Hi all.

 

I am in the initial planning stages of the motorcycle tour to the French Alps in June 2008.

 

I propose to use the Portsmouth to Caen ferry crossing as this appears to be about the best destination port when aiming for the French Alps / Monaco etc when you consider sailing times and distances. The ferry crossing with Brittany Ferries is about 51/2 hours and can be timed to give an early to mid - morning arrival in France and therefore a reasonable amount of time to make good progress on day 1.

 

The aim is to spend most of the Holiday in the French Alps, probably between Chambery, Grenoble, Briancon and down to the coast, perhaps Nice or Monaco.

 

I intend to include The Millau Viaduct Bridge in the route down or back  as it is a site not to miss if you are in that neck of the woods.  http://bridgepros.com/projects/Millau_Viaduct/   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millau_Viaduct   http://www.abelard.org/france/viaduct-de-millau.asp  .

 

Ideally I would like to plan a trip of between 10 to 14 nights away. This would involve one or two night stops on the way down and back to the Alps with the remainder of the time split between two centers within the area. depending how long we went for would depend how long we were at the main hotels.

 

For the trip down and back I will endeavor to restrict the mileage per day to no more than 300 miles to enable plenty of time for stops en route. If you haven't done a European tour before, you don't know what you are missing.

 

At present there are 3, maybe 4 bikes confirmed as going. I would be looking for a firm commitment from anyone wishing to go around October time which will be the optimum time to book ferries. At this time I will require payment for the ferry crossing as payment is required at the time of booking. Hotels are not quite so critical and usually only require a credit card to make a booking. No money is taken at this time and usually, provided the required notice is given, hotels do not charge for cancellations.

 

I am now looking for names and numbers of those interested in taking part in the tour. This is not a firm commitment but I would request that you only respond if you are giving it serious consideration. For those that are considering coming I would like your views on the following;

 

 

 

1.  Name and Date Of Birth. #

 

2.  Address. #

 

3.  Email. #

 

4.  Contact Telephone Number. #

 

5.  Pillion name and Date Of Birth if applicable. #

 

6.  Pillion Address. #

 

 

 

7.  Make. #

 

8.  Model. #

 

9.  Registration Number. #

 

 

10. How many nights would you prefer to be away? #

 

11. Details of any locations you would like to see on the journey down and back. #

 

12. Details of any places you would like to visit within the main holiday destinations. #

 

13. Details of any roads / routes / passes you would like the tour to include. #

 

14. Details of any Hotels that you can recommend that are relevant to the tour. #

 

15. Would you like to spend any of the tour on the Mediterranean Coast such as in the vicinity of Nice / Monaco etc? #

     

16.  If so, would you like to have Hotel Accommodation in that area or travel to it on excursions / Ride outs? #

 

17. If accommodation is arranged in the coastal region, how many nights would you prefer there? #

 

 

 

18. Preference for star rating of Hotels; *  2* /2 & 3* /  3* / 3 & 4* / 4* and above or there equivalent.

 

19. Accommodation basis; *Bed only / *Bed & Breakfast / *Half Board.

 

20. Hotel Facilities; *Secure Bike Parking or Garage (usually and extra charge) / *Swimming Pool / *Restaurant / *Other - please state; #

 

21. Room Type. *Single / *Twin / *Double.

 

22. If you are a Solo rider do you require *single occupancy (usually supplement payment required) / *Room Share (If room share is with a named person please provide details).

 

 

 

23. If you as a rider and / or your pillion wished to opt out of a particular ride out or ride outs, would you be interested in joining others in the group with a view to travelling to other destinations by other means? #

 

24. If you are the holder of a full car license, would you be prepared to drive a hire vehicle on one or more of these excursions if sufficient people wanted to go? #  

 

 

 

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I will research the routes and destinations and if practical offer a choice of trips, albeit we will only be doing one. Book a tour with a Motorcycle Tour Company and you pay a high premium for the luxury of them sorting it out for you and perhaps providing a support van. Provided you have European Breakdown Cover, which is strongly recommended, you will have no need of a support van. In any case they will not recover your bike home if anything happens. We can save a lot of money by arranging this ourselves and I mean a lot of money. 12 Nights to the Pyrenees this year cost about £1300 per couple based on half board in 4* superior accommodation. A similar trip with the main Tour Companies for 10 nights would have cost well over £2000 per couple.

 

The Tour is open to anyone, male, female, couples. This is not a race through mountain passes, you can travel at whatever pace you wish when on the ride outs and wait for the rest to catch up. You will not be expected to ride beyond your capabilities. However, due to the mileage we will be covering on some days, your bike needs to be able to cruise comfortably at 80mph on motorways fully loaded. For those with Sat Navs the final route there and back will be available.

 

In order to participate you will be required to sign a disclaimer absolving The Club, and more importantly myself and anyone who has assisted or assists me in any aspect of this tour from any responsibility for any misfortune that befalls you.

 

You will also be required to make payment for the Ferry Crossing on request, probably in October 2007 and once this is paid will be bound by the Ferry Companies terms and conditions regarding cancellation.

 

You will also be required to make a deposit of one nights Hotel Accommodation which is refundable provided you participate in the tour or the hotels cancellation terms and conditions are met. Ideally I will make the hotel bookings on the basis that each individual or couple will be responsible for settling their own Hotel Bills during their stay or at check out. You will then not be required to make any further payments until you are actually on the tour. You therefore have plenty of time to save for what will be a Tour to remember (hopefully for all the right reasons).

 

Each rider will be responsible for ensuring that their motorcycle is insured for travelling in France, Italy and Switzerland, the latter two countries should be included because ride outs across mountain passes often involve travelling through neighboring countries. You will also be responsible for any Toll payments that are necessary. You will also be responsible for arranging adequate breakdown cover for travelling in the countries stated. You are advised to ensure that you have a mobile phone that is enabled to work in Europe.

 

Each individual is responsible for making sure they have adequate holiday insurance to cover them for the tour.

 

I would appreciate an early response indicating your interest so that I know how many rooms a hotel has to be able to provide and to try and negotiate a discount for a group booking.

 

Please remember, I am not running this as a business and that it will be my holiday as well so I would like to get everything sorted well before we go.

 

Please feel free to pass this Email on to any friends who may be interested but there will be a limit as to how many can go. Priority will be given on a first come first go basis.

 

Regards

 

Ali