Escorted motorcycle touring holidays where you are accompanied by one of our experienced Tour Managers

Escorted Motorcycle Touring Holidays

NEW! TWO CENTRE HOLIDAY

Tour E06 - France
31st July 2010 - 8th August 2010

Ardeche, Millau and Tarn Gorge

Come with us on this nine day tour and ride some of the best roads you will ever experience in your life!

For sheer variety our route in around and through the Ardeche and the Tarn Gorges takes some beating - think about that as you leave the city behind and the pleasures of the undulating countryside beckon into the beyond! We head south from Calais putting in some miles as we head south to stay in Millau where (if you are lucky) your Hotel room will have a view of the extraordinary Millau Bridge. Built by a British Architect (Norman Foster) and now one of the most visited and treasured national monuments in the whole of France. More popular than the Eiffel Tower! Tres bien Monsieur Foster... Wait till you see it. Wait till you ride over it. Makes you justifiably proud. Not only that, we will take you up a spooky country road where you can take a piccie of your bike with the whole of the span of the bridge as a backdrop. Then into the Museum for some facts and figures (it was built in an incredibly short timescale) before we get back to the Hotel in the centre of Millau to celebrate our natural British supremacy in all matters of engineering excellence (hey steady on Alastair...) No I mean it! Forth Bridge, Menai Bridge, Ironbridge - hey we are pretty good at these things - yes? The Hotel is right in the middle of town with secure parking so you can large it up after our excursions into the nearby countryside. When I was last there I travelled for twenty minutes up the Tarn Gorge and overtook three cars. No the bike was not misfiring. It's just that it's so quiet. Well it was until I let rip with the olde GSX-R... Come ride with me. You will LOVE it!

Three nights in these surreal surroundings is enough. We have the delights of the Ardeche to explore. A riot of a cross-country route leads us into more Gorge-ous biking territory. For many years now we have banged on about how good the Ardeche is for biking. Well now it's YOUR turn to find out. Aided by our Hotel Proprietor who himself rides a BMW we have been able to provide routes that only a local biker could prepare for you. Ride the Route of the Volcanoes, step back in time as you pass through villages unspoilt by the sad march of progress that is the twenty-first century. Lose yourself in thoughts of a simple existence as you wonder where on the earth the traffic is? Well it's on the autoroute and it is isn't here to mess up your delightful riding experiences. I'm not kidding you. I've been romping around the Ardeche in the past, seen the fuel light go on and then got the eebie jeebies for the next thirty miles wondering where civilisation is. Sure it can get a bit remote. But the rewards in terms of motorcycling experiences are immense.

Yes, it really is that good.

There's another highlight of the tour - a demanding and technical ride through the Ardeche Gorge itself. When we first started MCi Tours back in a different century (has it really been that long?) we used to dive off the autoroute on our way down to the Circuit Ricard just to ride through the Ardeche Gorge. It's a rite of passage - just like the Stelvio or the Nurburgring. I truly believe that when you have ridden the Ardeche, stopped and taken a photo of yourself with the Pont d'Arc in the background you really have come of age as a motorcyclist. Enjoy that? Well, you can do it again tomorrow as we will stay three nights in the Ardeche!!

Our Hotel is a great period property located opposite the Spa facilities that you may wish to use to salve the abuse meted out to your aching sportsbike-addled limbs. Here the proper restaurant food would cost you £120 in a classy bijou London eatery but is INCLUDED in the price of your tour. As is the wine with your evening meal. The local wines are reasonably priced and the Hotel bar isn't a good hiding either.

Got a sportsbike or fancy putting your touring bike to proper use? This really is the ultimate biking experience...

There will be limited space in our support vehicle for sensible amounts of luggage - please travel light!

You want a riding holiday? Well this is it!

Note: Longest daily mileage will not exceed 322 miles on our prepared routes.