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FRENCH TOUR 2008OK folks
We have had further interest in the Tour with a confirmed booking. I have checked with the various hotels and Brittany Ferries. There is currently capacity on the outbound Ferry for 11 more bikes as of today's date on the outbound sailing. The return sailings have plenty of space. The only restrictions is that one of our main hotels has 6 remaining twin rooms so either 6 couples or up to the sailing capacity in solo riders prepared to share.
Dates are 14th June 2008 to the 24th or 28th June 2008 depending how many nights you want to do.
If you are interested let me know ASAP.
Ali
French Alps Tour 14th June 2008There is still availability on this trip.
Departs Portsmouth on an overnight sailing on Saturday 14th June (14th is not counted in the number of nights away, neither is the return sailing) 10 or 14 nights away.
You pay what it costs, this is not a profit venture. The Ferry fare will need to be paid in full at the time of booking as will a 100 Euro deposit on one of the main hotels and approx 80 Euro deposit on the other depending on status. The rest you pay for as you go.
A rough price per person based on rider and pillion for 14 nights (16 with Ferry Travel is £650, mainly half board).
Both 10 and 14 night Trips are available
There will be a get together for those going sometime in March 2008 on a date TBA.
If you are interested and would like to meet those going, please email me at The Club address.
Ali
Clueless Touring is the only way to travel
French Tour 2008Tour to the French Alps
June 14th - 27th 2008.
I am now collecting deposits for next years Tour. If you are worried about costs, Your initial outlay would be as follows:
At the time of booking and for the 14 night trip you need to find between £120 - £130 per person for deposits on the 2 main hotels.
Approx £25 deposit on your Ferry Booking.
Approx£11 deposit on one of the 3 transition hotels we shall be using.
You are provided with instructions as to how to book the Ferry.
Brittany Ferries will take the balance of the ferry fare from you on about the 29th April 2008.
You are provided with instructions as to book the transition hotels and with the exception of one, which takes an £11 non refundable deposit, no charge is made to your card until you actually stay.
All of the above are paid for and/or reserved by you against a Credit or Debit Card direct with the booking site. Other than the one hotel requiring an £11 deposit, there are no charges made for cancellations provided more than a days notice is given.
The deposit required to reserve the two main hotels is payable by cheque or cash to me and I will make confirm the group reservation. The balance is not payable until you actually stay. Hotel Le Marrinnier will refund in full with 30 days notice, then a sliding scale. Hotel le Dahu is not clear but provided sufficient notice is given, only the deposit is at risk. (Travel insurance will cover any unavoidable cancellations in any case.)
All of the hotels accept Mastercard or Visa.
If you have not had details of the Tour (I'd be surprised if you had overlooked them LOL), have lost them or require the up-to-date version of the Itiniary and costs and/or the Booking Instructions and Disclaimer/Booking form just Email me at The Club's Email address and I'll send them out to you.
I will just reiterate that this Tour has been arranged at cost, there is no profit being made, neither is the organisor (me) benifiting from any reduced rates (OK I got pick of the rooms at the two main Hotels but hey, I deserve that perk for doing all the work). Have a look at what the Motorcycle Tour companies will charge you and what you get compared to what this Tour costs and what it involves. They don't come anywhere near close. Our accomodation is as good if not better than anything they will offer and the areas we will be riding in are some of the best for roads and scenery in Europe. In addition, consideration has been given to those who do not want to Ride Out each day and the main hotels have facilities to appeal to all. The travelling does not amount to an endurance event and the emphasis is on having a great time on HOLIDAY!!!
Come and join us having the greatest time you can legally have on a motorcycle with some of the best people around. Don't be shy.
Ali
The Club Tour to the French Alps 2008OK Folks, the Tour 2008 is on.
We set off on the 2030 hrs sailing on Saturday 14th June 2008 arriving in St Malo at 0815 hrs local time.
Day 1: Travel to Limoges - 280 miles, over night B&B in a comfortable hotel.
Day 2: Travel to Millau - 190 miles, over night B&B in a comfortable hotel and time to explore the famous Bridge and Gorge below. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viaduc_de_Millau
Day 3: Travel to Hotel le Marronnier at Rencurel in what is probably one of the best biking areas in the French Alps. 6 nights half board (5 free days for Ride Outs etc).
Day 9: The choice is yours;
a) Day 9 & 10 head back towards Caen for the Ferry back to Portsmouth - 520 miles with an overnight stay B&B OR
b) Travel on to Le Dahu Hotel - 130 miles for 4 more nights (3 free days for Ride Outs etc.) http://www.dahu.com/index_base_hiv_gb.htm
Day 13 & 14: Travel back to Caen for the Ferry to Portsmouth - 480 miles with an overnight B&B stop en route.
Approxomate costs Per Person;
10 Day Tour: Rider & Pillion - £444 / Solo Rider sharing Cabin & Hotels - £491.50 / Solo Rider Sole Occupancy - £693
14 Day Tour: Rider & Pillion - £660 / Solo Rider sharing Cabin & Hotels - £707.50 / Solo Rider Sole Occupancy - £859
All prices are subject to conformation with the Hotels concerned and will incurr a local tax of between 0.4 and 1 Euro per night. The Tour does not include Food and drink on the ferry crossings, evening meals at 2 x hotels on the way down or the hotel on the way back, any lunches, snacks or drinks. Don't forget a few drinks for Ali. You will also need to ensure you have European Breakdown and Travel Insurance and budget for your fuel (1500 to 2000 miles anticipated).
If you want to have a great holiday enjoying riding in one of the most beautiful areas in the world, on some of the best biking roads that there are to be found anywhere and in the company of a great bunch of people then come and join us. Each days riding will not be taxing and will have plenty of breaks. This is a holiday not an endurance event.
Email theclub_rw@btinternet.com for further details. Don't delay, this will be booked soon.
Ali Tour to the French Alps 2008OK Folks.
Brittany Ferries have released next years Ferry Details. It's time I started putting this together.
I am looking to do an overnight crossing from Portsmouth to St Malo. The ferry leaves Portsmouth at 2030 hrs arriving St Malo 0815 local time. This will give as an opportunity for a good nights sleep before the first days serious riding and I would suggest a Cabin would be in order. St Malo also gets us that little bit further down towards the area we are heading for.
Return would probably be the Caen to Portsmouth route which is a shorter crossing and as most will live within easy travelling of Portsmouth a cabin would not be necessary ( which helps keep the cost down).
I did a quick quote on a bike with two passengers, including cabin on the outward leg and recliners on return leg, which came to £235 return. Solo Rider £190 return.
The cheapest out bound sailings are any day except Friday. Return sailings are varied but provided we avoid the Saturday & Sunday Midday and Tea Time sailings, they are reasonable. All the night time sailings are cheap, they arrive at Portsmouth at 0700.
Now in order to start getting Hotel quotes, I need to know when we are going. Ideally the last two weeks in June would be good.
What I need to know is; If you are interested (I stress interested) in going, what dates would be suitable to you.
Please let me know ASAP as I would like to do some serious work on this next week and have something to put forward to you by next weekend.
Email your replies to theclub_rw@btinternet.com
Ali
French AlpsClueless Touring.
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;
(# please add the response after each question , * delete where appropriate and when done, cut and paste the lot in to a new Email and reply to theclubatrobwillsher@tiscali.co.uk and put Tour 2008 in the subject field).
Personal details
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. #
Motorcycle details
(Can be changed prior to departure)
7. Make. #
8. Model. #
9. Registration Number. #
Preferences for the Tour
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? #
Accommodation
(*Delete those not applicable)
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).
Excursions
Ride Outs will take place daily and it will be the individuals choice as to whether they wish to take part or do their own thing. Pillions do not always want to go on the ride outs for various reasons and there are always ample opportunities for those not wishing to ride out, to occupy their time elsewhere or just chill out.
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? #
****************************************************************
Very important, please read.
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
Clueless Touring - getting you there since 0855 hrs this morning!!! Touring in Europe 2008Touring French / Italian Alps 2008.
Have you taken your bike to Europe? If not, you don’t know what you are missing. The Roads have to be ridden to be appreciated, traffic is non existent in places, the scenery is stunning and extremely comfortable accommodation and excellent food can be found at a very reasonable cost. Combine that with the company of good friends and you have a recipe for a superb holiday.
I have toured with an organised Tour Company and it was well run and thoroughly enjoyable. However it isn’t cheap and last year a few friends, who we had met touring, my better half and I decided we could do better. Hence Clueless Touring was born. We organised everything ourselves and had a brilliant time in the Pyrenees focused around excellent accommodation in Andorra for a fraction of the price a Tour company wanted for a similar trip.
We intend to Tour again next year and are aiming for the first couple of weeks in June 2008, avoiding the half term holidays. I am mildly confident that we can arrange this on a larger scale and am inviting any and all members of The Club to come along.
A very rough plan is to get the Portsmouth to St Malo Ferry to France and travel down to a location in the South East of France or North West of Italy that gives us easy access to the Alps. We would take a route to include the Millau Bridge (The Bridge in the Sky) which is a must for anyone in that neck of the woods and have at least one overnight stay en route there and back.
Experience has shown that the last thing you want to be doing is unpacking and re packing every day so the bulk of the trip would be at a fixed location. Experience has also shown that after long days in the saddle the last thing you want is to return to basic accommodation. Therefore I would be looking to book accommodation of a very good standard and probably on a half board basis so that we don’t have to go out looking for Restaurants at the end of each day. This accommodation will ideally have a swimming pool and solarium facilities. Now some of us will have our better halves with us who only ride pillion and although they thoroughly enjoy being on the bike, they do like to do their shopping, sun bathe and relax around the pool or a beach. I would be looking to book the main accommodation possibly within reasonable driving distance of a beach and those that wanted to could get together, hire a car or MPV and go off to the beach. Just look at the places there are on the French Mediterranean coast alone in that area. Now if I sound sexist here I am sorry and yes I know there are lady riders who will give the boys more than a run for their money but the following is just a turn of phrase and should not be interpreted in any other way. The girls do appreciate that the boys do like a day or two on their own to play on their bikes properly and if you have travelled that far then it is too good an opportunity to miss. Therefore I will be endeavouring to ensure that enjoyable facilities that do not involve bikes are on hand for those that just want a day to relax.
June 2008 is a long way off you may ask and yes you are right but these things take a lot of organisation. Firstly, getting an idea of numbers is the main objective. The more the merrier as we will get better rates. Secondly, the earlier we book the ferry the cheaper it is. Thirdly, it gives me time to consider requests people coming may make in respect of where they would specifically like to go and what they would like to get out of the Tour. Finally it gives us all time to save for the Trip.
I would be looking to book the ferry by October at the latest and would require a firm commitment from those wishing to go by then. I would require full payment for the ferry crossings at that time as it has to be paid at the time of booking. As and when the Hotels are decided on and booked I will require one night’s accommodation fee per person per hotel in order for me to make the bookings. Your money will be safe and returnable up until I actually have to make the payments.
Those wishing to come would be advised to take out travel insurance as soon as details are confirmed and a payment has been made in the event that the individual is not able to travel for reasons covered by such Insurance. In small groups, hotels have only required credit card details to be provided at the time of booking and no payment is taken until check out time. However, if a person fails to show at the Hotel and the appropriate cancellation notice (more often than not 24 – 48 hrs) has not been given they will swipe the card for one night’s accommodation only. Hence the need to provide the cost of one nights accommodation at each hotel.
At this time I have no idea of cost and in any case this would vary depending on your circumstances. Rest assured it will be considerably cheaper than a comparative tour with a Tour Company.
Rider and Pillion in same room. (One Ferry fee) Two Solo Riders sharing a room. (Two Ferry fees) Solo Rider requiring single occupancy. (Single Occupancy Supplement).
I would be aiming to book the Tour for between 10 – 14 days. You will be required to complete a disclaimer absolving me or any other organiser of any responsibility for any misfortune that may befall you while on the tour and are strongly advised to ensure that you have arranged adequate Holiday insurance and Break Down cover.
I will arrange get togethers during the following year to discuss finer points. The main thing to remember is that the intention is to enjoy ourselves. If you are interested in joining this Tour please complete the attached pro forma and return it to The Club’s Email address.
Regards
Ali
Clueless Touring is a Spoof organisation, the title chosen was because that was exactly the position we were in when arranging the 2007 Tour, CLUELESS. Edge 44 / Bike Safe TalkI have had conformation from Hampshire Constabulary's finest that they would be all to pleased to come and give The Club a talk on the Edge 44 / Bike safe scheme.
The scheme is not about pulling you for small number plates, loud cans or even speed to a degree, but about razing your awareness while riding, offering advice as to road positioning etc and generally aiming to make you more self aware on the road. Often the result of this is that you will become a quicker rider. The Talk will outline the principles of the scheme and what is involved. This is not advanced rider training but advice and pointers following and during a period of observed riding. They are realists and are fully aware that motorcyclists do not stick to the National Speed limit and therefore there is no point in basing the advice on unrealistic riding practices. I have yet to meet anyone who has actually done the scheme who has stated that they got no benefit from it.
Now if they are willing to put themselves out (don't forget they do this on a voluntary basis) then the least we can do is respond with a good turn out. It is planned that this talk will be held in June on one of our Tuesday Night Meets. So that's either the 5th or the 19th of June. The venue will be Rob Willsher's with an adjournment to the Windhover Manor for a sherbet afterwards.
What I would appreciate is an Emailed response as to who would prefer which date in an attempt to allow as many as possible to attend. If both are convenient to you, please say so. Likewise, if a particular date is inconvenient please say why and I will try and accommodate as many as possible.
So come on, make the effort, I'm sure you will find it worthwhile.
Ali WSB Silverstone Sunday 27th May 2007If you are interested in a ride out to WSB at Silverstoneon Sunday 27th May 2007 then please Email theclubatrobwillsher@tiscali.co.uk
WSB Brands Hatch Sunday 5th August 2007If you are interested in a ride out to WSB at Brands Hatch on Sunday 5th August 2007 then please Email theclubatrobwillsher@tiscali.co.uk
MotoGP Donnington Park 24th June 2007If you are interested in a Ride Out to the MotoGP round at Donnington Park on Sunday 24th June 2007 then please Email theclubatrobwillsher@tiscali.co.uk to express that interest.
Ticket prices;
PURCHASE IN ADVANCE
PURCHASE ON-THE-DAY
ADDITIONS TO GENERAL ADMISSION TICKET
http://www.donington-park.co.uk/tickets/default.asp?event=070624 BSB Silverstone Sunday 29th April 2007The Club already has ride outs to the BSB rounds at Brands Hatch on Monday 9th April 2007 and Thruxton on Sunday 15th April 2007.
Unfortunately this year the BSB organisers have scheduled 3 of the 4 rounds of BSB at our "local tracks" in the same month.
If you are interested in attending the round at Silverstone on Sunday 29th April 2007 then please Email theclubatrobwillsher@tiscali.co.uk to express your interest.
A reminder that purchasing tickets Online at http://www.silverstone.co.uk/html/ra_bsb.php will cost £25 against £30.00 on the day. These are somewhat dearer than other rounds of BSB. Bikefest UK 2007Paul Mathews has suggested that a ride out to the above event could be arranged by The Club. Click on the above link to find out all about it. It takes place on Saturday 26th May 2007.
Advanced tickets are £10.00. Tickets on the gate are £15.00.
If you would like to ride out to this event then please register your interest by Emailing
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