less than 50 pence a pint.

DENMARK/NORWAY/SWEDEN
Things are not as expensive as they used to be, but you are not going to get a beer for 35 pence in any of these countries(more likely 6 quid!!) - so why bother? Well the Northern Lights is one good reason and the mighty fjords and stunning scenery in Norway are perhaps another. Then there’s that huge Oresund bridge that links Denmark and Sweden. Better go there then hadn’t you! We are running our third tour to Norway from 3 to 14th August 2006 http://www.mcitours.com/Pages/T8.html. Twelve days including ferry from £899 per person. If booking a package, make sure evening meals are included - eating out can be ridiculously expensive.

USA/SOUTH AFRICA/INDIA
It is not usually possible to take your own bike to explore so it tends to be expensive and a bit of a once-in-a lifetime thing. One strong recommendation is to use a UK operator so that you will have redress in this country if things go wrong. Would you trust a man 6000 miles away with £2/3000 of your hard earned cash? Amazing how many people do and how easy it is for you to be ripped off. Talk through your dreams with David Grist of H-C Travel 01256 770775 and avoid your worst nightmare.

Bear in mind the following: America is very big and a lot of the roads are very straight -¬ not very exciting unless you are working to a sensibly planned itinerary. India’s roads can be very poor, the traffic genocidal, and is an Enfield Bullet really your idea of sensible reliable transport?

(Please stop reading this and take out a subscription to Classic Bike Guide). Finally, yes I would do South Africa but I would be very careful about my choice of operator and would book through David Grist for peace of mind.

NEW ZEALAND
We ran our first escorted tour to New Zealand in 2005 and it was so good we cannot wait to get out there again. We used Honda VFR motorcycles and they were absolutely ideal. You do not need a rocketship or a humungous tourer to get the best out of the roads in the South Island. If you are used to a Beemer then fine - but the lighter more manoevrable VFR really was the ideal tool. Go whale watching at Kaikoura, taste the best of the NZ wines up in Nelson, ride the wild side down the West Coast and do all the adventure stuff in Queenstown. Our 2007 NZ Tour includes a boat trip at Milford Sound and the planned itinerary really does have it all.

Check out our NZ South Island tour 2-17th March 2007: http:/ /www.mcitours.com/Pages/T14.html

AUSTRALIA
Australia has the same big continent problem that you get in the USA. Oh and a similarly pathological and illogical hatred of Japanese motorcycles. Heavy Duty bikers are well organised, have amazing club houses and occasionally shoot each other. Just like back home but a bit more, well Heavy Duty if you like.
Australian Highway Patrol are a pretty unpleasant, intolerant, bigoted, heavy handed bunch of assholes ¬ but please don’t tell them I said so, I’m still working on the residency permit as I like the place so much. Perth is like Essex without the traffic.

THAILAND
I once saw a Bonneville with a Thai numberplate in Bangkok. I just wanted to share that with you. Anyone who rides a bike in Bangkok is clinically insane. And there are thousands of them.

RUSSIA
Not a good idea. You will get mugged. Or shot. Or if you are very unlucky, both. It IS the home of the Kalashnikov after all... And Chernobyl...

JOB VACANCIES:
Please note we do not employ tour guides as I really DO like to do it all myself...

SMALL & FRIENDLY PROPERTIES
If you own a bike and a property abroad please get in touch for inclusion in our Small & Rider Friendly Programme. www.mcitours.co.uk

Constructive comments and suggested itineraries welcome : info@mcitours.com

All content copyright (c)Alastair McFarlane 2006 and offered in good faith from personal experience of 15 years touring Europe.